Key points from article :
A secretive Chinese biotech company, RiboX Therapeutics, has quietly become the first in the world to launch a clinical trial for a promising new form of genetic medicine known as circular RNA (circRNA). Unlike traditional mRNA therapies that break down quickly in the body, circular RNA is designed to be more stable, potentially allowing for longer-lasting effects without the permanence—and risks—of full gene therapy. If successful, this approach could offer safer and more cost-effective treatments for chronic diseases.
Despite the global hype around circular RNA, especially among heavily funded US biotech firms like Orna Therapeutics and Sail Biomedicines, RiboX managed to move into human trials first—largely unnoticed. The company, based in Shanghai and with a US office in Princeton, has maintained a deliberately low profile. Its therapy, which encodes a protein to help increase saliva in patients with radiation-damaged salivary glands, is currently being tested in a clinical trial at the University of Iowa.
The development marks a broader trend of Chinese biotech companies emerging as global players in cutting-edge medicine. RiboX, backed by major investors including Boehringer Ingelheim and Lilly Asia Ventures, has reportedly developed a scalable and efficient method for producing circular RNA—something that many academic spinouts struggle with. While details remain scarce, insiders say this practical edge may have helped the company leapfrog its more prominent American rivals.
