CircNova

CircNova, Inc. is a biotechnology company utilizing its proprietary artificial intelligence platform, NovaEngine™, to discover and develop circular RNA (circRNA) therapeutics. Founded in May 2023 by CEO Crystal Brown, Chief Scientific Officer Joe DeAngelo, and Chief Business Officer William Grenawitzke, the company aims to address diseases with traditionally undruggable targets. The firm is headquartered in Michigan with an office in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Co-founder Crystal Brown transitioned to biotech after a 15-year career in the automotive industry. Her journey into the life sciences began with a part-time role at a biotech startup, where she applied her business acumen to operations, eventually leading to her first venture, Great Lakes Biologics. Though her first company was unsuccessful, she built a strong reputation within Michigan's startup community. DeAngelo, an MIT alumnus and former consultant for Brown's previous company, introduced her to the potential of combining AI with circRNA research, leading to the formation of CircNova.

CircNova's core technology, the NovaEngine™, is a deep-learning AI platform designed to generate, analyze, and identify novel circRNA structures. This allows the company to reverse engineer molecules, moving from sequence to structure or vice versa, which accelerates the development of therapeutic candidates. Unlike linear RNA, circRNA forms a covalently closed loop, making it more stable and a promising candidate for treating conditions like triple-negative breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and neurodegenerative diseases. The company operates a wet lab in collaboration with the University of Michigan to physically validate the molecules designed by its AI.

The company's business model involves partnering with biopharmaceutical companies and research institutions to co-develop new therapies and supplying custom-designed RNA sequences and structures. In February 2025, CircNova announced the closing of a $3.3 million seed funding round led by South Loop Ventures, with participation from Spark Capital, Michigan Rise, Invest Detroit, and other investors, to advance its research and development efforts.

Keywords: circular RNA, AI drug discovery, NovaEngine, RNA therapeutics, biotechnology, non-coding RNA, undruggable targets, generative AI, deep learning, programmable medicine, triple-negative breast cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, biopharma partnerships, life sciences, therapeutic development, molecular design, Crystal Brown, Joe DeAngelo, Michigan startup, gene therapy