Julia Alterman began her scientific career in chemical biology and in vitro pharmacology, holding positions at two small biotech companies in the Boston area. During this time, she worked on novel small molecules and peptide-lipid conjugates for the treatment of inflammatory indications and metabolic diseases, respectively. In 2014, Julia joined Dr. Anastasia Khvorova’s lab in the RNA Therapeutics Institute at the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School to pursue her PhD developing chemically durable, safe, and effective therapeutic oligonucleotides. Her work focused on a novel branched siRNA scaffold with widespread and potent silencing in the central nervous system, which was licensed exclusively to Atalanta Therapeutics focused on developing this structure for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.
Julia is currently an Assistant Professor at UMass Chan Medical School, with a research focus on “solving” the problem of oligonucleotide delivery to extrahepatic tissues. She and her team are working on targeting skin, muscle, bone, and eye, as well as designing and identifying hyper-functional sequences for specific genetic targets. Her group is passionate about using their siRNA chemical toolbox in collaboration with academia and industry to support quick and targeted therapeutic solutions to a wide array of genetic diseases.
