Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

The accompanying financial statements have been prepared in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”). The Company’s functional and reporting currency is the U.S. dollar. The accompanying financial statements have been prepared on a going-concern basis, which contemplates the realization of assets and discharge of liabilities in the normal course of business. Since its inception, the Company has incurred significant losses and negative cash flows from operations. As of December 31, 2019, the Company had an accumulated deficit of $217.1 million and cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities of $78.0 million. The Company has financed its operations primarily with the proceeds from the sale of stock. The Company will need to raise additional capital to meet its business objectives. The Company believes that its current cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities will be sufficient to fund its planned expenditures and meet its obligations through at least the next twelve months from the issuance of these financial statements.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of the Company’s financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the financial statements and accompanying notes. Actual results could differ from such estimates.

Concentrations of Credit Risk and Other Risks and Uncertainties

Substantially all of the Company’s cash and cash equivalents are deposited in accounts with two financial institutions that management believes are of high credit quality. Such deposits may, at times, exceed federally insured limits. The Company maintains its cash with an accredited financial institution and accordingly, such funds are subject to minimal credit risk. The Company’s marketable securities consist of investments in U.S. Treasury securities, U.S. government agency securities and corporate debt obligations, which can be subject to certain credit risks. However, the Company mitigates the risks by investing in high-grade instruments, limiting its exposure to any one issuer, and monitoring the ongoing creditworthiness of the financial institutions and issuers. The Company has not experienced any losses on its deposits of cash, cash equivalents or marketable securities.

The Company is subject to a number of risks similar to other early stage biopharmaceutical companies, including, but not limited to, the need to obtain adequate additional funding, possible failure of preclinical testing or clinical trials, its reliance on third parties to conduct its clinical trials, the need to obtain marketing approval for its product candidates, competitors developing new technological innovations, the need to successfully commercialize and gain market acceptance of the Company’s product candidates, its right to develop and commercialize its product candidates pursuant to the terms and conditions of the licenses granted to the Company, and protection of proprietary technology. If the Company does not successfully commercialize or partner any of its product candidates, it will be unable to generate product revenue or achieve profitability.

Segments

Operating segments are identified as components of an enterprise about which separate discrete financial information is available for evaluation by the chief operating decision‑maker in making decisions regarding resource allocation and assessing performance. The Company views its operations and manages its business in one operating segment, that of the development of and commercialization of precisely targeted oncology therapies.

Cash and Cash Equivalents and Marketable Securities

Cash, Cash Equivalents and Marketable Securities

The Company considers all highly liquid investment securities with remaining maturities at the date of purchase of three months or less to be cash equivalents.

Investments with remaining maturities, at the date of purchase, greater than three months are classified as “available-for-sale” and are carried at fair value with unrealized gains and losses, if any, included as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) in stockholders’ equity. Interest and realized gains and losses are included in interest income. Realized gains and losses are recognized based on the specific identification model.

Fair Value Measurements

Fair value accounting is applied for all financial assets and liabilities and non-financial assets and liabilities that are recognized or disclosed at fair value in the financial statements on a recurring basis (at least annually). The carrying amount of the Company’s financial instruments, including cash equivalents, accounts payable and accrued liabilities, approximate fair value due to their short-term maturities.

Property and Equipment, Net

Property and equipment are stated at cost and depreciated using the straight‑line method over the estimated useful lives of the respective assets:


Laboratory equipment	5	years
Computer equipment and purchased software	3	years
Leasehold improvements	Shorter of asset's useful life or remaining term of lease

Maintenance and repairs that do not extend the life or improve the asset are expensed when incurred. When assets are retired or otherwise disposed of, the cost and accumulated depreciation or amortization are removed from the balance sheet and any resulting gain or loss is reflected in operations.

Impairment of Long-Lived Assets

Impairment of Long‑Lived Assets

The Company regularly reviews the carrying value and estimated lives of all of its long-lived assets, including property and equipment, to determine whether indicators of impairment may exist which warrant adjustments to carrying values or estimated useful lives. The determinants used for this evaluation include management’s estimate of the asset’s ability to generate positive income from operations and positive cash flow in future periods as well as the strategic significance of the assets to the Company’s business objectives. Should impairment exist, the impairment loss to be recognized is measured by the amount by which the carrying amount of the asset exceeds the projected discounted future net cash flows arising from the asset. All long-lived assets are maintained in the United States of America.

Research and Development Expenses

The Company records research and development expenses as incurred. The Company accounts for nonrefundable advance payments for goods and services that will be used in future research and development activities as expenses when the goods have been received or when the service has been performed rather than when the payment is made. Research and development expenses consist of costs incurred by the Company for the discovery and development of the Company’s product candidates and include:

employee‑related expenses, including salaries, benefits, travel and non‑cash stock‑based compensation expense;

external research and development expenses incurred under arrangements with third parties, such as contract research organizations, contract manufacturing organizations, academic and non‑profit institutions and consultants;

costs to acquire technologies to be used in research and development that have not reached technological feasibility and have no alternative future use;

license fees; and

other expenses, which include direct and allocated expenses for laboratory, facilities and other costs.

Clinical Trial Accruals

Costs for preclinical studies and clinical trial activities are recognized based on an evaluation of the vendors’ progress towards completion of specific tasks, using data such as clinical site activations, patient enrollment or information provided to the Company by its vendors regarding their actual costs incurred. Payments for these activities are based on the terms of individual contracts and payment timing may differ significantly from the period in which the services are performed. The Company determines accrual estimates through reports from and discussions with applicable personnel and outside service providers as to the progress or state of completion, or the services completed. The Company’s estimates of accrued expenses as of each balance sheet date are based on the facts and circumstances known at the time.

Stock-Based Compensation

Stock‑Based Compensation

The Company maintains incentive plans under which incentive stock options and nonqualified stock options may be granted to employees and non‑employee service providers.

The Company accounts for stock-based employee compensation arrangements in accordance with the provisions of ASC 718, “Compensation—Stock Compensation.” For stock options granted to employees, the Company recognizes compensation expense for all stock-based awards based on the grant-date estimated fair values. The value of the award is recognized as an expense ratably over the requisite service period. The fair value of stock options is determined using the Black-Scholes option pricing model. Forfeitures are accounted for when they occur.

Stock-based compensation expense related to stock options granted to non-employees is recognized based on the fair value of the stock options, determined using the Black-Scholes option pricing model. The awards generally vest over the time period the Company expects to receive service from the non-employee.

Income Taxes

The Company accounts for income taxes under the asset and liability method. The Company estimates actual current tax exposure together with assessing temporary differences resulting from differences in accounting for reporting purposes and tax purposes for certain items, such as accruals and allowances not currently deductible for tax purposes. These temporary differences result in deferred tax assets and liabilities, which are included in the Company’s balance sheets. In general, deferred tax assets represent future tax benefits to be received when certain expenses previously recognized in the Company’s statements of operations and comprehensive loss become deductible expenses, under applicable income tax laws or when net operating loss or credit carryforwards are utilized. Accordingly, realization of the Company’s deferred tax assets is dependent on future taxable income against which these deductions, losses and credits can be utilized.

The Company must assess the likelihood that the Company’s deferred tax assets will be recovered from future taxable income and a valuation allowance is recorded when it is more likely than not that the deferred tax asset will not be recovered. The Company applies judgment in the determination of the financial statement recognition and measurement of a tax position taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. Based on the available evidence, the Company is unable, at this time, to support the determination that it is more likely than not that its deferred tax assets will be utilized in the future. Accordingly, the Company recorded a full valuation allowance for all periods presented. The Company intends to maintain a valuation allowance until sufficient evidence exists to support its reversal.

The Company recognizes benefits of uncertain tax positions if it is more likely than not such positions will be sustained upon examination based solely on their technical merits as the largest amount of benefit that is more likely than not to be realized upon the ultimate settlement. The Company recognizes any material interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits in income tax expense. The Company is required to file income tax returns in the U.S. federal jurisdiction. The Company currently is not under examination by the Internal Revenue Service or other jurisdictions for any tax years.

Comprehensive Loss

Comprehensive loss includes net loss as well as other changes in stockholders’ equity that result from transactions and economic events other than those with stockholders. The Company’s only element of other comprehensive loss in any period presented was unrealized gains and losses on available-for-sale marketable securities.

Net Loss per Share

Basic net loss per share is calculated by dividing the net loss by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding and Exchange Warrants outstanding during the period, without consideration of potentially dilutive securities. In accordance with Accounting Standards Codification Topic 260, Earnings Per Share, the Exchange Warrants are included in the computation of basic net loss per share because the exercise price is negligible and they are fully vested and exercisable at any time after the original issuance date. Diluted net loss per share is computed by dividing the net loss by the weighted average number of common shares, Exchange Warrants, and potentially dilutive securities outstanding for the period. Diluted net loss per share is the same as basic net loss per share for all periods presented since the effect of potentially dilutive securities is anti-dilutive given the net loss of the Company.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, which required an entity to recognize the amount of revenue to which it expects to be entitled for the transfer of promised goods or services to customers. ASU No. 2014-09 will replace most existing revenue recognition guidance in U.S. GAAP when it becomes effective. The new standard is effective January 1, 2018 for public companies. Early application is permitted as of January 1, 2017. The standard permits the use of either the retrospective or cumulative effect transition method. In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-08, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Principal versus Agent Considerations (Reporting Revenue Gross versus Net), which clarifies the implementation guidance on principal versus agent considerations in ASU No. 2014-09. In April 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-10, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Identifying Performance Obligations and Licensing, which clarifies certain aspects of identifying performance obligations and licensing implementation guidance. In May 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-12, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Narrow-Scope Improvements and Practical Expedients, which relates to disclosures of remaining performance obligations, as well as other amendments to guidance on collectability, non-cash consideration and the presentation of sales and other similar taxes collected from customers. These standards have the same effective date and transition date of January 1, 2018. The Company adopted this guidance on January 1, 2018. The adoption of this guidance did not have a material impact on its condensed financial statements as the Company is not yet generating revenues.

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842), which requires lessees to recognize leases on-balance sheet and disclose key information about leasing arrangements. Topic 842 was subsequently amended by ASU No. 2018-01, Land Easement Practical Expedient for Transition to Topic 842; ASU No. 2018-10, Codification Improvements to Topic 842, Leases; and ASU No. 2018-11, Targeted Improvements. The new standard establishes a right-of-use (ROU) model that requires a lessee to recognize an ROU asset and lease liability on the balance sheet. Leases will be classified as finance or operating, with classification affecting the pattern and classification of expense recognition in the statement of operations. The Company adopted the new standard on January 1, 2019 and chose to apply the provisions of ASC 842 as of the effective date with no restatement of prior periods. Additionally, the Company has elected the ‘package of practical expedients’, which permit it not to reassess under the new standard its prior conclusions about lease identification, lease classification and initial direct costs. The Company did not elect the use-of-hindsight or the practical expedient pertaining to land easements; the latter is not applicable to the Company. The Company determines if an arrangement is a lease at inception and accounts for lease and non-lease components separately. The Company has elected not to apply the recognition requirements of Topic 842 for leases with a term of 12 months or less. Upon adoption of ASU 2016-02, the Company recognized an operating lease, right-of-use asset of $2.8 million and a corresponding liability of $3.8 million and eliminated $1.0 million of deferred rent in the Company’s condensed balance sheet. The adoption of ASU 2016-02 did not have any impact on the Company’s condensed statements of operations and comprehensive loss. See also Note 11.

In May 2017, the FASB issued ASU No 2017-09, Compensation—Stock Compensation (Topic 718) — Scope of Modification Accounting, to clarify when to account for a change to the terms or conditions of a share-based payment award as a modification. Under the new standard, modification is required only if the fair value, the vesting conditions, or the classification of an award as equity or liability changes as a result of the change in terms or conditions. ASU 2017-09 was effective for the Company beginning January 1, 2018 and is applied prospectively. Early adoption is permitted. The Company adopted this guidance on January 1, 2018. The adoption of this guidance did not have a material impact on its financial statements as the Company has not made any changes to the terms or conditions of its share-based payment awards.