Circio Holding ASA, a biotechnology company developing circular RNA technology for next-generation nucleic acid medicine, has entered a partnership with 4basebio PLC of Cambridge, UK, for joint development and in vivo delivery testing of synthetic circVec DNA vectors. 

Under the collaboration, 4basebio has successfully developed and validated circVec vectors in their proprietary synthetic hpDNA and opDNA formats, including formulation into Hermes LNP formulations optimized for in vivo delivery of DNA payloads. Both parties will now in parallel proceed to test the performance of these circVec-op/hpDNA vectors in mouse models.

If successful, the results will create the foundation for a continued collaboration to develop and test future therapeutic candidates for genetic medicine, vaccines and other potential applications.

“The circVec technology achieves up to 70 times prolonged RNA half-life and 15-fold increase in protein levels vs. standard mRNA-based expression in vivo using plasmid DNA,” said Dr. Thomas Hansen, CTO of Circio. “We have therefore now partnered with 4basebio, a world-leader in next-generation DNA vectors for therapeutic applications. Combining 4basebio’s vector and delivery expertise with Circio’s circVec powerful expression technology has the potential to create a durable, repeat-dosable, non-viral platform for future synthetic DNA gene therapies.”

Dr. Emily Young, Head of Non-Viral Delivery for 4Basebio added: “We are delighted to partner with Circio to develop the next generation of DNA gene therapies and vaccines. 4Basebio’s synthetic DNA offers fast, scalable and cost-effective manufacturing advantages compared to plasmid DNA. Combining these capabilities with the superior expression of Circio’s circVec technology, in addition to 4Basebio’s Hermes DNA-delivery platform, promises to establish extremely robust and durable DNA therapeutics.