ARA-290
An 11-amino-acid EPO-derived peptide studied for tissue-protective and neuropathic repair signaling without erythropoiesis.
What ARA-290 is
ARA-290, also known as cibinetide, is an 11-residue peptide modeled on the helix-B surface of erythropoietin. Researchers designed it to engage the innate repair receptor complex associated with tissue protection and anti-inflammatory signaling while avoiding the erythropoietic activity of full-length EPO.
Clinical research has focused on small-fiber neuropathy contexts (including sarcoidosis-associated disease), painful diabetic neuropathy endpoints, and exploratory diabetic macular edema work. Dose-ranging subcutaneous studies compared daily milligram-level exposures over weeks, with 4 mg daily often highlighted in published summaries.
ARA-290 is an investigational research peptide, not a general wellness injectables staple. Educational dosage figures below summarize documented trial exposures for literature navigation only.
How it works
Cibinetide is understood to activate the innate repair receptor, a complex involving EPOR and β-common receptor components distinct from the classical homodimeric EPO receptor that drives red-cell production. Downstream signaling is studied for anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, and tissue-repair programs. Because erythropoiesis is not the intended pathway, hematologic safety monitoring in trials has been an important differentiator from EPO itself.
Where this compound shows up in research
Neurology, ophthalmology, and inflammation-biology groups working on non-hematopoietic EPO signaling are the main research audience. Neuropathic-pain trialists and corneal-nerve imaging labs also appear in the author lists of key papers.
What the research examines
Fields of study, not claims. Investigation is not proof.
How it appears in the literature
Reported research amounts. These describe what was studied, not what anyone should do.
| Research context | Reported amount | Frequency | Route |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phase 2 dose-ranging SC trial in sarcoidosis-associated small-fiber neuropathy | 1 mg – 8 mg | daily | subcutaneous |
| Diabetic macular edema phase 2 pilot | 4 mg | daily | subcutaneous |
Handling & storage
Lyophilized ARA-290/cibinetide research material is stored cold and dry per COA. Reconstituted solution is refrigerated; trial products followed protocol-specific stability instructions.
Notes on combined research
Published programs generally evaluate cibinetide as monotherapy on top of standard care for the underlying condition. Mechanistic literature compares it with EPO and other tissue-protective EPO mimetics rather than with common gym-peptide stacks. Combination rationale, when discussed, is pathway-level (repair signaling vs erythropoiesis), not informal stacking culture.
ARA-290 questions
Human trials most often used 1–8 mg subcutaneously once daily, with 4 mg daily appearing repeatedly across neuropathy and ocular pilot work. Those are documented clinical-research doses.
Depends on vial mass. A 5 mg vial in 1 mL bacteriostatic water yields 5 mg/mL (50 units on a U-100 syringe = 2.5 mg). Labs choose diluent volume to match the protocol’s milligram increments.
Daily subcutaneous administration for about 28 days is the dominant published neuropathy schedule; one ocular pilot extended daily dosing to 12 weeks.
A literature chart should list 1 mg, 4 mg, and 8 mg daily SC arms from dose-ranging work, plus the 4 mg daily DME pilot. Include duration (28 days vs 12 weeks) beside the mg amount.
Detailed consumer-facing half-life numbers are less prominent than dose-response outcomes in abstracts; clinically studied regimens used once-daily SC dosing, implying a practical need for daily exposure in those designs.
Trials typically studied cibinetide alone plus standard disease therapy. Experimental combinations should stay inside controlled research protocols.
No. It is a short EPO-derived peptide engineered toward tissue-protective innate-repair signaling without stimulating red-blood-cell production the way EPO does.
Cibinetide is the international nonproprietary name used in later clinical publications; ARA-290 is the earlier research code.
Read the research yourself
All of the below resolve to indexed papers on PubMed. We would rather cite less and cite accurately.
- Cibinetide Improves Corneal Nerve Fiber Abundance in Patients With Sarcoidosis-Associated Small Nerve Fiber Loss and Neuropathic Pain.PubMed
- A Phase 2 Clinical Trial on the Use of Cibinetide for the Treatment of Diabetic Macular Edema.PubMed
- ARA 290 improves symptoms in patients with sarcoidosis-associated small nerve fiber loss and increases corneal nerve fiber density.PubMed
- Safety and efficacy of ARA 290 in sarcoidosis patients with symptoms of small fiber neuropathy: a randomized, double-blind pilot study.PubMed