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Background And Molecular Features — Deep Dive

By Editorial Desk · published 2025-07-11 · last reviewed 2025-07-30 · Guide

The short version of DAC fits in a sentence. The long version — which is the one that helps — is below.

Reviewed 2025-07-30. Anything still debated is marked as such rather than presented as settled.

Background and Molecular Features

Two related peptides circulate under the CJC-1295 label, and they differ mainly in how long they persist in circulation. The version carrying a drug affinity complex includes a maleimidopropionic acid linker that forms a covalent bond with serum albumin. The other version, usually written as modified GRF(1-29) or tetrasubstituted GRF(1-29), lacks that linker and is cleared quickly. Mixing the two produces inconsistent readings of published half-life values, because the linker rather than the receptor-facing sequence drives most of the difference.

The core sequence keeps the receptor-binding region of GHRH while replacing four positions that are vulnerable to dipeptidyl peptidase-4 and other proteases. Substitutions at positions 2, 8, 15, and 27 raise metabolic stability relative to the natural hormone. The N-terminal residues remain essential for activity, so changes there generally lower potency. Molecular weight sits near 3368 daltons for the tetrasubstituted analog without the linker, while the albumin-binding form is heavier because of the added maleimide group.

CJC-1295 is a synthetic peptide modeled on growth hormone-releasing hormone, the hypothalamic signal that prompts the pituitary to release growth hormone. Its sequence corresponds to the first twenty-nine residues of human GHRH, with four substitutions that slow enzymatic breakdown. Early descriptions placed the compound in research on growth hormone deficiency and related conditions, and later literature groups it with the long-acting GHRH analogs. The name appears in both laboratory and popular fitness writing, where it sometimes labels chemically different peptides.

Background and Receptor Mechanism

CJC-1295 is a synthetic peptide belonging to the growth hormone-releasing hormone analog family. It comprises twenty-nine amino acid residues derived from the N-terminal region of natural GHRH. The molecule incorporates several non-natural substitutions that increase resistance to enzymatic degradation. These modifications extend its activity compared with the native hormone fragment. Researchers use it to study pituitary growth hormone secretion in laboratory and clinical settings. This compound is distinct from native GHRH in its stability profile.

Two principal forms appear in the literature and in research supply. One carries a drug affinity complex, a maleimide-based group that forms a covalent bond with circulating albumin. This linkage slows clearance and produces a long-lasting elevation of peptide levels. The other form lacks that group and is often labeled MOD GRF(1-29). It has a much shorter circulation time. Both variants retain the same core receptor-binding sequence. Reported half-lives differ substantially between the two.

Cjc-1295 at a glance

PropertyValueNotes
ClassSynthetic peptideGHRH receptor agonist
Sequence length29 amino acidsDerived from human GHRH
Molecular weightAbout 3368 Da without linkerAlbumin-binding form is heavier
AppearanceWhite to off-white lyophilized powderCommon form for research reference material
Typical storage-20 °C or below, desiccatedProtect powder from light and moisture

Identity and Naming History

The peptide backbone corresponds to GRF(1-29), the first 29 residues of native growth hormone-releasing hormone, which retains most of the receptor-activating activity of the full-length molecule. Four substitutions distinguish the analog from the natural sequence: D-alanine at position 2, glutamine at position 8, alanine at position 15, and leucine at position 27. These changes slow cleavage by dipeptidyl peptidase IV, the enzyme that degrades native hormone in plasma within minutes. The outcome is improved enzymatic stability combined with a still brief residence time when no additional modification is present.

Naming in this area is inconsistent, and readers should treat product labels with care. In much of the literature and in vendor catalogs, the unqualified term refers to the albumin-binding version, while the version lacking the DAC group appears as modified GRF(1-29), mod GRF(1-29), or the same name with a without-DAC qualifier. Because one abbreviation has been applied to both materials, the only reliable way to identify a sample is to check the stated sequence and the presence of the linker.

CJC-1295 is the name used for a synthetic peptide modeled on growth hormone-releasing hormone, the hypothalamic signal that prompts the pituitary to release growth hormone. The compound was described by a Canadian drug discovery company in the mid-2000s as a long-acting research tool. Two closely related molecules share the name in practice: one carries a drug affinity complex, or DAC, group, and one does not. The distinction matters because the two behave differently in circulation.

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Molecular Background and Naming

CJC-1295 is a synthetic peptide designed as a long-acting analogue of growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH). Its structure derives from the first 29 amino acids of native GHRH, a fragment often called GRF(1-29). Four substitutions were introduced to slow enzymatic breakdown and extend activity relative to the natural sequence. The compound was developed by ConjuChem as part of a broader effort to improve the pharmacokinetic profile of peptide hormones. It is studied in laboratory and clinical research settings rather than appearing as a naturally occurring substance.

Two related forms circulate in technical discussion under the same family name. The original version carries a drug affinity complex (DAC) that binds covalently to serum albumin after administration, and this linkage substantially extends circulation time. A second form, frequently written as modified GRF(1-29) or CJC-1295 without DAC, lacks that linker and clears much faster. The naming is a frequent source of confusion because the shorthand CJC-1295 can refer to either form depending on the source. Reports sometimes fail to specify which variant was studied.

The peptide backbone includes a D-alanine at position two, which resists cleavage by dipeptidyl peptidase IV, and several other substitutions that reduce degradation. Its molecular weight is roughly 3.4 kDa without the linker and about 3.6 kDa with it. The molecule is water soluble and is normally supplied as a lyophilized powder. Precise sequence and mass values depend on which variant is described, so technical documents usually state the exact form being referenced.

CJC-1295 Background and Mechanism

CJC-1295 is a synthetic peptide designed to mimic growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH), the endogenous signal that prompts the pituitary gland to release growth hormone. The compound is a modified fragment of the natural hormone, spanning the first twenty-nine amino acids of GHRH with several substitutions that slow enzymatic breakdown. Two variants circulate in research settings: one carrying a drug affinity complex (DAC) and one without it. The DAC-free form is frequently labelled Mod GRF(1-29) in catalogs and discussion forums.

The peptide binds GHRH receptors on somatotroph cells within the anterior pituitary, triggering a signalling cascade that increases growth hormone secretion. Its improved resistance to dipeptidyl peptidase IV degradation distinguishes it from the parent hormone. In the DAC-bearing version, a maleimide group reacts with a cysteine residue on serum albumin, forming a covalent bond that keeps the peptide in circulation far longer. That albumin attachment is the central design feature separating the two research variants.

Pharmacokinetic behaviour differs sharply between the two forms. The DAC-bearing peptide shows an extended circulation time measured in days, whereas the version without the complex is cleared within roughly half an hour. This gap shapes how researchers design dosing schedules in animal models. Whether the prolonged presence of the DAC form produces effects meaningfully different from the short-acting variant remains an open question, since comparative human data are scarce.

Receptor Action and Clearance

Once in circulation, the peptide binds the growth hormone-releasing hormone receptor displayed on pituitary somatotroph cells. Receptor activation couples to Gs proteins, elevates intracellular cyclic AMP, and drives protein kinase A signaling inside the cell. That cascade increases discharge of growth hormone into the bloodstream. The analog therefore operates through a receptor pathway that already exists for the body's own releasing hormone, rather than through an engineered artificial target.

Clearance profiles diverge sharply between the two versions. The albumin-binding molecule stays in plasma for several days, whereas the unmodified analog is largely gone within about half an hour in reported work. Cleavage by dipeptidyl peptidase IV is a major contributor to the short life of the unmodified sequence. These gaps mean the two versions cannot be substituted for each other in study design or in reading results side by side.

Background from the literature

== Awards and honors == Member of the National Academy of Sciences (1976) Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (1975) Gairdner Foundation International Award (1975) Member of the Institute of Medicine (2004) Beutler was a president of both the American Society of Hematology and the Western Association of Physicians. He also received a Doctor Philosophiae Honoris Causa, Tel Aviv University. He was also elected to the United States National Academy of Sciences and was presented with the inaugural Award for Lifetime Achievement from The American Society of Hematology. He was a recipient of the American Society of Hematology's E. Donnall Thomas Prize in 2003.

=== Education === Yonath was accepted to Tichon Hadash high school since her mother could not pay the tuition, she traded her time teaching math lessons to students, which helped pay for her schooling. At a young age, she said, she was inspired by the scientist Marie Curie. However, she stressed that Curie, whom she as a child was fascinated by after reading her biography, was not her "role model". She returned to Jerusalem for college, graduating from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem with a bachelor's degree in chemistry in 1962, and a master's degree in biochemistry in 1964. In 1968, she obtained her PhD from the Weizmann Institute of Science for X-ray crystallographic studies on the structure of collagen, with Wolfie Traub as her PhD advisor.

Bromine is a chemical element; its symbol is Br and its atomic number is 35. It is a volatile red-brown liquid at room temperature that evaporates readily to form a similarly coloured vapour. Its properties are intermediate between those of chlorine and iodine. Isolated independently by two chemists, Carl Jacob Löwig (in 1825) and Antoine Jérôme Balard (in 1826), its name was derived from Ancient Greek βρῶμος (bromos) 'stench', referring to its sharp and pungent smell. Elemental bromine is very reactive and thus does not occur as a free element in nature. Instead, it can be isolated from colourless soluble crystalline mineral halide salts analogous to table salt, a property it shares with the other halogens. While it is rather rare in the Earth's crust, the high solubility of the bromide ion (Br−) has caused its accumulation in the oceans. Commercially the element is easily extracted from brine evaporation ponds, mostly in the United States and Israel. The mass of bromine in the oceans is about one three-hundredth that of chlorine. At standard conditions for temperature and pressure it is a liquid; the only other element that is liquid under these conditions is mercury. At high temperatures, organobromine compounds readily dissociate to yield free bromine atoms, a process that stops free radical chemical chain reactions. This effect makes organobromine compounds useful as fire retardants, with more than half the bromine produced worldwide each year put to this purpose.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Further detail

[L] should be read as "the concentration of L" and likewise for the other terms in square brackets. The expression can be greatly simplified by removing those terms which are constant. The number of water molecules attached to each metal ion is constant. In dilute solutions the concentration of water is effectively constant. The expression becomes

C1: methane only C2: ethane only C3: propane only C4: 2 isomers: n-butane and isobutane (i-butane) C5: 3 isomers: n-pentane, isopentane, and neopentane C6: 5 isomers: n-hexane, 2-methylpentane (isohexane), 3-methylpentane, 2,2-dimethylbutane (neohexane), and 2,3-dimethylbutane C7: 9 isomers: n-heptane, 2-methylhexane (isoheptane), 3-methylhexane, 2,2-dimethylpentane (neoheptane), 2,3-dimethylpentane, 2,4-dimethylpentane, 3,3-dimethylpentane, 3-ethylpentane, 2,2,3-trimethylbutane C8: 18 isomers: octane, 2-methylheptane, 3-methylheptane, 4-methylheptane, 2,2-dimethylhexane, 2,3-dimethylhexane, 2,4-dimethylhexane, 2,5-dimethylhexane, 3,3-dimethylhexane, 3,4-dimethylhexane, 3-ethylhexane, 2,2,3-trimethylpentane, 2,2,4-trimethylpentane, 2,3,3-trimethylpentane, 2,3,4-trimethylpentane, 3-ethyl-2-methylpentane, 3-ethyl-3-methylpentane, 2,2,3,3-tetramethylbutane C9: 35 isomers of nonane C10: 75 isomers of decane C11: 159 isomers of undecane C12: 355 isomers of dodecane C20: 366,319 isomers of eicosane (icosane) C30: 4,111,846,763 isomers of triacontane C40: 62,481,801,147,341 isomers of tetracontane C50: 1,117,743,651,746,953,270 isomers of pentacontane C60: 22,158,734,535,770,411,074,184 isomers of hexacontane Branched alkanes can be chiral. For example, 3-methylhexane and its higher homologues are chiral due to their stereogenic center at carbon atom number 3. The above list only includes differences of connectivity, not stereochemistry. In addition to the alkane isomers, the chain of carbon atoms may form one or more rings.

== Pharmacodynamics == CPA has antiandrogenic activity, progestogenic activity, weak partial glucocorticoid activity, weak steroidogenesis inhibitor activity, and agonist activity at the pregnane X receptor. It has no estrogenic or antimineralocorticoid activity. In terms of potency, CPA is described as a highly potent progestogen, a moderately potent antiandrogen, and a weak glucocorticoid.

=== Rejuva === Rejuva is an adeno-associated virus (AAV)-based gene therapy platform to enable the pancreas to produce GLP-1 on an ongoing basis as a treatment for obesity and type 2 diabetes. The therapy targets dysfunctional beta islet cells in the pancreas. Delivery is done with a needle catheter to deliver viral vectors into the pancreas. In January 2025, Rejuva completed Clinical Trial Application-enabling preclinical in vivo studies, beginning its first-in-human studies in the first half of 2025.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between CJC-1295 and natural GHRH?

Natural GHRH is degraded quickly by dipeptidyl peptidase-4 and related enzymes, giving it a half-life measured in minutes. CJC-1295 carries substitutions that slow that breakdown, so it stays intact longer. Both act at the same pituitary receptor and produce the same class of signal.

Why does one name cover two different peptides?

The label was first attached to the albumin-binding form during early development work. A shorter analog without the linker later became known by the same name in informal use. Published papers normally state which version was studied, so the methods section resolves the ambiguity.

Is CJC-1295 a steroid or a natural hormone?

It is a synthetic peptide rather than a steroid, and it does not occur naturally in the body. Its sequence is derived from a hypothalamic hormone called growth hormone-releasing hormone. It works as a receptor agonist rather than as a replacement for that hormone.

What is CJC-1295?

It is a synthetic peptide modeled on growth hormone-releasing hormone. The molecule is used in research on pituitary growth hormone secretion. It differs from the natural hormone through several stabilizing substitutions.

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