* Neoregen and Circio continue to progress their circular RNA research
collaboration, initiated in 2023
* Neoregen will run in vivo studies to assess the delivery efficiency of
circVec DNA vectors using their proprietary NICT delivery platform
* The planned studies will generate important data to validate the technology
combination and select targets for future clinical development
Oslo, Norway, and Seoul, South Korea, 30 June 2025 -- Circio Holding ASA (OSE:
CRNA) and NeoRegen Biotech, today jointly announce the signing of a second
Material Transfer Agreement (MTA) to advance their ongoing collaboration for
the delivery of circular RNA (circRNA) expression-based therapeutics. The
collaboration now is progressing to the in vivo preclinical stage. This
milestone follows the successful proof-of-concept (POC) results from in vitro
studies conducted under their initial MTA, signed in 2023. The collaboration
was formed to provide solutions to the critical challenges in the delivery of
nucleic acid medicines.
Circio is the world-leader in circular RNA-based expression systems for next
generation gene and cell therapy. Its unique circVec expression platform has
demonstrated the potential to significantly enhance the durability and
expression level of both viral and non-viral therapeutics. NeoRegen Biotech,
known for its next-generation intracellular delivery solutions, contributes
its NICT platform, which has shown superior performance in cellular
penetration and endosomal escape compared to conventional delivery systems.
The in vivo studies aim to further validate the therapeutic potential of
circRNA expression vectors through the integration of Circio's proprietary
circVec platform with NeoRegen's NICT (Neoregen Intra-Cellular delivery
Technology). Together, the two companies are addressing one of the most
critical challenges in nucleic acid drug development: achieving safe,
efficient, targeted and durable intracellular delivery.
"The successful transition into in vivo studies marks a pivotal step in our
co-development of circular RNA vector therapeutics," said Dr. Jeongmin Seo,
CEO of NeoRegen Biotech. "Combining NeoRegen's NICT platform with Circio's
circVec technology has the potential to overcome key nucleic acid delivery
barriers to fully realize the promise of gene and cell therapies."
"It is a very important milestone in the partnership that NeoRegen Biotech has
decided to progress to in vivo testing of their unique NICT platform with
circVec DNA vectors," said Dr. Thomas Hansen, CTO of Circio. "The NICT
delivery technology has shown strong promise to enable efficient delivery of
DNA-format therapeutics to specific tissues. The planned in vivo studies will
generate essential data to identify target disease indications and progress
circVec-NICT candidates towards future clinical studies."
This second MTA reaffirms the mutual commitment of both companies to advancing
circVec-NICT therapies with potential applications in cell and gene therapy,
oncology, and beyond. As the program progresses through the preclinical phase
and establishes in vivo proof-of-concept, Circio and NeoRegen plan to select
specific targets for development and accelerate their joint R&D efforts toward
clinical readiness.
About Circio
Building circular RNA expression systems for enhanced gene and cell therapies
Circio Holding ASA is a biotechnology company developing powerful circular RNA
vector expression technology for next generation nucleic acid medicine.
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 cassette design for
efficient biogenesis of multifunctional circRNA inside cells. The circVec
platform has applications in multiple therapeutic settings, including genetic
medicine, cell therapy and chronic disease. It has demonstrated over 70-fold
prolonged RNA half-life and up to 15-fold enhanced protein expression vs.
conventional mRNA vector systems in vivo, and has the potential to become a
new gold-standard protein expression technology. The circRNA R&D activities
are being conducted by the wholly owned subsidiary Circio AB in Stockholm,
Sweden.
About NeoRegen Biotech
Pioneering advanced intracellular delivery technologies to unlock the full
potential of nucleic acid therapeutics and peptide drug development
NeoRegen Biotech is a South Korea-based biotechnology company pioneering
next-generation intracellular delivery platforms, especially designed to
transform the landscape of gene, cell, and RNA-based therapies. Its
proprietary NICT (Neoregen Intra-Cellular delivery Technology) platform
enables safe, targeted, and highly efficient delivery of macromolecular
therapeutic payloads across cell membranes and through endosomal barriers.
Recently, NICT has gained recognition as a next-generation delivery system
capable of introducing various plasmid DNAs into cells with exceptionally high
efficiency and no detectable toxicity, enabling the successful generation of
large numbers of pluripotent stem cells. NeoRegen maintains a research and
development pipeline that spans from early discovery to preclinical
validation. With a robust foundation in regenerative science and intracellular
delivery engineering, NeoRegen is committed to setting new standards in the
era of intracellular therapeutics.
For further information, please contact:
Erik Digman Wiklund, CEO
Phone: +47 413 33 536
Email: erik.wiklund@circio.com
Neil Hunter -- Hunter PR
Phone:+44 7821 255568 ()
Email: neiljameshunter@gmail.com ()