Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis
ITEM
2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
You
should read the following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations together with our unaudited condensed
financial statements and the related notes appearing under Item 1 of Part I of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q (this “Quarterly
Report”). Some of the information contained in this discussion and analysis or set forth elsewhere in this Quarterly Report, including
information with respect to our plans and strategy for our business and expected financial results, includes forward-looking statements
that involve risks and uncertainties. You should review the “Risk Factors” discussed in Item 1A of Part II in this Quarterly
Report for a discussion of important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results described in or implied
by the forward-looking statements contained in the following discussion and analysis.
Overview
Celcuity
is a clinical-stage biotechnology company seeking to extend the lives of cancer patients by pursuing an integrated therapeutic and companion
diagnostic strategy. The company’s lead therapeutic candidate is gedatolisib, a pan-PI3K/mTOR inhibitor. Its mechanism of action
and pharmacokinetic properties are highly differentiated from other currently approved and investigational therapies that target PI3K
or mTOR alone or together. The company expects to initiate a Phase 3 study evaluating gedatolisib in patients with HR+/HER2- advanced
breast cancer in 2022. Its CELsignia companion diagnostic platform is uniquely able to analyze live patient tumor cells to identify new
groups of cancer patients likely to benefit from already approved targeted therapies.
Our
lead drug candidate, gedatolisib, is a potent, well-tolerated, small molecule dual inhibitor, administered intravenously, that selectively
targets all class I isoforms of PI3K and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR). In April 2021, we obtained exclusive global development
and commercialization rights to gedatolisib under a license agreement with Pfizer, Inc. We believe gedatolisib’s unique mechanism
of action, differentiated chemical structure, favorable pharmacokinetic properties, and intravenous formulation offer distinct advantages
over currently approved and investigational therapies that target PI3K or mTOR alone or together.
●
Overcomes
limitations of therapies that only inhibit a single class I PI3K isoform or only one mTOR kinase complex
Gedatolisib
is a pan-class I isoform PI3K inhibitor with low nanomolar potency for the p110α, p110β, p110γ, and p110δ
isoforms. Each isoform is known to preferentially affect different signal transduction events that involve tumor cell survival, depending
upon the aberrations associated with the linked pathway. When a therapy only inhibits a single class I isoforms (e.g., alpelisib,
a PI3K-α inhibitor) or only one mTOR kinase complex (e.g., everolimus, an mTORC1 inhibitor), numerous feedforward and feedback
loops between the PI3K isoforms and mTOR cross-activates the uninhibited sub-units. This, in turn, induces compensatory resistance
that reduces the efficacy of isoform specific PI3K or single mTOR kinase complex inhibitors. Inhibiting all four PI3K isoforms and
both mTOR complexes, as gedatolisib does, thus prevents the confounding effect of isoform interaction that may occur with isoform-specific
PI3K inhibitors and the confounding interaction between PI3K isoforms and mTOR.
●
Better
tolerated by patients than oral PI3K and mTOR drugs
Gedatolisib
is administered intravenously (IV) on a four-week cycle of three weeks-on, one week-off, in contrast to the orally administered pan-PI3K
or dual PI3K/mTOR inhibitors that are no longer being clinically developed. Oral pan-PI3K or PI3K/mTOR inhibitors have repeatably
been found to induce significant side effects that were not well tolerated by patients. This typically leads to a high proportion
of patients requiring dose reductions or treatment discontinuation. The challenging toxicity profile of these drug candidates ultimately
played a significant role in the decisions to halt their development, despite showing promising efficacy. By contrast, gedatolisib
stabilizes at lower concentration levels in plasma compared to orally administered PI3K inhibitors, resulting in less toxicity, while
maintaining concentrations sufficient to inhibit PI3K/mTOR signaling.
Isoform-specific
PI3K inhibitors administered orally were developed to reduce toxicities in patients. While the range of toxicities associated with
isoform-specific inhibitors is narrower than oral pan-PI3K or PI3K/mTOR inhibitors, administering them orally on a continuous basis
still leads to challenging toxicities. The experience with an FDA approved oral p110-α specific inhibitor, Piqray, illustrates
the challenge. In its Phase 3 pivotal trial Piqray was found to induce a Grade 3 or 4 adverse event (AE) related to hyperglycemia
in 39% of patients evaluated. In addition, 26% of patients discontinued alpelisib due to treatment related adverse events. By contrast,
in the 103-patient dose expansion portion of the Phase 1b clinical trial with gedatolisib, only 7% of patients experienced Grade
3 or 4 hyperglycemia and less than 10% discontinued treatment.
As
of March 31, 2022, 492 patients with solid tumors have received gedatolisib in eight clinical trials sponsored by Pfizer. Of the 492
patients, 129 were treated with gedatolisib as a single agent in three clinical trials. The remaining 363 patients received gedatolisib
in combination with other anti-cancer agents in five clinical trials. Additional patients received gedatolisib in combination with other
anti-cancer agents in nine investigator sponsored clinical trials.
15
A
Phase 1b trial (B2151009) evaluating patients with HR+/HER2- metastatic breast cancer was initiated in 2016 and subsequently enrolled
138 patients. Ten patients from this study continue to receive study treatment, as of March 31, 2022, each of whom have received study
treatment for more than three years. The B2151009 clinical trial was an open label, multiple arm Phase 1b study that evaluated
gedatolisib in combination with palbociclib (CDK4/6 inhibitor) and fulvestrant or letrozole in patients with HR+/HER2- advanced breast
cancer. Thirty-five patients were enrolled in two dose escalation arms to evaluate the safety and tolerability and to determine the maximum
tolerated dose (MTD) of gedatolisib when used in combination with the standard doses of palbociclib and endocrine therapy (letrozole
or fulvestrant). The MTD was determined to be 180 mg administered intravenously once weekly. A total of 103 patients were subsequently
enrolled in one of four expansion arms (A, B, C, D).
High
objective overall response rates (ORR) were observed in all four expansion arms and were comparable in each arm for PIK3CA WT and PIK3CA
MT patients. In treatment-naïve patients (Arm A), ORR was 85%. In patients who received prior hormonal therapy alone or in combination
with a CDK4/6 inhibitor (Arms B, C, and D), ORR ranged from 32% to 77%. Each arm achieved its primary endpoint target, which was reporting
higher ORR in the study arm than ORR from either the PALOMA-2 (ORR=55%) study that evaluated palbociclib plus letrozole for Arm A or
the PALOMA-3 study (ORR=25%) that evaluated palbociclib plus fulvestrant for Arms B, C, and D. For all enrolled patients, a clinical
benefit rate (CBR) of ≥79% was observed. Median progression-free survival (PFS) was 31.1 months for patients receiving first-line
treatment (Arm A) and 12.9 months for patients who received a prior CDK4/6 inhibitor and were treated in the study with the Phase 3 dosing
schedule (Arm D).
Gedatolisib
combined with palbociclib and endocrine therapy demonstrated a favorable safety profile with manageable toxicity. The majority of treatment
emergent adverse events were Grade 1 and 2. The most frequently observed adverse events included stomatitis/mucosal inflammation, the
majority of which were Grade 1 and 2. The most common Grade 4 AEs were neutropenia and neutrophil count decrease, which were assessed
as related to treatment with palbociclib. No grade 5 events were reported in this study.
We
are preparing to initiate VIKTORIA-1, a Phase 3, open-label, randomized clinical trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of two regimens
in adults with HR+/HER2- advanced breast cancer whose disease has progressed after prior CDK4/6 therapy in combination with an aromatase
inhibitor: 1) gedatolisib in combination with palbociclib and fulvestrant; and 2) gedatolisib in combination with fulvestrant. We expect
to initiate the VIKTORIA-1 study in mid-2022.
The
clinical trial will enable separate evaluation of subjects according to their PIK3CA status. Subjects who meet eligibility criteria and
are PIK3CA WT will be randomly assigned (1:1:1) to receive a regimen of either gedatolisib, palbociclib, and fulvestrant (Arm A), gedatolisib
and fulvestrant (Arm B), or fulvestrant (Arm C). Subjects who meet eligibility criteria and are PIK3CA MT will be randomly assigned (1:1)
to receive a regimen of either gedatolisib, palbociclib, and fulvestrant (Arm D) or alpelisib and fulvestrant (Arm E).
Our
proprietary CELsignia diagnostic platform is the only commercially ready technology we are aware of that uses a patient’s living
tumor cells to identify the specific abnormal cellular process driving a patient’s cancer and the targeted therapy that best treats
it. This enables us to identify patients whose tumors may respond to a targeted therapy, even though they lack a previously associated
molecular mutation. By identifying cancer patients whose tumors lack an associated genetic mutation but have abnormal cellular activity
a matching targeted therapeutic is designed to inhibit, CELsignia CDx can expand the markets for a number of already approved targeted
therapies. Our current CDx identifies breast and ovarian cancer patients whose tumors have cancer drivers potentially responsive to treatment
with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative (HER2), mesenchymal-epithelial transition factor (c-MET), or phosphatidylinositol
3-kinases (PI3K) targeted therapeutics. While U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) approval or clearance is not currently
required for CELsignia tests offered as a stand-alone laboratory developed test, if we are partnered with a drug company to launch a
CELsignia test as a companion diagnostic for a new drug indication, we would be required to obtain premarket approval, or PMA, in conjunction
with the pharmaceutical company seeking a new drug approval for the matching therapy.
We
are supporting the advancement of new potential indications for four different targeted therapies, controlled by other pharmaceutical
companies, that would rely on a CELsignia CDx to select patients. Five Phase 2 trials are underway to evaluate the efficacy and safety
of these therapies in CELsignia selected patients. These patients are not currently eligible to receive these drugs and are not identifiable
with a molecular test.
Supporting
the development of a potential first-in-class targeted therapy for breast cancer, like gedatolisib, with our CELsignia platform is a
natural extension of our strategy to use our CELsignia CDx to enable new indications for other companies’ targeted therapies. By
combining companion diagnostics designed to enable proprietary new drug indications with targeted therapies that treat signaling dysregulation
our CDx identifies, we believe we are uniquely positioned to improve the standard-of-care for many early and late-stage breast cancer
patients. Our goal is to play a key role in the multiple treatment approaches required to treat breast cancer patients at various stages
of their disease. With each program, we are:
●
Leveraging
the proprietary insights CELsignia provides into live patient tumor cell function
●
Using
a CELsignia CDx to identify new patients likely to respond to the paired targeted therapy
●
Developing
a new targeted therapeutic option for breast cancer patients
●
Maximizing
the probability of getting regulatory approval to market the targeted therapy indication
16
Recent
Developments
On
May 15, 2022, the Company entered into a securities purchase agreement with certain institutional and other accredited investors for
the sale of Company common stock, preferred stock that may be convertible into common stock and warrants initially exercisable for preferred
stock for $100 million in the aggregate, before deducting placement agent fees and other offering expenses. Pursuant to the securities
purchase agreement, investors will purchase shares of common stock and preferred stock at a price per share of $5.75 (on an as converted
to common stock basis). For each share of common stock and each 1/10 of a share of preferred stock purchased, investors will receive
a warrant initially exercisable for preferred stock equivalent to 0.40 shares of common stock on an as converted basis. The exercise
price of the warrants will be at a 40% premium to the price paid by investors for the initial shares of common stock purchased in the
private placement. The preferred stock will be convertible into common stock at the holder’s election, subject to certain limitations
such as beneficial ownership and the approval by the Company’s stockholders to increase the number of authorized shares of common
stock sufficient to cover the shares of common stock issuable upon conversion of (i) the preferred stock purchased in the private placement
and (ii) the shares of preferred stock that may be issued upon exercise of warrants purchased in the private placement. The warrants
are initially exercisable for preferred stock and will convert into warrants to purchase common stock if the proposed increase in the
Company’s authorized common stock is approved by stockholders. The closing of the private placement is conditioned on, among other
customary items, the first patient enrolled in the Company’s forthcoming Phase 3 clinical study (VIKTORIA-1) having received their
first dose of treatment at a clinical site located in the United States, provided that such date must occur on or before December 31,
2022. The Company also entered into a customary registration rights agreement with the investors pursuant to which it agreed to file
a registration statement with the SEC registering the resale of (i) the shares of common stock to be issued and sold in the private placement,
(ii) the shares of common stock issuable upon conversion of the preferred stock purchased in the private placement and (iii) the shares
of common stock issuable upon conversion of the shares of preferred stock that may be issued upon exercise of warrants purchased in the
private placement.
In
March 2022, the company announced the design for its pivotal Phase 3 trial for gedatolisib, an investigational pan-PI3K/mTOR
inhibitor. The pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial, which is named VIKTORIA-1, will be an open-label, randomized study to evaluate the
safety and efficacy of gedatolisib in combination with fulvestrant with or without palbociclib in adults with HR+/HER2- advanced
breast cancer whose disease progressed while receiving prior CDK4/6 therapy.
On
February 4, 2022, the Company entered into an Open Market Sale Agreement SM with Jefferies LLC, as agent (“Jefferies”),
pursuant to which we may offer and sell, from time to time, through Jefferies, shares of our common stock having an aggregate offering
price of up to $50,000,000. We will pay Jefferies a commission equal to 3.0% of the aggregate gross proceeds from each sale of such shares.
To date, we have not yet made any sales under this arrangement.
On
January 13, 2022, gedatolisib was granted Fast Track designation for the treatment of patients with ER+/HER2- metastatic breast cancer
after progression on CDK4/6 therapy. Fast Track designation is granted by the FDA for products that are intended for the treatment of
serious or life-threatening disease or conditions and which demonstrate the potential to address an unmet medical need. The designation
offers the opportunity for frequent interactions with the FDA to discuss the drug’s development plan and to ensure collection of
appropriate data needed to support drug approval, as well as eligibility for rolling submission of a New Drug Application.
Impact
of COVID-19 on our Business
Although
we have largely returned to normal operations in our facility, the COVID-19 pandemic continues and its effect on our operations and financial
condition will depend in large part on future developments which cannot be reasonably estimated at this time. Future developments include
the duration, scope and severity of the pandemic, the emergence of new virus variants that are more contagious or harmful than prior
variants, actions taken by governmental authorities, suppliers, clinical trial sites, and other business partners to contain or mitigate
the pandemic’s impact, and the potential adverse effects on the suppliers, labor market and general economic activity.
As
we continue to advance our clinical trial collaborations, we remain in close contact with our current clinical sponsors, and principal
investigators, as well as prospective pharmaceutical company and clinical collaborators, to monitor the impact of COVID-19 on our trial
enrollment timelines and collaboration discussions. We experienced delays in the enrollment of patients in our ongoing clinical trials
and now expect interim results from the FACT-1 and FACT-2 trials to be delayed until the first half of 2023 and final results approximately
nine months later. We could experience further delays in clinical trials and collaborations with pharmaceutical companies and sponsors
if new variants emerge or if the spread of COVID-19 once again accelerates. Due to the inherent uncertainty associated with the COVID-19
pandemic, we are unable to predict the impact the pandemic may have on our clinical trial work and overall financial condition.
Results
of Operations
We
have not generated any revenue from sales to date, and we continue to incur significant research and development and other expenses related
to our ongoing operations. As a result, we are not and have never been profitable and have incurred losses in each period since our inception
in 2012. For the three months ended March 31, 2022 and 2021, we reported a net loss of approximately $7.9 million and $2.8 million, respectively.
As of March 31, 2022, we had an accumulated deficit of approximately $63.9 million. As of March 31, 2022, we had cash and cash
equivalents of approximately $78.3 million.
Components
of Operating Results
Revenue
To
date, we have not generated any revenue. With the execution of the Pfizer license agreement in April 2021, whereby we acquired exclusive
world-wide licensing rights to develop and commercialize gedatolisib, we expect to conduct clinical trials to support potential regulatory
approval to market gedatolisib. If we obtain regulatory approvals to market gedatolisib, we expect to generate revenue from sales of
the drug for the treatment of breast cancer patients. Additionally, we will seek to generate revenue from partnership agreements with
pharmaceutical companies to provide companion diagnostics for such pharmaceutical partners’ existing or investigational targeted
therapies. If a new drug indication is received that requires use of our companion diagnostic to identify eligible patients, we expect
to generate revenues from sales of tests to treating physicians.
Research
and Development
Since
our inception, we have primarily focused on research and development of our CELsignia platform, development and validation of our CELsignia
tests, and research related to the discovery of new cancer sub-types. Beginning in April 2021, we are also focusing on development of
gedatolisib, a PI3K/mTOR targeted therapy. Research and development expenses primarily include:
●
employee-related
expenses related to our research and development activities, including salaries, benefits, recruiting, travel and stock-based compensation
expenses;
●
laboratory
supplies;
●
consulting
fees paid to third parties;
●
clinical
trial costs;
●
validation costs for gedatolisib
●
facilities
expenses; and
●
legal
costs associated with patent applications.
17
Internal
and external research and development costs are expensed as they are incurred. As we initiate clinical trials to evaluate efficacy of
targeted therapies in cancer patients selected with one of our CELsignia tests and to develop gedatolisib, the proportion of research
and development expenses allocated to external spending will grow at a faster rate than expenses allocated to internal expenses.
General
and Administrative
General
and administrative expenses consist primarily of salaries, benefits and stock-based compensation related to our executive, finance and
support functions. Other general and administrative expenses include professional fees for auditing, tax, and legal services associated
with being a public company, director and officer insurance, investor relations and travel expenses for our general and administrative
personnel.
Sales
and Marketing
Sales
and marketing expenses consist primarily of professional and consulting fees related to these functions. To date, we have incurred immaterial
sales and marketing expenses as we continue to focus primarily on the development of our CELsignia platform and corresponding CELsignia
tests. We would expect to begin to incur increased sales and marketing expenses in anticipation of the commercialization of our first
CELsignia tests and the commercialization of our first drug, gedatolisib. These increased expenses are expected to include payroll-related
costs as we add employees in the commercial departments, costs related to the initiation and operation of our sales and distribution
network and marketing related costs.
Interest
Expense
Interest
expense is primarily due to a loan agreement and finance lease obligations.
Interest
Income
Interest
income consists of interest income earned on our cash and cash equivalent balances.
Results
of Operations
Comparison
of the Three Months Ended March 31, 2022 and 2021
Three
Months Ended
March
31,
Increase
(Decrease)
2022
2021
$
Percent
Change
Statements
of Operations Data:
Operating
expenses:
Research
and development
$ 6,696,313
$ 2,236,342
$ 4,459,971
199 %
General
and administrative
811,292
555,428
255,864
46
Total
operating expenses
7,507,605
2,791,770
4,715,835
169
Loss
from operations
(7,507,605 )
(2,791,770 )
(4,715,835 )
169
Other
income (expense)
Interest
expense
(435,001 )
(24 )
(434,977 )
n/a
Interest
income
8,159
389
7,770
1,997
Loss
on sale of fixed assets
-
(263 )
263
n/a
Other
income (expense), net
(426,842 )
102
(426,944 )
n/a
Net
loss before income taxes
(7,934,447 )
(2,791,668 )
(5,142,779 )
184
Income
tax benefits
-
-
-
-
Net
loss
$ (7,934,447 )
$ (2,791,668 )
$ (5,142,779 )
184 %
18
Research
and Development
Our
research and development expenses for the three months ended March 31, 2022 were approximately $6.7 million, representing an
increase of approximately $4.5 million, or 199%, compared to the same period in 2021. The increase of $4.5 million primarily
resulted from expenses related to the development of gedatolisib. Employee related expenses, including consulting fees, accounted
for $1.6 million of the $4.5 million increase. The increase of $1.6 million also included an increase of $0.2 million in non-cash
stock-based compensation. The remaining increase of $2.9 million of the $4.5 million is related to costs for existing clinical
trials and for activies supporting the initiation of the VIKTORIA-1 pivotal trial.
Conducting
a significant amount of research and development is central to our business model. We plan to increase our research and development expenses
for the foreseeable future as we seek to develop gedatolisib, discover new cancer sub-types, and develop and validate additional CELsignia
tests to diagnose such sub-types. We also expect to incur increased expenses to support companion diagnostic business development activities
with pharmaceutical companies as we develop additional CELsignia tests and initiate a clinical trial for gedatolisib.
General
and Administrative
Our
general and administrative expenses for the three months ended March 31, 2022 were approximately $0.8 million, representing an increase
of approximately $0.3 million, or 46%, compared to the same period in 2021. Employee related expenses accounted for $0.2 million of the
$0.3 million increase, including approximately $0.1 million in non-cash stock-based compensation. The remaining $0.1 million of the $0.3
million increase resulted from director and officer insurance and other professional fees associated with being a public company.
We
anticipate that our general and administrative expenses will increase in future periods, reflecting both increased costs in connection
with the potential future commercialization of gedatolisib and CELsignia tests, an expanding infrastructure, and increased professional
fees associated with being a public company.
Interest
Expense
Interest
expense for the three months ended March 31, 2022 was $0.4 million and represents an increase of $0.4 million compared to the same period
in 2021. The increase is due to the loan agreement that was executed in April 2021 and includes $0.2 million of non-cash interest expense.
Interest
Income
Interest
income for the three months ended March 31, 2022 was slightly higher compared to the same period in 2021. The increase was primarily
due to marginally higher market interest rates.
Liquidity
and Capital Resources
Since
our inception, we have incurred losses and cumulative negative cash flows from operations. Through March 31, 2022, we have raised capital
of approximately $13.7 million and $7.5 million through private placements of common equity and unsecured convertible notes, respectively.
On September 22, 2017, we closed on the initial public offering of our common stock, which generated approximately $ 23.3
million of additional cash after taking into account underwriting discounts and commissions and offering expenses. On June 5,
2020, we entered into an At Market Issuance Sales Agreement with B. Riley, FBR, Inc (the “ATM Agreement”). The ATM Agreement
allowed us to sell shares of common stock up to an aggregate offering price of $10.0 million. Through March 31, 2022, we generated approximately
$0.1 million of additional cash through sales pursuant to the ATM Agreement, after taking into account commissions and offering expenses.
On February 26, 2021, we completed a follow-on offering of our common stock, which generated approximately $25.8 million of additional
cash after taking into account underwriting discounts and offering expenses. In conjunction with the follow-on offering, the ATM Agreement
was terminated. On April 8, 2021, we entered into a loan agreement with Innovatus Life Sciences Lending Fund I, LP (“Innovatus”),
whereby Innovatus agreed to loan up to $25 million in three tranches consisting of (i) a $15.0 million non-contingent term A loan that
was funded on April 8, 2021, (ii) a $5 million term B loan to be funded upon our request no later than March 31, 2022, and (iii) a $5
million term C loan to be funded upon our request no later than March 31, 2023. Funding of the term B and C loan is subject to our ability
to achieve certain milestones. The Company is no longer eligible to draw on the term B loan. On July 1, 2021, we completed a follow-on
offering of our common stock, which generated approximately $52.8 million of additional cash after taking into account underwriting discounts
of approximately $3.4 million and offering expenses of approximately $0.1 million.
On
February 4, 2022, we entered into an Open Market Sale AgreementSM with Jefferies LLC, as agent, pursuant to which we may offer and sell,
from time to time, through Jefferies, shares of our common stock having an aggregate offering price of up to $50,000,000. To date, we
have not yet made any sales under this arrangement.
On
May 15, 2022, we entered into a securities purchase agreement with certain institutional and other accredited investors
for the sale of Company common stock, preferred stock that may be convertible into common stock and warrants initially exercisable
for preferred stock for $100 million in the aggregate, before deducting placement agent fees and other offering expenses. Pursuant
to the securities purchase agreement, investors will purchase shares of common stock and preferred stock at a price per share of
$5.75 (on an as converted to common stock basis), with the closing (funding) of such purchase to occur following the achievement of a milestone
in our forthcoming Phase 3 study (VIKTORIA-1). The sale of shares of common stock includes forty percent (40%) warrant coverage
and customary resale registration rights. Please see “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results
of Operations—Recent Developments” above for additional details.
19
Cash
from our historical capital raising activities has been our primary source of funds for our operations since inception. As of March 31,
2022, our cash and cash equivalents were approximately $78.3 million, and we had an accumulated deficit of approximately $63.9 million.
We
expect that our research and development and general and administrative expenses will increase as we continue to develop gedatolisib,
conduct research related to the discovery of new cancer sub-types, conduct clinical trials, and pursue other business development activities.
We would also expect to incur sales and marketing expenses as we commercialize gedatolisib and our CELsignia tests. We expect to use
cash on hand, together with the funds to be received under the Securities Purchase Agreement described above, to fund our research and
development expenses, clinical trial costs, capital expenditures, working capital, sales and marketing expenses, and general corporate
expenses.
Based
on our current business plan, we believe that our current cash on hand will provide sufficient cash to finance operations and pay obligations
when due for at least the next twelve months.
We
may seek to raise additional capital to expand our business, pursue strategic investments, and take advantage of financing or other opportunities
that we believe to be in the best interests of the Company and our stockholders. Additional capital may be raised through the sale of
common or preferred equity or convertible debt securities, entry into debt facilities or other third-party funding arrangements. The
sale of equity and convertible debt securities may result in dilution to our stockholders and those securities may have rights senior
to those of our common shares. Agreements entered into in connection with such capital raising activities could contain covenants that
would restrict our operations or require us to relinquish certain rights. Additional capital may not be available on reasonable terms,
or at all.
Cash
Flows
The
following table sets forth the primary sources and uses of cash for the three months ended March 31:
2022
2021
Net
cash provided by (used in):
Operating
activities
$ (5,933,032 )
$ (2,521,505 )
Investing
activities
(11,635 )
(30,425 )
Financing
activities
(46,288 )
25,850,921
Net
increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents
$ (5,990,955 )
$ 23,298,991
Operating
Activities
Net
cash used in operating activities was approximately $5.9 million for the three months ended March 31, 2022 and consisted primarily of
a net loss of approximately $7.9 million, offset by non-cash expense items of approximately $1.0 million and working capital changes
of $1.0 million. Non-cash expense items of approximately $1.0 million primarily consisted of $0.7 million of stock-based compensation
expense, non-cash interest expense of $0.2 million and depreciation expense of $0.1 million. The approximately $1.0 million of working
capital changes was primarily due to an increase in accounts payable and accrued expenses. The net cash used in operating activities
was approximately $2.5 million for the three months ended March 31, 2021 and consisted primarily of a net loss of approximately
$2.8 million and working capital changes of approximately $0.3 million, adjusted for non-cash expense items of approximately $0.6 million.
Non-cash expense items of approximately $0.6 million primarily consisted of $0.5 million of stock-based compensation expense and depreciation
expense of $0.1 million. The approximately $0.3 million of working capital changes was primarily due to an increase in prepaid assets
and a decrease in accrued expenses.
Investing
Activities
Net
cash used in investing activities for the three months ended March 31, 2022 and 2021 were minimal and consisted of purchases of property
and equipment.
Financing
Activities
Net
cash used in financing activities for the three months ended March 31, 2022 was minimal and primarily consisted of payments for secondary
registration statement costs. The net cash provided by financing activities for the three months ended March 31, 2021 was approximately
$25.9 million and primarily reflects net proceeds from the sale of shares of our common stock through a follow-on offering.
20
Recent
Accounting Pronouncements
From
time-to-time new accounting pronouncements are issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board or other standard setting bodies and
adopted by us as of the specified effective date. Unless otherwise discussed in Note 2 to our unaudited condensed financial statements
included in Item 1 of Part I of this Quarterly Report, we believe that the impact of recently issued standards that are not yet effective
will not have a material impact on our financial position or results of operations upon adoption.
Critical
Accounting Policies and Use of Estimates
Our
management’s discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations is based on our unaudited condensed financial
statements, which have been prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. The preparation of these 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 financial statements, as well as the reported expenses during the reporting periods. These items are monitored and
analyzed by us for changes in facts and circumstances, and material changes in these estimates could occur in the future. We base our
estimates on 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. Changes in estimates are reflected in reported results for the period in which they become known. Actual results may differ
materially from these estimates.
Our
significant accounting policies are more fully described in Note 2 to our unaudited condensed financial statements included in Item 1
of Part I of this Quarterly Report.
Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act
The
Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 provides a “safe harbor” for forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking
information is included in this Quarterly Report and in other materials filed or to be filed by us with the SEC (as well as information
included in oral statements or other written statements made or to be made by us). Forward-looking statements include all statements
based on future expectations. This Quarterly Report contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties including,
but not limited to, (i) our clinical trial plans and the estimated costs for such trials, including the timing of launching a Phase 3
clinical trial for gedatolisib; (ii) our expectations with respect to costs and timelines to develop, validate and launch CELsignia tests
and to continue to develop gedatolisib; (iii) our beliefs related to the perceived advantages of our CELsignia tests compared to traditional
molecular or other diagnostic tests; (iv) the expected benefits of gedatolisib; (v) our expectations regarding the timeline of patient
enrollment and results from clinical trials, including the existing clinical trial for gedatolisib; (vi) the future payments that may
be owed to Pfizer under the license agreement; (vii) our expectations regarding partnering with pharmaceutical companies and other
third parties; (viii) our expectations regarding revenue from sales of CELsignia tests and revenue from milestone or other payment sources;
(ix) our plans with respect to research and development and related expenses for the foreseeable future; (x) our expectations regarding
business development activities, including companion diagnostic related activities with pharmaceutical companies, expanding our sales
and marketing functions and the costs associated with such activities; (xi) our expectations with respect to the CELsignia tests and
the analytical capabilities and potential impact of such tests; (xii) our beliefs regarding the ability of our cash on hand to fund our
research and development expenses, capital expenditures, working capital, sales and marketing expenses, and general corporate expenses,
as well as the increased costs associated with being a public company; (xiii) our plans with respect to potentially raising capital;
and (xiv) our expectations regarding the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic and related economic effects will have on our business
and results of operations.
In
some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by the following words: “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,”
“could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “ongoing,” “plan,”
“potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “will,” “would,”
or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology, although not all forward-looking statements contain these words. Forward-looking
statements are only predictions and are not guarantees of performance. These statements are based on our management’s beliefs and
assumptions, which in turn are based on their interpretation of currently available information.
21
These
statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our results or our industry’s actual
results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from the information expressed or implied by these
forward-looking statements. Certain risks, uncertainties and other factors include, but are not limited to, our limited operating history;
the potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business; our initial success being heavily dependent on the success of our CELsignia
HER2 Pathway Activity Test; our inability to develop and commercialize gedatolisib; our inability to determine whether our CELsignia
tests are currently commercially viable; challenges we may face in developing and maintaining relationships with pharmaceutical company
partners; the complexity and timeline for development of CELsignia tests and gedatolisib; the uncertainty and costs associated with clinical
trials; the uncertainty regarding market acceptance by physicians, patients, third-party payors and others in the medical community,
and with the size of market opportunities available to us; the pricing of molecular and other diagnostic products and services that compete
with us; uncertainty with insurance coverage and reimbursement for our CELsignia tests; difficulties
we may face in managing growth, such as hiring and retaining a qualified sales force and attracting and retaining key personnel; changes
in government regulations; and obtaining and maintaining intellectual property protection for our technology and time and expense associated
with defending third-party claims of intellectual property infringement, investigations or litigation threatened or initiated against
us. These and additional risks, uncertainties and other factors are described more fully in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for
the year ended December 31, 2021 and elsewhere in this Quarterly Report. Copies of filings made with the SEC are available through the
SEC’s electronic data gathering analysis and retrieval system (EDGAR) at www.sec.gov.
You
should read the cautionary statements made in this Quarterly Report as being applicable to all related forward-looking statements wherever
they appear in this Quarterly Report. We cannot assure you that the forward-looking statements in this Quarterly Report will prove to
be accurate. Furthermore, if our forward-looking statements prove to be inaccurate, the inaccuracy may be material. You should read this
Quarterly Report completely. Other than as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update these forward-looking statements, even
though our situation may change in the future.
ITEM
3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk
As
a smaller reporting company, we are not required to provide disclosure pursuant to this item.
Text extracted from the filing as submitted to EDGAR. Formatting, tables and exhibits are simplified for reading; the original document is authoritative for anything you rely on.