Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2023

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Use of estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of expenses during the reporting periods. Significant estimates and assumptions reflected in these consolidated financial statements include, but are not limited to, the valuation of stock-based awards and the accrual of research and development expenses. The Company bases its estimates on historical experience, known trends and other market-specific or other relevant factors that it believes to be reasonable under the circumstances. On an ongoing basis, management evaluates its estimates as there are changes in circumstances, facts and experience. Actual results may differ from those estimates or assumptions.

Concentrations of credit risk and of significant suppliers

Financial instruments that potentially expose the Company to concentrations of credit risk consist primarily of cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities. The Company’s investments are comprised of corporate bonds, commercial paper, government securities and U.S. treasury securities. As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, the Company maintained cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities balances in excess of federally insured limits. However, the Company mitigates credit risk by maintaining a diversified portfolio, placing its cash with high credit quality financial institutions and limiting the amount of investment exposure as to institution, maturity and investment type.

The Company is dependent on third-party vendors for the manufacturing of its product candidates. In particular, the Company relies, and expects to continue to rely, on a small number of vendors to manufacture materials and components required for the production of its product candidates. These programs could be adversely affected by a significant interruption in the manufacturing process.

Cash equivalents

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

Fair value measurements

Certain assets and liabilities are carried at fair value under GAAP. Fair value is defined as the exchange price that would be received for an asset or paid to transfer a liability (an exit price) in the principal or most advantageous market for the asset or liability in an orderly transaction between market participants on the measurement date. Valuation techniques used to measure fair value must maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs. Financial assets and liabilities carried at fair value are to be classified and disclosed in one of the following three levels of the fair value hierarchy, of which the first two are considered observable and the last is considered unobservable:

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Level 1—Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.

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Level 2—Observable inputs (other than Level 1 quoted prices), such as quoted prices in active markets for similar assets or liabilities, quoted prices in markets that are not active for identical or similar assets or liabilities, or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data.

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Level 3—Unobservable inputs that are supported by little or no market activity and that are significant to determining the fair value of the assets or liabilities, including pricing models, discounted cash flow methodologies and similar techniques.

The Company’s cash equivalents and marketable securities are carried at fair value, determined according to the fair value hierarchy described above (see Note 4). The carrying values of the Company’s accounts payable and accrued expenses approximate their fair values due to the short-term nature of these liabilities.

Marketable securities

The Company’s marketable securities (non-equity instruments) are classified as available-for-sale and are carried at fair value, with the unrealized gains and losses reported as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) in stockholders’ equity. Realized gains and losses and declines in value determined to be other than temporary are based on the specific identification method and are included as a component of other income (expense), net in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss.

Effective January 1, 2023, when the fair value is below the amortized cost of a marketable security, an estimate of expected credit losses is made. The credit-related impairment amount is recognized in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss. Credit losses are recognized through the use of an allowance for credit losses account in the consolidated balance sheet and subsequent improvements in expected credit losses are recognized as a reversal of an amount in the allowance account. If the Company intends to sell the security or it is more likely than not that the Company will be required to sell the security prior to recovery of its amortized cost basis, then the allowance for the credit loss is written-off and the excess of the amortized cost basis of the asset over its fair value is recorded in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss. There were no credit losses recorded during the year ended December 31, 2023.

Segment information

The Company manages its operations as a single segment for the purposes of assessing performance and making operating decisions. All of the Company’s operations are in the United States.

Research and development costs

Research and development expenses consist of costs incurred in performing research and development activities, including salaries and bonuses, stock-based compensation, employee benefits, consulting costs, and external costs of vendors engaged to conduct research, preclinical and clinical development activities.

Costs for research and development activities are expensed in the period in which they are incurred. Payments for such activities are based on the terms of the individual arrangements, which may differ from the pattern of costs incurred, and are reflected in the consolidated financial statements as prepaid expense or accrued research and development expense. Determining the prepaid and accrued balances at the end of any reporting period incorporates certain judgments and estimates by management that are based on information available to the Company including information provided by vendors regarding the progress to completion of specific tasks or costs incurred.

Patent costs

All patent-related costs incurred in connection with filing and prosecuting patent applications are expensed as incurred due to the uncertainty about the recovery of the expenditure. Amounts incurred are classified as general and administrative expenses.

Stock-based compensation

The Company measures compensation expense for stock-based awards to employees, non-employees and directors based on the fair value on the date of grant. The Company measures fair value on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model for stock options with service-based vesting. The Company measures fair value on the date of grant for restricted common stock awards and restricted common stock units based on the market value of the Company’s Class A common stock. Stock-based compensation expense for the awards is recognized over the requisite service period, which is generally the vesting period of the respective award. The Company uses the straight-line method to record the expense of awards with service-based vesting conditions. The Company accounts for forfeitures of stock-based awards as they occur.

The Company classifies stock-based compensation expense in its consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss in the same manner in which the award recipient’s payroll costs are classified or in which the award recipient’s service payments are classified.

Comprehensive income (loss)

Comprehensive income (loss) includes net income (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 income (loss) are unrealized gains (losses) on marketable securities.

Net income (loss) per share

Basic net income (loss) per common share is computed by dividing the net income (loss) by the weighted average number of shares of common stock outstanding for the period. Diluted net income (loss) per common share is computed by dividing net income (loss) by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding for the period, including potential dilutive common shares assuming the dilutive effect of outstanding stock options and unvested restricted stock units. For periods in which the Company reported a net loss, diluted net loss per common share is the same as basic net loss per common share, since dilutive common shares are not assumed to have been issued if their affect is anti-dilutive.

The Company has two classes of common stock outstanding: Class A common stock and Class B common stock. As more fully described in Note 6, the rights of the holders of Class A and Class B common stock are substantially identical, except with respect to voting and conversion. Each share of Class B common stock is convertible into one share of Class A common stock at the option of the holder at any time, subject to the ownership limitations provided for in the Company’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation. The Company allocates undistributed earnings attributable to common stock between the common stock classes on a one-to-one basis when computing net income (loss) per share. As a result, basic and diluted net income (loss) per share of Class A common stock and share of Class B common stock are equivalent.

The Company excluded the following potential common shares, presented based on amounts outstanding at each period end, from the computation of diluted net loss per share attributable to common stockholders for the periods indicated because including them would have had an anti-dilutive effect:


	As of December 31,
	2023		2022
Options to purchase common stock		8,034,755		6,453,741
		8,034,755		6,453,741

Income taxes

The Company accounts for income taxes using the asset and liability method, which requires the recognition of deferred tax assets and liabilities for the expected future tax consequences of events that have been recognized in the consolidated financial statements or in the Company’s tax returns. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are determined on the basis of the differences between the financial statements and tax basis of assets and liabilities using enacted tax rates in effect for the year in which the differences are expected to reverse. Changes in deferred tax assets and liabilities are recorded in the provision for income taxes. The Company assesses the likelihood that its deferred tax assets will be recovered from future taxable income and, to the extent it believes, based upon the weight of available evidence, that it is more likely than not that all or a portion of the deferred tax assets will not be realized, a valuation allowance is established through a charge to the provision for income taxes. Potential for recovery of deferred tax assets is evaluated by estimating the future taxable profits expected and considering prudent and feasible tax planning strategies.

The Company accounts for uncertainty in income taxes recognized in the consolidated financial statements by applying a two-step process to determine the amount of tax benefit to be recognized. First, the tax position must be evaluated to determine the likelihood that it will be sustained upon external examination by the taxing authorities. If the tax position is deemed

more-likely-than-not to be sustained, the tax position is then assessed to determine the amount of benefit to recognize in the consolidated financial statements. The amount of the benefit that may be recognized is the largest amount that has a greater than 50% likelihood of being realized upon ultimate settlement. Any resulting unrecognized tax benefits are recorded within the provision for income taxes.

Recently issued accounting pronouncements

In November 2023, the FASB issued ASU 2023-07, Segment Reporting (Topic 280): Improvements to Reportable Segment Disclosures, which requires public entities to disclose information about their reportable segments’ significant expenses and other segment items on an interim and annual basis. Public entities with a single reportable segment are required to apply the disclosure requirements in ASU 2023-07, as well as all existing segment disclosures and reconciliation requirements in ASC 280 on an interim and annual basis. ASU 2023-07 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2023, and for interim periods within fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2024, with early adoption permitted. The Company does not expect the impact of the adoption of this guidance to be material to its consolidated financial statements.

In December 2023, the FASB issued ASU 2023-09, Income Taxes (Topic 740): Improvements to Income Tax Disclosures, which requires public entities, on an annual basis, to provide disclosure of specific categories in their tax rate reconciliations, as well as disclosure of income taxes paid disaggregated by jurisdiction. ASU 2023-09 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2024, with early adoption permitted. The Company does not expect the impact of the adoption of this guidance to be material to its consolidated financial statements.

Recently adopted accounting pronouncements

Effective January 1, 2023, the Company adopted ASU No. 2016-13, Financial Instruments – Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments for the year ending December 31, 2023. The new standard adjusts the accounting for assets held at amortized cost basis, including marketable securities accounted for as available for sale, and trade receivables. The standard eliminates the probable initial recognition threshold and requires an entity to reflect its current estimate of all expected credit losses. The allowance for credit losses is a valuation account that is deducted from the amortized cost basis of the financial assets to present the net amount expected to be collected. The adoption of this standard did not have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.