anti-miR-29b

anti-miR-29b is an antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) designed to target and inhibit microRNA-29b (miR-29b). Developed through a collaboration between Ionis Pharmaceuticals and Baylor College of Medicine, it is intended for the treatment of classical Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (cEDS). cEDS is a connective tissue disorder typically caused by haploinsufficiency of the COL5A1 gene, which encodes type V collagen. miR-29b naturally regulates COL5A1 by binding to its 3' UTR and promoting mRNA degradation. By sequestering miR-29b, the ASO prevents this degradation, thereby increasing COL5A1 mRNA levels and protein translation to support proper collagen assembly. Preclinical data has shown that anti-miR-29b can significantly increase Col5a1 expression in vitro and in vivo, with ongoing research focused on optimizing delivery to skin tissue.