Circio Raises Funds to Advance in vivo CAR-T Program
The Norwegian biotech plans to use the raised capital to expand its circular RNA platform and secure complementary vector and delivery technologies for an in vivo CAR-T therapy.
Norwegian biotech, Circio, has raised NOK 200 million (approx USD 21.2 million) through a private placement as it seeks to accelerate development of its in vivo chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T cell) therapy program (1). The company is currently developing circVec, a proprietary intracellular circular RNA expression system designed to produce circular RNA efficiently from DNA and viral vectors.
Using the longer half-life of circular RNA compared with conventional messenger RNA, the circVec platform aims to increase the potency and duration of therapeutic protein production in cell and gene therapies, with the technology being developed primarily for adeno-associated virus (AAV)-based gene therapy and in vivo CAR-T applications. Circio reports that circVec has achieved up to 50-fold higher gene expression than conventional mRNA-based AAV gene therapy in vivo, while lipid nanoparticle (LNP)-delivered circVec has supported expression for up to six months across in vivo CAR-T research (2).
Circio plans to use the new funding to expand circVec further into in vivo cell therapy. The company will complete the screening and selection of DNA vector systems and T-cell-targeted LNP delivery technologies, with more than 10 research and development collaborations assessing complementary approaches. The technologies could contribute to a complete circVec-based in vivo CAR-T therapy, with Circio expecting to secure selected technologies through licensing agreements, acquisitions or mergers.
“The new capital will be dedicated towards Circio’s circular RNA in vivo CAR-T cell therapy program,” said Erik Digman Wiklund, Circio’s Chief Executive, in a company press release (1). “By securing this additional funding during a period of strong momentum for both in vivo CAR-T and circular RNA, Circio can now broaden and accelerate the circVec cell therapy program.”
The financing brings Circio’s total capital raised during 2026 to NOK 820 million (approx USD 88 million) according to the company. Circio said its cash runway to 2030 remains unchanged, although the additional funding will allow it to broaden its research and development activities and increase its ambitions.
Circio’s latest financing builds on a series of recent developments around its circVec platform. Previous work has focused on advancing the company’s circular RNA expression technology and expanding its capabilities through collaborations. The move into in vivo CAR-T now represents a further application of the platform, with Circio seeking to combine durable intracellular circular RNA expression with targeted delivery technologies for the development of next-generation cell therapies (3,4).
References
Circio. Circio Announces That it has Completed a Capital Raise of Approx. NOK 200 million Towards its In Vivo CAR-T Program. Press Release, Sept. 15, 2026.
Circio. circVec platform. Circio.com (accessed Sept. 18, 2026).
The Pharma Navigator. Circio Unveils Next-Generation Circular RNA Expression Platform. thepharmanavigator.com (accessed Sept. 18, 2026).
The Pharma Navigator. Circio Expands circVec Platform with GenAssist Collaboration. thepharmanavigator.com (accessed Sept. 18, 2026).