[Edaily Reporter KIM SAE-MI ] #Rznomics Inc. has received a decision to grant a patent in Canada for its foundational patent related to circular ribonucleic acid (RNA) and has registered a follow-up patent in Japan.

Rznomics Inc. announced on the 21st that a foundational patent related to “self-circularizing RNA constructs” has been granted in Canada, and a follow-up patent improving circularization efficiency has been registered in Japan.

Rznomics Inc. had previously registered foundational patents in South Korea, the United States, Japan, and Australia. With this decision to grant a patent in Canada, the company has expanded the regions where it holds overseas patent rights. Two follow-on patents have been registered domestically, and this registration in Japan marks the first such registration overseas.

Circular RNA is a ring-shaped RNA formed by joining the two ends of linear RNA. It is known to be relatively more stable than linear RNA due to its structural characteristic of having no exposed ends. By utilizing the internal ribosome entry site (IRES), it can be engineered to express proteins, making it useful in the development of RNA therapeutics and vaccines.

Rznomics Inc. is developing an autocircularization technology based on its proprietary trans-splicing ribozyme platform. This method forms circular RNA by utilizing complementary binding between the two ends of the RNA.

The follow-up patent recently registered in Japan is characterized by the addition of structural elements to the existing self-circularization structure to enhance circularization efficiency. It combines a structure (AS/ABS) that increases the complementary binding strength at both ends of the RNA with a micro-bulge structure (P1-bulge) that imparts flexibility to the RNA binding site.

Rznomics Inc. has also secured an additional domestic patent regarding the base composition of target sites that influence circularization efficiency. A Rznomics Inc. official stated, “We plan to expand the scope of intellectual property protection for our circular RNA platform by adding follow-on patents to our existing foundational patents.”