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SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Policies)
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2022
SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES  
Basis of Presentation

Basis of Presentation

The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America and pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities Exchange Commission (“SEC”). Any reference in these footnotes to applicable guidance is meant to refer to the authoritative U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) as found in the Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) and Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) of the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”).

Principles of Consolidation

Principles of Consolidation

These consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its wholly-owned subsidiaries, Marker Cell Therapy, Inc. and GeneMax Pharmaceuticals Inc. – a dormant subsidiary that wholly owns GeneMax Pharmaceuticals Canada, Inc. All significant intercompany balances and transactions are eliminated upon consolidation.

Use of Estimates

Use of Estimates

Preparation of the Company’s consolidated financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect certain reported amounts and disclosures. Accordingly, actual results could differ materially from those estimates. Significant areas requiring management’s estimates and assumptions include measurement of fair value and projections used in impairment testing, valuation allowance on deferred tax assets, determining the fair value of stock-based compensation and stock-based transactions, the fair value of the components of the warrant liabilities and accrued liabilities.

Cash, Cash Equivalents, Restricted Cash and Credit Risk

Cash, Cash Equivalents, Restricted Cash and Credit Risk

The Company considers highly liquid investments with a maturity of three months or less when purchased to be cash equivalents. Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at December 31, 2022 consisted of cash and certificates of deposit in institutions in the United States. Balances at certain institutions have exceeded Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation insured limits and U.S. government agency securities.

The Company maintains cash in accounts which are in excess of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) insured limits of $250,000. As of December 31, 2022, approximately $1.8 million in cash was uninsured based upon the FDIC insurance coverage limits.

The following table provides a reconciliation of cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash reported within the balance sheets that sum to the total of the same such amounts shown in the statements of cash flows.

    

December 31, 

December 31, 

2022

2021

Cash and cash equivalents

$

11,782,172

$

42,351,145

Restricted cash

$

$

1,146,186

Total cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash shown in statements of cash flows

$

11,782,172

$

43,497,331

Cash received from grants in advance of incurring qualifying costs are recorded as restricted cash until they are earned and recorded to grant income.

Property and Equipment

Property and Equipment

Leasehold improvements, furniture, equipment and software are recorded at cost and are depreciated using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the related assets, which range from three to five years. Leasehold improvements are amortized over the shorter of the estimated useful life or the remaining lease term.

Property and equipment - Construction in Progress

Property and equipment - Construction in Progress

In June 2020, the Company entered into a lease for a manufacturing facility in Houston, Texas. In connection with the manufacturing facility, the Company has incurred costs pursuant to an agreement with a vendor to design, engineer, build and install modular cleanrooms in a manufacturing facility. The facility’s construction was completed during December 2020, and a certificate of occupancy was delivered to the Company in January 2021, and as such was placed into service in January 2021. All costs associated with the buildout were recorded as either manufacturing equipment and/or leasehold improvements and amortized over the estimated useful life of the asset and/or leasehold lease.

During the third and fourth quarters of 2021, and in connection with the Company’s manufacturing facility in Houston, Texas, the Company incurred $2.2 million of costs pursuant to an agreement with a vendor to build and eventually install a second modular cleanroom.  Such costs were recorded in fixed assets – construction in progress on the balance sheet as of December 31, 2021. The Company incurred another $1.9 million in related costs in 2022. Upon completion and installation of the second modular cleanroom in 2022, all costs associated with the buildout were recorded as manufacturing equipment and leasehold improvements and are being amortized over the estimated useful life.

Impairment Testing of Long-Lived Assets and Right-Of-Use Assets

Impairment Testing of Long-Lived Assets and Right-Of-Use Assets

Management reviews long-lived assets (including property and equipment) and right-of-use assets for assets under operating leases for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that their carrying amount may not be recoverable. Recoverability of assets is determined by first grouping the long-lived assets at the lowest level for which there are identifiable cash flows, and then comparing the carrying value of each asset group to its forecasted undiscounted cash flows. If the evaluation of the forecasted cash flows indicates that the carrying value of the assets is not recoverable, an impairment charge is recognized for the amount in excess of the carrying amount over its fair value. The Company performed a test for recoverability related to its manufacturing facility in Houston, Texas at December 31, 2022 and concluded that the carrying value of its long-lived assets was recoverable.

Patents and Patent Application Costs

Patents and Patent Application Costs

Although the Company believes that its patents and underlying technology have continuing value, the amount of future benefits to be derived from the patents is uncertain. Patent costs are, therefore, expensed as incurred.

Stock-Based Compensation

Stock-Based Compensation

The Company incurs stock-based compensation expense related to the issuance of common stock and stock options. The Company estimates the fair value of stock options granted using the Black-Scholes option pricing model. The Black-Scholes option pricing model was developed for use in estimating the fair value of traded options, which have no vesting restrictions and are fully transferable. In addition, option valuation models require the input of highly subjective assumptions, including the expected stock price volatility and expected option life:

Expected Term — The expected life of stock options was estimated using the “simplified method,” as the Company has limited historical information to develop reasonable expectations about future exercise patterns and post-vesting employment termination behavior for its stock options grants. The simplified method is based on the average of the vesting tranches and the contractual life of each grant.

Expected Volatility — The Company computes stock price volatility over expected terms based on its historical common stock trading prices.

Risk-Free Interest Rate — The Company bases the risk-free interest rate on the implied yield available on U. S. Treasury zero-coupon issues with an equivalent remaining term.

Expected Dividend — The Company has never declared or paid any cash dividends on its common shares and does not plan to pay cash dividends in the foreseeable future, and, therefore, uses an expected dividend yield of zero in its valuation models. The Company amortizes the fair value of the awards expected to vest on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period of the awards. The Company recognizes fair value of stock options granted to nonemployees as stock-based compensation expense over the period in which the related services are received as if the Company had paid cash for those services. Forfeitures are accounted for as incurred.

Research and Development Costs

Research and Development Costs

Research and development expenses consist of expenses incurred in performing research and development activities, including compensation and benefits for research and development employees and consultants, facilities expenses, overhead expenses, cost of laboratory supplies, manufacturing expenses, fees paid to third parties and other outside expenses.

Research and development costs are expensed as incurred. Clinical trial and other development costs incurred by third parties are expensed as the contracted work is performed. The Company accrues for costs incurred as the services are being provided by monitoring the status of the clinical trial or project and the invoices received from its external service providers. The Company estimates depend on the timeliness and accuracy of the data provided by the vendors regarding the status of each project and total project spending. The Company adjusts its accrual as actual costs become known. Where contingent milestone payments are due to third parties under research and development arrangements, the milestone payment obligations are expensed when the milestone events are achieved.

Income Taxes

Income Taxes

The Company follows the asset and liability method of accounting for income taxes. Under this method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of assets and liabilities and their respective tax balances. Potential deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to the taxable income in the years in which those differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on potential deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in the statement of operations in the period that includes the date of allowances against deferred tax assets.

Tax benefits are recognized only for tax positions that are more likely than not to be sustained upon examination by tax authorities. The amount recognized is measured as the largest amount of benefit that is greater than 50 percent likely to be realized upon settlement. A liability for “unrecognized tax benefits” is recorded for any tax benefits claimed in the Company’s tax returns that do not meet these recognition and measurement standards. As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, no liability for unrecognized tax benefits was required to be reported. The guidance also discusses the classification of related interest and penalties on income taxes. The Company’s policy is to record interest and penalties on uncertain tax positions as a component of income tax expense. No interest or penalties were recorded during the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021.

Grant Income

Grant Income

Grant Income represents funding under cost reimbursement programs from government agencies and non-profit foundations for qualified research and development activities performed by the Company. In applying the provisions of ASC Topic 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (“ASC 606”), the Company determined that grants and awards are out of the scope of ASC 606 because the funding entities do not meet the definition of a “customer”, as defined by ASC 606, as there is not considered to be a transfer of control of goods or services. With respect to each grant or award, the Company determines if it has a collaboration in accordance with ASC Topic 808, Collaborative Arrangements (“ASC 808”). To the extent the grant or award is within the scope of ASC 808, the Company recognizes the award upon achievement of certain milestones as credits to research and development expenses. For grant and awards outside the scope of ASC 808, the Company applies ASC 606 by analogy, and revenue is recognized when the Company incurs expenses related to the grants for the amount the Company is entitled to under the provisions of the contract.

In August 2021, the Company received notice of a Product Development Research award totaling approximately $13.1 million from CPRIT to support its Phase 2 clinical trial of MT-401.  

In accordance with ASC 730-20-25-8, to the extent the financial risk associated with the research and development has been transferred to CPRIT, because repayment of the grant depends solely on the results of research and development having future economic benefit, the Company accounts for this obligation as a contract to perform research and development for others.

Restricted cash received from grants in advance of incurring qualifying costs is recorded as deferred revenue and recognized as revenue when qualifying costs are incurred. Qualifying grant income earned in advance of cash received from grants is recognized as revenue and recorded as other receivable. During the fourth quarter of 2021, the Company received $2.4 million advancement of funds in relation to the CPRIT grant. The Company recorded $3.4 million of grant income related to the CPRIT grant as revenue for the year ended December 31, 2022. At December 31, 2022, the Company recorded $2.3 million of grant income receivable, which represented grant income earned in advance of the next tranche of funds to be received from CPRIT. In January 2023, the Company received $2.4 million from CPRIT.

On September 13, 2022, the Company received notice from the FDA that it had awarded the Company a $2.0 million grant from the FDA’s Orphan Products Grant program to support the Company’s Phase 2 clinical trial of MT-401 for the treatment of post-transplant AML. The Company recorded $0.1 million of grant income related to the FDA grant as revenue for the year ended December 31, 2022 and at December 31, 2022, the Company recorded $0.1 million of grant income receivable. On March 13, 2023, the Company received $0.1 million of funds from the FDA grant.

Loss per Common Share

Loss per Common Share

Basic loss per share includes only the weighted average common shares outstanding, without consideration of potentially dilutive securities. Diluted loss per share includes the weighted average common shares outstanding and any potentially dilutive common stock equivalent shares in the calculation.

New Accounting Standards

New Accounting Standards

From time to time, new accounting pronouncements are issued by the FASB or other standard setting bodies that the Company adopts as of the specified effective date. Unless otherwise discussed, the Company does not believe that the impact of recently issued standards that are not yet effective will have a material impact on its financial position or results of operations upon adoption.