Circio Expands into Novel Lab Facilities in Stockholm
Marking a strategic move for the company, the expansion will enable acceleration of pre-clinical development of the circVec circular RNA expression data platform.
Following its recent generation of circVec circular RNA expression data in the fields of cell and gene therapy, biotechnology company, Circio, is expanding into novel laboratory facilities at Novum Labs — connected with the Karolinska Institute campus in Flemingsberg, Stockholm, Sweden. The expansion plans, which were announced in a July 7, 2025 press release (1), mark an important strategic move for the company to progress its technology.
Earlier in the year, Circio presented enhanced in vivo data for its circVec platform, demonstrating the broad capability of the platform to boost protein expression level and durability for both viral and non-viral cell and gene therapy (2). As a result of these data, interest in the technology from industry has grown, triggering a need for further space to support increased research activity and external collaborations.
“This brand-new state-of-the-art laboratory and office space at Novum Labs will substantially expand our footprint and provide an excellent platform for future growth,” said Ola Melin, COO of Circio, in the company press release (1). “The new link to the Flemingsberg Life Science Cluster and close connection to the Karolinska institute provides access to high quality infrastructure, equipment and competencies. This will be critical as we accelerate our pre-clinical development towards establishing therapeutic circVec candidates to advance towards the clinic.”
The circVec platform is a modular genetic cassette that has been designed for the biogenesis of multifunctional circRNAs in human cells. With a modular design, the platform can incorporate a variety of functionalities, meaning that it is possible to create highly targeted medicines across a variety of therapeutic indications (3).
“Adding the Circio team to the Life Science Cluster Flemingsberg will be another important milestone for our rapidly expanding R&D hub,” added Pernilla Boström, COO of Flemingsberg Science Foundation, in the press release (1). “Circio brings unique world-leading expertise in the areas of RNA biology, delivery technology, and bioinformatics, and will add scientific strength and know-how for the cluster. We are convinced that Novum Labs will provide a great base for Circio for years to come, and that the partnership will create substantial mutual benefit to support the growth of both organizations.”
Novum Labs provides opportunities for life science companies that are in the early growth phase, offering scientific and office space that incorporates research equipment infrastructure. Circio’s new facilities will allow the company to expand its R&D productivity and progress development of the circVec platform, with an aim of generating in vivo disease model validation during the second half of 2025 and selection of the first therapeutic candidate in 2026.
References
Circio. Circio Expanding its R&D Operations in Stockholm to Accelerate circVec Development. Press Release, July 7, 2025.
The Pharma Navigator. New Data Demonstrates Unique Expression Profile of RNA Platform. News Release, May 19, 2025.
Circio. Building Next Generation RNA Therapeutics for Genetic Medicine and Beyond. Circio.com, accessed July 8, 2025.