- Modality-agnostic lab has already identified 8 novel treatments for previously untreatable rare diseases working directly with 30 families across four continents — rooted in a single conviction: Time Is Life.
ACC BIOSCIENCE INCUBATOR AUSTIN, TX, April 23, 2026 / Biotech Newswire / -- RareLabs, a division of AlphaRose Therapeutics, a modality-agnostic precision drug discovery lab, today announced its public launch and the appointment of Dr. Rob Freishtat as Chief Executive Officer. Dr. Freishtat, who continues as Chief Medical Officer of AlphaRose Therapeutics, will lead RareLabs as it comes out of stealth and continues its work as a first-of-its-kind AI- and robotics-enabled platform that designs and validates genetic medicines — antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs), siRNAs, gene therapies, and repurposed-drug regimens — with timelines measured in weeks, not years.
“For patients and families facing a rare genetic diagnosis, every month of delay is potentially a month of lost function — often, lost irreversibly. RareLabs exists to collapse the drug discovery timeline. Time is life for patients facing the impacts of rare conditions.”— Dr. Rob Freishtat, CEO, RareLabs; CMO, AlphaRose
What RareLabs Does
RareLabs is a modality-agnostic precision drug discovery lab built to rapidly create treatments for genetic diseases. Its integrated AI- and robotics-enabled system designs, screens, and validates candidate therapies across four modalities — all under one roof simultaneously:
- Antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) for splicing and gene-silencing interventions
- Small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) for targeted mRNA knockdown
- Gene therapies including AAV-based and non-viral delivery approaches
- Repurposed-drug screens mining approved compounds for rare-disease applications
Because the platform is modality-agnostic, RareLabs matches each patient and disease to the right therapeutic approach — rather than forcing a one-size-fits-all, therefore accelerating therapeutic options for patients.
Proven Traction for Previously Untreated Diseases
Since its founding, RareLabs has been led in the lab by Dr. Rodney Bowling Jr., whose prior discovery of more than 20 therapeutics and involvement in dozens of clinical trials laid the foundation for the platform. Under his direction, RareLabs has:
- Discovered eight novel potential treatments for rare diseases that previously had no therapeutic options
- Partnered with 30 disease communities and families spanning more than four continents
- Operated across the full discovery-to-validation arc, from target selection through in vitro efficacy demonstration
Patient Spotlight: Saving Sasha
RareLabs recently designed a custom ASO therapy for Sasha, a patient with an ultra-rare mutation in SLC6A1 — a gene implicated in severe neurodevelopmental and epileptic conditions. The custom ASO demonstrated efficacy in patient-derived cell lines, a critical milestone on the path from n=1 discovery to compassionate-use treatment.
“Sasha’s story is why we built RareLabs. When a person is facing an ultra-rare mutation, there is no pipeline waiting for them. We build the pipeline — fast, rigorous, and tailored to that single person. Cell-line efficacy is how you turn ‘impossible’ into ‘let’s keep going.’”— Casey McPherson, CEO, AlphaRose Therapeutics
Global Expansion: Middle East Partnerships
RareLabs leadership recently returned from the Middle East, where active discussions are underway to establish RareLabs partnerships across the region — broadening access to genetic-medicine discovery for families in a region that has historically been underserved by Western rare-disease infrastructure.
Leadership: Dr. Rob Freishtat, Chief Executive Officer
Dr. Rob Freishtat is a physician-scientist and translational medicine leader with more than two decades of experience at the intersection of pediatric medicine, genomics, and therapeutics development. As CMO of AlphaRose and now CEO of RareLabs, he brings deep clinical insight and operational rigor to the company’s mission of delivering rare-disease treatments at the pace patients need.
Under his leadership, RareLabs will continue to scale its AI and robotics platform, expand partnerships with patients, foundations and biotech collaborators worldwide, and advance its portfolio of candidate therapies toward the clinic.
Dr. Rob Freishtat
CEO, RareLabs
CMO, AlphaRose
A Call to BioPharma, Foundations, and Rare-Disease Communities
RareLabs is actively expanding collaborations. BioPharma teams, foundations, patient advocacy groups, and academic investigators working on a novel genetic treatment are encouraged to connect.
Learn more and get in touch: hopeatrarelabs.com and alpharose.com or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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Semantic keywords: Leadership; Oligonucleotides, Antisense; RNA, Messenger; cell and gene therapy; Drug Discovery; RareLabs; AlphaRose Therapeutics; AI- and robotics-enabled platform; drug discovery lab; rare genetic diseases; genetic medicines; antisense oligonucleotides; small interfering RNAs; siRNAs; gene therapies; AAV-based; non-viral delivery; repurposed-drug regimens; modality-agnostic; patient-derived cell lines; ultra-rare mutation; SLC6A1; neurodevelopmental conditions; epileptic conditions; gene-silencing; mRNA knockdown; genomics; therapeutics development; translational medicine; candidate therapies; discovery-to-validation; genetic-medicine discovery
About RareLabs
RareLabs, in addition to creating new therapeutics, is an IP generation engine for rare disease patients, families, foundations, biopharma, and other stakeholders. RareLabs is a modality-agnostic precision drug discovery lab delivering rapid treatments for rare genetic diseases through an AI- and robotics-enabled platform. Spanning ASOs, siRNAs, gene therapies, and repurposed-drug screens, to date, RareLabs has identified eight novel treatments for previously untreatable conditions and has served 30 disease communities across more than four continents. Driven by the conviction that time is life, RareLabs works shoulder-to-shoulder with families, biopharma, and other institutions to bring treatments to patients on timelines measured in weeks, not years. Learn more at hopeatrarelabs.com.
About AlphaRose Therapeutics
AlphaRose operates an integrated platform focused on accelerating the discovery and delivery of genetic medicines for rare disease patients, combining computational biology, AI/ML, laboratory automation, and clinical trial innovation to compress timelines across the therapeutic development lifecycle.
Contact
AlphaRose Communications
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
hopeatrarelabs.com & alpharose.com
Source: Biotech Newswire