Circio begins funded feasibility study with major pharma for circVec technology

Circio Holding ASA has commenced a fully funded feasibility study with a major global pharmaceutical corporation. The study will test Circio's circVec circular RNA expression technology for delivery with AAV vectors in a specific therapeutic area. This project is financed entirely by the pharmaceutical company, with no downstream rights or obligations for either party.

The agreement follows Circio's presentation of preclinical data in 2025, demonstrating up to a 40-fold advantage for circVec compared to conventional AAVs. Chief executive Dr. Erik Digman Wiklund highlighted this as an important endorsement of the circVec platform's potential and a step towards broadening AAV gene therapy evaluation.

Circio's proprietary circVec platform is designed for efficient biogenesis of multifunctional circRNA, showing a 75-fold increased RNA half-life and up to 40-fold enhanced protein expression versus conventional mRNA-based systems. The company is also pursuing additional partnerships in other therapeutic areas, while continuing development of its legacy immuno-oncology program, TG01, which targets RAS-mutated cancers in two ongoing clinical trials.