Circio publishes wide-ranging review on potential of circular RNA therapeutics in Nature Reviews Genetics

Oslo, Norway 13 January 2025 - Circio Holding ASA (OSE: CRNA), a biotechnology company developing powerful circular RNA technology for next generation nucleic acid medicine, today announces that Circio scientists have been invited to co-author a review article summarizing the circular RNA field. The review is entitled "The therapeutic potential of circular RNAs" and was published in the prestigious scientific journal Nature Reviews Genetics on 9 January 2025.

Over the past decade, circular RNAs (circRNAs) have demonstrated to the scientific community their unique properties and enhanced stability. This has made them of significant interest as a format for the development of novel future therapeutics. This review article describes the current state of circRNA therapeutics, highlighting key advancements and opportunities while addressing challenges in the field.

Specifically, the review highlights the therapeutic potential of circRNA technologies in a variety of indications, including infectious diseases, CAR-T therapy, and gene therapy. It emphasizes the unique properties of circRNA,  such as enhanced stability and superior immunological profile, which are important advantages compared to linear mRNA-based technologies. Supported by the latest research, the review also evaluates the suitability of in vitro-transcribed (IVT) and vector-based circRNA platforms for specific targets, including applications in rare genetic diseases, oncology, and autoimmune disorders. Finally, it explores why circRNAs are poised to surpass mRNAs as the preferred RNA format for clinical development, detailing which circRNA technologies are closest to clinical realization and identifying the key challenges that must be addressed to bring them to fruition.

"We were honoured to be invited to contribute to the highly esteemed journal Nature Reviews Genetics. The review offers a comprehensive overview of the current development of circular RNA and its potential therapeutic applications. It will hopefully serve as both an important introduction to the field, as well as a source of valuable insights for researchers, industry professionals and a general audience alike," says Dr. Thomas Hansen, CTO of Circio. "Following our pioneering work on the biogenesis and functional role of human circRNA, there have been a number of essential developments that open up novel therapeutic approaches to a wide range of indications. This is therefore a timely review that details where the field currently stands and summarizes the different potential development avenues for this exciting new modality."

The review was first-authored by Eoghan O'Leary, VP of research at Circio, and co-authored by Thomas Hansen, CTO at Circio and co-discoverer of circular RNA, Yanyi Jiang, Graduate student at Aarhus University, Lasse Kristensen, Associate professor at Aarhus University, and Jørgen Kjems, professor at Aarhus University.

The article is now available on Nature.com: The therapeutic potential of circular RNAs | Nature Reviews Genetics