Aerska Launches with $21 Million in Financing to Develop RNAi Medicines for Diseases of the Brain

Seasoned RNAi and CNS leaders come together to build a pipeline of systemically administered RNA medicines using advances in ‘brain shuttles’

DUBLIN and LONDON, Oct. 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Aerska, a biotechnology company aiming to redefine the treatment of neurological diseases, today announced it has raised $21 million in seed financing, 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 RNA interference (RNAi) medicines designed to silence genes that drive brain diseases.

Delivering genetic medicines to the brain has long been hindered by the blood-brain barrier. While RNAi has proven effective in the liver, its potential impact in the CNS has been limited by delivery. Through external partnerships and internal innovation, Aerska’s antibody-oligo conjugate (AOC) platform uses “brain shuttles” to enable systemic RNAi delivery, neuronal uptake, and durable gene knockdown in the brain. In addition, 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.

“Neurological diseases remain one of the greatest challenges in medicine, with limited options to alter the course of disease,” said Jack O’Meara, CEO & Co-Founder, Aerska. “By integrating brain shuttles with RNA therapeutics, we aim to enable precise, durable gene silencing in the CNS. We’re pairing this with a strategy to match the intervention to the right patient, at the right stage of their disease.”

Aerska was founded by Jack O’Meara, Stuart Milstein and David Hardwicke and is launching with a veteran leadership team with deep expertise in RNA medicines, CNS drug discovery, and clinical product development:

• Jack O’Meara, CEO & Co-Founder – previously CEO of Ochre Bio, where he brought in $100M+ across top tier VC and pharma partnering revenue, with up to $1B in milestones, and advanced a pipeline of RNAi medicines for liver disease.
• Stuart Milstein, Co-Founder – RNAi pioneer who initiated the brain delivery efforts at Alnylam and developed industry-standard siRNA chemistry. Previously Chief Platform Officer at Sail Biomedicines (formerly Senda Biosciences).
• Mike Perkinton, VP, Head of Research – 30+ years of experience in scientific and drug discovery in neuroscience. Former Head of Discovery and Executive Director Bioscience at AstraZeneca Neuroscience.
• David Coughlan, VP, Head of Early Development – 20+ years advancing programs through clinical proof of concept; previously Head of Translation at Ochre Bio and CTO at Afimmune.

“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.”

“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 Stu Milstein, who leads platform strategy at Aerska. “The velocity and ambition of this team is electric.”

Aerska, named after a Gaelic proverb that speaks to the power of collective strength and collaboration, is headquartered in Dublin with research operations in London.

About Aerska

Aerska is a biotechnology company pioneering RNA medicines to treat, delay, and prevent diseases of the brain. The company is leveraging advances in ‘brain shuttles’ to enable targeted delivery of next-generation RNAi therapeutics to the CNS. By silencing the genes that cause harm, Aerska aims to preserve the minds, protect the memories, and enable our loved ones to live longer, healthier lives. Aerska is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, with research operations in London, UK. For more info, please visit www.aerska.com.

Media Contact 
Kimberly Ha
KKH Advisors
917-291-5744
kimberly.ha@kkhadvisors.com 

Mark O’Toole (Irish media) 
motooler@gmail.com 

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