Sakari Kauppinen

Sakari Kauppinen is a Professor at the Department of Clinical Medicine, Aalborg University and Director of the Center for RNA Medicine. He earned his M.Sc. in Genetics from the University of Helsinki and his Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from the University of Copenhagen, followed by postdoctoral training at the GeneExpress Research Satellite, Novo Nordisk, Denmark. His research focuses on the discovery of RNA-targeted therapeutics for unmet medical needs, and exploring the roles of non-coding RNAs in health and disease.

Before joining Aalborg University, Kauppinen was Senior Director of miRNA Research & Drug Discovery at Santaris Pharma (acquired by Roche in 2014), where he supervised the discovery of Miravirsen – the world's first miRNA-targeted drug. As a key member of the clinical development team, he played a pivotal role in advancing Miravirsen to Phase 2 clinical trials, demonstrating on-target efficacy against HCV infection with a strong safety profile. Kauppinen is also co-founder and CTO of Resalis Therapeutics, a clinical-stage company for the treatment of metabolic disorders.

Kauppinen co-founded Neumirna Therapeutics in 2020 alongside Dr. Henrik Klitgaard and Lars Hellerung Christiansen, dedicated to transforming patients' lives through the modulation of microRNAs with therapies addressing the root cause of neurological diseases. Neumirna's portfolio includes a clinical stage candidate, NMT.001, for drug-resistant epilepsy, as well as a preclinical program in Parkinson's disease. The company secured €20 million in Series A financing in January 2025, co-led by Angelini Ventures and Invivo Partners.

Career History

• Co-Founder and Scientific Advisory role at Neumirna Therapeutics (founded 2020)
• Co-Founder and CTO at Resalis Therapeutics
• Professor at Department of Clinical Medicine, Aalborg University and Director of Center for RNA Medicine
• Senior Director of miRNA Research & Drug Discovery at Santaris Pharma (acquired by Roche in 2014)
• Head of microRNA Research Unit at Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Copenhagen

What Sakari Kauppinen could bring to Neumirna Therapeutics: Kauppinen brings three decades of pioneering expertise in translating microRNA science from bench to clinic. His track record of shepherding miravirsen—the first miRNA-targeted therapeutic—through Phase 2 trials positions him uniquely to guide Neumirna's lead candidate, NMT.001, toward regulatory milestones. His deep academic networks and continued leadership in RNA medicine research at Aalborg University strengthen the company's ability to identify novel therapeutic targets in neurology and beyond, while his co-founding experience with Resalis demonstrates capability in building and scaling biotech ventures addressing significant unmet medical needs.