LTP·01learntopeptide
Cognitive & neuroEvidence B3 cited

ARA-290

aka ARA 290 · cibinetide · innate repair receptor agonist

An 11-amino acid peptide derived from erythropoietin (EPO) that activates the innate repair receptor (IRR) without stimulating erythropoiesis. Provides neuroprotection, anti-inflammatory, and tissue repair effects.

Molecular wt
1257.3g/mol
Formula
C51H84N16O21
CAS
1208243-50-8
Half-life
3 h
clinical
Tmax
30 min
Route
Subcutaneous injection
PubChem
91810664

Sequence

One-letter10 residues

(pGlu)EQLERALNSS

Three-letter

Pyr-Glu-Gln-Leu-Glu-Arg-Ala-Leu-Asn-Ser-Ser

Read this before quoting the sequence
11-residue linear peptide (INN: cibinetide, also called pyroglutamate helix B surface peptide / pHBSP), engineered from the aqueous face of helix B of erythropoietin (UniProt P01588). The N-terminal residue is pyroglutamate, so the standard one-letter string is written with an explicit (pGlu). No disulfide bonds and no erythropoietic activity.
Source ↗

Mechanism of action

ARA-290 selectively binds to the innate repair receptor (IRR), a heterodimer of EPO receptor and beta common receptor (CD131). Unlike EPO, it does not activate the classical homodimeric EPO receptor responsible for erythropoiesis. IRR activation triggers anti-inflammatory (IL-10 upregulation, NF-kB suppression), anti-apoptotic, and tissue repair pathways in neurons, endothelium, and immune cells.

What the evidence actually shows

Grade B

Phase 2 clinical trials for sarcoidosis-related neuropathy showed improvement in corneal nerve fiber density and neuropathic pain. Also studied for diabetic neuropathy. One of the more clinically advanced research peptides.

Regulatory status

Status
Investigational; not approved in any jurisdiction. Development appears stalled - the registered phase 2 studies are completed, terminated or of unknown status and none are recruiting.
Clinical stage
Phase 2. Registered trials include NCT02039687 (corneal nerve fibre density, completed), NCT01933529 (prediabetes/type 2 diabetes, status unknown), NCT02070783 (phase 1/2, completed) and NCT06626971 (diabetic macular oedema, terminated).
Source ↗

Pharmacokinetics

Half-life
3 h
Tmax
30 min
Absorption
subcutaneous
Elimination
renal
Washout
2 days
Low-confidence pharmacokinetics
These figures are recorded as clinical rather than measured in a published PK study. Treat them as an order of magnitude. Anything downstream of them — accumulation, steady state, washout — inherits that uncertainty.

Dosing — what backs each figure

ARA-290 (cibinetide) has genuine phase 2 human dosing: 4 mg subcutaneously once daily for 28 days in diabetic neuropathy, and 2 mg intravenously three times weekly for 4 weeks in sarcoidosis-associated small fibre neuropathy. It remains investigational, with no approval anywhere, and no trial has run longer than about 4 weeks of active dosing.

ClinicalApproved labelling or a published human trial
PreclinicalAnimal studies — not a human dose

  • 120 mcg/kg given immediately before and at 0, 6 and 24 hours after pancreatic islet transplantation

    mouse (C57BL/6J, streptozotocin-diabetic) · intraperitoneal · PMID 26683514

Animal doses do not convert to human doses by body weight alone. Route matters too — a compound dosed intraperitoneally in mice tells you little about subcutaneous use.

Handling and storage

No compound-specific stability data exists
No stability/storage study for ARA-290/cibinetide was located in a primary or regulatory source; it has never been marketed, so no SmPC or label exists. No compound-specific stability study (lyophilised or reconstituted) was located in a primary/regulatory source during this verification pass. Only generic synthetic-peptide handling guidance exists for this compound; no specific temperatures or durations are recorded here rather than fabricating them. General peptide handling still applies — reconstitute gently, keep it cold, keep it dark — but any specific figure you see quoted for this compound elsewhere is someone's assumption, not a measurement.
→ Reconstitution walkthrough→ Reconstitution calculator

Safety

Contraindications
  • ·Not established (investigational)

Generally well tolerated in trials

References (3)

Data provenance

Chemistry and citations on this page were checked against primary sources on 2026-08-14. Values that could not be verified were left blank rather than filled with a plausible guess.

Could not verify
storage.lyophilized, storage.reconstituted, storage.lightSensitive, reconstitution.solvent, regulatory.wada

Research use only
This profile is educational reference material. It is not medical advice, not a prescription, and not an endorsement of self-administration. Compounds discussed here are research chemicals and most are not approved for human therapeutic use.

Related in Cognitive & neuro

CAQK
Brain-injury-homing tetrapeptide targeting chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans at injury sites.
Cerebrolysin
A porcine-derived neuropeptide complex researched for neuroprotection, cognitive recovery, and stroke rehabilitation.
Dihexa
A small peptide that mimics BDNF, with research noting potent neurogenesis and synapse formation in animal models.