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Document And Entity Information - shares	9 Months Ended
Document And Entity Information - shares	Sep. 30, 2016	Nov. 01, 2016
Document Information [Line Items]
Document Type	10-Q
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Sep. 30, 2016
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2016
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q3
Entity Registrant Name	Lion Biotechnologies, Inc.
Entity Central Index Key	0001425205
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Filer Category	Accelerated Filer
Trading Symbol	LBIO
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		62,086,963

Condensed Balance Sheets - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Current Assets
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 92,895	$ 33,587
Short-term investments	86,387	70,113
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	1,274	277
Total Current Assets	180,556	103,977
Property and equipment, net	1,769	1,676
Total Assets	182,325	105,653
Current Liabilities
Accounts payable	228	958
Accrued expenses	2,966	672
Total Current Liabilities	3,194	1,630
Commitments and contingencies (see note 8)
Stockholders’ Equity
Common stock, $0.000041666 par value; 150,000,000 shares authorized, 61,948,389 and 48,547,720 shares issued and outstanding, respectively	3	2
Common stock to be issued, 303,125 shares	245	245
Accumulated other comprehensive income	163	48
Additional paid-in capital	320,140	207,950
Accumulated deficit	(141,428)	(104,222)
Total Stockholders’ Equity	179,131	104,023
Total Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity	182,325	105,653
Series A Preferred Stock [Member]
Stockholders’ Equity
Preferred stock,Value	0	0
Total Stockholders’ Equity	0	0
Series B Preferred Stock [Member]
Stockholders’ Equity
Preferred stock,Value	8	0
Total Stockholders’ Equity	$ 8	$ 0

Condensed Balance Sheets (Parenthetical) - USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Common Stock, Par or Stated Value Per Share	$ 0.000041666	$ 0.000041666
Common Stock, Shares Authorized	150,000,000	150,000,000
Common Stock, Shares, Issued	61,948,389	48,547,720
Common Stock, Shares, Outstanding	61,948,389	48,547,720
Common Stock To Be Issued Shares	303,125	303,125
Series A Preferred Stock [Member]
Preferred Stock, Par or Stated Value Per Share	$ 0.001	$ 0.001
Preferred Stock, Shares Authorized	17,000	17,000
Preferred Stock, Shares Issued	1,694	1,694
Preferred Stock, Shares Outstanding	1,694	1,694
Series B Preferred Stock [Member]
Preferred Stock, Par or Stated Value Per Share	$ 0.001
Preferred Stock, Shares Authorized	11,500,000
Preferred Stock, Shares Issued	7,946,673
Preferred Stock, Shares Outstanding	0
Preferred Stock, Redemption Amount	$ 37,747

Condensed Statements of Operations - USD ($) shares in Thousands, $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2015	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2015
Revenues	$ 0	$ 0	$ 0	$ 0
Costs and expenses
Research and development	8,481	4,960	17,200	11,413
General and administrative	10,498	2,683	20,517	7,968
Total costs and expenses	18,979	7,643	37,717	19,381
Loss from operations	(18,979)	(7,643)	(37,717)	(19,381)
Other income
Interest income	221	8	511	81
Net Loss	(18,758)	(7,635)	(37,206)	(19,300)
Deemed dividend related to beneficial conversion feature of convertible preferred stock	(49,454)	0	(49,454)	0
Net loss Attributable to Common Stockholders	$ (68,212)	$ (7,635)	$ (86,660)	$ (19,300)
Net Loss Per Common Share, Basic and Diluted	$ (1.15)	$ (0.16)	$ (1.64)	$ (0.44)
Weighted-Average Common Shares Outstanding, Basic and Diluted	59,113	47,272	52,963	43,399

Statement of Stockholders' Equity - 9 months ended Sep. 30, 2016 - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Total	Common Stock [Member]	Common Stock to be Issued [Member]	Additional Paid-in Capital [Member]	Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Member]	Accumulated Deficit [Member]	Series A Preferred Stock [Member]	Series B Preferred Stock [Member]
Beginning Balance at Dec. 31, 2015	$ 104,023	$ 2	$ 245	$ 207,950	$ 48	$ (104,222)	$ 0	$ 0
Beginning Balance (in Shares) at Dec. 31, 2015		48,547,720					1,694	0
Stock-based compensation expense	15,781			15,781
Tax payments related to shares witheld for vested restricted stock awards	(624)			(624)
Common stock issued upon exercise of warrants	879	$ 0		879
Common stock issued upon exercise of warrants (in Shares)		381,058
Common stock issued upon exercise of stock options	478			478
Common stock issued upon exercise of stock options (in shares)		75,480
Common stock sold in private placement, net of offering costs	44,009	$ 1		44,008
Common stock sold in private placement, net of offering costs (in shares)		9,684,000
Preferred stock sold in private placement, net of offering costs	51,676			51,665				$ 11
Preferred stock sold in private placement, net of offering costs (in shares)								11,368,633
Conversion of convertible preferred stock into common stock	0			3				$ (3)
Conversion of convertible preferred stock into common stock (in Shares)		3,421,960						(3,421,960)
Cancellation of restricted shares	0	$ 0
Cancellation of restricted shares (in shares)		(161,829)
Beneficial conversion feature of preferred stock	49,454			49,454
Deemed dividend on beneficial conversion feature of preferred stock	(49,454)			(49,454)
Unrealized gain on short-term investments	115				115
Net Loss	(37,206)					(37,206)
Ending Balance at Sep. 30, 2016	$ 179,131	$ 3	$ 245	$ 320,140	$ 163	$ (141,428)	$ 0	$ 8
Ending Balance (in Shares) at Sep. 30, 2016		61,948,389					1,694	7,946,673

Statements of Cash Flows - USD ($) $ in Thousands	9 Months Ended
Statements of Cash Flows - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2015
Cash Flows From Operating Activities
Net loss	$ (37,206)	$ (19,300)
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities:
Depreciation and amortization	688	691
Amortization of premium on investments	(69)	0
Stock-based compensation expense	15,781	5,778
Changes in assets and liabilities:
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	(997)	(163)
Accounts payable and accrued expenses	1,294	1,193
Net Cash Used In Operating Activities	(20,509)	(11,801)
Cash Flows From Investing Activities
Purchase of short- term investments	(110,249)	(95,236)
Maturities of short- term investments	94,159	15,900
Purchase of property and equipment	(781)	(992)
Net Cash Used In Investing Activities	(16,871)	(80,328)
Cash Flows From Financing Activities
Tax payments related to shares witheld for vested restricted stock awards	(354)	0
Proceeds from the issuance of common stock upon exercise of warrants	879	9,618
Proceeds from the issuance of common stock upon exercise of options	478	66
Proceeds from the issuance of preferred and common stock, net	95,685	68,308
Net Cash Provided By Financing Activities	96,688	77,992
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents	59,308	(14,137)
Cash and Cash Equivalents, Beginning of Period	33,587	44,909
Cash and Cash Equivalents, End of Period	92,895	30,772
Supplemental Disclosures of Cash Flow Information:
Unrealized gain on short-term investments	115	48
Deemed dividend related to a beneficial conversion feature	$ 49,454	$ 0

SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING PRACTICES

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2016

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING PRACTICES

NOTE 2. SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING PRACTICES

Short-term Investments

The Company’s short-term investments represent available-for-sale securities and are recorded at fair value with any unrealized gains and losses recorded within accumulated other comprehensive loss. The estimated fair value of the available for sale securities is determined based on quoted market prices or rates for similar instruments. In addition, the cost of debt securities in this category is adjusted for amortization of premium and accretion of discount to maturity. The Company evaluates securities with unrealized losses to determine whether such losses, if any, are other than temporary. No losses have been recognized for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2016 and 2015.

Loss per Share

Basic net income (loss) per share is computed using the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period. Diluted net income (loss) per share is computed using the weighted average number of shares of common stock outstanding during the period increased to include the number of additional shares of common stock that would have been outstanding if the potentially dilutive securities had been issued.

At September 30, 2016 and 2015, the dilutive impact of the following outstanding equity equivalents have been excluded because their impact on the loss per share is anti-dilutive.

	September 30,		September 30,
	2016		2015

Stock options		4,945,358		2,704,195
Warrants		6,808,216		7,237,216
Series A Preferred		847,000		1,847,000
Series B Preferred		7,946,673		-
Restricted stock awards		9,167		494,000
Restricted stock units		550,000		-
		21,106,414		12,282,411

The dilutive effect of potentially dilutive securities is reflected in diluted earnings per common share by application of the treasury stock method. Under the treasury stock method, an increase in the fair market value of the Company's common stock can result in a greater dilutive effect from potentially dilutive securities.

Fair Value Measurements

Under Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) ASC 820, Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures, fair value is defined as the price at which an asset could be exchanged or a liability transferred in a transaction between knowledgeable, willing parties in the principal or most advantageous market for the asset or liability. Where available, fair value is based on observable market prices or parameters or derived from such prices or parameters. Where observable prices or parameters are not available, valuation models are applied.

Assets and liabilities recorded at fair value in our financial statements are categorized based upon the level of judgment associated with the inputs used to measure their fair value. Hierarchical levels directly related to the amount of subjectivity associated with the inputs to fair valuation of these assets and liabilities, are as follows:

Level 1—Inputs are unadjusted, quoted prices in active markets for identical assets at the reporting date. Active markets are those in which transactions for the asset or liability occur in sufficient frequency and volume to provide pricing information on an ongoing basis.

The fair valued assets we hold that are generally included under this Level 1 are money market securities where fair value is based on publicly quoted prices.

Level 2—Are inputs, other than quoted prices included in Level 1, that are either directly or indirectly observable for the asset or liability through correlation with market data at the reporting date and for the duration of the instrument’s anticipated life.

The fair valued assets we hold that are generally assessed under Level 2 are corporate bonds and commercial paper. We utilize third party pricing services in developing fair value measurements where fair value is based on valuation methodologies such as models using observable market inputs, including benchmark yields, reported trades, broker/dealer quotes, bids, offers and other reference data. We use quotes from external pricing service providers and other on-line quotation systems to verify the fair value of investments provided by our third party pricing service providers. We review independent auditor’s reports from our third party pricing service providers particularly regarding the controls over pricing and valuation of financial instruments and ensure that our internal controls address certain control deficiencies, if any, and complementary user entity controls are in place.

Level 3—Unobservable inputs that are supported by little or no market activity and that are significant to the fair value of the assets or liabilities and which reflect management’s best estimate of what market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability at the reporting date. Consideration is given to the risk inherent in the valuation technique and the risk inherent in the inputs to the model.

We do not have fair valued assets classified under Level 3.

The Company believes the carrying amount of its financial instruments (consisting of cash and cash equivalents, accounts payable and accrued expenses) approximates fair value due to the short-term nature of such instruments.

Financial assets measured at fair value on a recurring basis are categorized in the tables below based upon the lowest level of significant input to the valuations (in thousands):

	Assets at Fair Value as of September 30, 2016
	Level 1		Level 2		Level 3		Total
Commercial paper	$	-	$	49,691	$	-	$	49,691
Corporate debt securities		-		32,698		-		32,698
US Government agency securities		-		3,998		-		3,998
Total	$	-	$	86,387	$	-	$	86,387

	Assets at Fair Value as of December 31, 2015
	Level 1		Level 2		Level 3		Total
Corporate debt securities	$	-	$	70,113	$	-	$	70,113
Total	$	-	$	70,113	$	-	$	70,113

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Significant estimates include valuation of available-for-sale investments, accounting for potential liabilities, the valuation allowance associated with the Company’s deferred tax assets, and the assumptions made in valuing stock instruments issued for services.

Stock-Based Compensation

The Company periodically grants stock options and warrants to employees and non-employees in non-capital raising transactions as compensation for services rendered. The Company accounts for stock option grants to employees based on the authoritative guidance provided by the Financial Accounting Standards Board where the value of the award is measured on the date of grant and recognized over the vesting period. The Company accounts for stock option grants to non-employees in accordance with the authoritative guidance of the Financial Accounting Standards Board where the value of the stock compensation is determined based upon the measurement date at either a) the date at which a performance commitment is reached, or b) at the date at which the necessary performance to earn the equity instruments is complete. Non-employee stock-based compensation charges generally are amortized over the vesting period on a straight-line basis. In certain circumstances where there are no future performance requirements by the non-employee, option grants are immediately vested and the total stock-based compensation charge is recorded in the period of the measurement date.

The fair value of the Company's common stock option grants is estimated using a Black-Scholes option pricing model, which uses certain assumptions related to risk-free interest rates, expected volatility, expected life of the common stock options, and future dividends. Compensation expense is recorded based upon the value derived from the Black-Scholes option pricing model, and based on actual experience. The assumptions used in the Black-Scholes option pricing model could materially affect compensation expense recorded in future periods.

The Company as in the past issued restricted shares of its common stock for share-based compensation programs. The Company measures the compensation cost with respect to restricted shares issued to employees based upon the estimated fair value of the equity instruments at the date of the grant, and is recognized as expense over the period which an employee is required to provide services in exchange for the award.

The fair value of restricted stock units is based on the closing price of the Company’s common stock on the grant date.

Total stock-based compensation expense related to all of our stock-based awards was recorded on the statement of operations as follows (in thousands):

	Three Months Ended September 30,				Nine Months Ended September 30,
	2016		2015		2016		2015

Research and development	$	640	$	855	$	1,818	$	2,051
General and administrative		8,005		1,533		13,963		3,727
Total stock-based compensation expense	$	8,645	$	2,388	$	15,781	$	5,778

Total stock-based compensation broken down based on each individual instrument was as follows (in thousands):

	Three Months Ended September 30,				Nine Months Ended September 30,
	2016		2015		2016		2015

Stock option expense	$	7,877	$	1,922	$	13,944	$	4,223
Restricted stock award expense		145		466		976		1,555
Restricted stock unit expense		623		-		861		-
Total stock-based compensation expense	$	8,645	$	2,388	$	15,781	$	5,778

Preferred Stock

The Company applies the accounting standards for distinguishing liabilities from equity when determining the classification and measurement of its preferred stock. Preferred shares subject to mandatory redemption are classified as liability instruments and are measured at fair value. Conditionally redeemable preferred shares (including preferred shares that feature redemption rights that are either within the control of the holder or subject to redemption upon the occurrence of uncertain events not solely within the Company’s control) are classified as temporary equity. At all other times, preferred shares are classified as stockholders’ equity.

Convertible Instruments

The Company applies the accounting standards for derivatives and hedging and for distinguishing liabilities from equity when accounting for hybrid contracts that feature conversion options. The accounting standards require companies to bifurcate conversion options from their host instruments and account for them as free standing derivative financial instruments according to certain criteria. The criteria includes circumstances in which (i) the economic characteristics and risks of the embedded derivative instrument are not clearly and closely related to the economic characteristics and risks of the host contract, (ii) the hybrid instrument that embodies both the embedded derivative instrument and the host contract is not re-measured at fair value under otherwise applicable generally accepted accounting principles with changes in fair value reported in earnings as they occur and (iii) a separate instrument with the same terms as the embedded derivative instrument would be considered a derivative instrument. The derivative is subsequently marked to market at each reporting date based on current fair value, with the changes in fair value reported in results of operations.

Conversion options that contain variable settlement features such as provisions to adjust the conversion price upon subsequent issuances of equity or equity linked securities at exercise prices more favorable than that featured in the hybrid contract generally result in their bifurcation from the host instrument.

The Company also records, when necessary, deemed dividends for the intrinsic value of the conversion options embedded in preferred stock based upon the difference between the fair value of the underlying common stock at the commitment date of the transaction and the effective conversion price embedded in the preferred stock.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

In June 2016, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2016-13, Allowance for Loan and Lease Losses (Financial Instruments - Credit Losses Topic 326.). New impairment guidance for certain financial instruments (including trade receivables) will replace the current “incurred loss” model for estimating credit losses with a forward looking “expected loss” model. The ASU is effective for the Company for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Early application is permitted as of the fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within those fiscal years. The Company is evaluating the impact of this standard on its financial statements.

In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-09, Compensation - Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting. This ASU identifies areas for simplification involving several aspects of accounting for share-based payment transactions, including the income tax consequences, classification of awards as either equity or liabilities, an option to recognize gross stock compensation expense with actual forfeitures recognized as they occur, as well as certain classifications on the statement of cash flows. This ASU will be effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016, and interim periods within those annual periods. The Company is currently assessing the potential impact of this ASU on its condensed financial statements. Early adoption is permitted.

The FASB issued ASU No. 2016-08 “Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Principal versus Agent Considerations (Reporting Revenue Gross versus Net).” This guidance amends the principal versus agent guidance in the new revenue standard. The amendments retain the guidance that the principal in an arrangement controls a good or service before it is transferred to a customer. The amendments clarify how an entity should identify the unit of accounting for principal versus agent evaluation and how it should apply the control principle to certain types of arrangements, such as service transactions. The amendments also reframe the indicators to focus on evidence that an entity is acting as a principal rather than an agent, revise examples in the new standard and add new examples. The Company has not yet determined the effect of the adoption of this standard on the Company’s financial position and results of operations.

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02-Leases with fundamental changes to how entities account for leases. Lessees will need to recognize a right-of-use asset and a lease liability for virtually all of their leases (other than leases that meet the definition of a short-term lease). The liability will be equal to the present value of lease payments. The asset will be based on the liability, subject to adjustment, such as for initial direct costs. Additional disclosures for leases will also be required. The standard is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2018. Early adoption is permitted. The new standard must be adopted using a modified retrospective transition, and provides for certain practical expedients. The new standard may materially impact the Company’s financial statements.

In January 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-01 Financial Instruments-Overall, which address certain aspects of recognition, measurement, presentation, and disclosure of financial instruments. The amendments in this Update are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Earlier application is permitted under specific circumstances. The Company is currently assessing the potential impact of this standard on its financial statements.

Subsequent Events

The Company evaluates events that have occurred after the balance sheet date but before the financial statements are issued. Based upon the evaluation, the Company did not identify any recognized or non-recognized subsequent events that would have required adjustment or disclosure in the condensed financial statements.

STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2016

Stockholders' Equity Note [Abstract]

STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

NOTE 4. STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

Series B Preferred Stock

In June 2016, the Company created a new class of Preferred Stock designated as Series B Preferred Stock (the “Series B Preferred”). The rights of the Series B Preferred are set forth in the Certificate of Designation of Rights, Preferences and Privileges of Series B Preferred Stock (the “Series B Certificate of Designation”). A total of 11,500,000 shares of Series B Preferred are authorized for issuance under the Certificate of Designation. The shares of Series B Preferred have a stated value of $4.75 per share and are convertible into shares of common stock at an initial conversion price of $4.75 per share.

Holders of the Series B Preferred are entitled to dividends on an as-if-converted basis in the same form as any dividends actually paid on shares of our Series A Convertible Preferred Stock or our common stock. So long as any Series B Preferred remains outstanding, the Company may not redeem, purchase or otherwise acquire any material amount of our Series A Preferred Stock or any junior securities.

The Company has also evaluated its convertible preferred stock in accordance with the provisions of ASC 815, Derivatives and Hedging, including consideration of embedded derivatives requiring bifurcation. The issuance of the convertible preferred stock could generate a beneficial conversion feature (“BCF”), which arises when a debt or equity security is issued with an embedded conversion option that is beneficial to the investor or in the money at inception because the conversion option has an effective strike price that is less than the market price of the underlying stock at the commitment date. The Company recognized the BCF by allocating the intrinsic value of the conversion option, which is the number of shares of common stock available upon conversion multiplied by the difference between the effective conversion price per share and the fair value of common stock per share on the commitment date, to additional paid-in capital, resulting in a discount on the convertible preferred stock. As the convertible preferred stock may be converted immediately, the Company recognized a BCF of $49.5 million as a deemed dividend in the condensed statements of operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2016

During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2016, 3,421,960 shares of Series B Preferred Stock that were originally issued in the June 2016 private placement (discussed below) were converted into 3,421,960 shares of common stock.

Private Placement

On June 2, 2016, the Company entered into a securities purchase agreement with various institutional and individual accredited investors to raise gross proceeds of $100 million in a private placement (the “Private Placement”). On June 7, 2016, the Company completed the Private Placement. In the Private Placement, the Company issued (i) 9,684,000 shares of its common stock and (ii) 11,368,633 shares of its new Series B Preferred Stock. The shares of common stock and Series B Preferred were sold for $4.75 per share. The shares of Series B Preferred initially were not convertible into common stock and, except as required by law, are non-voting. On July 7, 2016 the Company filed a proxy statement with the SEC with respect to a stockholders meeting that was held on August 16, 2016 at which the stockholders were asked to vote on a proposal to permit the Series B Preferred to become convertible into shares of the Company’s common stock and to permit the issuance of shares of common stock upon such conversion. The requisite stockholder approval was obtained and, as a result, the Series B Preferred became convertible into shares of common stock at an initial conversion price of $4.75 per share.

The Company recognized a one-time deemed dividend of $49.5 million on August 16, 2016 as a result of the beneficial conversion feature of the Series B Preferred. The deemed dividend was recorded on the date that our stockholders approved the provision in the Series B Preferred that allowed the Series B Preferred to convert into common stock. This one-time, non-cash charge impacted net loss attributable to common stockholder and loss per share for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2016.

The Company received net proceeds of approximately $95.7 million from the Private Placement, after paying placement agent fees and estimated offering expenses.

In connection with the Private Placement, the Company also entered into a registration rights agreement (the “Registration Rights Agreement”) with the investors pursuant to which the Company agreed to file with the SEC, within 30 days of the closing of the Private Placement, a registration statement covering the resale by the investors of the shares of common stock purchased by them. The Company also agreed in the Registration Rights Agreement to file with the SEC within 30 days of any stockholders meeting approving the conversion feature of the Series B Preferred Stock, a registration statement covering the resale of the shares of our common stock issuable upon conversion of their shares of Series B Preferred by the holders of shares of Series B Preferred. The Company also agreed to use its best efforts to have the respective registration statements declared effective as soon as practicable upon filing, but in any event within 90 days after filing. The Company filed the registration statement to register the Private Placement common stock on July 1, 2016, which registration statement was amended to include the shares underlying the Series B Preferred. The combined registration statement covering both the shares of common stock sold in the Private Placement and the shares underlying the Series B Preferred was declared effective on September 2, 2016, thereby fulfilling the Company’s registration obligations under the Registration Rights Agreement. The Registration Rights Agreement also provides, among other things, that if the foregoing registration statement ceases to be effective under certain circumstances, the Company will pay to the holders on the occurrence of each such event and for each 30-day period thereafter until the applicable event is cured, an amount in cash equal to 1% of the aggregate amount invested (or outstanding, as specified in greater detail in the Registration Rights Agreement) by the holders under the Purchase Agreement for each 30-day period (prorated for any period of less than 30 days) during which such registration statement was not effective.

Restricted Stock Awards

Shares of restricted stock awards granted below are subject to forfeiture to the Company or other restrictions that will lapse in accordance with a vesting schedule determined by our Board.

The following table summarizes restricted common stock award activity:

			Weighted Average
	Number		Grant Date
	of Shares		Fair Value
Non-vested shares, January 1, 2016		321,252	$	6.96
Granted		-		-
Vested		(272,084)		6.90
Forfeited		(40,001)		-
Non-vested shares, September 30, 2016		9,167	$	6.49

Restricted Stock Units

On June 1, 2016, we entered into a restricted stock unit agreement with the Company’s new Chief Executive Officer (Maria Fardis, Ph.D.) pursuant to which the Company granted Dr. Fardis 550,000 non-transferrable restricted stock units at fair market value of $5.87 per share as an inducement of employment pursuant to the exception to The NASDAQ Global Market rules that generally require stockholder approval of equity incentive plans. The 550,000 restricted stock units will vest in installments as follows: (i) 137,500 restricted stock units will vest upon the first anniversary of the effective date of Dr. Fardis’ employment agreement; (ii) 275,000 restricted stock units will vest upon the satisfaction of certain clinical trial milestones; and (iii) 137,500 restricted stock units will vest in equal monthly installments over the 36-month period following the first anniversary of the effective date of Dr. Fardis’ employment, provided that Dr. Fardis has been continuously employed with the Company as of such vesting dates.

Stock-based compensation expense for RSUs is measured based on the closing fair market value of the Company's common stock on the date of grant.

- Definition

The entire disclosure for shareholders' equity comprised of portions attributable to the parent entity and noncontrolling interest, including other comprehensive income. Includes, but is not limited to, balances of common stock, preferred stock, additional paid-in capital, other capital and retained earnings, accumulated balance for each classification of other comprehensive income and amount of comprehensive income.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 310
-SubTopic 10
-Section S99
-Paragraph 4
-Subparagraph (SAB Topic 4.E)
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Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 505
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 4
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6928386&loc=d3e21484-112644

Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 210
-SubTopic 10
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (SX 210.5-02(29))
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6877327&loc=d3e13212-122682

Reference 4: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 505
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 5
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6928386&loc=d3e21488-112644

Reference 5: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 235
-SubTopic 10
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (SX 210.4-08(e))
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=26873400&loc=d3e23780-122690

Reference 6: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 210
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+ Details

STOCK OPTIONS AND WARRANTS

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2016

Disclosure of Compensation Related Costs, Share-based Payments [Abstract]

STOCK OPTIONS AND WARRANTS

NOTE 5. STOCK OPTIONS AND WARRANTS

Stock Options

A summary of the status of stock options at September 30, 2016, and the changes during the nine months then ended, is presented in the following table:

					Weighted
			Weighted		Average		Aggregate
	Shares		Average		Remaining		Intrinsic
	Under		Exercise		Contractual		Value
	Option		Price		Life		(in thousands)
Outstanding at January 1, 2016		2,693,237	$	8.12		8.00	$	2,347
Granted		3,007,483		6.55
Exercised		(75,480)		6.35
Expired/Forfeited		(679,882)		8.42
Outstanding at September 30, 2016		4,945,358	$	7.13		6.87	$	8,060
Exercisable at September 30, 2016		2,382,194	$	7.29		4.03	$	4,125

During the nine months ended September 30, 2016, the Company granted options to purchase 3,007,483 shares of common stock to employees and directors of the Company. The stock options generally vest between one and three years. The fair value of these options was determined to be $19.2 million using the Black-Scholes option pricing model based on the following assumptions:

	Three Months Ended September 30,		Nine Months Ended September 30,
	2016	2015	2016	2015

Expected dividend yield	0%	0%	0%	0%
Risk-free interest rate	1.26% - 1.18%	1.57%	1.79% - 1.18%	1.57%
Expected term (in years)	5.89 - 5.19	10	6.50 - 5.07	10
Expected volatility	170.54% - 158.13%	211.38%	213.64% - 158.13%	218.00% - 211.38%

Expected Dividend Yield—The Company has never paid dividends and does not expect to pay dividends.

Risk-Free Interest Rate—The risk-free interest rate was based on the market yield currently available on United States Treasury securities with maturities approximately equal to the option’s expected term.

Expected Term—Expected term represents the period that the Company’s stock-based awards are expected to be outstanding. The Company’s assumptions about the expected term have been based on that of companies that have similar industry, life cycle, revenue, and market capitalization and the historical data on employee exercises.

Expected Volatility—The expected volatility is based on a combination of historical volatility for the Company's stock and the historical stock volatilities of several of the Company’s publicly listed comparable companies over a period equal to the expected terms of the options, as the Company does not have a long trading history.

Forfeiture Rate—The Company estimates its forfeiture rate based on an analysis of its actual forfeitures and will continue to evaluate the adequacy of the forfeiture rate based on actual forfeiture experience, analysis of employee turnover behavior, and other factors. The impact from a forfeiture rate adjustment will be recognized in full in the period of adjustment, and if the actual number of future forfeitures differs from that estimated by the Company, the Company may be required to record adjustments to stock-based compensation expense in future periods.

Each of the inputs discussed above is subjective and generally requires significant management judgment.

As of September 30, 2016, the value of unvested options was $15.3 million to be recognized over a weighted period of 2.5 years.

Warrants

A summary of the status of stock warrants at September 30, 2016, and the changes during the nine months then ended, is presented in the following table:

					Weighted
			Weighted		Average		Aggregate
	Shares		Average		Remaining		Intrinsic
	Under		Exercise		Contractual		Value
	Warrants		Price		Life		(in thousands)

Outstanding at January 1, 2016		7,202,216	$	2.51		3.3 years	$	37,596
Issued		-		-
Exercised		(381,058)		2.31
Expired/Cancelled		(12,942)		-
Outstanding and exercisable at September 30, 2016		6,808,216	$	2.52		2.1 years	$	39,011

- Definition

The entire disclosure for compensation-related costs for equity-based compensation, which may include disclosure of policies, compensation plan details, allocation of equity compensation, incentive distributions, equity-based arrangements to obtain goods and services, deferred compensation arrangements, employee stock ownership plan details and employee stock purchase plan details.

+ References + Details

AGREEMENTS

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2016

AGREEMENTS [Abstract]

AGREEMENTS

NOTE 6. AGREEMENTS

National Institutes of Health and the National Cancer Institute

Cooperative Research and Development Agreement

Effective August 5, 2011, the Company signed a five-year Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (“CRADA”) with the National Institutes of Health and the National Cancer Institute (“NCI”) to work with Dr. Steven A. Rosenberg, M.D., Ph.D., chief of NCI’s Surgery Branch, on developing adoptive cell immunotherapies that are designed to destroy metastatic melanoma cells using a patient’s tumor infiltrating lymphocytes. On January 22, 2015, the Company executed an amendment (the “Amendment”) to the CRADA to include four new indications. As amended, in addition to metastatic melanoma, the CRADA included the development of TIL therapy for the treatment of patients with bladder, lung, triple-negative breast, and HPV-associated cancers.

On August 18, 2016, the NCI and the Company entered into a second amendment to the CRADA. The principal changes effected by the second amendment included (i) extending the term of the CRADA by another five years to August 2021, and (ii) modifying the focus on the development of TIL as a stand-alone therapy or in combination with FDA-licensed products and commercially available reagents routinely used for adoptive cell therapy. The parties will continue the development of improved methods for the generation and selection of TIL with anti-tumor reactivity in metastatic melanoma, bladder, lung, breast, and HPV-associated cancers.

Patent License Agreement Related to the Development and Manufacture of TIL

Effective October 5, 2011, the Company entered into a Patent License Agreement with the National Institutes of Health, an agency of the United States Public Health Service within the Department of Health and Human Services (“NIH”), which Patent License Agreement was subsequently amended on February 9, 2015 and October 2, 2015. Pursuant to the License Agreement as amended, the NIH granted the Company a right and license to certain technologies relating to autologous tumor infiltrating lymphocyte adoptive cell therapy products for the treatment of metastatic melanoma, lung, breast, bladder and HPV-positive cancers. The Patent License Agreement requires the Company to pay royalties based on a percentage of net sales (which percentage is in the mid-single digits), a percentage of revenues from sublicensing arrangements, and lump sum benchmark royalty payments on the achievement of certain clinical and regulatory milestones for each of the various indications and other direct costs incurred by the NIH pursuant to the agreement.

Exclusive Patent License Agreement

On February 10, 2015, the Company entered into an Exclusive Patent License Agreement with the NIH under which the Company received an exclusive license to the NIH’s rights to patent-pending technologies related to methods for improving adoptive cell therapy through more potent and efficient production of TIL from melanoma tumors by selecting for T-cell populations that express various inhibitory receptors. Unless terminated sooner, the license shall remain in effect until the last licensed patent right expires.

In consideration for the exclusive rights granted under the Exclusive Patent License Agreement, the Company agreed to pay the NIH a non-refundable upfront licensing fee which was recognized as research and development expense during the year ended December 31, 2015. The Company also agreed to pay customary royalties based on a percentage of net sales of a licensed product (which percentage is in the mid-single digits), a percentage of revenues from sublicensing arrangements, and lump sum benchmark payments upon the successful completion of clinical studies involving licensed technologies, the receipt of the first FDA approval or foreign equivalent for a licensed product or process resulting from the licensed technologies, the first commercial sale of a licensed product or process in the United States, and the first commercial sale of a licensed product or process in any foreign country. The Company will also be responsible for all costs associated with the preparation, filing, maintenance and prosecution of the patent applications and patents covered by the License.

H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center

Research Collaboration Agreement

In September, 2014, the Company entered into a research collaboration agreement with the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Inc. (“Moffitt”) to jointly engage in transitional research and development of adoptive tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte cell therapy with improved anti-tumor properties and process.

License Agreement

The Company entered into a license agreement (the “Moffitt License Agreement”), effective as of June 28, 2014, with Moffitt under which the Company received a world-wide license to Moffitt’s rights to patent-pending technologies related to methods for improving tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes for adoptive cell therapy. Unless earlier terminated, the term of the license extends until the earlier of the expiration of the last patent related to the licensed technology or 20 years after the effective date of the license agreement.

Pursuant to the Moffitt License Agreement, the Company paid an upfront licensing fee which was recognized as research and development expense during 2014. A patent issuance fee will also be payable under the Moffitt License Agreement, upon the issuance of the first U.S. patent covering the subject technology. In addition, the Company agreed to pay milestone license fees upon completion of specified milestones, customary royalties based on a specified percentage of net sales (which percentage is in the low single digits) and sublicensing payments, as applicable, and annual minimum royalties beginning with the first sale of products based on the licensed technologies, which minimum royalties will be credited against the percentage royalty payments otherwise payable in that year. The Company will also be responsible for all costs associated with the preparation, filing, maintenance and prosecution of the patent applications and patents covered by the Moffitt License Agreement related to the treatment of any cancers in the United States, Europe and Japan and in other countries selected that the Company and Moffitt agreed to.

During the nine months ended September 30, 2016 and 2015, the Company recognized $0.6 million and $0.4 million respectively, of expenses related to its license agreements. The amounts were recorded as part of research and development expenses in the statements of operations. Additionally, during the nine months ended September 30, 2016, there were no net sales subject to certain annual minimum royalty payments or sales that would require us to pay a percentage of revenues from sublicensing arrangements. In addition, there were no benchmarks or milestones achieved that would require payment under the lump sum benchmark royalty payments on the achievement of certain clinical regulatory milestones for each of the various indications.

PolyBioCept, AB

Exclusive and Co-exclusive License Agreement

On September 14, 2016, the Company entered into an Exclusive and Co-Exclusive License Agreement (the “License Agreement”) with PolyBioCept AB, a corporation organized under the laws of Sweden (“PolyBioCept”). PolyBioCept has filed two patent applications with claims related to a cytokine cocktail for use in expansion of lymphocytes. Under the License Agreement, the Company received the exclusive right and license to PolyBioCept’s intellectual property to develop, manufacture, market and genetically engineer tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) produced by expansion, selection and enrichment using a cytokine cocktail. The Company also received a co-exclusive license (with PolyBioCept) to develop, manufacture and market genetically engineered TIL under the same intellectual property. The licenses are for the use in all cancers and are worldwide in scope, with the exception that the uses in melanoma are not included for certain countries of the former Soviet Union.

The Company paid PolyBioCept a total of $2.5 million as an up-front exclusive license payment. The Company will also have to make additional milestone payments to PolyBioCept under the License Agreement if, and when, (i) certain product development milestones are achieved, (ii) certain regulatory approvals have been obtained from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and/or the European Medicines Agency (EMA), and (iii) certain product sales targets are achieved. The milestone payments will be payable both in cash (U.S. dollars) and in shares of the Company’s common stock. If all of the foregoing product development, regulatory approval and sales milestone payments are met, the Company will have to pay PolyBioCept an additional $8.7 million and will have to issue to PolyBioCept a total 2,219,376 shares of unregistered common stock. In addition to these potential payments, the Company will reimburse PolyBioCept up to $0.2 million in expenses related to the transfer of know-how and will pay PolyBioCept $0.1 million as a clinical trials management fee. The Company also separately engaged PolyBioCept as a consultant to provide certain product development and research related services in a one-year agreement for up to $0.2 million, subject to the consent of the Karolinska Institute to the services to be performed by its employees thereunder. The License Agreement has an initial term of 30 years, and may be extended for additional five-year periods.

In connection with the execution of the License Agreement, the Company also (i) entered into a clinical trials agreement with the Karolinska University Hospital to conduct clinical trials in glioblastoma and pancreatic cancer at the Karolinska University Hospital, and (ii) agreed to enter into a sponsored research agreement with the Karolinska Institute for the research of the cytokine cocktail in additional indications. The Company agreed to enter into the sponsored research agreement within 90 days after the date of the License Agreement. Failure to do so will give PolyBioCept the right to terminate the License Agreement (and to return $2.2 million of the payments it received). The Company will pay the Karolinska an additional $2.6 million in connection with these other related agreements. The Company recognized $2.4 million and $0 as research and development expense in connection with this agreement in the quarter ended September30, 2016 and September 30, 2015, respectively.

SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING PRACTICES (Policies)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2016

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Short-term Investments

Short-term Investments

Loss per Share

Loss per Share

At September 30, 2016 and 2015, the dilutive impact of the following outstanding equity equivalents have been excluded because their impact on the loss per share is anti-dilutive.

	September 30,		September 30,
	2016		2015

Stock options		4,945,358		2,704,195
Warrants		6,808,216		7,237,216
Series A Preferred		847,000		1,847,000
Series B Preferred		7,946,673		-
Restricted stock awards		9,167		494,000
Restricted stock units		550,000		-
		21,106,414		12,282,411

Fair Value Measurements

Fair Value Measurements

The fair valued assets we hold that are generally included under this Level 1 are money market securities where fair value is based on publicly quoted prices.

We do not have fair valued assets classified under Level 3.

Financial assets measured at fair value on a recurring basis are categorized in the tables below based upon the lowest level of significant input to the valuations (in thousands):

	Assets at Fair Value as of September 30, 2016
	Level 1		Level 2		Level 3		Total
Commercial paper	$	-	$	49,691	$	-	$	49,691
Corporate debt securities		-		32,698		-		32,698
US Government agency securities		-		3,998		-		3,998
Total	$	-	$	86,387	$	-	$	86,387

	Assets at Fair Value as of December 31, 2015
	Level 1		Level 2		Level 3		Total
Corporate debt securities	$	-	$	70,113	$	-	$	70,113
Total	$	-	$	70,113	$	-	$	70,113

Use of Estimates

Use of Estimates

Stock-Based Compensation

Stock-Based Compensation

The fair value of restricted stock units is based on the closing price of the Company’s common stock on the grant date.

Total stock-based compensation expense related to all of our stock-based awards was recorded on the statement of operations as follows (in thousands):

	Three Months Ended September 30,				Nine Months Ended September 30,
	2016		2015		2016		2015

Research and development	$	640	$	855	$	1,818	$	2,051
General and administrative		8,005		1,533		13,963		3,727
Total stock-based compensation expense	$	8,645	$	2,388	$	15,781	$	5,778

Total stock-based compensation broken down based on each individual instrument was as follows (in thousands):

	Three Months Ended September 30,				Nine Months Ended September 30,
	2016		2015		2016		2015

Stock option expense	$	7,877	$	1,922	$	13,944	$	4,223
Restricted stock award expense		145		466		976		1,555
Restricted stock unit expense		623		-		861		-
Total stock-based compensation expense	$	8,645	$	2,388	$	15,781	$	5,778

Preferred Stock

Preferred Stock

Convertible Instruments

Convertible Instruments

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

Subsequent Events

Subsequent Events

SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING PRACTICES (Tables)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2016

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Schedule of Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share

At September 30, 2016 and 2015, the dilutive impact of the following outstanding equity equivalents have been excluded because their impact on the loss per share is anti-dilutive.

	September 30,		September 30,
	2016		2015

Stock options		4,945,358		2,704,195
Warrants		6,808,216		7,237,216
Series A Preferred		847,000		1,847,000
Series B Preferred		7,946,673		-
Restricted stock awards		9,167		494,000
Restricted stock units		550,000		-
		21,106,414		12,282,411

Schedule of Assets Measured at Fair Value

Financial assets measured at fair value on a recurring basis are categorized in the tables below based upon the lowest level of significant input to the valuations (in thousands):

	Assets at Fair Value as of September 30, 2016
	Level 1		Level 2		Level 3		Total
Commercial paper	$	-	$	49,691	$	-	$	49,691
Corporate debt securities		-		32,698		-		32,698
US Government agency securities		-		3,998		-		3,998
Total	$	-	$	86,387	$	-	$	86,387

	Assets at Fair Value as of December 31, 2015
	Level 1		Level 2		Level 3		Total
Corporate debt securities	$	-	$	70,113	$	-	$	70,113
Total	$	-	$	70,113	$	-	$	70,113

Schedule of Stock-Based Compensation

Total stock-based compensation expense related to all of our stock-based awards was recorded on the statement of operations as follows (in thousands):

	Three Months Ended September 30,				Nine Months Ended September 30,
	2016		2015		2016		2015

Research and development	$	640	$	855	$	1,818	$	2,051
General and administrative		8,005		1,533		13,963		3,727
Total stock-based compensation expense	$	8,645	$	2,388	$	15,781	$	5,778

Schedule of Compensation Cost for Share-based Payment Arrangements, Allocation of Share-based Compensation Costs by Plan

Total stock-based compensation broken down based on each individual instrument was as follows (in thousands):

	Three Months Ended September 30,				Nine Months Ended September 30,
	2016		2015		2016		2015

Stock option expense	$	7,877	$	1,922	$	13,944	$	4,223
Restricted stock award expense		145		466		976		1,555
Restricted stock unit expense		623		-		861		-
Total stock-based compensation expense	$	8,645	$	2,388	$	15,781	$	5,778

STOCK OPTIONS AND WARRANTS (Tables)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2016

Disclosure of Compensation Related Costs, Share-based Payments [Abstract]

Schedule of Status of Stock Options

A summary of the status of stock options at September 30, 2016, and the changes during the nine months then ended, is presented in the following table:

					Weighted
			Weighted		Average		Aggregate
	Shares		Average		Remaining		Intrinsic
	Under		Exercise		Contractual		Value
	Option		Price		Life		(in thousands)
Outstanding at January 1, 2016		2,693,237	$	8.12		8.00	$	2,347
Granted		3,007,483		6.55
Exercised		(75,480)		6.35
Expired/Forfeited		(679,882)		8.42
Outstanding at September 30, 2016		4,945,358	$	7.13		6.87	$	8,060
Exercisable at September 30, 2016		2,382,194	$	7.29		4.03	$	4,125

Schedule of Share-based Payment Award, Stock Options, Valuation Assumptions

The fair value of these options was determined to be $19.2 million using the Black-Scholes option pricing model based on the following assumptions:

	Three Months Ended September 30,		Nine Months Ended September 30,
	2016	2015	2016	2015

Expected dividend yield	0%	0%	0%	0%
Risk-free interest rate	1.26% - 1.18%	1.57%	1.79% - 1.18%	1.57%
Expected term (in years)	5.89 - 5.19	10	6.50 - 5.07	10
Expected volatility	170.54% - 158.13%	211.38%	213.64% - 158.13%	218.00% - 211.38%

Schedule of Status of Stock Warrants

A summary of the status of stock warrants at September 30, 2016, and the changes during the nine months then ended, is presented in the following table:

					Weighted
			Weighted		Average		Aggregate
	Shares		Average		Remaining		Intrinsic
	Under		Exercise		Contractual		Value
	Warrants		Price		Life		(in thousands)

Outstanding at January 1, 2016		7,202,216	$	2.51		3.3 years	$	37,596
Issued		-		-
Exercised		(381,058)		2.31
Expired/Cancelled		(12,942)		-
Outstanding and exercisable at September 30, 2016		6,808,216	$	2.52		2.1 years	$	39,011

- Definition

Tabular disclosure of warrants or rights issued. Warrants and rights outstanding are derivative securities that give the holder the right to purchase securities (usually equity) from the issuer at a specific price within a certain time frame. Warrants are often included in a new debt issue to entice investors by a higher return potential. The main difference between warrants and call options is that warrants are issued and guaranteed by the company, whereas options are exchange instruments and are not issued by the company. Also, the lifetime of a warrant is often measured in years, while the lifetime of a typical option is measured in months. Disclose the title of issue of securities called for by warrants and rights outstanding, the aggregate amount of securities called for by warrants and rights outstanding, the date from which the warrants or rights are exercisable, and the price at which the warrant or right is exercisable.

+ References + Details

GENERAL ORGANIZATION AND BUSINESS (Details Textual) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2015	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2015	Dec. 31, 2015
Net Income (Loss) Attributable to Parent, Total	$ (18,758)	$ (7,635)	$ (37,206)	$ (19,300)
Net Cash Provided by (Used in) Operating Activities, Continuing Operations, Total			(20,509)	$ (11,801)
Cash, Cash Equivalents, and Short-term Investments, Total	179,300		179,300
Stockholders' Equity Attributable to Parent, Total	179,131		179,131		$ 104,023
Working Capital	$ 177,400		$ 177,400

- Definition

Cash includes currency on hand as well as demand deposits with banks or financial institutions. It also includes other kinds of accounts that have the general characteristics of demand deposits in that the customer may deposit additional funds at any time and effectively may withdraw funds at any time without prior notice or penalty. Cash equivalents, excluding items classified as marketable securities, include short-term, highly liquid Investments that are both readily convertible to known amounts of cash, and so near their maturity that they present minimal risk of changes in value because of changes in interest rates. Generally, only investments with original maturities of three months or less qualify under that definition. Original maturity means original maturity to the entity holding the investment. For example, both a three-month US Treasury bill and a three-year Treasury note purchased three months from maturity qualify as cash equivalents. However, a Treasury note purchased three years ago does not become a cash equivalent when its remaining maturity is three months. Short-term investments, exclusive of cash equivalents, generally consist of marketable securities intended to be sold within one year (or the normal operating cycle if longer) and may include trading securities, available-for-sale securities, or held-to-maturity securities (if maturing within one year), as applicable.

+ References + Details

CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS AND SHORT-TERM INVESTMENTS (Details 1) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	9 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Amortized Cost	$ 174,880	$ 90,010
Gross Unrealized Gains	177	48
Gross Unrealized Losses	(14)	0
Fair Value	175,043	90,058
Commercial Paper [Member]
Amortized Cost	49,517
Gross Unrealized Gains	174
Gross Unrealized Losses	0
Fair Value	49,691
Corporate Debt Securities [Member]
Amortized Cost	32,708	70,065
Gross Unrealized Gains	3	48
Gross Unrealized Losses	(13)	0
Fair Value	32,698	70,113
US Government Debt Securities [Member]
Amortized Cost	3,999
Gross Unrealized Gains	0
Gross Unrealized Losses	(1)
Fair Value	3,998
Money Market Funds [Member]
Amortized Cost	88,656	19,945
Gross Unrealized Gains	0	0
Gross Unrealized Losses	0	0
Fair Value	$ 88,656	$ 19,945

STOCKHOLDER'S EQUITY (Details)	9 Months Ended
STOCKHOLDER'S EQUITY (Details)	Sep. 30, 2016 $ / shares shares
Number of Shares
Non-vested shares, Beginning Balance \| shares	321,252
Granted \| shares	0
Vested \| shares	(272,084)
Forfeited \| shares	(40,001)
Non-vested shares, Ending Balance \| shares	9,167
Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value
Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value, Beginning Balance \| $ / shares	$ 6.96
Granted \| $ / shares	0
Vested \| $ / shares	6.90
Forfeited \| $ / shares	0
Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value, Ending Balance \| $ / shares	$ 6.49

STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY (Details Textual) $ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands	1 Months Ended			3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Aug. 16, 2016 USD ($)	Jun. 30, 2016 USD ($) $ / shares shares	Jun. 07, 2016 $ / shares shares	Sep. 30, 2016 USD ($) $ / shares shares	Sep. 30, 2015 USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2016 USD ($) $ / shares shares	Sep. 30, 2015 USD ($)
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Grants in Period						0
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Vested in Period						272,084
Proceeds from Issuance of Private Placement \| $		$ 100,000
Proceeds from Issuance or Sale of Equity \| $						$ 95,685	$ 68,308
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Grants in Period, Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value \| $ / shares						$ 0
Convertible Preferred Stock, Shares Issued upon Conversion				3,421,960		3,421,960
Other Preferred Stock Dividends and Adjustments \| $	$ 49,500			$ 49,454	$ 0	$ 49,454	$ 0
Private Placement [Member]
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Stock Issued During Period, Shares, New Issues			9,684,000
Preferred Stock Convertible Conversion Price			4.75
Proceeds from Issuance or Sale of Equity \| $						$ 95,700
Restricted Stock [Member]
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Grants in Period		550,000
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Grants in Period, Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value \| $ / shares		$ 5.87
Restricted Stock [Member] \| Share-based Compensation Award, Tranche One [Member]
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Vested in Period		137,500
Restricted Stock [Member] \| Share-based Compensation Award, Tranche Two [Member]
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Vested in Period		275,000
Restricted Stock [Member] \| Share-based Compensation Award, Tranche Three [Member]
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Vested in Period		137,500
Series B Preferred Stock [Member]
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Preferred Stock, Shares Authorized		11,500,000		11,500,000		11,500,000
Preferred Stock, Par or Stated Value Per Share \| $ / shares		$ 4.75		$ 0.001		$ 0.001
Convertible Price Per Shares \| $ / shares		$ 4.75
Preferred Stock, Shares Issued				7,946,673		7,946,673
Other Preferred Stock Dividends and Adjustments \| $				$ 49,500		$ 49,500
Series B Preferred Stock [Member] \| Private Placement [Member]
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Preferred Stock, Shares Issued				3,421,960		3,421,960
Sock Issued During Period Preferred Stock, Shares			11,368,633
Shares Issued, Price Per Share \| $ / shares			$ 4.75

STOCK OPTIONS AND WARRANTS (Details) - Employee Stock Option [Member] $ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands	9 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2016 USD ($) $ / shares shares	Dec. 31, 2015 USD ($) $ / shares shares
Shares Under Option
Outstanding, beginning balance \| shares	2,693,237
Granted \| shares	3,007,483
Exercised \| shares	(75,480)
Expired/Forfeited \| shares	(679,882)
Outstanding, ending balance \| shares	4,945,358	2,693,237
Exercisable \| shares	2,382,194
Weighted Average Exercise Price
Outstanding, beginning balance \| $ / shares	$ 8.12
Granted \| $ / shares	6.55
Exercised \| $ / shares	6.35
Expired/Forfeited \| $ / shares	8.42
Outstanding, ending balance \| $ / shares	7.13	$ 8.12
Exercisable \| $ / shares	$ 7.29
Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Life
Outstanding	6 years 10 months 13 days	8 years
Granted	0 years
Expired/Forfeited	0 years
Exercisable	4 years 11 days
Aggregate Intrinsic Value
Granted \| $	$ 0
Expired/Forfeited \| $	0
Aggregate Intrinsic Value, Outstanding \| $	8,060	$ 2,347
Exercisable \| $	$ 4,125

STOCK OPTIONS AND WARRANTS (Details 2 ) - Warrant [Member] $ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands	9 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2016 USD ($) $ / shares shares	Dec. 31, 2015 USD ($) $ / shares shares
Shares Under Warrants
Outstanding, beginning balance \| shares	7,202,216
Issued \| shares	0
Exercised \| shares	(381,058)
Expired/Forfeited \| shares	(12,942)
Outstanding, ending balance \| shares	6,808,216	7,202,216
Weighted Average Exercise Price
Outstanding, beginning balance \| $ / shares	$ 2.51
Issued \| $ / shares	0
Exercised \| $ / shares	2.31
Expired/Forfeited \| $ / shares	0
Outstanding, ending balance \| $ / shares	$ 2.52	$ 2.51
Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Life
Outstanding	2 years 1 month 6 days	3 years 3 months 18 days
Aggregate Intrinsic Value
Aggregate Intrinsic Value, Outstanding \| $	$ 39,011	$ 37,596

AGREEMENTS (Details Textual) - USD ($) $ in Thousands		3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
AGREEMENTS (Details Textual) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Sep. 14, 2016	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2015	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2015
AGREEMENTS [Line Items]
License Costs				$ 600	$ 400
Research and Development Expense, Total		$ 8,481	$ 4,960	17,200	11,413
Karolinska University Hospital [Member]
AGREEMENTS [Line Items]
Repayments To Be Made For Termination Of Licence Agreement	$ 2,200
Payments To Be Made For Other Related Agreements	2,600
Research and Development Expense, Total				$ 2,400	$ 0
Exclusive and Co-exclusive License Agreement [Member] \| PolyBioCept AB [Member]
AGREEMENTS [Line Items]
Payment For Up-front Exclusive License	2,500
Additional Milesone Payable	$ 8,700
Number of Unregistered Common Stock To Be Issued	2,219,376
Reimbursement In Relation To Transfer Of Know-How	$ 200
Clinical Trials Management Fees Payable	100
Consulting fees Receivable	$ 200
Initial Term Of The Licence Agreement	30 years
Additional Term Of Licence Agreement	5 years

LEGAL PROCEEDINGS (Details Textual) $ in Millions		1 Months Ended			9 Months Ended
LEGAL PROCEEDINGS (Details Textual) $ in Millions	Jun. 03, 2016 USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2013	Nov. 30, 2012 USD ($)	Jun. 30, 2012 USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2016 USD ($)	Apr. 08, 2016 USD ($)
Loss Contingency, Damages Sought, Value	$ 0.5
Stockholders' Equity, Reverse Stock Split		1-for-100
Minimum [Member]
Loss Contingency, Estimate of Possible Loss						$ 1.5
Solomon Capital, LLC [Member]
Proceeds from Related Party Debt			$ 0.2	$ 0.1
Debt Instrument, Convertible, Number of Equity Instruments					111,425
Commercial Paper [Member] \| Solomon Capital, LLC [Member]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount					$ 0.2

COMMITMENTS AND CONTINENGIES (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2016	Aug. 04, 2016
2016 (remaining three months)	$ 39
2017	610
2018	629
2019	633
2020	495
2021	169
Total	$ 2,575	$ 2,100

COMMITMENTS AND CONTINENGIES (Details Textual) $ in Thousands			1 Months Ended	3 Months Ended
	Aug. 04, 2016 USD ($) ft²	Mar. 11, 2016 shares	Jun. 30, 2016 shares	Sep. 30, 2016 USD ($) ft² shares	Aug. 18, 2016 USD ($)	Apr. 30, 2015 ft²	Dec. 31, 2014 ft²
License And Commitments [Line Items]
Area of Land \| ft²	8,733
Lease Expiration Term	54 months
Operating Leases, Future Minimum Payments Due, Total \| $	$ 2,100			$ 2,575
Commitments For Quarterly Payments \| $					$ 500
Commitments For Payments Over The Life Of Amendment \| $					$ 10,000
Common Stock Registered For Resale \| shares			128,500
Shares Sold Under Ineffective Registration \| shares		128,500
Warrant [Member]
License And Commitments [Line Items]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Exercises in Period \| shares				128,500
Tampa Lease [Member]
License And Commitments [Line Items]
Area of Land \| ft²				8,673		6,043	5,115

SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING PRACTICES (Details 1) - Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Assets, fair value	$ 86,387	$ 70,113
Commercial Paper [Member]
Assets, fair value	49,691
Corporate Debt Securities [Member]
Assets, fair value	32,698	70,113
US Government Debt Securities [Member]
Assets, fair value	3,998
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 [Member]
Assets, fair value	0	0
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 [Member] \| Commercial Paper [Member]
Assets, fair value	0
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 [Member] \| Corporate Debt Securities [Member]
Assets, fair value	0	0
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 [Member] \| US Government Debt Securities [Member]
Assets, fair value	0
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 [Member]
Assets, fair value	86,387	70,113
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 [Member] \| Commercial Paper [Member]
Assets, fair value	49,691
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 [Member] \| Corporate Debt Securities [Member]
Assets, fair value	32,698	70,113
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 [Member] \| US Government Debt Securities [Member]
Assets, fair value	3,998
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 3 [Member]
Assets, fair value	0	0
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 3 [Member] \| Commercial Paper [Member]
Assets, fair value	0
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 3 [Member] \| Corporate Debt Securities [Member]
Assets, fair value	0	$ 0
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 3 [Member] \| US Government Debt Securities [Member]
Assets, fair value	$ 0

STOCK OPTIONS AND WARRANTS (Details Textual) $ in Millions	9 Months Ended
STOCK OPTIONS AND WARRANTS (Details Textual) $ in Millions	Sep. 30, 2016 USD ($) shares
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Nonvested Awards, Compensation Cost Not yet Recognized, Period for Recognition	2 years 6 months
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Nonvested Awards, Compensation Not yet Recognized, Stock Options	$ 15.3
Employee Stock Option [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Grants in Period, Gross \| shares	3,007,483
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Vested in Period, Fair Value	$ 19.2

SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING PRACTICES (Details) - shares	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2015
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share, Amount	21,106,414	12,282,411
Employee Stock Option [Member]
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share, Amount	4,945,358	2,704,195
Warrant [Member]
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share, Amount	6,808,216	7,237,216
Restricted Stock Awards [Member]
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share, Amount	9,167	494,000
Restricted Stock [Member]
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share, Amount	550,000	0
Series A Preferred Stock [Member]
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share, Amount	847,000	1,847,000
Series B Preferred Stock [Member]
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share, Amount	7,946,673	0

CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS AND SHORT-TERM INVESTMENTS (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015	Sep. 30, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
Cash and Cash Equivalents, at Carrying Value	$ 92,895	$ 33,587	$ 30,772	$ 44,909
Available-for-sale Securities	86,387	70,113
Commercial Paper [Member]
Cash and Cash Equivalents, at Carrying Value	2,999	0
Available-for-sale Securities	49,691	0
Corporate Debt Securities [Member]
Available-for-sale Securities	32,698	70,113
US Government Debt Securities [Member]
Available-for-sale Securities	3,998	0
Demand Deposits [Member]
Cash and Cash Equivalents, at Carrying Value	1,240	13,642
Money Market Funds [Member]
Cash and Cash Equivalents, at Carrying Value	$ 88,656	$ 19,945

CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS AND SHORT-TERM INVESTMENTS (Details 2) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Available for sale Securities, Amortized Cost	$ 86,224
Available for sale Securities	$ 86,387	$ 70,113

STOCK OPTIONS AND WARRANTS (Details 1)	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
STOCK OPTIONS AND WARRANTS (Details 1)	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2015	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2015
Expected dividend yield	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%
Risk-free interest rate		1.57%		1.57%
Expected term (in years)		10 years		10 years
Expected volatility		211.38%
Maximum [Member]
Risk-free interest rate	1.26%		1.79%
Expected term (in years)	5 years 10 months 20 days		6 years 6 months
Expected volatility	170.54%		213.64%	218.00%
Minimum [Member]
Risk-free interest rate	1.18%		1.18%
Expected term (in years)	5 years 2 months 8 days		5 years 25 days
Expected volatility	158.13%		158.13%	211.38%