What Is CJC-1295? DAC vs No DAC Explained

With DAC. DAC stands for Drug Affinity Complex. It is a chemical linker that lets the peptide attach to albumin, the most common protein in blood. Bound to albumin, the peptide avoids rapid breakdown and its half-life extends to roughly 6–8 days.

No DAC (Mod GRF 1-29). Many products sold as “CJC-1295 no DAC” are technically Modified GRF (1-29): GHRH 1-29 with four amino acid swaps that resist breakdown, but no albumin linker. Its half-life is closer to 30 minutes, so it produces a short GH pulse more like the body’s natural rhythm.

CJC-1295 binds to the GHRH receptor on pituitary cells, which increases both the amount of GH made and the amount released with each pulse. GH then travels to the liver, which produces IGF-1. Most of GH’s effects on muscle, bone and fat metabolism run through IGF-1.

Because the GHRH receptor is different from the ghrelin receptor targeted by ipamorelin, researchers often study the two together. In theory, GHRH increases the size of each pulse while the ghrelin pathway increases how often pulses fire.

Healthy adults. The key human study (Teichman et al., Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 2006) gave single injections of CJC-1295 with DAC to healthy adults. GH levels rose 2 to 10 times and stayed elevated for six days or more, and IGF-1 rose 1.5 to 3 times for 9 to 11 days. A follow-up study found that the natural pulsing pattern of GH was preserved.

Clinical development stopped. CJC-1295 entered phase 2 trials for HIV-associated fat accumulation. In 2006, development was halted after a trial participant died. The investigators reported the death was unlikely to be caused by the drug, but the program did not resume.

What is missing. There are no completed trials showing that CJC-1295 improves body composition, strength or recovery in people.

In the published human studies, side effects were generally mild and short-lived:

• Injection-site redness or pain
• Flushing and headache
• Diarrhea
• Water retention, numbness or tingling, which are typical of raised GH

Because the DAC version keeps GH and IGF-1 raised for days, any side effects may also last longer. Long-term effects of sustained IGF-1 elevation, including on blood sugar and cell growth, have not been studied.

No. CJC-1295 is not FDA-approved for any use and is not on the 503A Bulks List, so it cannot be legally compounded in the U.S. It was not part of the July 2026 advisory committee vote. GHRH analogs are also prohibited by WADA.

Several peptides mimic GHRH. They differ mainly in how long they last and whether they have regulatory approval:

Why tesamorelin matters here. Tesamorelin shows what a GHRH analog can do in a properly run program: phase 3 trials in the New England Journal of Medicine showed reductions in visceral (deep belly) fat. CJC-1295 never completed that kind of testing.

Blends. Products sold as “CJC/Ipamorelin” usually contain the no-DAC version, so the short GHRH pulse lines up with ipamorelin’s short ghrelin-receptor pulse. Pre-mixed blends make it harder to verify how much of each peptide a vial actually contains.

Products sold as CJC-1295 by research suppliers are laboratory chemicals, not medicines. They are not made under drug manufacturing rules, so quality varies a lot between vendors. If you are evaluating a CJC-1295 supplier for lab research, these are the checks that matter:

• Batch-specific COA: the certificate should match the lot number on your vial, not a generic sample.
• Independent lab: testing should come from a named third-party lab, ideally with a way to verify the report online.
• Identity, not just purity: HPLC purity alone does not confirm the right molecule; look for mass spectrometry (MS) identity confirmation.
• Endotoxin and sterility results: these matter for any injectable research material.
• Correct fill amount: the measured content should be close to the labeled milligrams.

Our Trusted Sources page lists vendors we track, with current community codes. Our guide to reading a certificate of analysis explains each line of a COA.

• CJC-1295 is a long-acting analog of GHRH, the hormone that triggers GH release.
• “With DAC” binds albumin and lasts about a week; “no DAC” lasts about 30 minutes.
• In healthy adults, one dose raised GH and IGF-1 for about a week or more.
• Clinical development stopped in 2006; there are no body-composition trials.
• It is not FDA-approved and is banned in sport.

What is CJC-1295?

CJC-1295 is a modified version of growth hormone–releasing hormone (GHRH) designed to last longer in the body and raise growth hormone and IGF-1.

What is the difference between CJC-1295 with DAC and no DAC?

The DAC version has a linker that binds albumin, giving it a half-life of about 6–8 days. The no-DAC version, also called Mod GRF 1-29, lasts about 30 minutes.

Is CJC-1295 the same as sermorelin?

No. Both are GHRH analogs, but sermorelin is the unmodified GHRH 1-29 sequence, while CJC-1295 has changes that make it last much longer.

Is CJC-1295 FDA-approved?

No. It is not approved for any use and is not on the 503A Bulks List. Tesamorelin is the only FDA-approved GHRH analog.

Why is CJC-1295 paired with ipamorelin?

They target different receptors involved in growth hormone release, and research suggests the two pathways complement each other.

• Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism – Teichman et al. (2006), Prolonged stimulation of GH and IGF-I secretion by CJC-1295
• American Journal of Physiology – Ionescu & Frohman (2006), Pulsatile secretion of GH persists during continuous stimulation by CJC-1295
• World Anti-Doping Agency – Prohibited List, S2 peptide hormones and growth factors