Gilead’s Kite Pharma struck a partnership with Shenzhen-based Pregene Biopharma to accelerate in vivo CAR‑T and next‑generation cell therapies, paying an initial upfront fee and structuring milestone payments that could lift the deal value into the low‑single‑digit billions. Kite said the collaboration combines its clinical experience with Pregene’s in‑house in vivo platforms, aiming to speed proof‑of‑concept studies in oncology and autoimmune indications. Kite funded the collaboration with a sizable upfront payment and will support joint R&D and early clinical steps; Pregene will contribute in vivo engineering capabilities and manufacturing know‑how. The deal follows Kite’s prior in vivo investments and underscores Big Pharma’s push to make cell therapies simpler and more scalable by programming cells directly in patients. The partnership addresses persistent barriers to ex vivo CAR‑T — manufacturing complexity and conditioning regimens — and signals continued industry appetite for investments that promise lower cost-of-goods and broader patient access. Watch for preclinical readouts and planned IND timelines to assess technical risk and the level of differentiation versus rival in vivo approaches.