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Compound Identity And Development History — Hands-On Walkthrough

By Editorial Desk · published 2026-02-25 · last reviewed 2026-03-20 · Guide

MOD GRF(1-29) comes up often in conversation and rarely with the context attached. Here we lay out the basics in order, then work through the practical considerations.

Updated 2026-03-20. Numbers and descriptions here follow the published literature rather than marketing material.

Compound Identity and Development History

CJC-1295 is a synthetic peptide built as a long-acting analogue of growth hormone-releasing hormone. Its backbone matches the first twenty-nine residues of the natural human hormone, with four amino acid substitutions added to slow enzymatic breakdown. A reactive maleimide group, commonly termed the drug affinity complex, allows the peptide to attach to circulating albumin after administration. That albumin attachment keeps the molecule in the bloodstream for an extended period instead of being cleared within minutes.

The compound emerged from work at a Canadian biotechnology firm in the early 2000s. Early human studies examined its effect on growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor 1 in healthy volunteers and in people with HIV-associated fat redistribution. Reports described sustained increases in both markers after a single injection. Development did not advance to regulatory approval, and the clinical programme was later discontinued. The molecule is now encountered mainly as a research chemical rather than a marketed medicine.

Two forms circulate in research settings and are frequently confused. One carries the drug affinity complex and is often written as CJC-1295 with DAC; the other lacks that group and is usually called modified GRF(1-29). The two share the same core sequence but differ sharply in how long they persist in blood. Products labelled only as CJC-1295 normally refer to the version carrying the complex. Documentation that omits the distinction leaves the intended molecule ambiguous.

Background and Receptor Mechanism

CJC-1295 is a synthetic peptide belonging to the growth hormone-releasing hormone analog family. It comprises twenty-nine amino acid residues derived from the N-terminal region of natural GHRH. The molecule incorporates several non-natural substitutions that increase resistance to enzymatic degradation. These modifications extend its activity compared with the native hormone fragment. Researchers use it to study pituitary growth hormone secretion in laboratory and clinical settings. This compound is distinct from native GHRH in its stability profile.

Two principal forms appear in the literature and in research supply. One carries a drug affinity complex, a maleimide-based group that forms a covalent bond with circulating albumin. This linkage slows clearance and produces a long-lasting elevation of peptide levels. The other form lacks that group and is often labeled MOD GRF(1-29). It has a much shorter circulation time. Both variants retain the same core receptor-binding sequence. Reported half-lives differ substantially between the two.

Cjc-1295 at a glance

PropertyValueNotes
Molecular formulaC152H252N44O42Cited for the form without the drug affinity complex
Molecular weightAbout 3368 DaReported value for modified GRF(1-29)
AppearanceWhite to off-white powderLyophilised solid as usually supplied
SolubilitySoluble in water and polar solventsClarity depends on purity and salt content
Typical storage-20 C or below, dryProtect from light and repeated warming cycles

Handling Storage And Analytical Methods

Peptide degradation proceeds mainly through hydrolysis, oxidation of methionine, and deamidation of asparagine or glutamine residues. The maleimide group on the albumin-binding variant can also react with thiols or hydrolyze in aqueous media. Because these pathways accelerate with temperature and pH extremes, handling conditions strongly influence measured stability. Stability data in the public literature are limited and often generated under differing conditions, so general statements about shelf life should be read as approximate.

Research material is normally supplied as a freeze-dried powder in sealed vials. In that state the peptide is comparatively robust, but prolonged exposure to warmth, moisture, or light accelerates degradation. Storage at minus twenty degrees Celsius or lower, with desiccant and protection from light, is the commonly described practice. Vials should be allowed to reach room temperature before opening to limit condensation on the powder. Moisture uptake during handling is a recognized source of variability in later measurements.

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Mechanism and Pharmacokinetics

Binding of the peptide to the growth hormone-releasing hormone receptor on pituitary somatotrophs triggers a G protein coupled cascade that raises cyclic AMP and opens calcium channels. The result is greater secretion of growth hormone into the bloodstream. Because the peptide acts at the same receptor as the natural hypothalamic hormone, its effect is amplified pulse size rather than an entirely separate release pathway. Receptor binding alone does not determine the response, since somatostatin tone and other inputs modulate the final output.

The albumin-binding version stays in circulation for days, because covalent attachment to serum albumin shields the peptide from rapid filtration and degradation. Reported half-lives for this form fall in the range of several days. The version without the linker is cleared in minutes, with estimates often near thirty minutes in animal work. These figures come from small studies and vary with assay method, species, and route, so they are best read as approximate rather than fixed constants.

Studies in this area generally track growth hormone pulses, insulin-like growth factor 1 concentrations, and occasionally body composition endpoints. Most published human data come from early, small trials, and questions about long-term effects remain open. Whether repeated exposure alters pituitary responsiveness over time is not settled. Analytical work relies on immunoassays for the hormones and on mass spectrometry for the peptide itself, because the two measurements answer different questions.

Notes from published material

Moreover, it is thought that extensive injury to skin also promotes the early trafficking of a unique subclass of leukocytes (circulating fibrocytes) to the injured region, where they perform various functions related to wound healing.

=== Other uses === A 2010 review found that topical doxepin is useful to treat itchiness. A 2010 review of treatments for chronic hives found that doxepin had been superseded by better drugs but was still sometimes useful as a second-line treatment.

== Adverse effects == Adverse effects associated with the MMR vaccine include fever, rash, injection site pain, and, in rare cases, red or purple discolorations on the skin known as thrombocytopenic purpura, or seizures related to fever (febrile seizure).

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Further detail

== See also == Substituted methylenedioxyphenethylamine List of investigational hallucinogens and entactogens List of investigational autism and pervasive developmental disorder drugs List of investigational social anxiety disorder drugs

DPP-4 inhibitors usually have an electrophilic group that can interact with the hydroxyl of the catalytic serine in the active binding site (Figure 3). Frequently that group is a nitrile group but can also be boronic acid or diphenyl phosphonate. This electrophilic group can bind to the imidate complex with covalent bonds and slow, tight-binding kinetics but this group is also responsible for stability issues due to reactions with the free amino group of the P2-amino acid. Therefore, inhibitors without the electrophilic group have also been developed, but these molecules have shown toxicity due to affinity to other dipeptidyl peptidases, e.g. DPP-2, DPP-8 and DPP-9. DPP-4 inhibitors span diverse structural types. In 2007 few of the most potent compounds contain a proline mimetic cyanopyrrolidine P1 group. This group enhances the potency, probably due to a transient covalent trapping of the nitrile group by the active site Ser630 hydroxyl, leading to delayed dissociation and slow tight binding of certain inhibitors. When these potency enhancements were achieved, some chemical stability issues were noted and more advanced molecules had to be made. To avoid these stability issues, the possibility to exclude the nitrile group was investigated. Amino acids with aryl or polar side chains did not show appreciable DPP-4 inhibition and in fact, all compounds without the nitrile group in this research suffered a 20 to 50-fold loss of potency corresponding to the compounds containing the nitrile group.

Hemoglobin is a protein that transports oxygen in the blood. Genetic differences lead to structural variants in the hemoglobin protein structure. Some variants can cause disease while others have little to no effect. The normal hemoglobin types are Hemoglobin A (HbA), which makes up 95–98% of total hemoglobin in adults, Hemoglobin A2 (HbA2), which constitutes 2–3% of total hemoglobin in adults, and Hemoglobin F (HbF), which is the predominant hemoglobin in the fetus during pregnancy, and may persist in small amounts in adults. Hemoglobin variants occur when there are mutations in specific genes that code for the protein chains, known as globins, which make up the hemoglobin molecule. This leads to amino acid substitutions in the hemoglobin molecule that could affect the structure, properties, and/or the stability of the hemoglobin molecule. There are over 1,000 known mutations in the genes coding for hemoglobin in humans.

Plant hormones affect seed germination and dormancy by acting on different parts of the seed. Embryo dormancy is characterized by a high ABA:GA ratio, whereas the seed has high abscisic acid sensitivity and low GA sensitivity. In order to release the seed from this type of dormancy and initiate seed germination, an alteration in hormone biosynthesis and degradation toward a low ABA/GA ratio, along with a decrease in ABA sensitivity and an increase in GA sensitivity, must occur. ABA controls embryo dormancy, and GA embryo germination. Seed coat dormancy involves the mechanical restriction of the seed coat. This, along with a low embryo growth potential, effectively produces seed dormancy. GA releases this dormancy by increasing the embryo growth potential, and/or weakening the seed coat so the radical of the seedling can break through the seed coat. Different types of seed coats can be made up of living or dead cells, and both types can be influenced by hormones; those composed of living cells are acted upon after seed formation, whereas the seed coats composed of dead cells can be influenced by hormones during the formation of the seed coat. ABA affects testa or seed coat growth characteristics, including thickness, and effects the GA-mediated embryo growth potential. These conditions and effects occur during the formation of the seed, often in response to environmental conditions. Hormones also mediate endosperm dormancy: Endosperm in most seeds is composed of living tissue that can actively respond to hormones generated by the embryo.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Background from the literature

Muhammad, Naseem; Tsai, Peter S.; Lauback, Ronald G. (1982). "High-Pressure Liquid Chromatography Assay for Dane Salt Potassium (-)-N-(1-Methoxycarbonylpropene-2yl)-p-hydroxyphenylglycine". Journal of Liquid Chromatography. 5 (7): 1349–1355. doi:10.1080/01483918208067593. Lauback, Ronald (1984). "Specific High-Performance Liquid Chromatographic Determination of Ampicillin in Bulks, Injectables, Capsules, and Oral Suspensions by Reverse-Phase Ion-Pair Chromatography". Journal of Liquid Chromatography. 7 (6): 1243–1265. doi:10.1080/01483918408074041. Ron Lauback retired in July 2014 from Hanford Pharmaceuticals, based out of Syracuse, New York. He was Vice President of Science from 2007 to 2014.

In November 2007, Merck agreed to pay $4.85 billion to settle most of the pending Vioxx lawsuits. The settlement required that claimants provide medical and pharmacy records confirming the occurrence of a heart attack, ischemic stroke, or sudden cardiac death; the receipt of at least 30 Vioxx pills within 60 days prior to the injury or death; and confirmation of Vioxx being used within 14 days of the Vioxx-related event. The settlement was generally viewed by industry analysts and investors as a victory for Merck, considering that original estimates of Merck's liability reached between $10 billion and $25 billion. As of mid-2008, when the plaintiff class had reached the threshold percentage required by Merck to go through with the settlement, plaintiffs had prevailed in only three of the twenty cases that had reached juries, all with relatively small awards. Merck has refused to consider compensation for Vioxx victims and their families outside the US. This is particularly true in the UK where there are at least 400 victims and the legal protection afforded to the victims and their families is particularly weak. According to internal e-mail traffic released at a later lawsuit, Merck had a list of doctors critical of Vioxx to be "neutralized" or "discredited". "We may need to seek them out and destroy them where they live," wrote an employee. A Stanford Medical School professor said that Merck was engaged in intimidation of researchers and infringement upon academic freedom.

=== Legal status === In the US, desomorphine is a Schedule 1 controlled substance, indicating that the United States FDA has determined that there are no legal medicinal uses for desomorphine in the United States. It has maintained this status as a controlled substance since 1936. The drug is a Narcotic in Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act 1970 of the United States as drug number (ACSCN) 9055. It is therefore subject to annual aggregate manufacturing quotas in the United States, and in 2014 the quota for desomorphine was 5 grams. It is produced as a hydrochloride (free base conversion ratio 0.85) and sulphate (0.80).

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Frequently asked questions

What is CJC-1295?

It is a synthetic peptide analogue of growth hormone-releasing hormone. Four substitutions in its sequence make it more resistant to enzymatic degradation than the natural hormone. In the version carrying a drug affinity complex, the peptide binds albumin and remains in circulation for days.

Is CJC-1295 an approved medicine?

No regulatory agency has approved CJC-1295 for clinical use. Human trials were conducted in the 2000s, but the development programme was discontinued before any marketing application succeeded. Material sold today is offered as a research chemical, and its purity depends on the supplier.

How does it differ from sermorelin?

Sermorelin is an unmodified fragment of growth hormone-releasing hormone and is cleared quickly. CJC-1295 contains substitutions that resist breakdown, and the form with a drug affinity complex persists much longer. Both act at the same receptor but differ substantially in duration of action.

What is CJC-1295?

It is a synthetic peptide modeled on growth hormone-releasing hormone. The molecule is used in research on pituitary growth hormone secretion. It differs from the natural hormone through several stabilizing substitutions.

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