# Aera Therapeutics

> Aera Therapeutics is a Cambridge, Massachusetts biotech founded on a discovery from CRISPR pioneer Feng Zhang: human proteins that can self-assemble into capsid-like shells and ferry genetic cargo into cells. The company is building delivery platforms - protein nanoparticles, targeted lipid nanoparticles, and antibody-oligonucleotide conjugates - to solve the field's most stubborn problem: getting genetic medicines to the right tissue. Launched publicly in 2023 with $193M and led by Alnylam veteran Akin Akinc, Aera is betting that delivery, not the drug itself, is the bottleneck holding back the next generation of genetic medicine.

- **Founded:** 2021
- **Headquarters:** Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States
- **Founders:** Feng Zhang (Scientific Founder (Broad Institute Core Member, CRISPR pioneer)), Akin Akinc (Chief Executive Officer), John Maraganore (Board Chair, founding investor (former Alnylam CEO)), Robert Nelsen (Co-founder, investor (ARCH Venture Partners)), Josh Wolfe (Co-founder, investor (Lux Capital)), Issi Rozen (Co-founder), Vicki Sato (Co-founder), David Schenkein (Co-founder (GV))
- **Team size:** ~87 employees
- **Products:** Protein Nanoparticle (PNP) Platform, Targeted Lipid Nanoparticles (tLNPs), Antibody-Oligonucleotide Conjugates (AOCs)
- **Notable:** Launched publicly in February 2023 with $193M in combined Series A and B financing., Translated Feng Zhang's 2021 Science paper on endogenous protein delivery into a company platform., Recruited a leadership bench of Alnylam veterans, led by CEO Akin Akinc.

## Products & services

- **Protein Nanoparticle (PNP) Platform** — Delivery platform built on endogenous human proteins, derived from retroelements, that self-assemble into capsid-like structures and can package and transfer nucleic acid cargo - the founding technology, based on Feng Zhang's 2021 Science paper.
- **Targeted Lipid Nanoparticles (tLNPs)** — Engineered lipid nanoparticle delivery systems designed for tissue-targeted delivery of genetic payloads, added to broaden and accelerate the platform.
- **Antibody-Oligonucleotide Conjugates (AOCs)** — Conjugate modality pairing antibodies with oligonucleotide payloads for precision, cell-targeted delivery of genetic medicines.

## Achievements

- Launched publicly in February 2023 with $193M in combined Series A and B financing.
- Translated Feng Zhang's 2021 Science paper on endogenous protein delivery into a company platform.
- Recruited a leadership bench of Alnylam veterans, led by CEO Akin Akinc.
- Expanded from a single protein-nanoparticle approach to a multi-modal delivery toolbox (PNP, tLNP, AOC).

## Latest updates

- **2023-02** — Aera Therapeutics emerged from stealth with $193M in Series A and B financing co-led by ARCH, GV, and Lux Capital.
- **2025-01** — Company materials emphasize a multi-modal delivery approach spanning protein nanoparticles, targeted lipid nanoparticles, and antibody-oligonucleotide conjugates.

## Links

- Website: https://aeratx.com
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/aera-therapeutics
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/AeraTx

---

Profile page: https://yespress.io/aera-therapeutics
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-06-16