We are developing gene therapies that use alternative splicing to control where gene expression occurs.

Inspired by nature

Nature uses alternative splicing to generate distinct proteins from a single gene.

This fundamental biological principle underlies cellular diversity across tissues and is the basis for Aletira’s approach to gene therapies.

Our approach

Aletira’s selective exon, SELEXON(TM), technology harnesses alternative splicing to enable cell-type selective gene expression in therapeutic constructs.

SELEXONs can be incorporated into any gene therapy platform (e.g., AAV) to ensure that gene products are expressed in target cells and avoid off-target expression.

  • Improving safety - gene expression excluded from off-target cells

  • Increasing potency - combination with strong promoters

  • Accelerating development - splicing is conserved, translatable

Our team

  • Geoffrey Lynn, MD, PhD

    Founder & Chief Executive Officer

    Biotech entrepreneur and drug developer. Former CEO, Avidea Technologies; CSO, Barinthus Biotherapeutics. Entrepreneur-in-Residence, Blackbird Labs.

  • Virginia Burger, PhD

    Founder & Chief Technology Officer

    Computational biologist and AI expert. Creator of the SELEXOR platform for SELEXON discovery and optimization. Former venture-backed CEO.

  • Hugh Welles, PhD

    Founder & Chief Scientific Officer

    Drug developer and translational scientist. Led R&D at Barinthus Bio and Avidea Technologies from discovery through clinical development.

  • Xue Xiao, PhD

    Computational Biologist

    Graduate of Indiana University in computational biology and AI. Now building computational workflows that generate and refine candidates with lab feedback.

  • Markus Sommer, PhD

    Principal Scientist - Computational Biology

    Former Principal Investigator at NBACC and Johns Hopkins University graduate. Author of PSAURON & Balrog.

  • Haley Appel, PhD

    Molecular Biologist

    Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine graduate specializing in RNA regulation. Current focus is on SELEXON-enabled ocular gene therapies.

  • Collette LaVigne, PhD

    Molecular Biologist

    University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center graduate specializing in RNA regulation. Current focus is on SELEXON-enabled gene therapies for hearing.

Our Board & Advisors

  • Matt Tremblay, PhD

    Chairman of the Board

    CEO, Blackbird Laboratories and Managing Director of Blackbird BioVentures. Former COO, Scripps Research and Calibr, and PI at Novartis.

  • Ram Aiyar, PhD, MBA

    Member of the Board

    Chief Executive Officer, Korro Bio. Experienced biotechnology executive and company builder. Former roles at Corvidia, Sofinnova Partners, Janssen and JP Morgan Chase.

  • Christopher Jewell, PhD

    Senior Advisor, Board Observer

    MPower Professor and Robert E. Fischell Institute Professor of Translational Engineering, UMD. Formerly CSO of Cartesian Therapeutics and consultant at BCG.

  • Jonathan Ling, PhD

    Scientific founder and advisor

    Professor, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Serial entrepreneur and expert in computational biology with a focus on alternative splicing and machine learning. Built ASCOT and invented SELEXONs.