CJC-1295 DAC

A synthetic tetrasubstituted analogue of growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) 1-29 with a Drug Affinity Complex (DAC) that enables covalent binding to endogenous serum albumin after injection, dramatically extending its plasma half-life to approximately 6-8 days. Developed by ConjuChem Biotechnologies, CJC-1295 DAC incorporates amino acid substitutions at positions 2, 8, 15, and 27 plus a C-terminal Lys30 linked to a maleimidopropionyl group (the DAC moiety).

This compound is distinct from CJC-1295 without DAC (also known as Modified GRF 1-29, slug: cjc-1295), which lacks the albumin-binding DAC component and has a much shorter half-life of approximately 30 minutes. CJC-1295 DAC reached Phase II clinical trials in humans for lipodystrophy and GH deficiency before being discontinued. It is not approved for therapeutic use in any jurisdiction.

CJC-1295 DAC was studied in two randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind ascending-dose trials in healthy adults (Teichman et al., 2006). A single injection produced dose-dependent GH increases of 2-10 fold lasting 6+ days and IGF-1 increases of 1.5-3 fold lasting 9-11 days, with an estimated half-life of 5.8-8.1 days. A separate study by Ionescu and Frohman (2006) confirmed that pulsatile GH secretion was preserved under continuous CJC-1295 stimulation, with markedly elevated trough GH levels.

Animal studies by Alba et al. (2006) demonstrated normalized growth in GHRH-knockout mice with daily CJC-1295 administration. Clinical development was halted after Phase II. Community dosing protocols are extrapolated from these clinical trials and are not validated for long-term self-administration.