Startup’s ‘brain shuttle’ tech is designed to efficient, repeatable delivery of genetic medicines across the blood–brain barrier.
Irish biotech Aerska has emerged from stealth with $21 million in seed financing as it seeks to advance new RNA interference medicines specifically designed to reach the brain. Based in Dublin with research operations in London, the company is focused on tackling one of the most intractable problems in medicine: delivering genetic therapies across the blood-brain barrier to treat neurodegenerative diseases.
RNAi has already reshaped the treatment landscape for liver and cardiometabolic disorders, but its potential in neurology has been constrained by delivery challenges. Founded by Jack O’Meara, Stuart Milstein and David Hardwicke, Aerska is aiming to overcome this barrier through its platform, which uses receptor-mediated “brain shuttles” to carry RNA therapeutics into the central nervous system.
“By integrating brain shuttles with RNA therapeutics, we aim to enable precise, durable gene silencing in the CNS; supported by technology to ensure patients get the right intervention for their stage of disease,” said CEO O’Meara, who previously co-founded RNAi Ochre Bio, which focuses on RNAi therapies for liver disease.
The approach is designed to enable systemic administration, uptake by neurons and durable gene silencing in the brain. By targeting genes that drive disease, the company hopes to not only slow or halt progression but eventually move toward prevention.
“We’re building a toolbox of technologies to optimise the targeting ligands for RNAi payloads, enabling efficient, repeatable delivery across the blood–brain barrier,” O’Meara told us. “This not only gives us flexibility to address multiple neurological diseases but also allows us to tune the approach with specific patient subgroups and targets in mind. We believe this modularity is what will ultimately allow us to scale and broaden the impact of RNAi in neurology.”
Targeting both Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s
Aerska’s initial programs are centered on genetic forms of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, where defined molecular drivers provide a starting point for precision medicine. From a genetic standpoint, the APOE4 allele is the strongest known risk factor for Alzheimer’s, with people carrying two copies of the gene (including actor Chris Hemsworth) having an 8-12 times increased risk of developing the disease.
“There are a number of genetic risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease, yet patients carrying these variants are oftentimes contraindicated for the currently available medicines,” O’Meara told us. “Our RNAi interventions are designed to precisely reduce or silence genes implicated in the disease cascade, potentially slowing or preventing neurodegeneration for genetically at-risk Alzheimer’s populations.”
Aerska, which draws its name from a Gaelic proverb emphasizing interdependence, claims to have generated “strong preclinical data” showing robust knockdown of target genes in multiple models of Alzheimer’s.
“We’ve observed clear target engagement and measurable improvements in disease-relevant biomarkers,” O’Meara told us. “Concurrently, we are making progress on our partnered brain shuttle strategy and will have more to share soon. In Parkinson’s models, early data point to meaningful modulation of pathways implicated in disease progression. These findings give us confidence as we move toward IND-enabling studies.”
Alongside its delivery platform, Aerska says it is investing in data science and biomarker-based patient stratification to ensure interventions are matched to disease stage, an approach that has already reshaped oncology and is beginning to influence neurology.
The financing was co-led by Age1, Backed VC and Speedinvest, with additional support from Blueyard, Lingotto, Norrsken VC, Kerna, PsyMed and Ada Ventures.
“Delivery across the blood-brain barrier remains the bottleneck for genetic medicines in neurology,” said Backed VC partner Alex Brunicki. “Aerska’s platform integrates advanced RNAi chemistry with receptor-mediated shuttling and precision medicine, positioning the company at the forefront of CNS therapeutics.”
