CJC-1295 (with DAC)
Drug Affinity Complex GHRH Analog
aka DAC:GRF · Drug Affinity Complex GRF
A long-acting GHRH analogue research describes as sustaining elevated GH levels for up to eight days per dose.
Sequence
YADAIFTQSYRKVLAQLSARKLLQDILSRK
L-Tyr-D-Ala-L-Asp-L-Ala-L-Ile-L-Phe-L-Thr-L-Gln-L-Ser-L-Tyr-L-Arg-L-Lys-L-Val-L-Leu-L-Ala-L-Gln-L-Leu-L-Ser-L-Ala-L-Arg-L-Lys-L-Leu-L-Leu-L-Gln-L-Asp-L-Ile-L-Leu-L-Ser-L-Arg-L-Lys-NH2
Mechanism of action
CJC-1295 with DAC is a synthetic peptide that stimulates the pituitary gland to release growth hormone (GH). It binds to the growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) receptors, leading to increased GH secretion. The Drug Affinity Complex (DAC) extends its half-life, allowing for sustained GH elevation over several days.
What the evidence actually shows
There are a few human trials that have demonstrated CJC-1295's ability to increase growth hormone levels and improve body composition. However, long-term safety and efficacy data are lacking, and more comprehensive studies are needed.
Regulatory status
In the UK, CJC-1295 is not approved for medical use and is considered a research compound.
Source ↗Pharmacokinetics
Dosing — what backs each figure
CJC-1295 with DAC (the albumin-binding drug-affinity-complex GHRH analogue used by ConjuChem) does have real published human data: phase 1 subcutaneous single ascending doses and 2-3 weekly or biweekly doses in healthy adults, plus single 60 or 90 microg/kg injections in healthy men, with a plasma half-life of 5.8-8.1 days. It has never been approved anywhere, development was discontinued, and no maintenance or 'cycle' regimen has ever been established.
Single ascending subcutaneous doses in a 28-day trial (four ascending dose levels; the paper reports safety and pharmacodynamics particularly at 30 and 60 microg/kg), followed in a second 49-day trial by two or three doses given weekly or biweekly
healthy adults aged 21-61 years, two randomised placebo-controlled double-blind ascending-dose phase 1 trials · subcutaneous
Single subcutaneous injection of either 60 microg/kg or 90 microg/kg; GH pulsatility assessed by 20-min sampling over 12 h before and 1 week after injection
healthy men aged 20-40 years · subcutaneous
- Dose
- Research literature cites ~1 to 2 mg weekly
- Frequency
- Once weekly
- Cycle
- 8-12 weeks· unsourced
Why this isn't evidence
Every published human CJC-1295 dose is weight-based in microg/kg (30-90 microg/kg, i.e. roughly 2-6 mg for a 70 kg adult), not a flat 1-2 mg, and no trial ran an '8-12 week' course - the two phase 1 studies lasted 28 and 49 days and the only registered longer study (NCT00267527, 12 weeks in HIV visceral obesity) was terminated without published dose data.
This figure is shown because it is what circulates and what people search for — not because it is supported. Cycle lengths in particular tend to be convention copied between compounds rather than anything derived from a compound's own pharmacokinetics.
Handling and storage
Safety
- ·Injection site reactions
- ·Water retention
- ·Joint pain
- ·Carpal tunnel syndrome
- ·Increased risk of diabetes
- ·Active cancer
- ·Uncontrolled diabetes
- ·Pregnancy
- ·Insulin: May enhance hypoglycemic effects due to increased GH levels
Water retention, headache, injection-site reactions
Reported combinations
- ·GHRP-6: May enhance GH release when used together
- ·Somatostatin analogs: May inhibit GH release
Combination claims in this dataset are largely unsourced and should be treated as folk knowledge until a citation appears beside them.
References (4)
- Teichman SL, Neale A, Lawrence B, Gagnon C, Castaigne JP, Frohman LA (2006) Prolonged stimulation of growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor I secretion by CJC-1295, a long-acting analog of GH-releasing hormone, in healthy adults ↗J Clin Endocrinol MetabPMID 16352683DOI
Two randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind ascending-dose trials in healthy adults aged 21-61; single and repeated weekly/biweekly subcutaneous doses raised GH and IGF-I concentrations and area under the curve for a prolonged period.
- Ionescu M, Frohman LA (2006) Pulsatile secretion of growth hormone (GH) persists during continuous stimulation by CJC-1295, a long-acting GH-releasing hormone analog ↗J Clin Endocrinol MetabPMID 17018654DOI
Reports that CJC-1295 binds permanently to endogenous albumin after injection with a half-life of 8 days, and that GH pulsatility was preserved 1 week after a single injection in healthy men aged 20-40.
- Jette L, Leger R, Thibaudeau K, et al. (2005) Human growth hormone-releasing factor (hGRF)1-29-albumin bioconjugates activate the GRF receptor on the anterior pituitary in rats: identification of CJC-1295 as a long-lasting GRF analog ↗EndocrinologyPMID 15817669DOI
Preclinical rat study identifying CJC-1295 as the albumin bioconjugate of hGRF(1-29) responsible for prolonged GRF-receptor activation; establishes the DAC/albumin-binding mechanism.
- Sackmann-Sala L, Ding J, Frohman LA, Kopchick JJ (2009) Activation of the GH/IGF-1 axis by CJC-1295, a long-acting GHRH analog, results in serum protein profile changes in normal adult subjects ↗Growth Horm IGF ResPMID 19386527DOI
Serum proteomic analysis in normal adult subjects given CJC-1295 showed changes in serum protein profiles accompanying GH/IGF-1 axis activation.
Data provenance
Chemistry and citations on this page were checked against primary sources on 2026-08-14. Values that could not be verified were left blank rather than filled with a plausible guess.
Could not verify
storage, reconstitution