Increased capacity will help Circio progress development of circVec AAV gene therapy and in-vivo cell therapy, with the company setting a goal of selecting its first therapeutic candidate in 2026.
Stockholm, Sweden. Scenic summer sunset view with colorful sky of the Old Town architecture in Sodermalm district. | Image Credit: © Nikolay N. Antonov - stock.adobe.com
The Norway-based biotechnology company Circio is expanding into new facilities at Novum Labs in connection with the campus of the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden, and in so doing will join the Life Science Cluster Flemingsburg, an emerging hub in the southern part of the city (1). The purpose of the expansion is to accelerate preclinical development of Circio’s proprietary circVec platform, a unique, circular RNA (circRNA) vector expression technology for next-generation RNA, DNA, and viral therapeutics.
According to a July 7, 2025 press release from Circio, the Novum Labs location will provide scientific and office space, including research equipment infrastructure, that enables Circio to increase R&D productivity in the present while allowing for further expansion in the future (1). The higher capacity will assist Circio in progressing development of both circVec adeno-associated virus (AAV) gene therapy and in-vivo cell therapy programs, with two related upcoming goals: generating in-vivo disease model validation in the remainder of the second half of 2025 and selecting the company’s first therapeutic candidate in 2026.
UK-based Entos Pharmaceuticals entered into a research collaboration with Circio in April 2025 under which Entos agreed to develop and validate proteolipid vehicle (PLV) formulations of circVec DNA vectors, also including joint development and in-vivo delivery testing of circVec with Entos’ proprietary Fusogenix PLV nucleic acid delivery technology (2).
Following that, in May 2025, Circio presented new and strengthened circRNA in-vivo data in a poster exhibit at the annual American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy (ASGCT) meeting in New Orleans (3). At that time, the company said the data validated and strengthened the circVec system in particular settings, demonstrating that the technology can be deployed in genetic medicine, cell therapy, and chronic disease, with the goal of making the platform the gold standard for nucleic acid and viral therapeutics (1,3).
While announcing the expansion to Novum Labs, Circio added that the data suggested circVec’s clear and significant advantages in tissue-specific AAV gene therapy and DNA-format in-vivo cell therapy, making novel laboratory space necessary (1).
“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,” Circio Chief Operating Officer Ola Melin said in the 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.”
“Adding the Circio team to the Life Science Cluster Flemingsberg will be another important milestone for our rapidly expanding R&D hub,” said Pernilla Boström, COO of Flemingsberg Science Foundation, in the release (1). “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.”
As part of Pharmaceutical Technology® Group’s ongoing “Industry Outlook” series for 2025, Circio CEO Erik Wiklund contrasted expansion efforts by smaller biotechnology companies in the United States versus other parts of the world (4).
“Salaries are high and I think that, to a certain degree, is starting to make European or other companies look elsewhere for development opportunities,” Wiklund said (4). “It's become cheaper by comparison to develop drugs in Europe, Asia, and Australia, and I think maybe if that trend continues with a strong US economy and increasing prices, then you may see that kind of European, eastwards-oriented trend continuing.”
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1. Circio. Circio Expanding its R&D Operations in Stockholm to Accelerate circVec Development. Press Release. July 7, 2025.
2. Entos Pharmaceuticals. Entos & Circio Collaborate on In-Vivo PLV-circVec Delivery. Press Release. April 3, 2025.
3. Circio. Circio to Present Strengthened circVec Circular RNA Gene Therapy Data at ASGCT 2025. Press Release. May 6, 2025.
4. Thomas, F. and Haigney, S. Industry Outlook 2025: Talent Up for Grabs. BioPharmInternational.com, April 16, 2025.
