Axelyf is a biotechnology company developing next-generation delivery systems to unlock the full potential of RNA therapeutics. Founded in 2022 in Iceland, the company brings together expertise in pharmaceutical R&D, lipid chemistry, and drug delivery science.
Axelyf operates as a delivery-platform company, advancing internal discovery programs while enabling collaboration with partners across therapeutic areas. By combining lipid chemistry, biology, and data-driven design, Axelyf aims to expand the scope of diseases that can be safely and effectively addressed with RNA therapeutics.
The Axelyf Team
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Cofounder, Chief Executive Officer
Dr. Örn Almarsson is an established innovator of formulation design and drug development across delivery platforms enabling pharmaceutical products. Prior to founding Axelyf, Örn made significant contributions in companies including Moderna, Lyndra, Alkermes, Transform Pharmaceuticals Inc. of Lexington Massachusetts, a company specializing in small-molecule drug form and formulation, and Merck, where he started his industry career in the mid 1990s.
Örn is co-author on more than 70 scientific publications, over 60 patents and 3 book chapters. He is a visiting fellow at the UNSW RNA center in Sydney, Australia, and SSPC, an industry-academia consortium in Ireland. Örn holds a Ph.D. in bioorganic chemistry from the University of California, and a B.Sc. in chemistry from the University of Iceland. Before joining industry, he was a post-doctoral associate at MIT.
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Cofounder, Chief Counsel
Dr. John Lucas brings over 24 years of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry. John is the former Chief Executive Officer of Oxford Cannabinoid Technologies based in the United Kingdom. John began his career in biopharma at Genset S.A. (Paris) and Genset Corporation (San Diego, California) where he served as Vice President, Worldwide Intellectual Property. He also held the position of Vice President, Intellectual Property at Transform Pharmaceuticals Inc. of Lexington Massachusetts, and at Metabasis Therapeutics Inc., a biopharmaceutical company in California.
John holds a law degree (JD) from George Washington University and a PhD in molecular genetics from Ohio State University. He also holds a Master’s in microbiology and a Bachelor of Education from Ohio University.
John moved to the United Kingdom at the end of 2007 as General Counsel and Vice President of Intellectual Property at Silence Therapeutics plc where he was responsible for a wide range of legal and business matters and played a key role in the corporate transaction with Intradigm Corporation. John then became Chief Executive Officer of Cizzle Biotechnology Limited, a company developing diagnostic tests for the detection of lung cancer. Other roles he has held include Head of Patents, Biosimilars, at Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co. KG.
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Head of Nucleic Acid Technologies and Biology
Dr. Daniel “Danni” Frimannsson is a seasoned biotechnology leader with deep expertise in nucleic acid therapeutics, delivery technologies, and platform development for RNA-based medicines. At Axelyf, he leads the company’s efforts in RNA design, delivery biology, and technological innovation to enable next-generation genetic medicines.
Prior to joining Axelyf, Danni held senior scientific and leadership roles in emerging biotech companies focused on mRNA and delivery modalities. He has extensive experience working at the intersection of discovery and development—spanning mRNA therapeutics, codon optimization, untranslated region discovery, and vaccine design—as well as hands-on engagement with lipid nanoparticle (LNP) and AAV delivery systems. Throughout his career, Danni has been recognized for his ability to blend strategic thinking with practical execution, mentoring teams, and scaling operational capabilities in fast-moving technology environments. His commitment to scientific rigor and translational impact underscores Axelyf’s mission to unlock transformative genetic medicines for patients.
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Chief Scientific Officer
Dr. Valentino Parravicini holds a degree in medicinal chemistry and a professional habilitation in pharmaceutics. Over 30 years of experience in research, he spent his academic career working at the University of Milan, the National Institute of Health (USA) and the National Institute of Medical Research (at Mill Hill, now Francis Crick Institute), focusing on cells signaling and animal models of viral infection, inflammation, and autoimmunity. While at NIH he discovered a novel signaling pathway in mast cells. Valentino has been Visiting Scientist at Imperial College London and King’s College London.
Through two decades in drug discovery and development, Valentino has lead research teams from early R&D to clinic, developing small molecules, peptides, and cell therapies in therapeutic areas of inflammation, auto-immunity, oncology, and pain. Prior to Axelyf, Valentino gained experience at Roche, GlaxoSmithKline, and GammaDelta Therapeutics (recently acquired by Takeda). Most recently, he was CSO of Oxford Cannabinoid Technologies, where he has managed intramural and large external collaborative projects, contributed to three clinical assets, and led the development of a ready-for-clinic inhalation drug-device combination.
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Head of Nanotechnology Formulations
Dr. Yan Xia is Head of Nanotechnology Formulations, overseeing LNP programs for nucleic acid delivery. Prior to Axelyf, Yan served as Scientific Director of Platform Delivery at 76Bio, leading LNP discovery efforts for extrahepatic delivery of novel targeted protein degraders. Previously, she spent nearly seven years at Moderna and has made significant contributions to the development of biophysical tools for LNP characterization as well as fundamental understanding of LNP structure-activity relationship.
Yan holds a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from University of Connecticut, and B.E. in Light Chemical Engineering from Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.
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Principal Scientist
Dr. Arnar Sigurðsson is a biochemist who specializes in bioactive compounds and natural products as our Principal Scientist. He has a background in systems biology and structural biology which complements Axelyf’s ongoing R&D programs.
Arnar completed his Ph.D in Biological Chemistry from the Technical University of Berlin in 2024 working in the field of Ribosomally synthesized and post-transitionally modified peptides. Arnar has published research from his studies as masters and Ph.D. candidate, including publications in Nature and Angewandte Chemie, and he is a versatile talent in biotech/pharmaceutical R&D and company building at Axelyf.
Core Values
Excellence
We want the best possible science and R&D to happen, and we are obsessed with learning. The science of pharmaceutical R&D is often complex, and we need to strive for excellent work that can be interpreted clearly for the best possible learning each time.
Integrity
We want to do the right thing, always, even when it is hard to do or when no one is looking. Our collaborators, clinical professionals, and patients in the future, deserve nothing less from us.
Transparency
Our team is small, and we are open with one another. We work closely on challenging tasks and programs, so we need to be clear about the issues and stay solutions focused, together.
Board of Directors
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Árni Blöndal is partner at Brunnur Ventures, with more than 25 years of international investment experience across over 10 countries, including 15 years as a fund manager across three venture funds, eight years in corporate finance advisory, and two years as a startup co-founder. He has served as a board member in more than 20 early stage companies, with a focus on biotech / healthtech.
At Oculis SA, an ophthalmology drug development company, Árni led the seed round in Oculis in 2016 and served on the board until 2023. During his tenure, Oculis grew from four to 36 employees across four countries, advanced from Phase 2 to Phase 3 clinical trials, secured 192 million dollars in funding, and ultimately listed on Nasdaq New York, reaching a market capitalization of approximately 1.2 billion dollars as of January 2026.
Árni brings hands on experience in biotech company building, clinical stage value creation, syndicate formation, fundraising, and key executive hiring.
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Dr. Örn Almarsson is an established innovator of formulation design and drug development across delivery platforms enabling pharmaceutical products. Prior to founding Axelyf, Örn made significant contributions in companies including Moderna, Lyndra, Alkermes, Transform Pharmaceuticals Inc. of Lexington Massachusetts, a company specializing in small-molecule drug form and formulation, and Merck, where he started his industry career in the mid 1990s.
Örn is co-author on more than 70 scientific publications, over 60 patents and 3 book chapters. He is a visiting fellow at the UNSW RNA center in Sydney, Australia, and SSPC, an industry-academia consortium in Ireland. Örn holds a Ph.D. in bioorganic chemistry from the University of California, and a B.Sc. in chemistry from the University of Iceland. Before joining industry, he was a post-doctoral associate at MIT.
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Leslie J. Williams is a seasoned biotechnology CEO and board director with more than 25 years of experience building and leading high-growth life science companies. Her leadership spans company formation, translational science, clinical development, commercialization, and corporate strategy, guiding organizations from early scientific vision through clinical execution, strategic partnerships, and exits.
Ms. Williams has held executive and board roles across multiple biotechnology companies and therapeutic areas, including HC Bioscience, ImmusanT, Ventaira Pharmaceuticals, and INO Therapeutics. She is currently President & Chief Executive Officer of DaCapo Brainscience, where she leads a mission-driven team focused on advancing new medicines for patients with neurodegenerative disease.
She is widely recognized for her leadership in translational and immunology-focused biotechnology, including her tenure as Chief Executive Officer of ImmusanT, where she helped advance novel therapeutic approaches for immune-mediated diseases. Throughout her career, Ms. Williams has emphasized building high-performing teams, shaping development strategies, and aligning scientific innovation with regulatory and commercial pathways.
Ms. Williams brings deep expertise in corporate governance, investor engagement, and long-term value creation with a track record of leading science-driven companies as they scale. She is known for her thoughtful, mission-driven leadership and her commitment to advancing transformative medicines that meaningfully improve patients’ lives.
Investors
Brunnur Ventures
Brunnur Ventures is an Iceland-based early-stage venture capital firm investing in globally scalable technology and life-science companies. Its biotech track record includes an early investment in Oculis, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dual-listed on Nasdaq NY and Nasdaq Iceland (OCS), where Árni Blöndal served on the board throughout the IPO process. Brunnur brings hands-on venture experience and long-term support for science-driven companies scaling internationally.
Omega VC
Omega is an Icelandic investment firm with a strong history in life sciences and medtech. It was the largest investor in Kerecis, where Andri Sveinsson served on the board until the company’s $1.3 billion acquisition by Coloplast. Omega contributes deep experience in building and exiting global biomedical companies.
Silfurberg
Silfurberg is an Icelandic healthcare and biotech investor founded by the creator of Invent Farma, a pharmaceutical company focused on drug development and manufacturing.
76Bio, Inc.
76Bio is a legacy biotechnology company focused on undruggable cancer targets, using protein degrader technology based on mRNA and lipid nanoparticles (LNP) and RNA delivery technologies. Axelyf acquired the assets of 76Bio, including a proprietary compound library originally developed in part by former Moderna mRNA-LNP experts, and has since expanded and protected the assets as part of its AXL technology platform. Investors of 76Bio remain strategic shareholders in the company.
Partnering and collaboration
Axelyf is exploring partnership and collaboration on AXL lipid library and capabilities to deliver best-in-class RNA-LNP technology for medicines. Please get in touch with us at info@axelyfbio.org if you’d like to learn more about our technology.