Research, Collaboration and License Agreements	9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2020
Research Collaboration And License Agreements [Abstract]
Research, Collaboration and License Agreements	Note 4—Research, Collaboration and License Agreements UT Southwestern Agreement On November 19, 2019, the Company entered into a research, collaboration and license agreement (“UT Southwestern Agreement”) with the Board of Regents of the University of Texas System on behalf of The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (“UT Southwestern”). Under the UT Southwestern Agreement, UT Southwestern is primarily responsible for preclinical development activities with respect to licensed products for use in certain specified indications (up to investigational new drug application-enabling studies), and the Company is responsible for all subsequent clinical development and commercialization activities with respect to the licensed products. UT Southwestern will conduct such preclinical activities for a two-year period under mutually agreed upon sponsored research agreements that were entered into beginning in April 2020. During the initial research phase, the Company has the right to expand the scope of specified indications under the UT Southwestern Agreement. In connection with the UT Southwestern Agreement, the Company obtained an exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license under certain patent rights of UT Southwestern and a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license under certain know-how of UT Southwestern, in each case to make, have made, use, sell, offer for sale and import licensed products for use in certain specified indications. Additionally, the Company obtained a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license under certain patents and know-how of UT Southwestern for use in all human uses, with a right of first refusal to obtain an exclusive license under certain of such patent rights and an option to negotiate an exclusive license under other of such patent rights. The Company is required to use commercially reasonable efforts to develop, obtain regulatory approval for, and commercialize at least one licensed product. On April 2, 2020, the Company amended the UT Southwestern Agreement to include the addition of another licensed product and certain indications, and a right of first refusal to the Company over certain patient dosing patents. No additional consideration was transferred in connection with this amendment. The UT Southwestern Agreement expires on a country-by-country and licensed product-by-licensed product basis upon the expiration of the last valid claim of a licensed patent in such country for such licensed product. After the initial research term, the Company may terminate the agreement, on an indication-by-indication and licensed product-by-licensed product basis, at any time upon specified written notice to UT Southwestern. Either party may terminate the agreement upon an uncured material breach of the agreement or insolvency of the other party. In November 2019, as partial consideration for the license rights granted under the UT Southwestern Agreement, the Company issued 2,179,000 shares of its common stock, or 20% of its then outstanding fully-diluted common stock, to UT Southwestern. As additional consideration, UT Southwestern was entitled to receive additional shares if their holdings fell below 10% on a fully-diluted basis before or as a result of the completion of a qualified financing. In March 2020, following the initial closing of the Series A convertible preferred stock agreement, which met the definition of such qualified financing, the anti-dilution feature expired and no additional shares were issued. The Company does not have any future milestone or royalty obligations to UT Southwestern under the UT Southwestern Agreement other than costs related to maintenance of patents. The Company also had a right of first refusal for any shares that UT Southwestern wished to sell that expired upon the closing of the IPO. Queen’s Agreement In late December 2019, the Company entered into a research grant agreement (“RGA”) with Queen’s University at Kingston (“Queen’s”), for certain research and development activities related to the generation of AAV9 vector. The Company committed to fund $3.8 million under the RGA with Queen’s. The Company issued Queen’s a promise-to-pay note whereby any amounts paid directly by Queen’s for the manufacture of the vector for use in the funded research activities, to the extent such amounts had not already been funded by the Company to Queen’s, would become a loan obligation for the Company (the “Note”), subject to an interest rate of 6%. For the nine months ended September 30, 2020, the Company paid all expenses associated with the Queen’s RGA, thus no amounts were due or outstanding under the Note as of September 30, 2020, and the promise-to-pay has therefore expired. On February 21, 2020, the Company entered into a license agreement with Queen’s (the “Queen’s Agreement”) to obtain the exclusive perpetual, royalty-bearing license, with the right to sublicense through multiple tiers, under certain patent rights and know-how of Queen’s, including certain improvements to such patent rights and know-how, to develop products in any field which use one or more valid claims of the patents licensed under the Queen’s Agreement (the “Licensed Patents”), or the technology, information and intellectual property related to the patents licensed under the Queen’s Agreement (together with the Licensed Patents, the “Licensed Products”), and to make, have made, use, sell, offer for sale, import and export Licensed Products and otherwise exploit such patents and know-how for use in certain specified indications. In exchange for the rights granted to the Company, the Company made a cash payment of $3.0 million in April 2020 which is recorded in research and development expenses in the condensed consolidated statement of operations and included as an investing outflow in the statement of cash flows since the acquired license does not have an alternative future use. The Company is obligated to make aggregate cash payments of up to $10.0 million upon the completion of a combination of regulatory milestones and up to $10.0 million upon the completion of a combination of commercial milestones. In further consideration of the rights granted, beginning with the Company’s first commercial sale of the Licensed Products, the Company will also pay an annual earned royalty in the low single digits on net sales of Licensed Products, subject to certain customary reductions, and a percentage of non-royalty sublicensing revenue ranging in the low double digits. Royalties are payable, on a Licensed Products-by-Licensed Products and a country-by-country basis, until expiration of the last valid claim of a Licensed Patent covering such Licensed Products in such country and the expiration of any regulatory exclusivity for such Licensed Products in such country. Abeona CLN1 Agreements In August 2020, the Company entered into license and inventory purchase agreements with Abeona Therapeutics Inc. (“Abeona”) for worldwide exclusive rights to certain intellectual property rights and know-how relating to the research, development and manufacture of ABO-202, an AAV-based gene therapy for CLN1 disease (also known as infantile Batten disease). Under the terms of the agreements, the Company made initial cash payments to Abeona of $3.0 million for the license fee and $4.0 million for purchase of clinical materials and reimbursement for previously incurred development costs in October 2020. In exchange for the license rights, the Company recorded an aggregate of $7.0 million within research and development expenses in the condensed consolidated statement of operations since the acquired license or acquired inventory do not have an alternative future use, all of which was recorded in accounts payable as of September 30, 2020. The Company is obligated to make up to $26.0 million in regulatory-related milestones and up to $30.0 million in sales-related milestones per licensed CLN1 product. The Company will also pay an annual earned royalty in the high single digits on net sales of any licensed CLN1 products. The license agreement expires on a country-by-country and licensed product-by-licensed product basis upon the expiration of the last royalty term of a licensed product. Either party may terminate the agreement upon an uncured material breach of the agreement or insolvency of the other party. The Company may terminate the license agreement for convenience upon specified prior written notice to Abeona.

Research, Collaboration and License Agreements

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2020

Research Collaboration And License Agreements [Abstract]

Research, Collaboration and License Agreements

Note 4—Research, Collaboration and License Agreements

UT Southwestern Agreement

On November 19, 2019, the Company entered into a research, collaboration and license agreement (“UT Southwestern Agreement”) with the Board of Regents of the University of Texas System on behalf of The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (“UT Southwestern”). Under the UT Southwestern Agreement, UT Southwestern is primarily responsible for preclinical development activities with respect to licensed products for use in certain specified indications (up to investigational new drug application-enabling studies), and the Company is responsible for all subsequent clinical development and commercialization activities with respect to the licensed products. UT Southwestern will conduct such preclinical activities for a two-year period under mutually agreed upon sponsored research agreements that were entered into beginning in April 2020. During the initial research phase, the Company has the right to expand the scope of specified indications under the UT Southwestern Agreement.

In connection with the UT Southwestern Agreement, the Company obtained an exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license under certain patent rights of UT Southwestern and a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license under certain know-how of UT Southwestern, in each case to make, have made, use, sell, offer for sale and import licensed products for use in certain specified indications. Additionally, the Company obtained a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license under certain patents and know-how of UT Southwestern for use in all human uses, with a right of first refusal to obtain an exclusive license under certain of such patent rights and an option to negotiate an exclusive license under other of such patent rights. The Company is required to use commercially reasonable efforts to develop, obtain regulatory approval for, and commercialize at least one licensed product.

On April 2, 2020, the Company amended the UT Southwestern Agreement to include the addition of another licensed product and certain indications, and a right of first refusal to the Company over certain patient dosing patents. No additional consideration was transferred in connection with this amendment.

The UT Southwestern Agreement expires on a country-by-country and licensed product-by-licensed product basis upon the expiration of the last valid claim of a licensed patent in such country for such licensed product. After the initial research term, the Company may terminate the agreement, on an indication-by-indication and licensed product-by-licensed product basis, at any time upon specified written notice to UT Southwestern. Either party may terminate the agreement upon an uncured material breach of the agreement or insolvency of the other party.

In November 2019, as partial consideration for the license rights granted under the UT Southwestern Agreement, the Company issued 2,179,000 shares of its common stock, or 20% of its then outstanding fully-diluted common stock, to UT Southwestern. As additional consideration, UT Southwestern was entitled to receive additional shares if their holdings fell below 10% on a fully-diluted basis before or as a result of the completion of a qualified financing. In March 2020, following the initial closing of the Series A convertible preferred stock agreement, which met the definition of such qualified financing, the anti-dilution feature expired and no additional shares were issued. The Company does not have any future milestone or royalty obligations to UT Southwestern under the UT Southwestern Agreement other than costs related to maintenance of patents.

The Company also had a right of first refusal for any shares that UT Southwestern wished to sell that expired upon the closing of the IPO.

Queen’s Agreement

In late December 2019, the Company entered into a research grant agreement (“RGA”) with Queen’s University at Kingston (“Queen’s”), for certain research and development activities related to the generation of AAV9 vector. The Company committed to fund $3.8 million under the RGA with Queen’s. The Company issued Queen’s a promise-to-pay note whereby any amounts paid directly by Queen’s for the manufacture of the vector for use in the funded research activities, to the extent such amounts had not already been funded by the Company to Queen’s, would become a loan obligation for the Company (the “Note”), subject to an interest rate of 6%. For the nine months ended September 30, 2020, the Company paid all expenses associated with the Queen’s RGA, thus no amounts were due or outstanding under the Note as of September 30, 2020, and the promise-to-pay has therefore expired.

On February 21, 2020, the Company entered into a license agreement with Queen’s (the “Queen’s Agreement”) to obtain the exclusive perpetual, royalty-bearing license, with the right to sublicense through multiple tiers, under certain patent rights and know-how of Queen’s, including certain improvements to such patent rights and know-how, to develop products in any field which use one or more valid claims of the patents licensed under the Queen’s Agreement (the “Licensed Patents”), or the technology, information and intellectual property related to the patents licensed under the Queen’s Agreement (together with the Licensed Patents, the “Licensed Products”), and to make, have made, use, sell, offer for sale, import and export Licensed Products and otherwise exploit such patents and know-how for use in certain specified indications. In exchange for the rights granted to the Company, the Company made a cash payment of $3.0 million in April 2020 which is recorded in research and development expenses in the condensed consolidated statement of operations and included as an investing outflow in the statement of cash flows since the acquired license does not have an alternative future use. The Company is obligated to make aggregate cash payments of up to $10.0 million upon the completion of a combination of regulatory milestones and up to $10.0 million upon the completion of a combination of commercial milestones. In further consideration of the rights granted, beginning with the Company’s first commercial sale of the Licensed Products, the Company will also pay an annual earned royalty in the low single digits on net sales of Licensed Products, subject to certain customary reductions, and a percentage of non-royalty sublicensing revenue ranging in the low double digits. Royalties are payable, on a Licensed Products-by-Licensed Products and a country-by-country basis, until expiration of the last valid claim of a Licensed Patent covering such Licensed Products in such country and the expiration of any regulatory exclusivity for such Licensed Products in such country.

Abeona CLN1 Agreements

In August 2020, the Company entered into license and inventory purchase agreements with Abeona Therapeutics Inc. (“Abeona”) for worldwide exclusive rights to certain intellectual property rights and know-how relating to the research, development and manufacture of ABO-202, an AAV-based gene therapy for CLN1 disease (also known as infantile Batten disease). Under the terms of the agreements, the Company made initial cash payments to Abeona of $3.0 million for the license fee and $4.0 million for purchase of clinical materials and reimbursement for previously incurred development costs in October 2020. In exchange for the license rights, the Company recorded an aggregate of $7.0 million within research and development expenses in the condensed consolidated statement of operations since the acquired license or acquired inventory do not have an alternative future use, all of which was recorded in accounts payable as of September 30, 2020. The Company is obligated to make up to $26.0 million in regulatory-related milestones and up to $30.0 million in sales-related milestones per licensed CLN1 product. The Company will also pay an annual earned royalty in the high single digits on net sales of any licensed CLN1 products. The license agreement expires on a country-by-country and licensed product-by-licensed product basis upon the expiration of the last royalty term of a licensed product. Either party may terminate the agreement upon an uncured material breach of the agreement or insolvency of the other party. The Company may terminate the license agreement for convenience upon specified prior written notice to Abeona.