// MODULE 00 // OPENING FRAME / GHRH-RECEPTOR AGONIST / DAC + NO-DAC
CJC-1295 is a synthetic GHRH analog studied at four single doses by Teichman in 2006.
One pharmacokinetic trial drives most of what is known. The DAC variant ran ~8 days in plasma; the no-DAC variant ran ~30 minutes. Everything else on this site is the literature, in order, with citations.
What the CJC-1295 literature actually contains
CJC-1295 is a synthetic 30-amino-acid analog of growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH 1-29) carrying four amino-acid substitutions — D-Ala at position 2, Gln at 8, Ala at 15, Leu at 27 — that block DPP-IV cleavage. An optional Drug Affinity Complex (DAC) maleimidopropionyl-lysine linker conjugates the peptide to Cys34 of serum albumin after subcutaneous injection, extending plasma residence from ~30 minutes to a published mean of 5.8-8.1 days [1]. The compound was developed by ConjuChem Biotechnologies and first described in human pharmacokinetic detail by Teichman and colleagues in 2006 [1].
The primary human dataset is small. A single ascending-dose study in 21- to 61-year-old healthy adults dosed subcutaneously at 30, 60, 125, and 250 mcg/kg measured dose-dependent 2- to 10-fold increases in mean plasma growth hormone for six or more days and 1.5- to 3-fold increases in mean plasma IGF-1 for nine to eleven days [1]. Subsequent multi-week dosing held IGF-1 above baseline for up to 28 days [1]. There is no published Phase 3 trial. There is no FDA-approved CJC-1295 drug product [13]. WADA prohibits the compound under Section S2 of its Prohibited List [10].
The rest of this digest is structured the same way. Mechanism on CJC-1295 mechanism of action. Doses, half-life, and the DAC-vs-no-DAC pharmacokinetics on CJC-1295 dosage. Reported reactions and the regulatory record on CJC-1295 side effects. Every quantitative claim ties to a numbered citation.
CJC-1295: The peptide and its class
CJC-1295 belongs to the GHRH-analog class. Native GHRH is a 44-amino-acid hypothalamic peptide that drives the anterior pituitary to synthesize and release growth hormone in pulses. The first 29 amino acids carry the bioactive sequence; sermorelin is GHRH (1-29) without modifications, with a plasma half-life of approximately 11-12 minutes [7]. CJC-1295 starts from the same 1-29 backbone and adds the four stabilizing substitutions described above, plus — in the with-DAC variant — the albumin-binding linker [1][6].
The mechanism is conserved across the class. The GHRH receptor on pituitary somatotrophs is a Gs-coupled receptor; agonism raises intracellular cAMP via adenylate cyclase activation, which drives GH synthesis and pulsatile release [4]. Downstream, hepatic IGF-1 rises. What CJC-1295 changes is not the pathway but the pharmacokinetics — the four substitutions resist DPP-IV cleavage, and the DAC linker turns a sub-hour molecule into a multi-day one [1][6].
Reported benefits in the research literature
Reported outcomes in published CJC-1295 work are pharmacodynamic, not clinical. In healthy adults receiving a single subcutaneous CJC-1295 with DAC injection, mean plasma GH rose 2- to 10-fold over six days and IGF-1 rose 1.5- to 3-fold over nine to eleven days [1]. In GHRH-knockout mice given daily 2-mcg subcutaneous CJC-1295 from one week of age, weight and length normalized over five weeks of treatment; less-frequent dosing produced partial recovery [3]. Total pituitary RNA and GH mRNA rose, consistent with somatotroph proliferation [3].
The Ionescu and Frohman 2009 serum-proteomics paper found downstream protein-profile shifts in adults consistent with GH/IGF-1 axis activation rather than pleiotropic peptide effects [5]. Sigalos and colleagues in 2017 reported elevated IGF-1 in hypogonadal men receiving GH-secretagogue protocols, including GHRH analogs, alongside testosterone therapy [11]. These are the published outcomes. There are no FDA-registered indication trials, no Phase 3 efficacy endpoints, and no body-composition randomized trial for CJC-1295 itself — the closest clinical-grade GHRH-analog evidence comes from tesamorelin (a different molecule), which produced a 15-18% mean reduction in visceral adipose tissue in HIV-lipodystrophy trials [9].
For reproducibility purposes, the CJC-1295 + ipamorelin combination protocols described in clinic case series have not been validated in a controlled randomized trial.
What is CJC-1295?
A synthetic 30-amino-acid analog of growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH 1-29) with four amino-acid substitutions designed to resist enzymatic degradation. The with-DAC variant adds a maleimidopropionyl-lysine linker that conjugates the peptide to serum albumin after injection. First described by ConjuChem Biotechnologies in the mid-2000s and characterized in healthy adults by Teichman et al. in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism in 2006 [1].
What does CJC-1295 do to your body?
Binds the GHRH receptor on pituitary somatotrophs, raises intracellular cAMP, and stimulates endogenous growth hormone synthesis and pulsatile release [4]. In Teichman 2006, a single subcutaneous CJC-1295 with DAC injection produced 2- to 10-fold elevations in mean plasma GH for at least six days and 1.5- to 3-fold elevations in mean plasma IGF-1 for nine to eleven days [1]. The DAC variant's effect is sustained because the peptide stays bound to serum albumin for a multi-day window.