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biotech/news//Siliconrepublic.com
Irish RNA biotech Aerska has raised a $39m series A funding round.
Aerska closed a $39m series A round, raising $60m in total since launch.
KEY POINTS
Aerska is developing brain shuttle technology to deliver RNAi therapeutics across the blood-brain barrier.
EQT Dementia Fund and Age1 led the latest round, with new board members joining from these investors.
Funding will advance therapies targeting genetically-driven forms of Alzheimer's and other neurological diseases.
Having emerged from stealth in October 2025 with a seed round of $21m, Irish RNA biotech Aerska has now raised a $39m series A funding round.
The latest raise brings total funds raised to $60m since launch. The young biotechnology company is using brain shuttle technology to develop RNA medicines for central nervous system diseases. The new round was led by EQT Dementia Fund and Age1, with participation from Iaso Ventures and existing investors.
Aerska says the funding will be used to advance its brain shuttle technology “to improve delivery of RNAi interference (RNAi) therapeutics across the blood-brain barrier for treating neurological diseases”.
“The ability to systemically administer RNAi therapies to the brain unlocks a powerful new approach to treating neurodegeneration,” said CEO Jack O’Meara, who co-founded Aerska alongside David Hardwicke and Stu Milstein.
O’Meara had previously founded Ochre Bio in 2019, an RNA medicines company focused on liver disease. The company raised more than $100m in funding and secured a deal worth up to $1bn. He stepped away from the company in late 2024.
“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,” O’Meara continued.
As part of the financing, 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.
“For families facing diseases like Alzheimer’s, Aerska’s approach offers hope for preserving cognitive function and quality of life,” said Scheltens. “The team’s strategy of upstream intervention, combined with a focus on the genetic forms of neurological disease, positions them to transform outcomes for populations who have been underserved by current therapeutic approaches.”
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”. With its headquarters in Dublin, Aerska also has research operations in London in the UK.