How to Use a Peptide Pen
Step-by-step assembly, cartridge loading, priming and dispensing for the Ares Precision Pen — plus self-injecting pen safety and needle handling. 24 answers covering everything from the first prime to long-term storage of a fill.
For research and laboratory use only. Not for human or veterinary use. Nothing on this page is dosing or administration guidance.
Using a peptide pen & self-injecting pen safety
How do you use a peptide pen?
Using a peptide pen in the lab follows five steps: (1) wash hands and work on a clean surface, (2) insert the sealed 3 mL cartridge into the pen body and screw the sections together, (3) twist a fresh 32G needle onto the cartridge end, (4) prime the pen by dialing a small priming volume and dispensing until liquid appears at the needle tip, and (5) dial the measured volume your protocol calls for and press the plunger to dispense. The full assembly, priming and dispensing answers are below.
How do you assemble a peptide pen?
Unscrew the pen body, slide the cartridge in metal-cap first, reattach the body until snug, then push and twist a new needle straight onto the cartridge threads. Never reuse a needle and never force a cartridge — a cartridge that doesn't seat smoothly should be replaced.
Is a self-injecting pen safe to use?
Self-injecting pen safety comes down to needle hygiene and handling: always use a new sterile 32G needle for each dispense, never share a pen or cartridge between projects, recap and dispose of needles in a sharps container immediately after use, and store the pen with the needle removed. Ares pens and cartridges are laboratory research supplies, not medical devices, and are not for human or veterinary use.
What needle safety rules apply to self-injecting pens?
Use one sterile needle per dispense, never recap with two hands, never leave a needle attached during storage, and dispose of every needle in a rigid sharps container — never household trash. Inspect each needle for damage before fitting it and discard any that are bent or dull.
What is a peptide pen?
A peptide pen is a reusable dial-a-dose injection pen that replaces the vial-and-syringe workflow. A sealed cartridge of research material loads into the pen body, and a click-indexed wheel sets a measured volume before each dispense.
What is a GLP-3 pen?
A GLP-3 pen is GLP-3RT supplied in pen format rather than a vial — the same batch material sealed in a 3 mL cartridge, available prefilled in a pen or as a refill cartridge for the reusable Ares Precision Pen. It is the most requested pen fill in the catalog.
Is a peptide pen the same as a self-injecting pen?
Yes — self-injecting pen, injection pen and peptide pen all describe the same class of dial-a-dose dispensing device. Ares supplies these devices and their cartridges for laboratory research use only.
What the device is and what arrives in the box.
What exactly is a peptide pen?
A peptide pen is a dial-a-dose dispensing device built around a standard 3 mL pharmaceutical glass cartridge. A sealed cartridge holding the reconstituted research compound sits inside the barrel; a click-indexed dose wheel advances a threaded push rod by a fixed increment per click; a single-use screw-on needle dispenses the measured volume. It replaces the vial-and-syringe workflow with a repeatable mechanical measurement.
What comes with the Ares Precision Pen?
The reusable pen (SKU AR-PEN-01) ships with the device body, a protective cap and a printed handling card. Needles and cartridges are sold separately. The AR-PEN-02 starter kit bundles the pen with a 100-pack of AR-PEN-N 32G needles so a lab has everything needed to begin cartridge-based dispensing.
What is the difference between a prefilled pen and a cartridge refill?
A prefilled pen arrives as a complete, assembled unit filled with one compound and is dispensed until the cartridge is empty. A cartridge refill is just the filled 3 mL cartridge — it drops into the reusable Ares Precision Pen, which lowers the cost of every fill after the first.
Which compounds are available in pen format?
Every injectable compound in the Ares catalog can be supplied as a prefilled pen or cartridge refill, at any vial size listed on the product page. GLP-3RT is the most requested pen fill. Capsules, nasal sprays, topical solutions and research-support items are not available in pen format.
Putting the device together and loading a cartridge.
How do I assemble the Ares Precision Pen?
Unscrew the barrel from the dose mechanism. Slide a cartridge into the barrel septum-end first, then reattach the barrel to the mechanism and hand-tighten until seated. The push rod inside the mechanism resets automatically on most pen designs; if yours has a visible extended rod, press the dose button to retract it before loading. No tools are required.
How do I attach a needle?
Peel the foil seal from a fresh single-use pen needle, hold it straight against the threaded hub at the front of the pen, and screw clockwise until snug — about one full turn past first resistance. Remove the outer cap and keep the inner needle shield in place until you are ready to dispense. Do not overtighten; a snug fit is enough to pierce the septum cleanly.
How do I prime (air-shot) a new cartridge?
Before the first dispense from a new cartridge, dial two clicks and hold the pen needle-up. Tap the barrel gently so any air bubble rises to the needle, then press the dose button fully. A droplet at the needle tip confirms the fluid path is clear. Repeat once if no droplet appears. Prime once per cartridge, not before every dispense.
How do I swap an empty cartridge for a refill?
Remove and discard the needle. Unscrew the barrel, slide out the empty cartridge, and insert the refill septum-end first. Reattach the barrel, fit a fresh needle, and prime with a two-click air-shot before the first measured dispense.
How prefilled pens and custom fills are produced.
Can I fill my own cartridge?
We supply AR-PEN-C empty 3 mL cartridges for labs that reconstitute and fill in-house under their own protocols. Filled cartridges purchased from Ares are machine-filled and sealed; opening a filled cartridge voids the batch traceability on the fill.
How are Ares prefilled pens filled?
Each fill uses the same batch lyophilized material as the corresponding vial SKU, reconstituted to a defined concentration and machine-filled into sterile 3 mL cartridges. The batch COA published on the product page applies to the pen fill.
Why do custom pen orders take 7–10 business days?
Pen fills are built to order — the compound is reconstituted, filled and sealed after checkout rather than pulled from a shelf. Allow 7–10 business days for assembly before the order ships. Hardware (pens, needles, empty cartridges) ships from stock; mixed orders ship together once the fill is complete.
Can I combine two compounds in one pen?
No. Each cartridge holds a single compound so the batch COA, concentration and stability profile stay unambiguous. Researchers working with multiple compounds use one pen or cartridge per compound.
How the dial mechanism meters volume in the lab.
How does the click dial measure a dispense?
Each click of the dose wheel advances the threaded push rod by a fixed increment, displacing a fixed volume from the cartridge. Counting clicks replaces reading a syringe barrel, so repeated dispenses are mechanically consistent. The click increment and volume-per-click for your fill concentration are printed on the handling card included with the order.
How do I dispense a measured volume?
With a fresh needle attached and the cartridge primed, dial the wheel to the number of clicks for the target volume, hold the pen needle-down over the receiving vessel or lab apparatus, and press the dose button fully until the dial returns to zero. Hold for a slow count of five so the full volume clears the needle, then withdraw.
What if the dial stops before my target clicks?
The dial will not advance past the remaining volume in the cartridge — the pen physically prevents over-dialing. The remaining clicks shown are what is left. Finish the dispense and load a fresh cartridge for the remainder.
How do I convert milligrams to clicks?
Divide the target mass by the concentration of your fill to get volume, then divide volume by the volume-per-click on the handling card. The card shipped with each fill lists the exact click increments for that batch's concentration so the arithmetic is done for you.
Keeping fills stable between uses.
How should I store a filled pen or cartridge?
Refrigerate at 2–8 °C, store upright, and keep away from light. Do not freeze — a frozen cartridge can crack the glass and degrade the fill. Do not store the pen with a needle attached; remove the needle after every dispense so the septum reseals and the fill is not exposed to air.
How long is a filled cartridge stable?
Reconstituted material is less stable than lyophilized powder. Kept refrigerated, upright and needle-free between uses, a fill is intended to be consumed within the window printed on its label — typically 28–30 days from the fill date. Discard any fill that becomes cloudy, discolored or develops particles.
Can I travel with a pen?
For lab transport, keep the pen in an insulated carrier with a cold pack, cap on and needle removed. Avoid temperature excursions above room temperature for extended periods and never leave the pen in a hot vehicle or checked luggage.
How should I clean the device?
Wipe the exterior with a lint-free cloth dampened with 70% isopropyl alcohol. Never immerse the mechanism in liquid or run it under water — the internal threading and dose mechanism are not waterproof. The barrel can be wiped when changing cartridges.
Handling rules that keep the lab safe and the product traceable.
Are these devices for human use?
No. All Ares products — pens, cartridges, needles and compounds — are supplied strictly for laboratory and research use. They are not drugs or medical devices, are not sterile-injectable grade for human administration, and are not for human or veterinary use. Nothing on this page is dosing or administration guidance.
What needle-handling rules should I follow?
Treat every pen needle as a sharp. Use a fresh needle for every dispense, never recap a used needle by hand, and dispose of needles immediately in a rigid sharps container. Needles are single-use; reuse dulls the tip, compromises the septum and risks contamination of the cartridge.
Are pen products returnable?
Pen fills are made to order for a single customer and, like all research material, are final sale. Unopened hardware — pens, needles and empty cartridges — follows the standard returns policy on the shipping and returns page. If a pen arrives damaged or a fill looks wrong on arrival, contact support before use and we will make it right.
How do I verify what is in my pen?
Every fill is labeled with the compound, concentration, fill date and batch number, matching the third-party COA published on the product page. Scan the COA link on the product page or contact support with your batch number for the certificate.
Ares peptide pens, cartridges, needles and compounds are laboratory research supplies. They are not drugs or medical devices and are not for human or veterinary use. Custom pen fills are made to order — allow 7–10 business days for assembly before shipment.