Experimental Anti-Aging Skin Cream Reduced Biological Skin Age by About 2 Years in Small Trial

A wave of biotechnology companies is working to determine whether it is possible to slow the aging process. Rubedo Life Sciences, based in Mountain View, California, is starting with one of the most visible signs of aging: the skin.

Rubedo’s Senescent-Cell Treatment Shows Early Promise

The company’s experimental topical treatment may help reduce the appearance of aging, according to early data presented by Rubedo at the Aging Research and Drug Discovery Conference in Boston earlier this month.

In a small clinical trial, Rubedo tested a topical cream on 11 people with atopic dermatitis, the most common type of inflammatory skin disease, also known as eczema. The treatment targets cellular senescence, a biological state in which damaged or stressed cells permanently stop dividing but do not die.

These senescent, or “zombie,” cells accumulate with age. They can contribute to disease by releasing substances that promote inflammation and tissue damage.

Skin’s Biological Age Fell by an Average of Two Years

After four weeks of using the cream, participants showed an average reduction of about two years in the biological age of their skin. The estimate was based on an aging “clock” developed by Mitra Bio, which independently analyzed skin samples from the participants.

One person in the trial experienced a reduction in skin age of more than 11 years. Separately, Rubedo reported that the treatment was associated with lower levels of inflammation-related markers and a 10% increase in collagen types linked to skin elasticity and structure.

What Biological Skin Age Means

Biological age, also called epigenetic age, estimates how old a person is compared with their chronological age. Aging clocks such as Mitra Bio’s calculate this estimate by examining gene function and patterns of methylation, a chemical modification of DNA that can change over time.

However, a lower biological age score does not necessarily prove that the body, or a specific organ or tissue, has become functionally younger.

“Our idea is to find ways to change the trajectory of aging,” says Marco Quarta, Rubedo’s co-founder and chief scientific officer. “Aging is complex. There are many mechanisms, and cellular aging is one of them.”

How Rubedo’s Anti-Aging Approach Works

Senescent cells also play important roles in normal biological processes, including wound healing and tumor suppression. However, their accumulation over time is associated with many age-related symptoms. Eliminating these cells is one of the key strategies being explored by anti-aging and longevity companies.

Rubedo’s approach is designed to eliminate senescent cells by targeting GPX4, a protein that helps regulate cell survival. The treatment temporarily turns off GPX4, making senescent cells more vulnerable to ferroptosis, a controlled form of cell death. It is also designed to revive stressed nearby cells that are not senescent.