3. Significant Accounting Policies There have been no material changes to the significant accounting policies previously disclosed in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023, filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC) on March 27, 2024 (the Form 10-K). Basis of Accounting The accompanying unaudited financial statements were prepared based on the accrual method of accounting in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). Unaudited Financial Statements The accompanying balance sheet as of March 31, 2024, statements of operations and comprehensive loss and stockholders’ equity for the three months ended March 31, 2024 and 2023 and statements of cash flows for the three months ended March 31, 2024 and 2023 are unaudited. These unaudited financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the rules and regulations of the SEC for interim financial information. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and footnotes required by GAAP for complete annual financial statements. These unaudited financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited financial statements and the accompanying notes for the year ended December 31, 2023 contained in the Form 10-K. The unaudited interim financial statements have been prepared on the same basis as the annual financial statements and in the opinion of management reflect all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring adjustments) necessary to state fairly the Company’s financial position as of March 31, 2024, its results of operations and changes in its stockholders’ equity for the three months ended March 31, 2024 and 2023 and its cash flows for the three months ended March 31, 2024 and 2023. The December 31, 2023 balance sheet included herein was derived from audited financial statements, but does not include all disclosures including notes required by GAAP for complete annual financial statements. The financial data and other information disclosed in these notes to the financial statements related to the three months ended March 31, 2024 and 2023 are unaudited. Interim results are not necessarily indicative of results for an entire year or for any future period. Use of Estimates The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting periods. Although actual results could differ from those estimates, management does not believe that such differences would be material. Fair Value Measurements The Company had no assets or liabilities that were measured using quoted prices for similar assets and liabilities or significant unobservable inputs (Level 2 and Level 3 assets and liabilities, respectively) as of March 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023. The carrying value of cash held in money market funds of $25.2 million and $38.8 million as of March 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively, is included in cash and cash equivalents and approximates market values based on quoted market prices (Level 1 inputs). The Company did not transfer any assets measured at fair value on a recurring basis between levels during the three months ended March 31, 2024 and 2023. Concentration of Credit Risk Credit risk represents the risk that the Company would incur a loss if counterparties failed to perform pursuant to the terms of their agreements. Financial instruments that potentially expose the Company to concentrations of credit risk consist primarily of cash and cash equivalents. The Company maintains its cash balances with financial institutions in federally insured accounts and has cash balances in excess of the insurance limits. Cash equivalents consist of investment in United States government money market funds with major financial institutions. These deposits and funds may be redeemed upon demand and the Company does not anticipate any losses on such balances. The Company has not experienced any losses to date and believes that it is not exposed to any significant credit risk on cash and cash equivalents. Revenue Recognition The Company applies Accounting Standards Codification, or ASC, Topic 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606), to all contracts with customers, except for contracts that are within the scope of other standards, such as leases, insurance, collaboration arrangements and financial instruments. Under Topic 606, an entity recognizes revenue when its customer obtains control of promised goods or services in an amount that reflects the consideration which the entity expects to receive in exchange for those goods and services. To determine revenue recognition for arrangements that an entity determines are within the scope of Topic 606, the entity performs the following five steps: (i) identify the contract(s) with the customer(s); (ii) identify the performance obligations in the contract; (iii) determine the transaction price; (iv) allocate the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract; and (v) recognize revenue when (or as) the entity satisfies a performance obligation. The Company only applies the five-step model to contracts when it is probable that the entity will collect the consideration it is entitled to in exchange for the goods and services it transfers to the customer. At contract inception, the Company assesses the goods or services promised within each contract that falls under the scope of Topic 606, determines those that are performance obligations and assesses whether each promised good or service is distinct. The Company then recognizes as revenue the amount of the transaction price that is allocated to the respective performance obligation when (or as) the performance obligation is satisfied. The Company enters into licensing agreements which are within the scope of Topic 606, under which it licenses certain of its drug candidates’ rights to third parties. The terms of these arrangements typically include payment of one or more of the following: non-refundable, up-front license fees; development, regulatory and commercial milestone payments; and royalties on net sales of the licensed product, if and when earned. See Note 10 for additional information regarding the Company’s license agreements. In determining the appropriate amount of revenue to be recognized as it fulfills its obligation under each of its agreements, the Company performs the five steps under Topic 606 described above. As part of the accounting for these arrangements, the Company must develop assumptions that require judgment to determine the stand-alone selling price, which may include forecasted revenues, development timelines, reimbursement of personnel costs, discount rates and probabilities of technical and regulatory success. Licensing of Intellectual Property: If the license to the Company’s intellectual property is determined to be distinct from the other performance obligations identified in the arrangement, the Company recognizes revenue from non-refundable, up-front fees allocated to the license when the license is transferred to the licensee and the licensee is able to use and benefit from the license. For licenses that are bundled with other promises, the Company utilizes judgment to assess the nature of the combined performance obligation to determine whether the combined performance obligation is satisfied over time or at a point in time and, if over time, the appropriate method of measuring progress for purposes of recognizing revenue from non-refundable, up-front fees. The Company evaluates the measure of progress each reporting period, and, if necessary, adjusts the measure of performance and related revenue recognition. Milestone Payments: At the inception of each arrangement that includes development milestone payments, the Company evaluates whether the milestones are considered probable of being reached and estimates the amount to be included in the transaction price using the most likely amount method. If it is probable that a significant revenue reversal will not occur, the associated milestone value is included in the transaction price. Milestone payments that are not within the control of the Company or the licensee, such as regulatory approvals, are not considered probable of being achieved until those approvals are received. The transaction price is then allocated to each performance obligation on a relative stand-alone selling price basis, for which the Company recognizes revenue as or when the performance obligations under the contract are satisfied. At the end of each subsequent reporting period, the Company re-evaluates the probability of achievement of such development milestones and any related constraint and, if necessary, adjusts its estimate of the overall transaction price. Any such adjustments are recorded on a cumulative catch-up basis, which would affect license, collaboration and other revenues and earnings in their period of adjustment. Royalties: For arrangements that include sales-based royalties, including milestone payments based on the level of sales, and for which the license is deemed to be the predominant item to which royalties relate, the Company recognizes revenue at the later of (i) when the related sales occur or (ii) when the performance obligation to which some or all of the royalty has been allocated has been satisfied (or partially satisfied). To date, the Company has not recognized any royalty revenue from its license agreements. Manufacturing and Supply: The obligations under the Company’s agreements may include clinical and/or commercial manufacturing products to be provided by the Company to the counterparty. The services are generally determined to be distinct from the other promises or performance obligations identified in the arrangement. The Company recognizes the transaction price allocated to these services as revenue at a point in time when transfer of control of the related products to the customer occurs. Accruals for Clinical Trial Expenses Clinical trial costs primarily consist of expenses incurred under agreements with contract research organizations (CROs), investigative sites, laboratory testing expenses, data management and consultants that conduct the Company's clinical trials. Clinical trial expenses are a significant component of research and development expenses, and the Company outsources a significant portion of these clinical trial activities to third parties. The accrual for site and patient costs includes inputs such as estimates of patient enrollment, patient cycles incurred, clinical site activations, estimated project duration and other pass-through costs. These inputs are required to be estimated due to a lag in receiving the actual clinical information from third parties. Payments for these activities are based on the terms of the individual arrangements, which may differ from the pattern of costs incurred, and are reflected on the balance sheets as a prepaid asset or accrued expenses. These third-party agreements are generally cancellable, and related costs are recorded as research and development expenses as incurred. Except for payments made in advance of services, clinical trial costs are expensed as incurred. Non-refundable advance clinical payments for goods or services that will be used or rendered for future research and development activities are recorded as a prepaid asset and recognized as expense as the related goods are delivered or the related services are performed. When evaluating the adequacy of the accrued expenses, management assessments include: (i) an evaluation by the project manager of the work that has been completed during the period; (ii) measurement of progress prepared internally and/or provided by the third-party service provider; (iii) analyses of data that justify the progress; and (iv) the Company’s judgment. Significant judgments and estimates may be made in determining the accrued balances at the end of any reporting period. Actual results could differ from the estimates made. The Company’s historical clinical accrual estimates have not been materially different from the actual costs. Stock-Based Compensation Stock-based payments are accounted for in accordance with the provisions of ASC 718, Compensation—Stock Compensation. The fair value of stock-based payments is estimated, on the date of grant, using the Black-Scholes-Merton model. The resulting fair value is recognized ratably over the requisite service period, which is generally the vesting period of the option. The Company accounts for forfeitures as they occur. The Company has elected to use the Black-Scholes-Merton option pricing model to value any options granted. The Company will reconsider use of the Black-Scholes-Merton model if additional information becomes available in the future that indicates another model would be more appropriate or if grants issued in future periods have characteristics that prevent their value from being reasonably estimated using this model. A discussion of management’s methodology for developing some of the assumptions used in the valuation model follows: Expected Dividend Yield—The Company has never declared or paid dividends and has no plans to do so in the foreseeable future. Expected Volatility—Volatility is a measure of the amount by which a financial variable such as share price has fluctuated (historical volatility) or is expected to fluctuate (expected volatility) during a period. The Company bases the expected volatility on the historical volatility of the Company’s publicly traded common stock. Risk-Free Interest Rate—This is the U.S. Treasury rate for the week of each option grant during the year, having a term that most closely resembles the expected life of the option. Expected Term—This is a period of time that the options granted are expected to remain unexercised. Options granted have a maximum term of 10 years. The Company estimates the expected life of the option term to be 6.25 years. The Company uses a simplified method to calculate the average expected term. Net Loss Per Common Share Basic net loss per common share is determined by dividing net loss by the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding during the period, without consideration of common stock equivalents. Diluted net loss per share is computed by dividing net loss by the weighted-average number of common stock equivalents outstanding for the period. The treasury stock method is used to determine the dilutive effect of the Company’s stock options and restricted stock units (RSUs). The following potentially dilutive securities outstanding have been excluded from the computation of diluted weighted-average common shares outstanding, as they would be anti-dilutive: | | | | | | Three Months Ended March 31, | | | 2024 | | 2023 | | Stock options and RSUs | 13,546,834 | | 11,420,012 | |
Comprehensive Loss Comprehensive loss comprises net loss and other changes in equity that are excluded from net loss. For the three months ended March 31, 2024 and 2023, the Company’s net loss equaled comprehensive net loss and, accordingly, no additional disclosure is presented. Recently Issued Accounting Standards Accounting Standards Not Yet Adopted There have been no new accounting pronouncements that have significance, or potential significance, to the Company’s unaudited financial statements for the quarter ended March 31, 2024.
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