RNA therapeutics has had its defining moments. Antisense oligonucleotides. siRNA. And then, of course, mRNA — which went from a niche academic curiosity to the backbone of a global vaccine program in a matter of months. The next chapter may be circular RNA.

CircRNA is more stable than linear mRNA, longer-lasting in the body, and potentially re-dosable. And one company has quietly built what may be the most advanced independent circRNA platform in the world — and with barely a single line of English-language press coverage, until now.

My guest today is Dr. Lu Gao, CEO of Therorna Inc., a clinical-stage biotech headquartered in Beijing and Shanghai. The company recently presented three posters at ASGCT in Boston, and their lead program has just entered a first-in-human trial. We're going to talk about the science, the clinical strategy, and why Western pharma hasn't paid enough attention to what's being built in China.

• 01:33 Meet Lu Gao and Therorna
• 09:29 How Therorna's approach differs
• 15:42 How TI-0032 reprograms T cells in the body
• 21:22 Off-the-shelf and re-dosable: what it means for patients
• 24:38 Why no Chinese biotech has landed a major in vivo deal
• 31:27 What a successful US IND clearance would mean

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To dive deeper into the topic:

• The therapeutic potential of circular RNA: Could it soon trump mRNA technology?
• mRNA, RNAi, circRNA, ASOs: A comparative guide to RNA therapeutics
• Therorna funding to accelerate circRNA-based platform