Circio presents strong R&D, financing and business development progress in first half year report
* New data show up to 60x increased circVec expression in CNS, making it the third tissue with significant advantage demonstrated in vivo * Novel circVec design features have shown potential to boost expression in 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.