XML 16 R10.htm IDEA: XBRL DOCUMENT v3.24.3
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2024
Accounting Policies [Abstract]  
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
2.
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Use of Estimates

The preparation of condensed consolidated financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of expenses during the reporting period. This process involves reviewing open contracts and purchase orders, communicating with our personnel and outside vendors to identify services that have been performed on our behalf and estimating the level of service performed and the associated costs incurred for the services when we have not yet been invoiced or otherwise notified of the actual costs. Significant estimates and assumptions reflected in these condensed consolidated financial statements include, but are not limited to, the accrual of research and development expense, the recording as prepaid expense of payments made in advance of the actual provision of goods or services, valuation of stock-based awards and valuation of leases. Due to inherent uncertainty involved in making estimates, actual results reported in future periods may be affected by changes in these estimates. On an ongoing basis, the Company evaluates its estimates and assumptions.

Research and Development Costs

Costs associated with internal research and development and external research and development services, including drug development, clinical studies and non-clinical studies, are expensed as incurred. Research and development expenses include costs for salaries, employee benefits, subcontractors, facility-related expenses, depreciation, non-cash stock-based compensation, third-party license fees, laboratory supplies, and external costs of outside vendors engaged to conduct discovery, non-clinical and clinical development activities and clinical trials as well as to manufacture clinical trial materials, and other costs. The Company recognizes external research and development costs based on an evaluation of the progress to completion of specific tasks using information provided to the Company by its key service providers.

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. Such prepaid expenses are recognized as an expense when the goods have been delivered or the related services have been performed, or when it is no longer expected that the goods will be delivered, or the services rendered.

Upfront payments, milestone payments and annual maintenance fees under license agreements are currently expensed in the period in which they are 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 all stock-based awards granted to employees and directors based on the fair value on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model. Compensation expense of those awards is recognized over the requisite service period, which is the vesting period of the respective award. Typically, the Company issues awards with only service-based vesting conditions and records the expense for these awards using the straight-line method. The Company accounts for forfeitures as they occur.

The Company classifies stock-based compensation expense in its condensed 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.

Prior to May 28, 2020, the Company had been a private company and lacked company-specific historical and implied volatility information for its common stock. Prior to January 1, 2023, the Company estimated its expected common stock price volatility solely based on the historical volatility of publicly traded peer companies. Beginning on January 1, 2023, based on the availability of sufficient historical trading data of the Company's own common stock on the Nasdaq Global Market to calculate accurately its volatility, the Company began blending its volatility starting from June 2020 (following its merger with Zafgen in 2020) to the date of each stock-based award, and weighing the volatility of its peer group for the amount of time from May 31, 2020 backwards so that the blended volatility equals the expected term of the related stock-based award. 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. The expected dividend yield considers 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.

Net Loss Per Share

Basic net loss per share is computed by dividing the net loss attributable to common stockholders by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding for the period. Prior to August 11, 2023, basic shares outstanding includes the weighted average effect of the Company’s prefunded warrants issued in June 2020, the exercise of which requires little or no consideration for the delivery of shares of common stock. These prefunded warrants were exercised on August 11, 2023 and the Company received cash proceeds of less than $0.1 million. Accordingly, the 628,403 shares were issued upon the exercise of these warrants and are included in issued and outstanding common stock.

Diluted net loss per share attributable to common stockholders is computed by dividing the diluted net loss attributable to common stockholders by the weighted average number of common shares, including potentially dilutive common stock equivalents assuming the dilutive effect of outstanding stock options, outstanding restricted stock units, and unvested restricted common shares, as determined using the treasury stock method. For periods in which the Company has reported net losses (all periods since inception), diluted net loss per common share attributable to common stockholders is the same as basic net loss per common share attributable to common stockholders, since dilutive common stock equivalents are not assumed to have been issued if their effect is antidilutive.

The Company excluded 6,990,827 and 5,100,997 common stock equivalents outstanding as of September 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively, from the computation of diluted net loss per share for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023 because they had an anti-dilutive impact due to the net loss incurred for the periods presented.

Recently Issued and Adopted Accounting Pronouncements

From time to time, new accounting guidance is issued by the FASB or other standard setting bodies that is adopted by us as of the effective date or, in some cases where early adoption is permitted, in advance of the effective date. We have assessed the recently issued guidance that is not yet effective and believe the new guidance will not have a material impact on the condensed consolidated results of operations, cash flows or financial position.

In November 2023, the FASB issued new guidance designed to improve reportable segment disclosure requirements, primarily through enhanced disclosures about significant expenses per segment. The new standard must be adopted on a retrospective basis. We intend to adopt the new guidance for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2024, and subsequent interim periods. Given that the accounting standard update affects disclosures exclusively, we do not anticipate that its adoption will have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.

In December 2023, the FASB issued new guidance designed to improve income tax disclosure requirements primarily through increased disaggregation disclosures within the effective tax rate reconciliation as well as enhanced disclosures on income taxes paid. The guidance is effective for all fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2024. The new standard can be adopted on a prospective basis with an option for it to be adopted retrospectively and early adoption is permitted. We are currently evaluating this guidance to determine its impact on our consolidated financial statements.