Rinascera Launches with Focus on Rare Genetic Skin Diseases

Rare Daily Staff

Boston-based Rinascera Therapeutics, a company with two experimental treatments aimed at addressing rare genetic skin diseases, has announced its launch.

The company is backed by investment from Double Point Ventures, Olive Tree Capital, Civilization Ventures and Toba Capital. Rinascera, which is initially focused on Gorlin Syndrome and dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (DEB), has not disclosed how much capital it has raised to date.

Gorlin Syndrome, also called Nevoid Basal Cell Carcinoma Syndrome, is an inherited disorder that dramatically increases the risk of basal cell carcinoma, the most common type of skin cancer. While most people might face one or two such tumors in a lifetime, people with Gorlin Syndrome can develop dozens or even hundreds, leading to repeated biopsies, surgeries, scarring and ongoing anxiety about the next lesion.

Rinascera’s experimental therapy RIN-001 is a topical cancer interception therapy that aims to treat these cancers early, on the skin’s surface, so they do not progress to the point where surgery is required. Early research has shown visible responses in treated tumors, and the company sees potential use beyond Gorlin Syndrome in patients who have frequent basal cell cancers.

Dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (DEB) is a group of inherited conditions caused by defects in collagen VII, a protein that helps anchor the outer layer of skin to the layer beneath it. Without enough working collagen VII, even minor friction can cause painful blisters and wounds that may never fully heal. Many patients live with numerous open wounds at once, and the disease can also affect the esophagus, eyes and bones, and increase the risk of aggressive skin cancer.

Rinascera’s second program, RIN-002, is an intravenous form of collagen VII replacement designed to address the disease throughout the body rather than just treating individual wounds. In early studies, the treatment has shown signs that the protein can be deposited systemically and may support wound healing and broader improvements.

Olive Tree Capital incubated Rinascera, and the company is led by co-founder and CEO Nichola Eliovits. The founding team also includes co-founder and Chief Operating Officer Max Dawson and dermatologist and drug developer Karl Beutner, who serves as executive medical advisor.

“People living with diseases like Gorlin Syndrome and DEB are not asking for marginal improvements. They are asking for lives with less pain, fewer surgeries, fewer wounds, fewer limitations and more possibility,” Eliovits said. “We created Rinascera to develop therapies that address the biological foundations of rare genetic diseases and give patients and their families a genuine second chance at life.”

Photo: Rinascera o-founder and CEO Nichola Eliovits