Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.
The following discussion contains management’s discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations and should be read together with the historical consolidated financial statements and the notes thereto included in “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data”. This discussion contains forward-looking statements that reflect our plans, estimates and beliefs and involve numerous risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to those described in the “Risk Factors” section of this Annual Report. Actual results may differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. You should carefully read “Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” and “Risk Factors.”
Overview
We are a clinical stage immuno-oncology company pioneering the development of genetically engineered allogeneic T cell product candidates for the treatment of cancer and autoimmune diseases. We are developing a pipeline of “off-the-shelf” T cell product candidates that are designed to target and kill cancer cells in patients or eliminate pathogenic autoreactive cells in patients with autoimmune disorders. Our engineered T cells are allogeneic, meaning they are derived from healthy donors for intended use in any patient, rather than from an individual patient for that patient’s use, as in the case of autologous T cells. We believe this key difference will enable us to deliver readily available treatments faster, more reliably, at greater scale, and to more patients.
We have a deep pipeline of allogeneic chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell product candidates targeting multiple promising antigens in a host of hematological malignancies, solid tumors and autoimmune diseases. Last year we announced our 2024 Platform Vision under which we are now focusing on three core programs.
We are currently focused on developing cemacabtagene ansegedleucel (cema-cel, previously ALLO-501A) in large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL). In June 2024, we initiated a pivotal Phase 2 clinical trial (ALPHA3) for cema-cel as part of a first line (1L) treatment plan for newly diagnosed and treated LBCL patients who are likely to relapse and need further therapy, and we now have 40 sites activated. The design of the ALPHA3 1L consolidation trial builds upon the results demonstrated in the Phase 1 ALPHA2 trial and leverages an investigational diagnostic test developed by Foresight Diagnostics, Inc. that we believe will identify patients who have achieved remission by standard disease assessment but who have minimal residual disease (MRD) at the completion of 1L chemoimmunotherapy. The ALPHA3 trial is designed to study the impact of treating MRD positive patients with cema-cel. The study will randomize approximately 240 patients who achieve a complete response or partial response to 1L therapy, but who are MRD positive. Patients will be randomized to receive either consolidation with cema-cel or the current standard of care, which is observation. The study design, which has event free survival (EFS) as its primary endpoint, initially includes two lymphodepletion arms:
– FCA: standard fludarabine and cyclophosphamide plus ALLO-647
– FC: standard fludarabine and cyclophosphamide without ALLO-647
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One of these lymphodepletion arms will be discontinued following a planned interim analysis designed to identify the most appropriate regimen for this patient population. An initial safety and futility interim analysis will occur once 12 patients in each arm have been enrolled and followed for MRD conversion. If both treatment arms perform better than the control arm according to the futility criteria, but neither treatment arm shows a trend toward superiority relative to the other in this interim analysis, additional patients may be enrolled and analyzed before we select the final lymphodepletion regimen. The selection of the lymphodepletion regimen is anticipated around mid-2025, depending on the interim analyses results and overall trial progress. Efficacy analyses are expected to occur in 2026, and will include the Independent Data Safety Monitoring Board (IDSMB) interim EFS analysis in the first half of 2026 and the data readout of the primary EFS analysis is expected around year-end 2026. A biologics license application (BLA) submission is targeted for 2027. In view of the potential of the earlier line ALPHA3 trial, we have deprioritized the third line (3L) LBCL ALPHA2 and EXPAND trials.
We have completed enrollment in an expansion cohort in a Phase 1b clinical trial (TRAVERSE) of ALLO-316, an allogeneic CAR T cell product candidate targeting CD70, in adult patients with advanced or metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma (RCC). On October 29, 2024, we announced that we had received Regenerative Medicine Advanced Therapy (RMAT) designation for ALLO-316 for adult patients with advanced or metastatic RCC. We have implemented a protocol amendment that incorporates a diagnostic and treatment algorithm into the study design. The algorithm is designed to mitigate the treatment-associated hyperinflammatory response without compromising the CAR T function needed to eradicate solid tumors.
In November 2024, we provided a data update from patients with CD70 positive RCC, and highlighted that the newly implemented diagnostic and management algorithm appears effective in abating IEC-HS while preserving CAR T efficacy. Additional data from dose escalation cohorts, as well as a Phase 1b expansion cohort, was presented at the 2024 International Kidney Cancer Symposium (IKCS, November 8, 2024) and the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer’s (SITC) Annual Meeting (November 9, 2024).
As of the October 14, 2024, data cutoff, 39 patients had been enrolled in the ongoing Phase 1 trial, of which 26 were confirmed to have CD70 positive RCC and were evaluable for efficacy outcomes. The median time from enrollment to the start of therapy was five days. Data from dose escalation cohorts and ongoing Phase 1b expansion cohort are included in the presentations. The Phase 1b expansion cohort is evaluating safety and efficacy of ALLO-316 at DL2 (80M CAR T cells) following a standard FC500 (fludarabine (30 mg/m2/day) and cyclophosphamide (500 mg/m2/d) for three days) lymphodepletion regimen. The Phase 1b expansion cohort has now completed enrollment with 20 patients enrolled. We are now pausing further standard dosing pending durability results for the enrolled patients. Additional data from the Phase 1b expansion cohort is expected to be announced in mid-2025.
We are developing ALLO-329, a next-generation allogeneic CAR T cell product candidate targeting both CD19 and CD70 for the treatment of certain autoimmune diseases (AID). Inclusion of an anti-CD70 CAR in ALLO-329 incorporates the Dagger® technology, which is designed to reduce or eliminate the need for standard chemotherapy by preventing premature rejection while targeting CD19+ B-cells and CD70+ activated T-cells, both of which play a role in AID. In January 2025, we announced that the FDA has cleared our investigational new drug (IND) application for a Phase 1 rheumatology basket study of ALLO-329 (RESOLUTION trial). Our RESOLUTION trial will evaluate the safety and efficacy of ALLO-329 across multiple autoimmune diseases, including systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) (including lupus nephritis), idiopathic inflammatory myopathies, and systemic sclerosis. We expect to initiate the Phase 1 trial with ALLO-329 in mid-2025 and anticipate having proof-of-concept around year-end 2025.
We are developing an anti-CD52 monoclonal antibody, ALLO-647, which is a proprietary component of our oncology lymphodepletion regimen. ALLO-647 may be able to reduce the likelihood of a patient’s immune system rejecting the engineered allogeneic T cells for a sufficient period of time to enable a window of persistence during which our engineered allogeneic T cells can actively target and destroy cancer cells. During Part A of our pivotal ALPHA3 trial, we will be assessing ALLO-647’s contribution to the overall benefit to risk ratio of the lymphodepletion regimen for cema-cel. Patients will be randomized to receive cema-cel and a lymphodepletion regimen with fludarabine and cyclophosphamide either with or without ALLO-647. As described above, one of these lymphodepletion arms will be discontinued following a planned interim analysis designed to identify the most appropriate regimen for this patient population. The selection of the final regimen with which we will complete enrollment in the study (Part B) is anticipated around mid-2025, depending on the interim analyses results and overall trial progress.
While we have additional programs in our pipeline, our clinical development priorities are focused on cema-cel (1L Consolidation), ALLO-316 and ALLO-329. The development of our other product candidates is currently focused on pre-clinical studies, including studies of BCMA and DLL3 CARs with and without our CD70 Dagger® protein, and various manufacturing improvements that may be applicable to such product candidates, we continue to explore opportunities to partner with collaborators on product candidates across our pipeline.
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In May 2024, we entered into an Amendment and Settlement Agreement (the Servier Amendment) under which we expanded the geographic territory for our CD19 license to include the European Union and the United Kingdom. The Servier Amendment also grants us an option to further expand the licensed territory to include China and Japan upon the objective showing of sufficient resources to develop licensed products in those countries, which could be met through the Company entering into a strategic partnership covering those countries. Later this year, we plan to seek scientific advice from European and UK regulatory authorities to assist us with finalizing our regulatory strategy for the EU and the UK. Additionally, in February 2025, we entered into an Amended and Restated Strategic Collaboration Agreement with Foresight Diagnostics which expands our collaboration to enable the development of Foresight Diagnostics’ MRD assay as a companion diagnostic in the EU, UK, Canada and Australia in support of Allogene’s clinical development of cema-cel.
Since inception, we have had significant operating losses. Our net loss was $257.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2024. As of December 31, 2024, we had an accumulated deficit of $1.8 billion. As of December 31, 2024, we had $373.1 million in cash and cash equivalents and investments and we expect our cash runway to fund operations into the second half of 2026. We expect to continue to incur net losses for the foreseeable future, and we expect our research and development expenses and general and administrative expenses will continue to increase.
Our License and Collaboration Agreements
Below is a summary of the key terms for certain of our licenses and collaboration agreements. For a more detailed description of these agreements, see Note 6 to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Asset Contribution Agreement with Pfizer
In April 2018, we entered into an Asset Contribution Agreement (the Pfizer Agreement) with Pfizer pursuant to which we acquired certain assets and assumed certain liabilities from Pfizer, including agreements with Cellectis S.A. (Cellectis) and Servier as described below, and other intellectual property for the development and administration of CAR T cells for the treatment of cancer.
Research Collaboration and License Agreement with Cellectis
In June 2014, Pfizer entered into a Research Collaboration and License Agreement with Cellectis. In April 2018, Pfizer assigned the agreement to us pursuant to the Pfizer Agreement. In March 2019, we terminated the agreement with Cellectis and entered into a new license agreement with Cellectis (the Cellectis Agreement). Under the Cellectis Agreement, Cellectis granted us an exclusive, worldwide, royalty-bearing license, on a target-by-target basis, with sublicensing rights under certain conditions, under certain of Cellectis’s intellectual property, including its TALEN and electroporation technology, to make, use, sell, import, and otherwise exploit and commercialize CAR T products directed at certain targets, including BCMA, CD70, Claudin 18.2, DLL3 and FLT3 (the Allogene Targets), for human oncologic therapeutic, diagnostic, prophylactic and prognostic purposes.
Exclusive License Agreement with Servier
In October 2015, Pfizer entered into an Exclusive License Agreement with Servier (the Original Servier Agreement) to develop, manufacture and commercialize certain allogeneic anti-CD19 CAR products, including UCART19, in the United States with the option to obtain the rights over certain additional allogeneic anti-CD19 CAR product candidates and for allogeneic CAR T cell product candidates directed against one additional target. In April 2018, Pfizer assigned the agreement to us pursuant to the Pfizer Agreement. In October 2019, we agreed to waive our rights to the one additional target.
In May 2024, we entered into an Amendment and Settlement Agreement (the Servier Amendment) with Servier under which we: (1) expanded our territory under the Original Servier Agreement to include the European Union and the United Kingdom, and provides for an option to further expand our territory to include China and Japan, (2) waived certain of our rights to elect to convert certain of our license rights to a worldwide license, (3) revised our future milestone payments to coincide with Servier’s milestone payments to Cellectis under the Servier-Cellectis Agreement, (4) agreed to pre-pay a future €20 million milestone payment into an escrow account, and (5) increased the United States tiered royalty rates to a range from the low tens to the mid teen percentages, and agreed to an ex-U.S. royalty rate of 10%. For more information, see “Risk Factors— Servier’s discontinuation of its involvement in the development of CD19 Products and Servier's disputes with Cellectis, or future disputes with us, may have adverse consequences."
Collaboration and License Agreement with Notch
On November 1, 2019, we entered into a Collaboration and License Agreement (the Notch Agreement) with Notch Therapeutics Inc. (Notch), pursuant to which Notch granted us an exclusive, worldwide, royalty-bearing, sublicensable license under certain of Notch’s intellectual property to develop, make, use, sell, import, and otherwise commercialize therapeutic
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gene-edited T cell and/or natural killer cell products from induced pluripotent stem cells directed at certain CAR targets for initial application in NHL, B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and multiple myeloma. In addition, Notch has granted us an option to add certain specified targets to our exclusive license in exchange for an agreed upon per-target option fee.
On January 25, 2024, we entered into an Amended and Restated Collaboration and License Agreement (the Amended Notch Agreement) with Notch. The Amended Notch Agreement amends and restates the Notch Agreement. Under the Amended Notch Agreement, we have relinquished our exclusive rights to all original CAR targets (the Released Targets) except for one CAR target, and have agreed to limit our option right to only one additional CAR target. If the option is exercised, we will have a minimum funding commitment for the overall development program. If Notch subsequently out-licenses any of the Released Targets (whether through an out-license, partnership, sale, or other transaction), we will be entitled to receive a percentage of upfront and/or milestone payments associated therewith up to a set cap of $30.0 million, and will be entitled to a low, single-digit royalty on net sales of products containing a Released Target.
In January 2025, Notch announced that securing additional investment and/or additional partners to take their research forward remains challenging, and therefore they significantly reduced their workforce to preserve cash and provide the time to explore alternate paths forward.
Strategic Alliance with The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
On October 6, 2020, we entered into a strategic five-year collaboration agreement with The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (MD Anderson) for the preclinical and clinical investigation of allogeneic CAR T cell product candidates.
License Agreement with Allogene Overland Biopharm (PRC) Co., Limited
On December 14, 2020, we entered into a License Agreement with Allogene Overland Biopharm (CY) Limited (Allogene Overland) (the License Agreement), a joint venture established by us and Overland Pharmaceuticals (CY) Inc. (Overland), pursuant to a Share Purchase Agreement (Share Purchase Agreement), dated December 14, 2020, for the purpose of developing, manufacturing and commercializing certain allogeneic CAR T cell therapies directed at four targets, BCMA, CD70, FLT3 and DLL3 (Overland Licensed Products) for patients in greater China, Taiwan, South Korea and Singapore (the JV Territory). Allogene Overland subsequently assigned the License Agreement to a wholly owned subsidiary, Allogene Overland BioPharm (HK) Limited (Allogene Overland HK). On April 1, 2022, Allogene Overland HK assigned the License Agreement to Allogene Overland Biopharm (PRC) Co., Limited (Allogene Overland PRC).
On May 24, 2024, we, Overland and Allogene Overland entered into a Share Exchange Agreement (Share Exchange Agreement) pursuant to which Overland’s cell therapy business merged into Allogene Overland (the Organizational Restructuring). Under a separate agreement between Overland and HH BioPharma Holdings Ltd. (HBP) executed on May 24, 2024, Overland distributed all Series Seed Preferred Shares of Allogene Overland held by Overland to HBP and HBP has assumed all rights and obligations attached to such shares and all rights and obligations of Overland under the Share Exchange Agreement.
In connection with the Organizational Restructuring, on May 24, 2024, we and Allogene Overland PRC entered into a First Amendment to Exclusive License Agreement (the License Amendment) to amend and supplement certain provisions of the License Agreement. Under the License Amendment, we continue to grant Allogene Overland PRC an exclusive license to develop, manufacture, and commercialize the Overland Licensed Products in the Territory, with us retaining exclusive rights to the Overland Licensed Products outside the JV Territory, and the royalty obligations to us were amended to a flat mid single-digit royalty on net sales in the JV Territory that are no longer subject to reductions as previously provided. The License Amendment also provides us with additional rights to terminate the License Agreement in its entirety or with respect to the relevant Overland Licensed Product(s) if Allogene Overland PRC fails to initiate manufacturing technology transfer with respect to an Overland Licensed Product as agreed in the License Amendment, or if HBP commits a funding default or a material breach of its representations, warranties, or covenants under the Share Exchange Agreement. The License Amendment also provides that the License Agreement will terminate automatically if our ownership in Allogene Overland falls below 7.5% (other than due to our sale of the shares of Allogene Overland), unless at that time we and Allogene Overland PRC have mutually agreed on the manufacturing technology transfer plan for the Overland Licensed Product(s) and Allogene Overland PRC elects to continue the license for such Overland Licensed Product(s) with increased milestones and royalties. Under the License Amendment terms such increased milestones and royalties consist of up to $115 million in milestone payments for each Overland Licensed Product and tiered mid single-digit to low double-digit royalties on net sales in the JV Territory.
As part of the Organizational Restructuring, Allogene Overland was renamed to Overland Therapeutics Inc. (Overland Therapeutics).
Collaboration and License Agreement with Antion
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On January 5, 2022, we entered into an exclusive collaboration and global license agreement (Antion Collaboration and License Agreement) with Antion Biosciences SA (Antion) for Antion’s miRNA technology (miCAR), to advance multiplex gene silencing as an additional tool to develop next generation allogeneic CAR T products. On July 11, 2023, we entered into an amendment to the Antion Collaboration and License Agreement, which included a $2.0 million investment in Antion’s preferred shares and the acquisition of warrants to purchase an additional $3.0 million of Antion’s preferred shares.
Strategic Collaboration Agreement with Foresight Diagnostics
On January 3, 2024, we entered into a Strategic Collaboration Agreement (the Foresight Agreement) with Foresight Diagnostics, Inc. (Foresight Diagnostics). Pursuant to the Foresight Agreement, the parties have agreed to collaborate on a non-exclusive basis in the development of Foresight Diagnostics’ MRD assay as an in vitro diagnostic to identify the MRD+ patient population to be enrolled in our ALPHA3 trial of cemacabtagene ansegedleucel, or cema-cel (previously known as ALLO-501A) for treatment of large B cell lymphoma (LBCL). Under the Foresight Agreement, we have agreed to use commercially reasonable efforts to obtain regulatory approval of cema-cel, and Foresight Diagnostics has agreed to use commercially reasonable efforts to obtain regulatory approval of an MRD assay for use as an in vitro diagnostic with cema-cel.
On February 19, 2025, we entered into an Amended and Restated Strategic Collaboration Agreement with Foresight Diagnostics which expands our collaboration to include the development of Foresight Diagnostics’ MRD assay as a companion diagnostic for use with cema-cel as part of a possible EU and/or UK clinical development program, and as part of an expansion of ALPHA3 to Canadian and Australian clinical trial sites in support of our US clinical development program. In total, we have agreed to fund approximately $37.3 million in MRD assay development costs, milestone payments for U.S., and certain international regulatory submissions and assay utilization costs to process clinical samples.
Components of Results of Operations
Revenues
As of December 31, 2024, our revenue has been exclusively generated from the License Agreement with Overland Therapeutics. See Note 6 to our consolidated financial statements appearing elsewhere in this Annual Report for more information related to our recognition of revenue and the License Agreement.
In the future, we may generate revenue from a combination of product sales, marketing and distribution arrangements and other collaborations, strategic alliances and licensing arrangements or a combination of these approaches. We expect that any revenue we generate will fluctuate from quarter to quarter as a result of the timing and amount of license fees, milestones and other payments, and the amount and timing of payments that we receive upon the sale of our products, to the extent any are successfully commercialized. If we fail to complete the development of our product candidates in a timely manner or obtain regulatory approval of them, our ability to generate future revenue, and our results of operations and financial position, will be materially adversely affected.
Operating Expenses
Research and Development
To date, our research and development expenses have related primarily to discovery efforts, preclinical and clinical development, and manufacturing of our product candidates. Research and development expenses for the year ended December 31, 2024 included costs associated with our clinical and preclinical stage pipeline candidates and research into newer technologies. The most significant research and development expenses relate to costs incurred for the development of our most advanced product candidates and include:
• expenses incurred under agreements with our collaboration partners and third-party contract organizations, investigative clinical trial sites that conduct research and development activities on our behalf, and consultants;
• costs related to production of clinical materials, including fees paid for raw materials and to contract manufacturers;
• laboratory and vendor expenses related to the execution of preclinical and clinical trials;
• employee-related expenses, which include salaries, benefits and stock-based compensation;
• facilities and other expenses, which include expenses for rent and maintenance of facilities, depreciation and amortization expense and supplies; and
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• other significant research and development costs including overhead costs.
We expense all research and development costs in the periods in which they are incurred. We accrue for costs incurred as the services are being provided by monitoring the status of the project and the invoices received from our external service providers. We adjust our accrual as actual costs become known. Where contingent milestone payments are due to third parties under research and development arrangements or license agreements, the milestone payment obligations are expensed when the milestone results are achieved.
Research and development activities are central to our business model. Product candidates in later stages of clinical development generally have higher development costs than those in earlier stages of clinical development, primarily due to the increased size and duration of later-stage clinical trials. We expect our research and development expenses to increase in the future as our clinical programs progress and as we seek to initiate clinical trials of additional product candidates. The cost of advancing our manufacturing process as well as the cost of manufacturing product candidates for clinical trials are included in our research and development expense. We also expect to incur increased research and development expenses as we selectively identify and develop additional product candidates. However, it is difficult to determine with certainty the duration and completion costs of our current or future preclinical programs and clinical trials of our product candidates.
The duration, costs and timing of clinical trials and development of our product candidates will depend on a variety of factors that include, but are not limited to, the following:
• per patient trial costs;
• biomarker analysis costs;
• the cost and timing of manufacturing for the trials;
• the number of patients that participate in the trials;
• the number of sites included in the trials;
• the number of patients we are required to screen with eligibility tests (e.g. MRD assays) in order to reach our enrollment targets;
• the countries in which the trials are conducted;
• the length of time required to enroll eligible patients;
• the total number of cells that patients receive;
• the drop-out or discontinuation rates of patients;
• potential additional safety monitoring or other studies requested by regulatory agencies, including to resolve any future clinical hold;
• the duration of patient follow-up; and
• the efficacy and safety profile of the product candidates.
In addition, the probability of success for each product candidate will depend on numerous factors, including safety, efficacy, competition, manufacturing capability and commercial viability. We will determine which programs to pursue and how much to fund each program in response to the scientific and clinical success of each product candidate, as well as an assessment of each product candidate’s commercial potential.
Because our product candidates are still in clinical and preclinical development and the outcome of these efforts is uncertain, we cannot estimate the actual amounts necessary to successfully complete the development and commercialization of product candidates or whether, or when, we may achieve profitability.
General and Administrative
General and administrative expenses consist primarily of salaries and other staff-related costs, including stock-based compensation for options and restricted stock units granted. Other significant costs include costs relating to facilities and overhead costs, legal fees relating to corporate and patent matters, insurance, investor relations costs, fees for accounting and consulting services, information technology, costs and support for our board of directors and board committees, and other general and administrative costs. General and administrative costs are expensed as incurred, and we accrue for services provided by third parties related to the above expenses by monitoring the status of services provided and receiving estimates from our service providers, and adjusting our accruals as actual costs become known.
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Other Income (Expense), Net:
Interest and Other Income, Net
Interest and other income, net primarily consists of interest earned on our cash and cash equivalents and investments, as well as investment gains and losses recognized during the period.
Interest Expense
Interest expense related to the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) award is accrued upon cash receipt.
Other Expenses, net
Other expenses, net consist of non-operating income and expenses, including primarily our share of net losses for the period from, and impairment of, our equity method investments and impairment of our equity investments.
Results of Operations
Comparison of the Years Ended December 31, 2024 and 2023
The following sets forth our results of operations for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 (dollars in thousands):
Year Ended December 31, Change
2024 2023 $ %
Collaboration revenue - related party $ 22 $ 95 $ (73) (77) %
Operating expenses:
Research and development 192,299 242,914 (50,615) (21) %
General and administrative 65,205 71,673 (6,468) (9) %
Impairment of long-lived asset 15,717 13,245 2,472 19 %
Total operating expenses 273,221 327,832 (54,611) (17) %
Loss from operations (273,199) (327,737) 54,538 (17) %
Other income (expense), net:
Interest and other income, net 20,153 18,307 1,846 10 %
Interest expense (181) — (181) (100) %
Other expenses, net
(3,920) (17,835) 13,915 (78) %
Total other income (expense), net 16,052 472 15,580 3,301 %
Loss before income taxes (257,147) (327,265) 70,118 (21) %
Income tax expense (443) — (443) (100) %
Net loss $ (257,590) $ (327,265) $ 69,675 (21) %
Collaboration revenue - related party
Revenue recognized in the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 was mainly due to participation in the joint steering committee performance obligation related to the License Agreement entered into with Overland Therapeutics on December 14, 2020.
Research and Development Expenses
The following table shows the primary components of our research and development expenses for the periods presented:
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Year Ended December 31,
2024 2023 Change
Personnel $ 79,993 $ 112,457 $ (32,464)
Development costs 62,264 74,644 (12,380)
Facilities and depreciation 40,941 44,684 (3,743)
Other 9,101 11,129 (2,028)
Total research and development expenses 192,299 242,914 (50,615)
Our research and development expenses included $91.1 million of internal expense and $101.2 million of external expenses for the year ended December 31, 2024. Of the $101.2 million of the external expenses for the year ended December 31, 2024, $36.4 million was related to our cema-cel program. Our research and development expenses included $119.0 million of internal expenses and $123.9 million of external expenses for the year ended December 31, 2023. Of the $123.9 million of the external expenses for the year ended December 31, 2023, $43.2 million was related to our cema-cel program.
Research and development expenses were $192.3 million and $242.9 million for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. The net decrease of $50.6 million was primarily due to a decrease in personnel related costs of $32.5 million, of which $11.5 million was decreased stock-based compensation expense, external costs related to the advancement of our product candidates of $12.4 million due to the timing of process development activities and manufacturing runs and facilities, depreciation, and other expense of $5.8 million.
General and Administrative Expenses
General and administrative expenses were $65.2 million and $71.7 million for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. The net decrease of $6.5 million was primarily due to a decrease in personnel related costs of $5.3 million, of which $2.7 million was decreased stock-based compensation expense, and a decrease in legal and professional services of $1.2 million.
Impairment of long-lived asset
During the year ended December 31, 2024, we recorded impairments as the carrying values of sublet property asset groups were not recoverable due to the market conditions. During the year ended December 31, 2024, we recognized total impairment charge of $15.7 million.
During the year ended December 31, 2023, we recorded impairments as the carrying values of sublet property asset groups were not recoverable due to the change in how this property was being used. During the year ended December 31, 2023 we recognized total impairment charge of $13.2 million.
Interest and Other Income, Net
Interest and other income, net was $20.2 million and $18.3 million for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. The $1.9 million increase was primarily due to higher yields and a corresponding increase in the interest earned on our cash, cash equivalents and investments.
Interest expense
Interest expense was related to the CIRM award proceeds received for the year ended December 31, 2024. No such interest expense was recorded for the year ended December 31, 2023.
Other expenses, net
Other expenses, net were $3.9 million and $17.8 million for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. The $13.9 million decrease was primarily due to lower share of net losses in our equity method investments of $9.0 million and lower impairment losses of $5.0 million related to our equity method investment and equity investment.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
To date, we have incurred significant net losses and negative cash flows from operations. As of December 31, 2024, we had $373.1 million in cash, cash equivalents and investments. We believe that the aggregate of our current cash, cash
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equivalents and investments available for operations will be sufficient to fund our operations for at least the next 12 months from the date this Annual Report on Form 10-K is filed with the SEC.
Our operations have been financed primarily by net proceeds from the sale and issuance of our convertible preferred stock, the issuance of convertible promissory notes, net proceeds from our IPO, our at-the-market (ATM) offerings, our June 2020 underwritten public offering, an upfront cash payment of $40.0 million received in December 2020 pursuant to our License Agreement with Overland Therapeutics, and our May 2024 registered offering. In November 2019, we entered into a sales agreement with Cowen and Company, LLC (Cowen), as amended on November 2, 2022 and November 2, 2023, under which we may from time to time issue and sell shares of our common stock through Cowen in ATM offerings. During the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, we sold an aggregate of 2,539,134 and 20,894,565 shares of common stock, respectively, in ATM offerings resulting in net proceeds of $6.8 million and $91.1 million, respectively. The specified dollar limit on the amount of common stock that may be sold under the sales agreement was removed pursuant to the November 2, 2023 amendment to the sales agreement. In May 2024, we completed an underwritten offering pursuant to which we issued and sold 37,931,035 shares of our common stock. We received net proceeds of $105.2 million, after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and offering expenses payable by us.
Capital Resources
Our primary use of cash is for operating expenses, which consist primarily of clinical manufacturing and research and development expenditures related to our lead product candidates, other research efforts, and to a lesser extent, general and administrative expenditures. Cash used to fund operating expenses is impacted by the timing of when we pay these expenses, as reflected in the change in our outstanding accounts payable and accrued expenses and other current liabilities.
Our product candidates are still in the early stages of clinical and preclinical development and the outcome of these efforts is uncertain. Accordingly, we cannot estimate the actual amounts necessary to successfully complete the development and commercialization of our product candidates or whether, or when, we may achieve profitability. Until such time, if ever, as we can generate substantial product revenue, we expect to finance our cash needs through a combination of equity or debt financings and collaboration and license arrangements. If, and when, we do raise additional capital through public or private equity offerings, the ownership interest of our existing stockholders will be diluted, and the terms of these securities may include liquidation or other preferences that adversely affect our stockholders’ rights. If we raise additional capital through debt financing, we may be subject to covenants limiting or restricting our ability to take specific actions, such as incurring additional debt, making capital expenditures or declaring dividends. If we are unable to raise capital when needed, we will need to delay, reduce or terminate planned activities to reduce costs. Doing so will likely harm our ability to execute our business plans.
Cash Flows
The following table summarizes our cash flows for the periods indicated:
Year Ended December 31,
2024 2023
(in thousands)
Net cash (used in) provided by:
Operating activities $ (200,300) $ (237,733)
Investing activities 75,688 163,289
Financing activities 116,675 95,695
Net increase (decrease) in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash $ (7,937) $ 21,251
Operating Activities
During the year ended December 31, 2024, cash used in operating activities of $200.3 million was attributable to a net loss of $257.6 million, substantially offset by non-cash charges of $82.1 million and a net change of $24.8 million in our net operating assets and liabilities. The non-cash charges consisted primarily of stock-based compensation of $51.7 million, impairment of long-lived assets of $15.7 million, depreciation and amortization of $13.6 million, non-cash rent expense of $5.3 million, impairment of equity investment and equity method investment of $2.0 million, and share of losses from equity method investments of $1.7 million, partially offset by net amortization and accretion on investment securities of $8.3 million. The net change in operating assets and liabilities was primarily due to deposit placed in escrow related to the Servier Amendment of $20.8 million, decrease in operating lease liabilities of $6.3 million, decrease in accounts payable of $0.5 million, increase in
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prepaid expenses and other current assets of $0.5 million and decrease in accrued and other current liabilities of $1.3 million, partially offset by decrease in other long-term assets of $4.3 million, and increase in other long-term liabilities of $0.3 million.
During the year ended December 31, 2023, cash used in operating activities of $237.7 million was attributable to a net loss of $327.3 million, substantially offset by non-cash charges of $110.8 million and a net change of $21.3 million in our net operating assets and liabilities. The non-cash charges consisted primarily of stock-based compensation of $66.0 million, depreciation and amortization of $14.2 million, impairment of long-lived assets of $13.2 million, share of losses from equity method investments of $10.7 million, impairment of equity investment and equity method investment of $7.0 million, net amortization and accretion on investment securities of $6.8 million, and non-cash rent expense of $6.6 million. The net change in operating assets and liabilities was primarily due to decrease in accounts payable of $7.5 million, decrease in accrued and other current liabilities of $6.8 million, decrease in operating lease liabilities of $6.0 million, increase in other long-term assets of $1.5 million and decrease in other long-term liabilities of $0.6 million, partially offset by decrease in prepaid expense and other current assets of $1.1 million.
Investing Activities
During the year ended December 31, 2024, net cash provided by investing activities of $75.7 million was related to cash inflows from maturities of investments of $432.5 million and cash provided by investment sales of $5.4 million, partially offset by the purchase of investments of $361.5 million and purchases of property and equipment of $0.7 million.
During the year ended December 31, 2023, net cash provided by investing activities of $163.3 million was related to cash inflows from maturities of investments of $597.8 million and cash provided by investment sales of $5.6 million, partially offset by the purchase of investments of $438.6 million and purchases of property and equipment of $1.5 million.
Financing Activities
During the year ended December 31, 2024, net cash provided by financing activities of $116.7 million was related to net proceeds from the issuance of common stock through our May 2024 registered offering of $105.3 million, net proceeds from the issuance of common stock through ATM transactions of $6.8 million, proceeds from the CIRM award of $2.3 million, proceeds from the sale of common stock through our employee stock purchase plan of $1.5 million, and proceeds from the issuance of common stock upon exercise of stock options of $0.8 million.
During the year ended December 31, 2023, net cash provided by financing activities of $95.7 million was related to net proceeds from the issuance of common stock through ATM transactions of $91.1 million, proceeds from the sales of common stock through our employee stock purchase plan of $2.5 million, and proceeds from the issuance of common stock upon the exercise of stock options of $2.1 million.
Contractual Obligations and Commitments
Material Cash Commitments and Requirements
Our commitments primarily consist of obligations under our agreements with Pfizer, Cellectis, Servier, Notch and Foresight. Under these agreements we are required to make milestone payments upon successful completion of certain regulatory and sales milestones on a target-by-target and country-by-country basis. The payment obligations under the license agreements are contingent upon future events such as our achievement of specified development, regulatory and commercial milestones and we will be required to make development milestone payments and royalty payments in connection with the sale of products developed under these agreements. As of December 31, 2024, we were unable to estimate the timing or likelihood of achieving the milestones or making future product sales. For additional information regarding our agreements, see Note 6 to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report.
Our operating lease obligations primarily consist of lease payments on our research, lab and office facilities in South San Francisco, California, as well as lease payments on our cell manufacturing facility in Newark, California. For additional information regarding our lease obligations, see Note 7 to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report.
On October 6, 2020, we announced we entered into a strategic five-year collaboration agreement with MD Anderson for the preclinical and clinical investigation of allogeneic CAR T cell product candidates. We and MD Anderson are collaborating on the design and conduct of preclinical and clinical studies with oversight from a joint steering committee. Under the terms of the agreement, we have committed up to $15.0 million of funding for the duration of the agreement. Payment of
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this funding is contingent on mutual agreement to study orders in order for any study to be included under the alliance. We made an upfront payment of $3.0 million to MD Anderson in the year ended December 31, 2020 and made an additional upfront payment of $3.0 million to MD Anderson in October 2023. We are committed to make further payments to MD Anderson each year upon the anniversary of the agreement effective date through the duration of the agreement term, however, if MD Anderson has sufficient funds to continue the agreed-upon research projects, we may defer the additional payment to a later date. The agreement may be terminated by either party for material breach by the other party. Individual studies may be terminated for, among other things, material breach, health and safety concerns or where the institutional review board, the review board at the clinical site with oversight of the clinical study, requests termination of any study. Where any legal or regulatory authorization is finally withdrawn or terminated, the relevant study will also terminate automatically.
In July 2020, we entered into a Solar Power Purchase and Energy Services Agreement for the installation and operation of a solar photovoltaic generating system and battery energy storage system at our manufacturing facility in Newark, California. The agreement has a term of 20 years and commenced in September 2022. We are obligated to pay for electricity generated from the system at an agreed rate for the duration of the agreement term. Termination of the agreement by us will result in a termination payment due of approximately $4.3 million. In connection with the agreement, we maintain a letter of credit for the benefit of the service provider in the amount of $4.3 million.
We also have a Change in Control and Severance Plan that requires the funding of specific payments, if certain events occur, such as a change of control and the termination of employment without cause.
Critical Accounting Policies and Significant Judgments and Estimates
Our management’s discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations is based on our consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with United States generally accepted accounting principles. The preparation of these consolidated financial statements requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements, as well as the reported expenses incurred during the reporting periods. Our estimates are based on our historical experience and on various other factors that we believe are reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying value of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions.
We believe that the assumptions and estimates associated with accrued research and development expenditures, stock-based compensation and impairment of long-lived assets have the most significant impact on our consolidated financial statements. Therefore, we consider these to be our critical accounting policies and estimates.
Accrued Research and Development Costs
We accrue liabilities for estimated costs of research and development activities conducted by our collaboration partners and third-party service providers, which include the conduct of preclinical and clinical studies, and contract manufacturing activities. We recorded the estimated costs of research and development activities based upon the estimated amount of services provided but not yet invoiced, and includes these costs in the accrued and other current liabilities on the consolidated balance sheets and within research and development expense on the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss.
We accrue for these costs based on factors such as estimates of the work completed in accordance with agreements established with our collaboration partners and third-party service providers. We make estimates in determining the accrued liabilities balance in each reporting period. As actual costs become known, we adjust its accrued liabilities.
Stock-Based Compensation
We recognize compensation costs related to stock-based awards granted to employees and directors, including stock options, based on the estimated fair value of the awards on the date of grant. We estimate the grant date fair value, and the resulting stock-based compensation, using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model, the lattice option pricing model or Monte Carlo simulation, whichever provides us the more precise grant fair value based on accounting guidance. The gr ant date fair value of the stock-based awards is generally recognized on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period, which is generally the vesting period of the respective awards.
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For the years ended December 31, 2024, and 2023, stock-based compensation was $51.7 million, and $66.0 million, respectively. As of December 31, 2024 and 2023, we had $69.2 million and $108.7 million, respectively, of total unrecognized stock-based compensation.
Impairment of Long-lived Assets
Our long-lived assets, including right-of-use assets, are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. Recoverability is measured by comparison of the carrying amount of an asset group to the future net undiscounted cash flows that the assets are expected to generate. The long-lived assets recoverability test is performed at the asset group level, i.e., the lowest level for which identifiable cash flows are largely independent of the cash flows of other assets and liabilities. If this test indicates that the carrying amount of the asset group is not recoverable, an impairment loss is measured as the amount by which the carrying amount of an asset group exceeds its fair value. Any impairment loss is allocated to the long-lived assets of the group on a pro rata basis using the relative carrying amounts of those assets, except that the carrying amount of an individual asset shall not be reduced below its fair value.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
Please refer to Note 2 to our consolidated financial statements for a discussion of new accounting standards and updates that may impact us.