Circio Partners with TraffikGene Project to Advance Non-Viral circVec Delivery

Oslo-based Circio, which is developing circular RNA expression technology for gene and cell therapy, agreed to collaborate with Universidad de Santiago de Compostela (USC) in Spain through USC’s TraffikGene project, to explore non-viral delivery of circVec circular RNA expression vectors for next-generation gene and cell therapies.

The collaboration brings together the circVec platform and TraffikGene’s peptide amphiphile carrier system. The combination of these complementary technologies is designed to enable high-throughput screening of circVec delivery with enhanced tissue targeting. The aim is to identify optimized formulations capable of prolonged, efficient, and targeted delivery of non-viral circVec vectors into specific cell and tissue types.

“Combining TraffikGene’s carrier discovery capabilities with Circio’s innovative circular RNA scaffolds opens a compelling new avenue for the development of next-generation nucleic acid medicines,” said Javier Montenegro, PhD, principal investigator of the TraffikGene project at USC.

The collaboration will involve three stages: initial screening of peptide carriers combined with non-viral circVec vectors in vitro, physicochemical optimization of lead formulations, and in vivo evaluation in mouse models to assess expression kinetics, biodistribution, and delivery efficacy.

“Cutting edge delivery technologies are essential to reach new tissues in an efficient and safe manner,” added Thomas B Hansen, PhD, CTO of Circio. “This collaboration is an excellent opportunity to evaluate whether TraffikGene’s non-viral carriers can unlock the full potential of Circio’s circVec platform. In addition, it will allow us to evaluate circular RNA expression dynamics and tissue-specific performance in more detail, which are key research areas to identify new therapeutic applications for the circVec platform.”

The post Circio Partners with TraffikGene Project to Advance Non-Viral circVec Delivery appeared first on GEN - Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News.