Dublin-based Aerska secures $39M Series A to push RNA medicines into the brain

The fresh capital will support the development of Aerska’s antibody-oligo conjugate, or AOC, platform and its proprietary “brain shuttle” technology. Together, these tools are designed to enable systemically delivered RNA interference therapies to reach targets inside the brain.

A platform built to cross the blood-brain barrier

Headquartered in Dublin, with research operations in London, Aerska develops RNA medicines designed to reach the brain. Its approach centers on attaching RNA molecules to antibodies that can cross from the bloodstream into the brain, a task the blood-brain barrier has long made difficult for RNA-based drugs. Aerska’s technology is intended to enable RNAi therapies to be administered intravenously or subcutaneously.

If successful, the platform could allow broad and uniform distribution of RNA medicines throughout the brain, along with sustained silencing of disease-causing genes. Such delivery remains one of the biggest technical challenges in treating neurological disorders at their biological source rather than managing symptoms.

Focus on genetically defined brain diseases

“The ability to systemically administer RNAi therapies to the brain unlocks a powerful new approach to treating neurodegeneration,” said Jack O’Meara, CEO and co-founder of Aerska, in the press release. He added that the new funding strengthens the company’s path toward the clinic, with an initial focus on genetically driven forms of Alzheimer’s disease.

Aerska is targeting neurological diseases where genetic drivers are well understood, a strategy meant to increase the chances of clear clinical signals. By intervening upstream at the gene level, the company aims to slow, delay or potentially prevent disease progression. The company positions this approach as especially relevant for patients who have seen limited benefit from existing therapies.

Experienced life sciences investors step in

EQT Life Sciences, formerly known as LSP, is one of Europe’s most established life sciences investors, with more than €3 billion invested over three decades. Its LSP Dementia Fund, launched in 2020, focuses exclusively on therapies for neurodegenerative diseases, with portfolio companies such as Nobi, Asceneuron, VectorY, or BioArctic.

As part of the financing, Alex Colville (general partner at age1), as well as Arno de Wilde (managing Director at EQT Life Sciences) and Philip Scheltens (partner and Head of EQT’s LSP Dementia Fund at EQT Life Sciences), will join Aerska’s board of directors.

“For families facing diseases like Alzheimer’s, Aerska’s approach offers hope for preserving cognitive function and quality of life,” said Philip Scheltens.

The ongoing challenge of crossing the blood-brain barrier

Aerska is entering an increasingly competitive space, as major biopharma players double down on technologies designed to ferry drugs across the blood–brain barrier. In April 2025, GSK struck a potential $2.5 billion deal with South Korea–based ABL Bio to access its Grabody-B “brain shuttle” platform, underscoring Big Pharma’s appetite for antibody-based transport systems that can unlock CNS delivery.

Meanwhile, Denali Therapeutics has advanced its own transferrin receptor–based transport vehicle, demonstrating systemic delivery of antisense oligonucleotides to the brain in preclinical models and pushing its lead enzyme-shuttle program into late-stage clinical development.

Just last month, Novartis signed a deal worth up to $1.7 billion with SciNeuro Pharmaceuticals to license an antibody-based shuttle program for Alzheimer’s disease, including $165 million upfront and significant downstream milestones. Together, these deals highlight both the difficulty of crossing the blood–brain barrier and the growing strategic value of platform technologies that promise scalable, non-invasive delivery of medicines to the brain.