Eli Lilly agreed to acquire Orna Therapeutics in a deal valued at up to $2.4 billion to add an in vivo CAR‑T platform based on engineered circular RNA and lipid nanoparticles. Lilly said Orna’s clinical‑trial‑ready ORN‑252, a CD19‑targeting in vivo CAR‑T aimed at B cell‑driven autoimmune diseases, accelerates its entry into genetic medicine and in‑body cell engineering. Lilly framed the acquisition as a strategic move to overcome logistics and cost limits of ex‑vivo CAR‑T by enabling therapies generated inside patients. Orna’s circular RNA approach is presented as a potential differentiator for durable protein expression versus linear RNA. Lilly named senior immunology executives to lead integration and flagged the asset as a long‑term innovation engine for autoimmune indications.