CJC-1295 no-DAC
Modified Growth Hormone-Releasing Factor (1-29) · Mod GRF 1-29 · Modified GRF (1-29) · CJC-1295 without DAC · Tetrasubstituted GRF 1-29
Short-acting GHRH fragment that sharpens one GH pulse, almost always run with a GHRP.
Typical dose
100 mcg
1-3x daily
Range
50–200
mcg
Half-life
30 min
see Dosing
Evidence
Animal only
Subcutaneous · Intramuscular
What it is
Modified GRF (1-29) is the first 29 amino acids of human GHRH with four substitutions: D-alanine at position 2, glutamine at 8, alanine at 15 and leucine at 27. The change at position 2 is the important one — it blocks DPP-4 from clipping off the N-terminal dipeptide, which is what destroys native GHRH within minutes of it entering plasma.
The result is a peptide that survives about 30 minutes instead of under ten, long enough to drive one clean GH pulse and then get out of the way. That is the opposite design goal from CJC-1295 with DAC: no albumin binding, no accumulation, no raised baseline between doses. The vendor name 'CJC-1295 no-DAC' is a marketing back-formation — this molecule is the backbone CJC-1295 was built on, not a stripped-down version of it.
It has been characterised preclinically but there is no published human trial of this exact analogue. Everything about the dosing schedule people use — the roughly 1 mcg/kg saturation dose, the fasted timing, the pairing with a GHRP — comes from community practice and from what is known about sermorelin and native GHRH, not from trial data.
How it works
Mod GRF 1-29 binds the GHRH receptor on pituitary somatotrophs and drives the cAMP/PKA cascade that makes them synthesise and release stored growth hormone. Because it is cleared quickly, the pulse it produces rises and falls in roughly the shape of a natural nocturnal GH pulse, and the pituitary is left alone in between — which is why users treat it as a pulse amplifier rather than a continuous stimulus.
GHRH release is opposed by somatostatin, and this is why a ghrelin-receptor agonist such as ipamorelin or GHRP-2 is normally stacked with it. The GHRP arm both stimulates GH release directly and suppresses somatostatin tone, so the combination produces a much larger pulse than either peptide gives on its own.
Dosing
The ~1 mcg/kg 'saturation dose' is where GH release plateaus; pushing a single injection much past 100-150 mcg mostly wastes peptide instead of adding pulse height. Adding a third daily pulse beats raising the dose of two.
Reconstitution calculator
Pre-loaded with CJC-1295 no-DAC’s vial size, water volume and typical dose. Change anything.
Typical: 100 mcg · range 50–200
Draw to
10 u
0.1 mL · 100 mcg
Concentration
1 mg/mL
10 mcg per unit
Doses per vial
20
Vial lasts
10 days
Draw to 10 units on the barrel.
Once mixed
Refrigerated at 2-8C and used within 3-4 weeks; discard if the solution turns cloudy or throws visible particles.
Run the bacteriostatic water down the vial wall onto the side, not directly into the cake, then swirl gently until clear — shaking shears the peptide and produces foam. A 2 mg vial in 2 mL gives 1000 mcg/mL, so 100 mcg is 0.1 mL, or 10 units on a U-100 insulin syringe.
Storage
Before mixing
Sealed, dry and dark at -20C for years; several months at 2-8C is fine, and shipping at ambient temperature does not ruin it.
After mixing
Refrigerated at 2-8C and used within 3-4 weeks; discard if the solution turns cloudy or throws visible particles.
Reported benefits
- ▪Produces a pulse shaped like a natural GH release rather than a continuous elevation
- ▪Clears fast enough that it does not blunt endogenous pulsatility between doses
- ▪Strongly synergistic with a GHRP through a separate receptor
- ▪Dose is easy to titrate and mistakes wash out within hours
- ▪Cheap per milligram and widely available compared with GH itself
- ▪Improved sleep depth is the most consistent reported effect on a pre-bed dose
Side effects
- ▪Flushing, warmth and a head rush in the first few minutes after injection
- ▪Injection-site redness, itching or a small welt
- ▪Transient light-headedness or a drop in blood pressure
- ▪Tingling in the hands and mild water retention at higher daily totals
- ▪Reduced insulin sensitivity and higher fasting glucose on sustained multi-daily dosing
- ▪Vivid dreams or disrupted sleep from a dose taken too close to bedtime
- ▪Hunger, especially when stacked with GHRP-6
Do not use if
- ▪Active or suspected malignancy — GH and IGF-1 are trophic to existing tumours
- ▪Pregnancy and breastfeeding
- ▪Known pituitary tumour, or prior pituitary surgery or cranial irradiation
- ▪Poorly controlled diabetes, where added insulin resistance is unacceptable
Evidence level — Animal only
Preclinical animal data — no meaningful human trials.
Not approved for human use in any market; sold as a research chemical.
Commonly run with
Ipamorelin
The selective GHRP: a clean GH pulse with almost no cortisol, prolactin or hunger.
300 mcg · 1-3x daily
GHRP-2
Potent, well-studied GHRP with a bigger pulse than ipamorelin and more cortisol.
100 mcg · 2-3x daily
GHRP-6
The original GHRP: solid GH release and the strongest hunger response of the group.
100 mcg · 2-3x daily
Hexarelin
The most potent GHRP, and the fastest to stop working if you run it continuously.
100 mcg · 1-2x daily
MK-677
Oral ghrelin mimetic that raises GH and IGF-1 for a full 24 hours from one daily dose.
10 mg · Once daily
CJC-1295 no-DAC FAQ
Is 'CJC-1295 without DAC' the same thing as Mod GRF 1-29?+
Yes — they are the same 29-amino-acid tetrasubstituted peptide, and vendors use the names interchangeably. The confusion exists because CJC-1295 proper is that backbone plus a lysine and an albumin-binding linker. If a vial says 'CJC-1295 no-DAC', expect Mod GRF 1-29 in it.
Why does it have to be taken fasted?+
Circulating insulin and, to a lesser extent, dietary fat blunt the GH pulse a GHRH analogue produces. A carb-heavy meal shortly before the injection can flatten most of the response. Twenty to thirty minutes clear on the back end is enough before eating again.
Can I run it alone without a GHRP?+
You can, and it still raises GH, but the pulse is substantially smaller. GHRH analogues work against somatostatin tone, which a GHRP suppresses, so the two together produce a bigger release than the sum of each alone. Most protocols pair 100 mcg of Mod GRF with 100 mcg of ipamorelin.
Does more than 100 mcg per shot do anything?+
Very little. GH release from a single GHRH pulse saturates around 1 mcg/kg, so a 100 kg lifter gets marginal extra from going past roughly 100 mcg. If you want more total GH exposure over a day, add a third injection rather than doubling two.
How long before it stops working?+
The pituitary does not desensitise to GHRH the way it does to some continuous stimuli, but people commonly report the sleep and recovery effects fading after two to three months. Cycling 8-12 weeks on with a few weeks off is the standard workaround, and it is convention rather than evidence.
References
- 1.Human growth hormone-releasing factor (hGRF)1-29-albumin bioconjugates activate the GRF receptor on the anterior pituitary in rats: identification of CJC-1295 as a long-lasting GRF analog — Endocrinology (2005) PMID 15817669
- 2.Dipeptidylpeptidase IV and trypsin-like enzymatic degradation of human growth hormone-releasing hormone in plasma — J Clin Invest (1989) PMID 2565342
- 3.Prolonged stimulation of growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor I secretion by CJC-1295, a long-acting analog of GH-releasing hormone, in healthy adults — J Clin Endocrinol Metab (2006) PMID 16352683
More gh secretagogues
CJC-1295 with DAC
Albumin-binding GHRH analogue that lifts GH and IGF-1 for days from one injection.
1000 mcg · 1-2x weekly
GHRP-2
Potent, well-studied GHRP with a bigger pulse than ipamorelin and more cortisol.
100 mcg · 2-3x daily
GHRP-6
The original GHRP: solid GH release and the strongest hunger response of the group.
100 mcg · 2-3x daily
Hexarelin
The most potent GHRP, and the fastest to stop working if you run it continuously.
100 mcg · 1-2x daily