Accounting Policies, by Policy (Policies)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2022

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Basis of Presentation and Use of Estimates

Basis of Presentation and Use of Estimates

The accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements have been prepared in accordance with US generally accepted accounting principles (“US GAAP”) and include all adjustments necessary for the presentation of the Company’s consolidated financial position, results of operations and cash flows for the periods presented. The Consolidated Financial Statements include the accounts of the Company and its wholly owned subsidiaries. These financial statements have been prepared on a basis that assumes that the Company will continue as a going concern, which contemplates the realization of assets and the satisfaction of liabilities and commitments in the normal course of business.

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with US GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts and disclosures reported in the Consolidated Financial Statements and accompanying notes. Actual results could differ materially from those estimates. The Company believes judgment is involved in accounting for the determination of revenue recognition, the fair value-based measurement of stock-based compensation and accruals. The Company evaluates its estimates and assumptions as facts and circumstances dictate. As future events and their effects cannot be determined with precision, actual results could differ from these estimates and assumptions, and those differences could be material to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

Concentration of Credit Risk

Concentration of Credit Risk

Cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities consist of financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to a concentration of credit risk in the event of a default by the related financial institution holding the securities, to the extent of the value recorded in the consolidated balance sheet. The Company invests cash that is not required for immediate operating needs primarily in highly liquid instruments with lower credit risk. The Company has established guidelines relating to the quality, diversification, and maturities of securities to enable the Company to manage its credit risk.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

Cash and Cash Equivalents

The Company considers all highly liquid investments with an original maturity of 90 days or less at the time of purchase to be cash equivalents. Cash and cash equivalents consist of deposits with commercial banks in checking, interest-bearing and demand money market accounts.

Debt Issuance Costs

Debt Issuance Costs

Debt issuance costs related to a recognized debt liability are presented on the consolidated balance sheets as a direct deduction from the carrying amount of that debt liability, consistent with debt discounts and are amortized to interest expense over the term of the related debt using the effective interest method.

Research and Development Expenses

Research and Development Expenses

Development costs incurred in the research and development of new product candidates are expensed as incurred, including expenses that may or may not be reimbursed under research and development collaboration arrangements. Research and development costs include, but are not limited to, salaries, benefits, stock-based compensation, laboratory supplies, allocated overhead, fees for professional service providers and costs associated with product development efforts, including the cost of consultants and contract manufacturing organizations (“CMOs”) that manufacture drug products for use in our preclinical studies and clinical trials as well as all other expenses associated with preclinical studies and clinical trials.

The Company estimates preclinical study and clinical trial expenses based on the services performed, pursuant to contracts with research institutions and clinical research organizations that conduct and manage preclinical studies and clinical trials on its behalf. In accruing service fees, the Company estimates the time period over which services will be performed and the level of effort to be expended in each period. If the actual timing of the performance of services or the level of effort varies from the estimate, the Company will adjust the accrual accordingly. Payments made to third parties under these arrangements in advance of the receipt of the related services are recorded as prepaid expenses until the services are rendered.

The Company records upfront and milestone payments made to third parties under licensing arrangements as an expense. Upfront payments are recorded when incurred and milestone payments are recorded when the specific milestone has been achieved.

Revenue Recognition

Revenue Recognition

The Company’s revenue to date has been generated primarily through license agreements and research and development collaboration agreements. The Company recorded $2.5 million and $3.6 million in revenue for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively, related to the November 3, 2020 License Agreement (the “South Korea Agreement”) with KPM Tech Co., Ltd. (“KPM”) and its affiliate, Telcon RF Pharmaceutical, Inc. (“Telcon”), as further described in Note 3. The Company recognizes revenue in accordance with Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 606 – Revenue from Contracts with Customers. The core principle of ASC 606 is that an entity should recognize revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods and/or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods and/or services. To determine the appropriate amount of revenue to be recognized for arrangements that the Company determines are within the scope of ASC 606, the Company performs the following steps: (i) identify the contract(s) with the customer, (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) each performance obligation is satisfied.

Revenue under technology licenses and collaborative agreements typically consists of nonrefundable and/or guaranteed license fees, collaborative research funding, and various milestone and future product royalty or profit-sharing payments.

The fair value of deliverables under the arrangement may be derived using a best estimate of selling price if vendor specific objective evidence and third-party evidence is not available. Deliverables under the arrangement will be separate units of accounting if a delivered item has value to the customer on a standalone basis and if the arrangement includes a general right of return for the delivered item, delivery or performance of the undelivered item is considered probable and substantially in the Company’s control.

The Company recognizes upfront license payments as revenue upon delivery of the license only if the license has standalone value from any undelivered performance obligations and that value can be determined. The undelivered performance obligations typically include manufacturing or development services or research and/or steering committee services. If the fair value of the undelivered performance obligations can be determined, then these obligations would be accounted for separately. If the license is not considered to have standalone value, then the license and other undelivered performance obligations would be accounted for as a single unit of accounting. In this case, the license payments and payments for performance obligations are recognized as revenue over the estimated period of when the performance obligations are performed or deferred indefinitely until the undelivered performance obligation is determined.

Whenever the Company determines that an arrangement should be accounted for as a single unit of accounting, the Company determines the period over which the performance obligations will be performed, and revenue will be recognized. Revenue is recognized using a proportional performance or straight-line method. The proportional performance method is used when the level of effort required to complete performance obligations under an arrangement can be reasonably estimated. The amount of revenue recognized under the proportional performance method is determined by multiplying the total payments under the contract, excluding royalties and payments contingent upon achievement of milestones, by the ratio of the level of effort performed to date to the estimated total level of effort required to complete performance obligations under the arrangement. If the Company cannot reasonably estimate the level of effort to complete performance obligations under an arrangement, the Company recognizes revenue under the arrangement on a straight-line basis over the period the Company is expected to complete its performance obligations. Significant management judgment is required in determining the level of effort required under an arrangement and the period over which the Company is expected to complete its performance obligations under an arrangement.

The Company’s collaboration agreements typically entitle the Company to additional payments upon the achievement of development, regulatory and sales performance-based milestones. If the achievement of a milestone is considered probable at the inception of the collaboration, the related milestone payment is included with other collaboration consideration, such as upfront fees and research funding, in the Company’s revenue calculation. Typically, these milestones are not considered probable at the inception of the collaboration. As such, milestones will typically be recognized in one of two ways depending on the timing of when the milestone is achieved. If the milestone is achieved during the performance period, then the Company will only recognize revenue to the extent of the proportional performance achieved at that date, or the proportion of the straight-line basis achieved at that date, and the remainder will be recorded as deferred revenue to be amortized over the remaining performance period. If the milestone is achieved after the performance period has completed and all performance obligations have been delivered, then the Company will recognize the milestone payment as revenue in its entirety in the period the milestone was achieved. See Note 3 for information on the South Korea Agreement.

Leases

Leases

The Company accounts for a contract as a lease when it has the right to control the asset for a period of time while obtaining substantially all of the asset’s economic benefits. The Company determines if an arrangement is a lease or contains an embedded lease at inception. For arrangements that meet the definition of a lease, the Company determines the initial classification and measurement of its operating right-of-use asset and operating lease liability at the lease commencement date and thereafter if modified. The lease term includes any renewal options that the Company is reasonably assured to exercise. The present value of lease payments is determined by using the interest rate implicit in the lease, if that rate is readily determinable; otherwise, the Company uses its estimated secured incremental borrowing rate for that lease term.

In addition to rent, the leases may require the Company to pay additional amounts for taxes, insurance, maintenance, and other expenses, which are generally referred to as non-lease components. The Company has elected to not separate lease and non-lease components. Rent expense is recognized on a straight-line basis over the reasonably assured lease term based on the total lease payments and is included in operating expenses in the consolidated statements of operations.

The Company has made an accounting policy election to not recognize short-term leases, or leases that have a lease term of 12 months or less at commencement date, within its consolidated balance sheets and to recognize those lease payments in the consolidated statements of operations on a straight-line basis over the lease term.

Stock-Based Compensation Expense

Stock-Based Compensation Expense

The Company measures stock-based compensation expense for stock awards at the grant date, based on the fair value-based measurement of the award, and the expense is recorded over the related service period, generally the vesting period, net of estimated forfeitures. The Company calculates the fair value-based measurement of stock options using the Black-Scholes valuation model and the simplified method and recognizes expense using the straight-line attribution approach.

Income Taxes

Income Taxes

The Company accounts for income taxes under an asset-and-liability approach. Deferred income taxes reflect the impact of temporary differences between assets and liabilities recognized for tax and financial reporting purposes measured by applying enacted tax rates and laws that will be in effect when the differences are expected to reverse, net operating loss carryforwards and tax credits. Valuation allowances are provided when necessary to reduce net deferred tax assets to an amount that is more likely than not to be realized. The Company’s policy is to include interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits within the Company’s provision for income taxes.

Net Loss Per Common Share

Net Loss Per Common Share

Basic net loss per common share is calculated by dividing the net loss attributable to common stockholders by the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding during the period, without consideration for potentially dilutive securities. Diluted net loss per share is computed by dividing the net loss attributable to common stockholders by the weighted-average number of common shares and potentially dilutive securities outstanding for the period determined using the treasury-stock and if-converted methods. For purposes of the diluted net loss per share calculation, stock options, common stock warrants and convertible debt are considered to be potentially dilutive securities but are excluded from the calculation of diluted net loss per share because their effect would be anti-dilutive and therefore, basic and diluted net loss per share were the same for all periods presented.

The Company’s potentially dilutive securities, which include stock options, warrants and convertible debt have been excluded from the computation of diluted net loss per share as the effect would be to reduce the net loss per common share and be antidilutive. Therefore, the denominator used to calculate both basic and diluted net loss per common share is the same in all periods presented.

The following shares subject to outstanding potentially dilutive securities have been excluded from the computations of diluted net loss per common share as the effect of including such securities would be antidilutive:

	As of December 31,
	2022		2021
Options to purchase common stock		7,472,056		4,429,906
Warrants to purchase common stock		31,238		31,238
Convertible debt		-		510,986
		7,503,294		4,972,130

Segment Reporting

Segment Reporting

The Company determines its segment reporting based upon the way the business is organized for making operating decisions and assessing performance. The Company operates in only one segment, which is related to the development of pharmaceutical products.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

Recent accounting pronouncements issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”), including its Emerging Issues Task Force, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, and the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) did not or are not believed by management to have a material impact on the Company's present or future financial statements.