Circurna, a biotechnology company developing next-generation therapeutics using its proprietary ciRNA™ circular RNA platform, has announced a strategic collaboration with GATC Health, a leader in AI-driven drug discovery. The partnership aims to accelerate the development and optimization of Circurna’s circular RNA-based therapies by leveraging GATC’s advanced artificial intelligence platform. Under the agreement, GATC Health will apply its Multiomics Advanced Technology™ (MAT) platform to enhance key aspects of Circurna’s ciRNA™ therapeutics. This includes optimizing lipid nanoparticle (LNP) designs for improved thermostability, identifying targeted delivery ligands for specific tissues and cells, and improving payload candidates. The goal is to speed up the development timeline, increase precision, and expand the therapeutic potential of Circurna’s pipeline in areas such as oncology, infectious diseases, and autoimmune disorders. Circurna’s ciRNA™ platform is based on circular RNA, a highly stable form of RNA that offers longer-lasting protein expression and greater potency compared to traditional linear mRNA. These properties make it a promising modality for durable and targeted treatments, including protein therapeutics, antibodies, and multi-payload constructs. Dr. Mariano García-Blanco, Co-Founder and Scientific Advisor at Circurna, emphasized the importance of the partnership. “After evaluating multiple AI platforms, we selected GATC’s predictive AI system as the most reliable path to advancing our ciRNA™ technology with speed and precision,” he said. “By combining their AI-powered optimization with our platform, we can significantly shorten development timelines and create more effective, scalable therapies for patients.” Jayson Uffens, Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of GATC Health, added, “Circurna is at the forefront of RNA innovation, and their decision to partner with us reflects the power of our AI-driven approach. We’re excited to help them accelerate progress in this fast-moving field, enabling faster, more accurate discovery and reducing the risk of late-stage development failures.” The collaboration includes a mix of cash, equity, and milestone-based incentives for GATC Health. Circurna, a pre-clinical stage company spun out from the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, is supported by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) through its ReVAMP grant, which involves 13 leading institutions. The company is focused on addressing major unmet medical needs through its versatile circular RNA platform. GATC Health’s MAT platform uses AI and multiomics data to simulate human biology, achieving 87% accuracy in predicting drug sensitivity and 91% in specificity—11 times better than industry standards—while processing 400 trillion biological data points in minutes. The platform helps identify safer, more effective drug candidates and supports the creation of novel intellectual property. The partnership marks a significant step forward in the application of artificial intelligence to RNA therapeutics, with the potential to transform how next-generation treatments are discovered and developed.