# Rubedo Life Sciences: RLS-1496 lowers skin epigenetic age and cuts actinic keratosis lesions by 49% in Phase 1b data

Canonical page: https://technooptimist.io/stories/rubedo-life-sciences-rls-1496-lowers-skin-epigenetic-age-and-cuts-d0603c02
Date: 12 Oct 2026
About: [Rubedo Life Sciences](https://technooptimist.io/companies/rubedo-life-sciences.md) · [RLS-1496](https://technooptimist.io/longevity/rls-1496.md)
Original source: https://www.biospace.com/press-releases/rubedo-life-sciences-announces-phase-1b-data-showing-reduction-in-skin-epigenetic-age-and-systemic-inflammatory-biomarkers-following-four-week-treatment-with-rls-1496

Rubedo Life Sciences reported updated Phase 1b/2a results for RLS-1496, a topical GPX4 modulator, in actinic keratosis, a precancerous skin lesion. The mean reduction in lesions reached 49% across 22 patients after 28 days, up from 46% in an earlier interim read. The company also reported that a separate atopic dermatitis study showed a drop in skin epigenetic age, a measure of biological aging.

## Key facts

- Actinic keratosis: mean 49% reduction in lesions across all 22 patients after 28 days of treatment, up from the 46% interim mean
- Skin epigenetic age in the atopic dermatitis study: mean reduction of 2.1 years (p=0.032) across 11 paired samples at Day 36
- Blood proteomics showed lower circulating inflammatory markers, with CCL22 among the most reduced
- Rubedo says a Phase 2a study in androgenetic alopecia (hair loss) starts in October; the release does not mention the Phase 2b dose-ranging study
- The results are company-reported, from a small open-label study, and have not been published in a peer-reviewed journal

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