- R&D collaboration between Circio and UTMB to design and test circVec for prevention and treatment of infections, cancer and gene therapy
- The circVec technology will be utilized for long-term expression of proteins protecting against dangerous viral pathogens
- UTMB will provide necessary expertise, facilities and experimental systems to analyze efficacy of circVec in vitro and in vivo
Oslo, Norway, and Galveston, Texas, USA, 7 January 2026 – Circio Holding ASA (OSE: CRNA), a biotechnology company developing novel circular RNA expression technology for gene and cell therapy, and The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB), today jointly announce a collaboration in the field of infectious diseases. The unique capacity of the circVec technology to support protein expression in vivo for several months following a single injection will be utilized to establish long-term passive protection against dangerous viral pathogens in vulnerable human populations.
“Our unique circVec technology modifies the core biological process of information flow from DNA to protein via highly stable circular RNA. Circio´s internal focus is centered on gene and cell therapy; however, the technology has a broad set of potential applications,“ said Dr. Victor Levitsky, CSO of Circio. “This collaboration will allow us to tap into the deep expertise and know-how at UTMB to design and test novel circVec candidates against dangerous viral pathogens.”
“There is growing interest in passive protection against viral infections that may cause new epidemics or pandemics associated with a high rate of severe disease and mortality,” said Dr. Alexander Bukreyev, Distinguished Professor of Virology and Vaccinology and head of Laboratory Viral Pathogenesis and Vaccine Development at UTMB. “We are therefore very interested in collaborating with Circio on jointly developing and testing Circio´s circular RNA expression technology as a novel approach to addressing this urgent and important medical need. This collaboration will be an excellent start toward establishing the Center for Nucleic Acid Technologies at UTMB, with potential applications in cancer and gene therapy.”
In the collaboration, Circio will design and technically validate novel circVec expression vectors for infectious disease. UTMB will be responsible for analyzing the activity of these circVec vectors against selected viruses both in vitro and in vivo.
“This collaboration is an important component of our strategic commitment to develop and strengthen our infectious disease, gene and cell therapy programs at UTMB,” said Dr. Antonio Bianco, senior vice president of Health Affairs, dean of the John Sealy School of Medicine and chief research officer at UTMB. “We strongly believe that the circular RNA expression approach has significant potential to boost current prevention and treatment strategies for infectious diseases and beyond.”
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 40-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.
About The University of Texas Medical Branch
The first academic health center in Texas opened its doors in 1891 and today has four campuses, five health sciences schools, seven institutes for advanced study, a research enterprise that includes one of only two national laboratories dedicated to the safe study of infectious threats to human health, a Level 1 Trauma Center and a health system offering a full range of primary and specialized medical services throughout the Texas Gulf Coast region. UTMB is an institution in The University of Texas System and a member of the Texas Medical Center.