Circular Genomics and PharmatrophiX Announce Strategic Collaboration to Advance circRNA Biomarkers in Neurodegenerative Drug Development

Collaboration will initially apply blood-based circular RNA profiling to LM11A-31 in Alzheimer's disease, with potential expansion across PharmatrophiX's neurodegeneration pipeline

SAN DIEGO and MENLO PARK, Calif., Nov. 4, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Circular Genomics, Inc., a precision neurology company developing circular RNA (circRNA)-based biomarkers, and PharmatrophiX, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing disease-modifying therapies for neurodegenerative diseases, today announced a strategic biomarker collaboration to apply Circular Genomics' blood-based circRNA profiling and analytics platform across PharmatrophiX's LM11A-31 program and potentially its broader neurodegeneration pipeline.

The collaboration is designed to add a blood-based biological intelligence layer to therapeutic development by evaluating disease biology, mechanism-aligned pathways, longitudinal pharmacodynamic signals and molecular patterns associated with treatment response. The initial focus is PharmatrophiX's planned open-label Alzheimer's disease biomarker study of LM11A-31, its first-in-class small molecule targeting the p75 neurotrophin receptor (p75NTR).

Under the proposed initial workstream, Circular Genomics will use its research-use-only circRNA molecular profiling and analytics platform (CircPath™) to characterize baseline molecular heterogeneity and track pathway-level changes over the course of treatment. The companies plan to integrate circRNA findings with available clinical, cognitive, imaging, proteomics, and established Alzheimer's biomarker data to generate insights around pharmacodynamic response and responder biology and to inform biomarker strategy for future later-stage studies.

"The next generation of neurodegenerative drug development will require biomarkers that do more than measure disease burden—they must help us understand the biology changing in response to therapy," said Paul Sargeant, PhD, President and Chief Executive Officer of Circular Genomics. "This collaboration gives us the opportunity to apply circRNA biology to a differentiated therapeutic program and demonstrate how our platform can provide pathway-level insight into pharmacodynamic response and patient heterogeneity. We believe this approach can help make clinical development more informative and ultimately advance a more precise model for developing therapies for complex neurological diseases."

The parties also intend to evaluate expansion of the collaboration into future Alzheimer's studies, an HIV-associated dementia program, progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), and additional neurotrophin-receptor programs, as mutually agreed. The companies also plan to explore joint grant and non-dilutive funding opportunities to support translational biomarker research and cross-program development.

"LM11A-31 is designed to protect brain cells and their connections by targeting underlying mechanisms of neurodegeneration.  Understanding how the drug affects these processes in patients is central to our development strategy," said David Setboun, Pharm.D., MBA, Chief Executive Officer of PharmatrophiX. "This strategic collaboration with Circular Genomics will allow us to explore how a simple blood test could provide deeper insights into how patients respond to treatment.  These findings may also help inform future clinical trials of LM11A-31 and potentially support the development of other therapies across our neurodegeneration pipeline." 

About Circular Genomics

Circular Genomics is advancing precision neurology through circular RNA biology. The company's proprietary CircPath™ platform uses blood-based circRNA profiling and analytics to generate biological insights across neurological disease, with applications spanning biomarker discovery, patient stratification, therapeutic development and precision medicine. Circular Genomics is developing research tools and diagnostic solutions designed to make brain biology more measurable and actionable. For more information, visit circulargenomics.com.

About PharmatrophiX

PharmatrophiX is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing disease-modifying, small-molecule oral therapies for neurodegenerative diseases. Its lead candidate, LM11A-31, targets the p75 neurotrophin receptor and is being developed to promote synaptic resilience and address fundamental mechanisms of neurodegeneration. PharmatrophiX is also advancing programs targeting neurotrophin receptors across Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders. For more information, visit pharmatrophix.com.

SOURCE Circular Genomics