Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis
Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.
You should read the following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations in conjunction with our financial statements and the related notes and other financial information included elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. In addition to historical financial information, this discussion and analysis contains forward-looking statements based upon current expectations that involve risks and uncertainties, such as statements of our plans, objectives, expectations, intentions and beliefs. Our actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including those set forth in the section titled “Risk Factors” under Part II, Item 1A below.
Overview and Pipeline
We are a clinical stage genetic medicines company on a mission to improve the lives of patients with neurodegenerative diseases. Our primary focus is the development and advancement of cutting-edge, one-time gene therapies designed to target critical underlying pathologies in these conditions. We believe we have developed a differentiated approach to developing treatments for central nervous system, or CNS, disorders that allows us to select and advance product candidates with a higher probability of technical and regulatory success.
Our lead clinical product candidate, PBFT02, seeks to elevate progranulin levels to enhance lysosomal function and slow disease progression across a variety of neurodegenerative diseases. PBFT02 utilizes an adeno-associated virus serotype 1, or AAV1, capsid to deliver a functional granulin gene, or GRN , encoding progranulin, or PGRN, to the brain via intra cisterna magna, or ICM, administration. The lead indication for PBFT02 is frontotemporal dementia, or FTD, caused by progranulin deficiency, or FTD- GRN . We believe this clinical product candidate has the potential to provide patients with significantly improved outcomes given the rigorous capsid and transgene selection process, and our chosen route of ICM administration, which provides the potential for enhanced benefits due to widespread vector delivery to the brain and spinal cord and an improved safety profile compared with systemic administration due to the lower doses required.
We are currently studying PBFT02 in FTD- GRN , for which there are currently no approved disease-modifying therapies. In addition to the continued clinical development of PBFT02 to treat FTD- GRN , we intend to pursue PBFT02 in additional adult neurodegenerative diseases where we believe increasing PGRN levels could provide benefit. Third-party preclinical studies have shown that increased PGRN levels reduce the pathologic accumulation of TAR DNA binding protein 43, or TDP-43. TDP-43 pathology is a hallmark of multiple neurodegenerative conditions, including FTD due to mutations in the C9orf72 gene, or FTD- C9orf72 , approximately 95% of sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, and approximately 50% of sporadic FTD. Additionally, we believe restoration of PGRN has the potential to modulate Alzheimer’s disease, or AD, in patients that are carriers of the PGRN-lowering GRN rs5848 single nucleotide polymorphism, or SNP. Individuals with this polymorphism have reduced PGRN levels and are at an increased risk for AD. We received positive regulatory feedback on the clinical pathway to treating FTD- C9orf72 patients with PBFT02 and plan to initiate dosing in the first half of 2025. We expect to obtain regulatory feedback on the clinical pathway to treating ALS patients with PBFT02 in the second half of 2024.
Research Developments
On July 31, 2024, we entered into a series of sublicense agreements with Gemma Biotherapeutics, Inc., or Gemma, a newly formed genetic medicines company co-founded by Dr. James Wilson, in connection with the outlicense of PBGM01 for the treatment of GM1 gangliosidosis, or GM1, PBKR03 for the treatment of Krabbe disease, and PBML04 for the treatment of metachromatic leukodystrophy, or MLD, collectively the Outlicensed Programs and such agreements, the Gemma Sublicenses. Pursuant to the Gemma Sublicenses, we will receive (i) initial payments of $10 million for the purchase of clinical product supply; (ii) up to an additional $10 million contingent on the completion by Gemma of certain business milestones; (iii) up to an additional $114 million in development and commercial milestone payments; and (iv) single digit royalties as a percentage of annual worldwide net sales in exchange for sublicenses to relevant intellectual property, transfer of regulatory dossiers and transfer of clinical trial materials and product supply related to the Outlicensed Programs. Pursuant to the Gemma Sublicenses, Gemma will also be responsible for all payments due to Penn under the Penn Agreement related to the Outlicensed Programs. We also entered into a transition services agreement with Gemma, or the Transition Services Agreement, pursuant to which, we will provide transitional
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services at cost to Gemma for a period of up to six months from the effective date, and be entitled to reimbursement for transitional services performed retroactively from March 1, 2024, related to the transfer of the Outlicensed Programs.
We also entered into a research, collaboration and license agreement with Gemma, or the Gemma Collaboration Agreement, pursuant to which (i) Gemma will conduct certain preclinical and IND-enabling work for our active research program in Huntington’s disease and a currently paused research program in Temporal Lobe Epilepsy, or TLE, which were previously being conducted by Penn under the Penn Agreement and (ii) Gemma will grant us options to conduct new research programs in four new CNS indications.
We refer to the Gemma Sublicenses, the Transition Services Agreement, and the Gemma Collaboration Agreement, collectively, as the Outlicense Transaction Agreements.
As a result of the Outlicense Transaction Agreements, we and Penn also amended and restated the Penn Agreement, as of July 31, 2024 to (i) terminate our funding of discovery research; (ii) terminate the research and exploratory research programs being conducted by Penn; (iii) terminate the remaining options we had to select new research programs in the CNS field; and (iv) terminate the transaction fee due to Penn as a result of certain corporate transactions.
Prior to the execution of the Outlicense Transaction Agreements, we had a research collaboration with the Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania’s, or Penn’s, Gene Therapy Program, or GTP, headed by Dr. Wilson. Under this collaboration, we progressed four product candidates sourced from our research collaboration with GTP to the clinical stage of development and had one active preclinical program in Huntington’s disease.
We have a gene therapy pipeline with the potential to address multiple neurodegenerative diseases. Our development programs consist of:
† US/EU prevalence per third-party sources
PBFT02 for the Treatment of FTD-GRN
We are currently developing PBFT02, which utilizes an AAV1 capsid to deliver a functional copy of GRN encoding for PGRN, for the treatment of FTD- GRN . FTD- GRN is an inheritable form of FTD caused by reductions in PGRN production due to mutations in the GRN gene. PGRN is a complex and highly conserved protein with multiple roles in cell homeostasis, neurodevelopment, and inflammation. In FTD- GRN , PGRN deficiency results in lysosomal dysfunction, neuroinflammation, and neurodegeneration.
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Currently, there are no disease-modifying therapies approved for the treatment of FTD- GRN . Based on findings in preclinical studies, we believe that PBFT02 may provide FTD- GRN patients with significantly improved outcomes. We selected the AAV1 capsid and ICM administration for PBFT02 because this approach led to extensive and robust vector delivery throughout the brain and spinal cord of non-human primates, or NHPs, and due to the higher PGRN levels in cerebrospinal fluid, or CSF, achieved using AAV1 as compared with other serotypes tested. ICM administration of AAV1 to NHPs resulted in elevated CSF levels of human PGRN when compared with CSF levels in healthy human subjects, and in excess of levels achieved in NHPs with AAVhu68 or AAV5. We have an active Investigational New Drug application, or IND, from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, and approved clinical trial authorizations, or CTAs, in multiple countries for PBFT02. We are conducting our upliFT-D trial, an international, multi-center, open-label, single-arm Phase 1/2 clinical trial of PBFT02 in patients with a diagnosis of symptomatic FTD- GRN .
We reported biomarker data from three patients in Cohort 1 of our upliFT-D trial in December of 2023 and May 2024. Dose 1 of PBFT02 resulted in consistent elevated levels of CSF PGRN with concentrations ranging from 10.7 to 17.3 ng/mL at 30 days post-treatment (n=3) and 21.7 to 27.3 ng/mL at 6 months post-treatment (n=2), higher than the range found in healthy adult controls of 3.3 to 8.2 ng/mL (mean=4.8 ng/mL; n=61). In contrast, following PBFT02 treatment, plasma PGRN levels were unaltered, remaining similar to baseline concentrations and below levels found in healthy adult controls.
As of June 2024, Dose 1 of PBFT02 treatment was generally well-tolerated in study participants who received an enhanced immunosuppression regimen (n=4).
We have completed dosing of Cohort 1 (n=5) and have enrolled the first patient in Cohort 2 (n=3-5). Based on the robust PGRN expression observed in the initial patients in Cohort 1, we are continuing to study Dose 1 in Cohort 2 of the upliFT-D trial.
We expect to deliver on the following related to our upliFT-D trial for PBFT02 for the treatment of FTD- GRN :
● report updated safety and biomarker data from Cohort 1 patients in September 2024;
● report 12-month follow-up data from Cohort 1 patients and interim data from Cohort 2 patients in the first half of 2025; and,
● seek regulatory feedback on pivotal trial design in the second half of 2025.
The FDA has granted Orphan Drug Designation for PBFT02 for the treatment of FTD and Fast Track Designation for PBFT02 for the treatment of FTD- GRN . The European Commission has granted Orphan designation for PBFT02 for the treatment of FTD.
PBFT02 for the treatment of FTD-C9orf72 and ALS
We intend to pursue PBFT02 in additional adult neurodegenerative diseases where we believe elevated PGRN levels could provide benefits. This approach stems from PGRN’s pleiotropic cellular effects including the regulation of microglial activation and lysosomal function, and in particular its potential to ameliorate TDP-43 pathology. TDP-43 is a ribonucleic acid / deoxyribonucleic acid, or RNA/DNA, binding protein that normally resides in the nucleus where it regulates gene expression, RNA splicing, RNA trafficking, and mRNA turnover. Cytoplasmic TDP-43 pathology is a hallmark of multiple neurodegenerative conditions including FTD- GRN , FTD- C9orf72 , approximately 95% of sporadic ALS, and approximately 50% of sporadic FTD. In these disorders, hyperphosphorylated TDP-43 accumulates in the cytoplasm of cell bodies and dendritic processes of neurons and glia, suggesting that loss of TDP-43's normal nuclear function contributes to the neurodegenerative process.
The potential for benefit of increased PGRN in disorders with TDP-43 pathology has been demonstrated by third-party preclinical studies in mice and zebrafish which showed that increased PGRN levels reduced TDP-43 pathology and associated toxicities. We anticipate that elevating neuronal PGRN levels in diseases with TDP-43 pathology may provide significant benefits to patients. We have initiated preclinical studies to extend these initial observations.
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We received positive regulatory feedback on the clinical pathway to treating FTD- C9orf72 with PBFT02 in the ongoing upliFT-D trial and expect to initiate dosing in the first half of 2025.
We expect to obtain regulatory feedback on the clinical pathway to treating ALS patients with PBFT02 in the second half of 2024.
PBFT02 for the treatment of AD
We believe that elevating PGRN levels has the potential to improve the course of AD in patients who carry the GRN rs5848 single nucleotide polymorphism, or GRN SNP. The GRN SNP has an allele frequency of approximately 30% and is associated with reduced PGRN levels. Its presence has been shown to confer an increased risk for AD onset. Within symptomatic AD patients, GRN SNP carriers not only have lower levels of PGRN, but also higher levels of CSF tau, which correlates with increased AD pathology in the brain and more rapid disease progression. Third party preclinical studies in animal models have demonstrated that low levels of PGRN may exacerbate AD pathology and, conversely, high levels of PGRN may reduce AD pathology.
We have initiated preclinical studies in AD to extend these initial observations.
Other Clinical Product Candidates
As of July 31, 2024, we outlicensed our clinical stage pediatric programs in GM1 (PBGM01), Krabbe disease (PBKR03), and MLD (PBML04) as part of the Outlicense Transaction Agreements.
Active Research Programs
We have one unnamed preclinical research program through the Gemma Collaboration Agreement which was previously conducted by Penn under the Penn Agreement and is exploring multiple potential treatment targets for Huntington’s disease.
Beyond this program, as a result of the Gemma Collaboration Agreement, we also have the option to license programs for four additional new indications in CNS diseases from Gemma.
Paused Research Programs
We also have a research program through the Gemma Collaboration Agreement for TLE, which was previously conducted by Penn under the Penn Agreement. In order to reduce operating expenses, we have paused development of this program. We have terminated our research program in ALS due to C9orf72 mutations.
Business Overview
We were incorporated in July 2017 under the laws of the State of Delaware. Since inception, our operations have consisted primarily of conducting preclinical studies, developing licensed technology, conducting clinical trials, and manufacturing clinical supply to support clinical trials. We have incurred recurring losses, the majority of which are attributable to research and development activities, and negative cash flows from operations. Historically, we have funded our operations through the sale of convertible preferred stock and public offerings of common stock. Our net losses were $16.0 million and $23.9 million for the three months ended June 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively, and $32.7 million and $58.2 million for the six months ended June 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively. As of June 30, 2024, we had an accumulated deficit of $627.2 million. Our primary use of cash is to fund operating expenses, which consist primarily of research and development expenditures, and to a lesser extent, general and administrative expenditures. Our ability to generate product revenue sufficient to achieve profitability will depend heavily on the successful development and eventual commercialization of one or more of our current or future product candidates. We expect to continue to incur significant expenses and operating losses for the foreseeable future as we advance our product candidates through all stages of development and clinical trials and, ultimately, seek regulatory approval. In addition, if we obtain marketing approval for any of our product candidates, we expect to incur significant commercialization expenses related to product
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manufacturing, marketing, sales and distribution. Our net losses may fluctuate significantly from quarter to quarter and year to year, depending on the timing of our clinical trials and our expenditures on other research and development activities.
We will need to raise substantial additional capital to support our continuing operations and pursue our growth strategy. Until such time as we can generate significant revenue from product sales, if ever, we plan to finance our operations through the sale of equity, debt financings or other capital sources, which may include collaborations with other companies or other strategic transactions. There are no assurances that we will be successful in obtaining an adequate level of financing as and when needed to finance our operations on terms acceptable to us or at all. Any failure to raise capital as and when needed could have a negative impact on our financial condition and on our ability to pursue our business plans and strategies. If we are unable to secure adequate additional funding, we may have to significantly delay, scale back or discontinue the development and commercialization of one or more product candidates or delay our pursuit of potential in-licenses or acquisitions.
As of June 30, 2024, we had cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities of $91.8 million. We expect our existing cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities, combined with the initial payments to be received from the Outlicense Transaction Agreements, will enable us to fund our operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements to the end of the second quarter of 2026.
Financial Operations Overview
License Agreement
University of Pennsylvania
As a result of the Outlicense Transaction Agreements, we restructured our research, collaboration and licensing agreement with Penn, as amended, previously the Penn Agreement and now referred to as the Penn License Agreement. Pursuant to the Penn License Agreement, as of July 31, 2024, we (i) terminated the funding of discovery research programs; (ii) terminated the research and exploratory research programs; (iii) terminated the remaining eight options we had for future CNS indications; (iv) terminated the transaction fee payable to Penn in the event of certain corporate transactions; and (v) retained our current exclusive and non-exclusive licenses to our programs in FTD, GM1, Krabbe and MLD and certain platform technologies resulting from the discovery programs that we funded.
For our licensed programs in FTD, GM1, Krabbe and MLD, the Penn License Agreement requires that we make payments of up to $16.5 million per product candidate. Each payment will be due upon the achievement of specific development milestone events by such licensed product for a first indication, reduced development milestone payments for the second and third indications and no development milestone payments for subsequent indications. In addition, on a product-by-product basis, we are obligated to make up to $55.0 million in sales milestone payments on each licensed product based on annual worldwide net sales of the licensed product in excess of defined thresholds. Pursuant to the Gemma Sublicenses, Gemma is responsible for the payments to Penn related to the Outlicensed Programs.
Upon successful commercialization of a product using the licensed technology, we are obligated to pay to Penn, on a licensed product-by-licensed product and country-by-country basis, tiered royalties (subject to customary reductions) in the mid-single digits on annual worldwide net sales of such licensed product. In addition, other than the Gemma Sublicenses, we are obligated to pay to Penn a percentage of sublicensing income, ranging from the mid-single digits to low double digits, for sublicenses under the Penn License Agreement. The agreement will expire on a licensed product-by-licensed product and country-by-country basis upon the later of (i) the expiration of the last valid claim of the licensed patent rights that covers the exploitation of such licensed product in such country, and (ii) the expiration of the royalty period. Pursuant to the Gemma Sublicenses, Gemma is responsible for the payments to Penn related to the Outlicensed Programs.
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Gemma Biotherapeutics, Inc. - Research, Collaboration and License Agreement
In connection with the transfer of the Outlicensed Programs, on July 31, 2024, we entered into the Gemma Collaboration Agreement. Pursuant to the Gemma Collaboration Agreement, (i) Gemma will conduct certain preclinical and IND-enabling work for our active research program in Huntington’s disease and a currently paused research program in TLE, which were previously being conducted by Penn under the Penn Agreement and (ii) Gemma will grant us options to conduct mutually agreed research programs in four new CNS indications.
The Gemma Collaboration Agreement requires that we make payments of up to (i) $16.5 million per product candidate in the aggregate for Huntington’s disease and any future CNS indications available to us under our four options and (ii) $39.0 million per product candidate in the aggregate arising from the research program for TLE. Each payment will be due upon the achievement of specific development milestone events by such licensed product for a first indication, reduced development milestone payments for the second and third indications and no development milestone payments for subsequent indications. In addition, on a product-by-product basis, we are obligated to make up to $55.0 million in sales milestone payments on each licensed product based on annual worldwide net sales of the licensed product in excess of defined thresholds.
Upon successful commercialization of a product using the licensed technology, we are obligated to pay to Gemma, on a licensed product-by-licensed product and country-by-country basis, tiered royalties (subject to customary reductions) in the mid-single digits percentage on annual worldwide net sales of such licensed product. In addition, we are obligated to pay to Gemma a percentage of sublicensing income, ranging from the mid-single digits to low double digits, for sublicenses under the Gemma Collaboration Agreement. The agreement will expire on a licensed product-by-licensed product and country-by-country basis upon the later of (i) the expiration of the last valid claim of the licensed patent rights that covers the exploitation of such licensed product in such country, and (ii) the expiration of the royalty period.
If we were to exercise any of the four options, we would owe Gemma a non-refundable aggregate fee of $1.0 million per product indication, with $0.5 million due upfront and another $0.5 million fee owed upon a further developmental milestone.
Gemma Biotherapeutics, Inc. - Sub-License Agreements and Transition Services Agreement
In connection with the transfer of the Outlicensed Programs to Gemma, we have entered into the Gemma Sublicenses, pursuant to which, we will receive (i) initial payments of $10 million for the purchase of clinical product supply; (ii) up to an additional $10 million contingent on the completion by Gemma of certain business milestones; (iii) up to an additional $114 million in development and commercial milestone payments; and (iv) single digit royalties as a percentage of annual worldwide net sales in exchange for sublicenses to relevant intellectual property, transfer of regulatory dossiers and transfer of clinical trial materials and product supply related to the Outlicensed Programs. In addition, Gemma is responsible for all payments to Penn related to the Outlicensed Programs under the Penn License Agreement.
In addition, we entered into a transition services agreement with Gemma pursuant to which (i) we will provide transitional services at cost to Gemma for a period of up to six (6) months related to the transfer of the Outlicensed Programs and (ii) Gemma will reimburse us for certain costs related to conduct of the Outlicensed Programs incurred since March 1, 2024.
Collaboration and Manufacturing and Supply Agreements
Catalent
In June 2019, we entered into a collaboration agreement, or the Collaboration Agreement, with Catalent Maryland, a unit of Catalent, Inc., or Catalent. As part of the Collaboration Agreement, we were required to pay an annual fee for five years ending in 2025 for the exclusive use of a dedicated clean room suite, or the Clean Room Suite. In April 2020, we entered into a development services and clinical supply agreement, or the Manufacturing and Supply Agreement, with Catalent to secure clinical scale manufacturing capacity for batches of active pharmaceutical ingredients for our gene
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therapy product candidates. Under the terms of the Manufacturing and Supply Agreement, Catalent agreed to manufacture batches of drug product for our gene therapy product candidates at the Clean Room Suite at a Catalent facility provided for in the Collaboration Agreement. The Manufacturing and Supply Agreement provided for a term of five years. The Manufacturing and Supply Agreement also included minimum annual purchase commitments.
Under both the Collaboration Agreement and the Manufacturing and Supply Agreement, we had an annual minimum commitment of $10.6 million per year owed to Catalent for five years from November 2020 subject to certain inflationary adjustments.
On March 31, 2023, we entered into certain letter agreements, the Letter Agreements, amending each of (i) the Collaboration Agreement and (ii) the Manufacturing and Supply Agreement, together with the Collaboration Agreement, the Original Catalent Agreements. On November 9, 2023, to supersede and implement the terms of the Letter Agreements, we entered into an amended and restated collaboration agreement and an amended and restated manufacturing and supply agreement, together the Amended Catalent Agreements.
The Amended Catalent Agreements eliminate the minimum annual purchase obligation and the obligation to pay an annual fee for use of the Clean Room Suite, thereby eliminating the annual minimum commitment of $10.6 million per year owed to Catalent through November 2025 under the Original Catalent Agreements. In consideration of this, we had an obligation to make aggregate payments to Catalent of $6.0 million between June 30, 2023 and May 1, 2024. As of June 30, 2024, we have made all payments related to this obligation under the Amended Catalent Agreements.
The Amended Catalent Agreements extend the term of the Original Catalent Agreements until November 6, 2030, and establish a limited exclusive relationship between us and Catalent for the manufacture of bulk drug substance and drug product for our adeno-associated virus delivery therapeutic product candidates for the treatment of FTD and GM1. The limited exclusive relationship under the Amended Catalent Agreements converts to a non-exclusive relationship (i) in the event Catalent fails to meet certain performance standards and (ii) following certain conditional events related to the divestiture by us of either FTD or GM1, in which case, if such events occur, we would pay Catalent certain fees. In addition, in the event of certain transactions, we may terminate the Amended Catalent Agreements for convenience with respect to such products, in which case, we would pay to Catalent a certain termination fee. The outlicense of GM1 to Gemma under the Outlicense Transaction Agreements, and subsequent business decisions implemented by Gemma under their sole discretion, could qualify as a divesture event under the Amended Catalent Agreements and require us to make payment of certain fees to Catalent, which fees are immaterial.
Immediately prior to the execution of the Letter Agreements, we had a $5.3 million prepaid asset related to upfront payments made to secure the Clean Room Suite. In connection with the Letter Agreements, we no longer have exclusive access to the Clean Room Suite at Catalent and, as a result, we recognized an expense of $5.3 million related to the elimination of the prepaid asset during the six months ended June 30, 2023.
We classified the $11.3 million of expenses, which comprises of $6.0 million in aggregate payments due to Catalent and the $5.3 million elimination of the prepaid asset, as general and administrative expense within the statement of operations for the six months ended June 30, 2023, as both amounts did not directly relate to the future advancement of our research and development programs.
Components of Results of Operations
Research and Development
Research and development expenses consist primarily of costs incurred in connection with the development of our product candidates. These expenses include:
● expenses incurred to conduct the necessary preclinical studies and clinical trials required to obtain regulatory approval, including payments to clinical research organizations, or CROs, and payments to GTP for preclinical research and development;
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● personnel expenses, including salaries, benefits and share-based compensation expense for employees engaged in research and development functions;
● expenses incurred under agreements with contract development and manufacturing organizations, or CDMOs, including the cost of acquiring and manufacturing preclinical study and clinical trial materials;
● expenses and fees paid to consultants who assist with research and development activities; and
● expenses incurred at and for our lab facilities, including rent, utilities, depreciation, and maintenance.
We track outsourced development expenses and other external research and development expenses to specific product candidates on a program-by-program basis, such as fees paid to CROs, CDMOs and research laboratories in connection with our preclinical development, process development, manufacturing and clinical development activities, expenses incurred under our prior collaboration with Penn, and future expenses incurred under the Gemma Collaboration Agreement. However, we do not track our internal research and development expenses on a program-by-program basis as they primarily relate to compensation, lab operations and lab facility costs, and other expenses which are deployed across multiple projects under development.
Research and development activities are central to our business model. Product candidates in later stages of clinical development generally have higher development expenses than those in earlier stages of clinical development, primarily due to the increased size and duration of later-stage clinical trials.
We expect our research and development expenses to remain consistent in the near future. We expect that the reduction of expenses related to the Outlicensed Programs pursuant to the Outlicense Transaction Agreements will offset the increased expenses of advancing our remaining product candidates in the near future. If our product candidate portfolio progresses into later-stage clinical trials, we expect that our research and development expenses will increase in the future to support our continued research and development activities and production of clinical supply.
General and Administrative Expenses
General and administrative expenses consist primarily of personnel expenses, including salaries, benefits and share-based compensation expense, for employees and consultants in executive, finance, accounting, legal, information technology, product strategy, quality, regulatory, operations and human resource functions. General and administrative expenses also include headquarters facility costs, including rent, utilities, depreciation and maintenance, legal expenses related to intellectual property, litigation and corporate matters, insurance expense, expenses related to contract modifications or terminations, software expenses, expenses incurred to engage with patient advocacy organizations, recruitment related expenses, and expenses for other professional and consulting services. We expect our general and administrative expenses to remain consistent in the near future.
If our product candidate portfolio progresses into later-stage clinical trials, we expect that our general and administrative expenses will increase in the future to support our continued research and development activities and potential commercialization efforts. These increases will likely include increased expenses related to the hiring of additional personnel in general and administrative functions, and expenses related to pre-commercialization efforts. If any of our current or future product candidates obtain regulatory approval, we expect that we would incur significantly increased expenses associated with building a commercial sales and marketing team.
Impairment of Long-Lived Assets
Impairment of long-lived assets consists of non-cash impairment charges recorded to our assets. We review long-lived assets, such as the right of use assets or property and equipment, for impairments when events or changes in circumstances indicate the carrying amount of the assets may not be recoverable. During the six months ended June 30, 2024, we recognized impairment expense related to property and equipment for a construction in progress asset.
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Other Income (Expense), Net
Other income (expense), net consists of interest earned on our cash equivalents and marketable securities, amortization of premium and discount on our marketable securities, and income from subleases. Additionally, in the six months ended June 30, 2023, we recognized other income related to the sale of certain tax credits.
Results of Operations
Comparison of the three months ended June 30, 2024 and 2023
The following table sets forth our results of operations for the three months ended June 30, 2024 and 2023:
Three months ended
June 30,
(in thousands)
2024
2023
Change
Operating expenses:
Research and development
$
10,430
$
17,324
$
(6,894)
General and administrative
6,510
8,064
(1,554)
Impairment of long-lived assets
438
—
438
Loss from operations
(17,378)
(25,388)
8,010
Other income (expense), net
1,387
1,532
(145)
Net loss
$
(15,991)
$
(23,856)
$
7,865
Research and Development Expenses
Research and development expenses decreased by $6.9 million to $10.4 million for the three months ended June 30, 2024 from $17.3 million for the three months ended June 30, 2023. The decrease was primarily due to the following:
● a decrease of $1.7 million in Penn expenses related to the pausing of certain programs in our preclinical portfolio and reduction of post-IND support for our clinical stage programs;
● a decrease of $1.4 million in wages and benefits related to reductions in headcount;
● a decrease of $1.2 million in clinical operations expenses driven by lower activity in supporting the GM1 and Krabbe programs, partially offset by increased activity for FTD;
● a decrease of $1.0 million in share-based compensation expense related to reductions in headcount;
● a decrease of $0.9 million in chemistry, manufacturing and control expenses primarily related to lower external manufacturing expenses, most significantly related to reduced external manufacturing activities for our GM1 program;
● a decrease of $0.6 million in facility and other expenses; and
● a decrease of $0.3 million in professional fees.
These decreases were partially offset by:
● an increase of $0.2 million for pre-clinical studies to evaluate the efficacy of PBFT02 in models of neurodegenerative disorders.
General and Administrative Expenses
General and administrative expenses decreased by $1.6 million to $6.5 million for the three months ended June 30, 2024 from $8.1 million for the three months ended June 30, 2023. The decrease was primarily due to the following:
● a decrease of $1.2 million in share-based compensation expense related to reductions in headcount;
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● a decrease of $0.9 million in wages and benefits related to reductions in headcount; and
● a decrease of $0.3 million in facility and other expenses.
These decreases were partially offset by:
● an increase of $0.8 million in professional services and consulting.
Impairment of Long-Lived Assets
During the three months ended June 30, 2024, we recorded $0.4 million of impairment expenses related to property and equipment for a construction in progress asset we no longer plan to deploy.
During the three months ended June 30, 2023, we did not record any impairment expense.
Other Income (Expense), Net
Other income (expense), net decreased by $0.1 million to $1.4 million for the three months ended June 30, 2024 from $1.5 million for the three months ended June 30, 2023. The decrease was primarily due to the following:
● a decrease of $0.3 million attributable to interest income and the amortization of premium and discount on our marketable securities.
The decrease was partially offset by:
● an increase of $0.2 million attributable to income from subleases.
Comparison of the six months ended June 30, 2024 and 2023
The following table sets forth our results of operations for the six months ended June 30, 2024 and 2023:
Six months ended
June 30,
(in thousands)
2024
2023
Change
Operating expenses:
Research and development
$
21,965
$
34,160
$
(12,195)
General and administrative
13,025
27,111
(14,086)
Impairment of long-lived assets
438
—
438
Loss from operations
(35,428)
(61,271)
25,843
Other income (expense), net
2,726
3,077
(351)
Net loss
$
(32,702)
$
(58,194)
$
25,492
Research and Development Expenses
Research and development expenses decreased by $12.2 million to $22.0 million for the six months ended June 30, 2024 from $34.2 million for the six months ended June 30, 2023. The decrease was primarily due to the following:
● a decrease of $2.8 million in Penn expenses related to the pausing of certain programs in our preclinical portfolio and reduction of post-IND support for our clinical stage programs;
● a decrease of $2.6 million in wages and benefits related to reductions in headcount;
● a decrease of $2.4 million in clinical operations expenses driven by lower activity in supporting the GM1 and Krabbe programs, partially offset by increased activity for FTD;
● a decrease of $1.8 million in share-based compensation expense related to reductions in headcount;
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● a decrease of $1.6 million in chemistry, manufacturing and control expenses primarily related to lower external manufacturing expenses, most significantly related to (i) reduced external manufacturing activities for our GM1 program and (ii) reduced expenses for Clean Room Suite fees related to the Amended Catalent Agreements; and
● a decrease of $0.8 million in professional fees; and
● a decrease of $0.4 million in facility and other expenses.
These decreases were partially offset by:
● an increase of $0.2 million for pre-clinical studies to evaluate the efficacy of PBFT02 in models of neurodegenerative disorders.
General and Administrative Expenses
General and administrative expenses decreased by $14.1 million to $13.0 million for the six months ended June 30, 2024 from $27.1 million for the six months ended June 30, 2023. The decrease was primarily due to the following:
● a decrease of $11.3 million related to expenses incurred in conjunction with the Amended Catalent Agreements during the six months ended June 30, 2023;
● a decrease of $1.6 million in wages and benefits related to reductions in headcount;
● a decrease of $1.5 million in share-based compensation expense related to reductions in headcount; and
● a decrease of $0.3 million in facility and other expenses.
These decreases were partially offset by:
● an increase of $0.6 million for professional services and consulting.
Impairment of Long-Lived Assets
During the six months ended June 30, 2024, we recorded $0.4 million of impairment expenses related to property and equipment for a construction in progress asset we no longer plan to deploy.
During the six months ended June 30, 2023, we did not record any impairment expense.
Other Income (Expense), Net
Other income (expense), net decreased by $0.4 million to $2.7 million for the six months ended June 30, 2024 from $3.1 million for the six months ended June 30, 2023. The decrease was primarily due to the following:
● a decrease of $0.5 million attributable to the sale of certain tax credits during the six months ended June 30, 2023, and
● a decrease of $0.2 million attributable to interest income and the amortization of premium and discount on our marketable securities.
These decreases were partially offset by:
● an increase of $0.3 million attributable to income from subleases.
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Liquidity and Capital Resources
Overview
As of June 30, 2024, we had $91.8 million in cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities and had an accumulated deficit of $627.2 million. We expect our existing cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities, combined with the initial payments to be received from the Outlicense Transaction Agreements, will enable us to fund our operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements to the end of the second quarter of 2026.
Funding Requirements
Our primary use of cash is to fund operating expenses, most significantly research and development expenditures. Cash used to fund operating expenses is impacted by the timing of when we pay these expenses, as reflected in the change in our outstanding accounts payable, accrued expenses and prepaid expenses.
Because of the numerous risks and uncertainties associated with research, development and commercialization of pharmaceutical products, we are unable to estimate the exact amount of our operating capital requirements. Our future funding requirements will depend on many factors, including, but not limited to:
● the scope, timing, progress and results of discovery, preclinical development, laboratory testing and clinical trials for our product candidates;
● the expenses of manufacturing our product candidates for clinical trials and in preparation for marketing approval and commercialization;
● the extent to which we enter into collaborations or other arrangements with additional third parties in order to further develop our product candidates;
● the expenses of preparing, filing and prosecuting patent applications, maintaining and enforcing our intellectual property rights and defending intellectual property-related claims;
● the expenses and fees associated with the discovery, acquisition or in-license of additional product candidates or technologies;
● the expenses related to general and administrative functions to support our product candidates;
● our ability to establish additional collaborations on favorable terms, if at all;
● the expenses required to scale up our clinical, regulatory and manufacturing capabilities;
● the expenses of future commercialization activities, if any, including establishing sales, marketing, manufacturing and distribution capabilities, for any of our product candidates for which we receive marketing approval; and
● revenue, if any, received from commercial sales of our product candidates, should any of our product candidates receive marketing approval.
We will need additional funds to meet operational needs and capital requirements for clinical trials, other research and development expenditures, and business development activities. We currently have no credit facility or committed sources of capital. Because of the numerous risks and uncertainties associated with the development and commercialization of our product candidates, we are unable to estimate the amounts of increased capital outlays and operating expenditures associated with our current and anticipated clinical studies.
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Until such time, if ever, as we can generate substantial product revenue, we expect to finance our operations through a combination of equity offerings, debt financings, collaborations, strategic alliances and marketing, distribution or licensing arrangements. To the extent that we raise additional capital through the sale of equity or convertible debt securities, existing stockholders’ ownership interest will be diluted, and the terms of these securities may include liquidation or other preferences that adversely affect existing stockholders’ rights as common stockholders. Debt financing and preferred 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, further reduce or terminate our research, product development or future commercialization efforts, or grant rights to develop and market product candidates that we would otherwise prefer to develop and market ourselves.
On March 5, 2021, we entered into a Sales Agreement, or the Sales Agreement, with Cowen and Company, LLC, or Cowen, relating to the applicable terms of at-the-market equity offerings, or the ATM Facility, pursuant to which we may, but are not obligated to, offer and sell, from time to time, shares of our common stock with an aggregate offering price up to $125.0 million through Cowen, as sales agent in the ATM Facility. We issued 6,000,000 shares of common stock under the ATM Facility, resulting in net proceeds of $8.7 million, after deducting offering costs of $0.3 million in March 2024. We are limited to $50 million in our capacity to offer and sell shares of our common stock under this sales agreement pursuant to our shelf registration statement on Form S-3, filed on March 4, 2024. As of June 30, 2024, $50 million of capacity remains available to be sold under the ATM Facility.
Cash Flows
The following table shows a summary of our cash flows for the periods indicated:
Six months ended
June 30,
(in thousands)
2024
2023
Cash provided by (used in) operating activities
$
(32,065)
$
(39,585)
Cash provided by (used in) investing activities
26,299
35,186
Cash provided by (used in) financing activities
8,827
89
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents
$
3,061
$
(4,310)
Net Cash Provided by (Used in) Operating Activities
During the six months ended June 30, 2024, we used $32.1 million of net cash in operating activities. Cash used in operating activities reflected a net loss of $32.7 million and a net increase in our operating assets of $3.8 million, partially offset by non-cash charges of $4.4 million related to depreciation, amortization, share-based compensation, and amortization of premium and discount, net, and impairment of long-lived assets. The primary use of cash was to fund our operations related to the development of our product candidates.
During the six months ended June 30, 2023, we used $39.6 million of net cash in operating activities. Cash used in operating activities reflected a net loss of $58.2 million, partially offset by a net decrease in our operating assets of $10.6 million and non-cash charges of $8.0 million related to share-based compensation, depreciation, amortization, amortization of premium and discount, net, and loss on disposal of property and equipment. The primary use of cash was to fund our operations related to the development of our product candidates.
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Net Cash Provided by (Used in) Investing Activities
During the six months ended June 30, 2024 , we purchased $50.8 million in marketable securities, and had sales and maturities of $77.1 million in marketable securities. We did not make any purchases of property and equipment for the six months ended June 30, 2024.
During the six months ended June 30, 2023, we purchased $73.5 million in marketable securities, and had sales and maturities of $108.8 million in marketable securities. Purchases of property and equipment were $0.1 million for the six months ended June 30, 2023.
Net Cash Provided by (Used in) Financing Activities
During the six months ended June 30, 2024, we received $8.7 million in net proceeds from the issuance of common stock under the ATM Facility. We received gross proceeds of $9.0 million, net of offering costs of $0.3 million. We received $0.1 million in proceeds from the issuance of common stock under the ESPP and exercises of employee stock options.
During the six months ended June 30, 2023, we received $0.1 million in proceeds from the issuance of common stock under the ESPP.
Contractual Obligations and Other Commitments
We lease approximately 37,000 square feet of office space in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, or the 2005 Market Street Lease Agreement. The lease will expire in December 2031. We have an option to extend the term of the lease by up to two additional five-year terms. The aggregate estimated rent payments due over the initial term of the lease is $11.8 million, with rent payments that began in 2022. Our sublease agreements do not relieve us from our primary obligations under the 2005 Market Street Lease Agreement, however, we do expect cash inflows from the agreements to partially offset our future obligations for the duration of the sublease agreements.
We sublease approximately 16,000 square feet of office space in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, or the 1835 Market Street Sublease Agreement. The sublease will expire in August 2025. We have an option to extend the term of the sublease by three and a half years through February 2029. The aggregate estimated rent payments due over the initial term of the sublease is approximately $0.5 million, with rent payments that began in 2024.
We lease approximately 62,000 square feet of laboratory space in Hopewell, New Jersey, or the Laboratory Lease Agreement. The lease will expire in March 2036. The aggregate estimated rent payments due over the initial term of the lease is approximately $40.3 million, with rent payments that began in 2021.
Under the exclusive relationship under the Amended Catalent Agreements, following certain conditional events related to the divestiture by us of either FTD or GM1, we would pay Catalent certain fees. The outlicense of GM1 to Gemma under the Outlicense Transaction Agreements, and subsequent business decisions implemented by Gemma under their sole discretion, could qualify as a divesture event under the Amended Catalent Agreements and require us to make payment of certain fees to Catalent, for which amounts are immaterial.
Under the Penn Agreement, we agreed to fund discovery research conducted by GTP for five years, which began in May 2020. Our funding commitment was $5.0 million annually through June 2026. As a result of the Outlicense Transaction Agreements, we have amended the Penn Agreement to eliminate this commitment as of July 31, 2024. No discovery research funding commitments exist under the Gemma Collaboration Agreement.
These contractual obligations and commitments are associated with contracts that are enforceable and legally binding and that specify all significant terms, including fixed or minimum services to be used, fixed, minimum or variable price provisions, and the approximate timing of the actions under the contracts. Payments due upon cancellation consisting only of payments for services provided or expenses incurred, including noncancelable obligations of our service providers, up to the date of cancellation are not included as the amount and timing of such payments are not known.
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The contractual obligations and commitments above do not include any potential milestone or royalty payments that we may be required to make under the Penn License Agreement. Under the Gemma Sublicenses, Gemma will be responsible for all potential milestone and royalty payments to Penn for the Outlicensed Programs.
Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
During the six months ended June 30, 2024, there were no material changes to our critical accounting policies and estimates from those described under the heading “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates” in our 2023 Annual Report filed on Form 10-K.
JOBS Act Accounting Election
We are an “emerging growth company” as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012, or the JOBS Act. Under the JOBS Act, emerging growth companies can delay adopting new or revised accounting standards issued subsequent to the enactment of the JOBS Act until such time as those standards apply to private companies.
We have elected to use this extended transition period for complying with new or revised accounting standards that have different effective dates for public and private companies until the earlier of the date we (i) are no longer an emerging growth company or (ii) affirmatively and irrevocably opt out of the extended transition period provided in the JOBS Act. As a result, our financial statements may not be comparable to companies that comply with new or revised accounting pronouncements as of public company effective dates.
We will remain an emerging growth company until the earliest of (1) the last day of our first fiscal year (a) in which we have total annual gross revenues of at least $1.235 billion or (b) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our common stock that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700.0 million as of the prior June 30 th , (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt securities during the prior three-year period and (3) December 31, 2025.
We are also a “smaller reporting company,” meaning that the market value of our stock held by non-affiliates is less than $700.0 million and our annual revenue is less than $100.0 million during the most recently completed fiscal year. We may continue to be a smaller reporting company if either (i) the market value of our stock held by non-affiliates is less than $250.0 million or (ii) our annual revenue is less than $100.0 million during the most recently completed fiscal year and the market value of our stock held by non-affiliates is less than $700.0 million. If we are a smaller reporting company at the time we cease to be an emerging growth company, we may continue to rely on exemptions from certain disclosure requirements that are available to smaller reporting companies. Specifically, as a smaller reporting company we may choose to present only the two most recent fiscal years of audited financial statements in our Annual Report on Form 10-K and, similar to emerging growth companies, smaller reporting companies have reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
See Note 3 to our unaudited interim financial statements included elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for a description of recent accounting pronouncements applicable to our financial statements.
Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk.
Not applicable.
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Text extracted from the filing as submitted to EDGAR. Formatting, tables and exhibits are simplified for reading; the original document is authoritative for anything you rely on.