Norwegian biotech Targovax recently said it’s planning to rebrand as Circio, marking its shift from clinical stage immuno-oncology company to one focused on circular RNA (circRNA) therapeutics.

The name change is subject to approval by Targovax’s shareholders, who are set to vote at the company’s annual general meeting on May 22. If all goes to plan, Circio Holdings will assume the group’s listing on the Oslo stock exchange under ticker symbol CRNA.

CircRNA is a naturally occurring class of RNA, but the platform has the potential to outperform mRNA. CircRNA has a dramatically longer half-life than linear mRNA, a feature which can enable increased and more durable protein expression, as well as novel regulatory functionalities. 

“With the rebranding to Circio, we are aiming to take a clear position in the emerging circRNA field and maximize our visibility and attractiveness to the global pharmaceutical industry and specialist international investors,” stated Damian Marron, chairman at Targovax, in a press release.

The name Circio reflects the company’s ambition to “become a leader in circRNA, as well as the company´s heritage in immuno-oncology,” noted Marron. He added that circRNA financings accounted for more than 40% of private RNA biotech deal value globally in 2021-22, a demonstration of CircRNA’s promise.

Circio’s pipeline is initially targeting cancer, with plans to expand into vaccines and gene therapy. It wants to create a novel class of targeted, multi-functional circRNA medicines. 

“In less than 15 months, we have established a robust technical proof-of-concept for our approach, and key patent applications have been filed,” noted Circio CEO Erik Digman Wiklund. “Therefore, now is the right time to clearly signal our evolution into a circRNA-focused company.” 

Wiklund is one of two Circio employees responsible for first reporting on circRNA in 2011. The other was Thomas Hansen, VP & head of research. The circRNA R&D activities are being conducted in the wholly owned subsidiary Circio AB based at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden.

The company said it’s still committed to developing its KRAS immunotherapy TG01, currently being tested in two clinical trials in pancreatic cancer and multiple myeloma in the U.S. and Norway. 

Meanwhile, a Phase II study design combining ONCOS-102 with next-generation checkpoint inhibitors in treatment-resistant melanoma has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration and is set to be initiated, pending additional funding or a partner.