Circio announces research collaboration with the Universidad de Santiago de Compostela s TraffikGene project to advance non-viral circVec delivery

29 Apr 2026 07:00 CEST

* TraffikGene and Circio have entered a research collaboration to test
delivery of circVec vectors with TraffikGene s proprietary peptide-based
delivery system
* The aim is to assess whether TraffikGene s delivery technology can be
deployed to deliver circVec into novel tissues for gene and cell therapy
applications

Oslo, Norway, 29 April 2026 -- Circio Holding ASA (OSE: CRNA), a biotechnology
company developing novel circular RNA expression technology for gene and cell
therapy, today announces a research collaboration with Universidad de Santiago
de Compostela (USC), through USC's TraffikGene project, to explore non-viral
delivery of circVec circular RNA expression vectors for next-generation gene
and cell therapies.

The collaboration brings together Circio's proprietary circVec circular RNA
expression platform and TraffikGene's peptide amphiphile carrier system. The
combination of these complementary technologies will enable high-throughput
screening of circVec delivery with enhanced tissue targeting. The aim is to
identify optimized formulations capable of prolonged, efficient, and targeted
delivery of non-viral circVec vectors into specific cell and tissue types.

"Combining TraffikGene's carrier discovery capabilities with Circio's
innovative circular RNA scaffolds opens a compelling new avenue for the
development of next-generation nucleic acid medicines. We look forward to
exploring the synergies between our two platforms", said Prof. Javier
Montenegro, Principal Investigator of the TraffikGene project at USC.

The collaboration will involve three stages: initial screening of peptide
carriers combined with non-viral circVec vectors in vitro, physicochemical
optimization of lead formulations, and in vivo evaluation in mouse models to
assess expression kinetics, biodistribution, and delivery efficacy.

"Cutting edge delivery technologies are essential to reach new tissues in an
efficient and safe manner," said Dr. Thomas B Hansen, CTO of Circio. "This
collaboration is an excellent opportunity to evaluate whether TraffikGene's
non-viral carriers can unlock the full potential of Circio s circVec platform.
In addition, it will allow us to evaluate circular RNA expression dynamics
and tissue-specific performance in more detail, which are key research areas
to identify new therapeutic applications for the circVec platform."

About TraffikGene

TraffikGene is a project at the Universidad de Santiago de Compostela led by
Javier Montenegro, Oportunius Research Professor at the Center for Research in
Biological Chemistry and Molecular Materials (CiQUS)

TraffikGene is currently being spun out into an independent company which will
develop its proprietary peptide-based gene delivery platform (TraffikGene) for
versatile, targeted and safe delivery of nucleic acid therapeutics

This stock exchange announcement was published by Mats Hermansen, VP Finance,
on behalf of the Company, at the time and date stated above in this
announcement.

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