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Nature of the Business and Basis of Presentation
6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2017
Accounting Policies [Abstract]  
Nature of the Business and Basis of Presentation

1.

Nature of the Business and Basis of Presentation

Seres Therapeutics, Inc. (the “Company”) was incorporated under the laws of the State of Delaware in October 2010 under the name Newco LS21, Inc. In October 2011, the Company changed its name to Seres Health, Inc., and in May 2015, the Company changed its name to Seres Therapeutics, Inc. The Company is a microbiome therapeutics platform company developing a novel class of biological drugs, which are designed to restore health by repairing the function of a dysbiotic microbiome. The Company’s lead product candidate, SER-109, is designed to prevent further recurrences of Clostridium difficile infection (“CDI”), a debilitating infection of the colon, and, if approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”), could be a first-in-field oral microbiome drug. Using its microbiome therapeutics platform, the Company is developing additional product candidates to treat diseases where the microbiome is implicated, including SER-262, a synthetic product candidate, to prevent an initial recurrence of primary CDI, SER-287 to treat ulcerative colitis, SER-301, a synthetic inflammatory bowel disease product candidate, and SER-155, a synthetic product candidate to prevent infections and improve gastrointestinal barrier function (including the consequences of graft versus host disease) in patients following allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplants or solid organ transplants. The Company is also using its microbiome therapeutics platform to conduct research on metabolic diseases, such as non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH); inflammatory diseases, such as Crohn’s disease; rare liver disorders such as primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC); and immuno-oncology treatments.

The Company is subject to risks common to companies in the biotechnology industry including, but not limited to, new technological innovations, protection of proprietary technology, dependence on key personnel, compliance with government regulations and the need to obtain additional financing. Product candidates currently under development will require significant additional research and development efforts, including extensive pre-clinical and clinical testing and regulatory approval, prior to commercialization. These efforts require significant amounts of additional capital, adequate personnel infrastructure and extensive compliance-reporting capabilities.

The Company’s product candidates are in development. There can be no assurance that the Company’s research and development will be successfully completed, that adequate protection for the Company’s intellectual property will be obtained, that any products developed will obtain necessary government regulatory approval or that any approved products will be commercially viable. Even if the Company’s product development efforts are successful, it is uncertain when, if ever, the Company will generate significant revenue from product sales. The Company operates in an environment of rapid change in technology and substantial competition from pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. In addition, the Company is dependent upon the services of its employees and consultants.

The Company’s consolidated financial statements have been prepared on the basis of continuity of operations, realization of assets and the satisfaction of liabilities in the ordinary course of business. The Company has experienced negative cash flows and had an accumulated deficit of $227,683 and $174,191 as of June 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016, respectively. The Company expects that its cash, cash equivalents and investments at June 30, 2017 of $175,174 will enable it to fund its operating expense and capital expenditure requirements through 2018.  The future viability of the Company is dependent on its ability to generate cash from operating activities or to raise additional capital to finance its operations. The Company’s failure to raise capital as and when needed could have a negative impact on its financial condition and ability to pursue its business strategies.

Unaudited Interim Financial Information

The accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements as of June 30, 2017 and for the three and six months ended June 30, 2017 and 2016  have been prepared by the Company, pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) for interim financial statements. Certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in financial statements prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) have been condensed or omitted pursuant to such rules and regulations. However, the Company believes that the disclosures are adequate to make the information presented not misleading. These consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the Company’s audited consolidated financial statements and the notes thereto for the year ended December 31, 2016 included in the Company’s annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2016, which was filed with the SEC on March 16, 2017.

The unaudited interim financial statements have been prepared on the same basis as the audited consolidated financial statements. The condensed consolidated balance sheet at December 31, 2016 was derived from audited annual financial statements, but does not contain all of the footnote disclosures from the annual financial statements. In the opinion of management, the accompanying unaudited interim consolidated financial statements contain all adjustments which are necessary for a fair statement of the Company’s financial position as of June 30, 2017 and consolidated results of operations for the three and six months ended June 30, 2017 and its cash flows for the six months ended June 30, 2017 and 2016. Such adjustments are of a normal and recurring nature. The results of operations for the three and six months ended June 30, 2017 are not necessarily indicative of the results of operations that may be expected for the year ending December 31, 2017.