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SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2025
Accounting Policies [Abstract]  
SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Principles of Consolidation
The accompanying consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company, Keros Australia and Keros Security Corporation. All intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.
Use of Estimates
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenue, and expenses, and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities as of and during the reporting period. The Company bases its estimates and assumptions on historical experience when available and on various factors that it believes to be reasonable under the circumstances. This process may result in actual results differing materially from those estimated amounts used in the preparation of the financial statements if these results differ from historical experience, or other assumptions do not turn out to be substantially accurate, even if such assumptions are reasonable when made. Significant estimates and assumptions reflected in these consolidated financial statements include, but are not limited to, revenue recognition, useful lives assigned to property and equipment and accrued and prepaid research and development expenses. The Company assesses estimates on an ongoing basis; however, actual results could materially differ from those estimates.
Fair Value Measurements
Certain assets and liabilities are reported on a recurring basis at fair value. 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:
Level 1—Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.
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.
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.
To the extent that the valuation is based on models or inputs that are less observable or unobservable in the market, the determination of fair value requires more judgment. Accordingly, the degree of judgment exercised by the Company in determining fair value is greatest for instruments categorized in Level 3. A financial instrument’s level within the fair value hierarchy is based on the lowest level of any input that is significant to the fair value measurement. The Company had no financial instruments measured at level 3 as of December 31, 2025 or 2024.
Cash, Cash Equivalents, and Restricted Cash
Cash and cash equivalents consist of standard checking accounts and money market funds. The Company considers all highly liquid investments with an original maturity of 90 days or less at the date of purchase to be cash equivalents.
The Company had restricted cash in the form of certificates of deposit related to its operating leases in Lexington, Massachusetts of $1.4 million as of December 31, 2025 and 2024.
Concentrations of Credit Risk
Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to significant concentration of credit risk consist primarily of cash and cash equivalents. The Company may maintain deposits in financial institutions in excess of government insured limits. The Company believes that it is not exposed to significant credit risk as its deposits are held at financial institutions that management believes to be of high credit quality and the Company has not experienced any losses on these deposits. As of December 31, 2025 and 2024, the Company’s cash and cash equivalents were held with three financial institutions. The Company believes that the market risk arising from its holdings of these financial instruments is mitigated based on the fact that many of these securities are either government-backed or of high credit rating.
Property and Equipment
Property and equipment are recorded at cost. Expenditures for repairs and maintenance are expensed as incurred. When assets are retired or disposed of, the assets and related accumulated depreciation are written off from the accounts, and any resulting gain or loss is included in the determination of net loss. Depreciation is calculated using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the related assets as follows:
ESTIMATED USEFUL LIFE
Computer equipment and software3 years
Laboratory equipment5 years
Office furniture5 years
Leasehold improvementslesser of useful life or remaining lease term
Impairment of Long-Lived Assets
The Company evaluates its long-lived assets for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. Recoverability of assets to be held and used is measured by a comparison of the carrying amount of an asset to future undiscounted net cash flows expected to be generated by the asset. If such assets are considered to be impaired, the impairment to be recognized is measured by the amount by which the carrying amount of the assets exceed the fair value of the assets. Assets to be disposed of are reported at the lower of the carrying amount or fair value less costs to sell. To date, no impairments have been recognized for these assets.
Leases
The Company accounts for its leases under Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 842, Leases (“ASC 842”). At the inception of an arrangement, the Company determines whether the arrangement is or contains a lease based on the unique facts and circumstances present in the arrangement. Leases with a term greater than 12 months are recognized on the balance sheet as right-of-use, or ROU, assets and current and non-current lease liabilities, as applicable. The Company has elected not to recognize on the balance sheet leases with terms of 12 months or less. The Company typically only includes an initial lease term in its assessment of a lease arrangement. Options to renew a lease are not included in the Company’s assessment unless there is reasonable certainty that the Company will renew.
Operating lease liabilities and their corresponding ROU assets are recorded based on the present value of future lease payments over the expected remaining lease term. Lease cost for operating leases is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term as an operating expense. Certain adjustments to the ROU asset may be required for items such as lease prepayments or incentives received. The interest rate implicit in lease contracts is typically not readily determinable. As a
result, the Company utilizes its incremental borrowing rate, which reflects the fixed rate at which the Company could borrow on a collateralized basis the amount of the lease payments in the same currency, for a similar term, in a similar economic environment.
For all asset classes of its leases, the Company has elected to account for the lease and non-lease components together for existing classes of underlying assets.
Guarantees and Indemnifications
As permitted under Delaware law, the Company indemnifies its officers, directors, consultants and employees for certain events or occurrences that happen by reason of the relationship with, or position held at, the Company. Through December 31, 2025, the Company had not experienced any losses related to these indemnification obligations, and no claims were outstanding. The Company does not expect significant claims related to these indemnification obligations and, consequently, concluded that the fair value of these obligations is negligible, and no related liabilities have been established.
Treasury Stock
The Company records its repurchases of shares of common stock at cost. These shares are classified as treasury stock, which is a reduction of stockholders’ equity. Repurchased shares are held as treasury stock until they are retired or re-issued. Treasury stock is included in shares authorized and issued but excluded from shares outstanding.
Research and Development Costs
Research and development costs are charged to expense as incurred. Research and development costs consist of expenses incurred in performing research and development activities, including salaries and benefits, materials and supplies, preclinical expenses, stock-based compensation expense, depreciation of equipment, contract services with contract research organizations that conduct research, preclinical and clinical activities on the Company’s behalf, as well as contract manufacturing organizations that manufacture drug product for use in the Company’s preclinical studies and clinical trials, facilities, and other outside expenses. Costs for external development activities are recognized based on an evaluation of the progress to completion of specific tasks using information provided to the Company by its vendors. Payments for these 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.
Nonrefundable advance payments for goods or services to be received in the future for use in research and development activities are recorded as prepaid expenses and expensed as the related goods are delivered or the services are performed.
Research and Development Incentive
Research and development incentive income includes payments under the Research and Development Tax Incentive (the “R&D Incentive”) from the Australian government. The R&D Incentive is one of the key elements of the Australian government’s support for Australia’s innovation system and was developed to assist businesses recover some of the costs of undertaking research and development. Since July 1, 2021, the R&D Incentive has provided eligible companies that engage in research and development activities with either a refundable or non-refundable tax offset depending on a company’s aggregated revenue as follows:
Refundable tax offset of up to 18.5% above a company’s underlying tax rate where aggregated revenue is less than AUD$20.0 million per annum, or
Non-refundable tax offset of up to 16.5% above a company’s underlying tax rate where aggregated revenue is equal to or greater than AUD$20.0 million per annum.
The Company has assessed its research and development (“R&D”) activities and expenditures to determine which activities and expenditures in Australia are likely to be eligible under the R&D Incentive. The Company estimates the refundable or non-refundable tax offset available to it based on available information at the time. This estimate is also reviewed by the Company’s external tax advisors on an annual basis.
The Company’s estimate of the cash refund it expects to receive related to the R&D Incentive is included in other assets in the accompanying consolidated balance sheet and such amounts are recorded as research and development incentive income in the statement of operations. The Company recognizes research and development incentive income when there is reasonable assurance that the income will be received, the relevant expenditure has been incurred, and the consideration can be reliably measured. The Company did not record other income from the R&D Incentive for the year ended December 31, 2025. The Company has received payments and has recorded other income from the R&D Incentive of $1.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2024 related to the R&D Incentive as defined above.
Revenue Recognition
The Company recognizes revenue in accordance with ASC Topic 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (“ASC 606”). The Company enters into certain agreements that are within the scope of ASC 606, under which the Company licenses or grants an option to license rights to certain of the Company’s product candidates and may perform research and
development services in connection with such arrangements. The terms of these arrangements typically include payment of one or more of the following: non-refundable, upfront fees; reimbursement of research and development costs; development, clinical, regulatory and commercial sales milestone payments, and royalties on net sales of licensed products.
Under ASC 606, an entity recognizes revenue when its customer obtains control of promised goods or services, in an amount that reflects the consideration which the entity expects to receive in exchange for those goods or services. To determine the appropriate amount of revenue to be recognized for arrangements determined to be within the scope of ASC 606, the Company performs the following five steps: (i) identification of the promised goods or services in the contract; (ii) determination of whether the promised goods or services are performance obligations including whether they are distinct; (iii) measurement of the transaction price, including the constraint on variable consideration; (iv) allocation of the transaction price to the performance obligations; and (v) recognition of revenue when (or as) the Company satisfies each performance obligation. The Company only applies the five-step model to contracts when it is probable that the entity will collect consideration it is entitled to in exchange for the goods or services it transfers to the customer.
The promised goods or services in the Company’s arrangements typically consist of a license, or option to license, rights to the Company’s intellectual property or research and development services. The Company provides options to additional items in such arrangements, which are accounted for as separate contracts when the customer elects to exercise such options, unless the option provides a material right to the customer. Performance obligations are promised goods or services in a contract to transfer a distinct good or service to the customer and are considered distinct when (i) the customer can benefit from the good or service on its own or together with other readily available resources and (ii) the promised good or service is separately identifiable from other promises in the contract. In assessing whether promised goods or services are distinct, the Company considers factors such as the stage of development of the underlying intellectual property, the capabilities of the customer to develop the intellectual property on its own or whether the required expertise is readily available and whether the goods or services are integral or dependent to other goods or services in the contract.
The Company estimates the transaction price based on the amount expected to be received for transferring the promised goods or services in the contract. The consideration may include fixed consideration and variable consideration. At the inception of each arrangement that includes variable consideration, the Company evaluates the amount of potential payment and the likelihood that the payments will be received. The Company utilizes either the most likely amount method or expected value method to estimate the amount expected to be received based on which method best predicts the amount expected to be received. The amount of variable consideration that is included in the transaction price may be constrained and is included in the transaction price only to the extent that it is probable that a significant reversal in the amount of the cumulative revenue recognized will not occur in a future period.
The Company’s contracts often include development and regulatory milestone payments that are assessed under the most likely amount method and constrained if it is probable that a significant revenue reversal would occur. Milestone payments that are not within the Company’s control or the licensee’s control, such as regulatory approvals, are not considered probable of being achieved until those approvals are received. At the end of each reporting period, the Company re-evaluates the probability of achievement of such development and clinical milestones and any related constraint, and if necessary, adjusts its estimate of the overall transaction price. Any such adjustments are recorded on a cumulative catch-up basis, which would affect revenue in the period of adjustment.
For arrangements that include sales-based royalties, including milestone payments based on the level of sales, and the license is deemed to be the predominant item to which the royalties relate, the Company recognizes revenue at the later of (i) when the related sales occur, or (ii) when the performance obligation to which some or all of the royalty has been allocated has been satisfied (or partially satisfied). To date, the Company has not recognized any royalty revenue resulting from any of the Company’s collaboration or strategic alliance arrangements.
If the contract contains a single performance obligation, the entire transaction price is allocated to the single performance obligation. Contracts that contain multiple performance obligations require an allocation of the transaction price to each performance obligation on a relative stand-alone selling price basis. The Company must develop assumptions that require judgment to determine the stand-alone selling price for each performance obligation identified in the contract. The Company utilizes key assumptions to determine the stand-alone selling price, which may include other comparable transactions, pricing considered in negotiating the transaction and the estimated costs. Variable consideration is allocated specifically to one or more performance obligations in a contract when the terms of the variable consideration relate to the satisfaction of the performance obligation and the resulting amounts allocated are consistent with the amounts the Company would expect to receive for the satisfaction of each performance obligation.
The consideration allocated to each performance obligation is recognized as revenue when control is transferred for the related goods or services. If the license to the Company’s intellectual property is determined to be distinct from the other performance obligations identified in the arrangement, the Company recognizes revenue from consideration allocated to the license when the license is transferred to the customer and the customer can use and benefit from the license. For combined performance obligations which consist of licenses and other promises, the Company utilizes judgment to assess the nature of the combined performance obligation to determine whether the combined performance obligation is satisfied over time or at a point in time and, if over time, the appropriate method of measuring progress for purposes of recognizing revenue.
If performance obligations are satisfied over time, the Company evaluates the measure of progress each reporting period and, if necessary, adjusts the measure of performance and related revenue recognition. The Company generally recognizes revenue using the cost incurred to date as compared to the total estimated cost. Changes in estimates of total internal and external costs expected to be incurred and the timing of when those costs are expected to be incurred are recognized in the period of change as a cumulative catch-up adjustment. If estimates of the total estimated cost change, or if contract amendments change the scope of the performance obligations, the impacts could be material.
The Company receives payments from its customers based on billing schedules established in each contract. Upfront payments and fees are recorded as deferred revenue upon receipt or when due until the Company performs its obligations under these arrangements. Amounts are recorded as accounts receivable when the Company’s right to consideration is unconditional.
Foreign Currency Transactions
The functional currency for the Company’s wholly owned foreign subsidiary, Keros Australia, is the United States dollar. All foreign currency transaction gains and losses are recognized in the consolidated statement of operations.
Segment Information
Operating segments are identified as components of an enterprise about which separate discrete financial information is made available for evaluation by the chief operating decision maker (“CODM”) in making decisions regarding resource allocation and assessing performance. The Company’s CODM is its chief executive officer, who reviews financial information presented on a consolidated basis for the purposes of making operating decisions, assessing financial performance and allocating resources. The Company has one reportable segment and manages its operations on a consolidated basis for the purposes of assessing performance and making operating decisions. The Company’s singular concentration is focused on the discovery and development of novel therapeutics to treat a wide range of patients with disorders that are linked to dysfunctional signaling of the TGF-ß family of proteins.
Stock-Based Compensation
The Company accounts for all stock-based awards granted to employees and non-employees as stock-based compensation expense at fair value. The Company’s stock-based awards include stock options and restricted stock unit ("RSU") awards. The measurement date for employee and non-employee awards is the date of grant. For stock-based awards that vest based on service conditions, stock-based compensation costs are recognized as expense over the requisite service period, which is the vesting period, on a straight-line basis. For stock options and RSUs with performance conditions, stock-based compensation costs are recognized as expense using the accelerated attribution method when it is probable that the performance condition will be achieved. Stock-based compensation expense is classified in the accompanying consolidated statement of operations based on the function to which the related services are provided. Forfeitures are recorded as they occur.
The fair value of each stock option grant is estimated on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model. The Company lacks company-specific historical and implied volatility information. Therefore, it estimates its expected stock volatility based on the historical volatility of a publicly traded set of peer companies weighted with its own volatility for the period in which its stock has been publicly traded. The expected term of the Company’s stock options has been determined utilizing the “simplified” method for awards that qualify as “plain-vanilla” options. The risk-free interest rate is determined by reference to the U.S. Treasury yield curve in effect at the time of grant of the award for time periods approximately equal to the expected term of the award. Expected dividend yield is based on the fact that the Company has never paid cash dividends on common stock and does not expect to pay any cash dividends in the foreseeable future.
Income Taxes
The Company accounts for income taxes under 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 included in the consolidated financial statements. Under this method, the Company determines deferred tax assets and liabilities on the basis of the differences between the financial statement and tax bases of assets and liabilities by using enacted tax rates in effect for the year in which the differences are expected to reverse. The effect of a change in tax rates on deferred tax assets and liabilities is recognized in income in the period that includes the enactment date.
The Company recognizes deferred tax assets to the extent that these assets are more likely than not to be realized. In making such a determination, the Company considers all available positive and negative evidence, including future reversals of existing taxable temporary differences, projected future taxable income, tax-planning strategies and results of recent operations. If the Company determines that it would be able to realize its deferred tax assets in the future in excess of its net recorded amount, an adjustment would be made to the deferred tax asset valuation allowance, which would reduce the provision for income taxes.
The Company records uncertain tax positions in accordance with ASC 740 on the basis of a two-step process in which (1) the Company determines whether it is more likely than not that the tax positions will be sustained on the basis of the technical merits of the position and (2) for those tax positions that meet the more-likely-than-not recognition threshold, the Company
recognizes the largest amount of tax benefit that is more than 50 percent likely to be realized upon ultimate settlement with the related tax authority.
The Company accounts for interest and penalties related to uncertain tax positions within the provision for income taxes. As of December 31, 2025, there have been no interest or penalties recorded.
Comprehensive Income (Loss)
Comprehensive income (loss) is defined as the change in equity of a business enterprise during a period from transactions and other events and circumstances from non-owner sources. Comprehensive income (loss) is equal to net income (loss) for all periods presented.
Net Income (Loss) Per Share
Basic net loss per share is computed by dividing the net loss by the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding during the period, without consideration of potential dilutive securities. Diluted net loss per share is computed using the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding during the period, and if dilutive, the weighted-average number of potential shares of common shares. The Company’s potentially dilutive securities, which include stock options, have been excluded from the computation of diluted net loss per share as the effect would be to reduce the net loss per share. Therefore, the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding used to calculate both basic and diluted net loss per share attributable to common stockholders is the same. The Company excluded the following from the computation of diluted net loss per share attributable to common stockholders as of December 31, 2025 and 2024 because including them would have had an anti-dilutive effect:
DECEMBER 31,
20252024
Unvested RSU awards41,207 — 
Options to purchase common stock4,470,286 5,384,760 
Employee stock purchase plan shares8,549 47,694 
Total4,520,042 5,432,454 
Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements
In December 2023, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued ASU No. 2023-09, Income Taxes (Topic 740): Improvements to Income Tax Disclosures (“ASU No. 2023-09”). ASU No. 2023-09 requires a public business entity to disclose, on an annual basis, a tabular rate reconciliation using both percentages and currency amounts, broken out into specified categories with certain reconciling items further broken out by nature and jurisdiction to the extent those items exceed a specified threshold. In addition, all entities are required to disclose income taxes paid, net of refunds received disaggregated by federal, state/local and foreign and by jurisdiction if the amount is at least 5% of total income tax payments, net of refunds received. The new standard was effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2024, with early adoption permitted. The Company adopted ASU No. 2023-09 for its consolidated financial statements for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025.
Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements
In November 2024, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued ASU No. 2024-03, Income Statement—Reporting Comprehensive Income—Expense Disaggregation Disclosures (Subtopic 220-40): Disaggregation of Income Statement Expenses (“ASU No. 2024-03”), which intends to improve financial reporting by requiring disclosure of additional information about specific expense categories. This guidance is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2026 and interim reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2027. Early adoption is permitted and the guidance is to be applied prospectively and may be applied retrospectively. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this guidance on its consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.
Risks and Uncertainties
There have been significant disruptions to global financial markets that have contributed to a general global economic slowdown. While recent trends towards rising inflation have eased, prices continue to rise, which may materially affect the Company’s business and corresponding financial position and cash flows. Inflationary factors, such as increases in the cost of materials and supplies relating to the Company’s preclinical studies and clinical trials, interest rates and overhead costs may adversely affect its operating results. Implementation of tariffs present a recent challenge impacting the U.S. economy and could make it more difficult for the Company to obtain traditional financing on acceptable terms, if at all, in the future. Although the Company does not believe that inflation, higher interest rates or tariffs have had a material impact on its financial position or results of operations to date, the Company may experience increases in the near future (especially if inflation rates rise more quickly) on its operating costs, including its labor costs and research and development costs, due to supply chain constraints, consequences associated with public health crises and global geopolitical tensions, such as the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine and the war in the Middle East, worsening global macroeconomic conditions and employee availability and wage increases, which may result in additional stress on the Company’s working capital resources.
As of the date of issuance of these financial statements, the Company is not aware of any specific event or circumstance that would require the Company to update its estimates, assumptions and judgments or revise the carrying value of its assets or liabilities. Actual results could differ from those estimates, and any such differences may be material to the Company’s financial statements.
In addition, the Company is subject to other challenges and risks specific to its business and its ability to execute on its business plan and strategy, as well as risks and uncertainties common to companies in the biopharmaceutical industry with research and development operations, including, without limitation, risks and uncertainties associated with: obtaining regulatory approval of its product candidates; delays or problems in obtaining clinical supply, loss of single source suppliers or failure to comply with manufacturing regulations; product development and the inherent uncertainty of clinical success; the challenges of protecting and enhancing its intellectual property rights; the challenges of complying with applicable regulatory requirements; and identifying, acquiring or in-licensing additional products or product candidates.