Aerska secures $39m to advance brain shuttle therapeutics platform

Aerska, an Irish medical technology company specialising in brain shuttle technology for delivering RNA interference therapeutics, has closed a $39 million (€36 million) Series A financing round, bringing its total funding to $60 million (€56 million). EQT Dementia Fund and age1 led the round, with participation from Iaso Ventures and existing investors.

As detailed by mobihealth news, the company uses brain shuttle technology to deliver RNA interference medicines via targeted delivery to treat neurological diseases. The platform transports RNAi across the blood-brain barrier by creating antibodies or molecules that bind to specific receptors on the barrier's surface, allowing therapeutic agents to pass through endothelial cells into the brain parenchyma.

Jack O'Meara, chief executive and co-founder of Aerska, said: "The ability to systemically administer RNAi therapies to the brain unlocks a powerful new approach to treating neurodegeneration. Partnering with EQT Dementia Fund further strengthens our path to the clinic as we work to translate this capability into meaningful therapies for the treatment of genetically driven forms of Alzheimer's disease and other devastating brain disorders."

Arno de Wilde, managing director at EQT; Philip Scheltens, partner and head of the dementia fund at EQT; and Alex Colville, general partner at age1, will join Aerska's board of directors following the investment. The Irish company will use the funds to enhance its brain shuttle technology platform.

Aerska launched in October with $21 million (€19 million) in seed funding led by age1, Backed VC and Speedinvest. The company operates in a market that includes pharmaceutical giant Roche, which announced a partnership with Manifold Bio in November to develop blood-brain barrier shuttles for neurodegenerative and neurological diseases.

Read the full announcement to see how the technology addresses drug delivery limitations in neurological disease treatment.