CJC-1295 with DAC

CJC-1295 with DAC is a synthetic 29-amino-acid analog of growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH), modified from the endogenous GHRH(1-29) sequence with four amino acid substitutions (at positions 2, 8, 15, and 27) to resist enzymatic degradation, plus a Drug Affinity Complex (DAC) — a maleimidopropionic acid group attached to a lysine residue at the peptide's C-terminus. Its molecular formula is C165H271N47O46, with PubChem CID 91971820 and CAS number 863288-34-0.

At Verified Peptides, we consider the DAC modification the single most important feature distinguishing this compound from CJC-1295 without DAC (also sold separately in our catalog): the maleimide group in DAC forms a covalent bond with cysteine-34 on circulating serum albumin, effectively attaching the GHRH analog to one of the most abundant, long-circulating proteins in blood. This albumin-binding strategy dramatically extends the peptide's functional half-life compared with unmodified GHRH or the DAC-free version of CJC-1295, which is the entire rationale behind the DAC modification's design.

CJC-1295 with DAC is classified as a growth hormone secretagogue, specifically a GHRH receptor agonist, and is studied for its ability to stimulate a sustained, rather than pulsatile, increase in endogenous growth hormone and downstream insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) secretion.

The compound was originally developed by ConjuChem Biotechnologies, which pioneered the Drug Affinity Complex platform as a general-purpose half-life-extension strategy applicable to multiple peptide candidates, not solely CJC-1295. This origin is worth understanding, since the DAC technology itself predates and is broader in scope than any single GHRH analog built on top of it.

At Verified Peptides, we point researchers to the pivotal published study establishing CJC-1295 with DAC's pharmacodynamic profile (Teichman SL, et al., Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 2006; PMID 16352683). This research comprised two randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, ascending-dose trials of 28 and 49 days' duration in healthy adults aged 21 to 61. After a single injection, dose-dependent increases in mean plasma growth hormone concentrations of 2- to 10-fold were sustained for 6 days or more, and mean plasma IGF-1 concentrations increased 1.5- to 3-fold for 9 to 11 days. The study also established the compound's extended elimination half-life of 5.8 to 8.1 days, directly attributable to the DAC albumin-binding mechanism.

This published research remains, to our knowledge, the primary peer-reviewed clinical dataset specifically characterizing CJC-1295 with DAC in humans; we have not identified additional large-scale peer-reviewed clinical trials extending this initial pharmacodynamic characterization into disease-specific efficacy endpoints, and we are noting that gap honestly rather than extrapolating beyond what the published literature supports.

CJC-1295 with DAC has also been the subject of specific, active regulatory scrutiny distinct from the standard drug-approval pathway that applies to most compounds in this catalog: the FDA's Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee (PCAC) has evaluated CJC-1295-related bulk drug substances — including CJC-1295 free base, CJC-1295 acetate, and multiple CJC-1295 DAC salt forms — for potential inclusion on the Section 503A Bulk Drug Substances List, which governs what compounding pharmacies may legally use to prepare compounded drug products. A PCAC meeting addressing these substances was held December 4, 2024, and a final determination remained pending as of our most recent review. This is a meaningfully different regulatory process from FDA drug approval, and researchers should not conflate active 503A bulks-list evaluation with either approval or rejection as a therapeutic drug.

CJC-1295 with DAC has not been approved by the FDA for any human indication. Research-grade material sold here is intended exclusively for laboratory research, not for human or animal use.

The Drug Affinity Complex technology used in CJC-1295 is not unique to this compound — the same albumin-binding maleimide chemistry has been explored across other peptide and protein drug candidates as a general half-life-extension strategy, since covalently binding to a naturally long-circulating carrier protein is a broadly reusable approach rather than something engineered specifically for GHRH analogs.

A frequent point of confusion in the research-peptide market is that "CJC-1295" without further qualification can refer to either the DAC-conjugated, long-acting version covered on this page, or to CJC-1295 without DAC (sometimes marketed under names emphasizing its shorter action and closer resemblance to a Sermorelin-like pulsatile profile). These are meaningfully different research tools with different half-lives, dosing frequency implications, and GH-release patterns, and conflating the two in a research protocol could introduce a confound if the wrong version is assumed.

CJC-1295 with DAC's active regulatory review by the FDA's Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee is a distinctive status not shared by most peptides in this catalog. This process specifically concerns whether licensed compounding pharmacies may legally prepare patient-specific compounded medications using a given bulk substance — a different legal and regulatory question from whether a company can market an FDA-approved drug product containing that substance, and distinct from research-use sale, which operates under its own separate framework.

Sustained, non-pulsatile GH elevation of the kind produced by long-acting GHRH analogs like CJC-1295 with DAC has itself become a research question of interest, since the human body's natural GH secretion is normally pulsatile (with distinct peaks, especially during sleep), and researchers have investigated whether sustained versus pulsatile GH exposure produces different downstream metabolic and tissue effects — an open research question rather than a settled one.

Because CJC-1295 with DAC produces such a long, sustained elevation once administered, researchers cannot rapidly reverse its effects the way they might with a shorter-acting secretagogue, a practical consideration that has itself shaped how the compound is used in experimental protocols where precise, time-limited GH exposure windows are needed.

At Verified Peptides, we require independent third-party HPLC purity testing and mass spectrometry identity confirmation for every batch of research-grade CJC-1295 with DAC we offer, with a Certificate of Analysis (COA) available for each lot. Because the DAC modification adds a distinct chemical group beyond the core 29-amino-acid peptide backbone, verifying both the peptide sequence and the completeness of the DAC conjugation are both relevant quality parameters — an incompletely conjugated batch would be expected to behave more like CJC-1295 without DAC than the long-acting compound researchers intend to study.

We source exclusively from manufacturers operating under Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP)-aligned quality systems, and every lot is independently verified rather than accepted on a supplier's internal documentation alone. Researchers should request and review the specific COA for their lot before use in any experimental protocol, checking both purity percentage and confirmed molecular identity.

Given the meaningful functional difference between CJC-1295 with and without DAC, correctly labeled and verified identity is especially important for this specific compound — researchers relying on a mislabeled or degraded sample risk drawing conclusions about the wrong pharmacodynamic profile entirely.

Lyophilized (freeze-dried) CJC-1295 with DAC is stable when stored at -20°C, protected from light and moisture, and can generally be expected to maintain integrity over extended periods in this unreconstituted form.

Once reconstituted with bacteriostatic water or an appropriate sterile diluent, CJC-1295 with DAC solution should be stored refrigerated at 2–8°C and used within the documented timeframe for that lot. Repeated freeze-thaw cycling should be avoided, and aliquoting into single-use portions where practical helps minimize unnecessary freeze-thaw exposure of any individual vial, since reconstituted peptide solutions are generally more prone to degradation than the lyophilized form.

As with other research peptides, prolonged exposure to heat, direct light, or extended room-temperature storage will accelerate degradation of both the peptide backbone and the DAC conjugation, potentially reducing the compound's albumin-binding capacity along with its raw structural integrity. Following the lot-specific storage documentation provided with each order remains the most reliable way to preserve research validity.