“CJC-1295 No DAC” and “Modified GRF (1-29)” are two names used commercially for
the same class of material: a short growth-hormone-releasing hormone analog that does not carry the
drug-affinity complex found in CJC-1295 as described in the original literature. The naming is inconsistent, and the
inconsistency matters, because pharmacokinetic findings published for one material are routinely — and
incorrectly — quoted for the other.
Product page: CJC-1295 (No DAC).
Where the names come from
GRF (1-29) is the first 29 amino acids of human growth-hormone-releasing hormone — the shortest
fragment that retains receptor activity. The synthetic amidated form of this fragment is the compound known generically
as sermorelin, supplied here as Sermorelin.
Modified GRF (1-29) refers, in commercial usage, to GRF (1-29) carrying amino-acid substitutions
intended to resist enzymatic degradation. This term is a supplier convention; it is not a standardised name in the
peer-reviewed literature, and different suppliers do not necessarily mean an identical molecule by it.
The substitution set most often given for this material is the tetrasubstituted GRF(1-29) amide — D-Ala2, Gln8, Ala15 and Leu27 — which is also the peptide backbone of CJC-1295 as registered by the U.S. FDA substance registration system, where the DAC-bearing molecule adds a C-terminal lysine carrying the maleimidopropionyl linker.
CJC-1295, as identified in the primary literature by Jetté and colleagues in 2005, is an
hGRF(1-29) analog bearing a reactive linker that forms a bioconjugate with circulating albumin — the
“drug affinity complex”, or DAC. That albumin conjugation is the basis described for its extended duration of
action in that work.
Why “CJC-1295 No DAC” is a contradiction in terms
Removing the DAC removes the feature that defined CJC-1295 in the literature. A GRF(1-29) analog without the
albumin-binding linker is, structurally and pharmacokinetically, a different material from the compound Jetté and
colleagues characterised. The commercial name survives because it is recognisable, not because it is accurate.
The transfer error to avoid
| Published finding | Material actually studied | Transferable to a no-DAC analog? |
|---|---|---|
| Prolonged GH and IGF-I elevation over days (Teichman 2006) | CJC-1295 with DAC | No |
| GH-axis and growth endpoints in the GHRH-knockout mouse model (Alba 2006) | CJC-1295 with DAC | No |
| Pulsatile GH secretion persists under continuous stimulation (Ionescu & Frohman 2006) | CJC-1295 with DAC | No |
| Identification of CJC-1295 as a long-lasting GRF analog (Jetté 2005) | hGRF(1-29)–albumin bioconjugate | No |
Every one of those papers studied the DAC-bearing molecule. None of them characterises a no-DAC analog. Identifiers
follow the same rule: a CAS number, molecular formula or PubChem record assigned to one species does not describe the
other, and the catalog identifiers for this material remain a supplier-confirmation question rather than something this
page will assert.
Practical implication for research records
When documenting work, record the material by the specific sequence and modification supplied rather than by the
commercial name alone, and cite pharmacokinetic literature only where it matches the species actually used. Related
catalog materials include Sermorelin and the
CJC-1295 (No DAC) + Ipamorelin blend.
Research use only
Supplied strictly for in-vitro laboratory research. This page addresses terminology and evidence attribution. It
contains no dosing, preparation or administration information.
References
Teichman S.L. et al. (2006). J Clin Endocrinol Metab, 91(3):799–805. PMID 16352683.
Alba M. et al. (2006). Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab, 291(6):E1290–4. PMID 16822960.