Rubedo Life Sciences Awarded $1.45M in Funding From the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) for Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Program

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Rubedo Life Sciences, a biopharmaceutical company committed to developing first-in-class therapies for chronic age-related diseases targeting senescent cells that drive cellular aging, announced today that the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) has awarded the company an $1.45M grant. This funding will support research and development of a pharmacological regenerative treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) targeting senescent lung stem cells.

The grant funding will enable Rubedo to characterize senescence cells, including senescent stem and progenitor cells in the lung of patients affected by IPF, 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 goal is to develop a clinical study of the lead senolytic compound on the humanized IPF model.

Senescent cells are a pathogenic cell type that emerges with disease, which are pro-inflammatory, pro-fibrotic and pro-cancerogenic cells caused by different types of cellular stress and damage. As individuals age, senescent cells accumulate in the body in multiple tissues. Cellular senescence is a master regulator of aging and drive many age-related diseases.

Progressive pulmonary fibrosis is an age-related degenerative interstitial lung disease that affects an increasing number of individuals globally. The reasons for this increase include a growing aging population, decreased air quality due to increased air pollution, partially driven by climate change, and the virus SARS-CoV-2 in COVID-19 survivors. The proposed therapy will benefit less privileged aging populations affected by these environmental hazards.

“We are delighted to partner with CIRM and appreciate their recognition of the importance of advancing research to identify stem cell-based therapeutics that selectivity target pathologic senescent cells that drive cellular aging,” said Marco Quarta, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Rubedo Life Sciences. “Our team has shown promising results in preclinical studies and look forward to identifying and nominate a small molecule development candidate with the potential to address a significant unmet need in patients who suffer from IPF and could become a new treatment option to improve the quality of life for affected individuals.”

“Our goal is to always move the most promising research forward as fast as we can,” said Dr. Maria Millan, President and Chief Executive Officer, California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM). “That’s why these programs are so important. They reflect potential therapeutic approaches that have shown promise in the lab and are ready to take the next step, to undergo further testing and examination to see if they work safely in patients.”

Rubedo Life Sciences has partnered with Cedars-Sinai to investigate the development of novel selective senolytics designed to clear senescent cells implicated in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Cory Hogaboam, PhD, professor of Medicine at Cedars-Sinai, is leading the research for Cedars-Sinai that is supported by a grant from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM).

Rubedo’s proprietary Alembic drug discovery platform combines computational and chemistry proprietary technologies to generate novel prodrugs that selectively target multiple pathologic cell types (including rare cell types) driving age-related diseases.

About Rubedo Life Sciences

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. For additional information, visit www.rubedolife.com.

About CIRM

At CIRM, we never forget that we were created by the people of California to accelerate stem cell treatments to patients with unmet medical needs, and act with a sense of urgency to succeed in that mission.

To meet this challenge, our team of highly trained and experienced professionals actively partners with both academia and industry in a hands-on, entrepreneurial environment to fast track the development of today’s most promising stem cell technologies.

With $5.5 billion in funding and more than 150 active stem cell programs in our portfolio, CIRM is the world’s largest institution dedicated to helping people by bringing the future of cellular medicine closer to reality.

For more information go to www.cirm.ca.gov.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230206005081/en/