Aerska Launches with $21M to Use Brain ‘Shuttles’ for RNAi Delivery in Neurological Diseases

Aerska, an Irish biotech startup, has launched with $21 million (€17 million) in seed funding to develop a novel approach for delivering RNAi (RNA interference) therapies to the brain1 2 4 6.

The company is developing 'brain shuttles'—antibody-oligonucleotide conjugates—designed to cross the blood-brain barrier and enable targeted gene silencing in the central nervous system (CNS)1 3 5.

Aerska’s initial focus is on neurological diseases, especially Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, where they aim to offer more precise and durable treatments by matching the therapeutic intervention to the right patient at the right disease stage1 4.

The founding team includes Jack O'Meara (former CEO of Ochre Biotech), Stuart Milstein (expert in brain delivery technologies), and other leaders with backgrounds in neuroscience and RNA therapeutics1.

The platform integrates advanced RNAi chemistry and receptor-mediated delivery to overcome the major challenge of getting large molecules across the blood-brain barrier, a bottleneck in CNS drug development1 5 6.

Seed funding was provided by a range of investors including Age1, Backed VC, Speedinvest, and others1.

Aerska’s competitive landscape includes companies such as Denali Therapeutics and efforts by GSK, all working on technologies to deliver genetic medicines past the blood-brain barrier1.