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Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2021

—The accompanying unaudited interim financial statements have been prepared in accordance with GAAP.

—The Company has prepared the accompanying unaudited interim financial statements on the same basis as the audited financial statements, and the unaudited interim financial statements include, in the Company’s opinion, all adjustments, consisting only of normal recurring adjustments that the Company considers necessary for a fair presentation of its financial position and results of operations for these periods. The unaudited interim financial statements, presented herein, do not contain the required disclosures under GAAP for annual financial statements.

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, liabilities, and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of expenses during the reporting period. On an ongoing basis, the Company evaluates its estimates and assumptions, including those related to research and development accruals, recoverability of long-lived assets,

right-of-use

assets, lease obligations, fair value of common stock

stock-based

compensation and income taxes uncertainties and valuation allowances. Management bases its estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may differ from those estimates.

Risks and Uncertainties

Risks and Uncertainties –

The Company is subject to risks and uncertainties common to early-stage companies in the biotechnology industry, including, but not limited to, development by competitors of new technological innovations,

protection of proprietary technology, dependence on key personnel, reliance on single-source vendors, availability of raw materials, patentability of the Company’s products and processes and clinical efficacy and safety of the Company’s products under development, compliance with government regulations and the need to obtain additional financing to fund operations. Product candidates currently under development will require significant additional research and development efforts, including extensive preclinical studies, clinical trials and regulatory approval, prior to commercialization. These efforts will require significant amounts of additional capital, adequate personnel infrastructure and extensive compliance and reporting. The Company’s product candidates are still in development and, to date, none of the Company’s product candidates have been approved for sale and, therefore, the Company has not generated any revenue from product sales. There can be no assurance that the Company’s research and development will be successfully completed, that adequate protection for the Company’s intellectual property will be obtained or maintained, that any products developed will obtain necessary government regulatory approval or that any approved products will be commercially viable. Even if the Company’s product development efforts are successful, it is uncertain when, if ever, the Company will generate revenue from product sales. The Company operates in an environment of rapid technological change and substantial competition from other pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. In addition, the Company is dependent upon the services of its employees, consultants and other third parties.

Moreover, the current

COVID-19

(“coronavirus”) pandemic, which is impacting worldwide economic activity, poses risk that the Company or its employees, contractors, suppliers, and other partners may be prevented from conducting business activities for an indefinite period of time, including due to shutdowns that may be requested or mandated by governmental authorities. The extent to which the

COVID-19

pandemic will impact the Company’s business will depend on future developments that are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted at this time.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

—The Company considers all highly liquid investments purchased with original maturities of 90 days or less at acquisitions to be cash equivalents. As of June 30, 2021 and December 31, 2020, the Company’s cash and cash equivalents consisted of bank deposits and a money market funds.

Property and Equipment

—Property and equipment is recorded at cost and depreciated over the estimated useful lives of the related assets using the straight-line method. Upon disposal of an asset, the related cost and accumulated depreciation are removed from the asset accounts and any resulting gain or loss is included in the statement of operations. Repair and maintenance costs are expensed as incurred, whereas major improvements are capitalized as additions to property and equipment. The estimated useful lives of the Company’s respective assets are as follows:


Computer equipment and software		3 years
Furniture and fixtures		7 years
Laboratory equipment		5 years
Leasehold improvements		Shorter of the useful life of the asset or the life of the lease

Impairment of Long-Lived Assets

—Long-lived assets are reviewed for impairment if events or circumstances indicate the carrying amount of these assets may not be recoverable. If this review indicates that these assets will not be recoverable, based on the forecasted undiscounted future operating cash flows expected to result from the use of long-lived assets and their eventual disposition, the Company’s carrying value of the long-lived assets is reduced to fair value based on a discounted future cash flow approach or quoted market values. For the six months ended June 30, 2021 and 2020, there were no events or circumstances which required an impairment test of long-lived assets.

Convertible Preferred Stock

—The Company records convertible preferred stock at fair value on the dates of issuance, net of issuance costs. The convertible preferred stock is recorded outside of stockholders’ deficit because the shares contain liquidation features that are not solely within the Company’s control. The Company has elected not to adjust the carrying values of the convertible preferred stock to the liquidation preferences of such shares because it is uncertain whether or when an event would occur that would obligate the Company to pay the liquidation preferences to holders of shares of convertible preferred stock. Subsequent adjustments to the carrying values to the liquidation preferences will be made only when it becomes probable that such a liquidation event will occur.

Comprehensive Loss

—Comprehensive loss includes net loss as well as other changes in stockholders’ deficit that results from transactions and economic events other than those with stockholders. There was no other comprehensive income or loss for the six months ended June 30, 2021 and 2020.

Research and Development Expenses and Accrued Research and Development

—Research and development expenses are charged to expense as incurred. Research and development expenses include certain payroll and personnel expenses, laboratory supplies, consulting costs, external contract research and development expenses.

In-licensing

fees and other costs to acquire technologies that are utilized in research and development, and that are not expected to have alternative future use, are expensed when incurred. Advance payments for goods or services for future research and development activities are deferred and expensed as the goods are delivered or the related services are performed.

The Company estimates preclinical studies and clinical trial expenses based on the services performed pursuant to contracts with research institutions and clinical research organizations that conduct and manage preclinical studies and clinical trials on the Company’s behalf. In accruing service fees, the Company estimates the time period over which services will be performed and the level of effort to be expended in each period. These estimates are based on communications with the

third-party

service providers, the Company’s estimates of accrued expenses and on information available at each balance sheet date. If the actual timing of the performance of services or the level of effort varies from the estimate, the Company will adjust the accrual accordingly. The estimates are trued up to reflect the best information available at the time of the financial statement issuance. Although the Company does not expect its estimates to be materially different from amounts actually incurred, the Company’s estimate of the status and timing of services performed relative to the actual status and timing of services performed may vary.

Patent Costs

Patent Costs –

Costs related to filing and pursuing patent applications are expensed as incurred, as recoverability of such expenditures is uncertain. These patent-related legal costs are reported as a component of general and administrative expense.

General and Administrative Expense

General and Administrative Expense –

General and administrative costs are expensed as incurred and include employee-related expenses including salaries, benefits, travel and stock-based compensation for the Company’s personnel in executive, finance and accounting, and other administrative functions, as well as fees paid for legal, accounting and tax services, consulting fees and facilities costs not otherwise included in research and development expense. Legal costs include general corporate legal fees and patent costs.

Fair Value Measurements

—Fair value is defined as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. As such, fair value is a

market-based

measurement that should be determined based on assumptions that market participants would use in pricing an asset or liability. The carrying amounts of the Company’s financial instruments approximate fair value due to their

short-term

maturities.

Stock-Based Compensation Expense

Stock

-Based

Compensation Expense

—The Company accounts for

stock-based

compensation by measuring and recognizing compensation expense for all

share-based

payments made to employees, directors and

non-employees

based on estimated

grant-date

fair values. The Company uses the

straight-line

method to allocate compensation cost to reporting periods over each optionee’s requisite service period, which is generally the vesting period.

The Company estimates the fair value of stock options to employees, directors and

non-employees

using the

Black-Scholes

option-valuation

model. The

Black-Scholes

model requires the input of subjective assumptions, including expected volatility, expected dividend yield, expected term,

risk-free

rate of return, and the estimated fair value of the underlying common stock on the date of grant. Due to the lack of company-specific historical and implied volatility data, the Company has based its estimate of expected volatility on the historical volatility of a group of similar companies that are publicly traded. The historical volatility is calculated based on a period of time commensurate with the expected term assumption. The group of representative companies have characteristics similar to the Company, including stage of product development and focus on the life science industry. The Company uses the simplified method to calculate the expected term for options granted to employees as it does not have sufficient historical exercise data to provide a reasonable basis upon which to estimate the expected term. The simplified method is based on the vesting period and the contractual term for each grant, or for each vesting tranche for awards with graded vesting. The

mid-point

between the vesting date and the maximum contractual expiration date is used as the expected term under this method. For awards with multiple vesting-tranches, the times from grant until the

mid-points

for each of the tranches may be averaged to provide an overall expected term. The risk-free interest rate is based on a treasury instrument whose term is consistent with the expected term of the stock options. The Company uses an assumed dividend yield of zero as the Company has never paid dividends and has no current plans to pay any dividends on its common stock.

The Company accounts for forfeitures as they occur. The fair value of restricted stock awards granted to employees are valued as of the grant date using the estimated fair value of the Company’s common stock.

Net Loss per Share Attributable to Common Stockholders

—The Company follows the

two-class

method when computing net loss per share as the Company has issued shares that meet the definition of participating securities. The

two-class

method determines net loss per share for each class of common and participating securities according to dividends declared or accumulated and participation rights in undistributed earnings. The

two-class

method requires income available to common stockholders for the period to be allocated between common and participating securities based upon their respective rights to receive dividends as if all income for the period had been distributed.

Basic net loss per share attributable to common stockholders is computed by dividing the net loss attributable to common stockholders by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding for the period. Diluted net loss attributable to common stockholders is computed by adjusting net loss attributable to common stockholders to reallocate undistributed earnings based on the potential impact of dilutive securities. 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 outstanding for the period, including potential dilutive common shares. For purpose of this calculation, outstanding stock options, convertible preferred stock and warrants to purchase shares of convertible preferred stock are considered potential dilutive common shares.

Income Taxes

—The Company accounts for income taxes using the asset and liability method. The Company recognizes deferred tax assets and liabilities for the expected future tax consequences of events that have been included in the financial statements or tax returns. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are determined based on the difference between the financial statement and tax basis of

assets and liabilities using enacted tax rates in effect for the year in which the differences are expected to reverse.

In evaluating the ability to recover its deferred income tax assets, the Company considers all available positive and negative evidence, including its operating results, ongoing tax planning and forecasts of future taxable income on a

jurisdiction-by-jurisdiction

basis. In the event the Company determines that it would be able to realize its deferred income tax assets in the future in excess of their net recorded amount, it would make an adjustment to the valuation allowance that would reduce the provision for income taxes. Conversely, in the event that all or part of the net deferred tax assets are determined not to be realizable in the future, an adjustment to the valuation allowance would be charged to earnings in the period when such determination is made. As of June 30, 2021 and December 31, 2020, the Company has recorded a full valuation allowance on its deferred tax assets.

Tax benefits related to uncertain tax positions are recognized when it is more likely than not that a tax position will be sustained during an audit. Interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits are included within the provision for income tax.

Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements

—From time to time, new accounting pronouncements are issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board, or FASB, or other standard setting bodies and adopted by the Company as of the specified effective date.

In August 2020, the FASB issued ASU

2020-06

, Debt-Debt With Conversions and Other Options (Subtopic

470-20)

and Derivatives and Hedging-Contracts in Entity’s Own Equity (Subtopic

815-40)

. The ASU simplifies the accounting for certain financial instruments with characteristics of liabilities and equity, including convertible instruments and contracts on an entity’s own equity. Under the new ASU, convertible instruments will now more frequently accounted for as a single unit of account. That is, a conversion feature and the host instrument in which it is embedded now generally will be treated as a single unit of acc

unt unless the conversion feature requires bifurcation under Topic 815. The ASU is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2021 for public business entities, and for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2023 for all other entities. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is in the process of evaluating the impact of this new guidance on its financial statements and related disclosures.