Could you introduce yourself and share what led you to focus on advancing circular RNA?
I’m Chenxiang Tang, CEO of CirCode. I got my bachelor's degree in biological sciences and economics from Tsinghua University in China. Then I went to Yale University and got my PhD in molecular biophysics and biochemistry.
With a simple dream of benefiting patients, I decided to enter the pharmaceutical industry and gained experience in both biotech and pharma companies. However, there is no better way to effectively promote drug discovery than to do it myself.
Later, in 2021, I explored various emerging drug targets and modalities by discussing with leading scientists in each field and eventually landed in the field of circular RNA. At CirCode, we find the modality to have huge potential and, more importantly, be the best partner for entrepreneurship.
Our two scientific co-founders laid the foundation of using circular RNA for drug purposes, by first discovering the coding function of circular RNA. At the heart of the central dogma of biology, RNA holds enormous therapeutic potential, but has long been underdeveloped due to limited expression duration and high immunogenicity. Circular RNA, for the first time, may help reach the full potential of RNA.
What do you see as the main challenges when translating next-generation RNA modalities into early clinical studies, especially compared with more established linear mRNA approaches?
I think there a few main challenges new modalities are facing.
First and most importantly, we need to find the best unmet medical need that fits early-stage circular RNA. We explored different therapeutic areas and eventually formed our current pipeline strategy. Maximizing the advantages of circular RNA, we can make impossible possible. For example, to promote angiogenesis and resolve ischemia, we need VEGF continuous expression for about a week. No other modality can achieve the goal safely enough, and that’s, at least, part of the reason why ischemia remains a top killer. Circular RNA can be the game changer.
Another key hurdle for any new modality is the CMC capability. We worked heavily on the CMC in the past years and have been keep improving ourselves. Now we have streamlined the process and built our in-house GMP capability.
With first-in-human data now emerging, what opportunities do you think circular RNA opens for developers looking to build more durable and tissue-relevant therapies?
With the first step taken, circular RNA gradually becomes more mature and more proven. Now we have IND approved by both US FDA and China NMPA, recognition from the regulatory agencies. We can robustly produce circular RNA molecules with scalability. We see the superiority in safety and efficacy in animal studies and clinical settings.
All of these achievements will provide stronger confidence for drug developers. Facing a certain unmet medical need, developers can now have circular RNA as an option, just like small molecule and biologics, which opens a new door to build a better solution for patients.
Why do you think it is important for the circular & self-amplifying RNA community to come together this year?
It takes time and effort for new modalities to prevail. The development of biologics started from the 1980s, and only in recent decades has it started to dominate. Companies rise and fall, but the community keeps getting stronger. That’s the reason why we need to come and grow together.
Could you give a brief teaser of the insights you will be sharing from your first-in-human experience and what attendees can expect to learn?
My presentation will offer an exclusive look at the preliminary clinical signals from our leading pipeline, HM2002, and will tell the story behind these data. I will provide an overview of circular RNA for therapeutic purpose and share our thinking around what is the “low hanging fruit” at this stage.
Don’t Miss Out
Learn more about the summit this May by accessing the event brochure here. Additionally, tickets are currently available, so if your team are looking to attend this year’s meeting, don’t delay and register today.
Explore the Agenda
Dive into data-driven sessions tackling durability, delivery, immunogenicity, and IND readiness for circular and self-amplifying RNA.
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Connect with RNA developers actively seeking solutions across discovery, delivery, manufacturing, and regulatory strategy.
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Network with the scientists and leaders shaping the next wave of RNA medicines beyond linear mRNA.