AbbVie Goes All In on In-Body Gene Therapy

AbbVie acquires Capstan to unlock in-vivo gene delivery and transform autoimmune treatment with faster, easier therapies.

10 Jul 2025

AbbVie is making a high-stakes bet that the future of gene and cell therapy lies inside the body, not in the lab. In late June, the drugmaker announced it will acquire Capstan Therapeutics for $2.1 billion, gaining control of technology designed to reprogram immune cells on the spot.

Capstan’s platform uses lipid nanoparticles to deliver messenger RNA and other genetic payloads directly to targeted immune cells, eliminating the need to remove, alter, and reinfuse cells in a lab. The result could be treatments for autoimmune diseases that are faster to develop, simpler to administer, and far less expensive.

Most gene delivery tools today are optimized for the liver, but Capstan has its sights set on harder-to-reach cell types. That broader range, industry analysts say, could unlock therapies for conditions that have resisted conventional approaches.

“In vivo CAR-T represents a potential new treatment modality in medicine, embodying the transformative power of cell therapy with the accessibility and scalability of an off-the-shelf biologic,” said Capstan president and CEO Laura Shawver, Ph.D.

Capstan’s lead program temporarily reprograms immune cells using mRNA, but the same delivery system could eventually carry CRISPR-based gene editing machinery. The shift reflects a growing focus in biotech: not just on the therapeutic payloads themselves, but on the delivery systems that make them viable.

For AbbVie, owning that infrastructure offers a competitive edge in the race to bring next-generation treatments to market. Rivals are moving in the same direction, but Capstan’s immune cell–targeting technology could give AbbVie an early advantage.

The real test will be whether this approach can scale across diseases and patient populations. If it does, it could redrawthe map for gene and cell therapy, moving the action from specialized labs to the patient’s own body.