Organization and Business Overview

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2017

Organization and Business Overview [Abstract]

Organization and Business Overview

1. Organization and Business Overview

General – BioTime is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing and commercializing products addressing degenerative diseases. BioTime’s clinical programs are based on two platform technologies. The foundation of BioTime’s core therapeutic technology platform is pluripotent cells that are capable of becoming any of the cell types in the human body. The foundation of BioTime’s cell delivery platform is its HyStem^® 3-D cell and drug delivery matrix technology. BioTime’s current clinical programs are targeting three primary sectors, aesthetics, ophthalmology and cell/drug therapeutics delivery.

BioTime also has significant equity holdings in two publicly traded companies, Asterias Biotherapeutics, Inc. ("Asterias") and OncoCyte Corporation ("OncoCyte"), which BioTime founded and, until recently, were majority-owned and consolidated subsidiaries. Asterias (NYSE MKT: AST) is presently focused on advancing three clinical-stage programs that have the potential to address areas of high unmet medical need in the fields of neurology (spinal cord injury) and oncology (acute myeloid leukemia and lung cancer). OncoCyte (NYSE MKT: OCX) is developing confirmatory diagnostic tests for lung cancer, breast cancer, and bladder cancer utilizing novel liquid biopsy technology.

BioTime also seeks to advance early-stage programs using other new technologies through its own research programs as well as through other subsidiaries or affiliates.

As discussed in Note 3, as a result of the issuance of 625,000 shares of OncoCyte common stock from warrant exercises by certain OncoCyte shareholders, as of February 17, 2017, BioTime owned less than 50% of the OncoCyte outstanding common stock and experienced a loss of control of OncoCyte in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“GAAP”). Under GAAP, loss of control of a subsidiary is deemed to have occurred when, among other things, a parent company owns less than a majority of the outstanding common stock of the subsidiary, lacks a controlling financial interest in the subsidiary, and is unable to unilaterally control the subsidiary through other means such as having the ability or being able to obtain the ability to elect a majority of the subsidiary’s Board of Directors. BioTime determined that all of these loss of control factors were present with respect to OncoCyte on February 17, 2017. Accordingly, BioTime has deconsolidated OncoCyte’s financial statements and results of operations from BioTime, effective February 17, 2017 (the “OncoCyte Deconsolidation”), in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification, or ASC 810-10-40-4(c), Consolidation. Since February 17, 2017, BioTime has accounted for the OncoCyte common stock it holds using the equity method of accounting at fair value (see Note 4).

Beginning on May 13, 2016, BioTime also deconsolidated Asterias financial statements and results of operations from BioTime (the “Asterias Deconsolidation”) (see Notes 3 and 5).