# Axelyf

> Axelyf is a Brookline, Massachusetts biotech (with an R&D subsidiary in Iceland) building next-generation lipid nanoparticle delivery systems for RNA medicines. Founded by former Moderna drug-delivery leaders, it pairs a proprietary AXL ionizable-lipid library with an AI model called ANNA to make RNA and gene-editing payloads reach the right tissue with higher potency and less toxicity. In mouse liver studies its AXL LNPs showed roughly 4-5x higher gene-editing efficiency than the LP-01 clinical benchmark at equivalent doses, without evidence of liver toxicity. The company closed $2.6M in seed funding in August 2025 to push its lead autoimmune program and lipid library toward preclinical and non-human-primate studies.

- **Founded:** 2022
- **Headquarters:** Brookline, Massachusetts, United States (R&D subsidiary Axelyf ehf in Iceland)
- **Founders:** Örn Almarsson (Co-founder & CEO (former Head of Drug Delivery, Moderna)), John Lucas (Co-founder), Yan Xia (Head of Lipid-RNA Nanotechnology)
- **Team size:** ~15 employees
- **Products:** AXL Lipid Nanoparticle Platform, ANNA (Artificial Network for Nanoparticle Assessment), AX-004, AX-003
- **Notable:** Mouse liver studies showed AXL LNPs achieving ~4-5x higher gene-editing efficiency than the LP-01 clinical benchmark at equivalent doses, without evidence of liver toxicity., Consolidated a four-series proprietary ionizable-lipid library (AXL) via the 2024 acquisition of 76Bio assets., Built ANNA, a machine-learning model reported to outperform existing models on 2024 Nature Biotechnology benchmarking datasets.

## Products & services

- **AXL Lipid Nanoparticle Platform** — Proprietary library of four distinct ionizable-lipid series developed via medicinal chemistry, designed to balance potency, biodegradability and safety, with surface chemistries for tissue-specific targeting and support for both gene disruption and gene insertion.
- **ANNA (Artificial Network for Nanoparticle Assessment)** — Machine-learning model that predicts LNP performance and optimizes lipid structures; benchmarked favorably against 2024 Nature Biotechnology datasets to guide design before the bench.
- **AX-004** — Lead in vivo CAR-T program targeting solid tumors, using AXL delivery to reprogram immune cells directly in the body.
- **AX-003** — Program targeting an autoimmune indication (reported as autoimmune hepatitis) using liver-directed AXL delivery; advancing toward preclinical evaluation.

## Achievements

- Mouse liver studies showed AXL LNPs achieving ~4-5x higher gene-editing efficiency than the LP-01 clinical benchmark at equivalent doses, without evidence of liver toxicity.
- Consolidated a four-series proprietary ionizable-lipid library (AXL) via the 2024 acquisition of 76Bio assets.
- Built ANNA, a machine-learning model reported to outperform existing models on 2024 Nature Biotechnology benchmarking datasets.
- Closed $2.6M seed financing in August 2025 (extendable to $4.1M).
- Exhibited at the BIO International Convention 2025.

## Latest updates

- **2025-08** — Closed $2.6M seed financing led by Brunnur Ventures with Omega ehf and Silfurberg ehf; funds to advance the AXL lipid library and ANNA toward non-human-primate studies.
- **2025-06** — Exhibited at BIO International Convention 2025, seeking co-development and licensing partners for the AXL platform.
- **2024-08** — Acquired the integrated lipid library and assets of 76Bio, consolidating the AXL intellectual property.

## Links

- Website: https://axelyf.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/axelyf/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/axelyf
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-07-07