The Company

Bellicum was founded in July 2004 by Baylor College of Medicine Professors Kevin M. Slawin, M.D. and David M. Spencer, Ph.D. We are developing clinical products based on novel and powerful vaccine strategies that have the potential to enhance the efficacy of therapeutic vaccines against important diseases.

Utilizing core technologies designed to enhance the survival and potency of dendritic cells, a critical component that controls activation and targeting of the immune system, Bellicum has initiated its first Phase I/II clinical trial for patients with advanced, androgen independent prostate cancer. Key success milestones already achieved include preclinical testing in mouse models and human dendritic cells of our core vaccine technology platforms, execution of exclusive licenses for certain key technologies, and key regulatory approvals. Longer term strategies include broadening the scope of these therapies to include the treatment of other common cancers, including breast, colon, and lung, as well as other infectious diseases, e.g. HIV/AIDS.

Empowering the Immune System

1. After migrating to the lymph node, dendritic cells interact with Helper T cells (orange)
2. Fully activated DCs recruit, select and train Killer T cells (CTLs) (blue)
3. CTLs seek out and kill cells expressing the targeted antigen
4. Alternate T_H2 response does not activate CTLs or kill tumor cells, and stimulates tolerogenic Regulatory T cells

The human immune system has virtually unlimited potential to work throughout the body to attack and destroy cancer cells and other pathogens. However, under normal circumstances the immune system is tightly regulated by a number of mechanisms that dampen this power in an attempt to limit the risk of auto-immunity (attacking one's own organs and tissues).

Bellicum's technologies are designed to circumvent these normally inhibitory pathways by (a) extending the lifespan of antigen-loaded dendritic cells several-fold, thus extending the time available to interact with T cells in the lymph node environment, (b) increasing the activation status of these dendritic cells by increasing expression of co-stimulatory molecules and production of IL-12, (c) enhancing the migration of dendritic cells administered as a vaccine to draining lymph nodes, and (d) blocking mechanisms that inhibit the activation of antigen specific cytotoxic T cells

Founders and Management

Kevin Slawin, MD (Founder, President and Chief Medical Officer), Director of the Vanguard Urologic Institute and the Texas Prostate Center, was previously the Dan L. Duncan Professor, Scott Department of Urology, Baylor College of Medicine and Director of The Baylor Prostate Center, a position he held since 1994. He is also Director of Urology at Memorial Hermann Hospital - TMC and a member of the Center for Clinical and Translational Sciences, a collaboration between University of Texas Health Sciences Center and Memorial Hermann Hospital - TMC.

Thomas J. Farrell (Chief Executive Officer), was founding President & CEO of Cylene Pharmaceuticals, Inc, San Diego, CA, a company developing a novel class of small molecules as anti-cancer therapy, currently in Phase II clinical trials. He received his M.B.A. at Stanford Graduate School of Business, where he was an Arjay Miller Scholar.

David M. Spencer, Ph.D. (Chief Scientific Officer), Professor of Immunology at Baylor College of Medicine, has published over 50 papers in leading peer-reviewed journals. He is the inventor on numerous patents, including Chemical Inducer of Dimerization (CID) technology used in over 1000 labs worldwide and a core technology for ARIAD Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Recently awarded the Michael E. DeBakey Excellence in Research Award at Baylor College of Medicine, he has made key breakthroughs in enabling technologies for safer, regulated gene therapy.