An In-Depth Analysis of BPX-601: The Rise and Discontinuation of a Pharmacologically Inducible GoCAR-T® Therapy for Solid Tumors

Executive Summary

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of the investigational cellular immunotherapy program for BPX-601, developed by Bellicum Pharmaceuticals. It is imperative to first clarify a potential ambiguity arising from the initial query for "ABP-601." The available documentation identifies two distinct agents: ABP-601, a small molecule URAT1 inhibitor from Hangzhou Atom Therapeutics whose development was discontinued at the preclinical stage for hyperuricemia, and BPX-601, a highly advanced, genetically modified Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy.[1] Given the extensive body of clinical and preclinical data available for the latter, this report will focus exclusively on the BPX-601 program, as it constitutes the subject of substantive scientific and clinical investigation.

BPX-601 was developed on Bellicum's proprietary GoCAR-T® platform, an innovative system designed to address the significant challenges of applying CAR T-cell therapies to solid tumors.[2] The core of this technology was the decoupling of the T-cell's cytotoxic function from its proliferation and survival signals. BPX-601 cells targeted the Prostate Stem Cell Antigen (PSCA) and incorporated an inducible MyD88/CD40 (iMC) molecular "ON-switch," which could be activated pharmacologically by the small molecule dimerizer, rimiducid.[2] This design was intended to provide clinicians with external control over the therapy's potency, allowing for on-demand T-cell activation to enhance anti-tumor activity and persistence within the hostile tumor microenvironment.