Circio Holding ASA, a biotechnology company developing circular RNA-based gene therapy, announced new in vivo data demonstrating up to 50-fold enhanced AAV-circVec expression in the eye compared with conventional mRNA-based AAVs. The findings extend earlier observations of 40-fold enhanced gene expression in the heart and validate the circVec platform’s potential in cardiac and ophthalmology applications.

Local delivery of the AAV-circVec 4.0 construct to the eye achieved the strongest improvement to date, with gene expression still 10-fold higher than conventional AAVs at 90% reduced dose. The results open ophthalmology as a new avenue for circVec-based gene therapy and demonstrate the platform’s ability to provide higher potency and potentially reduced toxicity.

Circio management presented the data in a live webcast, where CTO Dr Thomas B Hansen summarised the recently completed experiments testing AAV gene therapy using the latest circVec 3.2 and 4.0 designs. He said: “Circio is undertaking broad characterization and optimization of the circVec technology, and the strong AAV gene expression performance in heart has now been exceeded by in vivo data in eye. The expanding data package clearly demonstrates the potential of the circVec platform to improve efficacy, safety, and accessibility of AAV gene therapy. Next, our focus will be to apply these promising technical findings in disease-relevant contexts, with the aim to develop therapeutic AAV-circVec constructs to treat heart and eye disease with high unmet medical needs.”

The new eye data build on previous heart studies in which systemic AAV delivery resulted in 80% of heart cells positive for circVec expression at low doses. Molecular analyses confirmed that the expression advantage is linked to the durability of circular RNA relative to mRNA, supporting the platform’s scientific rationale.

In addition to the scientific update, Circio announced that it raised NOK 68.6 million (approximately USD 7 million) in a 50% oversubscribed financing round, including rights issues and parallel private placements. CEO Dr Erik Digman Wiklund said: “The capital infusion will enable Circio to expand the R&D team, accelerate circVec platform development and deliver important scientific milestones to generate new business development opportunities and support Circio’s continued growth.”

The combination of enhanced gene expression in multiple tissues and strengthened funding positions Circio to advance its circVec platform across ophthalmology and cardiac indications, offering potential improvements in therapeutic efficacy, safety, and delivery efficiency.