Inside Interius: How In Vivo CAR-T Therapy Went From Penn Lab to Kite’s $350M Deal

In this episode of BioTales, we dive into the creation of Interius BioTherapeutics, a company born from a physician’s frustration with traditional CAR-T therapy and propelled into the spotlight by an industry‑shaking acquisition: Gilead’s Kite decided to buy Interius for $350 million. We explore how a simple idea to turn the body into its own bioreactor led to a platform that might democratize gene therapy. Along the way we revisit the founding story of physician–scientist Saar Gill and biotech veteran Bruce Peacock, trace the science behind targeting T cells with lentiviral vectors, and unpack the challenges of building an in vivo cell‑therapy company. From early funding, through first‑in‑human trials, to a blockbuster buyout, this is the dramatic journey of Interius and its quest to rewrite the rules of CAR-T therapy.