blfs-20231231
Table of Contents
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, DC 20549
FORM 10-K
(Mark One)
☑ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the year ended December 31, 2023
oTRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the transition period from to
Commission File Number 001-36362
BioLife Solutions, Inc.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
3303 Monte Villa Parkway, Suite 310, Bothell, Washington, 98021
(Address of registrant’s principal executive offices, Zip Code)
(425) 402-1400
(Telephone number, including area code)
Securities registered pursuant to Section12(b) of the Act:
Title of each class Trading symbol Name of exchange on which registered
Common stock, par value $0.001 per share BLFS The NASDAQ Stock Market, LLC
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes☑ No o
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes oNo☑
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes☑ No o
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (S232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the Registrant was required to submit such said files). Yes☑ No o
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
Table of Contents
Large accelerated filer☑ Accelerated filer o Non-accelerated filer o Smaller reporting company o Emerging Growth Company o
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. o
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☑
If securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any of the registrant’s executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to §240.10D-1(b). o
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act). Yes o No ☑
As of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter, the aggregate market value of common equity (based on closing price on June 30, 2023 of $22.10 per share) held by non-affiliates was approximately $774 million.
As of February 22, 2024, 45.3 million shares of the registrant’s common stock were outstanding.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Page No.
PART I
ITEM 1. BUSINESS 5
ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS 12
ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS 25
ITEM 1C. CYBERSECURITY 25
ITEM 2. PROPERTIES 26
ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS 26
ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES 26
PART II
ITEM 6. RESERVED 27
ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK 40
ITEM 8. CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA 42
INDEX TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 42
REPORTS OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRMS
ITEM 9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES 86
ITEM 9B. OTHER INFORMATION 89
ITEM 9C. DISCLOSURE REGARDING FOREIGN JURISDICTIONS THAT PREVENT INSPECTIONS 90
PART III
ITEM 10. DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS, AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE 90
ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION 98
ITEM 14. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING FEES AND SERVICES 127
PART IV
ITEM 15. EXHIBITS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES 127
Table of Contents
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This Annual Report on Form 10-K (“Form 10-K” or “Annual Report”) contains forward-looking statements which are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). The forward-looking statements in this Form 10-K do not constitute guarantees of future performance, and actual results could differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. These statements are based on current expectations of future events. Such statements include, but are not limited to, statements about our products, customers, regulatory approvals, the potential utility of and market for our products and services, our ability to implement our business strategy and anticipated business and operations (including with respect to acquired businesses), future financial and operational performance, our anticipated future growth strategy, the expected benefits and other statements relating to our divestitures and acquisitions, capital requirements, intellectual property, suppliers, joint venture partners, future financial and operating results, the impact of macroeconomic developments (including the ongoing effects of the coronavirus (“COVID-19”) pandemic, plans, objectives, expectations and intentions, revenues, costs and expenses, interest rates, outcome of contingencies, business strategies, regulatory filings and requirements, the estimated potential size of markets, the terms of any capital financing agreements and other statements that are not historical facts. You can find many of these statements by looking for words like “believes”, “expects”, “anticipates”, “estimates”, “may”, “should”, “will”, “could”, “plan”, “intend”, or similar expressions in this Form 10-K. We intend that such forward-looking statements be subject to the safe harbors for such statements.
These forward-looking statements are based on the current beliefs and expectations of our management and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. If underlying assumptions prove inaccurate or unknown risks or uncertainties materialize, actual results may differ materially from current expectations and projections. Factors that might cause such a difference include those discussed under “Risk Factors”, as well as those discussed elsewhere in the Form 10-K.
You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this Form 10-K or, in the case of documents referred to or incorporated by reference, the date of those documents.
All subsequent written or oral forward-looking statements attributable to us or any person acting on our behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements contained or referred to in this section. We do not undertake any obligation to release publicly any revisions to these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this Form 10-K or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as may be required under applicable United States (“U.S.”) securities law. If we do update one or more forward-looking statements, no inference should be drawn that we will make additional updates with respect to those or other forward-looking statements.
References throughout this Form 10-K to “BioLife Solutions, Inc.”, “BioLife”, “we”, “us”, “our”, or the “Company” refer to BioLife Solutions, Inc. and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, unless the context otherwise indicates.
Table of Contents
PART I
ITEM 1. BUSINESS
The following discussion of our business contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties (see the section entitled “Forward-Looking Statements” herein). Our actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of certain factors, including those factors set forth under “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this Form 10-K.
Overview
We are a life sciences company that develops, manufactures, and markets bioproduction tools and services which are designed to improve quality and de-risk biologic manufacturing, storage, distribution, and transportation in the cell and gene therapy (“CGT”) industry and broader biopharma markets. Our products are used in basic and applied research and commercial manufacturing of biologic-based therapies. Customers use our products to maintain the health and function of biologic material during sourcing, manufacturing, storage, and distribution.
We currently operate as one bioproduction tools and services business which supports several steps in the biologic material manufacturing and delivery process. We have a diversified portfolio of tools and services that focuses on biopreservation, cell processing, frozen biologic storage products and services, cold-chain logistics, and thawing of biologic materials. We have in-house expertise in cryobiology and the broader CGT workflow, and continue to evaluate opportunities to maximize the value of our product platforms for our extensive customer base through organic growth innovations, partnerships, and acquisitions.
Our products
Our bioproduction tools and services are comprised of three revenue lines that contain seven main offerings:
•Cell processing
◦Biopreservation media
◦Human platelet lysate media (“hPL”), cryogenic vials, and automated cell-processing fill machines
•Freezers and thaw systems
◦Ultra-low temperature freezers
◦Cryogenic freezers and accessories
◦Automated thawing devices
•Biostorage services
◦Biological and pharmaceutical material storage and transport
◦Cloud-connected “smart” shipping containers
Subsequent to the second quarter of 2023, we began to seek divestment of our Global Cooling, Inc. (“GCI”) and Custom Biogenic Systems (“CBS”) freezer product lines (the “Freezer Business”) from our current product portfolio. For additional information regarding our ongoing initiative to divest the Freezer Business, see “Item 1A. Risk Factors” of this Annual Report for additional details.
Cell processing
Biopreservation media
Our proprietary biopreservation media products, HypoThermosol® FRS and CryoStor® Freeze Media, are formulated to mitigate preservation-induced, delayed-onset cell damage and death which result when cells and tissues are subjected to reduced temperatures. Our technology can provide our CGT customers with significant shelf-life extension of biologic source material and final cell products, and can also greatly improve post-preservation cell and tissue viability and function. Our biopreservation media are serum-free, protein-free, fully defined, and manufactured under current Good Manufacturing Practices ("cGMP"). We strive to source wherever possible the highest available grade, Multi-compendial raw materials. Our US FDA Type II Master File applicable to our biopreservation products has been cross referenced over 690 times by our customers, and we believe our cell processing products are utilized in several hundred active clinical trials worldwide.
5
Table of Contents
Stability (i.e. shelf-life) and functional recovery are crucial aspects of academic research and clinical practice in the biopreservation of biologic-based source material, intermediate derivatives, and isolated/derived/expanded cellular products and therapies. Limited stability is especially critical in the CGT field, where harvested cells and tissues will lose viability over time if not maintained appropriately at normothermic body temperature (37oC) or stored in a hypothermic or cryogenic state in an effective preservation medium.
Chilling (hypothermia) is used to reduce metabolism and delay degradation of harvested cells and tissues. However, subjecting biologic material to hypothermic or cryogenic environments and subsequently rewarming them may also induce damaging molecular stress and structural changes. Although cooling successfully reduces metabolism (i.e., lowers demand for energy), various levels of cellular damage and death occur when using suboptimal methods. Biopreservation media can mitigate the damage from exposure to hypothermic or cryogenic temperatures and subsequent rewarming.
Traditional biopreservation media range from simple “balanced salt” (electrolyte) formulations to complex mixtures of electrolytes, energy substrates such as sugars, osmotic buffering agents, and antibiotics. The resulting limited stability from the use of these traditional biopreservation media formulations is a significant shortcoming that our optimized proprietary products address with great success.
Our scientific research activities over the last 20+ years enabled a detailed understanding of the molecular basis for the hypothermic and cryogenic (low-temperature induced) damage/destruction of cells through apoptosis and necrosis. This research led directly to the development of our HypoThermosol FRS and CryoStor technologies. Our proprietary biopreservation media products are specifically formulated to:
•Minimize cell and tissue swelling
•Reduce free radical levels upon formation
•Maintain appropriate low temperature ionic balances
•Provide regenerative, high-energy substrates to stimulate recovery upon warming
•Avoid the creation of an acidic state (acidosis)
•Inhibit the onset of apoptosis and necrosis
A key feature of our biopreservation media products is their “fully-defined” profile. All of our cGMP products are serum-free, protein-free and are formulated and filled using aseptic processing. We strive to use USP/Multi-compendial grade or the highest quality available synthetic components. All of these features benefit prospective customers by facilitating the qualification process required to incorporate our products into their regulatory filings.
Competing biopreservation media products are often formulated with isotonic media cocktails, animal serum, and potentially a single sugar or human protein. A key differentiator of our proprietary HypoThermosol FRS and CryoStor formulations is the engineered optimization of the key ionic component concentrations for low-temperature environments. This is in contrast to media optimized for normothermic body temperature (around 37°C), as found in culture media or saline-based isotonic formulas. While competing cryopreservation freeze media is often comprised of a single permeating cryoprotectant such as dimethyl sulfoxide (“DMSO”), our CryoStor formulations incorporate multiple permeating and non-permeating cryoprotectant agents, which allows for multiple mechanisms of protection and reduces the dependence on a single cryoprotectant. We believe that our products offer significant advantages over in-house ("home brew") formulations or commercial “generic” biopreservation media. These advantages include time savings, more consistent and higher quality of components, more rigorous quality control release testing, cost effectiveness, and improved preservation efficacy.
The results of independent testing demonstrate that our biopreservation media products significantly extend shelf-life and improve cell and tissue post-thaw viability and function. Our products have demonstrated improved biopreservation outcomes, including greatly extended shelf-life and post-thaw viability and yield across a broad array of cell and tissue types.
We estimate that annual revenue from each customer commercial application in which our products are used could range from $0.5 million to $2.0 million if such application is approved and our customer commences large scale commercial manufacturing of the biologic-based therapy.
Human platelet lysate media, cryogenic vials and automated cell-processing fill machines
In September 2021, we acquired Sexton Biotechnologies, Inc. (“Sexton”), a producer of bioproduction tools. Sexton's bioproduction tools portfolio includes human platelet lysates for cell expansion, which reduces risk and improves
6
Table of Contents
downstream performance over fetal bovine serum, human serum, and other chemically defined media, CellSeal® closed system vials that are purpose-built rigid containers used in CGT that can be filled manually or with high throughput systems, and automated cell processing machines that bring multiple processes traditionally performed by manual techniques under a higher level of control to protect therapies from loss or contamination.
For our Sexton vials and media, we estimate that annual revenue from each customer commercial application in which these products are used could also range from $0.5 million to $2.0 million, if such application is approved and our customer commences large scale commercial manufacturing of the biologic-based therapy.
Biostorage services
Biological and pharmaceutical storage and transport
We are a premier provider of biological and pharmaceutical storage and cold chain logistics. These services ensure that materials are kept at controlled, target temperatures from the moment they leave the customer’s premises to their ultimate return. Our state-of-the-art monitoring systems allow customers real time tracking of the storage temperatures of their materials throughout the logistics process.
We operate five storage facilities in the USA and one facility in the Netherlands.
Cloud connected “smart” shipping containers
We are a leading developer and supplier of next generation cold chain management tools for cell and gene therapies. Our cloud-connected shipping containers and evo.is cloud app allows biologic products to be traced and tracked in real time. Our evo platform consists of rentable cloud-connected shippers that include technologies enabling tracking software to provide customizable, real-time information on geolocation, payload temperature, ambient temperature, tilt of shipper, humidity, altitude, and alerts when a shipper has been opened. The evo Dry Vapor Shipper (“DVS”) is specifically marketed for use with cell and gene therapies. The evo DVS has several design improvements over traditional competing shipping containers, providing benefits such as extended thermal performance, reduced liquid nitrogen recharge time, improved payload extractors, and the ability to maintain temperature for longer periods if the shipper is tilted on its side.
We partner with couriers with established logistic channels and distribution centers. This strategy greatly reduces the time and resource requirements associated with establishing our own logistics services, such as acquiring and maintaining fleets of delivery vehicles and building specialized facilities around the world. Partnerships with multiple white glove couriers allow us to scale our sales and marketing efforts by leveraging couriers' existing channel relationships, as well as the ongoing efforts of their sales and service teams. Courier partners provide promotional efforts by marketing our evo platform to their existing cell and gene therapy customers as a cost-effective and innovative solution.
Freezers and thaw systems
Ultra-low temperature freezers
Our portfolio of ultra-low temperature freezers range in size from portable units to stationary upright freezers, accommodating a wide variety of use cases. Users can configure these freezers to achieve temperatures between -20°C and -86°C. The portfolio was designed to be environmentally friendly and energy efficient, using as little as 2.8 kWh/day at temperatures of -80°C. The freezers do not use compressor-based or cascade refrigeration systems. Instead, they use patented free-piston Stirling engine technology that uses fewer moving parts.
Cryogenic freezers and accessories
Our line of cryogenic freezers offer leading design and manufacture of state-of-the-art liquid nitrogen laboratory freezers, cryogenic equipment and accessories. Our Isothermal LN2 freezers are constructed with a patented system which stores liquid nitrogen in a jacketed space in the walls of the freezer. This dry storage method eliminates liquid nitrogen contact with stored specimens, reducing the risk of cross-contamination and providing increased user safety in a laboratory setting by limiting liquid nitrogen contact injuries. To accommodate customer requirements, we offer customizable features, including wide bodied and extended height models. Our high-capacity controlled rate freezers (“HCFR”) are designed for large volume storage with customizable freezing programs and the ability to monitor conditions in real time.
7
Table of Contents
To accompany the offerings of cryogenic freezer equipment, we supply equipment for storing critically important biological materials. This storage equipment includes upright freezer racks, chest freezer racks, liquid nitrogen freezer racks, canisters/cassettes and frames, as well as laboratory boxes and dividers. Due to our onsite design and manufacturing capabilities, racks and canisters can be customized to address customers’ varying requirements.
Automated thawing devices
The ThawSTAR® line includes thawing products that control the temperature and timing of the thawing process of biologic material. Our customizable, automated, water-free thawing products use algorithmic programmed heating plates to consistently bring biologic material from a frozen state to a liquid state in a controlled and consistent manner, helping reduce damage during the temperature transition while delivering critical process consistency across cell batches. Use of ThawSTAR products can also reduce risk of contamination versus using a traditional water bath.
Our market opportunity
The CGT market has been rapidly expanding, treating diseases once thought incurable. According to the Alliance for Regenerative Medicine (“ARM”), “2024 State of the Industry Briefing” there were approximately 1,900 ongoing clinical trials utilizing regenerative medicine at year-end 2023, with continued growth in CGT development companies throughout 2023. ARM also reported there was approximately $12 billion invested in the regenerative medicine market in 2023. In addition, ARM predicts up to 17 US and EU cell and gene therapy regulatory approvals may be granted during 2024.
The technologies developed within the CGT market change the ways physicians treat patients. The manufacturing, distribution and the delivery process of these therapies is significantly different from many other types of treatments. We believe we are well positioned to address many of the unique manufacturing challenges in the process of delivering cell and gene therapies.
The bioproduction process
Our various products and services currently integrate into several steps in our customers’ bioproduction workflow process for cell and gene therapies. See the diagram below for an illustration of this process and our product roles. We now offer products that integrate into the critical steps of preservation, thawing, and both fixed and transportable storage under controlled conditions.
Complementary products portfolio
Expanding Participation in Customers’ Workflow
8
Table of Contents
Our strategy
We are focused on the development, production, and commercialization of differentiated, best-in-class products and services that facilitate the manufacturing, delivery, and storage of cell and gene therapies and biologic materials. Our products are designed to increase our customers’ product yield and we are committed to supporting our customers with strong customer service and applications expertise.
We leverage our numerous relationships with leading cell and gene therapy companies that use our expanded offering of bioproduction tools and services to cross-sell other parts of the portfolio. Over the last several years, we have built a strong reputation as a trusted supplier of critical tools used in cell and gene therapy and biopharma manufacturing. We believe that our relationships and reputation could enable us to drive further incremental revenue growth through the sale of additional products to a captive customer base. Our products are designed to increase our customers’ product yield and functionality while reducing their risk, and we are committed to supporting our customers with strong service in addition to scientific and technical expertise in the applications of our products.
Business Operations
Research and development
Our research and development activities are focused on evaluating new, potentially disruptive technologies which may add value throughout the cell and gene therapy manufacturing and delivery workflow. We routinely assess and analyze the strengths and weaknesses of competitive and adjacent products, and are engaged in business development discussions on an ongoing basis. We strive to continue to anticipate customer needs in providing enabling technologies in the CGT space.
Sales and marketing
We market and sell our products through direct sales and third-party distribution. We have expanded our global commercial organization over time to continue building relationships within the broader CGT market.
We have experienced field-based sales employees who market our growing product portfolio on a direct basis. Our technical applications engineers and customer care support teams have extensive experience providing support both prior and subsequent to the sale of products.
Our products are also marketed and distributed by STEMCELL Technologies, MilliporeSigma, VWR, Avantor, Thermo Fisher, and several other regional distributors under non-exclusive agreements. In 2023, 2022, and 2021, sales to third-party distributors accounted for 49%, 50%, and 46% of our revenue, respectively.
During the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021, we derived approximately 16%, 18%, and 17% of our revenue from the same customer, respectively.
The following table represents the Company’s total revenue by geographic area (based on the location of the customer):
Years Ended December 31,
Europe, Middle East, Africa (EMEA) 16 % 16 % 11 %
Other 4 % 5 % 4 %
(1) During the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company updated its methodology for determining the country of origin for its sales. Sales are now recorded by shipping country rather than billing country. The Company updated the methodology retrospectively, adjusting the prior year presentation for all regions presented.
(2) The line item presented above previously bifurcated sales between the United States and Canada. Due to the updated methodology for determining the country of origin for sales, it was noted that Canada no longer was a material location to
9
Table of Contents
separately disclose. Canada sales have been included within the "Other" line item in the table above and United States sales has been retained as its own line item to more accurately reflect origin of sales for material regions.
Manufacturing
Cell processing – We maintain and operate two independent cGMP clean room production suites for manufacturing sterile biopreservation media products in Bothell, Washington. Our quality management system (“QMS”) in Bothell is certified to the ISO 13485:2016 standard. Our QMS takes guidance from applicable sections of 21 CFR Part 820 – Quality System Regulation for Good Manufacturing Practice of medical devices, 21 CFR Parts 210 and 211 – cGMP for Finished Pharmaceuticals, FDA Guidance – Sterile Drug Products, Volume 4, EU Guidelines Annex 1 – Manufacture of Sterile Medicinal Products, ISO 13408 – Aseptic Processing of Healthcare Products, and ISO 14644 – Clean Rooms and Associated Controlled Environments.
We also maintain and operate one cGMP clean room production suite for manufacturing hPL media in Indianapolis, Indiana. Our quality management system (“QMS”) in Indianapolis is certified to the ISO 9001:2015 standard. Our QMS takes guidance from applicable sections of 21 CFR Part 820 – Quality System Regulation for Good Manufacturing Practice of medical devices, 21 CFR Parts 210 and 211 – cGMP for Finished Pharmaceuticals, Volume 4, EU Guidelines Annex 2 – Manufacture of Biological active substances and Medicinal Products for Human Use and ISO 14644 – Clean Rooms and Associated Controlled Environments.
We seek to manage single-source supplier risk by regularly assessing the quality and capacity of our suppliers, implementing supply and quality agreements where appropriate, and actively managing lead times and inventory levels of sourced components. Pursuant to our supply agreements, we are required to notify customers of any changes to our raw materials. For certain components without a secondary supplier, we estimate that it would take up to six months to find and qualify a second source. Order quantities and lead times for externally sourced components are based on our forecasts, which are derived from historical demand and anticipated future demand. Lead times for components may vary depending on the size of the order, specific supplier requirements, and current market demand for the materials and parts.
We practice continuous improvement based on routine internal audits through our own monitoring of process outputs, external feedback, and audits performed by our partners and customers. In addition, we maintain a business continuity management system that focuses on key areas such as contingency planning, safety stocks and off-site storage of raw materials and finished goods to ensure continuous supply of our products.
Freezers and thaw systems –Ultra-low temperature (“ULT”) freezers are produced in our facilities in Athens, Ohio. As of the second quarter in 2023, we fully transitioned two freezer product lines under our ULT manufacturing operations from a contract manufacturing organization ("CMO") in Ohio to in-house production within the Athens, Ohio facility.
The majority of our isothermal LN2 freezers and related accessories are manufactured in our facility in Bruce Township, Michigan. We are reliant on certain critical suppliers for some components. To date, we have not experienced significant difficulties in obtaining raw materials for the manufacture of our LN2 freezers and related accessories.
Our ThawSTAR automated, water-free thawing products are produced by a CMO based in the United States. We believe this CMO has the skills, experience and capacity needed to meet our quality standards and demand expectations for the product line. We estimate that it would take up to six months to find and qualify an alternative CMO. To date, we have not experienced significant difficulties in obtaining our automated thaw products from our CMO.
Biostorage services –Production of our evo cold chain management hardware products is performed by external CMOs and by personnel in our Bruce Township, Michigan facility. As of the year-ended December 31, 2023, we fully transitioned our manufacturing operations from Albuquerque, New Mexico to our facility in Bruce Township, Michigan. We leased a new, smaller facility in Albuquerque, New Mexico to retain engineering and administrative operations personnel. Our QMS is certified to the ISO 9001:2015 standard.
SciSafe operates five cGMP compliant storage facilities in the United States and one facility in the Netherlands, which is registered with the European Regulatory body in Netherlands (IGJ) for Good Distribution of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients. One facility in the United States is certified to the ISO 20387:2018 standard, and all facilities, both in the United States and the Netherlands, are certified to the ISO 9001:2015 standard. We rely on outside suppliers for the build-out of our cold-storage chambers and stand-alone freezers.
10
Table of Contents
Supply chain constraints - Our domestic and international supply chain operations were affected during the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2022 by the global COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting volatility and uncertainty it caused in the U.S. and international markets. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic caused supply chains globally to become constrained, and these constraints historically impacted our business through both increased difficulty in obtaining semiconductor chips and increased pricing on available parts across our product lines during the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2022. However, during the year ended December 31, 2023, both availability and pricing of semiconductor chips have improved and no longer pose constraints on our supply chain. We currently have sufficient supply for electrical component parts within our operations and do not foresee constraints to return over our supply chain.
Product regulatory status
Our products are not subject to any specific United States Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) or other international marketing regulations for drugs, devices, or biologics. We are not required to sponsor formal prospective, controlled clinical trials in order to establish safety and efficacy. However, to support our current and prospective clinical customers, we manufacture and release our products in compliance with cGMP and other relevant quality standards.
To assist customers with their regulatory applications, we maintain Type II Master Files at the FDA for CryoStor, HypoThermosol FRS, BloodStor 27, Stemulate, nLiven PR, T-Liven PR, CellSeal Closed System Cryogenic Vials, and our Cell Thawing Media products, which provide the FDA with information regarding our manufacturing facility and process, our quality system, stability and safety, and any additional testing that has been performed. Customers engaged in clinical and commercial applications may notify the FDA of their intention to use our products in their product development and manufacturing process by requesting a cross-reference to our master files.
A group of isothermal, standard, and carousel LN2 freezers in our freezers and thaw systems product line is currently regulated as Class 2 medical devices in the EU.
Intellectual property
The following table lists our granted and pending patents. We have also obtained certain trademarks and tradenames for our products to distinguish our genuine products from our competitors’ products and we maintain certain details about our processes, products, and strategies as trade secrets. While we believe that the protection of patents and trademarks is important to our business, we also rely on a combination of trade secrets, nondisclosure and confidentiality agreements, scientific expertise, and continuing technological innovation to maintain our competitive position. Despite these precautions, it may be possible for unauthorized third parties to copy certain aspects of our products and/or to obtain and use information that we regard as proprietary (see “Item 1A. Risk Factors” of this Annual Report for additional details). The laws of some foreign countries in which we sell our products do not protect our proprietary rights to the same extent as do the laws of the United States.
Issued Patents Patents Applied For Registered Trademarks
Freezers and thaw systems 85 71 25
Biostorage services 13 33 6
Competition
Our bioproduction products and services compete on the basis of value proposition, performance, quality, cost effectiveness, and application suitability with numerous established technologies. Additional products using new technologies that may be competitive with our products may also be introduced. Many of the companies selling or developing competitive products have greater financial and human resources, R&D, manufacturing and marketing experience than we do. They may undertake their own development of products that are substantially similar to or compete with our products, and they may succeed in developing products that are more effective or less costly than any that we may develop. These competitors may also prove to be more successful in their production, marketing and commercialization activities. We cannot be certain that the research, development and commercialization efforts of our competitors will not render any of our existing or potential products obsolete.
11
Table of Contents
Human capital
We view our employees and our culture as key to our success. As of December 31, 2023, we had 409 full time employees and 5 part-time employees. Our employees are not covered by any collective bargaining agreement. We consider relations with our employees to be good.
Since March 2020, we have operated with a flexible work environment in which positions not essential to being on-site may embrace hybrid ways of working. Overall, we aim to preserve the flexibility offered by hybrid work arrangements while offering our employees a healthy, supportive, and inclusive environment that supports their development, provides connection, and propels team and individual performance.
Corporate history
We were incorporated in Delaware in 1987 under the name Trans Time Medical Products, Inc. In 2002, the Company, then known as Cryomedical Sciences, Inc. was engaged in manufacturing and marketing cryosurgical products. The entity was merged with our wholly owned subsidiary, BioLife Solutions, Inc., which was engaged as a developer and marketer of biopreservation media products for cells and tissues. Following the merger, we changed our name to BioLife Solutions, Inc.
Principal offices; available information
Our principal executive offices are located at 3303 Monte Villa Parkway, Suite 310, Bothell, Washington 98021 and the telephone number is (425) 402-1400. We maintain a website at www.biolifesolutions.com. The information contained on or accessible through our website is not part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K and is not incorporated in any manner into this Annual Report. Our Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K and amendments to reports filed or furnished pursuant to Sections 13(a) and 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”), are available free of charge on our website as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such reports with, or furnish those reports to, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). The SEC also maintains an Internet site that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC at http://www.sec.gov.
12
Table of Contents
ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
Investing in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider the risks and uncertainties described below, together with all of the other information contained in this Annual Report, before deciding to invest in our common stock. If any of the following risks materialize, our business, financial condition, results of operation and prospects will likely be materially and adversely affected. In that event, the market price of our common stock could decline and you could lose all or part of your investment.
Risks related to our financial condition
Despite our increasingly diversified customer base, we depend on a limited number of customers and products in a limited number of market sectors. If we lose any of these large customers or if there are disruptions in the sales of these products, our net product revenue and operating results could decline significantly.
During the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021, we derived approximately 16%, 18%, and 17% of our revenue from the same customer, respectively. No other customer accounted for more than 10% of revenue in the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021. In the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021, we derived approximately 39%, 36%, and 33% of our revenue from CryoStor products, respectively. Additionally, during the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, we derived approximately 19%, 22% and 22% of our revenues from our 780XLE freezers, respectively. Our principal customers may vary from period to period and such customers may not continue to purchase products from us at current levels or at all. Further, the inability of some of our customers to consummate anticipated purchases of our products due to changes in end-user demand, and other unpredictable factors that may affect customer ordering patterns could lead to significant reductions in net product revenue which could harm our business.
We expect our operating results to fluctuate significantly from period to period.
Our revenue, operating margins and other operating results have varied significantly in the past and may continue to fluctuate from period to period in the future due to a variety of factors, many of which are beyond our control. Factors relating to our business that may contribute to these fluctuations include changes in customer demand, pricing pressures applicable to our products, the length of our sales cycles, supply chain and inventory management, changes in competitive conditions, including the introduction of new products and enhancements by our competitors, among other factors described elsewhere in this Annual Report. In addition, following our acquisitions from 2019 through 2021, we have increased our fixed costs and now sell products having higher costs of product revenue than our biopreservation media products. We expect that the result of these acquisitions and subsequent operational decisions regarding the businesses acquired will make it more difficult to predict our revenue and operating results from period-to-period and that, as a result, comparisons of our results of operations are not currently and will not be for the foreseeable future a good indicator of our future performance. For example, if revenue declines in a quarter, whether due to a delay in recognizing expected revenue, adverse economic conditions, supply chain issues or otherwise, our results of operations in such period will be harmed because many of our expenses are now relatively fixed. In particular, a large portion of our manufacturing costs, research and development expenses, sales and marketing expenses and general and administrative expenses are not significantly affected by variations in revenue. Further, a shift in product revenue concentration away from our CryoStor products and towards other developing products with higher costs of product revenue will adversely affect our operating margin. If our quarterly operating results fail to meet expectations of investors or research analysts, the price of our common stock may decline.
We have announced that we intend to divest our Freezer Business. The failure to complete such divestiture on favorable terms or at all, or the pursuit of such divestiture, could adversely affect our businesses, results of operations and financial condition.
Subsequent to the second quarter of 2023, we began to actively seek divestment of our Freezer Business to optimize the performance of our product portfolio. Although we are diligently pursuing a sale of the Freezer Business, no potential buyer has yet committed to purchasing the business and we have not yet entered into any agreement for the sale of such business. We may not be successful in selling our Freezer Business in a timely manner, if at all, or may do so on terms that are less favorable than we currently anticipate. If the Freezer Business is not sold as an ongoing business, we may have to liquidate those assets and incur substantial costs to shut down those operations. In addition, we have already recorded impairment charges over the property and equipment and definitive-lived intangible assets of the Freezer Business, as reflected in our consolidated financial statements. See Note 2: Impairment of property and equipment and definite-lived intangible assets, to our consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for more information. If the Freezer Business is sold, it is possible that the net proceeds from the sale could be less than its current
13
Table of Contents
carrying value on our books, which would require us to take an additional impairment charge against our earnings in the amount of the difference, which could be significant. Moreover, the announcement and conduct of the divestiture process could cause disruptions in, and create uncertainty surrounding, our Freezer Business, including affecting relationships with its existing and future customers, suppliers and employees, which could have an adverse effect on the Freezer Business’s operations and financial condition, potentially making it more difficult to successfully complete a transaction on favorable terms. The divestiture process may also divert our management’s attention from overseeing and exploring opportunities that may be beneficial to our other businesses and operations. If we are unable to complete a divestiture of our Freezer Business on favorable terms or at all, we may suffer negative publicity, and our business, results of operations, and financial condition may be adversely affected and the price of our common stock may decline.
Risks related to our acquisition strategy
If intangible assets and goodwill that we recorded in connection with our acquisitions become impaired, we may have to take significant charges against earnings.
In connection with the accounting for our completed acquisitions in recent years, we recorded a significant amount of intangible assets, including developed technology, in-process research and development, and customer relationships relating to the acquired product lines, and goodwill. As of December 31, 2023, the net carrying value of our goodwill and other intangible assets totaled $245.9 million. Under generally accepted accounting principles in the United States, we must assess, at least annually and potentially more frequently, whether the value of indefinite-lived intangible assets and goodwill have been impaired. Intangible assets and goodwill are assessed for impairment in the event of an impairment indicator, as was the case in the third quarter of 2023 when we began to actively seek divestment of our GCI and CBS freezer product lines (the “Freezer Business”). The announcement, coupled with broader economic uncertainty leading to reductions in spending across the biopharma industry and our customer base constituted interim triggering events that required further analysis with respect to potential impairment to goodwill, indefinite-lived intangibles, and our long-lived asset groups. As a result of the interim quantitative impairment analysis performed, we recorded a $5.8 million non-cash impairment charge over definite-lived intangible assets reflected in our consolidated statements of operations. Any future reduction or impairment of the value of intangible assets and goodwill will result in a charge against earnings, which could materially adversely affect our results of operations and shareholders’ equity in future periods.
Our acquisitions expose us to risks that could adversely affect our business, and we may not achieve the anticipated benefits of acquisitions of businesses or technologies.
As a part of our growth strategy, we have made, and may continue to make, selected acquisitions of complementary products and/or businesses. Any acquisition involves numerous risks and operational, financial, and managerial challenges, including the following, any of which could adversely affect our business, financial condition, or results of operations:
•difficulties in integrating new operations, technologies, products, and personnel;
•problems maintaining uniform procedures, controls, and policies with respect to our financial accounting systems;
•lack of synergies or the inability to realize expected synergies and cost-savings;
•difficulties in managing geographically dispersed operations, including risks associated with entering foreign markets in which we have no or limited prior experience;
•underperformance of any acquired technology, product, or business relative to our expectations and the price we paid;
•negative near-term impacts on financial results after an acquisition, including acquisition-related earnings charges;
•the potential loss of key employees, customers, and strategic partners of acquired companies;
•claims by terminated employees and shareholders of acquired companies or other third parties related to the transaction;
•the assumption or incurrence of additional debt obligations or expenses, or use of substantial portions of our cash;
•diversion of management’s attention and company resources from existing operations of the business;
•inconsistencies in standards, controls, procedures, and policies;
•cash expenses and non-cash accounting charges incurred in connection with acquisitions, including unanticipated costs associated with the amortization of intangible assets;
•the impairment of intangible assets as a result of technological advancements, or worse-than-expected performance of acquired companies;
14
Table of Contents
•assumption of, or exposure to, historical liabilities of the acquired business, including unknown contingent or similar liabilities, including product liability, that are difficult to identify or accurately quantify; and
•risks associated with acquiring intellectual property, including potential disputes regarding acquired companies’ intellectual property.
In addition, the successful integration of acquired businesses requires significant efforts and expense across all operational areas, including sales and marketing, research and development, manufacturing, finance, legal, and information technologies. Our acquisitions we may not be successful or may not be, or remain, profitable. Our failure to successfully address the foregoing risks may prevent us from achieving the anticipated benefits from any acquisition in a reasonable time frame, or at all.
Our recent acquisitions may result in unexpected consequences to our business and results of operations.
Although we believe that our acquired product lines will generally be subject to risks similar to those to which we are subject to in our existing operations, we may not have discovered all risks applicable to these businesses during the due diligence process. Some of these risks could produce unexpected and unwanted consequences for us. Undiscovered risks may result in us incurring financial liabilities, which could be material and have a negative impact on our business operations.
We may engage in future acquisitions or other strategic transactions which may require us to seek additional financing or financial commitments, increase our expenses and/or present significant distractions to our management.
We continue to actively evaluate opportunities and consider other strategic transactions to grow our portfolio of bioproduction tools and services for the cell and gene therapy and broader biopharma markets. In the event we engage in an acquisition or strategic transaction, including by making an investment in another company, we may need to acquire additional financing. Obtaining financing through the issuance or sale of additional equity and/or debt securities, if possible, may not be at favorable terms and may result in additional dilution to our current stockholders (which in the case of certain of our prior acquisitions were significant). We also may be unable to issue our equity to finance or as consideration for any acquisition if the price of our common stock decreases or is volatile. Additionally, any such transaction may require us to incur non-recurring or other charges, may increase our near and long-term expenditures and may pose significant integration challenges or disrupt our management or business, which could adversely affect our operations and financial results. For example, an acquisition or strategic transaction may entail numerous operational and financial risks, including the risks outlined above and additionally:
•exposure to unknown financial or product liabilities;
•disruption of our business and diversion of our management's time and attention in order to negotiate and close on such transaction or develop acquired products or technologies;
•higher than expected acquisition and integration costs;
•write-downs of assets or goodwill or impairment charges;
•increased amortization expenses;
•difficulty and cost in combining the operations and personnel of any acquired businesses with our operations and personnel;
•impairment of relationships with key suppliers or customers of any acquired businesses due to changes in management and ownership; and
•inability to retain key employees of any acquired businesses.
Accordingly, any transactions that we complete could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition, and prospects.
Risks related to our business and operations
Healthcare reform measures could adversely affect our business and financial results.
The efforts of governmental and third-party payors to contain or reduce the costs of healthcare and, more generally, to reform the U.S. healthcare system may adversely affect the business and financial condition of pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, including ours. Specifically, in both the United States and some foreign jurisdictions, there have been a number of legislative and regulatory proposals to change the healthcare system in ways that could affect our ability to sell our products profitably, including by limiting the prices we are able to charge for our products, the amounts of reimbursement available for our products or the acceptance and availability of our products. Efforts by governments and
15
Table of Contents
other third-party payors to contain or reduce the costs of healthcare through various means may limit our commercial opportunities and adversely affect our operating results and result in a decrease in the price of our common stock or limit our ability to raise capital.
If our products or the products of our competitors do not perform as expected or the reliability of the technology on which our products are based is questioned, we could experience lost revenue, delayed or reduced market acceptance of our products, increased costs, and damage to our reputation.
Our success depends on the market’s confidence that we can provide reliable, high-quality products to our customers. We believe that customers in our target markets are likely to be particularly sensitive to product defects and errors. Our reputation and the public image of our products and technologies may be impaired if our products or similar products of our competitors fail to perform as expected. In the future, if our products experience, or are perceived to experience, a material defect or error, this could result in loss or delay of revenues, delayed or reduced market acceptance, damage to our reputation, diversion of development resources, legal claims, increased insurance costs or increased service and warranty costs, any of which could harm our business, financial condition or results of operations. Such defects or errors could also narrow the scope of the use of our products, which could hinder our success in the market. Even after any underlying concerns or problems are resolved, any lingering concerns in our target market regarding our technology or any manufacturing defects or performance errors in our products could continue to result in lost revenue, delayed or reduced market acceptance, damage to our reputation, increased service and warranty costs and claims against us.
We operate in a highly competitive industry and if we cannot compete effectively, our business, financial condition and operating results could be materially and adversely affected.
The life sciences industry is highly competitive and subject to rapid technological change. We anticipate that we will continue to face increased competition as existing companies may choose to develop new or improved products and as new companies enter the market with new technologies, any of which could compete with our products or even render our products obsolete. Many of our competitors are significantly larger than us and have greater financial, technical, research, marketing, sales, distribution and other resources than usand may have longer operating histories. These companies may develop technologies that are superior alternatives to our products or may be more effective at commercializing and marketing their technologies in products. We may need to improve our existing technologies or develop new technologies for our products to remain competitive. Our future success depends on our ability to compete effectively against current technologies, as well as to respond effectively to technological advances by developing and marketing products that are competitive in the continually changing technological landscape. Our competitors may succeed in developing or marketing technologies and products that are more effective or commercially attractive than any that are being developed or marketed by us, or may succeed in obtaining regulatory approval, or introducing or commercializing any such products, prior to us. Such developments could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Also, even if we can compete successfully, we may not continue do so in a profitable manner.
We depend on outside suppliers for all our manufacturing supplies, parts and components.
We rely on outside suppliers, including several single-source suppliers, for all our manufacturing supplies, parts and components. There can be no assurance that, in the future, our current or alternative sources for manufacturing supplies will be able to meet all our demands on a timely basis. Unavailability of necessary components could require us to re-engineer our products to accommodate available substitutions, which could increase costs to us and/or have a material adverse effect on manufacturing schedules, products performance and market acceptance. In addition, an uncorrected defect or supplier’s variation in a component or raw material, either unknown to us or incompatible with our manufacturing process, could harm our ability to manufacture products. We might not be able to find a sufficient alternative supplier in a reasonable amount of time, or on commercially reasonable terms, if at all. If we fail to obtain an alternative supplier for the components of our products, our operations could be disrupted.
Our success will depend on our ability to attract and retain key personnel.
In order to execute our business plan, we must attract, retain and motivate highly qualified managerial, scientific, manufacturing, and sales personnel. If we fail to attract and retain skilled scientific and sales personnel, our sales efforts will be hindered. Our future success depends to a significant degree upon the continued services of key scientific and technical personnel. If we do not attract and retain qualified personnel, we will not be able to achieve our growth objectives.
16
Table of Contents
Difficulties in manufacturing could have an adverse effect upon our expenses and our product revenues.
We currently manufacture all of our biopreservation media products, freezer products and related components. We currently outsource the manufacturing of certain thaw products, certain cold chain products, two ULT freezer models, and components of our LN2 freezers. The manufacturing of our products is difficult and complex. To support our current and prospective clinical customers, we comply with, and intend to continue to comply with, cGMP in the manufacture of our products. Our ability to adequately manufacture and supply our products in a timely matter is dependent on the uninterrupted and efficient operation of our facilities and those of third partiesmanufacturing certain of our products or producing raw materials and supplies upon which we rely in our manufacturing. The manufacture of our products may be impacted by:
•availability or contamination of raw materials and components used in the manufacturing process, particularly those for which we have no other source or supplier;
•the ongoing capacity of our facilities and those of our outside manufacturers;
•our and our outside manufacturers’ ability to comply with existing and new regulatory requirements, including cGMP;
•inclement weather and natural disasters;
•changes in forecasts of future demand for product components;
•potential facility contamination by microorganisms or viruses;
•updating of manufacturing specifications;
•product quality success rates and yields;
•labor strike; and
•global viruses and pandemics, including COVID-19.
If efficient manufacture and supply of our products is interrupted, we may experience delayed shipments or supply constraints. If we are at any time unable to provide an uninterrupted supply of our products to customers, our customers may be unable to supply their end-products incorporating our products to their patients and other customers, which could materially and adversely affect our product revenue and results of operations. In addition, if we are unable to procure a component from one of our outside manufacturers, we may be required to enter into arrangements with one or more alternative manufacturing companies, which may cause delays in producing components or result in significant increase in expenses.
While we are not currently subject to FDA or other regulatory approvals on substantially all of our products, if our products become subject to regulatory requirements, the manufacture and sale of our products may be delayed or prevented, or we may become subject to increased expenses.
None of our products are subject to FDA regulation. In particular, we are not required to sponsor formal prospective, controlled clinical-trials to establish safety and efficacy. A group of isothermal, standard, and carousel LN2 freezers in our freezers and thaw systems product line is currently regulated as Class 2 medical devices in the EU. Additionally, we comply with cGMP requirements and other relevant quality standards. This is done solely to support our current and prospective clinical customers. However, there can be no assurance that we will not be required to obtain approval from the FDA, or foreign regulatory authorities, as applicable, prior to marketing any of our products in the future. Any such requirements could delay or prevent the sale of our products or may subject us to additional expenses.
Our business may be subject to product liability claims or product recalls, which could be expensive and could result in a diversion of management’s attention.
Our business exposes us to potential product liability risks that are inherent in designing, manufacturing, and marketing our products. In particular, we are a supplier of bioproduction tools to the cell and gene therapy industry. Our products are used in basic and applied research, and commercial manufacturing of biologic-based therapies. Customers use our products to maintain the health and function of biologic material during sourcing, manufacturing, storage, and distribution of cells and tissues, and component failures, manufacturing flaws, design defects or inadequate disclosure of product-related risks with respect to these or other products we manufacture or sell could result in an unsafe condition or injury. As a result, we face an inherent risk of damage to our reputation if one or more of our products are, or are alleged to be, defective. We may be exposed to risks from product liability and warranty claims in the event that our products actually or allegedly fail to perform as expected or the use of our products results, or is alleged to result, in bodily injury and/or property damage. The outcome of litigation, particularly any class-action lawsuits, is difficult to quantify. Plaintiffs often seek recovery of very large or indeterminate amounts, including punitive damages. The magnitude of the potential losses relating to these lawsuits may remain unknown for substantial periods of time and the cost to defend against any such litigation, whether or not we are found liable, may be significant. Accordingly, we could experience product liability losses in the future and
17
Table of Contents
incur significant costs to defend these claims. While we maintain product liability insurance coverage, which we deem to be adequate based on historical experience, there can be no assurance that coverage will be available for such risks in the future or that, if available, it would prove sufficient to cover potential claims or that the present amount of insurance can be maintained in force at an acceptable cost to us.
In addition, if any of our products are, or are alleged to be, defective, we may voluntarily participate, or be required by applicable regulators, to participate in a recall of that product if the defect or the alleged defect relates to safety. In the event of a recall, we may experience lost sales and be exposed to individual or class-action litigation claims and reputational risk. Product liability, warranty and recall costs may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Insurance coverage is increasingly difficult to obtain or maintain.
While we currently maintain product liability insurance, directors’ and officers’ liability insurance, general liability insurance, and other types of insurance, first- and third-party insurance is increasingly more costly and narrower in scope, and we may be required to assume more risk in the future. If we are subject to third-party claims or suffer a loss or damage in excess of our insurance coverage, we may be required to share that risk in excess of our insurance limits. Furthermore, any first- or third-party claims made on our insurance policies may impact our future ability to obtain or maintain product liability insurance coverage at reasonable costs, if at all.
We are and may become the subject of various claims, litigation or investigations which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, or results of operations or the price of our common stock.
We are and may become subject to various claims (including “whistleblower” complaints), litigation or investigations, including commercial disputes and employee claims, and from time to time may be involved in governmental or regulatory investigations or similar matters. Some of these claims may relate to the activities of businesses that we have acquired, even though these activities may have occurred prior to our acquisition of such businesses. Any claims asserted against us or our management, regardless of merit or eventual outcome, could harm our reputation, distract our management and have an adverse impact on our relationship with our existing or prospective clients, distribution partners and other third-parties and could lead to additional related claims. Furthermore, there is no guarantee that we will be successful in defending ourselves in pending or future litigation or similar matters under various laws. Any judgments or settlements in any pending litigation or future claims, litigation or investigation could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, or results of operations or the price of our common stock.
Risks related to our intellectual property and cyber security
Expiration of our patents may subject us to increased competition and reduce our opportunity to generate product revenue.
The patents for our products have varying expiration dates and, when these patents expire, we may be subject to increased competition and we may not be able to recover our development costs. In some of the larger economic territories, such as the United States and Europe, patent term extension/restoration may be available. We cannot, however, be certain that an extension will be granted or, if granted, what the applicable time or the scope of patent protection afforded during any extended period will be. If we are unable to obtain patent term extension/restoration or some other exclusivity, we could be subject to increased competition and our opportunity to establish or maintain product revenue could be substantially reduced or eliminated. Furthermore, we may not have sufficient time to recover our development costs prior to the expiration of our U.S. and non-U.S. patents.
Our proprietary rights may not adequately protect our technologies and products.
Our commercial success will depend on our ability to obtain patents and/or regulatory exclusivity and maintain adequate protection for our technologies and products in the United States and other countries. We will be able to protect our proprietary rights from unauthorized use by third-parties only to the extent that our proprietary technologies and products are covered by valid and enforceable patents or are effectively maintained as trade secrets.
We intend to apply for additional patents covering both our technologies and products, as we deem appropriate. We may, however, fail to apply for patents on important technologies or products in a timely fashion, if at all. Our existing patents and any future patents we obtain may not be sufficiently broad to prevent others from practicing our technologies or from developing competing products and technologies. In addition, the patent positions of life science industry companies are
18
Table of Contents
highly uncertain and involve complex legal and factual questions for which important legal principles remain unresolved. As a result, the validity and enforceability of our patents cannot be predicted with certainty. In addition, we cannot guarantee that:
•we were the first to make the inventions covered by each of our issued patents and pending patent applications;
•we were the first to file patent applications for these inventions;
•others will not independently develop similar or alternative technologies or duplicate any of our technologies;
•any of our pending patent applications will result in issued patents;
•any of our patents will be valid or enforceable;
•any patents issued to us will provide us with any competitive advantages, or will not be challenged by third parties; and
•we will develop additional proprietary technologies that are patentable, or the patents of others will not have an adverse effect on our business.
The actual protection afforded by a patent varies on a product-by-product basis, from country to country and depends on many factors, including the type of patent, the scope of its coverage, the availability of regulatory related extensions, the availability of legal remedies in a particular country and the validity and enforceability of the patents. Our ability to maintain and solidify our proprietary position for our products will depend on our success in obtaining effective claims and enforcing those claims once granted. Our issued patents and those that may be issued in the future, or those licensed to us, may be challenged, invalidated, unenforceable or circumvented, and the rights granted under any issued patents may not provide us with proprietary protection or competitive advantages against competitors with similar products. We also rely on trade secrets to protect some of our technology, especially where it is believed that patent protection is inappropriate or unobtainable. However, trade secrets are difficult to maintain. While we use reasonable efforts to protect our trade secrets, our employees, consultants, contractors, or scientific and other advisors may unintentionally or willfully disclose our proprietary information to competitors. Enforcement of claims that a third party has illegally obtained and is using trade secrets is expensive, time consuming and uncertain. In addition, non-U.S. courts are sometimes less willing than U.S. courts to protect trade secrets. If our competitors independently develop equivalent knowledge, methods, and know-how, we would not be able to assert our trade secrets against them and our business could be harmed.
We may not be able to protect our intellectual property rights throughout the world.
Filing, prosecuting, and defending patents on all our products in every jurisdiction would be prohibitively expensive. Competitors may use our technologies in jurisdictions where we have not obtained patent protection to develop their own products. These products may compete with our products and may not be covered by any patent claims or other intellectual property rights.
The laws of some non-U.S. countries do not protect intellectual property rights to the same extent as the laws of the United States, and many companies have encountered significant problems in protecting and defending such rights in foreign jurisdictions. The legal systems of certain countries, particularly certain developing countries, do not favor the enforcement of patents and other intellectual property protection, particularly those relating to biotechnology, which could make it difficult for us to stop the infringement of our patents. Proceedings to enforce our patent rights in foreign jurisdictions could result in substantial cost and divert our efforts and attention from other aspects of our business.
If we fail to protect our intellectual property rights, our competitors may take advantage of our ideas and compete directly against us.
Our success will depend to a significant degree on our ability to secure and protect intellectual property rights and enforce patent and trademark protections relating to our technology. While we believe that the protection of patents and trademarks is important to our business, we also rely on a combination of copyright, trade secret, nondisclosure and confidentiality agreements, know-how and continuing technological innovation to maintain our competitive position. From time to time, litigation may be advisable to protect our intellectual property position. However, these legal means afford only limited protection and may not adequately protect our rights or permit us to gain or keep any competitive advantage. Any litigation in this regard could be costly, and it is possible that we will not have sufficient resources to fully pursue litigation or to protect our intellectual property rights. This could result in the rejection or invalidation of our existing and future patents. Any adverse outcome in litigation relating to the validity of our patents, or any failure to pursue litigation or otherwise to protect our patent position, could materially harm our business and financial condition. In addition, confidentiality
19
Table of Contents
agreements with our employees, consultants, customers, and key vendors may not prevent the unauthorized disclosure or use of our technology. It is possible that these agreements will be breached or that they will not be enforceable in every instance, and that we will not have adequate remedies for any such breach. Enforcement of these agreements may be costly and time consuming.
We may incur substantial costs as a result of litigation or other proceedings relating to patent and other intellectual property rights, and we may be unable to protect our rights to, or use of, our technology.
If we choose to go to court to stop someone else from using the inventions claimed in our patents or our licensed patents, that individual or company has the right to ask the court to rule that these patents are invalid and/or should not be enforced against that third party. These lawsuits are expensive and would consume time and other resources even if we were successful in stopping the infringement of these patents. In addition, there is a risk that the court will decide that these patents are invalid or unenforceable and that we do not have the right to stop the other party from using the inventions. There is also the risk that, even if the validity or enforceability of these patents is upheld, the court will refuse to stop the other party on the grounds that such other party’s activities do not infringe our rights.
If we wish to use the technology claimed in issued and unexpired patents owned by others, we will need to obtain a license from the owner, enter into litigation to challenge the validity or enforceability of the patents or incur the risk of litigation in the event that the owner asserts that we infringed its patents. The failure to obtain a license to technology or the failure to challenge an issued patent that we may require to discover, develop or commercialize our products may have a material adverse effect on us.
If a third party asserts that we infringed its patents or other proprietary rights, we could face a number of risks that could seriously harm our results of operations, financial condition and competitive position, including:
•patent infringement and other intellectual property claims, which would be costly and time consuming to defend, whether or not the claims have merit, and which could delay a product and divert management’s attention from our business;
•substantial damages for past infringement, which we may have to pay if a court determines that our product or technologies infringe a competitor’s patent or other proprietary rights;
•a court prohibiting us from selling or licensing our technologies unless the third party licenses its patents or other proprietary rights to us on commercially reasonable terms, which it is not required to do; and
•if a license is available from a third party, we may have to pay substantial royalties or lump-sum payments or grant cross licenses to our patents or other proprietary rights to obtain that license.
The biotechnology industry has produced a proliferation of patents, and it is not always clear to industry participants, including us, which patents cover various types of products or methods of use. The coverage of patents is subject to interpretation by the courts, and the interpretation is not always uniform. If we are sued for patent infringement, we would need to demonstrate that our products or methods of use either do not infringe the patent claims of the relevant patent, and/or that the patent claims are invalid, and/or that the patent is unenforceable, and we may not be able to do this. Proving invalidity, in particular, is difficult since it requires a showing of clear and convincing evidence to overcome the presumption of validity enjoyed by issued patents.
U.S. patent laws as well as the laws of some foreign jurisdictions provide for provisional rights in published patent applications beginning on the date of publication, including the right to obtain reasonable royalties, if a patent subsequently issues and certain other conditions are met.
Because some patent applications in the United States may be maintained in secrecy until the patents are issued, because patent applications in the United States and many foreign jurisdictions are typically not published until 18 months after filing, and because publications in the scientific literature often lag behind actual discoveries, we cannot be certain that others have not filed patent applications for technology covered by our issued patents or our pending applications, or that we were the first to invent the technology.
Patent applications filed by third parties that cover technology similar to ours may have priority over our patent applications and could further require us to obtain rights to issued patents covering such technologies. If another party files a U.S. patent application on an invention similar to ours, we may elect to participate in or be drawn into an interference proceeding declared by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to determine priority of invention in the United States. The costs of these proceedings could be substantial, and it is possible that such efforts would be unsuccessful, resulting in a loss
20
Table of Contents
of our U.S. patent position with respect to such inventions. Some of our competitors may be able to sustain the costs of complex patent litigation more effectively than we can because they have substantially greater resources. In addition, any uncertainties resulting from the initiation and continuation of any litigation could have a material adverse effect on our ability to raise the funds necessary to continue our operations. We cannot predict whether third parties will assert these claims against us, or whether those claims will harm our business. If we are forced to defend against these claims, whether they are with or without any merit and whether they are resolved in favor of or against us, we may face costly litigation and diversion of management’s attention and resources. As a result of these disputes, we may have to develop costly non-infringing technology, or enter into licensing agreements. These agreements, if necessary, may be unavailable on terms acceptable to us, if at all, which could seriously harm our business or financial condition.
Our inability to protect our systems and data from continually evolving cybersecurity risks or other technological risks, including as a result of breaches of our associated third parties' information technology systems, could affect our ability to conduct our business.
In conducting our business, we process, transmit and store sensitive, proprietary and confidential information about our employees, customers, vendors, and other parties, including business and personal information. This information may include account access credentials, credit and debit card numbers, bank account numbers, social security numbers, driver’s license numbers, names and addresses and other types of sensitive business or personal information. Some of this information is also processed and stored by our third-party service providers to whom we outsource certain functions and other agents, including our customers, which we refer to collectively as our associated third parties.
We are a regular target of malicious third-party attempts, some of which have been successful, to identify and exploit system vulnerabilities and/or penetrate or bypass our security measures in order to gain unauthorized access to our networks and systems or those of our associated third parties. Such access has led and could lead in the future to the compromise of sensitive, business, personal or confidential information or instructions to transfer funds by us or customers to unauthorized recipients. In the third quarter during the year ended December 31, 2022, we experienced an immaterial security breach that successfully redirected payments from BioLife customers to unauthorized bank accounts. As a result, we proactively employ multiple methods at different layers of our systems to defend our systems against intrusion and attack and to protect the data we collect. These measures have been breached in the past, and we cannot be certain that they will be successful and sufficient to counter current and emerging technology threats that are designed to breach our systems in order to gain access to confidential information.
The techniques used to obtain unauthorized access, disable or degrade service, or sabotage systems change frequently and are often difficult to detect. Threats to our systems and our associated third parties’ systems can derive and have derived from human error, fraud or malice on the part of employees or third parties, or may result from accidental technological failure, including as a result of natural disasters, power failures or other events beyond our control. Computer viruses and other malware can be distributed and have infiltrated, and could in the future infiltrate, our systems or those of our associated third parties. In addition, denial of service or other attacks could be launched against us for a variety of purposes, including to interfere with our services or create a diversion for other malicious activities. Our defensive measures in the past have not, and in the future, may not, prevent downtime, unauthorized access, or use of sensitive data. Further, while we select our associated third parties carefully, and we seek to ensure that our customers adequately protect their systems and data, we do not control their actions and are not able to oversee their processes. Any problems experienced by our associated third parties, including those resulting from breakdowns or other disruptions in the services provided by such parties or cyber-attacks and security breaches, could adversely affect our ability to conduct our business and our financial condition.
We could also be subject to liability for claims relating to the loss or misuse of personal information, such as violation of data privacy laws. We cannot provide assurance that the contractual requirements related to security and privacy that we impose on our service providers who have access to our data, including customer information, will be followed or will be adequate to prevent the unauthorized use or disclosure of such data. Any failure to adequately enforce or provide these protective measures or to prevent unauthorized access to our data, including customer information could result in liability, loss of business, protracted and costly litigation, governmental intervention, fines and damage to our reputation.
Risks related to our common stock
Our stock price and volume may be volatile, and purchasers of our securities could incur substantial losses.
The trading price and volume of our common stock, traded on the NASDAQ Capital Market ("NASDAQ"), has been, and may in the future be, volatile. For example, in the year ended December 31, 2023, the highest intra-day sale price of our common stock on NASDAQ was $26.89 per share and the lowest intra-day sale price of our common stock on NASDAQ
21
Table of Contents
was $8.92 per share. Our highest trading day volume was 2,242,100 shares traded and the lowest trading day volume was 138,500 shares traded. We may continue to incur substantial increases or decreases in our stock price and volume in the foreseeable future.
Our stock price and trading volume and the market prices and trading volume of many publicly traded companies, including companies in the life sciences industry, have been, and can be expected to be, highly volatile. The future market price and trading volume of our common stock could be significantly impacted by numerous factors, including, but not limited to:
•Future sales of our common stock or other capital raising events by us;
•Sales of our common stock by existing shareholders;
•Changes in our capital structure, including stock splits or reverse stock splits;
•Changes in our product offerings and business structure through acquisitions or divestitures;
•Announcements of technological innovations for new commercial products by our present or potential competitors;
•Developments concerning proprietary rights;
•Adverse results in our field or with clinical tests of our products in customer applications;
•Adverse litigation;
•Unfavorable legislation or regulatory decisions;
•Public concerns regarding our products;
•Variations in quarterly operating results;
•General trends in the health care industry;
•Global viruses, epidemics, and pandemics, including COVID-19; and
•Other factors outside of our control, including significant market fluctuations.
In addition, sales of a substantial number of shares of our common stock or other securities in the public markets (including an issuance by us of additional securities in a public offering or private placement), or the perception that these sales may occur, could cause the market price of our common stock or other securities to decline and could materially impair our ability to raise capital through the sale of additional securities. The sale of a large number of shares of our common stock or other securities also might make it more difficult for us to sell equity or equity-related securities in the future at a time and at the prices that we deem appropriate
A significant percentage of our outstanding common stock is held by one stockholder, and this stockholder therefore has significant influence on us and our corporate actions.
As of December 31, 2023, based on our review of public filings and the Company’s records, one of our existing stockholders, Casdin Capital, LLC (“Casdin”), owned 8,707,165 shares of our common stock, representing 19.3% of the issued and outstanding shares of common stock. Accordingly, this stockholder has had, and will continue to have, significant influence in determining the outcome of any corporate transaction or other matter submitted to our stockholders for approval, including mergers, consolidations and the sale of all or substantially all our assets, election of directors and other significant corporate actions. In addition, without the consent of this stockholder where a stockholder vote may be necessary, we could be prevented from entering into transactions that could be beneficial to us.
We do not anticipate declaring any cash dividends on our common stock.
We have never declared or paid cash dividends on our common stock and do not plan to pay any cash dividends in the near future. Our current policy is to retain all funds and earnings for use in the operation and expansion of our business.
Anti-takeover provisions in our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation and Amended and Restated Bylaws and under Delaware law could make an acquisition of us, which may be beneficial to our stockholders, more difficult and may prevent attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management and limit the market price of our common stock.
Provisions in our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation and Amended and Restated Bylaws may have the effect of delaying or preventing a change of control or changes in our management, including provisions that:
•authorize our board of directors to issue, without further action by the stockholders, undesignated preferred stock;
22
Table of Contents
•allow stockholders to require us to call a special meeting of stockholders upon written request of the holders of 35% of the outstanding shares entitled to vote thereat;
•establish an advance notice procedure for stockholder nominations;
•provide that vacancies on our board of directors may be filled only by a majority of directors then in office, even though less than a quorum; and
•specify that no stockholder is permitted to cumulate votes at any election of directors.
These provisions may frustrate or prevent any attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management by making it more difficult for stockholders to replace members of our board of directors, which is responsible for appointing the members of our management. In addition, because we are incorporated in Delaware, we are governed by the provisions of Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, which limits the ability of stockholders owning in excess of 15% of our outstanding voting stock to merge or combine with us.
Risks related to accounting matters
Our ability to use net operating loss and tax credit carryforwards and certain built-in losses to reduce future tax payments is limited by provisions of the Internal Revenue Code, and it is possible that certain transactions or a combination of certain transactions may result in material additional limitations on our ability to use our net operating loss and tax credit carryforwards.
Section 382 and 383 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, contain rules that limit the ability of a company that undergoes an ownership change, which is generally any change in ownership of more than 50% of its stock over a three-year period, to utilize its net operating loss and tax credit carryforwards and certain built-in losses recognized in years after the ownership change. These rules generally operate by focusing on ownership changes involving stockholders owning directly or indirectly 5% or more of the stock of a company and any change in ownership arising from a new issuance of stock by the company. Generally, if an ownership change occurs, the yearly taxable income limitation on the use of net operating loss and tax credit carryforwards and certain built-in losses is equal to the product of the applicable long-term, tax-exempt rate and the value of the company’s stock immediately before the ownership change. We may be unable to offset our taxable income with losses, or our tax liability with credits, before such losses and credits expire and therefore would incur larger federal income tax liability.
We have identified material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting, and if our remediation of such material weaknesses is not effective, or if we are unable to develop and maintain an effective system of internal control over financial reporting or disclosure controls and procedures, we may not be able to accurately and timely report financial results or prevent fraud, and our ability to meet our reporting obligations and the trading price of our common stock could be negatively affected.
As described in Item 9A — Controls and Procedures and elsewhere in this Form 10-K, Management identified material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022. Effective internal control over financial reporting is necessary to provide reliable financial reports and to assist in the effective prevention of fraud. Any inability to provide reliable financial reports or prevent fraud could harm our business. We regularly review and update our system of internal control over financial reporting, disclosure controls and procedures, and corporate governance policies. In addition, we are required under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 to report annually on our internal control over financial reporting. Any system of internal controls, however well designed and operated, is based in part on certain assumptions and can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurances that the objectives of the system are met. A material weakness is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of our annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. Accordingly, a material weakness increases the risk that the financial information we report contains material errors.
In the course of making our assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2023, we identified several material weaknesses. Material weaknesses were identified in relation to (i) ineffective control environment attributed to the acquisition of six private companies in 2019 – 2021 without the proper internal control infrastructure in place, insufficient resources with the appropriate level of internal controls training, knowledge, and expertise to meet our financial reporting requirements and provide adequate oversight over the performance of internal controls, and turnover in the first half of 2023 in key positions, resulting in a delay in establishing control activities to effectively mitigate the risks; (ii) internal control procedures over certain financial statement areas; and (iii) change management controls over certain key financial systems.
23
Table of Contents
In the course of making our assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2022, we identified several material weaknesses. Material weaknesses were identified in relation to (i) inappropriately designed entity-level controls impacting the control environment, risk assessment, and monitoring activities to prevent or detect material misstatements to the consolidated financial statements attributed to an insufficient number of qualified resources and inadequate oversight and accountability over the performance of controls, ineffective identification and assessment or risks impacting internal control over financial reporting, and ineffective monitoring controls; (ii) information system logical access within certain key financial systems; (iii) accounting policies and procedures and related controls over certain financial statement areas; (iv) inadequate risk assessment, accounting policies, procedures, and related controls performed over the recognition and measurement of indirect tax liabilities.
The aforementioned material weaknesses did not result in any identified material misstatements to our financial statements, and there were only immaterial changes to previously released financial results.
To address our material weaknesses, we have developed and begun to implement the remediation plans described in Item 9A — Controls and Procedures and elsewhere in this Form 10-K. However, elements of our remediation plans can only be accomplished over time and we can offer no assurance that these initiatives will ultimately have the intended effects. Any failure to establish and maintain effective internal control over financial reporting and disclosure controls and procedures could adversely impact our ability to report our financial results on a timely and accurate basis. If our financial statements are not accurate, investors may not have a complete understanding of our operations or may lose confidence in our reported financial information. Likewise, if our financial statements are not filed on a timely basis as required by the SEC and The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC, we could face severe consequences from those authorities. In either case, it could result in a material adverse effect on our business or have a negative effect on the trading price of our common stock. Further, if we fail to remedy these deficiencies (or any other future deficiencies) or maintain the adequacy of our internal control over financial reporting and disclosure controls and procedures, we could be subject to regulatory scrutiny, civil or criminal penalties or shareholder litigation. We can give no assurance that the measures we have taken and plan to take in the future will remediate the material weaknesses identified or that any additional material weaknesses or restatements of our financial statements will not arise in the future due to a failure to implement and maintain adequate internal control over financial reporting or disclosure controls and procedures.
Further, in the future, if we cannot conclude that we have effective internal control over financial reporting or disclosure controls and procedures, or if our independent registered public accounting firm is unable to provide an unqualified opinion regarding the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting, investors could lose confidence in the reliability of our financial statements, which could lead to a decline in our stock price. Failure to comply with reporting requirements could also subject us to sanctions and/or investigations by the SEC, The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC or other regulatory authorities.
Risks related to disruptive events
Public health crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, have adversely affected, and could in the future adversely affect, our business, financial condition. results of operations and cash flows.
We are subject to risks associated with public heath crises, including those related to the COVID-19 global pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic has created significant volatility, uncertainty, and economic disruption, which has had, and may continue to have, an adverse effect our business operations, results of operations, cash flows and financial condition. Other future public health crises may also have a negative impact on our business.
In particular, the financial or operational impacts as a result of COVID-19 or other future public health crises have included, and may in the future include:
•The temporary closure of our manufacturing facilities and/or those of our outside manufacturers;
•Unavailability of supplies and other components for our products, including difficulties in obtaining sheet metal and electrical components incorporating semiconductor chips for the manufacture of our UL freezer products, which have largely abated during the year ended December 31, 2023;
•Costs associated with protecting the health of our employees and adhering to any guidance or orders of various governmental authorities, such masking, testing, and social distancing requirements;
•Risks associated with remote work, including increased cybersecurity risk;
•Widespread staffing shortages;
24
Table of Contents
•Outbreaks of disease in our facilities or those of our third-party service providers, which could require us or them to temporarily shut down business operations or cause a disruption to, or shortage in, our or their workforce;
•Significant volatility or reductions in demand for our products;
•Delays in shipments of our products, which could harm our customer relations and adversely impact our competitive position and sales;
•Restrictions on the ability of our personnel to access customers;
•Challenges to our capacity to manufacture, sell and support the use of our products; and
•Volatility in credit or financial markets.
The extent to which public health crises, including health epidemics and other outbreaks, such as COVID-19, impacts our business or results will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted, including new information which may emerge concerning the severity of a particular virus and its variants and the actions to contain it or treat its impact, among others. Such impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic include, among others, the extent of harm to public health, including the duration of the pandemic, any potential subsequent waves of COVID-19 infection, the emergence of new variants of COVID-19, some of which may be more transmissible or virulent than the initial strain, and the availability and distribution of effective vaccines and medical treatments, further disruption to the manufacturing of and demand for our products, our ability to effectively manage inventory levels and adjust our production schedules to align with demand, impairments and other charges, the impact of the global business and economic environment on liquidity and the availability of capital, the costs incurred to keep our employees safe while maintaining continued operations, and our ability to effectively motivate and retain the necessary workforce. Even after the COVID-19 pandemic has subsided, we may continue to experience impacts to our business as a result of its global economic impact. In addition, we cannot at this time quantify or forecast the potential business impact of any future public health crisis.To the extent the COVID-19 pandemic or other public health crisis adversely affects our business, results of operations or financial condition, many of the other risks described in this “Risk Factors” section may also be heightened.
Natural disasters, geopolitical unrest, war, terrorism, public health issues or other catastrophic events could disrupt the supply, delivery or demand of products, which could negatively affect our operations and performance.
We are subject to the risk of disruption by earthquakes, floods and other natural disasters, fire, power shortages, geopolitical unrest, war, terrorist attacks and other hostile acts, public health issues, epidemics or pandemics and other events beyond our control and the control of the third parties on which we depend. Any of these catastrophic events, whether in the United States or abroad, may have a strong negative impact on the global economy, our employees, facilities, partners, suppliers, distributors or customers, and could decrease demand for our products, create delays and inefficiencies in our supply chain and make it difficult or impossible for us to deliver products to our customers. A catastrophic event that results in the destruction or disruption of our data centers or our critical business or information technology systems would severely affect our ability to conduct normal business operations and, as a result, our operating results would be adversely affected.
ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS
None.
ITEM 1C. CYBERSECURITY
We have a thorough process for identifying, assessing, and managing cybersecurity risks within our broader risk management framework. We gather insights from external experts and internal threat intelligence teams for our cybersecurity risk management program. A dedicated team oversees cybersecurity risk management, led by professionals with deep expertise, including our Vice President, Cybersecurity and Information Security Officer. Our executive leadership, supported by our cybersecurity team, oversees our enterprise risk management and regularly considers cybersecurity and other material risks.
Within our cybersecurity risk management system, our incident management team tracks and logs privacy and security incidents across the Company and third-party service providers. Significant incidents undergo review by a cross-functional group, with immediate escalation for potentially material incidents. We consult with outside counsel as needed, with final decisions made by senior management.
25
Table of Contents
The Audit Committee oversees cybersecurity risks and incidents, ensuring compliance with disclosure requirements and cooperation with law enforcement. Senior management regularly updates the committee on cyber risks and any material incidents.
While our business strategy and financial condition have not been materially affected by cybersecurity risks, we cannot guarantee future immunity. For more details, refer to Item 1A Risk Factors in our Annual Report on Form 10-K.
ITEM 2. PROPERTIES
Our material office and manufacturing leases are detailed below:
Location Square Feet Principal Use Lease Expiration
Columbus, OH 1,807 Administrative offices January 2025
United States 12,500 Biological and pharmaceutical specimen storage January 2027
United States 26,600 Biological and pharmaceutical specimen storage March 2024
United States 16,153 Biological and pharmaceutical specimen storage June 2024
Netherlands 47,533 Biological and pharmaceutical specimen storage March 2026
We consider the facilities to be in a condition suitable for their current uses. Because of anticipated growth in the business and due to the increasing requirements of customers or regulatory agencies, we may need to acquire additional space or upgrade and enhance existing space. We believe that adequate facilities will be available upon the conclusion of our leases.
ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
From time to time, we may be subject to legal proceedings and claims in the ordinary course of business. We are not currently aware of any such proceedings or claims that we believe will have, individually or in the aggregate, a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.
ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES
Not applicable.
PART II
ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES
Market information for common stock
Our common stock is traded on the NASDAQ Stock Market under the trading symbol “BLFS.”
26
Table of Contents
Stockholders and dividends
As of February 22, 2024, there were approximately 256 holders of record of our common stock. We have never paid cash dividends on our common stock and do not anticipate that any cash dividends will be paid in the foreseeable future. We anticipate that we will retain all earnings, if any, to support our operations. Any future determination as to the payment of dividends will be at the sole discretion of our Board of Directors and will depend on our financial condition, results of operations, capital requirements and other factors our Board of Directors deems relevant.
Performance graph
The following information is not deemed to be “soliciting material” or to be “filed” with the SEC or subject to Regulation 14A under the Exchange Act, or to the liabilities of Section 18 of the Exchange Act, and will not be deemed to be incorporated by reference into any filing under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act, except to the extent we specifically incorporate it by reference into such a filing.
The following graph shows the cumulative total stockholder return on our common stock with the cumulative total return of the S&P Small Cap 600 Index and our peer group, assuming an initial investment of $100 on December 31, 2018 and the reinvestment of all dividends.
Issuer repurchases of equity securities
Not applicable.
ITEM 6. RESERVED
Reserved.
ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Company Overview
27
Table of Contents
We are a life sciences company that develops, manufactures and supplies bioproduction tools and services which are designed to improve quality and de-risk biologic manufacturing, storage, distribution, and transportation in the cell and gene therapy industry and broader biopharma market. Our products are used in basic and applied research and commercial manufacturing of biologic-based therapies. Customers use our products to maintain the health and function of biologic material during sourcing, manufacturing, storage, and distribution.
Our current portfolio of bioproduction tools and services are comprised of three revenue lines that contain seven main offerings: (i) cell processing (including biopreservation media for the preservation of cells and tissues, human platelet lysate media for the supplementation of cell expansion, cryogenic vials and automated fill machines that provide high-quality, efficient, and precise mixes of solutions), (ii) freezers and thaw systems (including a full line of mechanical ultra-low temperature (“ULT”), isothermal, and liquid nitrogen freezers and accessories, automated thaw devices which provide controlled, consistent thawing of frozen biologics in vials and cryobags), and (iii) Biostorage services (including biological and pharmaceutical storage services and transport, and “smart”, cloud connected devices for transporting biologic payloads).
We currently operate as one bioproduction tools and services business which supports several steps in the biologic material manufacturing and delivery process. We have a diversified portfolio of tools and services that focus on biopreservation, cell processing, frozen biologic storage products and services, cold-chain transportation, and thawing of biologic materials. We have in-house expertise in cryobiology and continue to capitalize on opportunities to maximize the value of our product platform for our extensive customer base through both organic growth innovations and acquisitions.
Subsequent to the second quarter of 2023, we began to seek divestment of our Freezer Business from our current product portfolio. For additional information regarding our ongoing initiative to divest the Freezer Business, see “Item 1A. Risk Factors” of this Annual Report for additional details.
Segment reporting
Management views the Company's operations and makes decisions regarding how to allocate resources as one reportable segment and one reporting unit.
Critical accounting policies and estimates
We have identified the policies and estimates below as being critical to our business operations and the understanding of our results of operations. These policies require management’s most difficult, subjective, or complex judgements, often as a result of the need to make estimates about the effect of matters that are inherently uncertain. The impact of any associated risks related to these policies on our business operations are discussed throughout “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition,” including in the “Results of Operations” section, where such policies affect our reported and expected financial results. Although we believe that our estimates, assumptions, and judgements are reasonable, they are based upon information presently available. Actual results may differ significantly from these estimates under different assumptions, judgments, or conditions.
Revenue recognition
To determine revenue recognition for contractual arrangements that we determine are within the scope of Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Topic 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, we perform the following five steps: (i) identify each contract with a customer; (ii) identify the performance obligations in the contract; (iii) determine the transaction price; (iv) allocate the transaction price to our performance obligations in the contract; and (v) recognize revenue when (or as) we satisfy the relevant performance obligation. We only apply the five-step model to contracts when it is probable that we will collect the consideration we are entitled to in exchange for the goods or services we transfer to the customer. Contracts with customers may contain multiple performance obligations. For such arrangements, the transaction price is allocated to each performance obligation based on the estimated relative standalone selling prices of the promised products or services underlying each performance obligation. The Company determines standalone selling prices based on the price at which the performance obligation is sold separately. If the standalone selling price is not observable through past transactions, the Company estimates the standalone selling price, taking into account available information such as market conditions and internally approved pricing guidelines related to the performance obligations. Payment terms and conditions vary, although terms generally include a requirement of payment within 30 to 90 days.
The Company primarily recognizes product revenues, service revenues, and rental revenues. Product revenues are generated from the sale of biopreservation media, ThawSTAR, and freezer products. We recognize product revenue,
28
Table of Contents
including shipping and handling charges billed to customers, when we transfer control of our products to our customers. Shipping and handling costs are classified as part of cost of product revenue in the Consolidated Statement of Operations. Service revenues are generated from the storage of biological and pharmaceutical materials. We recognize service revenues over time as services are performed or ratably over the contract term. To the extent the transaction price includes variable consideration, the Company estimates the amount of variable consideration that should be included in the transaction price utilizing the expected value method or the most likely amount method, depending on the facts and circumstances relative to the contract. When determining the transaction price of a contract, an adjustment is made if payment from a customer occurs either significantly before or significantly after performance, resulting in a significant financing component. Applying the practical expedient in paragraph 606-10-32-18, the Company does not assess whether a significant financing component exists if the period between when the Company performs its obligations under the contract and when the customer pays is one year or less. None of the Company’s contracts contained a significant financing component or variable consideration as of and during the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021.
The Company also generates revenue from the leasing of our property and equipment, operating right-of-use assets, and evo cold chain systems to customers pursuant to service contracts or rental arrangements entered into with the customer. Revenue from these arrangements is not within the scope of FASB ASC Topic 606 as it is within the scope of FASB ASC Topic 842, Leases. All customers leasing shippers currently do so under month-to-month rental arrangements. We account for these rental transactions as operating leases and record rental revenue on a straight-line basis over the rental term.
Business combinations
Amounts paid for acquisitions are allocated to the tangible and intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed, if any, based on their fair values at the dates of acquisition. This purchase price allocation process requires management to make significant estimates and assumptions with respect to intangible assets and deferred revenue obligations. The fair value of identifiable intangible assets is based on detailed valuations that use information and assumptions determined by management. Any excess of purchase price over the fair value of the net tangible and intangible assets acquired is allocated to goodwill. While we use our best estimates and assumptions to accurately value assets acquired and liabilities assumed at the acquisition date as well as any contingent consideration, where applicable, our estimates are inherently uncertain and subject to refinement. As a result, during the measurement period, which may be up to one year from the acquisition date, we record adjustments to the assets acquired and liabilities assumed with the corresponding offset to goodwill. Upon conclusion of the measurement period or final determination of the values of assets acquired or liabilities assumed, whichever comes first, any subsequent adjustments are recorded to our Consolidated Statements of Operations. The fair value of contingent consideration includes estimates and judgments made by management regarding the probability that future contingent payments will be made, the extent of royalties to be earned in excess of the defined minimum royalties, etc. Management updates these estimates and the related fair value of contingent consideration at each reporting period based on the estimated probability of achieving the earnout targets and applying a discount rate that captures the risk associated with the expected contingent payments. To the extent our estimates change in the future regarding the likelihood of achieving these targets we may need to record material adjustments to our accrued contingent consideration. Changes in the fair value of contingent consideration are recorded in our Consolidated Statements of Operations. We use the income approach to determine the fair value of certain identifiable intangible assets including customer relationships and developed technology. This approach determines fair value by estimating after-tax cash flows attributable to these assets over their respective useful lives and then discounting these after-tax cash flows back to a present value. We base our assumptions on estimates of future cash flows, expected growth rates, expected trends in technology, etc. We base the discount rates used to arrive at a present value as of the date of acquisition on the time value of money and certain industry-specific risk factors. We believe the estimated purchased customer relationships, developed technologies, trademarks, tradenames, and patents amounts so determined represent the fair value at the date of acquisition and do not exceed the amount a third party would pay for the assets.
Intangible assets and goodwill
Intangible assets
Intangible assets with a definite life are amortized over their estimated useful lives using the straight-line method and the amortization expense is recorded within intangible asset amortization in the Consolidated Statements of Operations. If the estimate of a definite-lived intangible asset’s remaining useful life is changed, the remaining carrying amount of the intangible asset is amortized prospectively over the revised remaining useful life. Definite-lived intangible assets and their related estimated useful lives are reviewed at least annually to determine if any adverse conditions exist that would indicate the carrying value of these assets may not be recoverable.
29
Table of Contents
Indefinite-lived intangibles are carried at the initially recorded fair value less any recognized impairment. Indefinite-lived intangibles are tested annually for impairment. Impairment assessments are conducted more frequently if certain conditions exist, including a change in the competitive landscape, any internal decisions to pursue new or different technology strategies, a loss of a significant customer, or a significant change in the marketplace, including changes in the prices paid for the Company’s products or changes in the size of the market for the Company’s products. If impairment indicators are present, the Company determines whether the underlying intangible asset is recoverable through estimated future undiscounted cash flows. If the asset is not found to be recoverable, it is written down to the estimated fair value of the asset based on the sum of the future discounted cash flows expected to result from the use and disposition of the asset.
Goodwill
We test goodwill for impairment on an annual basis, and between annual tests if events and circumstances indicate it is more likely than not that the fair value of our goodwill is less than its carrying value. Events that would indicate impairment and trigger an interim impairment assessment include, but are not limited to, current economic and market conditions, including a decline in the Company’s market capitalization, a significant adverse change in legal factors, business climate or operational performance of the business, and an adverse action or assessment by a regulator. Goodwill is tested for impairment in the fourth quarter of each year, or more frequently as warranted by events or changes in circumstances mentioned above. Accounting guidance also permits an optional qualitative assessment for goodwill to determine whether it is more likely than not that the carrying value of a reporting unit exceeds its fair value. If, after this qualitative assessment, we determine that it is not more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount, then no further quantitative testing would be necessary. A quantitative assessment is performed if the qualitative assessment results in a more likely than not determination or if a qualitative assessment is not performed. The quantitative assessment considers whether the carrying amount of a reporting unit exceeds its fair value, in which case an impairment charge is recorded to the extent the reporting unit’s carrying value exceeds its fair value. The Company operates as one reporting unit as of the goodwill impairment measurement date in the fourth quarter of 2023.
Warranty guarantees
Our freezer and thaw and certain cell processing products are warranted to provide assurance that the product will function as expected and to ensure customer confidence in design and overall quality. Warranty coverage on our products is generally provided for specified periods of time and on select products' hours of usage, and generally covers parts, labor, and other expenses for non-maintenance repairs. Warranty coverage generally does not cover operator abuse or improper use.
At the time of sale, we recognize expense and record a warranty accrual by product line for estimated costs in connection with forecasted future warranty claims. Our estimate of the cost of future warranty claims is based primarily on the estimated number of products under warranty, historical average costs incurred to service warranty claims, the trend in the historical ratio of warranty claims for each part covered, and the historical length of time between the sale and resulting warranty claim. If applicable, historical claims experience may be adjusted for known product design improvements or for the impact of unusual product quality issues. We periodically assess the adequacy of our warranty accruals based on changes in our estimates and assumptions and record any necessary adjustments if the cost of actual claim experience differs from our estimate and indicates that adjustments to our warranty accrual are necessary. Factors that could have an impact on actual future claims and our warranty accrual include, but are not limited to, items such as performance of new products; product failure rates; factors impacting product usage, such as changes in sales volumes and shifts in product mix; manufacturing quality and product design issues, including significant manufacturing or design defects not discovered until after the product is delivered to customers; higher or lower than expected service and component part costs to satisfactorily address the repair, and, if applicable, changes to the warranty coverage periods. Additionally, from time to time, we also establish warranty accruals for our estimate of the costs necessary to settle major rework campaigns on a product-specific basis during the period in which the circumstances giving rise to the major rework campaign become known and when the costs to satisfactorily address the situation are both probable and estimable. The warranty accrual for the cost of a major rework campaign is primarily based on an estimate of the cost to repair each affected unit and the number of affected units expected to be repaired.
We believe that our analysis of historical warranty claim trends and knowledge of potential manufacturing and/or product design improvements or issues provide sufficient information to establish a reasonable estimate for the cost of future warranty claims at the time of sale and our warranty accruals as of the date of our Consolidated Balance Sheets. We believe that our $7.9 million warranty accrual as of December 31, 2023 is adequate and historically has been adequate; however, due to the inherent uncertainty in the accrual estimation process, including forecasting future warranty claims, costs
30
Table of Contents
associated with servicing future warranty claims, and unexpected major rework campaigns that may arise in the future, our actual warranty costs incurred may differ from our warranty accrual estimate. An unexpected increase in warranty claims and/or in the costs associated with servicing those claims would result in an increase in our warranty accruals and a decrease in our net earnings.
Contingent consideration
We estimate the acquisition date fair value of the acquisition-related contingent consideration using various valuation approaches, including option pricing models and Monte Carlo simulations, as well as significant unobservable inputs, reflecting the Company’s assessment of the assumptions market participants would use to value these liabilities. The fair value of the contingent consideration is remeasured each reporting period, with any change in the value recorded in our Consolidated Statements of Operations as change in fair value of contingent consideration.
During the year ended December 31, 2023, all contingent consideration liabilities were written off upon assessment of the probability we would achieve certain revenue targets for earnouts. For additional details on the factors considered in the write-off, see Note 3: Fair value measurement within the consolidated financial statements in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report.
Stock-based compensation
We measure and record compensation expense using the applicable accounting guidance for share-based payments related to stock options, time-based restricted stock, market-based restricted stock awards and performance-based awards granted to our directors and employees. The fair value of market-based restricted stock awards is estimated at the date of grant using the Monte Carlo Simulation model. The Monte Carlo Simulation valuation model incorporates assumptions as to stock price volatility, the expected life of options or awards, a risk-free interest rate and dividend yield. In valuing our market-based stock awards, significant judgment is required in determining the expected volatility of our common stock. Expected volatility for our market-based restricted stock awards is based on the historical volatility of our own stock and the stock of companies within our defined peer group. Further, our expected volatility may change in the future, which could substantially change the grant-date fair value of future awards and, ultimately, the expense we record. The fair value of restricted stock, including performance awards, without a market condition is estimated using the current market price of our common stock on the date of grant.
We expense stock-based compensation for stock options, restricted stock awards, and performance awards over the requisite service period. For awards with only a service condition, we expense stock-based compensation using the straight-line method over the requisite service period for the entire award. For awards with a market condition, we expense over the vesting period regardless of the value that the award recipients will ultimately receive.
Provision for income taxes
The assessment regarding whether a valuation allowance is required considers both positive and negative evidence when determining whether it is more likely than not that deferred tax assets are recoverable. In making this assessment, significant weight is given to evidence that can be objectively verified. In its evaluation, the Company considered its cumulative loss and its forecasted losses in the near-term as significant negative evidence. Based upon a review of the four sources of income identified within ASC 740, Accounting for Income Taxes, the Company determined that the Company’s recorded deferred tax liabilities as of December 31, 2023 would be a sufficient source of taxable income to realize all of its deferred tax assets except for a portion of its net operating loss carryforwards. As a result, a full valuation allowance on its deferred tax assets was recorded as of December 31, 2023. The Company will continue to assess the realizability of its assets going forward and will adjust the valuation allowance as needed.
The Company determines its uncertain tax positions based on a determination of whether and how much of a tax benefit taken by the Company in its tax filings or positions is more likely than not to be sustained upon examination by the relevant income tax authorities. The Company is generally subject to examination by U.S. federal and local income tax authorities for all tax years in which loss carryforward is available.
The Company applies judgment in the determination of the financial statement recognition and measurement of tax positions taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. As of December 31, 2023, the Company has an unrecognized tax benefit of $2.2 million related to tax attributes being carried forward. The Company is generally subject to examination by U.S. federal and local income tax authorities for all tax years in which loss carryforward is available.
31
Table of Contents
As of December 31, 2023, the Company had U.S. federal net operating loss (“NOL”) carryforwards of approximately $151.9 million, which is available to reduce future taxable income. Approximately $39.2 million of NOL will expire from 2024 through 2037, and approximately $112.7 million of NOL will be carried forward indefinitely. The NOL carryforwards are subject to an annual limitation in the event of certain cumulative changes in the ownership interest. This limits the amount of tax attributes that can be utilized annually to offset future taxable income or tax liabilities. Subsequent ownership changes may further affect the limitation in future years.
Recent accounting standards update
See Note 1: Organization and significant accounting policies – recent accounting pronouncements, within the consolidated financial statements in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report for more information.
Discussions of 2021 results and year-to-year comparisons between 2022 and 2021 that are omitted in this Annual Report on Form 10-K can be found in “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in Part II, Item 7 of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022, filed with the SEC on March 31, 2023.
Results of operations
The following discussion of the financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with the accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements and the related footnotes thereto.
Revenue
Revenue for years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021 were comprised of the following:
Product revenue
Service revenue
Rental revenue
(1)2021 revenue includes product revenue related to Global Cooling from May 3, 2021 through December 31, 2021 and product revenue related to Sexton from September 1, 2021 through December 31, 2021.
Total Revenue decline in the year ended December 31, 2023, as compared to the year ended December 31, 2022, was driven primarily by reduced purchases of ultra-low temperature and LN2 freezers. The Company has seen a decrease in customer purchases of these products as customers have reacted to preserve cash and abstain from acquiring inventory due to increased interest rates across the broader CGT market. Customers also reevaluated safety stock levels in the year ended December 31, 2023 for cell processing products, causing revenue levels to fall approximately 4% from the year ended December 31, 2022.
Revenue concentrations with one customer decreased to 16% in the year ended December 31, 2023 from 18% from the same customer in the year ended December 31, 2022. This concentration remained relatively consistent despite significant changes in product mix, as the customer's reduction in demand for capital purchases was less pronounced than others in 2023.
32
Table of Contents
Revenue is impacted by the relatively high degree of customer concentration, the timing of orders, the development efforts of our customers or end-users and regulatory approvals for biologics that incorporate our products, which may result in significant quarterly fluctuations. Such fluctuations are expected, but they may not be predictive of future revenue or otherwise indicative of a trend.
Costs and operating expenses
Total costs and operating expenses for years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021 were comprised of the following:
Cost of product, rental, and service revenue
In the year ended December 31, 2023, cost of product, rental, and service revenue decreased $11.4 million, or 11%, from the year ended December 31, 2022. This decrease was primarily driven by decreased sales compared to the prior year. We expect the cost of product, rental, and service revenue to fluctuate in future quarters based on production volumes and product mix.
Cost of product, rental, and service revenue as a percentage of revenue was 69% and 70% for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. Cost of product, rental, and service revenue in the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 includes zero and $251,000, respectively, in inventory step-up expense recorded in the purchase accounting of our Global Cooling, CBS, and AsteroBio Corporation (“Astero”) acquisitions.
General and administrative expenses
During the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021, general and administrative (“G&A”) expense consisted primarily of personnel-related expenses, stock-based compensation, professional fees, such as accounting and consulting fees, and corporate insurance.
In the year ended December 31, 2023, G&A expenses increased by $8.1 million, or 17%, compared with the year ended December 31, 2022. Of this increase, $3.7 million, or 31%, was driven by increased consulting fees related to our strategic transaction on the Freezer Business. The remaining costs primarily relate to an increase of $1.4 million in severance related to the departure of the former CEO and other staff in addition to a reduction in headcount that occurred in the quarter ended September 30, 2023.
Sales and marketing expenses
During the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021, sales and marketing expense (“S&M”) consisted primarily of personnel-related costs, stock based compensation, consulting, advertising, and travel expenses.
S&M expense increased $3.0 million in the year ended December 31, 2023, or 14%, compared with the year ended December 31, 2022. The increase is primarily due to $2.0 million of increased stock compensation and $0.7 million of increased advertising.
33
Table of Contents
Research and development expenses
During the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021, research and development (“R&D”) expense consisted primarily of personnel-related costs, consulting, research supplies, and milestone expenses related to third party research agreements.
R&D expense increased $4.0 million in the year ended December 31, 2023, or 27%, compared with the year ended December 31, 2022. The increase is primarily due to $2.5 million of increased stock-based compensation expenses and $1.0 million of scrapped research materials related to an adjustment in the design of a future freezer product release that rendered certain components obsolete.
Asset impairment charges
Asset impairment charges in the year ended December 31, 2023 consist of the impairment incurred of $15.5 million during the quarter ended September 30, 2023. Asset impairment charges in the year ended December 31, 2022 consist of the impairments incurred of $69.9 million and $40.5 million during the quarter ended June 30, 2022 and impairment assessment date of October 1, 2022, respectively. These impairment charges impacted both definite and indefinite-lived intangible assets acquired during the acquisition of Global Cooling and Custom Biogenic Systems. See Note 2: Impairment of property and equipment and definite-lived intangible assets within the consolidated financial statements in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report for more information on the events and assessment leading to these non-cash impairment charges during the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022.
Intangible asset amortization expense
Amortization expense consists of charges related to the amortization of intangible assets associated with the acquisitions of Global Cooling, Custom Biogenic Systems (“CBS”), SciSafe, Sexton, SAVSU Technologies, Inc. (“SAVSU”), and Astero in which we acquired definite-lived intangible assets.
Acquisition costs
Acquisition costs consist of legal, accounting, third-party valuations, and other due diligence costs related to our Global Cooling and Sexton acquisitions.
Change in fair value of contingent consideration
Change in fair value of contingent consideration consists of changes in estimated fair value of our potential earnouts related to our SciSafe and Custom Biogenic Systems acquisitions. The benefit recognized in the year ended December 31, 2023 relates primarily to changes in our estimated probability of achieving earnout targets set forth within the purchase agreements.
34
Table of Contents
Other income and expenses
Total other income and expenses for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021 were comprised of the following:
Change in fair value of warrant liability $ — $ — $ (121) $ — — % $ 121 (100) %
Change in fair value of investments — 697 — (697) (100 %) 697 — %
Gain on settlement of Global Cooling escrow 5,115 — — 5,115 — % — — %
Change in fair value of warrant liability.
Reflects the changes in fair value associated with the periodic “mark-to-market” valuation of certain warrants that were issued in 2014. See Note 1: Organization and significant accounting policies, “Certain Warrants which have Features that may Result in Cash Settlement” within the consolidated financial statements in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report for more information.
Change in fair value of investments.
Reflects fair value adjustments to our investment in iVexSol.
Interest expense, net.
Interest expense incurred in the year ended December 31, 2023 related primarily to the loan obtained in September 2022 and two loans that were assumed in the acquisition of Global Cooling. We also earn interest on cash held in our money market account. Increases in interest expenses during the year ended December 31, 2023 can also be attributed primarily to interest incurred on the Term Loan (as defined under Note 13: Long-term debt within the consolidated financial statements in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report) drawn in the quarter ended September 30, 2022.
Gain on settlement of Global Cooling escrow.
Reflects the non-cash gain associated with our post-closing adjustments for indemnifications and negotiated terms in connection with our acquisition of Global Cooling, and subsequent release and cancellation of these shares of our common stock from the third-party escrow account established in connection with that transaction. For additional information, see Note 12 within the consolidated financial statements in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report.
Gain on acquisition of Sexton Biotechnologies, Inc.
Reflects the non-cash gain associated with our investment in Sexton due to the step-acquisition of the remaining shares of Sexton and subsequent consolidation of Sexton in our financial statements.
35
Table of Contents
Income Tax (Expense) Benefit
Income tax benefit for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021 was as follows:
Effective tax rate — % 4 % 69 %
The income tax benefit recognized in the year ended December 31, 2023 primarily related to losses generated in 2023. Our effective tax rate for 2023 was lower than the U.S. statutory rate of 21% primarily due to the change in our valuation allowance.
The income tax benefit recognized in the year ended December 31, 2022 primarily related to losses generated in 2022. Our effective tax rate for 2022 was lower than the U.S. statutory rate of 21% primarily due to our valuation allowance.
Liquidity and capital resources
We believe our cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash, cash generated from operations, available-for-sale securities, and credit lines will satisfy, for at least the next twelve months from the date of this filing, our liquidity requirements, both globally and domestically, including the following: working capital needs, capital expenditures, ongoing initiative for divestiture of the Freezer Business, contractual obligations, commitments, principal and interest payments on debt, and other liquidity requirements associated with our operations.
On December 31, 2023, we had $52.3 million in cash, cash equivalents, and available-for-sale securities, compared to $64.1 million as of December 31, 2022, as follows:
(In thousands, except percentages) 2023 2022 $ Change % Change
Restricted cash 31 31 — — %
The increase in cash and cash equivalents of $16.0 million as of December 31, 2023 is primarily due to the sale and maturity of our available for sale securities of $27.8 million, change in accounts receivable of $15.4 million, and proceeds from financing activities of $10.6 million. These increases were partially impacted by $14.0 million in net loss after non-cash adjustments, use of cash in accounts payable and inventory of $17.0 million, and acquisition of property and equipment and assets held for rent of $11.2 million.
Our available-for-sale securities consist of U.S. government securities, corporate debt securities, and other debt securities. Management classifies investments at the time of purchase and reevaluates such classification at each balance sheet date. The decrease in available-for-sale securities of $27.8 million resulted from the maturity of $52.7 million of available-for-sale securities during the year, offset by purchases of similar instruments of $27.1 million.
On October 19, 2023, we entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement with Casdin Partners Master Fund, L.P. ("Casdin") whereby the Company sold, and Casdin purchased, 927,165 shares of common stock of the Company at a share price of $11.19 per share for an aggregate purchase price of $10.4 million.
On September 20, 2022, the Company, and certain of its subsidiaries, entered into a term loan agreement, which provided for up to $60 million in aggregate principal to be drawn with $30 million being available upon closing and an additional
36
Table of Contents
$30 million available in three separate tranches, subject to the Company meeting revenue milestones by a certain date or at the discretion of the lender by a certain date. The Company borrowed $20 million upon closing. As of December 31, 2023, the Company had not drawn additional funding outlined within the Loan Agreement. For additional information on terms, see Note 13: Long-term debt within the consolidated financial statements in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report.
Cash flows
(In thousands, except percentages) 2023 2022 $ Change % Change
Operating activities
In the year ended December 31, 2023, our operating activities used cash of $12.5 million reflecting net loss of $66.4 million and non-cash charges totaling $53.9 million primarily related to stock-based compensation, impairment of assets, depreciation, amortization, changes in fair value of contingent consideration, gain on settlement of Global Cooling escrow, and non-cash lease charges. Significant changes in operating assets and liabilities include a decrease of accounts receivable of $15.3 million, an increase in inventory of $8.6 million, and a decrease in accounts payable of $8.4 million.
In the year ended December 31, 2022, our operating activities used cash of $8.5 million reflecting net loss of $139.8 million and non-cash charges totaling $146.2 million primarily related to impairment of intangible assets, depreciation, amortization, changes in fair value of contingent consideration, deferred income tax benefit, stock-based compensation, and non-cash lease charges. An increase in accrued expenses and current liabilities of $5.7 million was primarily driven by a $3.7 million non-income tax liability estimated for sales taxes owed and approximately $1.8 million increase in accrued compensation for increased headcount compared to the prior year. The increase in accrued expenses and current liabilities was offset by a $6.9 million reduction in warranty liability and $1.6 million reduction in accounts payable.
Investing activities
Our investing activities generated $17.8 million of cash in the year ended December 31, 2023. We had $29.1 million in net proceeds of available-for-sale securities to fund capital projects and operations. Capital expenditures and purchases of assets held for rent to maintain and expand the Company's operations used $11.2 million.
Our investing activities used $58.1 million of cash in the year ended December 31, 2022. We invested $44.6 million in available-for-sale securities in addition to continued investment in capital expenditures and purchases of assets held for rent, using an additional $13.9 million.
Financing activities
In the year ended December 31, 2023, cash provided by financing activities was $10.6 million. The increase in cash provided by financing activities compared to the prior year is primarily due to a private placement of $10.4 million and proceeds from financed insurance premiums of $2.6 million, offset by payments on financed insurance premiums of $2.4 million.
In the year ended December 31, 2022, cash provided by financing activities was $16.3 million. The increase in cash provided by financing activities compared to the prior year is primarily due to drawing $20 million on a term loan obtained on September 20, 2022, offset by payments on outstanding debt of $1.7 million and payments on financed insurance premiums of $1.4 million.
Contractual obligations
Our cash flows from operations are dependent on a number of factors, including fluctuations in our operating results, accounts receivable collections, inventory management, and the timing of tax and other payments. As a result, the impact
37
Table of Contents
of contractual obligations on our liquidity and capital resources in future periods should be analyzed in conjunction with such factors. Despite these uncertainties, we believe that our balances of cash, cash equivalents, available-for-sale securities, and restricted cash in addition to our cash flows from operations are adequate to meet our liquidity requirements in the next 12 months.
The following summarizes certain of our contractual obligations as of December 31, 2023 and the effect such obligations are expected to have on our cash flows in the next fiscal year:
Long-term debt, including interest
These amounts represent expected cash payments, including principal and interest. Debt obligations are described in Note 13 of the Consolidated Financial statements in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report. As of December 31, 2023, our total obligations were $25.2 million, of which $6.8 million was short-term.
Lease obligations
We have various operating and financing lease agreements for office space, warehouses, manufacturing, research equipment, machinery, and production locations as well as vehicles and other equipment. Lease obligations are described in Note 6 of the Consolidated Financial statements in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report. As of December 31, 2023, our total obligations were $17.5 million, of which $3.2 million was short-term.
Purchase obligations
Purchase obligations are defined as agreements to purchase goods or services that are enforceable and legally binding and that specify all significant terms, including fixed or minimum quantities to be purchased, fixed, minimum or variable pricing provisions and the approximate timing of the transactions. As of December 31, 2023, our total obligations were $13.9 million, of which $13.7 million was short-term.
Sales Tax