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heart by 200x or more vs. conventional mRNA-based AAV gene therapy
- For the first time, circVec-AAV heart expression advantage demonstrated with
a therapeutic gene in vivo
- Long-term durability of expression demonstrated for non-viral circVec
vectors delivered by T-cell tropic LNPs for in vivo CAR-T program
- 20+ active R&D collaborations expand the circVec opportunity horizon by
screening and selecting synergistic and complementary technologies
- Around NOK 620 million (USD 65m) in new capital secured provides Circio with
a cash runway to 2030
Oslo, Norway, 31 August 2026 – Circio Holding ASA (OSE: CRNA), a
biotechnology company developing powerful circular RNA technology for next
generation nucleic acid medicine, today publishes its first half year 2026
report and presents new and improved R&D results in a live webcast tomorrow,
Tuesday 1 September, at 10:00am CEST.
New data expand and strengthen Circio s previously presented pre-clinical gene
therapy data for heart and CNS. In addition, important delivery validation and
business development goals have been achieved on the in vivo cell therapy
program. With a solid capital base until 2030, Circio is in a strong position
to accelerate circVec platform development and deliver important R&D and
partnership milestones in the coming months and years.
“The first half of 2026 has been the most consequential period in Circio’s
history. We have raised NOK 620 million in new capital, demonstrated up to
60-fold circVec AAV gene therapy expression advantage in three separate target
tissues, and expanded R&D into new areas through a set of strategic research
collaborations across both gene and cell therapy,” said Dr Erik D Wiklund, CEO
of Circio. “Circio’s ambition for the period ahead is unambiguous: to continue
to build and solidify our circular RNA platform leadership, spear-headed by a
therapeutic candidate to establish clinical proof-of-concept, and convert the
strong science into revenue-generating partnerships. The resource discipline
and R&D efficiency built over four constrained years will remain. What changes
is the speed and scale of what we can achieve.”
Circio management will provide an overview of the new circVec results, as well
as a summary of the first half year 2026 financial report, in a live webcast
at 10:00am CEST, tomorrow, Tuesday 1 September 2026.
In the presentation, Circio s CTO Dr. Thomas B Hansen will showcase the latest
features of the circVec platform, with novel generation 5 components
indicating potential for 200x or more improvement vs. conventional mRNA-based
AAV vectors in vivo. Furthermore, the significant circVec advantage previously
reported for heart and eye, has now been demonstrated for the first time in
central nervous system (CNS) tissue. Separate experiments utilizing three
different routes of CNS administration show in the range of 10-60x improved
gene expression from circVec compared to benchmark AAVs. In parallel, the
fully funded CNS gene therapy collaboration with a top 5 pharma is proceeding
according to plan.
On the in vivo cell therapy program, Circio has demonstrated long-term circVec
expression durability in vivo using T-cell tropic LNPs. This represents an
important technical milestone for the development of a non-viral circVec in
vivo CAR-T concept. Substantial business development efforts have been
deployed to evaluate and secure access to state-of-the art vector and delivery
technologies, and a broad in vitro and in vivo screen is currently ongoing to
identify the optimal components in a complete circVec-based in vivo cell
therapy concept.
Looking ahead, Circio is expecting to reach several important R&D
milestones during the second half of 2026 and the first half of 2027.
These include the completion and implementation of circVec generation 5,
the first AAV-circVec gene therapy data in an in vivo disease model, in
vivo results from the big pharma collaboration, as well as selection of
the preferred vector and delivery technologies to complement the circVec
in vivo CAR-T program. These data points will be pivotal to define the
long-term R&D strategy and nominate a lead therapeutic candidate to
advance to the clinic and set Circio up to enter several future revenue
generating partnerships.
Webcast information:
Presenters:
CEO Dr. Erik Digman Wiklund
CFO Dr. Lubor Gaal
CTO Dr. Thomas Birkballe Hansen
Time: 10:00 CEST on Tuesday 1 September 2026
Click here to access Teams webcast
(https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/343877779042528?p=rXuXt8cM57LyYR4dQ9)
Meeting ID: 343 877 779 042 528
Passcode: MD3Pv2nP
Questions can be submitted in advance by email to Erik D Wiklund:
erik.wiklund@circio.com or directly in the live webcast
A recording of the webcast will be made available on the Circio webpage
(http://www.circio.com/)
For further information, please contact:
Erik Digman Wiklund, CEO
Phone: +47 413 33 536
Email: erik.wiklund@circio.com
Lubor Gaal, CFO
Phone: +34 683 34 3811
Email: lubor.gaal@circio.com
About Circio
Building circular RNA expression systems for enhanced gene and cell therapies
Circio Holding ASA is a biotechnology company developing novel circular RNA
expression technology for gene and cell therapy.
Circio has established a unique circular RNA (circRNA) vector expression
technology for next generation RNA, DNA and viral therapeutics. The
proprietary circVec platform is based on a modular genetic construct designed
for efficient biogenesis of multifunctional circRNA inside target cells. The
circVec platform has applications in multiple therapeutic settings, including
genetic medicine, cell therapy and chronic disease. It has demonstrated
75-fold increased RNA half-life and up to 60-fold enhanced protein expression
vs. conventional mRNA-based viral and non-viral vector systems, with the
potential to become a new gold-standard gene expression technology. The
circVec R&D activities are being conducted by the wholly owned subsidiary
Circio AB in Stockholm, Sweden.
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