BUSINESS ACQUISITIONS

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2024

Business Combination, Asset Acquisition, and Joint Venture Formation [Abstract]


NOTE 2. BUSINESS ACQUISITIONS


Apton Biosystems

On August 2, 2023, we acquired Apton Biosystems, Inc. (“Apton”), a California-based genomics company focused on developing a high throughput short-read sequencer using highly differentiated optics and image processing, paired with novel clustering and chemistry (the “Apton acquisition”).

In connection with the Apton acquisition, all outstanding equity securities of Apton were cancelled in exchange for shares of our common stock with a fair value of $76.6 million, cash of $0.2 million, and contingent consideration with an estimated fair value of $18.5 million. Excluded from consideration transferred was $1.3 million attributable to accelerated share-based compensation expense. The fair value of the 6,121,571 common shares issued was determined based on the closing market price of our common stock on the acquisition date.

In connection with the Apton acquisition, contingent consideration of $25.0 million, which we may elect to pay in cash, shares of our common stock or a combination of cash and shares of our common stock, is due upon the achievement of a milestone, defined as the achievement of $50.0 million in revenue associated with Apton's technology, provided that the milestone event occurs prior to the five-year anniversary of the closing date of the acquisition. At this time, the number of shares, if any, to be issued in connection with the achievement of the specified milestone is not known and will be calculated based on the daily volume-weighted average price of our common stock for the twenty trading days ending on and including the fifth trading day immediately prior to the occurrence of the specified milestone. Upon achievement of the milestone, we may pay cash in lieu of our common stock to ensure that the issuance of our common stock does not exceed 19.9% of our outstanding shares of common stock then outstanding.

The contingent consideration is accounted for as a liability at fair value, with changes during each reporting period recognized on our consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss. The fair value of the contingent consideration liability is calculated, with the assistance from a third-party valuation firm, using a Monte Carlo simulation to estimate the volatility and systematic relative risk of revenues subject to sales milestone payments and discounting the associated cash payment amounts to their present values using a credit-risk-adjusted interest rate.

The acquisition was accounted for as a business combination and, accordingly, the total fair value of the consideration transferred was allocated to the tangible and intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed based on their fair values on the acquisition date. As of December 31, 2023, the major classes of assets and liabilities to which we have allocated the total fair value of the consideration transferred were as follows (in thousands):


Cash and cash equivalents	$	97
In-process research and development	55,000
Goodwill	52,287
Other assets, current	153
Deferred income tax liability	(11,338)
Liabilities assumed	(2,191)
Total consideration transferred	$	94,008

We have finalized the purchase price allocation for the Apton acquisition. There were no material adjustments from those amounts disclosed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023.

We incurred costs related to the Apton acquisition of approximately $9.0 million during the year ended December 31, 2023, which are included in merger-related expenses on our consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive loss. Merger-related expenses include $2.8 million relating to a liquidity event bonus plan that was treated as a separate transaction and included the issuance of 168,621 shares of common stock that were issued with a fair value of $2.1 million based on the closing market price of our common stock on the acquisition date. As a result, the total shares issued in connection with the Apton acquisition were 6.3 million shares of common stock.

The excess of the value of consideration paid over the aggregate fair value of those net assets has been recorded as goodwill. We recognized goodwill of $52.3 million, which is primarily attributable to the synergies expected to occur from the integration of Apton and is not deductible for income tax purposes. We allocated $55.0 million of the purchase price to acquired IPR&D. The fair value of the IPR&D was determined, with the assistance of a third-party valuation firm, using an income approach based on a forecast of expected future cash flows. Expected future cash flows utilize significant assumptions such as revenue projections and discount rate.