CJC-1295 (with DAC)

Published · Researched 2026-09-21

Research documentation only. Dated 2026-09-20. Part of the GH-secretagogues deep-research track.

Overview

CJC-1295 with DAC is the original ConjuChem Biotechnologies compound: a synthetic GHRH analog (29-aa base, 4 amino-acid substitutions) conjugated to a Drug Affinity Complex (DAC) — a maleimidopropionic acid (MPA) linker that binds circulating serum albumin. That single modification stretches the molecule's half-life from ~30 minutes to ~6–8 days, turning a brief pulsatile GHRH signal into a sustained, near-continuous ("tonic") GH elevation lasting close to a week after one injection — what the community calls a "GH bleed." ConjuChem tested it in Phase I/II trials for growth hormone deficiency (healthy-adult study showed GH raised ~2–10x for 6+ days, IGF-1 raised ~1.5–3x for 9–11 days) and discontinued development in 2008 amid concerns about injection-site reactions and antibody formation (educator-sourced; see UNVERIFIED). It was never FDA- or EMA-approved, has no active development pathway, and circulates today only as a research chemical. Its 2026 profile is defined less by clinical promise than by a community verdict: after the Bryan Johnson self-experiment went viral, the DAC form is the cautionary example of why pulsatile beats sustained GH elevation.

Social standing

Minority position, majority discourse. DAC is still sold and used, but educator and community consensus strongly favors no-DAC/Ipamorelin for physiological pulsing. The viral center of gravity is Bryan Johnson's June 16, 2026 reel: he shows vials #1 Tirzepatide and #2 CJC-1295 DAC, says he stopped after two DAC doses, and lists self-reported costs — REM sleep down 23%, fasted blood sugar up 20%, cortisol up 12%, insulin resistance up 50%, c-peptide up 53% (self-reported n=1). The comments are a split between transparency praise and technical criticism: the dominant line is that no-DAC plus Ipamorelin is standard practice and the DAC choice was the mistake.

Instagram (owner + educator content): A Feb 9, 2026 "LIONS NOT SHEEP" reel presents DAC as "real anti-aging," contrasting albumin-bound DAC (resists DPP-4, lasts over a week) with short-lived no-DAC, and cites a 2013 Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism study claiming DAC produced 4x the muscle gain and 2x fat loss versus placebo over 12 weeks (creator-cited; UNVERIFIED as stated). A Jan 1, 2026 creator explainer walks through the DAC/no-DAC difference (DAC: 1–2 injections/week, continuous elevation for ~a week; no-DAC: 2–3x daily, natural pulse rhythm). TikTok's @theoremmetabolic comparison post (2706 likes, 73 comments) frames the trade-off plainly: convenience with potential long-term receptor issues vs. natural rhythm with daily commitment — explicitly noting neither is FDA-approved and both are research compounds. KPC Wellness's Sept 4, 2026 GHRH+GHRP ranking lists "CJC-1295 + DAC" mid-field. A July 2026 Medium first-person diary describes 60 days on DAC (2 mg weekly via telehealth): initial sleep and fat-loss gains, then fasting glucose climbing 88→102 mg/dL and stubborn water retention by week 8; forum replies said "DAC causes insulin resistance in some people" and "switch to mod GRF, you're probably a poor responder to constant GH signaling" (paraphrased).

FB Groups: DAC appears in dosing threads mostly as the contrast case (e.g., a user noting her provider started her on "CJC-1295" and community clarifying no-DAC vs DAC). The Feb 4, 2026 timing thread debates DAC-bound versus non-DAC timing; cost complaints about long runs are common.

Main praise: convenience (weekly rather than multi-daily injections), sustained GH/IGF-1 elevation, sleep/recovery gains reported by some long-term users. Main complaints: insulin-resistance/glucose-creep signal (Johnson self-experiment + Medium diary + forum echoes), water retention/stiff hands, and the community's core pharmacological objection — continuous GH exposure is not how the body normally works, and shorter pulses "feel more defensible."

Social validation — Tier 2

Strong evidence on 2 of 3: Instagram owner/educator content (multiple 2026 reels, ranking graphics, first-person diary) and FB-group discussion are robust; no Threads entries surfaced for the DAC form specifically in the extracted evidence. No Threads sourcing; no clinical-trial registries actively enrolling.

Key specs table

Property Value
Synonyms DAC-GRF, CJC-1295 with DAC, long-acting GHRH analog
Class GHRH analog + Drug Affinity Complex (maleimidopropionic acid linker → serum albumin binding)
Mechanism Binds GHRH receptor; albumin binding resists DPP-4 breakdown → sustained GH elevation for days per dose
Half-life ~6–8 days
Route Subcutaneous injection
Community-reported dosing 1,000–2,000 mcg per week (1–2x weekly; e.g., 2 mg weekly in community diaries — community-reported; NOT medical guidance)
Molecular weight ~3647.28 Da (conjugate; base peptide ~3367.9 Da)
GH profile Tonic/sustained elevation, higher trough GH; less physiological than pulsatile
FDA/EMA status Not approved; ConjuChem discontinued development (2008, per educator sources)

Sources: half-life and albumin-binding mechanism from biohacking-unlocked GitHub guide, Paragon Sports Medicine peptide library, and peptide dosing protocol sites (web check 2026-09-20); trial outcomes (Teichman Phase I) from Paragon's data summary; DAC-conjugate characterization from Profound Aminos comparative table.

Pricing

  • MSRP: none — research chemical only.
  • Research-chem street: CJC-1295 with DAC 5 mg: CAD $366.61/5-pack = ~CAD $73.32/vial (Canada Steroid Depot, crawl observed 2026-09-20; currency as displayed on a Canada-based store). Community-reported spread: $13–$180 per 10 mg across vendors (Feb 2026 FB-group discussion — wide vendor quality/price variance). Comparable DAC-adjacent listings observed via image-search source pages (Peptide Pure 10 mg, Neopure, Empire Biolabs 2 mg) — page-level prices not all captured; treat as range evidence, UNVERIFIED specifics.
  • Compounded/clinic: occasional telehealth/DAC prescribing reported in community (Medium diary: telehealth provider, 2 mg weekly); prices not observed — UNVERIFIED.
  • Facebook Marketplace range: no listings observed 2026-09-20.

What's included / what's needed

Vial: lyophilized powder (commonly 2 mg, 5 mg, or 10 mg per vial). Needed for laboratory use: bacteriostatic water for reconstitution, sterile syringes, refrigerated storage after reconstitution. No usage protocol documented here — weekly dosing figures above are community-reported only.

Support reality

  • Warranty: n/a for research chemicals.
  • Vendor COA practices: same research-chem market as no-DAC — HPLC/MS COAs on reputable vendors, net-peptide-content discrepancies noted on some third-party COAs (e.g., a published COA showed label-vs-net content variance, a market-wide pattern). No vendor endorsements.
  • Clinic support: some telehealth providers prescribe DAC (community diaries); monitoring quality varies; pricing and protocols UNVERIFIED beyond anecdotes.

Regulatory & safety status

Research chemical not for human use. Not FDA- or EMA-approved; original developer ConjuChem discontinued development (2008 per educator sources). WADA: prohibited in sports (S2). Safety signals: Johnson self-experiment (insulin resistance +50%, fasted glucose +20%, REM sleep −23% after 2 doses — self-reported n=1, applies to DAC); community diaries echo fasting-glucose creep and persistent water retention on sustained dosing; literature-stage signals from Paragon's summary include injection-site reactions, mild fluid retention, and — single-source, flag UNVERIFIED — a mid-stage trial halted after a participant death not conclusively linked to the drug. No long-term human safety data exists in the research-chem channel. The sustained-GH ("GH bleed") pharmacology is the core community objection versus pulsatile no-DAC.

Community verdict

CJC-1295 with DAC is the legacy long-acting form the community has largely moved past: convenient weekly dosing, but its sustained GH elevation drew the most prominent safety anecdote of 2026 (Johnson's biomarker worsening) and recurring glucose/water-retention complaints. It persists in the market mainly as a cheaper-per-month alternative, not the recommended protocol.

Image log

  • hero: present — cjc-1295-dac-hero.jpg (Neopure Peptides CJC-1295 (DAC) product shot, lyophilized cake visible). Source: https://neopurepeptides.com/, observation 2026-09-20.
  • side: present — cjc-1295-dac-side.jpg (Peptide Pure CJC-1295 DAC 10mg, "99% Purity / Clinician Use Only"). Source: https://www.peptidepure.com/peptides/cjc-1295-dac-10mg, observation 2026-09-20.
  • rear: present — cjc-1295-dac-rear.jpg (Empire Biolabs CJC-1295 DAC 2 MG, "RESEARCH & LAB USE ONLY / PURITY 99.9%"). Source: http://empirebiolabs.com/shop/, observation 2026-09-20.
  • top: missing — no cap/top-down view found.
  • detail: present — cjc-1295-dac-detail.jpg (Ethereal Peptides CJC-1295 DAC 2mg front-label close-up, "For research purposes only. Not meant for human consumption"). Source: http://etherealpeptides.co/collections, observation 2026-09-20.
  • inuse: missing — no owner-use photo found.
  • scale: missing — no scale/reference object shot found.
  • box: missing — no retail-box shot found among candidates.

Open questions / UNVERIFIED

  • ConjuChem discontinuation date/reason details (2008, injection-site reactions + antibody formation) — educator-sourced; primary source not verified this round.
  • 2013 JCEM claim that DAC produced 4x muscle gain / 2x fat loss vs placebo over 12 weeks — creator-cited (Feb 9, 2026 reel); not verified.
  • Mid-stage trial halted after a participant death (not conclusively drug-linked) — single vendor-library source (Paragon); UNVERIFIED.
  • Whether DAC's glucose/insulin-resistance signal is a class-wide effect of sustained GH elevation or individual susceptibility — unresolved; evidence is n=1 + anecdotes.
  • DAC price specifics beyond the one 5-pack listing — sparse; range mostly community-reported.

Not medical advice. This file is research documentation only; nothing here is a recommendation to use any compound.

CJC-1295 (with DAC) — detail view
detail view Original vendor page URL not recorded in research dossier
CJC-1295 (with DAC) — hero view
hero view Original vendor page URL not recorded in research dossier
CJC-1295 (with DAC) — rear view
rear view Original vendor page URL not recorded in research dossier
CJC-1295 (with DAC) — side view
side view Original vendor page URL not recorded in research dossier

Sources