Compound Profile
CJC-1295 With and Without DAC: What the Modification Changes
Published: August 24, 2026
TL;DR
"CJC-1295" is used for two different materials. The no-DAC form is a modified growth hormone releasing factor fragment. The DAC form adds a drug affinity complex that binds albumin, changing how long the molecule persists in circulation. That distinction affects identity, naming, and which documentation belongs to a vial. Curo stocks the CJC-1295 no-DAC research material, not the DAC form. It appears in the broader research-peptide product catalog, with lot records searchable through the certificate of analysis database. All Curo peptides are supplied under the research use only framework.
Two molecules under one name
The shared name hides a structural boundary. The no-DAC material is based on a modified fragment of growth hormone releasing factor, commonly described as Modified GRF(1-29). The DAC material begins with that peptide framework and adds a reactive drug affinity complex. Once the DAC group forms a bond with albumin, clearance slows and circulation time becomes much longer.
This is a chemical difference, not a packaging one. Adding DAC changes molecular mass, analytical identity, albumin binding, and pharmacokinetics. Each form therefore needs its own analytical record, and findings reported for the long-acting conjugate belong to that conjugate.
The public identifiers reflect some of this separation, but not cleanly. PubChem lists CJC-1295 DAC under CAS number 446262-90-4. A CAS number can help identify a named substance, but it does not verify what is inside a particular vial.
What the DAC modification changes
DAC stands for drug affinity complex. Its relevant feature is albumin binding. Albumin remains in circulation much longer than a small unconjugated peptide, so attaching the peptide to it extends exposure. The result is a long-acting conjugate with behavior that differs materially from the no-DAC fragment.
The scale of the difference is what makes it matter. The no-DAC peptide is the short-lived analyte. The DAC conjugate carries a multi-day profile in the published human research record. Two materials whose circulating lifetimes differ by that much will not produce comparable results, which is why papers, registries, and product records need to say which form they mean.
Tesamorelin provides a useful neighboring reference because it is also a growth hormone releasing factor analogue, although its product and regulatory history are different. The tesamorelin research and product-status profile keeps those layers separate in the same way.
Where the naming gets confusing
Commercial shorthand often calls Modified GRF(1-29) "CJC-1295 without DAC." Meanwhile, the original CJC-1295 research literature largely concerns the DAC conjugate. A page, vial, or paper that says only "CJC-1295" therefore leaves the most important identity question unanswered.
The official registry record contains its own documented inconsistency. FDA's Substance Registration System entry for CJC-1295 is UNII 62RC32V9N7, while FDA's November 15, 2024 evaluation notes that the chemical structure registered under that entry corresponds to CJC-1295 DAC rather than the free base named on it. This is a mismatch between a recorded name and structure, stated by FDA itself, not evidence that the two materials are equivalent.
The same FDA evaluation records that no separate UNII exists for CJC-1295 acetate, CJC-1295 DAC acetate, or CJC-1295 DAC trifluoroacetate. The document is dated November 15, 2024. An absent separate identifier does not collapse those names into one substance. It means the registry cannot resolve every form through a unique UNII alone.
This pattern is not unique to CJC-1295. The profile explaining the TB-500 and thymosin beta-4 fragment distinction examines another case in which one market name can obscure more than one molecular identity.
The advisory committee review of 2024
FDA's Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee considered five CJC-1295-related substances on December 4, 2024. The recorded votes against adding them to the 503A Bulks List were 0 yes to 13 no for CJC-1295 free base, 1 yes to 12 no for CJC-1295 acetate, and 0 yes to 13 no for each of CJC-1295 DAC free base, CJC-1295 DAC acetate, and CJC-1295 DAC trifluoroacetate.
Those tallies belong to that December 2024 meeting. CJC-1295 was not listed among the substances for the July 23 and 24, 2026 committee meeting. The 2026 Federal Register notice named BPC-157, KPV, TB-500, MOTS-c, emideltide, semax, and epitalon. That establishes the later agenda and does not revise the earlier vote.
The clinical registry adds a historical footnote. CJC-1295 did once have a corporate development programme behind it: ConjuChem sponsored a Phase 2 study in HIV-associated visceral obesity, NCT00267527, which began in December 2005. The registry lists that study as terminated.
Sport rules are a separate status layer. WADA's 2026 Prohibited List, in force from January 1, 2026, names CJC-1295 in section S2 among growth hormone releasing factors prohibited at all times, in and out of competition. USADA also announced a four-year period of ineligibility for cyclist Vahe Aivazian, accepted April 7, 2021, with CJC-1295 among the substances involved.
Confirming which form is in the vial
Start with the label, then connect it to the lot record. The analyte name should say whether the material is no DAC, DAC, or a specified salt form. The lot number on the vial should match its report, following the process for verifying a certificate of analysis against a specific lot.
Next, read each method for what it can establish. LC-MS supports molecular identity. HPLC reports chromatographic purity. Endotoxin testing measures endotoxin burden. Those are the three methods in Curo's quality and testing standard. A high HPLC percentage cannot resolve a DAC versus no-DAC identity question by itself, and a matching product name cannot replace analytical evidence.
Storage records matter after identity is established because handling can affect the condition of research material. Curo's guide to storing research peptides and bacteriostatic water explains that separate documentation layer.
Further reading
Ipamorelin is the compound most often sold alongside the no-DAC form, and its record runs the other way: it reached two completed Phase 2 trials and a published result. That history is set out in what the ipamorelin ileus trials measured.
Common questions
Is CJC-1295 no DAC the same compound as CJC-1295 DAC?
No. The no-DAC form is a modified growth hormone releasing factor fragment. The DAC form includes an albumin-binding modification that changes molecular identity and persistence in circulation.
Why do both products use the CJC-1295 name?
The long-acting conjugate originated under the CJC-1295 name, while commercial usage extended "CJC-1295 no DAC" to Modified GRF(1-29). Because the shorthand is entrenched, the form should always be stated explicitly.
Why is ipamorelin often mentioned with the no-DAC form?
Community and commercial discussions commonly pair the two research analytes. Curo's CJC-1295 no-DAC and ipamorelin research blend reflects that catalog convention. The pairing does not make the compounds interchangeable or establish a demonstrated outcome for the combination.
What is the fastest way to distinguish the forms in documentation?
Check the full analyte name, the stated DAC status, the salt form if one is declared, the lot match, and the LC-MS identity result. Do not rely on "CJC-1295" alone.