XML 73 R22.htm IDEA: XBRL DOCUMENT v3.25.4
License Agreements
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2025
Share-Based Payment Arrangement [Abstract]  
License Agreements
12. License Agreements
Paragon Option Agreements
In September 2024, the Company entered into the Antibody Paragon Option Agreement with Paragon and Parascent for CR-001, with the selected targets PD-1 and VEGF (the “Antibody Paragon Option Agreement”). In October 2024, the Company entered into the ADC Paragon Option Agreement with Paragon and Parascent for CR-002, with an undisclosed target (as amended, the “ADC Paragon Option Agreement” and, together with the Antibody Paragon Option Agreement, the “Paragon Option Agreements”). Parascent will not perform any substantive role under the Paragon Option Agreements other than to receive such warrants as discussed in Note 10. Under the Paragon Option Agreements, the Company has the exclusive option (an “Option”), on a Research Program-by-Research Program basis, to enter into a separate agreement with Paragon consistent with a set of pre-negotiated terms (a “License Agreement”). On March 18, 2025, the Company exercised its option for CR-001 under the Antibody Paragon Option Agreement and entered into the license agreement for CR-001 on April 28, 2025. On September 26, 2025, the Company exercised its option for CR-002 under the Antibody Paragon Option Agreement and entered into a license agreement with Paragon on November 5, 2025. The Company will be required to make non-refundable milestone payments to Paragon of up to $22.0 million for CR-001 and up to $46.0 million for CR-002 upon the achievement of certain clinical development and regulatory milestones, as well as tiered royalty payments in the low-to-mid single-digits beginning on the first commercial sale of each developed product. From time to time, the Company can choose to add additional targets by mutual agreement with Paragon.
On April 28, 2025, the Company entered into an Amended and Restated Paragon ADC Option Agreement to add undisclosed targets for the product candidate formerly referred to as CR-003 (“Former CR-003”), pursuant to which Paragon agreed to execute a mutually agreed research plan for those targets aimed at producing a potential product candidate to be licensed for further development, manufacture, and commercialization by the Company. On February 24, 2026, the Company provided notice to Paragon of its intention to terminate the ADC Paragon Option Agreement and the Company expects that the agreement will terminate on or about March 26, 2026 (the “Option Agreement Termination”). The Company will no longer license intellectual property rights with respect to Former CR-003 following the Option Agreement Termination.
Under the terms of the Paragon Option Agreements, Paragon agreed to perform certain research activities to discover, generate, identify, and characterize one or more antibody candidates, in the case of the Antibody Paragon Option Agreement, and one or more antibody drug conjugates, in the case of the ADC Paragon Option Agreement, directed to certain mutually agreed therapeutic targets of interest to the Company (each, a “Research Program”). The Paragon Option Agreements required the Company, Paragon, and Parascent to develop a research plan for each target that includes design, modeling, synthesis, evaluation, and other mutually agreed activities (each, a “Research Plan”), which activities primarily included performing preclinical studies. Paragon performed the activities set forth in each Research Plan on the timelines set forth in such Research Plan and in compliance with a mutually agreed budget. Each Research Program was overseen and coordinated by a joint development committee consisting of two employees from the Company and two employees from Paragon, with the Company and Paragon each having one vote with respect to decisions of the committee. When Paragon and Parascent produced an antibody or ADC, as applicable, against a selected target, and upon the completion of each Research Program, Paragon and Parascent delivered to the Company a data package that included sequence information for all then-existing antibodies or ADCs, as applicable, and information directed to such target.
The Company may terminate the Paragon Option Agreements or any Research Program at any time for any or no reason upon 30 days’ prior written notice to Paragon, provided that the Company must pay any outstanding accrued fees due to Paragon upon such termination, as well as any non-cancellable obligations reasonably incurred by Paragon in connection with its activities under any terminated Research Program.
Under the Paragon Option Agreements, the Company is also responsible for certain additional development costs incurred by Paragon. The Company expenses the fees incurred under the Paragon Option Agreements as the associated costs are incurred when the underlying services are rendered. Such amounts are classified within research and development expenses and general and administrative expenses in the accompanying consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive loss. The following is a summary of expenses related to the development costs and license fees related to the Paragon Option Agreements recorded within the consolidated statement of operations for the periods presented (in thousands):
Twelve Months Ended December 31, 2025Period from September 19, 2024 (Inception) Through December 31, 2024
Research and development expense$19,356 $13,124 
General and administrative expense570 394 
$19,926 $13,518 
An amount of $0.1 million related to Paragon is included in related party accounts payable and other current liabilities within the consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2025.
Any additional License Agreements entered into with respect to a given Research Program shall contain the same milestone payment obligations as the Paragon Option Agreements, provided that any milestone set forth in the Paragon Option Agreements that has not yet been achieved and is duplicated in such License Agreement shall no longer be achievable and payable under the terms of the Paragon Option Agreements and shall only be achievable under the terms of the License Agreement. For the avoidance of doubt, if a milestone is achieved and paid by the Company pursuant to the Paragon Option Agreements for a certain Research Program, then there shall be no milestone payment due for the achievement of such milestone under a subsequently executed License Agreement for such Research Program. Further, under a License Agreement, the Company would also be required to make royalty payments to Paragon in the low single-digit percentage range based on net sales of products, subject to certain reductions. The royalty term will terminate on a product-by-product and country-by-country basis upon the later of the expiration of the last-to-expire valid claim within the relevant patent rights or the twelfth anniversary of the first commercial sale of such product in such country.
Additionally, as part of the Paragon Option Agreements, on each of December 31, 2025 and December 31, 2026, the Company has agreed to grant Parascent warrants to purchase an aggregate number of shares equal to 1.00% of its outstanding share capital as of the date of the grant on a fully-diluted basis, with an exercise price equal to the fair market value of the underlying ordinary shares on each respective grant date. The warrants are liability-classified and after the initial recognition, the liability is adjusted to fair value at the end of each reporting period, with changes in fair value recorded in the consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive loss. In accordance with the terms of the ADC Paragon Option Agreement, the Company issued 402,731 warrants on December 31, 2025 (see Note 10). In connection with the Option Agreement Termination, the Company will grant 34,566 warrants to Parascent on March 26, 2026.
The Company concluded that the rights obtained under the Paragon Option Agreements represent asset acquisitions whereby the underlying assets comprise in-process research and development assets with no alternative future use. The Paragon Option Agreements did not qualify as a business combination because substantially all of the fair value of the assets acquired was concentrated in the exclusive license options, which represent a group of similar identifiable assets. The research initiation fees represent a one-time cost on a research program-by-research program basis for accessing research services or resources with benefits that are expected to be consumed in the near term, therefore the amounts paid are expensed as part of research and development costs immediately. Amounts paid as reimbursements of on-going development cost, monthly development cost fee and additional development expenses incurred by Paragon due to work completed for selected targets prior to the effective date of the Paragon Option Agreements that associated with services being rendered under the related Research Programs is recognized as research and development expense when incurred.
CR-001 License Agreement
On April 28, 2025, the Company entered into a License Agreement with Paragon for all antibodies discovered, generated, identified, or characterized by Paragon in the course of performing the CR-001 research program directed to PD-1 and VEGF, antibodies created by the Company derived from the licensed antibodies and directed to PD-1 and VEGF, and products that comprise the foregoing (the “CR-001 License Agreement”) consistent with the pre-negotiated terms agreed to upon execution of the Paragon Option Agreements, pursuant to which Paragon granted the Company a royalty-bearing, worldwide, exclusive, and sublicensable license with respect to certain inventions, patent rights, sequence
information, and other intellectual property rights related to monospecific antibodies directed at the VEGF and PD-1 targets (the “Licensed Antibody Technology”) to use, make, sell, import, export, and otherwise exploit certain Licensed Antibodies, Derived Antibodies, Products, Multispecific Antibodies, and Multispecific Products in the Field in the Territory. Under the terms of the CR-001 License Agreement, the Company is obligated to pay Paragon up to $22.0 million based on specific development and regulatory milestones, with the next subsequent milestone payment of $2.5 million being due upon the first dosing of a human patient in a Phase 1 trial, which occurred during February 2026. Following the execution of the CR-001 License Agreement, the Company is solely responsible for, and has sole authority and control over, all aspects of the development, manufacturing, and commercialization of product candidates under the CR-001 program, including regulatory strategy, communications, filings, and activities (including clinical trials). Paragon also granted the Company a royalty-bearing, worldwide, non-exclusive, sublicensable right and license under the Licensed Antibody Technology to use, make, sell, import, export, or otherwise exploit certain multispecific antibodies and products targeting PD-1 and VEGF. In addition, the following summarizes other key terms of the CR-001 License Agreement:
Paragon will not conduct any new campaigns that generate PD-1 and VEGF and monospecific antibodies in the field for at least five years.
Paragon may pursue the development and commercialization of multispecific antibodies and products directed at the PD-1 and VEGF and targets in the field and in the territory and the Company has a right of first negotiation for any such multispecific antibodies and products proposed by Paragon for a period of five years from the execution of the CR-001 License Agreement. If the Company does not exercise its right of first negotiation, or if the parties are unable to agree on a definitive agreement, Paragon may proceed without any obligations to the Company with respect to the right of first negotiation, and the Company’s non-exclusive license will exclude any multispecific antibodies and products that were the subject of the right of first negotiation.
The Company will pay Paragon a low-to-mid single-digit percentage royalty based on annual net sales of the products in the field and in the territory, and a mid single-digit percentage royalty based on annual net sales of the multispecific products in the field and in the territory, subject to a 30% reduction if there is no valid patent covering the product in the country.
The royalty term ends on the later of (i) the twelfth anniversary of such date or (ii) the expiration of the last-to- expire valid patent covering the product or the multispecific product in the country at issue.
The CR-001 License Agreement may be terminated on 60 days’ notice by the Company, upon material breach without cure; and to the extent permitted by law, upon a party’s insolvency or bankruptcy.
With respect to patents licensed to the Company under the CR-001 License Agreement that have been filed as of the effective date of the CR-001 License Agreement, the Company will control the preparing, filing, prosecuting, and maintenance of such patents. With respect to patents filed after the effective date of the CR-001 License Agreement, Paragon will control the preparing, filing, prosecuting, and maintaining of such patents until the final deliverable for the relevant research program is delivered to the Company, after which the Company will control the preparing, filing, prosecuting, and maintain of such patents.
The Company shall have the right to grant sublicenses under the CR-001 License Agreement, provided that (i) any sublicense agreement is consistent with all relevant terms, conditions, and restrictions of the CR-001 License Agreement, (ii) the Company provides Paragon with a copy of each sublicense agreement and any amendments thereto within 30 days following execution thereof and (iii) the Company remains responsible for all payments and obligations due under the CR-001 License Agreement.
On December 2, 2025, the Company entered into Amendment No. 1 (the “Amendment”) to the License Agreement, dated April 28, 2025, by and between the Company and Paragon relating to the CR-001 License Agreement. The purpose of the Amendment was to amend certain terms of the CR-001 License Agreement for the sole purpose of accommodating and aligning with the sublicense for the CR-001 License Agreement with Sichuan Kelun-Biotech Biopharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (“Kelun”) discussed below.
CR-002 License Agreement
On November 5, 2025, the Company entered into a License Agreement for all ADCs discovered, generated, identified or characterized by Paragon in the course of performing the CR-002 research program directed to PD-L1, ADCs created by the Company derived from the licensed ADCs and directed to PD-L1, and products that comprise the foregoing with
Paragon (the “CR-002 License Agreement”) consistent with the pre-negotiated terms agreed to upon execution of the ADC Paragon Option Agreement, pursuant to which Paragon granted the Company a royalty-bearing, worldwide, exclusive and sublicensable license with respect to certain inventions, patent rights, sequence information and other intellectual property rights related to ADCs directed at PD-1 and VEGF (the “Licensed Antibody Technology”) to develop, manufacture, commercialize and otherwise exploit certain ADCs and products targeting PD-L1 in the field of prophylaxis, palliation, treatment and diagnosis of human disease and disorders in all therapeutic areas (the “field”) and worldwide (the “territory”). Under the terms of the CR-002 License Agreement, the Company is obligated to pay Paragon up to $46.0 million based on specific development and regulatory milestones, including a $5.0 million fee for the nomination of a development candidate that was paid in October 2025 and a further milestone payment of $5.0 million upon the first dosing of a human patient in a Phase 1 trial. Following the execution of the CR-002 License Agreement, the Company is solely responsible for, and has sole authority and control over, all aspects of the development, manufacturing and commercialization of CR-002, including regulatory strategy, communications, filings and activities (including clinical trials). In addition, the following summarizes other key terms of the CR-002 License Agreement.
The Company will pay Paragon a low-to-mid single-digit percentage royalty based on annual net sales of the products in the field and in the territory, subject to a 30% reduction if there is no valid patent covering the product in the country.
The royalty term ends on the later of (i) the twelfth anniversary of such date or (ii) the expiration of the last-to-expire valid patent covering the product in the country at issue.
The CR-002 License Agreement may be terminated on 60 days’ notice by the Company, on material breach without cure; and to the extent permitted by law, on a party’s insolvency or bankruptcy.
With respect to patents licensed to the Company under the CR-002 License Agreement that have been filed as of the effective date of the CR-002 License Agreement, the Company will control the preparing, filing, prosecuting and maintenance of such patents. With respect to patents filed after the effective date of the CR-002 License Agreement, Paragon will control the preparing, filing, prosecuting and maintaining of such patents until the final deliverable for the relevant research program is delivered to the Company, after which the Company will control the preparing, filing, prosecuting and maintain of such patents.
The Company shall have the right to grant sublicenses under the CR-002 License Agreement, provided that (i) any sublicense agreement is consistent with all relevant terms, conditions and restrictions of the CR-002 License Agreement, (ii) the Company provides Paragon with a copy of each sublicense agreement and any amendments thereto within 30 days following execution thereof and (iii) the Company remains responsible for all payments and obligations due under the CR-002 License Agreement.
Kelun License Agreements
On December 2, 2025, the Company entered into two license agreements with Kelun, each of which is described below.
CR-001 License Agreement
On December 2, 2025, the Company and Kelun entered into a License Agreement (the “Kelun CR-001 License Agreement”) under which the Company granted Kelun an exclusive, royalty-bearing license to research, develop, manufacture and commercialize CR-001, the Company’s proprietary bispecific antibody directed to VEGF and PD-1, in greater China (including mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan) (collectively, the “SKB Territory”). The Company retains all rights to CR-001 outside the SKB Territory.
Under the Kelun CR-001 License Agreement, Kelun is responsible for development, manufacturing, regulatory and commercial activities for CR-001 in the SKB Territory, and is obligated to use commercially reasonable efforts to develop and commercialize at least one CR-001 product candidate in the SKB Territory.
Kelun will pay the Company the following:
$20.0 million within 30 days of signing;
up to $30.0 million in development and regulatory milestone payments; and
tiered royalties ranging from low- to mid-single digits based on annual net sales in the SKB Territory, subject to customary reductions and a royalty floor on reductions.
Additionally, the Company may be required to pay back to Kelun $5.0 million if Kelun initiates a combination study (the “Combination Study”) approved by the Company with CR-001 prior to December 31, 2026.
The Kelun CR-001 License Agreement includes the provision of the initial supply of CR-001 drug product by the Company, a data-sharing framework, know-how and manufacturing technology transfer provisions, intellectual property provisions, and customary termination rights, including reversion and license-back mechanics in specified circumstances.
The Kelun CR-001 License Agreement is in the scope of ASC 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers. The Company concluded that the Kelun CR-001 License Agreement contains two performance obligations for the transfer of an exclusive license and the provision of an initial supply of CR-001 as the two services are distinct within the context of the contract.
Of the $20.0 million payable upon signing of the agreement, $15.0 million was included in the transaction price. As of December 31, 2025, the Company recorded $5.0 million of the $20.0 million upfront payment on the consolidated balance sheet as a deposit liability related to contingent consideration payable back to Kelun. The amount is returnable to Kelun if they initiate the Combination Study prior to December 31, 2026. Whether they initiate the Combination Study or not is outside of the Company’s control, and therefore the Company concluded that the potential repayment to Kelun of $5.0 million was variable consideration that was constrained. Of the transaction price of $15.0 million, $4.2 million was allocated to the initial supply performance obligation and $10.8 million was allocated to the license. The $5.0 million deposit liability will be included in the transaction price if Kelun does not initiate the Combination Study prior to December 31, 2026, and such consideration is no longer constrained.
The transaction price was allocated to the two performance obligations on a relative estimated standalone selling prices utilizing market data.. The standalone selling price of the performance obligations were estimated using a market approach that maximized the use of observable inputs.
The Company recognized $10.8 million of revenue allocated to the transfer of the exclusive license during the year ended December 31, 2025 as the license is considered functional in nature and control was transferred to the customer at the time of grant.
As of December 31, 2025, the Company recorded $4.2 million on the consolidated balance sheet within deferred revenue related to the performance obligation for the initial supply of CR-001, which will be recognized as revenue when control of the initial supply of CR-001 is transferred, which is expected in 2026.
As of December 31, 2025, the $30.0 million in development and regulatory milestone payments are fully constrained as variable consideration due to the uncertainty associated with the occurrence of the underlying events that would trigger the development and regulatory milestone consideration and therefore are not included in the transaction price of the arrangement. The Company will reassess this conclusion at each subsequent reporting period and will only include amounts associated with development or regulatory milestones in the transaction price when, or if, the variable consideration is determined to be released from constraint.
As of December 31, 2025, the Company has not recognized any royalties under its licensing agreement. Royalties qualify for the sales-and-usage exemption under ASC 606 as (i) royalties are based strictly on the sale-and-usage by the licensee and (ii) a license of intellectual property is the sole or predominant item to which such royalties relate. Based on this exemption, these royalties are earned under the terms of a license agreement in the period the products are sold by the Company’s collaborator and the Company has a present right to payment.
SKB105 License and Collaboration Agreement
On December 2, 2025, the Company and Kelun entered into a License and Collaboration Agreement (the “SKB105 License Agreement”), under which Kelun granted the Company an exclusive license to research, develop, manufacture and commercialize SKB105, Kelun’s proprietary integrin beta-6-directed antibody-drug conjugate, in all territories outside the SKB Territory. The Company intends to develop SKB105 as CR-003, a product designation which previously referred to a preclinical ADC asset under the Paragon Option Agreements discussed elsewhere in this Note 11 to the consolidated financial statements.
The Company is responsible for all development, manufacturing, regulatory and commercial activities for SKB105 outside the SKB Territory and is obligated to use commercially reasonable efforts to develop, obtain regulatory approval for, manufacture (or have manufactured) and commercialize at least one SKB105 product in the United States and at least three (3) major European markets.
Under the SKB105 License Agreement, the Company has agreed to pay Kelun:
$80.0 million upfront, of which $72.0 million was paid and $8.0 was recorded on the consolidated balance sheet within accrued expenses and other current liabilities as of December 31, 2025 representing a portion of the consideration withheld on behalf of Kelun for withholding taxes that was remitted to tax authorities in 2026;
up to $345.0 million in development milestone payments;
up to $902.5 million in sales-based milestone payments;
tiered royalties ranging from mid-single digits to low-double digits based on annual net sales, subject to customary reductions and a royalty floor;
sublicense and divestiture revenue-sharing payments of low double-digit percentages of any sublicense or divestiture consideration on account of SKB105 paid or payable to the Company within 18 months after the effective date of the definitive agreement in connection with any such triggering transaction; and
a potential payment of low-single digits to low-double digits of any change of control consideration (including cash or any other consideration) received by equity holders of the Company if the Company undergoes a qualifying change-of-control transaction within 24 months.
The Company concluded that the rights obtained under the SKB 105 License Agreement represents an asset acquisition whereby the underlying license intellectual property is in-process research and development intellectual property with no alternative future use. The SKB 105 License Agreement did not qualify as a business combination because substantially all of the fair value of the assets acquired was concentrated in the exclusive license.
For the SKB105 License Agreement, the Company recorded $78.2 million within research and development expense for the twelve months ended months ended December 31, 2025. A portion of the nonrefundable upfront $80.0 million payment represents costs for SKB105 drug supply that Kelun is obligated to provide to the Company that has not been received as of December 31, 2025, and will be used in future research and development activities. The Company recorded $1.8 million within prepaid expenses and other current assets on its consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2025, and will recognize the amounts into research and development expense as the SKB105 drug supply is received from Kelun throughout 2026.