Circular RNA May Transform AAV Gene Therapy, Says Circio CEO Erik Wiklund

As interest in next-generation RNA therapeutics continues to grow, circular RNA is increasingly being explored as a potentially more durable and efficient alternative to conventional messenger RNA (mRNA) platforms. During an interview with BioPharm International at the 2026 American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy (ASGCT) Annual Meeting, Erik Wiklund, CEO of Circio, discussed how circular RNA technology could reshape the future of adeno-associated virus (AAV) gene therapy.

Wiklund explained that his scientific interest in circular RNA began during his academic research into novel RNA species and RNA interference, where his team identified what became recognized as the first functional human circular RNA.

“That was actually the first demonstration of a functional human circular RNA,” Wiklund said. “People quickly realized that circular RNA can have a very attractive profile for next-generation RNA therapeutics, and that’s because circular RNA is resistant to degradation, so they’re much more durable than mRNAs.”

Could Circular RNA Reduce AAV Gene Therapy Toxicity?

According to Wiklund, one of the major challenges facing AAV gene therapy remains the need for high systemic doses, which can contribute to toxicity concerns and manufacturing complexity. Circio’s approach aims to address these limitations by engineering AAV vectors that express therapeutic cargo through circular RNA-based systems.

“We can boost the gene expression by up to 50-fold, and this could be a massive deal for AAV gene therapy,” Wiklund said. “If you can bring down the dose of an AAV by 50-fold, it would really help alleviate some of the toxicity challenges and probably also make manufacturing simpler.”

Wiklund noted that the company’s findings are currently based on preclinical mouse data, but early results suggest the platform may support lower-dose gene therapies with improved tissue-specific expression profiles. He also highlighted that circular RNA appears less stable in the liver—potentially reducing off-target liver expression—while demonstrating enhanced durability in cardiomyocytes, muscle tissue, and central nervous system applications.

“You need to pick the right destination to capture the advantage of the circular RNA,” Wiklund said.

The company presented additional circVec platform data during poster and oral presentations at ASGCT 2026, highlighting the growing industry focus on circular RNA technologies for gene and cell therapy applications.

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About the speaker

Erik Wiklund, CEO, Circio

Erik Wiklund is CEO of Circio, a biotechnology company developing circular RNA technologies for gene and cell therapy applications. He is a molecular biologist by training and a scientific co-discoverer of human circular RNA, with early foundational research published in 2011 and 2013. Prior to joining Circio, Wiklund held leadership roles at Nordic biotechnology companies including Algeta and Targovax, and previously worked in the Pharma & Healthcare practice at McKinsey & Company. He holds a PhD in Molecular Biology from Aarhus University and the Garvan Institute of Medical Research.