Circio Expands circVec Platform with GenAssist Collaboration
The objective of the joint research collaboration between Circio and GenAssist is to evaluate potential synergy between the companies’ complementary technologies for the development of next-gen AAVs.
Norwegian biotech, Circio, and China-based genetic drug company, GenAssist, have announced a joint research collaboration. The objective of the partnership will be to integrate Circio’s proprietary circVec circular RNA expression platform and GenAssist’s tissue‑specific, liver de‑targeted AAV capsids and promoters — optimized for muscle and T‑cell delivery — for the development of circVec‑enhanced AAV vectors engineered for in vivo cell therapy and targeted, low‑dose systemic gene therapy (1).
The initial collaboration will focus on an area of unmet medical need, genetic muscle disease. Currently, available gene therapy for this disease area requires high doses, which are associated with severe toxicity. The Circio–GenAssist project is designed to increase per‑cell expression to restrict off‑target distribution and address the dose–toxicity trade‑off.
“We are incredibly impressed by Circio’s unique circular RNA technology and see tremendous potential in how it can dramatically boost gene expression. Our second-generation AAV platform establishes a new benchmark for safety, utilizing highly tissue-specific, de-targeted capsids to dramatically lower systemic dosing while eliminating off-target toxicity," said Dr. Chunyan He, CEO of GenAssist, in a press release (1). “Through our collaboration with Circio, we integrate their unique circular RNA technology — whose exceptional stability and superior transcriptional output ensure robust, sustained expression even at significantly reduced vector loads. This partnership directly addresses the core demands of next-generation genetic medicine, overcoming the traditional dose-expression trade-off to deliver safer and more effective therapies”
“The targeted AAVs developed by GenAssist have the ability to specifically and efficiently transduce muscle or T-cells upon systemic delivery with near-complete liver de-targeting,” added Dr. Thomas B Hansen, CTO of Circio, in the press release (1). “The partnership between Circio and GenAssist will aim to evaluate whether the enhanced circVec expression acts synergistically with these targeted capsids and promoters. This fits perfectly into Circio’s strategy of testing circVec in multiple tissues using different AAV variants, both internally and externally. This will allow us to identify new therapeutic avenues where circVec delivers a benefit, and forge partnerships potentially enabling multiple future development opportunities.”
Both partners will generate novel AAVs combining GenAssist’s muscle‑ and T‑cell‑targeted capsids with Circio’s circVec cassette, then test them in vitro and in vivo. If the data support a clear advantage on expression and safety, selected candidates could be nominated for formal preclinical development .
Circio’s unique circular RNA (circRNA) vector expression technology for next generation RNA, DNA and viral therapeutics, circVEC, is based on a modular genetic construct designed for efficient biogenesis of multifunctional circRNA inside target cells, with potential applications in multiple therapeutic settings, including genetic medicine, cell therapy and chronic disease. Meanwhile, GenAssist have developed their lead capsid, LD-8S09, which has demonstrated around 10‑fold higher functional muscle transduction than standard AAV9, and near‑complete liver de‑targeting in non‑human primates.
Additionally, Circio and GenAssist will explore in vivo CAR‑T applications in oncology and autoimmune disease by using T‑cell‑targeting capsids to deliver circVec‑encoded receptors directly into T cells inside the body. The collaboration is a strategically meaningful step that broadens Circio’s footprint into muscle disease, leveraging a delivery partner with relatively advanced preclinical data, and tests whether combining high‑output circRNA with precision AAV capsids can set a new standard for safer genetic medicines.
Reference
Circio. Circio and GenAssist Jointly Announce Gene Therapy Research Collaboration for Muscle Diseases and In Vivo Cell Therapy. Press Release, June 1, 2026.