Aerska Launches with $21M to Advance Brain-Targeted RNA Therapeutics
Dublin-based biotech startup Aerska has emerged from stealth mode, announcing a $21 million seed funding round to develop its innovative platform for delivering RNA interference (RNAi) medicines across the blood-brain barrier. The company aims to tackle challenging neurological diseases by combining advanced RNAi chemistry with receptor-mediated shuttling and precision medicine approaches.
Funding and Leadership
Aerska's seed round was co-led by Age1, Backed VC, and Speedinvest, with participation from several other investors including Blueyard, Lingotto, Norrsken VC, Kerna, PsyMed, Saras, and Ada Ventures. The company is helmed by CEO Jack O'Meara, formerly of Ochre Biotech, and co-founded by Stuart Milstein, who previously led brain delivery efforts at Alnylam Pharmaceuticals.
Key appointments to Aerska's leadership team include:
- David Coughlan as Head of Early Development
- Mike Perkinton as Head of Research, formerly with AstraZeneca Neuroscience
Technology Platform and Strategic Focus
Aerska's proprietary "antibody-oligo conjugate" platform is designed to deliver RNAi medicines throughout the brain, enabling them to be absorbed by neurons and suppress specific genes. The company is initially focusing on genetic forms of Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease.
"By integrating brain shuttles with RNA therapeutics, we aim to enable precise, durable gene silencing in the CNS," stated O'Meara. "We're pairing this with a strategy to match the intervention to the right patient, at the right stage of their disease."
To support this precision medicine approach, Aerska plans to invest in data science capabilities to advance patient identification and treatment strategies in neurology.
Industry Context and Competition
Aerska enters a competitive field of companies working to overcome the blood-brain barrier, a longstanding challenge in drug development for neurological conditions. Recent years have seen increased activity in this space:
- AbbVie acquired Aliada Therapeutics for $1.4 billion, a company built around Johnson & Johnson's brain-targeting technology.
- Eisai partnered with BioArctic on their "BrainTransporter" platform.
- Roche licensed related technology from Sangamo Therapeutics.
- GSK invested billions in ABL Bio's barrier-crossing tools.
- Biogen purchased Alcyone Therapeutics for their antisense oligonucleotide delivery technology.
These developments underscore the pharmaceutical industry's growing interest in and commitment to developing effective treatments for neurological disorders.
As Alex Brunicki, partner at Backed VC and Aerska board member, noted, "Delivery across the blood-brain barrier remains the bottleneck for genetic medicines in neurology. Aerska's platform integrates advanced RNAi chemistry with receptor-mediated shuttling and precision medicine, positioning the company at the forefront of CNS therapeutics."
References
- A new biotech aims to get RNA drugs into the brain
Dublin-based Aerska launched on Wednesday with $21 million in seed funding and a technology designed to shuttle RNA interference medicines past the blood-brain barrier.
- Irish biotech launches with $21M to shuttle RNAi meds to brain
Aerska has launched with $21 million in seed funding that the Ireland and U.K.-based biotech will use for its mission to deliver genetic medicines to the brain.
Explore Further
What are the key differentiators of Aerska’s antibody-oligo conjugate platform compared to competing RNAi delivery technologies for the CNS?
What expertise do Aerska’s key executives and leadership team bring from their previous roles to this new venture?
What are the projected timelines for Aerska to achieve pre-clinical or clinical proof-of-concept for its RNAi therapeutics targeting neurological diseases?
What specific patient identification and precision medicine strategies is Aerska planning to develop with its investment in data science capabilities?
Who are Aerska’s closest competitors tackling the blood-brain barrier for genetic medicine delivery, and how does Aerska’s approach position it against them?