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Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)
 3 Months Ended 12 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2016
Dec. 31, 2015
Accounting Policies [Abstract]    
Basis of Presentation

We are a Delaware corporation, originally incorporated in 1988 under the name Terrapin Diagnostics, Inc. in the State of Delaware, and subsequently renamed “Telik, Inc.” in 1998, and thereafter renamed MabVax Therapeutics Holdings, Inc. (“MabVax Therapeutics Holdings”) in September 2014. Our principal corporate office is located at 11535 Sorrento Valley Road, Suite 400, San Diego, CA 92121 telephone: (858) 259-9405. On July 8, 2014, we consummated a merger with MabVax Therapeutics, Inc. (“MabVax Therapeutics”), pursuant to which our subsidiary Tacoma Acquisition Corp. merged with and into MabVax Therapeutics, with MabVax Therapeutics surviving as our wholly owned subsidiary. This transaction is referred to as the “Merger.” Unless the context otherwise requires, references to “we,” “our,” “us,” or the “Company” in this Quarterly Report mean MabVax Therapeutics Holdings on a condensed consolidated financial statement basis with our wholly-owned subsidiary following the Merger, MabVax Therapeutics, as applicable. The Company has traded under the symbol MBVX (OTCQB: MBVX) since October 10, 2014.

 

The balance sheet data at December 31, 2015, has been derived from audited financial statements at that date. It does not include, however, all of the information and notes required by accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) for complete financial statements.

 

The Company is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery, development and commercialization of proprietary human monoclonal antibody products and vaccines for the treatment of a variety of cancers. The Company has discovered a pipeline of human monoclonal antibody products based on the protective immune responses generated by patients who have been immunized against targeted cancers. Therapeutic vaccines under development were discovered at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (“MSK”) and are exclusively licensed to MabVax Therapeutics. The Company operates in only one business segment.

 

The Company has incurred net losses since inception and expects to incur substantial losses for the foreseeable future as it continues its research and development activities. To date, the Company has funded operations primarily through government grants, proceeds from the sale of common and preferred stock, the issuance of debt, the issuance of common stock in lieu of cash for services, payments from collaborators, and interest income. The process of developing products will require significant additional research and development, preclinical testing and clinical trials, as well as regulatory approvals. We expect these activities, together with general and administrative expenses, to result in substantial operating losses for the foreseeable future. The Company will not receive substantial revenue unless we or our collaborative partners complete clinical trials, obtain regulatory approvals and successfully commercialize one or more products; or we license our technology after achieving one or more milestones of interest to a potential partner.

 

The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements were prepared using GAAP for interim financial information and the instructions to Regulation S-X. While these statements reflect all normal recurring adjustments which are, in the opinion of management, necessary for a fair presentation of the results of the interim period, they do not include all information or notes required by GAAP for annual financial statements and should be read in conjunction with the Audited Financial Statements of MabVax Therapeutics Holdings for the year ended December 31, 2015, filed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K on March 14, 2016.

 

The preparation of condensed consolidated 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 contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the condensed consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of expenses during the reporting period. Management believes that these estimates are reasonable; however, actual results may differ from these estimates.

The accompanying consolidated financial statements reflect all of our activities, including those of our wholly owned subsidiaries. All material intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.
Use of Estimates  

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of expenses during the reporting period. Management believes that these estimates are reasonable; however, actual results may differ from these estimates.
Cash and Cash Equivalents  

We consider all highly liquid investments purchased with original maturities of three months or less to be cash equivalents. The Company minimizes its credit risk associated with cash and cash equivalents by periodically evaluating the credit quality of its primary financial institution. The balance at times may exceed federally insured limits. The Company has not experienced any losses on such accounts.
Fair Value of Financial Instruments   The Company’s financial instruments consist of cash and cash equivalents, grants receivable, and accounts payable, all of which are generally considered to be representative of their respective fair values because of the short-term nature of those instruments.
Grants Receivable  

Grants receivable at December 31, 2015 represent amounts due under the NIH Imaging Contract Phase II with the National Cancer Institute (the “NCI”), a division of the National Institutes of Health, or NIH (collectively, the “NIH Grants”). The Company considers the grants receivable to be fully collectible; accordingly, no allowance for doubtful accounts has been established. Grants receivable balances may include unbilled amounts for which work was completed by the Company as of the balance sheet date. If amounts become uncollectible, they are charged to operations.

 
Property and Equipment  

Property and equipment are carried at cost less accumulated depreciation. Depreciation of property and equipment is computed using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets, which are generally three to five years. Leasehold improvements are amortized over the lesser of the life of the lease or the life of the asset.
Impairment of Long-lived Assets  

We evaluate the Company’s long-lived assets with definite lives, such as property and equipment, for impairment. We record impairment losses on long-lived assets used for operations when indicators of impairment are present and the undiscounted cash flows estimated to be generated by those assets are less than the carrying value of the assets. There have not been any impairment losses of long-lived assets for the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014.
Impairment of Goodwill  

We apply Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (“GAAP”) related to Intangibles – Goodwill and Other to test for goodwill impairment annually. The Company has conducted the annual impairment test and evaluated goodwill as of December 31, 2015, and concluded that no impairment of goodwill has taken place for the year ended December 31, 2015.
Revenue Recognition  

Revenue from grants is based upon internal and subcontractor costs incurred that are specifically covered by the grant, including a facilities and administrative rate that provides funding for overhead expenses. NIH Grants are recognized when the Company incurs internal expenses that are specifically related to each grant, in clinical trials at the clinical trial sites, by subcontractors who manage the clinical trials, and provided the grant has been approved for payment. U.S. Treasury grant awards are based upon internal research and development costs incurred that are specifically covered by the grant, and revenues are recognized when the Company incurs internal expenses that are related to the approved grant. The Company records revenue associated with the NIH Grants as the related costs and expenses are incurred. Any amounts received by the Company pursuant to the NIH Grants prior to satisfying the Company’s revenue recognition criteria are recorded as deferred revenue.
Research and Development Costs  

Research and development expenses, which consist primarily of salaries and other personnel costs, clinical trial costs and preclinical study fees, manufacturing costs for non-commercial products, and the development of earlier-stage programs and technologies, are expensed as incurred when these expenditures have no alternative future uses. A significant portion of the development activities are outsourced to third parties, including contract research organizations. In such cases, the Company may be required to estimate related service fees incurred.
Stock-based Compensation  

The Company’s stock-based compensation programs include grants of stock options to employees, non-employee directors and non-employee consultants. Stock-based compensation cost is measured at the grant date, based on the calculated fair value of the award, and is recognized as an expense, under the straight-line method, over the employee’s requisite service period (generally the vesting period of the equity grant).

 

The Company accounts for equity instruments, including stock options, issued to non-employees in accordance with authoritative guidance for equity based payments to non-employees. Stock options issued to non-employees are accounted for at their estimated fair value determined using the Black-Scholes-Merton option-pricing model. The fair value of options granted to non-employees is re-measured as they vest, and the resulting increase in value, if any, is recognized as expense during the period the related services are rendered.
Income Taxes  

The Company uses the asset and liability method of accounting for income taxes. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the estimated future tax consequences attributable to basis differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. Valuation allowances are established when necessary to reduce deferred tax assets to the amount expected to be realized. As of December 31, 2015 and 2014, all deferred tax assets were fully offset by a valuation allowance.

 

The Company accrues interest and penalties, if any, on underpayment of income taxes related to unrecognized tax benefits as a component of income tax expense in its consolidated statements of operations.
Fair Value Measurements  

Level 1 fair value inputs are quoted prices for identical items in active, liquid and visible markets such as stock exchanges. Level 2 fair value inputs are observable information for similar items in active or inactive markets, and appropriately consider counterparty creditworthiness in the valuations. Level 3 fair value inputs reflect our best estimate of inputs and assumptions market participants would use in pricing an asset or liability at the measurement date. The inputs are unobservable in the market and significant to the valuation estimate.