Consolidated Statements of Stockholders' Equity (Deficit) (USD $) In Thousands, except Share data	Common Stock	Additional Paid-In capital	Receivable From Stockholders	Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss	Retained Earnings [Member]	Total
Beginning Balance, Amount at Sep. 07, 2005	$ 1,399
Beginning Balance, Shares at Sep. 07, 2005	1	9	(10)		0	0
Common stock issued for cash	12	7,770	(100)		0	4,982
Common stock issued for cash (in shares)	2,409
Common stock and warrants issued for a placement fee in connection with May 25, 2006 financing	0	0	0		0	0
Common stock and warrants issued for a placement fee in connection with May 25, 2006 financing (in shares)	186
Common stock issued in connection with reverse merger in May 2006	3	(3)	0		0	0
Common stock issued in connection with reverse merger in May 2006 (in shares)	2,914
Repayment of receivable from stockholders	0	0	110		0	110
Consultant stock-based compensation expense	0	24	0		0	24
Net loss	0	0	0		(969)	(969)
Ending Balance, Amount at Aug. 31, 2006	7	5,109	0		(969)	4,147
Ending Balance, Shares at Aug. 31, 2006	6,908
Exercise of common stock warrants, Shares	766
Exercise of common stock warrants, Amount	1	1,969			0	1,970
Exercise of common stock options, Shares	3
Exercise of common stock options, Amount	0	8			0	8
Employee stock-based compensation expense	0	369			0	369
Consultant stock-based compensation expense	0	0			0	96
Net loss	0	0			(3,632)	(3,632)
Ending Balance, Amount at Aug. 31, 2007	8	7,551			(4,601)	2,958
Ending Balance, Shares at Aug. 31, 2007	7,677
Exercise of common stock warrants, Shares	748
Exercise of common stock warrants, Amount	1	1,924			0	1,925
Employee stock-based compensation expense, Shares	23
Employee stock-based compensation expense	0	492			0	492
Consultant stock-based compensation expense, Shares	2
Consultant stock-based compensation expense	0	240			0	240
Issuance of common stock for loan placement fee	0	102			0	102
Issuance of common stock for loan placement fee (in shares)	47
Issuance of common stock for the purchase of Convivia, Inc. assets	0	240			0	240
Issuance of common stock for the purchase of Convivia, Inc. assets (in shares)	102
Issuance of common stock for the merger with Encode Pharmaceuticals, Inc.	0	2,658			0	2,658
Issuance of common stock for the merger with Encode Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (in shares)	803
Issuance of common stock and warrants under private placement at specified price including placement agent warrants net of fundraising costs	5	9,051			0	9,056
Issuance of common stock and warrants under private placement at specified price including placement agent warrants net of fundraising costs (in shares)	4,662
Net loss	0	0			(8,054)	(8,054)
Ending Balance, Amount at Aug. 31, 2008	14	22,258			(12,655)	9,617
Ending Balance, Shares at Aug. 31, 2008	14,064
Exercise of common stock warrants, Shares	2,032
Exercise of common stock warrants, Amount	2	2,613			0	2,615
Employee stock-based compensation expense, Shares	23
Employee stock-based compensation expense	0	354			0	354
Consultant stock-based compensation expense, Shares	0
Consultant stock-based compensation expense	0	48			0	48
Issuance of common stock and warrants under private placement at specified price including placement agent warrants net of fundraising costs	2	2,091			0	2,093
Issuance of common stock and warrants under private placement at specified price including placement agent warrants net of fundraising costs (in shares)	1,738
Net loss	0	0	0		(9,224)	(9,224)
Ending Balance, Amount at Aug. 31, 2009	18	27,364			(21,879)	5,503
Ending Balance, Shares at Aug. 31, 2009	17,857
Exercise of common stock warrants, Shares	197
Exercise of common stock warrants, Amount	0	475		0	0	475
Exercise of common stock options, Shares	38
Exercise of common stock options, Amount	0	64		0	0	64
Employee stock-based compensation expense, Shares	12
Employee stock-based compensation expense	0	217		0	0	217
Consultant stock-based compensation expense, Shares	0
Consultant stock-based compensation expense	0	78		0	0	78
Issuance of common stock and warrants under private placement at specified price including placement agent warrants net of fundraising costs	5	13,598		0	0	13,603
Issuance of common stock and warrants under private placement at specified price including placement agent warrants net of fundraising costs (in shares)	4,898
Common stock issued and warrants/options assumed with 2009 Merger, Shares	941
Common stock issued and warrants/options assumed with 2009 Merger	1	4,416		0	0	4,417
Issuance of common stock to LPC pursuant to an equity line facility at a specified purchase price, net of fundraising costs and commitment shares totaling $533, Shares	2,387
Issuance of common stock to LPC pursuant to an equity line facility at a specified purchase price, net of fundraising costs and commitment shares totaling $533	2	4,840		0	0	4,842
Issuance of common stock and warrants in a registered direct financing at $2.00 per unit, including placement agent warrants, net of fundraising costs of $1,247, Shares	3,747
Issuance of common stock and warrants in a registered direct financing at $2.00 per unit, including placement agent warrants, net of fundraising costs of $1,247	4	6,243		0	0	6,247
Initial value of warrants issued in a registered direct financing	0	(1,864)		0	0	(1,864)
Initial value of warrants issued in 2010 private placement	0	(7,813)		0	0	(7,813)
Foreign currency translation loss						(8)
Comprehensive loss	0	0		(8)	(18,928)	(18,936)
Net loss						(18,928)
Ending Balance, Amount at Aug. 31, 2010	30	47,618		(8)	(40,807)	6,833
Ending Balance, Shares at Aug. 31, 2010	30,077
Exercise of common stock warrants, Shares	3,340
Exercise of common stock warrants, Amount	4	8,909		0	0	8,913
Exercise of common stock options, Shares	39
Exercise of common stock options, Amount	0	96		0	0	96
Employee stock-based compensation expense, Shares	0
Employee stock-based compensation expense	0	1,920		0	0	1,920
Consultant stock-based compensation expense, Shares	0
Consultant stock-based compensation expense	0	197		0	0	197
Issuance of common stock to LPC pursuant to an equity line facility at a specified purchase price, net of fundraising costs and commitment shares totaling $533, Shares	2,113
Issuance of common stock to LPC pursuant to an equity line facility at a specified purchase price, net of fundraising costs and commitment shares totaling $533	2	6,571		0	0	6,573
Reclassification of the fair value of warrant liabilities	0	8,506		0	0	8,506
Foreign currency translation loss	0	0		10	0	10
Comprehensive loss						(37,185)
Net loss	0	0		0	(37,195)	(37,195)
Ending Balance, Amount at Aug. 31, 2011	36	73,817		2	(78,002)	(4,147)
Ending Balance, Shares at Aug. 31, 2011	35,569
Exercise of common stock warrants, Shares	1,831
Exercise of common stock warrants, Amount	2	5,011		0	0	5,013
Exercise of common stock options, Shares	160
Exercise of common stock options, Amount	0	366		0	0	366
Employee stock-based compensation expense, Shares	0
Employee stock-based compensation expense	0	4,487		0	0	4,487
Consultant stock-based compensation expense, Shares	0
Consultant stock-based compensation expense	0	72		0	0	72
Issuance of common stock under an at-the-market sales agreement, net of commissions, Shares	1,508
Issuance of common stock under an at-the-market sales agreement, net of commissions, Amount	1	7,323		0	0	7,324
Reclassification of the fair value of warrant liabilities	0	9,482		0	0	9,482
Issuance of common stock in a follow-on public offering at a $4.00 per share purchase price, net of fundraising costs totaling $3,168, Shares	11,500
Issuance of common stock in a follow-on public offering at a $4.00 per share purchase price, net of fundraising costs totaling $3,168	12	42,822		0	0	42,834
Foreign currency translation loss	0	0		(52)	0	(52)
Comprehensive loss						(38,696)
Net loss	0	0	0	0	(38,644)	(38,644)
Ending Balance, Amount at Aug. 31, 2012	51	143,380	0	(50)	(116,646)	26,735
Ending Balance, Shares at Aug. 31, 2012	50,568
Exercise of common stock warrants, Shares	625
Exercise of common stock warrants, Amount	0	1,843		0	0	1,843
Exercise of common stock options, Shares	79
Exercise of common stock options, Amount	0	192		0	0	192
Employee stock-based compensation expense	0	2,230		0	0	2,230
Consultant stock-based compensation expense, Shares	0
Consultant stock-based compensation expense	0	9		0	0	9
Issuance of common stock under an at-the-market sales agreement, net of commissions, Shares	1,153
Issuance of common stock under an at-the-market sales agreement, net of commissions, Amount	1	5,946		0	0	5,947
Reclassification of the fair value of warrant liabilities	0	2,345		0	0	2,345
Foreign currency translation loss	0	0		(65)	0	(65)
Comprehensive loss						(19,357)
Net loss	0	0		0	(19,292)	(19,292)
Ending Balance, Amount at Dec. 31, 2012	$ 52	$ 155,945		$ (115)	$ (135,938)	$ 19,944
Ending Balance, Shares at Dec. 31, 2012	52,425