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Organization and operations
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2019
Organization and operations  
Organization and operations

1. Organization and operations

Quanterix Corporation (NASDAQ: QTRX) (the Company) is a life sciences company that has developed next generation, ultra-sensitive digital immunoassay platforms that advance precision health for life sciences research and diagnostics. The Company’s platforms are based on its proprietary digital “Simoa” detection technology. The Company’s Simoa bead-based and planar array platforms enable customers to reliably detect protein biomarkers in extremely low concentrations in blood, serum and other fluids that, in many cases, are undetectable using conventional, analog immunoassay technologies, and also allow researchers to define and validate the function of novel protein biomarkers that are only present in very low concentrations and have been discovered using technologies such as mass spectrometry. These capabilities provide the Company’s customers with insight into the role of protein biomarkers in human health that has not been possible with other existing technologies and enable researchers to unlock unique insights into the continuum between health and disease. The Company is currently focusing on protein detection, but is also developing its bead-based technology to detect nucleic acids in biological samples.

The Company launched its first immunoassay platform, the Simoa HD-1, in 2014. The HD-1 is a fully automated immunoassay bead-based platform with multiplexing and custom assay capability, and related assay test kits and consumable materials. The Company launched a second bead-based immunoassay platform (SR-X) in the fourth quarter of 2017 with a more compact footprint than the Simoa HD-1 and less automation designed for lower volume requirements while still allowing multiplexing and custom assay capability. The Company initiated an early-access program for its third instrument (SP-X) on the new Simoa planar array platform in January 2019, with the full commercial launch commencing in April 2019. In July 2019, the Company launched the Simoa HD-X, an upgraded version of the Simoa HD-1 which replaces the HD-1. The HD-X has been designed to deliver significant productivity and operational efficiency improvements, as well as greater user flexibility. The Company began shipping and installing HD-X instruments at customer locations in the third quarter of 2019, ahead of its original fourth quarter expectation. The Company also performs research services on behalf of customers to apply the Simoa technology to specific customer needs. The Company's customers are primarily in the research use only market, which includes academic and governmental research institutions, the research and development laboratories of pharmaceutical manufacturers, contract research organizations, and specialty research laboratories. 

The Company acquired Aushon Biosystems, Inc. (Aushon) in January 2018. With the acquisition of Aushon, the Company acquired a CLIA certified laboratory, as well as Aushon’s proprietary sensitive planar array detection technology. Leveraging its proprietary sophisticated Simoa image analysis and data analysis algorithms, the Company further refined this planar array technology to develop the SP-X instrument to provide the same Simoa sensitivity found in its bead-based platform.

The Company acquired UmanDiagnostics AB (Uman), a Swedish company located in Umeå, Sweden, in August 2019. The acquisition closed with respect to 95% of the outstanding shares of capital stock of Uman on July 1, 2019 and with respect to the remaining 5% of the outstanding shares of capital stock of Uman on August 1, 2019. Uman supplies neurofilament light (Nf-L) antibodies and ELISA kits, which are widely recognized by researchers and biopharmaceutical and diagnostics companies world-wide as the premier solution for the detection of Nf-L to advance the development of therapeutics and diagnostics for neurodegenerative conditions. With the acquisition of Uman, the Company has secured a long-term source of supply for a critical technology.

Initial Public Offering

In December 2017, the Company completed its initial public offering (IPO) in which the Company sold 4,916,480 shares of its common stock at the initial public offering price of $15.00 per share The Company’s common stock began trading on The Nasdaq Global Market on December 7, 2017. The aggregate net proceeds received from the IPO, net of underwriting discounts and commissions and offering expenses, was $65.6 million. Immediately prior to the completion of the IPO, all then outstanding shares of convertible preferred stock were converted into 14,185,744 shares of common stock. The related carrying value of shares of preferred stock and warrants in the aggregate amount of $143.3 million was reclassified as common stock and additional paid-in capital. Additionally, the Company filed an amended and restated certificate of incorporation with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware, effective December 11, 2017 to, among other things, change the authorized number of shares of common stock to 120,000,000 and the authorized number of shares of preferred stock to 5,000,000.

Reverse Stock Split

On December 4, 2017, the Company effected a reverse stock split of its common stock at a ratio of 1‑for‑3.214. The shares of common stock subject to then outstanding stock options were adjusted accordingly to reflect the reverse stock split. All common stock and related per share amounts presented in these financial statements and related notes have been retroactively adjusted to reflect the 1‑for‑3.214 reverse stock split

“At-the-market offering”

On March 19, 2019, the Company entered into a Sales Agreement (the Sales Agreement) with Cowen and Company, LLC (Cowen) with respect to an “at-the-market” offering program under which the Company may offer and sell, from time to time at its sole discretion, shares of its common stock, par value $0.001 per share, having an aggregate offering price of up to $50.0 million through Cowen as its sales agent.

On June 5, 2019, the Company issued approximately 2.2 million shares of common stock at an average stock price of $22.73 per share pursuant to the terms of the Sales Agreement. The “at-the-market” offering resulted in gross proceeds of $49.7 million. The Company incurred $1.7 million in issuance costs associated with the “at-the-market” offering, resulting in net proceeds to the Company of $48.0 million.

Underwritten public offering

On August 8, 2019, the Company entered into an underwriting agreement with J.P. Morgan Securities LLC and SVB Leerink LLC, as representatives of the several underwriters, relating to an underwritten public offering of approximately 2.7 million shares of the Company’s common stock, par value $0.001 per share. The underwritten public offering resulted in gross proceeds of $69.0 million. The Company incurred $4.5 million in issuance costs associated with the underwritten public offering, resulting in net proceeds to the Company of $64.5 million.

Liquidity

The Company has had recurring losses from operations since inception and has an accumulated deficit of $216.2 million at December 31, 2019 and the Company incurred a net loss of $40.8 million, $31.5 million, and $27.0 million for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018, and 2017, respectively. Prior to the IPO the Company had funded its operations principally from issuances of preferred stock, debt financings, grants, product and service sales and development and license agreements. At December 31, 2019, the Company had $109.2 million of unrestricted cash and cash equivalents. The Company expects the current cash balance will be sufficient to fund operations for a period of at least one year from the date the consolidated financial statements are issued. There can be no assurances, however, that no additional funding will be required or that additional funding will be available on terms acceptable to the Company, or at all.