Circurna Co-Founder Dr. Mariano A. Garcia-Blanco Elected President of the RNA Society

Election Recognizes Longstanding Leadership in RNA Science and Therapeutic Innovation

HOUSTON, TX, UNITED STATES, June 11, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Circurna, a biotechnology company pioneering circular RNA therapeutics and next-generation RNA platform technologies, today announced that co-founder and board member Dr. Mariano A. Garcia-Blanco has been elected President of the RNA Society, the leading international organization dedicated to advancing RNA research. According to the RNA Society, Dr. Garcia-Blanco will serve as President-Elect beginning July 1, 2026, and as President from January 1, 2027, through December 31, 2028.

An internationally recognized leader in RNA biology, virology, and RNA-driven disease research, Dr. Garcia-Blanco currently serves as the F. Palmer Weber Medical Research Professor and Chair of Microbiology, Immunology and Cancer Biology at the University of Virginia School of Medicine. Over a career spanning more than three decades, he has helped advance understanding of RNA biology while contributing to the translation of RNA science into new therapeutic approaches.

Dr. Garcia-Blanco is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the Association of American Physicians. In addition to his academic leadership, he has co-founded multiple biotechnology companies, including Circurna, focused on developing next-generation RNA-based medicines.

"Mariano's election reflects the tremendous impact he has had on the RNA field and the respect he has earned from the global scientific community," said Peter Weinstein, Ph.D., J.D., chief executive officer and co-founder of Circurna. "We are proud to have his expertise helping guide Circurna's mission to advance the next generation of RNA therapeutics."

"I am honored to serve the RNA Society at a time when RNA science is increasingly translating into meaningful therapeutic advances," said Dr. Garcia-Blanco. "The Society has long played a critical role in fostering scientific collaboration and innovation across the field, and I look forward to supporting its continued growth and impact."

The RNA Society announced the election results on June 5, 2026, following its annual member vote.

About Dr. Mariano A. Garcia-Blanco

Mariano A. Garcia-Blanco, MD, PhD, is the F. Palmer Weber Medical Research Professor and Chair of Microbiology, Immunology and Cancer Biology at the University of Virginia, and co-founder of Circurna. He launched his independent scientific career in 1990 as Assistant Professor at Duke University, where he ultimately held the Charles D. Watts Professorship of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, founded the Duke Center for RNA Biology, and was a principal in the establishment of the Emerging Infectious Diseases Research Program at Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore. He subsequently served as the Vacek Distinguished Professor and Chair of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) before joining the University of Virginia in 2023.

A leader in RNA biology and virology, he has authored more than 200 publications with continuous NIH funding since 1991. He has mentored dozens of graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, many of whom now lead prominent research programs in the United States and internationally. He is a member of the Association of American Physicians (2011), the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2022), and the National Academy of Sciences (2025), and a Fellow of both the American Association for the Advancement of Science (2011) and the American Academy of Microbiology (2013). He has co-founded multiple life sciences companies and continues to serve on scientific advisory boards across the biotechnology sector.

About Circurna

Circurna is a biotechnology company developing next-generation circular RNA medicines designed to unlock improved stability, potency, and duration of action. The company was founded to address key limitations of traditional linear mRNA technologies, including short-lived protein expression, systemic reactogenicity, reliance on ultra-cold-chain logistics, and restricted delivery formats.

Through its proprietary ciRNA™ circular RNA platform, Circurna engineers a new class of programmable RNA therapeutics enabled by advanced RNA engineering and circularization technologies. By redesigning the RNA molecule itself, optimizing lipid nanoparticle formulations, and exploring patch-based delivery approaches, Circurna is building a versatile platform capable of supporting multiple therapeutic modalities across oncology, immunology, and other diseases with significant unmet medical need.

To learn more, visit www.circurna.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

For media inquiries, please contact:

Madelyn De Los Santos
Putnam Insights LLC
madelyn@putnaminsights.com

Legal Disclaimer:

EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.