Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2024

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Consolidation, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Principles of Consolidation

The accompanying consolidated financial statements are prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”) and pursuant to the rules and regulations of the United States Securities Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). The consolidated financial statements include the financial statements of the Company and its wholly-owned subsidiaries and intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

Use of Estimates, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires the Company to make estimates that affect the amounts reported in the financial statements and accompanying notes to the financial statements. Estimates include, but are not limited to, the valuation and recognition of stock-based compensation, the valuation of equity-classified subscription rights, income taxes, and the useful lives assigned to long-lived assets. The Company evaluates its estimates and assumptions based on historical experience and other factors and adjusts those estimates and assumptions when facts and circumstances dictate. Actual results could differ materially from these estimates.

Concentration Risk, Credit Risk, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Concentration of Credit Risk

Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to a concentration of credit risk consist of cash and cash equivalents. The Company places its cash equivalents with high credit quality financial institutions and, by policy, limits the amounts invested with any one financial institution or issuer. Deposits held with banks may exceed the amount of insurance provided on such deposits. The Company has not experienced any losses since inception.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

The Company believes the carrying amounts of its financial instruments, including cash equivalents, prepaid expenses and other current assets, accounts payable and accrued expenses, approximate fair value due to the short-term nature of such instruments.

Cash and Cash Equivalents, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Cash and Cash Equivalents

The Company invests its cash primarily in money market funds. The Company considers all highly liquid investments purchased with an original maturity of three months or less to be cash equivalents.

Property, Plant and Equipment, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Property and Equipment

Property and Equipment is recorded at cost and depreciated using the straight-line method over their estimated useful lives, ranging from three to five years. Leasehold improvements are amortized using the straight-line method over the shorter of the lease term or estimated useful life. Upon the sale or retirement of property and equipment, the costs and related accumulated depreciation and amortization are removed from the balance sheet and the resulting gain or loss is reflected in operating expenses. Maintenance and repairs are charged to operations as incurred.

Goodwill and Intangible Assets, Intangible Assets, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Intangible Assets

The Company’s intangible assets consist of acquired patents and licenses, which are amortized over their estimated useful lives of twelve years.

Impairment or Disposal of Long-Lived Assets, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Long-Lived Assets

The Company reviews long-lived assets, consisting of property and equipment and intangible assets, for impairment during each fiscal year or when events or changes in circumstances indicate the carrying value of these assets may exceed their current fair values. Recoverability of assets to be held and used is measured by a comparison of the carrying amount of an asset to the estimated undiscounted future cash flows expected to be generated by the asset. No impairment losses were incurred during the periods presented.

Goodwill and Intangible Assets, Goodwill, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Goodwill

The Company records goodwill when the consideration paid in a business acquisition exceeds the fair value of the net tangible assets and the identified intangible assets acquired. The Company reviews goodwill for impairment at the reporting unit level, of which there is one reportable unit, at least annually or whenever changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value of the goodwill may not be recoverable. To date, there has been no impairment of goodwill.

Share-Based Payment Arrangement [Policy Text Block]

Stock-Based Compensation

The Company's stock-based compensation programs include stock options and an employee stock purchase program.

The Company periodically issues stock options to officers, directors, employees, and consultants for services rendered. Such issuances vest and expire according to terms established at the issuance date. Stock-based payments to officers, directors and employees, including grants of employee stock options, are recognized in the financial statements based on their grant date fair values, which are estimated using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model. Stock-based compensation expense is charged to operations on a straight-line basis over the vesting period. The Company has granted stock options with both time-based as well as performance-based vesting conditions. For stock awards with performance-based vesting conditions, the Company does not recognize compensation expense until it is probable that the performance-based vesting condition will be achieved. The analysis to determine such probability involves estimates and judgements from management and the estimate of expense  may be revised periodically. In October 2024, the Board approved changes to the vesting conditions of certain outstanding common stock option awards so that the performance-based vesting criteria of those particular awards were modified to either time-based or market-based vesting criteria.

During 2024, the Company issued certain stock options with market-based vesting conditions and modified certain performance-based stock option awards to market-based options. These vesting conditions relate to the achievement of certain market capitalization targets of the Company. Using a Monte Carlo simulation model, the Company estimated the fair value of the market-based options on the grant date or modification date, with the associated stock-based compensation expense recognized over the requisite service period. The requisite service period is the service period derived from the Monte Carlo simulation model. If the market capitalization targets are met sooner than the derived service period, the Company will accelerate the recognition of stock-based compensation expense to reflect the cumulative expense associated with the vested shares. The Monte Carlo simulation model requires the Company to make assumptions and judgements about the variables used in the calculation including the expected volatility, the risk-free interest rate, cost of equity, and the expected term. The assumptions used in the option-pricing model represent management’s best estimates. If factors change and different assumptions are used, the Company's stock-based compensation expense could be materially different in the future.

See Note 6 for a detailed discussion of the Company’s stock plans and stock-based compensation expense.

Research and Development Expense, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Research and Development Costs

Research and development costs consist primarily of compensation costs, fees paid to consultants and outside service providers and organizations (including university research institutes), costs associated with clinical trials, development prototypes and other expenses relating to the acquisition, design, development and testing of the Company’s product candidates, and certain facilities related costs. Research and development costs incurred by the Company are expensed as incurred.

Patent Costs [Policy Text Block]

Patent Costs

The Company is the owner of numerous domestic and foreign patents. Due to the significant uncertainty associated with the successful development of one or more commercially viable products based on the Company’s research efforts and any related patent applications, patent costs not related to acquired patents, including patent-related legal fees, filing fees and other costs, including internally generated costs, are expensed as incurred. During both of the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, patent costs totaled $0.5 million, respectively. Patent costs are included in general and administrative costs in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss.

Income Tax, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Income Taxes

The Company accounts for income taxes under an asset and liability approach for financial accounting and reporting for income taxes. Accordingly, the Company recognizes deferred tax assets and liabilities for the expected impact of differences between the financial statements and the tax basis of assets and liabilities.

The Company records a valuation allowance to reduce its deferred tax assets to the amount that is more-likely-than-not to be realized. In the event the Company determines that it would be able to realize its deferred tax assets in the future in excess of its recorded amount, an adjustment to the deferred tax assets would be credited to operations in the period such determination was made. Likewise, should the Company determine that it would not be able to realize all or part of its deferred tax assets in the future, an adjustment to the deferred tax assets would be charged to operations in the period such determination was made.

The Company is subject to U.S. federal income taxes and state income taxes in various states. As the Company’s net operating losses have yet to be utilized, previous tax years remain open to examination by federal authorities and other jurisdictions in which the Company currently operates or has operated in the past. The Company is not currently under examination by any tax authority.

The Company accounts for uncertainties in income tax law under a comprehensive model for the financial statement recognition, measurement, presentation and disclosure of uncertain tax positions taken or expected to be taken in income tax returns as prescribed by U.S. GAAP. The tax effects of a position are recognized only if it is more-likely-than-not to be sustained by the taxing authority as of the reporting date. If the tax position is not considered more-likely-than-not to be sustained, then no benefits of the position are recognized. At December 31, 2024 and 2023, the Company had not recorded any liability for uncertain tax positions. The Company includes interest and penalties related to uncertain tax positions as a component of income tax expense.

Comprehensive Income, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Comprehensive Loss

The Company displays comprehensive loss, and if applicable its components, as part of the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss. There were no adjustments to comprehensive loss during both of the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023. 

Earnings Per Share, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Net Loss per Share

The Company calculates basic net loss per share by dividing net loss by the weighted-average number of shares of common stock outstanding during the period. Diluted net loss per share is computed by giving effect to all potential dilutive common stock equivalents outstanding during the period. For purposes of this calculation, options to purchase common stock and common stock warrants are considered common stock equivalents. Potential common shares that have an anti-dilutive effect (i.e., those that increase income per share or decrease loss per share) are excluded from the calculation of diluted net loss per share.

Based on the Accounting Standards Codification ("ASC") 260-10-55, Earnings Per Share - Implementation Guidance and Illustrations, the Company determined that the 2024 Rights Offering (Note 6), contained a bonus element. A rights offering is deemed to have a bonus element when the exercise price at issuance is less than fair value of the Company's stock. The Company has retroactively adjusted earnings per share and weighted average number of shares outstanding for the bonus element for prior periods presented.

Basic and diluted net loss per common share is the same for all periods presented because all warrants and stock options outstanding are anti-dilutive.

The following outstanding stock options and warrants were excluded from the computation of diluted net loss per share for the periods presented because including them would have had an anti-dilutive effect:

	Year Ended December 31,
	2024		2023
Common stock warrants		1,498,483		—
Common stock options		10,979,332		9,466,036
Total		12,477,815		9,466,036

Segment Reporting, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Segment and Geographical Information

The Company has one operating and reporting segment and reports segment information in accordance with ASC 280, Segment Reporting. The Company’s Chief Executive Officer, who is the chief operating decision maker ("CODM"), reviews financial information on an aggregate basis for allocating and evaluating financial performance; however, the CODM is regularly provided with more detailed expense information than what is included in the Statement of Operations and Comprehensive Loss. See Note 9 for further details of the Company's segment disclosures.

New Accounting Pronouncements, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements

In  November 2023, the FASB issued ASU 2023-07, Segment Reporting (Topic 280): Improvements to Reportable Segment Disclosures. The amendments in this ASU require disclosures, on an annual and interim basis, of significant segment expenses that are regularly provided to the CODM, as well as the aggregate amount of other segment items included in the reported measure of segment profit or loss. This ASU requires that a public entity disclose the title and position of the CODM and an explanation of how the CODM uses the reported measure(s) of segment profit or loss in assessing segment performance and deciding how to allocate resources. Public entities will be required to provide all annual disclosures currently required by Topic 280 in interim periods, and entities with a single reportable segment are required to provide all the disclosures required by the amendments in this ASU and existing segment disclosures in Topic 280. This ASU is effective for fiscal years beginning after  December 15, 2023, and interim periods within fiscal years beginning after  December 15, 2024, with early adoption permitted. The amendments in this ASU should be applied retrospectively to all prior periods presented in the financial statements. See Note 9 for details of the Company's segment reporting.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements Not Yet Adopted

In December 2023, the FASB issued ASU No. 2023-09, Income Taxes (Topic 740): Improvements to Income Tax Disclosures. This ASU requires greater disaggregation of information about a reporting entity's effective tax rate reconciliation as well as information on income taxes paid. This ASU applies to all entities subject to income taxes and is intended to help investors better understand an entity’s exposure to potential changes in jurisdictional tax legislation and assess income tax information that affects cash flow forecasts and capital allocation decisions. This ASU is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2024, with early adoption permitted. This ASU should be applied on a prospective basis although retrospective application is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact the adoption of this ASU will have on its consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

In  March 2024, the FASB issued ASU No. 2024-02, Codification Improvements - Amendments to Remove References to the Concepts Statements, an amendment of the FASB Accounting Standards Codification. The amendments in this ASU are related to the removal of various references to FASB Concept Statements from the codification to make clear distinctions between authoritative and non-authoritative literature in the codification. This ASU is effective for fiscal years beginning after  December 15, 2024, with early adoption permitted. The Company does not believe this standard will have an impact on its consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

In November 2024, the FASB issued ASU 2024-03, Disaggregation of Income Statement Expenses, which aims to improve the disclosures about a public business entity’s expenses and address requests from investors for more detailed information about the types of expenses in commonly presented expense captions. The guidance is effective for the Company's annual periods beginning in 2027 and interim periods beginning in the first quarter of fiscal year 2028. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of the new guidance.