Identity
What is ARA-290?
- Type
- Synthetic peptide (EPO-derived)
- Also known as
- Cibinetide
- Amino acids
- 11
- Primary target
- Innate repair receptor (IRR)
- Research family
- Tissue repair / immune
- Use classification
- Research Use Only
Science Library · Innate repair receptor
ARA-290 the science.
ARA-290 (also called cibinetide) is an 11-amino-acid peptide derived from a non-erythropoietic region of erythropoietin (EPO). It was designed to engage the innate repair receptor without the blood-cell-stimulating activity of EPO, and — unlike most compounds in this catalog — it has been evaluated in published human clinical trials. The summary below reflects peer-reviewed research.
View the ARA-290 product page →
11 aa
Peptide length
IRR
Receptor target
Clinical
Evidence stage
Human & animal
Model systems
How it works
Mechanism at a glance
Compound
ARA-290 (cibinetide)
Action
Activates innate repair receptor
Effect
Anti-inflammatory & tissue protection
Studied for
Small-fiber neuropathy models
Evidence to date
In vitro
Animal
Human
Evidence to date: preclinical work plus published early-phase human trials. Not FDA-approved.
What it is
ARA-290 is a short synthetic peptide that corresponds to a structural region of erythropoietin associated with tissue protection rather than red-blood-cell production. EPO is best known as the hormone that drives erythropoiesis, but researchers identified a separate tissue-protective signaling activity mediated by a distinct receptor complex. ARA-290 was engineered to selectively activate that pathway.
Because it does not stimulate erythropoiesis, ARA-290 has been used as a research tool for studying anti-inflammatory and repair signaling without the hematologic effects of full-length EPO. It is an investigational compound — not an approved medicine.
The pathway under study: the innate repair receptor
ARA-290 research is organized around a receptor complex often described as the innate repair receptor (IRR):
- Tissue-protective signaling — the IRR is studied as a heteromeric complex (involving the β-common receptor) that is upregulated in injured tissue and linked to cell survival.
- Inflammation resolution — investigators examine how IRR activation modulates immune-cell behavior and pro-inflammatory signaling.
- Neuronal & metabolic models — small nerve fibers and metabolic stress are common experimental contexts.
What research has explored
ARA-290 has both preclinical and early-phase human research:
- Sarcoidosis-associated small-fiber neuropathy (2013). A published study reported that ARA-290 was associated with changes in symptom scores and corneal nerve-fiber measures in patients with sarcoidosis-associated small nerve-fiber loss.
- Corneal nerve-fiber imaging (2017). A follow-up study using corneal confocal microscopy examined cibinetide’s effect on corneal nerve-fiber abundance in the same patient population.
- Mechanistic reviews. Review articles have summarized ARA-290’s rationale as an innate-repair-receptor agonist for neuropathy research.
These human studies are early-phase and investigational. ARA-290 is not FDA-approved, and this material is supplied for research use only.
Current state of the evidence
ARA-290 is an investigational compound with published early-phase human data in addition to preclinical work. It is not FDA-approved, and no approved indication, dosing, or therapeutic claim applies. ARA-290 is supplied strictly as a research material for laboratory investigation.
Compound Snapshot
At a glance
Evidence base
Research maturity
Investigational
Early-phase human data
Not FDA-approved
Maturity
Clinical (early phase)
Preclinical work plus published early-phase human trials; still investigational.
Status
Not FDA-approved
No approved indication, dosing, or therapeutic claim. Supplied for research use only.
Sources & References
Peer-reviewed research and database records
Molecular Medicine / PubMed
ARA 290 improves symptoms in patients with sarcoidosis-associated small nerve fiber loss and increases corneal nerve fiber density
2013 · PMID 24136731 · DOI 10.2119/molmed.2013.00122 View SourceInvestigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science / PubMed
Cibinetide Improves Corneal Nerve Fiber Abundance in Patients With Sarcoidosis-Associated Small Nerve Fiber Loss
2017 · PMID 28475703 · DOI 10.1167/iovs.16-21291 View SourceExpert Opinion on Investigational Drugs / PubMed
ARA 290 for treatment of small fiber neuropathy in sarcoidosis
2014 · PMID 24555851 · DOI 10.1517/13543784.2014.892072 View SourceClinicalTrials.gov
ARA-290 / cibinetide clinical study registry search
U.S. clinical study registry records for ARA-290 and cibinetide. View SourceFor research use only. Not for human or veterinary use. These products have not been evaluated by the FDA. Nothing on this page is medical advice or a therapeutic claim.
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