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 the related notes included elsewhere in this Annual Report. Some of the information contained in this discussion and analysis or set forth elsewhere in this Annual Report, including information with respect to our plans and strategy for our business and related financing, includes forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. As a result of many factors, including those factors set forth in the “Risk Factors” (Part I, Item 1A) section of this Annual Report, our actual results could differ materially from the results described in or implied by these forward-looking statements. You should carefully read the “Risk Factors” (Part I, Item 1A) section of this Annual Report to gain an understanding of the important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from our forward-looking statements. Please also see the section entitled “Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements.”
Overview
We are a clinical-stage targeted oncology company committed to developing targeted therapies designed to improve outcomes for cancer patients. We are advancing an innovative portfolio of therapeutics, drawing on leadership that previously played key roles in the design, development, and commercialization of cutting-edge targeted cancer therapies, including antibody-drug conjugate therapies, or ADCs. We believe that the pursuit of novel or underexplored targets will be central to the next generation of transformative therapies, and we are dedicated to developing targeted cancer therapies with first-in-class and best-in-class potential. Our goal is to establish a broad pipeline of preclinical and clinical assets and develop these assets into approved products for commercialization.
We are advancing a pipeline comprising two clinical assets and four preclinical assets. Varegacestat, formerly AL102, is an investigational gamma secretase inhibitor, or GSI, currently under evaluation in a Phase 3 clinical trial for the treatment of desmoid tumors. Our investigational new drug application, or IND, for IM-1021, a receptor tyrosine kinase-like orphan receptor 1, or ROR1, antibody-drug conjugate, received FDA clearance in December 2024, and the Phase 1 trial is ongoing with the first patient dosed in February 2025. Our other preclinical assets include IM-3050, a fibroblast activation protein, or FAP, targeted radioligand therapy, or RLT, for which we submitted an IND in March 2025, and three solid tumor ADC drug candidates: IM-1617, IM-1340, and IM-1335, all of which are in IND-enabling activities. We have six additional ADCs currently undergoing lead optimization in advance of future development decisions.
At present, our internal discovery efforts center on designing ADCs against novel or underexplored targets. We believe that pursuing differentiated targets provides a path to significant clinical benefit and meaningful market opportunities. This strategy is supported by HC74, the differentiated, novel topoisomerase 1, or TOP1, inhibitor payload we exclusively licensed from Zentalis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., or Zentalis, in January 2024 and subsequently purchased from Zentalis in October 2024. We have efforts underway to develop additional linkers and payloads and believe that a broad toolbox of linkers and payloads supports our mission to design and develop a diverse pipeline of ADCs.
To expand and advance our innovative portfolio of therapeutics, we draw on leadership that previously played key roles in the design, development, and commercialization of cutting-edge targeted cancer therapies, including the first ADCs commercialized for Hodgkin and T-cell lymphoma, urothelial cancer and cervical cancer.
Our current programs
Varegacestat (formerly AL102)
Our lead clinical asset is varegacestat, an oral, once daily GSI therapy that is being evaluated for the treatment of desmoid tumors. In the Phase 2 RINGSIDE study Part A, varegacestat demonstrated objective response rates, or ORR, of 75% of evaluable patients and 64% in the intent-to-treat population; median reduction in tumor volume of 88%; and an 85% reduction in T2 imaging, which is suggestive of a reduction in cellularity. The Phase 2 data also show that varegacestat has a safety profile consistent with other GSI therapies. Enrollment in a Phase 3 registrational trial was completed in February 2024, and we expect to report topline data from this trial in the second half of 2025. We acquired varegacestat from Ayala Pharmaceuticals, Inc., or Ayala, in March 2024.
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IM-1021 (Solid Tumor and B-Cell Lymphoma ADC)
IM-1021 is a ROR1 ADC that incorporates HC74, our proprietary TOP1i payload. ROR1 is expressed in both hematologic malignancies and solid tumors with limited normal tissue expression, and previous ADCs targeting ROR1 have demonstrated clinical activity. In preclinical studies, IM-1021 showed sustained tumor regression in preclinical models, including a mouse model of triple-negative breast cancer, or TNBC, and a mouse model of mantle cell lymphoma, or MCL We believe that IM-1021 may provide improved therapeutic index as compared to other ROR1-targeted ADCs in development. IM-1021 received IND clearance in December 2024, and the phase 1 clinical trial is ongoing with a starting dose of 2 mg/kg of adjusted ideal body weight. We expect dose escalation to include patients both with solid tumors and with B-cell lymphoma.
IM-3050 (FAP Radioligand Therapy)
IM-3050 is a FAP-targeted lutetium-177, Lu-177 or 177Lu, RLT product candidate for the treatment of solid tumors. FAP, or fibroblast activation protein, is a cell surface protease that serves as a tumor-specific marker due to its broad expression on cancer associated fibroblasts, the most common tumor stromal cell. FAP is expressed in 75% of solid tumors. IM-3050 is designed to deliver radioactive 177Lu directly to FAP- expressing cells, where the “bystander” effect of the radiation may damage or kill nearby tumor cells. We believe this RLT approach could overcome the limitations, such as poor internalization and low expression on tumor cells, that make FAP an unsuitable target for ADCs. In vivo data show single dose antitumor activity and tolerability. We submitted an IND for this program to the FDA in March 2025, and expect to initiate a Phase 1 clinical trial in the second half of 2025 .
IM-1617 (Solid Tumor ADC)
IM-1617 is a potential first-in-class ADC that targets an undisclosed receptor that is preferentially expressed in a broad array of solid tumors, including colorectal cancer, or CRC, non-small cell lung cancer, or NSCLC, and breast and ovarian cancers. The target is a receptor tyrosine kinase that promotes tumor cell survival and mediates immune cell exclusion, providing potential for a secondary mechanism of action. IND-enabling work for IM-1617 was initiated in the fourth quarter of 2024.
IM-1340 (Solid Tumor ADC)
IM-1340 is a potential first-in-class ADC for the treatment of multiple solid tumors. The target of IM-1340 is underexplored and non-obvious in cancer and, to our knowledge, there are no ADCs or other therapeutic modalities in development against it. It has a unique expression profile that spans neuroendocrine tumors, or NETs, and other carcinomas, including lung and prostate tumors, with limited expression in normal tissue. IND-enabling work for IM-1335 was initiated in the fourth quarter of 2024.
IM-1335 (Solid Tumor ADC)
IM-1335 is being developed for the treatment of solid tumor indications. It shares a target with a competitor’s now-discontinued investigational ADC that showed clinical activity prior to discontinuation. Our goal in designing IM-1335 was to optimize the safety and efficacy through a deep understanding of target biology and ADC optimization. We identified limitations that we expect contributed to the failure of the prior ADC against this target, and we believe that IM-1335 overcomes these limitations. IND-enabling work for IM-1335 was initiated in the fourth quarter of 2024.
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Other Programs and Platforms
In addition to the already described current programs, we expect to continue to invest in discovery efforts intended to expand our pipeline. Additional ADC programs are the primary focus of these efforts. We believe that our team’s ADC expertise positions us to develop the next generation of transformative ADCs. This expertise comprises executive leadership with a proven record of success, an ADC-focused discovery team with deep experience in ADC design, and a seasoned development team whose members spearheaded the development of multiple FDA-approved ADCs. We pair our portfolio of antibodies to potential first-in-class ADC targets with rigorous target selection based on a deep understanding of target biology. That target-driven approach is complemented by HC74, our differentiated, proprietary TOP1 inhibitor payload and our optimized, proprietary linkers.
Recent Events
Ayala Purchase Agreement
In March 2024, we completed an asset purchase pursuant to an asset purchase agreement, or the Ayala Purchase Agreement, initially entered into with Ayala Pharmaceuticals, Inc., or Ayala, in February 2024, pursuant to which we acquired Ayala’s AL101 and varegacestat (then known as AL102) programs and assumed certain liabilities associated with the acquired assets. Under the Ayala Purchase Agreement, we paid Ayala approximately $20.0 million in cash and issued 2,175,489 shares of our common stock with an aggregate fair value of $50.6 million on the date of issuance. We are also obligated to pay Ayala up to $37.5 million in the aggregate upon the achievement of certain development, regulatory and commercial milestones.
Zentalis Pharmaceuticals License and Purchase Agreements
In January 2024, we entered into a license agreement with Zentalis, or the Zentalis License Agreement, pursuant to which we received an exclusive, worldwide, royalty-bearing, sublicensable license under certain intellectual property relating to Zentalis’ proprietary ADC platform technology, ROR1 antibodies and ADCs targeting ROR1 to exploit products covered by or incorporating the licensed intellectual property rights or, collectively, the Zentalis Licensed Assets. Under the Zentalis License Agreement, we paid Zentalis $15.0 million in cash and issued Zentalis 2,298,586 shares of our common stock with an aggregate fair value of $23.4 million on the date of issuance.
In October 2024, we completed an asset purchase agreement with Zentalis, or the Zentalis Purchase Agreement, pursuant to which we purchased the Zentalis Licensed Assets previously licensed to us under the then-existing Zentalis License Agreement. Upon closing of the Zentalis Purchase Agreement, the Zentalis License Agreement was terminated. Under the Zentalis Purchase Agreement, we issued Zentalis 1,805,502 shares of our common stock with an aggregate fair value of $21.0 million on the date of issuance. We are also obligated to pay Zentalis a one-time payment of $5.0 million in cash upon the achievement of a developmental milestone that was previously a milestone under the Zentalis License Agreement. The $5.0 million developmental milestone was achieved in the fourth quarter of 2024 and paid in the first quarter of 2025.
Bristol-Myers Squibb
In connection with the closing of the Ayala Purchase Agreement in March 2024, we assumed a license agreement, the BMS License Agreement, with Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, or BMS, pursuant to which we obtained a worldwide, non-transferable, royalty-bearing, exclusive, sublicensable, license under certain patent rights and know-how of BMS to research, discover, develop, make, have made, use, sell, offer to sell, export, import and commercialize AL101 and varegacestat, or the BMS Licensed Compounds, and products containing AL101 or varegacestat, or the BMS Licensed Products, for all uses including the prevention, treatment or control of any human or animal disease, disorder or condition.
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In August 2024, we amended the BMS License Agreement and issued BMS 230,415 shares of our common stock with an aggregate fair value of $2.7 million on the date of issuance. Under the as amended BMS License Agreement, we are obligated to pay BMS up to approximately $142.0 million in the aggregate upon the achievement of certain clinical development or regulatory milestones for AL101 and varegacestat across multiple indications. In addition, we are obligated to pay BMS up to $50.0 million in the aggregate upon the achievement of certain commercial milestones for each BMS Licensed Product.
2025 Public Offering
In January 2025, we issued 22,258,064 shares of our common stock in a public offering for aggregate proceeds of $172.5 million, before deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us, or the 2025 Financing.
2024 Public Offering
In February 2024, we issued 11,500,000 shares of our common stock in a public offering for net proceeds of $215.4 million, after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and offering expenses payable by us, or the 2024 Financing.
Components of our results of operations
Collaboration revenue
We have not generated any revenue from product sales and do not expect to generate any revenue from the sale of products for the foreseeable future. To date, we have generated our revenue through a Collaboration and Option Agreement, or the Collaboration Agreement, with AbbVie Global Enterprises Ltd., or AbbVie. Our collaboration revenue to date consists of payments from AbbVie that we recognize over the expected performance period under this agreement. We expect that revenues for the foreseeable future will be derived primarily from this agreement and any additional collaborations into which we may enter. We have not received any royalties under the Collaboration Agreement with AbbVie to date .
In-process research and development expenses
Intangible assets acquired in an asset acquisition for use in research and development activities which have no alternative future use are expensed as in-process research and development, or IPR&D, expense on the acquisition date. IPR&D expense for the year ended December 31, 2024 primarily relates to the acquisition of certain assets and licenses from Ayala, Zentalis, and others. IPR&D expense for the year ended December 31, 2023 primarily relates to the acquisition of certain assets and licenses in connection with the Morphimmune merger.
Research and development expenses
Research and development expenses consist of costs incurred in performing research and development activities, which include:
● personnel-related expenses, including salaries, bonuses, benefits and share-based compensation for employees engaged in research and development functions;
● expenses incurred in connection with the advancement of our programs and product candidates, including under agreements with consultants, contractors, contract research organizations, or CROs, and other third-party vendors and suppliers;
● expenses to conduct clinical trials including regulatory and quality assurance;
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● the cost of process development, validation, and the manufacturing of drug supplies for use in our preclinical studies and clinical trials;
● laboratory supplies and research materials and other infrastructure-related expenses; and
● facilities, depreciation and amortization and other expenses which include direct and allocated expenses.
We expense research and development costs as incurred. Advance payments that we make for goods or services to be received in the future for use in research and development activities are recorded as prepaid expenses. The prepaid amounts are expensed as the benefits are consumed.
Research and development activities are central to our business model. We expect that our research and development expenses will increase substantially in connection with the continuation of our activities and new agreements.
General and administrative expenses
General and administrative expenses consist primarily of salaries and other related costs, including share-based compensation for personnel in our executive, business development, and administrative functions. General and administrative expenses also include legal fees relating to intellectual property and corporate matters, professional fees for accounting, auditing, tax and consulting services, insurance costs, travel, direct and allocated facility related expenses and other operating costs.
We anticipate that our general and administrative expenses will increase in the future to support increased and progressed research and development activities and to operate as a public company.
Interest income
Interest income consists of interest earned on our marketable securities and on our cash and cash equivalent balances held with financial institutions.
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Results of operations
Comparison of the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023:
The following table summarizes our results of operations for the periods presented (in thousands):
Year Ended December 31,
2024
2023
Change
Collaboration revenue
$
9,041
$
14,018
$
(4,977)
Operating expenses:
In-process research and development
152,344
80,802
71,542
Research and development (1)
129,542
23,089
106,453
General and administrative (1)
32,955
19,657
13,298
Total operating expenses
314,841
123,548
191,293
Loss from operations
(305,800)
(109,530)
(196,270)
Interest income
12,837
2,724
10,113
Net loss
$
(292,963)
$
(106,806)
$
(186,157)
(1) Amounts include non-cash share-based compensation expense as follows (in thousands):
Year Ended December 31,
2024
2023
Change
Research and development
$
5,146
$
1,981
$
3,165
General and administrative
10,602
4,242
6,360
Total share-based compensation expense
$
15,748
$
6,223
$
9,525
Collaboration revenue
Collaboration revenue decreased by $5.0 million, from $14.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2023 to $9.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2024. The decrease was primarily due to a decrease in certain research and development activities allocated to AbbVie during the year ended December 31, 2024 compared to the year ended December 31, 2023.
In-process research and development expenses
IPR&D expense for the year ended December 31, 2024 primarily related to the write-off of acquired IPR&D assets that were determined to have no alternative future use . IPR&D expense for the year ended December 31, 2023 related to the write-off of IPR&D assets acquired in connection with the Morphimmune merger that were determined to have no alternative future use.
Research and development expenses
Research and development expenses increased by $106.5 million, from $23.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2023 to $129.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2024.
We record direct research and development expenses which consist primarily of external costs related to manufacturing, outsourced research, product development, and clinical trial costs, including fees paid to investigators, consultants, central laboratories and CROs, to specific product candidates. Indirect research and development expenses have not been allocated directly to a program as they benefit multiple product programs, and primarily consist of personnel salary, benefit and stock-based compensation costs, depreciation, laboratory materials and services, and costs to maintain our facilities.
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The table below shows our research and development expenses incurred with respect to each active program (in thousands):
Year Ended December 31,
2024
2023
Change
Varegacestat (1)
$
27,954
$
—
$
27,954
IM-1021 (2)
24,130
—
24,130
IM-3050 (3)
13,359
—
13,359
Other product candidates (4)
35,335
11,278
24,057
Indirect research and development (5)
28,764
11,811
16,953
Total
$
129,542
$
23,089
$
106,453
(1) The increase for the year ended December 31, 2024 compared to the year ended December 31, 2023 was due primarily to manufacturing and clinical trial activities related to varegacestat, which we acquired from Ayala in March 2024.
(2) The increase for the year ended December 31, 2024 compared to the year ended December 31, 2023 was due primarily to increased outsourced research, manufacturing and IND-enabling activities pertaining to IM-1021, which we licensed from Zentalis in January 2024 and subsequently acquired from Zentalis in October 2024.
(3) The increase for the year ended December 31, 2024 compared to the year ended December 31, 2023 was due primarily to increased outsourced research, manufacturing and IND-enabling activities for IM-3050.
(4) The increase for the year ended December 31, 2024 compared to the year ended December 31, 2023 was due primarily to increased ADC discovery activities.
(5) The increase for the year ended December 31, 2024 compared to the year ended December 31, 2023 was due primarily to an increase in personnel and personnel-related costs in support of varegacestat, IM-1021, IM-3050 and other development and discovery programs.
General and administrative expenses
General and administrative expenses increased by $13.3 million, from $19.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2023 to $33.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2024. The increase was primarily a result of a $10.1 million increase in personnel-related costs from an increase in headcount, including a $6.4 million increase in share-based compensation.
Interest income
Interest income increased by $10.1 million from $2.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2023 to $12.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2024. The increase was primarily a result of higher cash and cash equivalent and marketable security balances.
Liquidity and capital resources
Sources of liquidity
Since our inception in 2006, we have devoted substantially all our resources to research and development, raising capital, building our management team, building our intellectual property portfolio and entering and executing on collaborations and strategic transactions. To date, we have financed our operations primarily through sales of our equity securities, collaboration arrangements, strategic partnerships and transactions and to a lesser extent, through expense reimbursements received from a governmental contract that ended in 2022.
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To date, we have not generated any revenue from commercial sale of products and do not expect to generate revenue from commercial sales for the foreseeable future. Since inception, we have incurred significant operating losses and negative cash flows from operations. Our net losses were $293.0 million and $106.8 million for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. As of December 31, 2024, we had cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities of $217.3 million and an accumulated deficit of $515.8 million.
In February 2024, we completed our 2024 Financing and issued 11,500,000 shares of our common stock at $20.00 per share for net proceeds of $215.4 million, after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and offering expenses payable by us.
In May 2024, we entered into an “at the market” sales agreement, or the 2024 ATM Agreement, with TD Securities (USA) LLC, or TD Cowen, as sales agent, pursuant to which we may offer and sell from time to time shares of our common stock having an aggregate offering price of up to $200.0 million, or the ATM Shares . We have agreed to pay TD Cowen a commission of up to 3.0% of the aggregate gross proceeds from any ATM Shares sold through the 2024 ATM Agreement. In November 2024, we sold 2,030,431 shares of common stock under the 2024 ATM Agreement, resulting in net proceeds of approximately $19.6 million.
In January 2025, we completed our 2025 Financing and issued 22,258,064 shares of our common stock at $7.75 per share for gross proceeds of $172.5 million, before deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us.
Cash flows
The following table summarizes our sources and uses of cash for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 (in thousands):
Year Ended December 31,
2024
2023
Cash used in operating activities
$
(110,794)
$
(7,568)
Cash used in investing activities
(85,063)
(30,484)
Cash provided by financing activities
240,529
116,408
Net increase in cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash
$
44,672
$
78,356
Operating activities
Net cash used in operating activities for the year ended December 31, 2024 was $110.8 million, consisting primarily of our net loss of $293.0 million, partially offset by noncash charges of $167.3 million and a net change in operating assets and liabilities of $14.9 million. The noncash charges primarily consisted of $152.3 million of IPR&D assets acquired without alternative future use and $15.7 million of share-based compensation. The change in operating assets and liabilities primarily consisted of an increase in accrued expenses and other current liabilities of $13.6 million, an increase in accounts payable of $9.5 million and a decrease in prepaid expenses and other assets of $0.9 million, partially offset by a decrease in deferred revenue of $9.0 million.
Net cash used in operating activities for the year ended December 31, 2023 was $7.6 million, consisting primarily of our net loss of $106.8 million, partially offset by noncash charges of $87.2 million and a net change in operating assets and liabilities of $12.0 million. The noncash charges primarily consisted of $80.8 million of IPR&D assets acquired without alternative future use and $6.2 million of share-based compensation. The change in operating assets and liabilities primarily consisted of an increase in deferred revenue of $16.0 million, partially offset by an increase in prepaid expenses and other assets of $4.1 million.
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Investing activities
Net cash used in investing activities for the year ended December 31, 2024 was $85.1 million, consisting primarily of $186.6 million of purchases of marketable securities, $46.3 million of purchases of IPR&D assets and $7.2 million of purchases of property and equipment, partially offset by $155.0 million from maturities of marketable securities
Net cash used in investing activities for the year ended December 31, 2023 was $30.5 million, consisting primarily of $38.9 million of purchases of marketable securities and $0.8 million of purchases of property and equipment, offset by $9.3 million received in connection with the Morphimmune merger.
Financing activities
Net cash provided by financing activities for the year ended December 31, 2024 was $240.5 million, consisting of gross proceeds of $230.0 million from the 2024 Financing, gross proceeds of $20.0 million from the issuance of common stock under the 2024 ATM Agreement and $5.8 million from the exercise of options and common stock warrants, partially offset by offering costs of $15.2 million from our 2024 Financing and 2024 ATM Agreement.
Net cash provided by financing activities for the year ended December 31, 2023 was $116.4 million, consisting of gross proceeds of $125.4 million from the private investment in public equity, or PIPE, transaction held concurrently with the closing of the Morphimmune merger in October 2023, the exercise of options, and the issuance of common stock under our prior ATM sales agreement that we terminated in November 2023, partially offset by the payment of $9.0 million for offering costs related to the PIPE transaction.
Funding requirements
We expect our expenses to increase substantially in connection with our ongoing and future activities, particularly as we advance and expand our clinical development of varegacestat, seek regulatory approval for varegacestat, advance the clinical development of IM-1021, continue the development of IM-3050 and any other current and future product candidates, and continue to pursue our business development strategy. We expect that our primary uses of capital will be for clinical development services, non-clinical research, strategic transactions, manufacturing, legal and other regulatory compliance expenses, compensation and related expenses, risk management and general overhead costs.
We expect that our existing cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities as of December 31, 2024, together with the proceeds from the 2025 Financing, will be sufficient to fund our current and planned operating expenses and capital expenditures for at least 12 months from the filing date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. We will need additional financing to support our continuing operations and pursue our research and development strategy. We have based these estimates on assumptions that may prove to be imprecise, and we may exhaust our available capital resources sooner than we currently expect. Because of the numerous risks and uncertainties associated with the development of our programs, we are unable to estimate the amounts of increased capital outlays and operating expenses associated with completing the research and development of our programs and product candidates.
Our future funding requirements will depend on many factors including:
● the extent to which we acquire or in-license products, intellectual property and other technologies and the terms on which we acquire or in-license those assets;
● the scope, progress, results and costs of discovery, preclinical development, manufacturing and clinical trials for programs and product candidates that we currently own and those that we may discover or acquire rights to in the future;
● the costs of preparing, filing and prosecuting patent applications, maintaining and enforcing our intellectual property and proprietary rights, and defending intellectual property-related claims and the success of our intellectual property portfolio;
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● the costs, timing and outcome of regulatory review of the programs and product candidates we may develop;
● the costs of future activities, including product sales, medical affairs, marketing, manufacturing, distribution, coverage and reimbursement for any programs or product candidates for which we receive regulatory approval;
● the success of our existing and any future license agreements, collaborations and other strategic transactions and the achievement of milestones or occurrence of other developments that trigger payments to or from us under any such agreements and transactions; and
● the costs of operating as a public company.
Until such time, if ever, as we can generate substantial product revenues, we expect to finance our cash needs through a combination of equity offerings, including pursuant to the 2024 ATM Agreement, debt financings, collaborations, strategic alliances and licensing arrangements. As a result of the war between Russia and Ukraine, conflicts in the Middle East, trade wars, bank failures, inflationary pressures on the economy and monetary policy responses taken by government agencies and other macroeconomic and political factors, the global credit and financial markets have experienced extreme volatility, including diminished liquidity and credit availability, declines in consumer confidence, declines in economic growth and uncertainty about economic stability. There can be no assurance that deterioration in credit and financial markets and confidence in economic conditions will not occur. If equity and credit markets deteriorate, it may make any necessary debt or equity financing more difficult to obtain, more costly and/or more dilutive. To the extent that we raise additional capital through the sale of equity, including pursuant to the 2024 ATM Agreement, or convertible debt securities, the ownership interest of any purchaser will be or could be diluted and the terms of these securities may include liquidation or other preferences that adversely affect the rights of our common stockholders. Debt financing and equity financing, if available, may involve agreements that include covenants limiting or restricting our ability to take specific actions, such as incurring additional debt, making acquisitions or capital expenditures or declaring dividends. If we raise additional funds through collaborations, strategic alliances or marketing, distribution or licensing arrangements with third parties, we may have to relinquish valuable rights to our technologies, future revenue streams, research programs or drug candidates, or grant licenses on terms that may not be favorable to us. If we are unable to raise additional funds through equity or debt financings or other arrangements when needed, we may be required to delay, limit, reduce or terminate our research, product development or future commercialization efforts, or grant rights to develop and market programs and product candidates that we would otherwise prefer to develop and market ourselves. If we cannot obtain the necessary funding to support these activities on favorable terms, or at all, we will need to delay, scale back or eliminate some or all of our research and development programs, including our clinical and preclinical development of our product candidates.
Contractual obligations and contingencies
We have no material non-cancelable purchase commitments with service providers, as we have generally contracted on a cancelable, purchase order basis. Except for the $5.8 million in developmental milestones accrued as of December 31, 2024, as further described in Note 7 to our audited consolidated financial statements, our expected material cash requirements do not include potential contingent payments that we may be required to pay upon the achievement of development, regulatory or commercial milestones pursuant to asset acquisitions and license agreements to which we are a party, nor do they include potential contingent payments upon the achievement of development, regulatory and commercial milestones or royalty payments that we may be required to make under license agreements we have entered into or may enter into with various entities pursuant to which we have in-licensed certain intellectual property. For further details on the potential contingent payments related to asset acquisitions and license agreements, see Note 7 to our audited consolidated financial statements appearing elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
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Critical accounting policies and estimates
Management’s discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations is 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 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 incurred during the reporting periods. Our estimates are based on our historical experience and on various other factors that we believe are reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying value of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions and any such differences may be material.
While our significant accounting policies are described in more detail in Note 2 to our audited consolidated financial statements appearing elsewhere in this Annual Report, we believe that the accounting policies discussed below are critical to understanding our historical and future performance, as these policies relate to the more significant areas that involve management’s judgement and estimates and are reasonably likely to have a material impact on our financial condition or results of operations.
Asset acquisitions
Acquisitions of assets or a group of assets that do not meet the definition of a business are accounted for as asset acquisitions, with a cost accumulation model used to determine the cost of the acquisition. Common stock issued as consideration in an acquisition of assets is generally measured based on the acquisition date fair value of the equity interests issued. Direct transaction costs are recognized as part of the cost of an acquisition of assets. Intangible assets that are acquired in an asset acquisition for use in research and development activities that have an alternative future use are capitalized as IPR&D. Acquired IPR&D that has no alternative future use is expensed immediately in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss.
Collaboration revenue
In January 2023, we entered into a research discovery collaboration arrangement, which was determined to be within the scope of Accounting Standards Codification, or ASC, 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers , or ASC 606.
We evaluate our collaborative arrangements pursuant to ASC 808, Collaborative Arrangements , or ASC 808, and ASC 606. We consider the nature and contractual terms of collaborative arrangements and assesses whether the arrangement involves a joint operating activity pursuant to which we are an active participant and is exposed to significant risks and rewards with respect to the arrangement. If we are an active participant and are exposed to significant risks and rewards with respect to the arrangement, we account for the arrangement as a collaboration under ASC 808. If we are not exposed to significant risks and rewards and the contract is with a customer, we account for the collaboration under ASC 606.
Payments pursuant to collaborative arrangements may include non-refundable upfront payments, research option and license option payments, milestone payments upon the achievement of significant regulatory and development events, commercial sales milestones, and royalties on product sales. The amount of variable consideration is constrained until it is probable that the revenue is not at a significant risk of reversal in a future period.
In determining the appropriate amount of revenue to be recognized as we fulfill our obligations under a collaboration arrangement, we apply the five-step model of ASC 606: (i) identify the contract with a customer; (ii) identify the performance obligations in the contract, including whether they are capable of being distinct; (iii) determine the transaction price, including the constraint on variable consideration; (iv) allocate the transaction price to the performance obligations; and (v) recognize revenue when (or as) the entity satisfies a performance obligation.
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We apply significant judgment when evaluating whether contractual obligations represent distinct performance obligations, allocating transaction price to performance obligations within a contract, determining when performance obligations have been met, and assessing the recognition of variable consideration. When consideration is received prior to us completing our performance obligation under the terms of a contract, a contract liability is recorded as deferred revenue. Deferred revenue expected to be recognized as revenue within the 12 months following the balance sheet date is classified as a current liability.
Share-based compensation
We recognize the grant-date fair value of share-based awards issued as compensation expense on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period, which is generally the vesting period of the award. The fair value of stock options is estimated at the time of grant using the Black-Scholes option pricing model, which requires the use of subjective assumptions such as the expected volatility, expected term, risk-free interest rate, and dividend yield.
Due to the lack of company-specific historical and implied volatility data, we have based our computation of expected volatility on the historical volatility of a representative group of public companies with similar characteristics to us, including stage of product development and biopharmaceutical industry focus. The historical volatility is calculated based on a period of time commensurate with the expected term assumption. We use the simplified method to calculate the expected term for options granted to employees and non-employees whereby the expected term equals the arithmetic average of the vesting term and the original contractual term of the options due to our lack of sufficient historical data. The risk-free interest rate is based on U.S. Treasury securities with a maturity date commensurate with the expected term of the associated award. The expected dividend yield is assumed to be zero as we have never paid dividends and have no current plans to pay any dividends on our common stock.
The inputs and assumptions used to estimate the fair value of share-based payment awards represent management’s best estimates and involve inherent uncertainties and the application of management’s judgment. As a result, if factors change and management uses different inputs and assumptions, our share-based compensation expense could be materially different for future awards.
Research and development expenses and accruals
Research and development costs consist of costs incurred in performing research and development activities, including salaries and bonuses, share-based compensation, employee benefits, facilities costs, laboratory supplies, depreciation and amortization, and preclinical and clinical development expenses, including process development, validation, and the manufacture of drug supplies, costs to conduct clinical trials, and amounts incurred under license agreements, consulting agreements and other contracted services. Research and development costs are expensed as incurred.
As part of preparing our financial statements, we are required to estimate and accrue expenses. We estimate preclinical, clinical trial and other research and development expenses based on the services performed pursuant to contracts with research institutions, contract manufacturing organizations, or CMOs, and third-party service providers that conduct and manage preclinical studies and clinical trials and perform research services on our behalf. We record these costs of research and development activities based upon the estimated services provided but not yet invoiced and include these costs in accrued expenses and other current liabilities in our consolidated balance sheets and in research and development expense in our consolidated statements of operations. We make significant judgments and estimates in determining the accrued balance in each reporting period. As actual costs become known, we adjust our accrued estimates. Although we do not expect our estimates to be materially different from amounts actually incurred, our understanding of the status and timing of services performed may vary from our estimates and could result in us reporting amounts that are too high or too low in any particular period. Our accrued expenses are dependent, in part, upon the receipt of timely and accurate reporting from external third-party service providers. Amounts ultimately incurred in relation to amounts accrued for these services at a reporting date may be substantially higher or lower than our estimates.
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We execute all our clinical trials with support from contract research organizations, or CROs, and other vendors and we accrue costs for clinical trial activities performed by these third parties based upon the estimated amount of work completed on each trial. The significant factors used in estimating accruals include the number of patients enrolled, the activities to be performed for each patient, the number of active clinical sites, and the duration for which the patients will be enrolled in the trial. We monitor patient enrollment levels and related activities to the extent possible through internal reviews, correspondence with CROs and review of contractual terms. We base our estimates on the best information available at the time. However, additional information may become available to us, which may allow us to make a more accurate estimate in future periods. If we do not identify costs that we have begun to incur or if we underestimate or overestimate the level of services performed or the costs of these services, our actual expenses could differ from our estimates.
To date, there have not been any material adjustments to our prior estimates of accrued research and development expenses.
JOBS Act
We qualify as an “emerging growth company” as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012, or the JOBS Act. As an emerging growth company, we may take advantage of specified reduced disclosure and other requirements that are otherwise applicable generally to public companies, including reduced disclosure about our executive compensation arrangements, exemption from the requirements to hold non-binding advisory votes on executive compensation and golden parachute payments and exemption from the auditor attestation requirement in the assessment of our internal control over financial reporting.
We may take advantage of these exemptions until the last day of the fiscal year following the fifth anniversary of our initial public offering (i.e., December 31, 2025) or such earlier time that we are no longer an emerging growth company. We would cease to be an emerging growth company earlier if we have more than $1.235 billion in annual revenue during our most recently completed fiscal year, we have more than $700.0 million in market value of our stock held by non-affiliates as of the last business day of our most recently completed second fiscal quarter, or we issue more than $1.0 billion of non-convertible debt securities over a three-year period. For so long as we remain an emerging growth company, we are permitted, and intend, to rely on exemptions from certain disclosure requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies. We may choose to take advantage of some, but not all, of the available exemptions. In addition, the JOBS Act provides that an emerging growth company can take advantage of an extended transition period for complying with new or revised accounting standards. This allows an emerging growth company to delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We have elected not to “opt out” of such extended transition period, which means that when a standard is issued or revised and it has different application dates for public or private companies, we will adopt the new or revised standard at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard and will do so until such time that we either (i) irrevocably elect to “opt out” of such extended transition period or (ii) no longer qualify as an emerging growth company. Therefore, the reported results of operations contained in our financial statements may not be directly comparable to those of other public companies.
Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
Not required.
Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data
The information required by this Item 8 is set forth on pages 126 to 153 hereto.
Item 9. Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure
Not applicable.
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