Rubedo Life Sciences, a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing first-in-class therapies for chronic age-related diseases that target senescent cells that drive cellular aging, announced today that the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) has awarded the company a $1.45 million grant. This grant will help fund research and development of a pharmacological regenerative treatment for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) that targets senescent lung stem cells.
Rubedo will be able to characterize senescence cells, including senescent stem and progenitor cells, in the lungs of IPF patients, providing a novel therapeutic opportunity to develop disease-modifying interventions for this chronic degenerative disease, as well as screen a library of senolytic small molecule prodrugs on IPF primary cells. The ultimate goal is to conduct a clinical trial of the lead senolytic compound on a humanized IPF model.
Senescent cells, which are pro-inflammatory, pro-fibrotic, and pro-cancerogenic cells caused by various types of cellular stress and damage, are a pathogenic cell type that emerges with disease. Senescent cells accumulate in the body in various tissues as people age. Cellular senescence is a master regulator of aging that contributes to the development of many age-related diseases.
Progressive pulmonary fibrosis is a degenerative interstitial lung disease that affects an increasing number of people worldwide. This increase can be attributed to a growing aging population, decreased air quality due to increased air pollution, which is partly caused by climate change, and the virus SARS-CoV-2 in COVID-19 survivors. The proposed therapy will help less fortunate aging populations who are affected by these environmental hazards.
Rubedo Life Sciences is a biopharmaceutical company developing a broad portfolio of innovative therapies engineered to target cells which drive chronic age-related diseases. Our proprietary ALEMBIC™ drug discovery platform has engineered novel first-in-class small molecules designed to selectively target senescent cells, which play a key role in the progression of pulmonary, dermatological, oncological, neurodegenerative, fibrotic and other chronic disorders. The Rubedo leadership team is composed of industry leaders and early pioneers in chemistry, technology, and life sciences, with expertise in drug development and commercialization from both large pharma and leading biotech companies. The company is based in Sunnyvale, CA.
