Orna is developing therapies that use a form of RNA called circular RNA, together with novel lipid nanoparticles. The lead drug candidate, ORN-252, is in early stages of development.It is a type of treatment called chimeric antigen receptor T cell or CAR-T, which targets cells with a receptor called CD19.
CAR-T therapies modify a patient’s immune cells to recognize a specific target and destroy cancer cells.
Drugmakers such as Bristol Myers Squibb, Gilead and Johnson & Johnson already offer CAR-T therapies to treat cancer, but most involve isolating the cells, altering them and putting them back into the patient’s body.
Rather than modifying the cells in a laboratory, Orna aims to produce them ‘in vivo’ or inside the body. Orna’s platform has the potential to expand Lilly’s capabilities in oncology and immunology, said BMO Capital Markets analyst Evan Seigerman.
However, Seigerman said the technology is high risk and not validated in large studies, and there is also stiff competition from Bristol Myers, AbbVie and Gilead, all of which signed deals in this area last year.
Lilly, which dominates the competitive obesity market, has diversified into other therapeutic areas, such as inflammatory bowel disease, cancer, eye diseases and gene editing technologies, in addition to its blockbuster weight-loss drugs through acquisitions and partnerships.
The company signed a deal this month with China’s Innovent Biologics for the development of immunological and oncological drugs. It would pay $350 million upfront and an additional $8.5 billion if milestones are met.
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