CJC-1295 DAC.
CJC-1295 with DAC (also written DAC:GRF, CJC-1295 DAC) is a synthetic, long-acting analog of growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH).
CJC-1295 with DAC (also written DAC:GRF, CJC-1295 DAC) is a synthetic, long-acting analog of growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH). CJC-1295 DAC is research / preclinical, and PepCue grades its published evidence F tier (29/100). This is a research reference, not medical or dosing advice.
What it is
CJC-1295 with DAC (also written DAC:GRF, CJC-1295 DAC) is a synthetic, long-acting analog of growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH). It is built on the bioactive N-terminal GHRH(1-29) fragment with several amino-acid substitutions, plus a "Drug Affinity Complex" (DAC): a maleimidopropionyl group that lets the peptide bind covalently to circulating albumin after injection. It was developed in the mid-2000s by ConjuChem Biotechnologies as an investigational drug; it is not an approved medicine and today circulates mainly as a research/gray-market peptide.
How it works
Like native GHRH, CJC-1295 binds the GHRH receptor on anterior pituitary somatotrophs and stimulates synthesis and pulsatile release of growth hormone (GH), which in turn drives hepatic and peripheral IGF-1 production. Two engineering features extend its action: amino-acid substitutions in the GHRH(1-29) backbone resist cleavage by dipeptidyl-peptidase-4 (DPP-4), and the DAC maleimide group forms a covalent bond with cysteine-34 of serum albumin, shielding the peptide from renal filtration and proteolysis so it persists in plasma for days rather than minutes. Because it amplifies the body's own GH axis rather than supplying exogenous GH, secretion remains somewhat pulsatile and subject to negative feedback (e.g., somatostatin).
Mechanism pathways
Stimulating the pituitary's GHRH receptor to release the body's own growth hormone.
Growth-hormone-releasing hormone is made in the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus and travels through the hypophyseal portal circulation to the anterior pituitary, where it binds a class B G-protein-coupled receptor on somatotroph cells. Receptor activation raises intracellular cyclic AMP, which triggers both the synthesis of growth hormone and its release in pulses. Downstream, growth hormone acts on the liver and peripheral tissues to raise insulin-like growth factor 1, and IGF-1 in turn feeds back to restrain further growth hormone output. Somatostatin, released from a separate hypothalamic population, provides the opposing brake. The appeal of targeting this receptor rather than administering growth hormone directly is that the feedback architecture stays intact. Because release remains pulsatile and IGF-1 can still shut the system down, the pituitary sets a ceiling on how much growth hormone appears. Direct growth hormone administration bypasses that ceiling entirely. This is the central argument for the whole class, and it is a genuine pharmacological difference rather than a marketing distinction. All compounds in this group are analogs of the biologically active fragment of GHRH, which is the first twenty-nine amino acids. Native GHRH is cleaved almost immediately by dipeptidyl peptidase-4 at the amino terminus, so every analog is essentially a different answer to that vulnerability. Some substitute amino acids near the cleavage site. Some add a chemical group at the amino terminus that the enzyme cannot process. Some attach a linker that lets the molecule bind covalently to circulating albumin, stretching duration from minutes to days and turning discrete pulses into a sustained elevation, which is a meaningfully different physiological signal from a short pulse. One member of this group is an approved medicine for a specific indication, which means the receptor mechanism has been demonstrated in humans and not merely in animals. That approval does not extend to the rest of the group. Most of the compounds here have never been approved for any use anywhere, are sold as research chemicals of unverified identity and purity, and have human data limited to short studies showing that growth hormone rises after administration. Demonstrating that a hormone level moves is not the same as demonstrating that anything clinically meaningful follows from it, and for most of this class that second step has not been taken.
The evidence
Human evidence comes mainly from early-phase ConjuChem trials in healthy adults. Teichman et al. (JCEM, 2006) reported that single subcutaneous doses produced dose-dependent, sustained elevations of GH and IGF-1, with IGF-1 remaining above baseline for several days and repeated weekly/biweekly dosing maintaining elevated IGF-1. Ionescu and Frohman (JCEM, 2006) showed that despite continuous GHRH-receptor stimulation, GH secretion remained pulsatile in healthy men. Preclinical support includes Alba et al. (Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab, 2006), where once-daily CJC-1295 normalized growth in GHRH-knockout mice, and Sackmann-Sala et al. (Growth Horm IGF Res, 2009), which characterized GH/IGF-1-axis-driven serum protein changes. Crucially, there are no published controlled trials demonstrating clinical outcomes (body composition, strength, fat loss, anti-aging, or healing) in humans; the human data establish a pharmacodynamic GH/IGF-1 effect, not proven therapeutic benefit, and the program was discontinued without an approved indication.
The evidence, in brief
CJC-1295 with DAC is a long-acting GHRH analogue that binds albumin to extend its half-life to ~6–8 days. A small placebo-controlled trial in healthy adults showed sustained, dose-dependent rises in GH and IGF-1. Investigational, not FDA-approved; evidence is early-phase only.
- Teichman SL et al.: Prolonged stimulation of GH and IGF-1 by CJC-1295 in healthy adultsJ Clin Endocrinol Metab, 2006 (PMID 16352683)
Evidence maturity
An evidence-only reading: approval status, human vs preclinical data, mechanism and safety. Popularity never raises it. Research file #013
Mostly preclinical or mechanistic; little human data.
A plausible biological rationale, but little data behind it.
Claim receipts
Popular claims about CJC-1295 DAC, checked against the state of the evidence. The verdict describes evidence maturity, never an invented study result.
Early-phase human trials showed dose-dependent, sustained GH and IGF-1 elevation after single administration.
No controlled trial has measured body composition, strength or any other clinical outcome.
The human data establish a pharmacodynamic hormone effect, not a demonstrated therapeutic benefit.
Pulsatility was preserved in one short study, but long-term safety is uncharacterized and sustained IGF-1 elevation carries recognized GH-axis concerns.
Clinical development was discontinued and it never reached approval for any indication.
Safety profile
In the short early-phase human studies, the most consistently noted effects were injection-site reactions and transient flushing; sustained IGF-1 elevation also raises theoretical concerns common to GH-axis stimulation, such as fluid retention, joint discomfort, carpal-tunnel-type symptoms, and reduced insulin sensitivity. Long-term human safety is essentially uncharacterized: no large or long-duration controlled trials were completed, and chronically elevated GH/IGF-1 is a biologically plausible (though unproven for this compound) concern for promoting growth of existing neoplasms. Real-world risk is compounded by the fact that material sold as "CJC-1295 DAC" is unregulated and may vary in purity, identity, or sterility. No dosing or administration guidance is provided here.
Compound notes
- CJC-1295 with DAC is a GHRH analog carrying a Drug Affinity Complex (DAC) that binds to albumin in the blood.
- That albumin binding extends its half-life to roughly 6–8 days, producing a sustained elevation of growth hormone rather than discrete pulses.
DAC = long-acting, sustained GH (the albumin tether); no-DAC (Mod GRF 1-29) = short-acting and pulsatile, closer to natural rhythm.
- Not FDA-approved; research-only.
- Sustained GH elevation differs physiologically from natural pulses; long-term human safety is unknown.
Regulatory status
CJC-1295 (with or without DAC) is not approved by the FDA or any major regulator for any use; clinical development was discontinued and it is treated as an unapproved/investigational substance, with U.S. authorities also flagging it as unsuitable for pharmacy compounding. It is prohibited in sport at all times by the World Anti-Doping Agency as a GH-releasing factor under Category S2 of the Prohibited List.
Sold research-use-only; human evidence is limited or preclinical.
By the numbers
- 01DAC = Drug Affinity Complex: a maleimide group that covalently binds albumin (cys-34), giving a multi-day plasma presence versus minutes for native GHRH
- 02It is a GHRH analog (a GH secretagogue/'releaser'), not exogenous growth hormone and not a GHRP/ghrelin-receptor agonist like ipamorelin
- 03The 'with DAC' version is long-acting; the 'no-DAC' form (modified GRF 1-29 / CJC-1295 without DAC) is short-acting and pharmacologically distinct
- 04Human data are limited to early-phase healthy-adult studies showing raised GH and IGF-1; no clinical-outcome trials were completed
- 05Originally developed by ConjuChem; development was discontinued and it never reached approval
- 06Banned in sport (WADA S2) and not FDA-approved; sold material is research-grade/unregulated
CJC-1295 DAC: research formats
Choose the format you are researching to see route-specific notes.
The DAC version bonds to albumin and lasts 6–8 days, allowing much less frequent injections than no-DAC.
CJC-1295 DAC is typically sold as a 2 mg vial. Its albumin-binding Drug Affinity Complex (DAC) extends the half-life to approximately 6–8 days, so injections are spaced much further apart than no-DAC. Reconstituting 2 mg in 2.0 mL BAC water gives 1,000 mcg/mL.
Because the compound sustains GH elevation for days, the typical injection schedule in research contexts is once weekly or twice weekly, very different from the daily or multi-daily no-DAC pattern.
Sources
Every factual claim above resolves to a real, published source.
- 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 AdultsJ Clin Endocrinol Metab, 2006; PMID 16352683 (Teichman SL et al.)
- Pulsatile Secretion of Growth Hormone (GH) Persists During Continuous Stimulation by CJC-1295, a Long-Acting GH-Releasing Hormone AnalogJ Clin Endocrinol Metab, 2006; PMID 17018654 (Ionescu M, Frohman LA)
- Once-Daily Administration of CJC-1295, a Long-Acting GHRH Analog, Normalizes Growth in the GHRH Knockout MouseAm J Physiol Endocrinol Metab, 2006; PMID 16822960 (Alba M et al.)
- S2. Peptide Hormones, Growth Factors, Related Substances and Mimetics: WADA Prohibited ListWorld Anti-Doping Agency Prohibited List (GH-releasing factors)
Cite this page
PepCue. “CJC-1295 DAC: the evidence.” PepCue, reviewed June 1, 2026. https://www.pepcue.app/p/cjc-1295-dac.
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