Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis
ITEM 7. 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 consolidated financial statements and related notes included under Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. The following discussion contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Our actual results could differ materially from those expressed or implied in any forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including those set forth under the caption “Item 1A. Risk Factors.”
This section of this Form 10-K generally discusses 2020 and 2019 items and year-to-year comparisons between 2020 and 2019. Discussions of 2018 items and year-to-year comparisons between 2019 and 2018 that are not included in this Form 10-K can be found in “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in Part II, Item 7 of the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019 as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 2, 2020 and incorporated herein by reference.
Overview
We are a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the development of programmed cellular immunotherapies for patients with cancer. We are developing first-in-class cell therapy product candidates based on a simple notion: we believe that better cell therapies start with better cells.
To create better cell therapies, we use a therapeutic approach that we generally refer to as cell programming. For certain of our product candidates, we use pharmacologic modulators, such as small molecules, to enhance the biological properties and therapeutic function of allogeneic, or healthy donor-sourced, cells ex vivo before our product candidates are administered to a patient. In other cases, we use human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) to generate a clonal master iPSC line having preferred biological properties, and we direct the fate of the clonal master iPSC line to create our cell therapy product candidate. Analogous to master cell lines used to manufacture biopharmaceutical drug products such as monoclonal antibodies, we believe clonal master iPSC lines can be used as a renewable source for manufacturing cell therapy products which are well-defined and uniform in composition, can be repeatedly mass produced at significant scale in a cost-effective manner, and can be delivered off-the-shelf to treat many patients. Utilizing these therapeutic approaches, we program cells of the blood and immune system and are advancing a pipeline of programmed cellular immunotherapies, including off-the-shelf natural killer (NK) and T-cell product candidates derived from clonal master iPSC lines for the treatment of cancer.
We have entered into a research collaboration and license agreement with the Regents of the University of Minnesota to develop off-the-shelf, engineered NK cell cancer immunotherapies derived from clonal master iPSC lines. Additionally, we have entered into a research collaboration and license agreement with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (Memorial Sloan Kettering) to develop off-the-shelf, engineered T-cell cancer immunotherapies derived from clonal master iPSC lines.
In September 2018, we entered into a collaboration and option agreement with Ono Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. (Ono) for the joint development and commercialization of off-the-shelf, iPSC-derived chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell product candidates (Ono Agreement) for the treatment of cancer.
In April 2020, we entered into a collaboration and option agreement with Janssen Biotech, Inc. (Janssen), part of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson (Janssen Agreement), for the development and commercialization of off-the-shelf, iPSC-derived CAR NK and CAR T-cell product candidates for the treatment of cancer.
We were incorporated in Delaware in 2007, and are headquartered in San Diego, CA. Since our inception in 2007, we have devoted substantially all of our resources to our cell programming approach and the research and development of our product candidates, the creation, licensing and protection of related intellectual property, and the provision of general and administrative support for these activities. To date, we have funded our operations primarily through the public and private sale of common stock, the private placement of preferred stock and convertible notes, commercial bank debt and revenues from collaboration activities and grants.
We have never been profitable and have incurred net losses in each year since inception. Substantially all of our net losses resulted from costs incurred in connection with our research and development programs and from general and administrative costs associated with our operations. We expect to continue to incur operating losses for at least the foreseeable future. Our net losses may fluctuate significantly from quarter to quarter and year to year. We expect our expenses will increase substantially in connection with our ongoing and planned activities as we:
•
conduct our ongoing and planned clinical trials of our product candidates;
•
conduct GMP production, process and scale-up development and technology transfer activities for the manufacture of our product candidates, including those undergoing clinical investigation and IND-enabling preclinical development;
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procure laboratory equipment, materials and supplies for the manufacture of our product candidates and the conduct of our research activities;
•
conduct preclinical and clinical research to investigate the therapeutic activity of our product candidates;
•
continue our research, development and manufacturing activities, including under our sponsored research and collaboration agreements with Janssen, Ono, University of Minnesota and Memorial Sloan Kettering;
•
maintain, prosecute, protect, expand and enforce our intellectual property portfolio;
•
engage with regulatory authorities for the development of, and seek regulatory approvals for, our product candidates;
•
establish business operations at our new corporate headquarters, including internal GMP production capabilities;
•
hire additional clinical, manufacturing, regulatory, quality control and technical personnel to advance our product candidates;
•
hire additional scientific personnel to advance our research and development efforts; and
•
hire general and administrative personnel to continue operating as a public company and support our operations.
We do not expect to generate any meaningful product sales or royalty revenue unless and until we successfully complete development and obtain regulatory approval for one or more of our product candidates, which we expect will take a number of years. If we obtain regulatory approval for any of our product candidates, we expect to incur significant commercialization expenses related to product sales, marketing, manufacturing and distribution. Accordingly, we will seek to fund our operations through public or private equity or debt financings or other sources. However, we may be unable to raise additional funds or enter into such other arrangements when needed on favorable terms or at all. Our failure to raise capital or enter into such other arrangements when needed would have a negative effect on our financial condition and ability to develop our product candidates .
Due to the global outbreak of SARS-CoV-2, the novel strain of coronavirus that causes Coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19), we experienced impacts on certain aspects of our business, including our clinical trial and research and development activities, during the year ended December 31, 2020. For example, certain of our research and development activities have been delayed or disrupted as a result of measures we have implemented in response to governmental “stay at home” orders and in the interests of public health and safety, and we have experienced delays or disruptions in the initiation and conduct of our clinical trials as a result of prioritization of hospital and other medical resources toward pandemic efforts, policies and procedures implemented at clinical sites with respect to the conduct of clinical trials, and other precautionary measures taken in treating patients or in practicing medicine in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The scope and duration of these delays and disruptions, and the ultimate impacts of COVID-19 on our operations, are currently unknown. We are continuing to actively monitor the situation and may take further precautionary and preemptive actions as may be required by federal, state or local authorities or that we determine are in the best interests of public health and safety and that of our patient community, employees, partners, and stockholders. We cannot predict the effects that such actions, or the impact of COVID-19 on global business operations and economic conditions, may have on our business, strategy, collaborations, or financial and operating results.
Financial Operations Overview
We conduct substantially all of our activities through Fate Therapeutics, Inc., a Delaware corporation, at our facilities in San Diego, California. Fate Therapeutics, Inc. owns 100% of the voting shares of Tfinity Therapeutics, Inc. (Tfinity), 100% of the voting shares of Fate Therapeutics Ltd. (Fate Ltd.), incorporated in the United Kingdom, and 100% of the voting shares of Fate Therapeutics B.V. (Fate B.V.), incorporated in the Netherlands. The following information is presented on a consolidated basis to include the accounts of Fate Therapeutics, Inc., Tfinity, Fate B.V., and Fate Ltd. To date, the aggregate operations of our subsidiaries have not been significant and all intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated in consolidation.
Collaboration Revenue
To date, we have not generated any revenues from therapeutic product sales or royalties. Our revenues have been derived from collaboration agreements and government grants.
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Agreement with Janssen Biotech, Inc.
On April 2, 2020 (the Effective Date), we entered into a Collaboration and Option Agreement (the Janssen Agreement) with Janssen Biotech, Inc. (Janssen), part of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson. Additionally, on the Effective Date, we entered into a Stock Purchase Agreement (the Stock Purchase Agreement) with Johnson & Johnson Innovation - JJDC, Inc. (JJDC). Under the terms of the Janssen Agreement and the Stock Purchase Agreement taken together, we received $100.0 million, of which $50.0 million is an upfront cash payment and $50.0 million is in the form of an equity investment by JJDC. Additionally, we are entitled to receive fees for the conduct of all research, preclinical development and IND-enabling activities performed by us under the Janssen Agreement.
We determined the common stock purchase by JJDC represented a premium of $9.93 per share, or $16.0 million in aggregate (the Equity Premium), and the remaining $34.0 million was recorded as issuance of common stock in shareholders’ equity.
We concluded that Janssen represented a customer and in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers , we determined that the initial transaction price under the Janssen Agreement equals $66.0 million, consisting of the upfront, non-refundable and non-creditable payment of $50.0 million and the Equity Premium of $16.0 million. In addition, we identified our potential performance obligations under the Janssen Agreement, including our grant to Janssen of a license to certain of our intellectual property subject to certain conditions, our conduct of research and development services, and our participation in various joint oversight committees. We determined that our grant of a license to Janssen and our conduct of research and development services should be accounted for as one combined performance obligation, and that the combined performance obligation is transferred over the expected term of the conduct of the research and development services, which is estimated to be four years. Additionally, we determined that participation in the various joint oversight committees did not constitute a performance obligation as our participation in the various joint oversight committees does not transfer a service.
During the year ended December 31, 2020, we recognized $16.8 million of collaboration revenue under the Janssen Agreement. As of December 31, 2020, aggregate deferred revenue related to the Janssen Agreement was $59.5 million.
Agreement with Ono Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.
On September 14, 2018, we entered into a Collaboration and Option Agreement (the Ono Agreement) with Ono for the joint development and commercialization of two off-the-shelf iPSC-derived CAR T-cell product candidates (the Collaboration Candidate 1 and the Collaboration Candidate 2). Pursuant to the terms of the Ono Agreement, we received an upfront, non-refundable and non-creditable payment of $10.0 million. Additionally, we are entitled to receive fees for the conduct of research and development under a joint development plan, which fees are estimated to be $20.0 million in aggregate.
We concluded that Ono represented a customer and in accordance with ASC 606, we determined that the initial transaction price under the Ono Agreement equals $30.0 million, consisting of the upfront, non-refundable and non-creditable payment of $10.0 million and the aggregate estimated research and development fees of $20.0 million. In addition, we identified our performance obligations under the Ono Agreement, including our grant to Ono of a license to certain of our intellectual property subject to certain conditions, our conduct of research services, and our participation in a joint steering committee. We determined that all performance obligations should be accounted for as one combined performance obligation since no individual performance obligation is distinct, and that the combined performance obligation is transferred over the expected term of the conduct of the research services, which is estimated to be four years .
On December 4, 2020, we entered into a letter agreement (the Ono Letter Agreement) with Ono in connection with the Ono Agreement. Pursuant to the Ono Letter Agreement, Ono delivered to us proprietary antigen binding domains targeting an antigen expressed on certain solid tumors and nominated such antigen binding domains as the Ono Antigen Binding Domain for incorporation into Collaboration Candidate 2. In connection with such nomination, Ono paid us a milestone fee of $10.0 million for further research and development of Collaboration Candidate 2 under the Ono Agreement, and Ono continues to maintain its option to Collaboration Candidate 2 under the Ono Agreement.
In addition, together with Ono, we agreed to the termination of the Ono Agreement with respect to Collaboration Candidate 1. We retain all rights, in our sole discretion, to research, develop and commercialize Collaboration Candidate 1 throughout the world without any obligation to Ono.
During the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, we recognized $14.6 million and $9.3 million, respectively, of collaboration revenue under the Ono Agreement. As of December 31, 2020, aggregate deferred revenue related to the Ono Agreement and Ono Letter Agreement was $7.7 million.
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Agreement with Juno Therapeutics, Inc.
On May 4, 2015, we entered into a strategic research collaboration and license agreement (the Juno Agreement) with Juno Therapeutics, Inc. (Juno) to screen for and identify small molecule modulators that enhance the therapeutic properties of Juno’s genetically-engineered T-cell immunotherapies.
No revenue was recognized during the year ended December 31, 2020. During the year ended December 31, 2019, we recognized $1.4 million of collaboration revenue under the Juno Agreement.
On May 4, 2019, the four-year initial research term under the Juno Agreement concluded as scheduled. The final quarterly research payment of $0.2 million was received during May 2019 and no additional payments are expected.
Research and Development Expenses
Research and development expenses consist of costs associated with the research, preclinical development, process and scale-up development, manufacture and clinical development of our product candidates, the research and development of our cell programming technology including our iPSC product platform, and the performance of research and development activities under our collaboration agreements. These costs are expensed as incurred and include:
•
salaries and employee-related costs, including stock-based compensation;
•
costs incurred under clinical trial agreements with investigative sites;
•
costs to acquire, develop and manufacture preclinical study and clinical trial materials, including our product candidates;
•
costs associated with conducting our preclinical, process and scale-up development, manufacturing, clinical and regulatory activities, including fees paid to third-party professional consultants, service providers and suppliers;
•
costs incurred for our research, development and manufacturing activities, including under our collaboration agreements;
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costs for laboratory equipment, materials and supplies for the manufacture of our product candidates and the conduct of our research activities;
•
costs incurred to license and maintain intellectual property; and
•
facilities, depreciation and other expenses including allocated expenses for rent and maintenance of facilities.
We plan to increase our current level of research and development expenses for the foreseeable future as we continue the clinical and preclinical development of our product candidates, research and develop our cell programming technology including our iPSC product platform, and perform our obligations under collaboration agreements including under our agreements with Janssen, Ono, University of Minnesota and Memorial Sloan Kettering. Our current planned research and development activities over the next twelve months consist primarily of the following:
•
conducting clinical trials of our product candidates;
•
conducting GMP production, process and scale-up development and technology transfer activities for the manufacture of our product candidates, including those undergoing clinical investigation and IND-enabling preclinical development;
•
procuring laboratory equipment, materials and supplies for the manufacture of our product candidates and the conduct of our research activities;
•
conducting preclinical and clinical research to investigate the therapeutic activity of our product candidates; and
•
conducting research, development and manufacturing activities, including under our sponsored research and collaboration agreements with Janssen, Ono, University of Minnesota and Memorial Sloan Kettering.
Due to the inherently unpredictable nature of preclinical and clinical development, and given our novel therapeutic approach and the current stage of development of our product candidates, we cannot determine and are unable to estimate with certainty the timelines we will require and the costs we will incur for the development of our product candidates. Clinical and preclinical development timelines and costs, and the potential of development success, can differ materially from expectations. In addition, we cannot forecast which product candidates may be subject to future collaborations, when such arrangements will be secured, if at all, and to what degree such arrangements would affect our development plans and capital requirements. We cannot predict the effects of the impact of COVID-19 on our business and operations, and our expenditures may be increased by delays or disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, including as a result of actions we take in the near term to ensure business continuity and protect against possible supply chain shortages.
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General and Administrative Expenses
General and administrative expenses consist primarily of salaries and employee-related costs, including stock-based compensation, for our employees in executive, operational, finance and human resource functions; professional fees for accounting, legal and tax services; costs for obtaining, prosecuting and maintaining our intellectual property; and other costs and fees, including director and officer insurance premiums, to support our operations as a public company. We anticipate that our general and administrative expenses will increase in the future as we increase our research and development activities, maintain compliance with exchange listing and SEC requirements and continue to operate as a public company.
Other Income (Expense)
Other income (expense) consists of changes in the fair value of stock price appreciation milestones associated with the Amended and Restated Exclusive License Agreement dated May 15, 2018 (the Amended MSK License) with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK), interest income earned on cash and cash equivalents, interest income from investments (including the amortization of discounts and premiums), and interest expense for the periods where debt was outstanding.
Critical Accounting Policies and Significant Judgments and Estimates
Our management’s discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations are based on our financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles. The preparation of these financial statements requires us to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues, and expenses and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities in our financial statements. On an ongoing basis, we evaluate our estimates and judgments, including those related to the fair value of the stock price appreciation milestones for the Amended MSK License, accrued expenses and stock-based compensation. We base our estimates on historical experience, known trends and events, financial models, and various other factors that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions .
While our significant accounting policies are described in more detail in the notes to our financial statements appearing elsewhere in this Annual Report, we believe that the following critical accounting policies reflect the more significant procedures, estimates and assumptions used in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements.
Revenue Recognition
We recognize revenue in a manner that depicts the transfer of control of a product or a service to a customer and reflects the amount of the consideration we are entitled to receive in exchange for such product or service. In doing so, we follow a five-step approach: (i) identify the contract with a customer, (ii) identify the performance obligations in the contract, (iii) determine the transaction price, (iv) allocate the transaction price to the performance obligations, and (v) recognize revenue when (or as) the customer obtains control of the product or service. We consider the terms of a contract and all relevant facts and circumstances when applying the revenue recognition standard. We apply the revenue recognition standard, including the use of any practical expedients, consistently to contracts with similar characteristics and in similar circumstances.
A customer is a party that has entered into a contract with us, where the purpose of the contract is to obtain a product or a service that is an output of our ordinary activities in exchange for consideration. To be considered a contract, (i) the contract must be approved (in writing, orally, or in accordance with other customary business practices), (ii) each party’s rights regarding the product or the service to be transferred can be identified, (iii) the payment terms for the product or the service to be transferred can be identified, (iv) the contract must have commercial substance (that is, the risk, timing or amount of future cash flows is expected to change as a result of the contract), and (v) it is probable that we will collect substantially all of the consideration to which we are entitled to receive in exchange for the transfer of the product or the service.
A performance obligation is defined as a promise to transfer a product or a service to a customer. We identify each promise to transfer a product or a service (or a bundle of products or services, or a series of products and services that are substantially the same and have the same pattern of transfer) that is distinct. A product or a service is distinct if both (i) the customer can benefit from the product or the service either on its own or together with other resources that are readily available to the customer and (ii) our promise to transfer the product or the service to the customer is separately identifiable from other promises in the contract. Each distinct promise to transfer a product or a service is a unit of accounting for revenue recognition. If a promise to transfer a product or a service is not separately identifiable from other promises in the contract, such promises should be combined into a single performance obligation.
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The transaction price is the amount of consideration we are entitled to receive in exchange for the transfer of control of a product or a service to a customer. To determine the transaction price, we consider the existence of any significant financing component, the effects of any variable elements, noncash considerations and consideration payable to the customer. If a significant financing component exists, the transaction price is adjusted for the time value of money. If an element of variability exists, we must estimate the consideration we expect to receive and use that amount as the basis for recognizing revenue as the product or the service is transferred to the customer. There are two methods for determining the amount of variable consideration: (i) the expected value method, which is the sum of probability-weighted amounts in a range of possible consideration amounts, and (ii) the mostly likely amount method, which identifies the single most likely amount in a range of possible consideration amounts.
If a contract has multiple performance obligations, we allocate the transaction price to each distinct performance obligation in an amount that reflects the consideration we are entitled to receive in exchange for satisfying each distinct performance obligation. For each distinct performance obligation, revenue is recognized when (or as) we transfer control of the product or the service applicable to such performance obligation. To date, for collaboration arrangements that represent a single performance obligation, the revenues are recognized over time based on costs incurred compared to total estimated costs or based on actual headcount utilized as a percentage of total headcount expected to be utilized over the expected term of the conduct of the research and development services .
In those instances where we first receive consideration in advance of satisfying its performance obligation, we classify such consideration as deferred revenue until (or as) we satisfy such performance obligation. In those instances where we first satisfy our performance obligation prior to our receipt of consideration, the consideration is recorded as accounts receivable.
We expense incremental costs of obtaining a contract as and when incurred if the expected amortization period of the asset that would be recognized is one year or less, or if the amount of the asset is immaterial. Otherwise, such costs are capitalized and amortized to research and development expense ratably in conjunction with the underlying revenue recognition.
Stock Price Appreciation Milestones
We estimate the fair value of the stock price appreciation milestones under the Amended MSK License using a Monte Carlo simulation model, which relies on our current stock price as well as significant estimates and assumptions to determine the estimated liability associated with the contingent milestone payments. We account for the fair value of the stock price appreciation milestones in accordance with ASC 815, Derivatives and Hedging , with fair value marked to market. The assumptions used to calculate the fair value of the stock price appreciation milestones are subject to a significant amount of judgment including the assessment of achieving a specified clinical milestone, the expected volatility of our common stock, the risk-free interest rate and the estimated term, which is based in part on the last valid patent claim date. We remeasure the fair value of the stock price appreciation milestones at each balance sheet date, with changes in fair value recorded in earnings as a non-operating income or expense.
Accrued Research and Development Expenses
As part of the process of preparing our financial statements, we are required to estimate our accrued expenses. This process involves reviewing open contracts and purchase orders, communicating with our personnel to identify services that have been performed on our behalf and estimating the level of service performed and the associated cost incurred for the service when we have not yet been invoiced or otherwise notified of the actual cost. The majority of our service providers invoice us monthly in arrears for services performed or when contractual milestones are met. We make estimates of our accrued expenses as of each balance sheet date in our financial statements based on facts and circumstances known to us at that time. We periodically confirm the accuracy of our estimates with the service providers and make adjustments if necessary. Examples of accrued research and development expenses include amounts owed to clinical research organizations, to investigative sites in connection with clinical trials, to sponsored research organizations, to service providers in connection with preclinical development activities and to service providers related to product manufacturing, development and distribution of clinical supplies.
We base our accrued expenses related to clinical trials on our estimates of the services performed and efforts expended pursuant to our contractual arrangements, including those with clinical research organizations. The financial terms of these agreements are sometimes subject to negotiation, vary from contract to contract and may result in uneven payment flows. There may be instances in which payments made to our service providers will exceed the level of services performed and result in a prepayment of the clinical expense. Payments under some of these contracts depend on factors such as the successful enrollment of patients and the completion of clinical milestones. In accruing service fees, we estimate the time period over which services will be performed and the level of effort to be expended in each period. If the actual timing of the performance of services or the level of effort varies from our estimate, we adjust the accrual or prepaid accordingly.
Although we do not expect our estimates to be materially different from expenses actually incurred, if our estimates of the status and timing of services performed differs from the actual status and timing of services performed, we may report amounts that are too high or too low in any particular period. To date, there have been no material differences from our estimates to the amounts actually incurred.
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Stock-Based Compensation
Stock-based compensation expense represents the grant date fair value of employee stock option and restricted stock unit grants recognized over the requisite service period of the awards (usually the vesting period) on a straight-line basis. For stock option grants with performance-based milestones, the expense is recorded over the remaining service period after the point when the achievement of the milestone is probable or the performance condition has been achieved. For stock option grants with both performance-based milestones and market conditions, expense is recorded over the derived service period after the point when the achievement of the performance-based milestone is probable or the performance condition has been achieved.
We estimate the fair value of stock option grants using the Black-Scholes option pricing model, with the exception of option grants with both performance-based milestones and market conditions, which are valued using a lattice-based model. These models require the use of highly subjective and complex assumptions which determine the fair value of stock-based awards, (a) the risk-free interest rate, (b) the expected volatility of our stock, (c) the expected term of the award and (d) the expected dividend yield. The expected volatility is based on the historical volatility of our common stock over the most recent period commensurate with the estimated expected term of our stock options which is derived from historical experience and anticipated future exercise behavior. The risk-free interest rates for periods within the expected life of the option are based on the yields of zero-coupon U.S. Treasury securities. See Note 9 of the notes to the consolidated financial statements for additional information.
The fair value of restricted stock units is based on the closing price of our common stock as reported on The NASDAQ Global Market on the date of grant.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
For a discussion of recently issued accounting pronouncements, please see Note 1 of the notes to the consolidated financial statements.
Results of Operations
Comparison of Years Ended December 31, 2020 and 2019
The following table summarizes the results of our operations for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019:
Years Ended
December 31,
Increase/
2020
2019
(Decrease)
(in thousands)
Collaboration revenue
$
31,434
$
10,680
$
20,754
Research and development expenses
125,623
87,770
37,853
General and administrative expenses
33,896
23,637
10,259
Total other income (expense), net
(45,302
)
2,578
(47,880
)
Revenue. During the year ended December 31, 2020, we recognized revenue of $31.4 million, under our collaboration agreements with Janssen and Ono. During the year ended December 31, 2019, we recognized revenue of $10.7 million under our collaboration agreements with Ono and Juno.
Research and development expenses. Research and development expenses were $125.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2020, compared to $87.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2019. The increase in research and development expenses was attributable primarily to the following:
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$22.4 million increase in employee compensation and benefits expense, including $8.8 million in employee-stock based compensation expense;
•
$7.2 million increase in facility lease expense primarily relating to our future headquarters lease, which commenced in January 2020; and
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$6.6 million increase in expenditures for laboratory materials and supplies relating to the manufacture of our product candidates and the conduct of our research activities, including under our collaboration agreements.
General and administrative expenses. General and administrative expenses were $33.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2020, compared to $23.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2019. The increase in general and administrative expenses was attributable primarily to the following:
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•
$ 7.0 million increase in employee compensation and benefits expense, including $ 4.5 million in employee stock-based compensation expense; and
•
$1.1 million in facility lease expense primarily relating to our future headquarters lease, which commenced in January 2020.
Other income (expense), net. Other income (expense), net was ($45.3) million and $2.6 million for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. During the year ended December 31, 2020, we recorded $47.7 million in other expense attributable to the fair value of the stock price appreciation milestones under the Amended MSK License. Other income (expense), net for the year ended December 31, 2020 also consisted of interest income earned on cash and cash equivalents and interest income from investments (including the amortization of discounts and premiums).
Other income (expense), net for the year ended December 31, 2019 consisted of interest income earned on cash and cash equivalents, interest income from investments (including the amortization of discounts and premiums), and interest expense relating to the term loan with Silicon Valley Bank.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
We have incurred losses and negative cash flows from operations since inception. As of December 31, 2020, we had an accumulated deficit of $556.9 million and anticipate that we will continue to incur net losses for the foreseeable future.
The following table sets forth a summary of the net cash flow activity for each of the years ended December 31:
2020
2019
(in thousands)
Net cash used in operating activities
$
(39,229
)
$
(83,175
)
Net cash used in investing activities
(161,076
)
(157,453
)
Net cash provided by financing activities
282,838
149,928
Net increase (decrease) in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash
$
82,533
$
(90,700
)
Operating Activities
Cash used in operating activities decreased from $83.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2019 to $39.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2020. During the year ended December 31, 2020, cash used in operating activities of $39.2 million was attributable to a net loss of $173.4 million, substantially offset by cash received and recorded as deferred revenue of $66.0 million for the upfront fee and Equity Premium associated with the Janssen Collaboration, and non-cash charges of $47.7 million associated with the fair value of the stock price appreciation milestones under the Amended MSK License and $30.8 million in stock-based compensation expense. These were partially offset by payments made related to contract assets of $13.3 million.
Agreement with Janssen Biotech, Inc.
On April 2, 2020 (the Effective Date), we entered into the Janssen Agreement with Janssen to develop iPSC-derived CAR NK and CAR T-cell product candidates for the treatment of cancer. Additionally, on the Effective Date, we entered into the Stock Purchase Agreement with JJDC. Under the terms of the Janssen Agreement and the Stock Purchase Agreement taken together, we received $100.0 million as of the Effective Date, of which $50.0 million is an upfront cash payment and $50.0 million is in the form of an equity investment by JJDC. Of the $50.0 million equity investment, $16.0 million represented a premium over the fair value of our common stock and was classified under operating activities.
We are entitled to receive fees for the conduct of all research, preclinical development and IND-enabling activities performed by us under the Janssen Agreement. Additionally, we are eligible to receive (i) with respect to the first Janssen Cancer Target, payments of up to $898.0 million upon the achievement of specified development, regulatory and sales milestones (the Janssen Milestone Payments) for the first Collaboration Candidate, and up to $460.0 million in Janssen Milestone Payments for each additional Collaboration Candidate, directed to the first Janssen Cancer Target; and (ii) with respect to each of the second, third and fourth Janssen Cancer Targets, payments of up to $706.0 million in Janssen Milestone Payments for each of the first Collaboration Candidates, and up to $340.0 million in Janssen Milestone Payments for each additional Collaboration Candidate, directed to the applicable Janssen Cancer Target, where certain Janssen Milestone Payments are subject to reduction in the event we elect to co-commercialize and share equally in the profits and losses in the United States of a respective Collaboration Candidate. We are further eligible to receive double-digit tiered royalties ranging up to the mid-teens on net sales of Collaboration Candidates that are commercialized by Janssen under the Janssen Agreement, subject to reduction under certain circumstances. No milestone or royalty payments have been received by us as of December 31, 2020.
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As a direct result of our entry into the Janssen Agreement, we incurred $13.3 million in sublicense fees to certain of our existing licensors. The $13.3 million in sublicense consideration represents an asset under ASC 340, Other Assets and Deferred Costs. As of December 31, 2020, all such consideration has been paid .
Agreement with Ono Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.
On September 14, 2018, we entered into the Ono Agreement with Ono for the joint development and commercialization of two off-the-shelf, iPSC-derived CAR T-cell product candidates (each a Candidate and collectively the Candidates). Under the terms of the Ono Agreement, Ono paid to us an upfront, non-refundable and non-creditable payment of $10.0 million. Additionally, as consideration for our conduct of research and preclinical development under a joint development plan, Ono pays us annual research and development fees set forth in the annual budget included in the joint development plan, which fees are estimated to be $20.0 million in aggregate over the course of the joint development plan. Further, under the terms of the Ono Agreement, Ono had agreed to pay us up to an additional $40.0 million, subject to the achievement of a preclinical milestone and the exercise by Ono of its options to obtain exclusive licenses to develop and commercialize the Candidates. Such fees are in addition to the upfront payment and research and development fees.
Pursuant to the Ono Agreement, we and Ono are jointly conducting research and development activities under a joint development plan, with the goal of advancing Candidate 2 to a pre-defined preclinical milestone. We have granted to Ono, during a specified period of time, an option to obtain an exclusive license under certain intellectual property rights to develop and commercialize Candidate 2 in all territories of the world, with us retaining the right to co-develop and co-commercialize Candidate 2 in the United States and Europe under a joint arrangement whereby it is eligible to share at least 50% of the profits and losses.
On December 4, 2020, we entered into the Ono Letter Agreement with Ono in connection with the Ono Agreement. Pursuant to the Ono Letter Agreement, Ono delivered to us proprietary antigen binding domains targeting an antigen expressed on certain solid tumors, and nominated such antigen binding domains as the Ono Antigen Binding Domain for incorporation into Collaboration Candidate 2. In connection with such nomination, Ono paid us a milestone fee of $10.0 million in December 2020 for further research and development of Collaboration Candidate 2 under the Ono Agreement, and Ono continues to maintain its option to Collaboration Candidate 2 under the Ono Agreement. In addition, the Ono Letter Agreement terminated further development with respect to Candidate 1.
Subject to Ono’s exercise of its options to obtain exclusive licenses to develop and commercialize Candidate 2 and to the achievement of certain clinical, regulatory and commercial milestones in specified territories, we are eligible to receive an aggregate of up to $885.0 million in milestone payments for Candidate 2, with the applicable milestone payments for Candidate 2 for the United States and Europe subject to reduction by 50% if we elect to co-develop and co-commercialize Candidate 2 as described above. As of December 31, 2020, we have not received any milestone payments other than the $10.0 million associated with the Ono Letter Agreement in December 2020. We are also eligible to receive tiered royalties ranging from the mid-single digits to the low-double digits based on annual net sales by Ono for Candidate 2 in specified territories, with such royalties subject to certain reductions. As of December 31, 2020, no royalties have been paid to us.
As a direct result of our entry into the Ono Agreement and the Ono Letter Agreement, we incurred an aggregate of $4.0 million in sublicense consideration to certain of our existing licensors. The $4.0 million in sublicense consideration represents an asset under ASC 340, Other Assets and Deferred Costs. As of December 31, 2020, $2.0 million such consideration has been paid, with the remaining $2.0 million included in accounts payable on our consolidated balance sheet at December 31, 2020.
Agreement with Juno Therapeutics, Inc.
On May 4, 2015, we entered into a strategic research collaboration and license agreement with Juno Therapeutics, Inc. (the Juno Agreement) to screen for and identify small molecule modulators that enhance the therapeutic properties of Juno’s genetically-engineered T-cell immunotherapies.
On May 4, 2019, the four-year initial research term under the Juno Agreement concluded as scheduled and the overall agreement terminated upon our receipt of the final quarterly research payment of $0.2 million.
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center License Agreement
On May 15, 2018, we entered into the Amended MSK License with MSK. The Amended MSK License amends and restates the Exclusive License Agreement entered into between us and MSK on August 19, 2016, pursuant to which we entered into an exclusive license agreement with MSK for rights relating to compositions and methods covering iPSC-derived cellular immunotherapy, including T-cells and NK-cells derived from iPSCs engineered with CARs.
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Pursuant to the Amended MSK License, MSK granted us additional licenses to certain patents and patent applications relating to new CAR constructs and off-the-shelf CAR T cells, including the use of clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR) and other innovative technologies for their production, in each case to research, develop, and commercialize licensed products in the field of all human therapeutic uses worldwide. We have the right to grant sublicenses to certain licensed rights in accordance with the terms of the Amended MSK License, in which case we are obligated to pay MSK a percentage of certain sublicense income received.
In the event a licensed product achieves a specified clinical milestone, MSK is then eligible to receive certain milestone payments totaling up to $75.0 million based on the price of the Company’s common stock, where the amount of such payments owed to MSK is contingent upon certain increases in the price of our common stock following the date of achievement of such clinical milestone. These payments are based on common stock price multiples, with the numerator being the fair value of the ten-trading day trailing average closing price of the Company’s common stock and the denominator being the ten-trading day trailing average closing price of the Company’s common stock as of the effective date of the Amended MSK License, adjusted for any stock splits, cash dividends, stock dividends, other distributions, combinations, recapitalizations, or similar events. Under the terms of the Amended MSK License, upon a change of control of the Company, in certain circumstances, we may be required to pay a portion of these payments to MSK based on the price of our common stock in connection with such change of control.
As of December 31, 2020, we recorded a liability of $47.7 million associated with the stock price appreciation milestones for the Amended MSK License. To date, no licensed products have achieved the specified clinical milestone, and no stock price appreciation milestones are currently owed to MSK.
Investing Activities
During the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, investing activities used cash of $161.1 million and $157.5 million, respectively. During the year ended December 31, 2020 we purchased $277.3 million of investments, which were partially offset by $121.2 million in maturities of investments. During the year ended December 31, 2019, we purchased $248.9 million of investments, offset by $98.8 million in maturities of investments. The remaining investing activities for the periods presented were primarily attributable to the purchase of property and equipment.
Financing Activities
Financing activities provided cash of $282.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2020, which primarily consisted of $188.8 million of net proceeds from our June 2020 public offering of common stock, $50.0 million of net proceeds from our June 2020 private placement of common stock, and $33.9 million of net proceeds from the issuance of common stock in conjunction with our collaboration agreement with Janssen, which amount represents the fair value of the equity component from Janssen’s common stock purchase in connection with the collaboration agreement.
Financing activities provided cash of $149.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2019, which primarily consisted of $162.4 million of net proceeds from our September 2019 public offering of common stock. These proceeds were partially offset by $15.0 million in repayments on our long-term debt facility.
From our inception through December 31, 2020 we have funded our consolidated operations primarily through the public and private sale of common stock, the private placement of preferred stock and convertible notes, commercial bank debt and revenues from collaboration activities and grants. As of December 31, 2020, we had aggregate cash and cash equivalents and investments of $482.9 million.
Stock Purchase Agreement with JJDC
In April 2020, we entered into a Stock Purchase Agreement with JJDC. Under the Stock Purchase Agreement, we sold 1.6 million shares of our common stock to JJDC at $31.00 per share, for an aggregate purchase price of $50.0 million, of which $34.0 million was considered an equity component of the transaction, while the remaining $16.0 million was classified as a cash flow from operating activities.
Public Offerings of Common Stock
In June 2020, we completed a public offering of common stock in which investors, certain of which are affiliated with one of our directors, purchased 7.1 million shares of our common stock at a price of $28.31 per share under a shelf registration statement. Gross proceeds from the offering were $201.3 million. After giving effect to $12.5 million in underwriting discounts, commissions and expenses related to the offering, net proceeds were $188.8 million.
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In September 2019, we completed a public offering of common stock in which investors, certain of which are affiliated with one of our directors, purchased 9 .9 million shares of our common stock at a price of $17.50 per share under our shelf registration statement. Gross proceeds from the offering were $173.1 million. After giving effect to $10.7 million in underwriting discounts, commissions and expenses related to the offering, net proceeds were $162.4 million .
Private Placement of Common Stock
In June 2020, we exercised our right to cause JJDC to purchase, and JJDC purchased, in a private placement 1.8 million shares of our common stock at a price of $28.31 per share, for aggregate proceeds of $50.0 million. The shares of common stock purchased in the private placement were not subject to any underwriting discounts or commissions.
California Institute for Regenerative Medicine Award
On April 5, 2018, we executed an award agreement with the CIRM pursuant to which CIRM awarded us $4.0 million to advance our FT516 product candidate into a first-in-human clinical trial (the Award). Pursuant to the terms of the Award, we are eligible to receive five disbursements in varying amounts totaling $4.0 million throughout the project period of the Award. In November 2019, we submitted an IND application for FT516 in advanced solid tumors. As of December 31, 2020, the Company has received aggregate disbursements under the Award in the amount of $4.0 million.
The Award is subject to certain co-funding requirements by us. We, in our sole discretion, have the option to treat the Award either as a loan or as a grant. In the event we elect to treat the Award as a loan, we will be obligated to repay i) 60%, ii) 80%, iii) 100% or iv) 100% plus interest at 7% plus LIBOR, of the total Award to CIRM, where such repayment rate is dependent upon the phase of clinical development of FT516 at the time of our election. If we do not elect to treat the Award as a loan within 10 years of the date of the Award, the Award will be considered a grant and we will be obligated to pay to CIRM a royalty on commercial sales of FT516 until such royalty payments equal nine times the total amount awarded to us under the Award.
Silicon Valley Bank Debt Facility
On July 30, 2014, we entered into an Amended and Restated Loan and Security Agreement (Restated LSA) with Silicon Valley Bank (the Bank), collateralized by substantially all of our assets, excluding certain intellectual property. On July 14, 2017, we entered into an amendment (SVB Loan Amendment) of the Restated LSA with the Bank where the Bank extended an additional term loan to us in the principal amount of $15.0 million (2017 Term Loan), a portion of which was applied to repay in full all amounts previously outstanding under the Restated LSA. On November 13, 2019 we used cash on hand in the amount of $14.2 million to repay in full all outstanding obligations related to the Restated LSA and SVB Loan Amendment. Accordingly, all of our obligations under the Restated LSA and SVB Loan Amendment have been paid and discharged in full, and all security interests and other liens granted by us to the Bank to secure our obligations have been terminated and released.
Registration Statements on Form S-3
In November 2018, we filed an automatic shelf registration statement (File No. 333-228513), which became effective upon filing. The shelf registration statement allows us to issue certain securities, including shares of our common stock, from time to time. The specific terms of any offering under the automatic shelf registration statement are established at the time of such offering. Additionally, we entered into a sales agreement with Leerink Partners LLC (Leerink) with respect to an at-the-market offering program, under which we may offer and sell, from time to time at our sole discretion, shares of our common stock having an aggregate offering price of up to $50.0 million through Leerink as the sales agent, pursuant to this automatic shelf registration statement.
In addition, as of December 31, 2020 , we are eligible to issue an aggregate of $6.2 million in securities under a previously filed shelf registration statement (File No. 333-224680), which was declared effective by the SEC in May 2018.
Operating Capital Requirements
We anticipate that we will continue to incur losses for the foreseeable future, and we expect the losses to increase as we continue the research, manufacture and development of, and seek regulatory approvals for, our product candidates and conduct additional research, manufacturing and development activities pursuant to our collaboration agreements with Janssen and Ono. Our product candidates have not yet achieved regulatory approval and we may not be successful in achieving commercialization of our product candidates.
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We believe our existing cash and cash equivalents and investments as of December 31, 2020 will be sufficient to fund our projected operating requirements for at least the next twelve months. However, we are subject to all the risks and uncertainties incident in the research, manufacture and development of therapeutic products. For example, the FDA or other regulatory authorities may require us to generate additional data or conduct additional preclinical studies, manufacturing activities, or clinical trials, or may impose other requirements beyond those that we currently anticipate. Additionally, it is possible for a product candidate to show promising results in preclinical studies or in clinical trials, but fail to establish sufficient safety and efficacy data necessary to obtain regulatory approvals. As a result of these and other risks and uncertainties and the probability of success, the duration and the cost of our research, manufacturing and development activities required to advance a product candidate cannot be accurately estimated and are subject to considerable variation. We may encounter difficulties, complications, delays and other unknown factors and unforeseen expenses in the course of our research, manufacturing and development activities, any of which may significantly increase our capital requirements and could adversely affect our liquidity.
We will require additional capital for the research, manufacture and development of our product candidates and to perform our obligations under our collaboration agreements, and we may need to seek additional funds sooner than expected due to any changes in our business, operations, financial condition or prospects, including any impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. We expect to finance our capital requirements in the foreseeable future through the sale of public or private equity or debt securities. However, additional capital may not be available to us on reasonable terms, if at all. If we are unable to raise additional capital in sufficient amounts or on terms acceptable to us, we may have to significantly delay, scale back or discontinue the research, manufacture or development of one or more of our product candidates. If we do raise additional funds through the issuance of additional equity or debt securities, it could result in dilution to our existing stockholders, increased fixed payment obligations and the existence of securities with rights that may be senior to those of our common stock. Additionally, if we incur indebtedness, we may become subject to financial or other covenants that could adversely restrict, impair or affect our ability to conduct our business, such as requiring us to relinquish rights to certain of our product candidates or technologies or limiting our ability to acquire, sell or license intellectual property rights or incur additional debt. Any of these events could significantly harm our business, operations, financial condition and prospects. In addition, while the full impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business, operations, financial condition and prospects, and on the global economy, are currently unknown and difficult to predict, the pandemic has caused significant disruptions and created uncertainties in the global financial markets, and the economic impacts of the pandemic could materially and adversely affect our ability to raise capital through equity or debt financings in the future.
Our forecast of the period of time through which our existing cash and cash equivalents and investments will be adequate to support our operations is a forward-looking statement and involves significant risks and uncertainties. We have based this forecast on assumptions that may prove to be wrong, and actual results could vary materially from our expectations, which may adversely affect our capital resources and liquidity. We could utilize our available capital resources sooner than we currently expect. The amount and timing of future funding requirements, both near- and long-term, will depend on many factors, including, but not limited to :
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the initiation, timing, progress, size, duration, costs and results of our clinical trials and preclinical studies for our product candidates;
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the number and the nature of product candidates that we pursue;
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the time to and cost of establishing business operations at our new corporate headquarters, including internal GMP production capabilities to support the clinical and potential commercial manufacture of our product candidates;
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the cost of GMP production, process and scale-up development and technology transfer activities for the manufacture of our product candidates, including the cost of laboratory equipment, materials and supplies to support these activities;
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the time, cost and outcome of seeking and obtaining regulatory approvals;
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the extent to which we are required to pay milestone or other payments under our existing in-license agreements and any in-license agreements that we may enter into in the future, and the timing of such payments, including payments owed to MSK in connection with the stock price appreciation milestones;
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the extent to which milestones are achieved under our collaboration agreements with Ono and Janssen, and any other strategic partnership or collaboration agreements that we may enter into in the future, and the time to achievement of such milestones and our receipt of any associated milestone payments;
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the cost of filing, prosecuting, defending and enforcing any patent claims and other intellectual property rights;
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the cost of our research and development activities, including our need and ability to hire additional employees and procure additional equipment, materials and supplies;
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the establishment and continuation of collaborations and strategic alliances;
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the timing and terms of future in-licensing and out-licensing transactions; and
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the cost of establishing sales, marketing, manufacturing and distribution capabilities for, and the pricing and reimbursement of, any products for which we may receive regulatory approval.
In addition, we are closely monitoring ongoing developments in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic and evaluating adjustments to our business and operations, which may negatively impact our financial condition and prospects and our operating results. We will continue to assess our operating capital requirements and may make adjustments to our business and operations if circumstances warrant. If we cannot continue or expand our research, manufacturing and development operations, or otherwise capitalize on our business opportunities, because we lack sufficient capital, our business, operations, financial condition and prospects could be materially adversely affected .
Contractual Obligations and Commitments
We lease our headquarters office and laboratory space under a non-cancelable operating lease, comprising approximately 72,000 square feet. In addition to rent, the lease is subject to certain fixed amenities fees. The lease is subject to additional variable charges for common area maintenance and other costs. We maintain the right to terminate the lease after October 2025, subject to our delivery to the landlord of twelve months’ prior written notice and an early termination payment of $2.5 million. See Note 8 of the consolidated financial statements for additional detail.
During January 2020, we entered into a new lease agreement for a future headquarters facility (the Premises). The Premises are located in San Diego, California and we intend to move our corporate headquarters to the Premises during the third quarter of 2021. Lease payments commence, subject to certain conditions, in May 2021 (the Rent Commencement Date) and the lease has a lease term of 15 years starting from the Rent Commencement Date. We have the option to extend the lease for two successive five-year periods. We also have a one-time option to terminate the lease after 10 years from the Rent Commencement Date, subject to payment of a $30.0 million early termination fee. See Note 8 of the consolidated financial statements for additional detail.
Total undiscounted aggregate future operating lease obligations under all of our operating leases, as of December 31, 2020 are $194.0 million.
We have no material contractual obligations not fully recorded on our consolidated balance sheets or fully disclosed in the notes to the financial statements.
We have obligations under various license agreements to make future payments to third parties that become due and payable on the achievement of certain development, regulatory and commercial milestones (such as the start of a clinical trial, filing for product approval with the FDA or other regulatory agencies, product approval by the FDA or other regulatory agencies, product launch or product sales) or on the sublicense of our rights to another party. We have not included these commitments on our balance sheet or in the table above because the achievement and timing of these events is not fixed and determinable. Certain milestones are in advance of receipt of revenue from the sale of products and, therefore, we may require additional debt or equity capital to make such payments. These commitments include:
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Under a license agreement with Children’s Medical Center Corporation pursuant to which we license certain patents relating to our ex vivo cell programming approach and our programmed hematopoietic cell therapies, we are required to make annual maintenance payments and payments based upon development, regulatory and commercial milestones for any products covered by the in-licensed intellectual property. The maximum aggregate milestone payments we may be obligated to make per product are $5.0 million. We will also be required to pay a royalty on net sales of products covered by the in-licensed intellectual property in the low- to mid-single digits. The royalty is subject to reduction for any third-party payments required to be made, with a minimum floor in the low single digits. We have the right to sublicense our rights under this agreement, and we will be required to pay a percentage of any sublicense income.
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Under a license agreement with the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, pursuant to which we license certain patents relating to our iPSC product platform, we are required to make annual maintenance payments and payments based upon development, regulatory and commercial milestones for any products covered by the in-licensed intellectual property. The maximum aggregate milestone payments we may be obligated to make per product are $2.3 million. We will also be required to pay a royalty on net sales of products covered by the in-licensed intellectual property in the low single digits. The royalty is subject to reduction for any third-party payments required to be made, with a minimum floor in the low single digits. We have the right to sublicense our rights under this agreement, and we will be required to pay a percentage of any sublicense income.
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Under license agreements with The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI), pursuant to which we license certain patents relating to our iPSC product platform, we are required to make annual maintenance payments and payments based upon development, regulatory and commercial milestones for any products covered by the in-licensed intellectual property. The maximum aggregate milestone payments we may be obligated to make are $1.8 million. We will also be required to pay a royalty on net sales of products covered by the in-licensed intellectual property in the low- to mid-single digits. The royalty is subject to reduction for any third-party payments required to be made, with a minimum floor in the low single digits. We have the right to sublicense our rights under these agreements, and we will be required to pay a percentage of any sublicense income.
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Under a license agreement with the Regents of the University of Minnesota, pursuant to which we license certain patents relating to compositions and uses of NK cells and to compositions of engineered receptors and immune cells expressing such receptors, we are required to make annual maintenance payments and payments based upon development, regulatory and commercial milestones for any products covered by the in-licensed intellectual property. The maximum aggregate milestone payments we may be obligated to make per product are $4.6 million. We will also be required to pay a royalty on net sales of products covered by the in-licensed intellectual property in the low single digits. The royalty is subject to reduction for any third-party payments required to be made, with a minimum floor in the low single digits. We have the right to sublicense our rights under this agreement, and we will be required to pay a percentage of any sublicense income.
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Under a license agreement with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, pursuant to which we license certain patents relating to compositions and uses of T cells derived from iPSCs, CARs and genetic modifications using CRISPR, we are required to make annual maintenance payments and payments based upon development, regulatory and commercial milestones for any products covered by the in-licensed intellectual property. The maximum aggregate milestone payments we may be obligated to make per product are $12.5 million. We will also be required to pay a royalty on net sales of products covered by the in-licensed intellectual property up to the high-single digits. The royalty is subject to reduction for any third-party payments required to be made, with a minimum floor in the low- to mid-single digits. We have the right to sublicense our rights under this agreement, and we will be required to pay a percentage of any sublicense income. Additionally, in the event a licensed product achieves a specified clinical milestone, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center is then eligible to receive additional milestone payments, where the amount of such payments owed to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center are contingent upon certain increases in the price of our common stock following the date of achievement of such clinical milestone. See Note 2 of the notes to the consolidated financial statements for additional detail related to the stock price appreciation milestone payments.
We enter into contracts in the normal course of business, including with clinical sites and professional service providers for the conduct of clinical trials, contract manufacturers for the production of our product candidates, contract research service providers for preclinical research studies, professional consultants for expert advice and vendors for the sourcing of clinical and laboratory supplies and materials. These contracts generally provide for termination on notice, and therefore are cancelable contracts and not included in the table of contractual obligations and commitments.