# Ascent Peptides — Growth Hormone Axis Research Peptides > Ascent Peptides is a reference digest for Growth Hormone Axis research peptides — CJC-1295, Sermorelin and Tesamorelin — summarized from peer-reviewed literature. A digest, not a vendor or clinic. A careful reading of the published science on CJC-1295, Sermorelin and Tesamorelin — what each was actually studied for, in which species, and how strong the evidence really is. ## The short version Ascent Peptides is a reading digest, not a store. It collects what the published research literature actually says about three peptides that keep coming up in conversations about the **growth hormone axis**: CJC-1295, Sermorelin and Tesamorelin. A *peptide* is a short chain of amino acids — the same building blocks that make up proteins, only far smaller. Each of these three is a synthetic analog of *growth hormone-releasing hormone*, the signal the hypothalamus normally sends to the pituitary to prompt GH secretion. Researchers study them because they nudge the same endocrine axis from the outside, working upstream of growth hormone itself. This digest does one job: it tells you, in plain language and with citations, what each peptide was tested on, in which populations, and how far that evidence actually reaches. Where evidence is limited to animals, we say so; where a compound has an approved human indication, we describe it in those terms. None of this is medical advice, and we never list a human dose. ## What are research peptides? The body's hormonal signals are themselves peptides — short chains of amino acids folded into a shape that fits a receptor the way a key fits a lock. Growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) is one such signal: 44 amino acids long, it tells the anterior pituitary gland to synthesize and release growth hormone (GH), which in turn prompts the liver to make insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1). A *research peptide* is a synthetic molecule built to mimic, extend or redirect that signaling. The three peptides here are all GHRH *analogs* — slightly modified versions of the natural hormone designed to resist the enzyme (DPP-IV) that normally clips and inactivates it, or to bind a carrier protein that keeps it circulating longer. "Research peptide" carries a specific regulatory implication: it means the compound has been studied in the laboratory or in early clinical work, but has not been approved as a medicine for the use in question. Where one of these analogs *has* an approved indication (tesamorelin, for HIV-associated lipodystrophy), we describe only that approved use in clinical terms; off-label and general-use applications are research framing only. ## How these three fit into GH-axis research The three analogs on this desk represent three distinct engineering strategies applied to the same GHRH template. - [**CJC-1295**](/cjc-1295) is the lead. It is built on the first 29 residues of GHRH with four amino-acid substitutions that lock in the alpha-helix and block enzymatic cleavage. In its DAC variant, a chemical handle on the C-terminus covalently binds to circulating albumin, stretching the half-life to roughly five to eight days — long enough for a single dose to sustain GH and IGF-1 elevation across a week [4]. It has not been approved for human use [1]. - [**Sermorelin**](/sermorelin) is the same first-29-residue fragment without those substitutions — the minimum piece of natural GHRH that retains full receptor activity. It was the basis of an FDA-approved drug for pediatric GH deficiency, withdrawn from the market in 2008 for commercial reasons, and is now handled as a compounded bulk under 503A category-1 status [10]. Because it preserves the pituitary's own feedback loop, it sustains the pulsatile pattern of GH release [10]. - [**Tesamorelin**](/tesamorelin) uses the full 44-residue GHRH sequence modified only at the N-terminus, where a trans-3-hexenoic acid group blocks DPP-IV cleavage. The result is a compound with human RCT data: visceral fat reduction in HIV-associated lipodystrophy, FDA approval in 2010, and an emerging body of off-label research into cognitive function and hepatic steatosis [13]. Read them together and a single theme emerges: the same pituitary receptor, three different durability strategies, and very different evidence profiles. Use the directory above to read each one, or [compare these peptides](/compare) side by side. ## A note on how this digest reads the literature Ascent Peptides is a cross-referenced literature digest. Each peptide page summarizes the peer-reviewed studies for that compound, cites them by number, and links to a single shared [references list](/references) that aggregates every source across all three. Where evidence is thin, single-study, or preclinical, we say so plainly — that candor is part of the record, not a caveat attached at the bottom. We describe research findings and the cited cautions that come with them; we do not recommend, prescribe, or sell. The aim is a clear, accurate map of what is known about these three GHRH analogs, so you can see where the science is solid and where it is still largely a question. --- A literature digest tracing three GHRH analogs through the peer-reviewed record — mechanism, evidence, and caution, but never a dose or a product.