Rubedo Life Sciences, a biopharmaceutical company committed to developing first-in-class therapies targeting senescent cells that drive age-related diseases, announced today the closing of a $40 million Series A financing round. This funding round was led by Khosla Ventures and Ahren Innovation Capital, with participation from Hevolution, R42, Modi Ventures, Cerigo Investments, Shanda Group, Refactor Capital, LongeVC, Italian Angels for Growth (IAG), and additional investors.
This funding round will be used to advance the company’s lead candidate RLS-1496 in chronic atopic dermatitis and chronic psoriasis, which will be entering Phase 1 studies. And Rubedo is also developing additional therapies that selectively target senescent cells in pulmonary diseases with significant unmet medical needs like idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), with a program recipient of a substantial CIRM grant last year.
Rubedo’s Alembic drug discovery platform enables the identification of specific druggable targets for development into therapeutics that selectively target pathologic cells, such as various types of senescent cells, that drive the process of biological aging.
Senescence is when a cell ages and permanently stops dividing but does not die. Any cell can potentially become senescent. Over time, many senescent cells can build up in tissues throughout the body and release pathologic factors. When they reach a critical mass, they cause chronic inflammation and damage, causing fibrosis and tissue degeneration, which drive many age-related diseases.
KEY QUOTES:
“We’re delighted to attract this top-tier syndicate co-led by Khosla Ventures and Ahren Innovation Capital. This significant influx of financing will allow us to advance our first clinical candidate into human studies.”
- Marco Quarta, CEO & Co-Founder of Rubedo Life Sciences
“As people live longer, improving quality of life is paramount. Rubedo is targeting senescent, or aging, cells that drive age-related diseases. This first trial can bring us another step closer to achieving better healthspan.”
- Alex Morgan, Partner, Khosla Ventures
“Our mission is to invest in transformational companies that will change the world for the better, serving vast markets. We believe that Rubedo’s transformative approach to targeting senescent cells is an impressive step towards the development of chronic age-related therapies, which will advance biotech from treatment to prevention or disease reversal.”
- Alice Newcombe Ellis, Founding & General Partner, Ahren Innovation Capital
“The significant experience and capital that our investors bring to Rubedo will help the company rapidly advance our programs. We look forward to working with these leaders, whose vast experience in clinical development will be invaluable as we enter the next phase of growth at Rubedo.”
- Ali Siam, Chief Business Officer, Rubedo Life Sciences
