A pharmacy dossier
CJC-1295 is a 30-amino-acid GHRH analog with a multi-day half-life when modified with DAC.
A reading of the CJC-1295 peptide record: one Phase I human trial, two foundational rodent studies, an unsettled FDA compounding posture, and a thick gray-literature halo around the 'CJC-1295 + ipamorelin' protocol.
Fig N° I · CJC-1295 backbone
§ N° I
What the CJC-1295 record actually contains
CJC-1295 is a 30-amino-acid analog of growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH 1-29) with four amino-acid substitutions that resist enzymatic degradation. The DAC variant adds a maleimidopropionic-acid linker that conjugates covalently to free cysteine-34 of circulating serum albumin, extending plasma half-life from minutes to days [1][3].
The peer-reviewed evidence base is small and specific. A single published Phase I dose-escalation trial in healthy adults (Teichman 2006, n ≈ 50 across cohorts) measured 2- to 10-fold mean plasma growth-hormone elevation and 1.5- to 3-fold IGF-1 elevation across single subcutaneous doses of 30, 60, 125, and 250 µg/kg, with plasma elimination half-life estimated at 5.8 to 8.1 days [1][2]. Two foundational rodent studies established the receptor pharmacology — Jetté 2005 characterized the albumin bioconjugate at the GHRH receptor of anterior-pituitary tissue, and Alba 2006 showed once-daily CJC-1295 normalized growth and pituitary GH-gene expression in GHRH-knockout mice [3][4].
Everything beyond that is gray literature. The widely circulated 'CJC-1295 + ipamorelin' compounding-pharmacy protocols, the 100-300 µg total-daily dose tables, the 'anti-aging' marketing — these are protocol claims, not trial endpoints. This site renders the difference on the page: peer-reviewed evidence sits inside solid rules; gray-literature material sits inside dashed rules. The reader knows which is which on sight.
§ N° II
CJC-1295: A GHRH-Analog Peptide
CJC-1295 is a CJC-1295 peptide of the GHRH-analog class — structurally derived from the first 29 residues of human growth hormone-releasing hormone, with four substitutions (D-Ala2, Gln8, Ala15, Leu27) that block dipeptidyl peptidase-4 cleavage [1]. The DAC variant carries the additional albumin-binding linker; the no-DAC variant — chemically identical to what is sometimes labeled modified GRF (1-29) — does not.
The distinction matters because it produces two entirely different pharmacokinetic molecules sharing one name. With DAC: a multi-day half-life, sustained baseline GH elevation, weekly dosing in the Phase I literature [1]. Without DAC: an approximately 30-minute half-life, short pulsatile GH effect, multiple daily doses in compounding-pharmacy protocols [12]. Discussions of 'CJC-1295' that do not specify which variant is meant are routinely discussions of two different drugs.
§ N° III
What does CJC-1295 do?
CJC-1295 binds the growth hormone-releasing hormone receptor (GHRHR) — a class B G-protein-coupled receptor on anterior-pituitary somatotrophs — and activates the Gs/adenylate cyclase/cAMP/PKA cascade that drives growth-hormone synthesis and pulsatile release [7][8]. Downstream, the elevated GH stimulates hepatic IGF-1 secretion, the canonical mediator of growth-hormone's peripheral effects [1].
In the Teichman Phase I trial, single subcutaneous doses elevated mean plasma GH 2- to 10-fold and IGF-1 1.5- to 3-fold, with IGF-1 remaining above baseline for nine to eleven days [1][2]. Repeat dosing produced cumulative IGF-1 elevation extending to twenty-eight days [2]. Body-composition, longevity, and clinical-outcome endpoints have not been measured in any completed trial.
§ N° IV
What is CJC-1295?
CJC-1295 is a synthetic 30-amino-acid analog of growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH 1-29) with four substitutions that resist enzymatic degradation; the DAC variant adds a maleimidopropionic-acid linker that binds serum albumin, extending half-life from minutes to days [1][3]. The molecule was developed by ConjuChem in the early 2000s as a long-acting GHRH-analog drug candidate; Phase II development was halted in 2006 [13], and the molecule has persisted since then in compounding-pharmacy use and a thin academic literature.
§ N° V
How the dossier is organized
This pharmacy dossier is laid out as a research record, not a product page. Five sections carry the load: CJC-1295 mechanism of action, CJC-1295 dosage in published research, CJC-1295 side effects, the CJC-1295 and ipamorelin combination rationale, and the full references and citations table. The /research page also carries the CJC-1295 with DAC vs. without DAC section, the CJC-1295 half-life data, the modified GRF (1-29) chemistry, and the outcomes reported in CJC-1295 studies tables.
What the dossier does not do: recommend doses, prescribe protocols, sell product, or fill a script. The 'pharmacy' in the domain name is editorial — a position taken relative to the compounding-pharmacy literature, not a service offered. See frequently asked questions for the canonical Q&A index.