RLS-1496 is the Company's first-in-class development candidate for the treatment of dermatological conditions that was found via its Alembic drug discovery platform.

Rubedo Life Sciences has nominated RLS-1496 as a first-in-class development candidate for the treatment of dermatological conditions using its Alembic drug discovery platform, the Company announced at LSX World Congress 2023.

Alembic is an AI-augmented drug discovery platform that enables detection and selective targeting of specific cell populations that drive pathology.  Using single-cell RNA sequencing and other omics data, Rubedo utilized its proprietary database that contains terabytes of internally-generated tissue analysis, and ALEMBIC’s extensive portfolio of proprietary algorithms, such as machine learning (ML) models to develop senescence signatures. Alembic senescence signatures were utilized to analyze skin samples derived from patients with chronic dermatological conditions, such as dermatitis and psoriasis.

Histopathological assessment showed that RLS-1496 significantly reduced senescence signatures associated with skin senescent cells, and in punch biopsies from skin lesions of patients with chronic atopic dermatitis and psoriasis.

Rubedo’s R&D program in dermatology was initiated in late 2021, and effective progression from target discovery to candidate nomination took one and a half years. The program will now advance into IND-enabling studies, with first-in-human studies planned early next year.

“We’re thrilled to nominate our first disease-modifying development candidate for our dermatology program, which targets skin senescent cell types that drive chronic degenerative dermatological conditions associated with biological aging processes,” says Marco Quarta, Ph.D., CEO & Co-Founder, Rubedo Life Sciences, in a news release. “Unlike current non-steroidal topical treatments that only treat the symptoms of inflammation, we believe RLS-1496 has the potential to be the first disease-modifying therapy to provide sustained relief for patients suffering from chronic conditions like dermatitis and psoriasis by targeting the skin senescent cells that cause persistent chronic inflammation.”

“Many skin diseases such as psoriasis and atopic dermatitis are chronic immune-mediated inflammatory conditions that generally lack a cure, despite available therapies. There is a need for therapies with novel modes of action which have the potential to be disease-modifying interventions,” adds Ofir Moreno, Ph.D., SVP, Drug Discovery. “Our preclinical data from RLS-1496 support advancement for further development and also highlight the value of our Alembic AI Platform in facilitating drug discovery.”

PHOTO CAPTION: Marco Quarta, Ph.D., CEO & Co-Founder, Rubedo Life Sciences presenting at LSX World Conference 2023.