Benzinga | Mar 4, 2021 08:39AM EST

Bellicum Shares Are Trading Higher On First Reported Positive Clinical Use Of iC9 Safety Switch

Bellicum Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ: BLCM) has announced the publication of a case report using the company's CaspaCIDe (inducible caspase-9, or iC9) safety switch in a journal published by The American Society of Hematology.

* CaspaCIDe is Bellicum's chemical induction of dimerization safety switch technology designated to eliminate cells in the event of toxicity. Infusion of rimiducid is designed to trigger activation of CaspaCIDe-containing cells.

* The publication detailed a case report from an investigator-sponsored Phase 1/2 trial to test the safety and efficacy of autologous T lymphocytes, genetically modified to express a CD19 chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) and iC9.

* A patient experienced a high-grade immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome (ICANS) for 72 hours despite standard care, and rimiducid was subsequently given per protocol to activate iC9.

* Within twelve hours of rimiducid administration, ICANS improved from severe to mild and was fully resolved after four days.

* Price Action: BLCM gained 14% at $4.39 in premarket trading on the last check Thursday.