Eli Lilly and Co. has unveiled plans to acquire Orna Therapeutics, a Cambridge-based biotech specializing in in vivo engineered cell therapies. The deal, valued at up to USD 2.4 billion in cash and milestone payments, marks a major escalation in Lilly’s push into next-generation genetic medicines.
Under the deal terms, Lilly will provide an upfront cash payment to Orna shareholders, with additional contingent payments tied to clinical and regulatory success. This acquisition follows a series of strategic deals by Lilly aimed at diversifying its pipeline beyond traditional biologics and into “living” medicines that can be manufactured at scale.
circRNA and targeted LNPs
Orna’s proprietary platform leverages circular RNA (circRNA) encapsulated in novel Lipid Nanoparticles (LNPs) to reprogram immune cells directly within the patient’s body. Lead candidate ORN-252 is a clinical-ready, CD19-targeting in vivo CAR-T therapy designed to deplete pathogenic B-cells in patients with severe autoimmune diseases like Lupus.
Unlike linear mRNA, circRNA’s closed-loop structure is inherently resistant to exonucleases (enzymes that break down RNA). This enables more durable protein expression and prolonged therapeutic activity without the need for genomic integration.
Extrahepatic delivery: A primary hurdle in RNA therapy has been “liver sequestration,” where LNPs are filtered out by the liver. Orna’s platform claims a breakthrough in extrahepatic delivery, successfully targeting immune cells in the lymphatic system and bloodstream.