Julia Alterman

Julia Alterman, PhD, is an Assistant Professor at the RNA Therapeutics Institute within UMass Chan Medical School. Her research focuses on developing novel therapeutic oligonucleotides for genetically defined diseases, with particular expertise in siRNA technology and chemical optimization for extrahepatic tissue delivery. Dr. Alterman's lab works on expanding siRNA applicability to diverse tissues including skin, heart, muscle, bone, joint, eye, and inflammation targets.

Her research integrates oligonucleotide chemistry and synthesis, chemical biology, and in vitro/ex vivo/in vivo pharmacology to understand structure-activity relationships of therapeutic oligonucleotides. Current projects focus on creating novel chemical architectures enabling whole-body siRNA delivery, with applications ranging from neurodegenerative disorders to inflammatory conditions.

Recent publications demonstrate strong focus on CNS delivery optimization, allele-specific silencing strategies, novel scaffold development for tissue-specific delivery, and toxicity mitigation approaches. Therapeutically, her work spans neurodegenerative diseases (Huntington's, prion diseases), muscular dystrophy, ocular pathologies, and inflammatory conditions.