Bristol Myers Squibb agreed to acquire Orbital Therapeutics for $1.5 billion in cash, adding in vivo cell-therapy technology the buyer hopes will enable CAR‑T–style reprogramming inside patients. BioCentury reported the deal and noted Orbital’s lead in vivo programs are nearing clinical entry. Lead sentence: BMS is buying Orbital to accelerate an in vivo CAR‑T strategy aimed at easier, potentially lower-cost cell therapy that can be delivered without ex vivo manufacturing. The acquisition consolidates a 2025 M&A trend in which big pharmas are buying in vivo cell-therapy startups. BMS said the acquisition secures next-generation in vivo engineering platforms and a lead candidate positioned for autoimmune indications; payers and developers will watch safety signals in first-in-human studies and potential advantages in manufacturing economics. The transaction reflects continued industry appetite for modalities that reduce reliance on centralized cell‑manufacturing capacity.