Irish biotech startup Aerska has raised $21 million in seed funding to develop RNA interference (RNAi) therapies for degenerative neurological diseases, marking a significant step forward in addressing one of medicine's greatest challenges: delivering genetic medicines to the brain.
The funding round was co-led by Age1, Backed VC, and Speedinvest, with participation from Blueyard, Lingotto (Exor), Norrsken VC, Kerna, PsyMed, Saras, and Ada Ventures. The company is developing systemically administered RNAi medicines designed to silence genes that drive brain diseases, including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.
Overcoming the Blood-Brain Barrier Challenge
Delivering genetic medicines to the brain has long been hindered by the blood-brain barrier, which blocks many treatments from reaching their target. While RNAi has proven effective in the liver, its potential impact in the central nervous system has been limited by delivery challenges.
"Neurological diseases remain one of the greatest challenges in medicine, with limited options to alter the course of disease," said Jack O'Meara, CEO and co-founder of Aerska. "By integrating brain shuttles with RNA therapeutics, we aim to enable precise, durable gene silencing in the CNS."
Aerska's antibody-oligo conjugate (AOC) platform uses "brain shuttles" to enable systemic RNAi delivery, neuronal uptake, and durable gene knockdown in the brain. The approach aims to cross the blood-brain barrier that can block many treatments from getting through.
Precision Medicine Strategy for Neurology
The company is making targeted investments in data science capabilities to advance a precision medicine strategy for neurology, starting with programs in genetic forms of Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. O'Meara explained that the technology works by targeting specific genes: "RNA medicine is a newer, more advanced kind of medicine that very specifically turns off misbehaving genes. So if there's a gene that's overactive and producing a protein that's causing a disease, we have a system to very elegantly deliver our RNA to go into the cell, and turn off that misbehaving gene so that we can try to resolve the disease."
The company is pairing this technological approach with a strategy to match the intervention to the right patient at the right stage of their disease.
Veteran Leadership Team
Aerska was founded by Jack O'Meara, Stuart Milstein, and David Hardwicke, launching with a veteran leadership team with deep expertise in RNA medicines, CNS drug discovery, and clinical product development.
O'Meara previously served as CEO of Ochre Bio, where he brought in over $100 million across top-tier VC and pharma partnering revenue, with up to $1 billion in milestones, and advanced a pipeline of RNAi medicines for liver disease.
Stuart Milstein, co-founder and RNAi pioneer, initiated the brain delivery efforts at Alnylam and developed industry-standard siRNA chemistry. He previously served as Chief Platform Officer at Sail Biomedicines. "GalNAc proved what RNAi can do when delivered to a specific tissue and we're now on the cusp of a similar leap forward in CNS medicine," said Milstein, who leads platform strategy at Aerska.
The team also includes Mike Perkinton as VP, Head of Research, bringing 30+ years of experience in scientific and drug discovery in neuroscience as former Head of Discovery and Executive Director Bioscience at AstraZeneca Neuroscience, and David Coughlan as VP, Head of Early Development, with 20+ years advancing programs through clinical proof of concept.
Building European Biotech Innovation
The company is planning to expand its operations in Dublin and London, with the funding helping to accelerate its drug discovery timeline. Aerska is headquartered in Dublin with research operations in London, representing an effort to build home-grown biotech innovation in Europe.
"The investor base is US and European investors, and I think there was some intentionality behind that, as we try to do something exciting on this side of the Atlantic," said co-founder Dave Hardwicke. "Biotech, traditionally, a lot of it happens in the US, but both of us coming from Ireland and having spent time in the US, wanted to bring some of that American entrepreneurial culture, but do something from Ireland and the UK."
"Delivery across the blood-brain barrier remains the bottleneck for genetic medicines in neurology," said Alex Brunicki, Partner at Backed VC and Aerska board member. "Aerska's platform integrates advanced RNAi chemistry with receptor-mediated shuttling and precision medicine, positioning the company at the forefront of CNS therapeutics."
Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment Peter Burke highlighted the significance of the development: "Ireland has the talent, the research strengths and the ambition to become a world leader in biotechnology. Aerska's growth is a perfect example of how Irish scientists and entrepreneurs are building solutions to some of the greatest health challenges of our time."
The company name Aerska comes from a Gaelic proverb that speaks to the power of collective strength and collaboration, reflecting the team's approach to tackling neurological diseases through innovative RNA therapeutics.
