Item 1A. Risk Factors.
Our business is subject to various risks, including those described below. You should consider the following risk factors, together with all of the other information included in this Report, which could materially adversely affect our proposed operations, our business prospects, our financial condition, and the value of an investment in our business. If any of the following risks, either alone or taken together, or other risks not presently known to us or that we currently believe to not be significant, develop into actual events, then our business, financial condition, results of operations or prospects could be materially adversely affected. If that happens, the market price of our common stock could decline, and stockholders may lose all or part of their investment.
Risks Related to Our Capital Resources
We have incurred operating losses since inception, and we do not know if we will attain profitability.
Since our inception in September 2009, we have incurred operating losses and negative cash flows and we expect to continue to incur losses and negative cash flows in the future. Our net losses for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 were $60.7 million and $27.8 million, respectively, and we had an accumulated deficit of $350.5 million as of December 31, 2024. We finance our operations primarily through sales of our common stock. There is no assurance that we will be able to obtain any additional financing that we may need, or that any such financing that may become available will be on terms that are favorable to us and our shareholders. Ultimately, our ability to generate sufficient operating revenue to earn a profit depends upon our success in developing and marketing or licensing our diagnostic tests and technology.
We have historically been dependent upon outside financing capital to fund our operations and until such time as our revenues are sufficient to finance our operating expenses, we may need to issue additional equity or debt securities to raise the capital needed to pay our operating expenses.
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We plan to continue to incur substantial research and development expenses and we anticipate that we will be incurring significant sales and marketing costs as we develop and commercialize our diagnostic tests. Our research and development expenses may also increase if we work to develop tests for additional types of cancer or for other cancer-related diagnostic purposes. The period of time for which our current cash and marketable securities will be sufficient to finance our operations will depend on the extent to which we expend funds on commercializing our tests and conducting new research and development programs. We will need to raise additional capital to pay operating expenses unless we are able to generate sufficient revenues from diagnostic test sales, royalties, and license fees to meet our operating expenses.
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Our ability to raise additional equity or debt capital will depend not only on the successful completion of development of our diagnostic tests and receiving reimbursement approval from Medicare and other third-party payers for those tests, but also will depend on access to capital and conditions in the capital markets. Obtaining Medicare reimbursement approval for our diagnostic tests could take two to three years, and investors may be reluctant to provide us with additional capital until we obtain Medicare reimbursement approval for those tests or until we can demonstrate that private payers such as health insurance companies or HMOs are willing to pay for the use of our diagnostic tests at prices sufficient for us to earn a reasonable return on our investments in our diagnostic test portfolio. There is no assurance that we will be able to raise capital at times and in amounts needed to finance the development and commercialization of our diagnostic tests and general operations. Even if capital is available, it may not be available on terms that we or our shareholders would consider favorable.
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Sales or other issuances of additional equity securities by us could result in the dilution of the interests of our stockholders.
We may incur significant cash payment and common stock issuance obligations under our agreements arising from our investments in Insight and Chronix.
Under the merger agreement pursuant to which we acquired Insight, as described in Note 3 to the consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Report, based on current estimates, we have agreed to pay contingent consideration of up to $4.5 million in any combination of cash or shares of our common stock if certain milestones related to DetermaIO are achieved, which consist of (i) $3.0 million for an affirmative final LCD from CMS for a specified lung cancer test, and (ii) up to $1.5 million for achieving certain CMS reimbursement milestones.
As additional consideration for the acquisition of Chronix, we have agreed to pay to holders of other classes and series of Chronix’s stock earnout consideration of (i) 10% of net collections for sales of specified tests and products, until the expiration of intellectual property related to such tests and products, and (ii) 5% of the gross proceeds received from any sale of all or substantially all of the rights, titles, and interests in and to Chronix’s patents for use in transplantation medicine to such third party.
To meet these various cash payment obligations, we may need to sell additional shares of our common stock or other securities to raise the cash needed, or we may have to divert cash on hand that we would otherwise use for other business and operational purposes which could cause us to delay or reduce activities in the development and commercialization of our cancer tests. Any shares of common stock or other securities we sell to raise cash to meet our cash payment obligations will dilute the interests of our common stockholders.
Risks Related to Our Business Operations
Our revenues in the near term will depend on our ability to commercialize a small number of diagnostic tests.
Our near-term commercial efforts will focus on maximizing the opportunities for GraftAssureCore, GraftAssureIQ, GraftAssureDx, DetermaIO and DetermaCNI. Our reliance on a small group of diagnostic tests as sources of revenue could limit our future revenue, make it more difficult for us to finance our operations, and impair our prospects for profitability and growth. DetermaIO and GraftAssureCore are currently available only in early access for non-clinical use. We plan to continue development of all five of such products for clinical and research use. However, there is no assurance that our development plans for GraftAssureCore, GraftAssureIQ, GraftAssureDx, DetermaIO or DetermaCNI will be successful or that we will generate sufficient revenues from commercialization of our diagnostic tests to finance our operations and earn a profit.
The research and development work we are doing is costly, time consuming, and uncertain as to its results.
We incurred research and development expenses amounting to approximately $9.8 million and $9.3 million during the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. The current focus of our research and development efforts is the development of GraftAssureCore,GraftAssureIQ, GraftAssureDx, DetermaIO and DetermaCNI. If we are successful in developing a new technology or diagnostic tests for additional types of cancer, refinement of the new technology or diagnostic tests and definition of the practical applications and limitations of the technology or diagnostic tests may take years and require the expenditure of large sums of money. There is no assurance that we will be successful in completing the development of our current diagnostic tests or in developing additional diagnostic tests regardless of the amount of our expenditures.
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Sales of our diagnostic tests could be adversely impacted by the reluctance of physicians to adopt the use of our tests and by the availability of competing diagnostic tests.
Physicians and hospitals may be reluctant to try a new diagnostic test due to the high degree of risk associated with the application of new technologies and diagnostic tests in the field of human medicine, especially if the new tests differ from the current standard of care for detecting cancer in patients. Competing tests for the initial diagnosis, reoccurrence diagnosis and optimal treatment of cancer are being manufactured and marketed by established companies and by other smaller biotechnology companies. In order to compete with other diagnostic tests, particularly any that sell at lower prices, our tests will have to provide medically significant advantages or be more cost effective. Even if we are able to overcome physician reluctance and compete with products that are currently on the market, our competitors may succeed in developing new safer, more accurate or more cost-effective diagnostic tests that could render our diagnostic tests and technologies obsolete or noncompetitive.
There is a risk of product liability claims in our business. If we are unable to obtain or maintain sufficient insurance, a product liability claim against us could adversely affect our business.
Our business exposes us to potential product liability risks that are inherent in the development, testing, manufacturing and marketing of diagnostic test kits and assays. Product liability claims could delay or prevent completion of our clinical development programs. In addition, if any of our collaboration partners face product liability claims, our programs could also be affected and our business could be harmed. If we succeed in marketing products, such claims could result in an FDA investigation of the safety and effectiveness of our products, our manufacturing processes and facilities or our marketing programs, and potentially a recall of our products or more serious enforcement action, limitations on the approved indications for which they may be used, or suspension or withdrawal of approvals. Regardless of the merits or eventual outcome, liability claims may also result in decreased demand for our products, injury to our reputation, costs to defend the related litigation, a diversion of management’s time and our resources, substantial monetary awards to trial participants or patients and a decline in our share price. Any insurance we obtain may not provide sufficient coverage against potential liabilities. Furthermore, clinical trial and product liability insurance is becoming increasingly expensive. As a result, we may be unable to obtain or maintain sufficient insurance at a reasonable cost to protect us against losses caused by product liability claims that could adversely affect our business.
We have limited capital, marketing, sales, and regulatory compliance resources for the commercialization of our diagnostic tests.
We are building our own marketing and sales capability for our diagnostic tests, and are devoting significant financial and management resources to recruiting, training, and managing our sales force and building a health care regulatory compliance program. However, due to our limited capital resources, we may need to enter into marketing arrangements with other diagnostic companies for one or more of our tests in domestic or foreign markets. Under such marketing arrangements we may license marketing rights to one or more of our diagnostic tests to other diagnostic companies or to one or more joint venture companies that may be formed to market our tests, and we might receive only a royalty on sales or an equity interest in a joint venture company. As a result, our revenues from the sale of our tests through such arrangements may be substantially less than the amount of revenues and gross profits that we might receive if we were to market our tests ourselves.
We may face technology transfer challenges and expenses in adding new tests to our portfolio and in expanding our reach into new geographical areas on new instrument platforms.
Our plan for expanding our business includes developing and acquiring additional tests that can be transferred into our current lab footprint in the United States and/or onto molecular testing instrument platforms for distribution in non-U.S. markets. Due to differences in the hardware and software platforms available at different laboratories for running molecular tests, we may need to make adjustments to the configuration of the reagents that make up our LDTs in our U.S. laboratory or as we convert them to kits, and there may be changes to the related software in order for the tests to be performed on particular hardware platforms. Making any such adjustments could take a considerable amount of time and expense, and there will be no assurance that we will succeed in running our tests on the hardware and software that we may encounter in different laboratories. To manage this issue and to attain uniformity among our laboratory locations, we may license or acquire our own instrument system and software from another company that has a platform that will be compatible with our tests. In addition to acquisition costs, operationally we will have to build out infrastructure for installing a new testing platform across multiple laboratory locations as well as support functions to help maintain these instrument systems in new customer labs, and we may also encounter unexpected technology issues in the process.
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If our laboratory facilities become damaged or inoperable, or we are required to vacate any facility, our ability to provide services and pursue our research and development and commercialization efforts may be jeopardized.
We currently have a clinical laboratory facility in Nashville, Tennessee. We also acquired a laboratory in Germany through our merger with Chronix. Our facilities and equipment could be harmed or rendered inoperable by natural or man-made disasters, including earthquakes, power outages, wildfires, flooding, hurricanes, droughts and other extreme weather events and changing weather patterns, which are increasing in frequency due to the impacts of climate change, and may render it difficult or impossible for us to perform our tests for some period of time. The inability to perform our tests or the backlog of tests that could develop if any of our facilities is inoperable for even a short period of time may result in the loss of customers or harm to our reputation or relationships with key researchers, collaborators, and customers, and we may be unable to regain those customers or repair our reputation in the future. Furthermore, our facilities and the equipment we use to perform our research and development work could be costly and time-consuming to repair or replace.
Additionally, a key component of our research and development process involves using biological samples and the resulting data sets and medical histories, as the basis for our diagnostic test development. In some cases, these samples are difficult to obtain. If the parts of our laboratory facilities where we store these biological samples are damaged or compromised, our ability to pursue our research and development projects, commercialization of our diagnostic tests, as well as our reputation, could be jeopardized. We carry insurance for damage to our property and the disruption of our business, but this insurance may not be sufficient to cover all of our potential losses and may not continue to be available to us on acceptable terms, if at all.
Further, if our laboratories become inoperable, we may not be able to license or transfer our proprietary technology to a third-party, with established state licensure and CLIA certification under the scope of which our diagnostic tests could be performed following validation and other required procedures, to perform the tests.
Even if we find a third-party with such qualifications to perform our tests, such party may not be willing to perform the tests for us on commercially reasonable terms. Moreover, we believe our tests are currently subject to enforcement discretion by the FDA because we believe the tests currently qualify as LDTs. If, however, we are required to find a third-party laboratory to conduct our testing services, we believe this would change our status and the FDA would consider such tests offered through a third-party to then be a medical device subject to active FDA regulation and enforcement under its IVD authorities. In that case, we may be required to obtain premarket clearance or approval prior to offering our tests, which would be time-consuming and costly and could result in interruptions and delays in our ability to sell or offer our tests.
There is a limited number of manufacturers of molecular diagnostic testing equipment and related chemical reagents necessary for the provision of our diagnostic tests.
There is a limited number of manufacturers of molecular testing equipment and related chemical reagents necessary for the provision of our tests. If issues were to arise with our equipment or if reagents we are using cause us to acquire different diagnostic testing equipment, we would need to conduct validation and analytic studies to determine whether our previous test results can be reproduced using the new equipment. As a result, we could experience delays again in developing our diagnostic tests. If similar issues were to arise after commercialization of a diagnostic test, we could experience a disruption in providing the diagnostic tests to patients and we would lose revenues and potentially market share as a result.
If we fail to enter into and maintain successful strategic alliances for diagnostic tests that we elect to co-develop, co-market, or out-license, we may have to reduce or delay our diagnostic test development or increase our expenditures.
In order to facilitate the development, manufacture and commercialization of our diagnostic tests we may enter into strategic alliances with diagnostic, pharmaceutical, or medical device companies to advance our programs and enable us to maintain our financial and operational capacity. We will face significant competition in seeking appropriate alliances. We may not be able to negotiate alliances on acceptable terms, if at all. If we fail to create and maintain suitable alliances, we may have to limit the size or scope of, or delay, one or more of our product development or research programs, or we will have to increase our expenditures and will need to obtain additional funding, which may be unavailable or available only on unfavorable terms.
If we are able to enter into development and marketing arrangements with diagnostic, pharmaceutical or medical device companies for our diagnostic tests, we may license product development, manufacturing, and marketing rights to the diagnostic, pharmaceutical or medical device company or to a joint venture company formed with the diagnostic, pharmaceutical or medical device company. Under such arrangements we might receive only a royalty on sales of the diagnostic tests developed or an equity interest in a joint venture company that develops the diagnostic test. As a result, our revenues from the sale of those diagnostic tests may be substantially less than the amount of revenues and gross profits that we might receive if we were to develop, manufacture, and market the diagnostic tests ourselves.
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We are, and in the future, may become, dependent on collaborations to develop and commercialize many of our diagnostic test candidates and to provide the manufacturing, regulatory compliance, sales, marketing and distribution capabilities required for the success of our business.
We have entered into and may in the future enter into various kinds of collaborative research and development, manufacturing, and diagnostic test marketing agreements to develop and commercialize our diagnostic tests. For example, in 2024, we entered into an agreement with Bio-Rad to collaborate in the development and the commercialization of RUO and IVD kitted transplant products using Bio-Rad’s ddPCR instruments and reagents, pursuant to which we are dependent on Bio-Rad with respect to many of our ongoing operations and future target performance.
Any future milestone payments and cost reimbursements from collaboration agreements could provide an important source of financing for our research and development programs, thereby facilitating the application of our technology to the development and commercialization of our diagnostic tests, but there are risks associated with entering into collaboration arrangements.
There is a risk that we could become dependent upon one or more collaborative arrangements, in addition to the Bio-Rad arrangement, for diagnostic test development or manufacturing or as a source of revenues from the sale of any diagnostic tests that may be developed by us alone or through one of the collaborative arrangements. A collaborative arrangement upon which we currently, or might in the future, depend might be terminated by our collaboration partner or they might determine not to actively pursue the development or commercialization of our diagnostic tests, or they may determine to stop supporting technologies, such as instruments or consumables, upon which our diagnostic tests are reliant. A collaboration partner also may not be precluded from independently pursuing competing diagnostic tests or technologies.
There is a risk that a collaboration partner, including Bio-Rad, might fail to perform its obligations under the collaborative arrangements or may be slow in performing its obligations. In addition, a collaboration partner may experience financial difficulties at any time that could prevent it from having available funds to contribute to the collaboration. If a collaboration partner fails to conduct its diagnostic test or instrument-related development, manufacturing, commercialization, regulatory compliance, sales and marketing or distribution activities successfully and in a timely manner, or if it terminates or materially modifies its agreements with us, the development and commercialization of one or more diagnostic test candidates could be delayed, curtailed or terminated because we may not have sufficient financial resources or capabilities to continue diagnostic test development, manufacturing, and commercialization on our own.
Our business could be adversely affected if we lose the services of the key personnel upon whom we depend.
We presently rely on a small senior management team to direct our diagnostics program and our initial commercial activities. Accordingly, the loss of the services of one or more of the members of that management team could have a material adverse effect on our business.
Our business and operations could suffer in the event of system failures.
We depend on information technology and telecommunications systems, including a combination of on-site systems, managed data center systems, cloud-based systems, and the Internet, for significant elements of our operations, including processing, transmitting, and storing a wide variety of business-critical information. Despite the implementation of security measures, our internal computer systems and those of our contractors and consultants are vulnerable to damage from computer viruses, ransomware, unauthorized access, natural disasters, terrorism, war and telecommunication and electrical failures. Such events could cause interruption of our operations, downtime of our information technology or telecommunications systems or those used by our third-party service providers, and could have an adverse effect on our business and results of operations. For example, the loss of data for our diagnostic test candidates could result in delays in our regulatory filings and development efforts and significantly increase our costs. To the extent that any disruption or security breach results in a loss of or damage to our data, or inappropriate disclosure of confidential or proprietary information, we could incur liability under federal or state laws, be subject to litigation, and the development of our diagnostic test candidates could be delayed.
Security breaches and other disruptions could compromise our information and expose us to liability, and could cause our business and reputation to suffer.
In the ordinary course of business, we collect and store sensitive data, including intellectual property, our proprietary business information and that of our business partners, PHI, and personally identifiable information of patients and employees. We manage and maintain our applications and data utilizing a combination of on-site systems, managed data center systems and cloud-based systems. We also communicate PHI and other sensitive data through our various tools and platforms. In addition to storing and transmitting sensitive data that is subject to legal protections, these applications and data encompass a wide variety of business-critical information, including research and development information, commercial information, and business and financial information. The secure processing, maintenance, and transmission of this information is critical to our operations and business strategy.
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We face a number of risks relative to protecting our information, including loss of access, inappropriate disclosure, inappropriate modification, and the risk of our being unable to adequately monitor and modify our controls over our critical information. Despite our security measures, our information technology and infrastructure are also vulnerable to attacks by hackers, viruses, ransomware or breaches due to employee error, technical error, malfeasance, or other disruptions.
These types of problems may be caused by a variety of factors, including infrastructure changes, intentional or accidental human actions or omissions, software errors, malware, security attacks, fraud, spikes in customer usage and denial of service issues. From time to time, large third-party web hosting providers have also experienced outages or other problems that have resulted in their systems being offline and inaccessible. In addition to data security risks, we also face privacy risks. Should we actually violate, or be perceived to have violated, any privacy promises we make to patients or consumers, we could be subject to a complaint from an affected individual or interested privacy regulator, such as the FTC or a state Attorney General. This risk is heightened given the sensitivity of the data we collect.
Any problems that may arise in connection with our data and systems, including those that are hosted by third-party providers, could result in interruptions to our business and operations or exposure to security vulnerabilities. Any such breach or interruption, whether of our systems or that of our third-party service providers or their subcontractors, could also compromise our networks, and the information stored there could be accessed, publicly disclosed, lost, or stolen. Any such access, disclosure, theft, or other loss of information or privacy or security compromise could result in legal claims or proceedings or liability under federal or state laws that protect the privacy or security of personal information, including HIPAA, HITECH, and state data security and data breach notification laws. Any data privacy or security event could also disrupt our operations and damage our reputation, any of which could adversely affect our business.
If a privacy or security event occurs, we may be required to comply with state breach notification laws and become subject to mandatory corrective action. Penalties for failure to comply with a requirement of HIPAA or HITECH vary significantly, and, depending on the knowledge and culpability of the HIPAA-regulated entity, may include civil monetary penalties of up to $1.5 million per calendar year for each provision of HIPAA that is violated. A person who knowingly obtains or discloses individually identifiable health information in violation of HIPAA may face a criminal penalty of up to $50,000 and up to one-year imprisonment. The criminal penalties increase if the wrongful conduct involves false pretenses or the intent to sell, transfer or use identifiable health information for commercial advantage, personal gain or malicious harm. Penalties for unfair or deceptive acts or practices under the FTC Act or state Unfair and Deceptive Acts and Practices statutes may also vary significantly.
Also, even if we do not incur an interruption of our operations, or fines, penalties, or financial liability to third parties from a security breach, we could suffer a loss of confidence in our services, which could adversely affect our business and competitive position. A security event could also result in the compromise of our trade secrets and other proprietary information, which could adversely affect our competitive position.
Failure of our internal control over financial reporting could harm our business and financial results.
Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting. Internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting for external purposes in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States. Internal control over financial reporting includes maintaining records that in reasonable detail accurately and fairly reflect our transactions; providing reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary for preparation of our consolidated financial statements; providing reasonable assurance that receipts and expenditures of our assets are made in accordance with management authorization; and providing reasonable assurance that unauthorized acquisition, use or disposition of our assets that could have a material effect on the consolidated financial statements would be prevented or detected on a timely basis. Due to its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting is not intended to provide absolute assurance that a misstatement of our consolidated financial statements would be prevented or detected. Our growth and entry into new diagnostic tests, technologies and markets will place significant additional pressure on our system of internal control over financial reporting. Any failure to maintain an effective system of internal control over financial reporting could limit our ability to report our financial results accurately and timely or to detect and prevent fraud. Since we are a smaller reporting company, we are exempt from the requirement of having our internal controls over financial reporting audited by our independent registered public accountants, which means that material weaknesses or significant deficiencies in our internal controls that might be detected by an audit may not be detected and remedied.
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We are subject to laws and regulations governing corruption, which may require us to develop, maintain, and implement costly compliance programs.
We must comply with a wide range of laws and regulations to prevent corruption, bribery, and other unethical business practices, including the FCPA, anti-bribery and anti-corruption laws in other countries. The creation and implementation of international business practices compliance programs is costly and such programs are difficult to enforce, particularly where reliance on third parties is required.
Anti-bribery laws prohibit us, our employees, and some of our agents or representatives from offering or providing any personal benefit to covered government officials to influence their performance of their duties or induce them to serve interests other than the missions of the public organizations in which they serve. Certain commercial bribery rules also prohibit offering or providing any personal benefit to employees and representatives of commercial companies to influence their performance of their duties or induce them to serve interests other than their employers. The FCPA also obligates companies whose securities are listed in the United States to comply with certain accounting provisions requiring us to maintain books and records that accurately and fairly reflect all transactions of the corporation, including international subsidiaries, and devise and maintain an adequate system of internal accounting controls for international operations. The anti-bribery provisions of the FCPA are enforced primarily by the United States Department of Justice. The Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) is involved with enforcement of the books and records provisions of the FCPA.
Compliance with these anti-bribery laws is expensive and difficult, particularly in countries in which corruption is a recognized problem. In addition, the anti-bribery laws present particular challenges in the medical industry because in many countries including China, hospitals are state-owned or operated by the government, and doctors and other hospital employees are considered foreign government officials. Furthermore, in certain countries (China in particular), hospitals and clinics are permitted to sell pharmaceuticals to their patients and are primary or significant distributors of pharmaceuticals. Certain payments to hospitals in connection with clinical studies, procurement of pharmaceuticals and other work have been deemed to be improper payments to government officials that have led to vigorous anti-bribery law enforcement actions and heavy fines in multiple jurisdictions, particularly in the United States and China.
It is not always possible to identify and deter violations, and the precautions we take to detect and prevent this activity may not be effective in controlling unknown or unmanaged risks or losses or in protecting us from governmental investigations or other actions or lawsuits stemming from a failure to be in compliance with such laws or regulations.
In the medical industry, corrupt practices include, among others, offering or accepting kickbacks, bribes or other illegal gains or benefits by the hospitals and medical practitioners from manufacturers of pharmaceutical or other products, distributors or their third-party agents in connection with the prescription of certain pharmaceuticals or sale of products. If our employees, affiliates, distributors or third-party marketing firms violate these laws or otherwise engage in illegal practices with respect to their sales or marketing of our products or other activities involving our products, we could be required to pay damages or heavy fines by multiple jurisdictions where we operate, which could materially and adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations. There have been recent occurrences in which certain hospitals have denied access to sales representatives from pharmaceutical companies because the hospitals wanted to avoid the perception of corruption. If this attitude becomes widespread among our potential customers, our ability to promote our products to hospitals may be adversely affected.
If we and our subsidiaries further expand operations internationally, we will need to increase the scope of our compliance programs to address the risks relating to the potential for violations of the FCPA and other anti-bribery and anti-corruption laws and data protection laws. Our compliance programs will need to include policies addressing not only the FCPA, but also the provisions of a variety of anti-bribery and anti-corruption laws in multiple foreign jurisdictions, provisions relating to books and records that apply to us as a public company, and include effective training for our personnel throughout our organization. The creation and implementation of anti-corruption compliance programs is costly and such programs are difficult to enforce, particularly where reliance on third parties is required. Violation of the FCPA and other anti-corruption and data privacy laws can result in significant administrative and criminal penalties for us and our employees, including substantial fines, suspension or debarment from government contracting, prison sentences, or even the death penalty in extremely serious cases in certain countries. The SEC also may suspend or bar us from trading securities on U.S. exchanges for violation of the FCPA’s accounting provisions. Even if we are not ultimately punished by government authorities, the costs of investigation and review, distraction of our personnel, legal defense costs, and harm to our reputation could be substantial and could limit our profitability or our ability to develop or commercialize our product candidates. In addition, if any of our competitors are not subject to the FCPA, they may engage in practices that will lead to their receipt of preferential treatment from foreign hospitals and enable them to secure business from foreign hospitals in ways that are unavailable to us.
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We may in the future be subject to litigation, which could harm our stock price, business, results of operations and financial condition.
We may be subject to litigation in the future. In the past, following periods of volatility in the market price of their stock, many companies, including us, have been the subjects of securities class action litigation. Any such litigation can result in substantial costs and diversion of management’s attention and resources and could harm our stock price, business, results of operations and financial condition. As a result of these factors, holders of our common stock might be unable to sell their shares at or above the price they paid for such shares.
We may undertake strategic acquisitions in the future, and difficulties integrating such acquisitions could damage our ability to achieve or sustain profitability.
We may acquire businesses or assets that complement or augment our existing business. If we acquire businesses with promising products or technologies, we may not be able to realize the benefit of acquiring such businesses if we are unable to move one or more products through preclinical and/or clinical development to regulatory approval and commercialization. Integrating any newly acquired businesses or technologies could be expensive and time-consuming, resulting in the diversion of resources from our current business. We may not be able to integrate any acquired business successfully. We cannot assure that, following an acquisition, we will achieve revenues, specific net income or loss levels that justify the acquisition or that the acquisition will result in increased earnings, or reduced losses, for the combined company in any future period. Moreover, we may need to raise additional funds through public or private debt or equity financing to acquire any businesses, which would result in dilution for stockholders or the incurrence of indebtedness and may not be available on terms which would otherwise be acceptable to us. We may not be able to operate acquired businesses profitably or otherwise implement our growth strategy successfully.
We are subject to state laws in California that require gender and diversity quotas for boards of directors of public companies headquartered in California.
In September 2018, California enacted SB 826, requiring public companies headquartered in California to maintain minimum female representation on their boards of directors as follows: by December 31, 2019, public company boards must have a minimum of one female director; by December 31, 2021, public company boards with five members were required to have at least two female directors, and public company boards with six or more members were required to have at least three female directors. In May 2022, the Los Angeles Superior Court declared SB 826 unconstitutional and, although the California Secretary of State has directed counsel to file an appeal of decision, the State of California is currently precluded from enforcing SB 826.
Additionally, in September 2020, California enacted AB 979, requiring public companies with principal executive offices in California to each have at least one director from an underrepresented community based on ethnicity and sexual orientation by December 31, 2021. A director from an “underrepresented community” means a director who self-identifies as Black, African American, Hispanic, Latino, Asian, Pacific Islander, Native American, Native Hawaiian, Alaska Native, gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender. AB 979 required that each of these companies have at least two directors from such underrepresented communities if such company has more than four but fewer than nine directors, or at least three directors from underrepresented communities if the company has nine or more directors, by December 31, 2022. In April 2022, the Los Angeles Superior Court declared AB 979 unconstitutional and, although the California Secretary of State has filed a notice of appeal in the case, the State of California is currently precluded from enforcing AB 979.
If the State of California successfully appeals the court decisions regarding SB 826 or AB 979, we cannot assure that we can recruit, attract and/or retain qualified members of the board and meet gender or diversity quotas as previously required by SB 826 or AB 979, and our Board of Directors does not currently satisfy the quota previously required under these regulations. A failure to comply with any such quota requirement could result in fines from the California Secretary of State, and our reputation may be adversely affected.
Our business could be adversely impacted by inflation.
Inflation rates, particularly in the United States, have increased recently to levels not seen in years. We may experience inflationary pressures, primarily in personnel costs, with certain laboratory supplies and from inventory costs related to certain raw materials. We anticipate inflationary impacts on other cost areas in the future. The extent of any future impacts from inflation on our business and our results of operations will be dependent upon how long the elevated inflation levels persist and the extent to which the rate of inflation were to further increase, if at all, neither of which we are able to predict. If elevated levels of inflation were to persist or if the rate of inflation were to accelerate, the purchasing power of our cash and cash equivalents may be further diminished, our expenses could increase faster than anticipated and we may utilize our capital resources sooner than expected. Further, given the complexities of the reimbursement landscape in which we operate, our payers may be unwilling or unable to increase reimbursement rates to compensate for inflationary impacts. As such, the effects of inflation may adversely impact our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.
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Risks Related to Our Industry
Our operations as a clinical laboratory in the United States are subject to oversight by CMS under CLIA, as well as certain state agencies, and our operation of clinical laboratories in any foreign jurisdictions are subject to similar regulatory oversight. Any failure to maintain our CLIA or applicable state or international permits and licenses may affect our ability to commercialize our diagnostic tests.
We are subject to CLIA, a federal law regulating clinical laboratories that perform testing on specimens derived from humans for the purpose of providing information for the diagnosis, prevention or treatment of disease. Our clinical laboratories must be certified under CLIA in order for us to perform testing on human specimens. CLIA is intended to ensure the quality and reliability of clinical laboratories in the United States by mandating specific standards in the areas of personnel qualifications, administration, and participation in proficiency testing, patient test management, quality control, quality assurance and inspections. We have a current certificate under CLIA to perform routine chemistry. To renew these certificates, our diagnostic laboratories are subject to survey and inspection every two years. Moreover, CLIA inspectors may make periodic inspections of our clinical laboratories outside of the renewal process.
The law also requires us to maintain a state laboratory license to conduct testing in the states in which our laboratories are located. State laws establish standards for day-to-day operation of a clinical laboratory, including the training and skills required of personnel and quality control. In addition, several states require that we hold licenses to test specimens from patients in those states. We do not have immediate plans to market our tests for commercial use in the EU and as a result, at this time we do not believe we are subject to EU or EU member state post-market regulations related to our tests.
If we were to lose our CLIA certification or a required state license for a laboratory, whether as a result of a revocation, suspension or limitation, we would no longer be able to offer our tests from the affected laboratory, which would limit our revenue and harm our business. If we were to lose our license in other states where we are required to hold licenses, we would not be able to test specimens from those states. If we perform testing on samples originating in a state where we require a license, but do not currently have one, we could be subject to fines, sanctions, and may be denied permits or licenses in the future.
We also maintain laboratory operations in Germany and could expand our laboratory operations to other foreign jurisdictions. Therefore, we are subject to laboratory quality regulations and accreditation standards in Germany, and will be subject to such regulations and standards in any other jurisdictions where we may operate. These requirements may vary by jurisdiction and differ from those in the United States, and may require us to implement additional compliance measures. If we fail to comply with any foreign jurisdiction’s applicable laboratory regulations and standards it could limit our revenue and harm or business and we could be subject to fines and other sanctions.
Our products are subject to the FDA’s final rule ending enforcement discretion for LDTs and regulating such tests as medical devices. Implementing the requirements under the final rule could lead to delays in commercialization, or (if encountered after commercialization) requirements to halt the commercial provision of our tests until FDA marketing authorization is obtained.
In May 2024, the FDA published a final rule that phases out its enforcement discretion for LDTs, unless exempt, and amends the FDA’s regulations to make explicit that IVDs are medical devices under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act ("FDCA"), including when the manufacturer of the diagnostic product is a laboratory. The American Clinical Laboratory Association and the Association of Molecular Pathology have filed lawsuits against the FDA to challenge its authority to regulate LDTs under this final rule. The full impact of this final rule and the existing (and any future) challenges against currently remains to be seen.
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If the FDA were to ultimately regulate our tests as traditional IVDs, some or all of our tests may become subject to certain FDA medical device regulations, including, in some cases, pre-market review. If required, the regulatory marketing authorization process may involve, among other things, successfully completing additional clinical trials and submitting a pre-market clearance (510(k)) submission or filing a de novo or pre-market approval application with the FDA. If pre-market review and approval is required by the FDA for any of our tests, we may need to incur additional expenses or require additional time to seek it, or we may be unable to satisfy FDA standards, and our applicable tests may not be cleared or approved on a timely basis, if at all, and the labeling claims permitted by the FDA may not be consistent with our currently planned claims or adequate to support adoption of and reimbursement for our tests. Ongoing compliance with any applicable FDA medical device regulations to which we could become subject in connection with any of our tests that FDA may regulate as traditional IVDs would increase the cost of conducting our business, and subject us to inspection by, and potential enforcement of certain regulatory requirements, of the FDA, for example registration and listing, adherence to good manufacturing practices under the Quality System Regulation ("QSR"), and medical device reporting. Enforcement action for noncompliance with these requirements could range from warning or untitled letters to civil and criminal penalties, injunctions, product seizure or recall, import bans, restrictions on the conduct of our operations and total or partial suspension of production. Our laboratories are operating under CLIA and are not currently operating as registered device manufacturing facilities or in compliance with FDA’s QSR. Because these standards differ, we may face challenges establishing FDA-compliant quality systems or be unable to do so. If after commercialization under the LDT framework, our tests are allowed to remain on the market but there is uncertainty about the regulatory status of our tests, which is likely, given the current state of industry challenges to FDA’s final rule, including questions that may be raised if competitors object to our regulatory positioning as an LDT, we may encounter ongoing regulatory and legal challenges and related costs. Such challenges or related developments (for example if the labeling claims the FDA allows us to make are more limited than the claims we currently plan to make) may impact our commercialization efforts as orders or reimbursement may be less than anticipated. Any of these regulatory developments may cause our business to suffer.
If the FDA is successful in overcoming challenges to the final rule and ultimately regulates certain LDTs as intended under the final rule, our tests may be subject to certain additional regulatory requirements, the scope of which may vary from one test to another based on various considerations. Complying with the FDA’s requirements can be expensive, time-consuming, and subject us to significant or unanticipated delays. To the extent we are required to obtain premarket clearance or approval to perform or continue performing any of our tests, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to obtain such authorization. Even if we obtain regulatory clearance or approval where required, such authorization may not be for the intended uses that we believe are commercially attractive or are critical to the commercial success of our tests. Based on these and other considerations, the implementation of the FDA’s final rule on LDTs could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
In addition, the final rule does not change the FDA’s policy of regulating IVDs as medical devices. As a result, most IVDs are currently subject to FDA requirements, including pre-market authorization. While we currently believe our products qualify as LDTs, the FDA may disagree. If the FDA determines that our products do not qualify as LDTs, we may be subject to FDA enforcement action, such as warning letters, seizure, injunction, criminal prosecution, monetary penalties, and others. In addition, if our products are classified as IVDs instead of LDTs, we may be required to obtain 510(k) clearance or a PMA before re-marketing the products, which would result in a significant increase in costs, as well as a potential loss in revenue.
We currently market certain IVDs that have not been cleared by the FDA in reliance on the regulatory exemption for IVDs intended for RUO, but if the FDA determines that our RUO tests do not meet the applicable requirements for exemption or have intended uses that are inconsistent with RUO tests, we may be required to suspend commercialization of such products until we can obtain the requisite FDA clearance and/or subject to FDA warning or untitled letters, seizure, injunction, fines, or other enforcement action.
Some of our tests are marketed for RUO, which allows us to sell such products without the premarket clearance that FDA requires for the marketing of traditional devices. An RUO product may not be marketed for clinical diagnostic use and must be labeled “For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.” Products that are intended for research use only and are properly labeled as RUO are exempt from compliance with the FDA’s pre- and post-market requirements to which traditional devices are subject, including the requirement that the product be cleared or approved before commercialization and QSR requirements. However, merely including the required RUO labeling will not necessarily exempt the device from the FDA's 510(k) clearance, premarket approval, or other requirements if the circumstances surrounding the distribution of the product indicate an objective intent to market the product for clinical diagnostic use.
According to the FDA guidance, circumstances indicating manufacturer intent to market an in vitro device for diagnostic use may include written or verbal marketing claims regarding a product's clinical efficacy or performance in clinical applications, instructions for clinical interpretation, clinical information, product names, or descriptors that claim or suggest that the IVD product may be used for any clinical diagnostic use, including a clinical investigation that is not exempt from the FDA’s investigational device exemption regulations. Other indications include a manufacturer's provision of technical support for clinical validation or clinical applications or solicitation of business from clinical laboratories that do not conduct research activities, all of which could be considered evidence of intended uses that conflict with RUO labeling.
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In general, if (i) evidence shows that one or more of our IVDs are inappropriately labeled RUO (but marketed for clinical diagnostic use), such test(s) will not qualify for an IDE exemption and will be deemed misbranded under the FDCA. Device manufacturers found in violation of the FDCA may be subject to a wide range of enforcement action, including warning letters, seizure, injunction, criminal prosecution, monetary penalties, and others.
We believe that our promotional activities for our RUO products fall within the scope of the applicable premarket exemptions for RUO tests and the FDA’s enforcement discretion, as described in its relevant guidance. However, the FDA could disagree and require us to (i) stop promoting our RUO devices unless/until we obtain FDA clearance or approval (among other possible outcomes). Any adverse determination in relation to our marketing of current or future products for RUO will likely have a material adverse impact on our business.
We will also need to obtain FDA and other regulatory approvals for any IVDs that we may develop, or for any currently marketed products the FDA determines are IVDs instead of LDTs, in order to market those IVD tests.
If we decide to develop IVDs, we will need to obtain regulatory clearance or approval to market each IVD test. Additionally, while we believe our tests qualify as LDTs, if the FDA determines otherwise, our products will likely need to be withdrawn from the market until receiving pre-market authorization, such as 510(k) clearance or a PMA, before re-entering the market. This means that:
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The IVDs cannot be sold until the CMS or the FDA, and corresponding foreign regulatory authorities approve or authorize the IVDs for medical use;
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We will have to conduct expensive and time-consuming clinical trials of new diagnostic tests. The full cost of conducting and completing clinical trials necessary to obtain FDA clearance or approval of IVD tests or for gaining reimbursement from health insurance companies, health maintenance organizations, Medicare, and other third-party payers cannot be presently determined but could exceed our financial resources;
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Data obtained from preclinical and clinical studies is susceptible to varying interpretations that could delay, limit or prevent regulatory agency clearances or approvals. Delays or denials of the regulatory clearances or approvals may be encountered as a result of changes in regulatory agency policy, regulations, or laws;
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A diagnostic test that is cleared or approved for marketing may be subject to restrictions on use; and
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The FDA can withdraw approval of an FDA regulated product if problems arise.
Clinical trial failures can occur at any stage of the testing and we may experience numerous unforeseen events during, or as a result of, the clinical trial process that could delay or prevent commercialization of our current or future diagnostic tests.
Clinical trial failures or delays can occur at any stage of the trials, and may be directly or indirectly caused by a variety of factors, including but not limited to:
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Delays in securing clinical investigators or trial sites for our clinical trials;
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Delays in obtaining Institutional Review Board and other regulatory approvals to commence a clinical trial;
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Slower than anticipated rates of patient recruitment and enrollment, or failing to reach the targeted number of patients due to competition for patients from other trials;
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Limited or no availability of coverage, reimbursement and adequate payment from health maintenance organizations and other third-party payers for the use of our diagnostic test candidates in our clinical trials;
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Negative or inconclusive results from clinical trials;
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Approval and introduction of new diagnostic tests or changes in standards of practice or regulatory guidance that render our clinical trial endpoints or the targeting of our proposed indications obsolete;
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Inability to monitor patients adequately during or after treatment or problems with investigator or patient compliance with the trial protocols;
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Inability to replicate in large controlled studies safety and efficacy data obtained from a limited number of patients in uncontrolled trials; and
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Inability or unwillingness of medical investigators to follow our clinical protocols.
Any of the foregoing factors as well as other unforeseen events could delay or prevent commercialization of our current or future diagnostic tests and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
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The commercial success of our diagnostic tests depends on the availability and sufficiency of third-party payer coverage and reimbursement, which may be limited or unavailable.
Our ability to successfully commercialize our diagnostic tests will depend, in significant part, on the extent to which appropriate reimbursement levels can be obtained for patients. Physicians will be hesitant to order a diagnostic test for a patient when they may be left with a large out-of-pocket fee through co-payments or co-insurance or unreimbursed balances. Third-party payers, including Medicare, Medicaid and private insurers, are increasingly challenging the prices charged for healthcare products and services. In addition, legislative proposals to reform health care or reduce government insurance programs may result in lower prices or the actual inability of prospective customers to purchase our tests. Furthermore, even if reimbursement is available, it may not be available at price levels sufficient for us to realize a positive return on our investment. We have never successfully obtained reimbursement for any test and may never be able to obtain reimbursement from any third-party payer; without such coverage and reimbursement, we may not achieve market acceptance of our test and may never be profitable.
The United States government and state legislatures have shown significant interest in implementing cost containment programs to limit the growth of government-paid healthcare costs, including price controls, restrictions on reimbursement and coverage. Adoption of government controls and measures, and tightening of restrictive policies in jurisdictions with existing controls and measures, could exclude or limit one or more of our diagnostic tests from coverage. Even if a diagnostic test receives coverage and reimbursement from third-party payers, such coverage policies and reimbursement rates may change at any time, might not be adequate, or less favorable coverage policies and reimbursement rates may be implemented in the future. If we are unable to obtain and maintain sufficient third-party coverage and adequate reimbursement for a diagnostic test, its commercial success may be greatly hindered, and our financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.
We may need to conduct additional studies in order to demonstrate the cost-effectiveness of our diagnostic tests to the satisfaction of our target customers and their third-party payers. Such studies might require us to commit a significant amount of management time and financial and other resources.
Changes in healthcare laws and policies may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
We cannot predict whether future healthcare initiatives will be implemented at the federal or state level, or how any future legislation or regulation may affect us. For instance, the payment reductions imposed by healthcare reform legislation known as the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act,” also known as the ACA, the expansion of the federal and state governments’ role in the U.S. healthcare industry, and the changes to the reimbursement amounts paid by payers for our tests and future tests and products may reduce our profits and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. Notably, Congress enacted legislation in 2017 that eliminated the ACA’s “individual mandate,” a provision that required individuals to buy health insurance or pay a fine, which has impacted the number of covered lives participating in exchange plans. In June 2021, the U.S. Supreme Court dismissed a judicial challenge to the ACA brought by several states without specifically ruling on the constitutionality of the ACA. We cannot be certain that there will not be further legislative efforts or judicial challenges in the future.
The new presidential administration may also significantly alter the current regulatory framework and the healthcare industry, including any further challenges of certain ACA provisions. These changes could have an adverse and material impact on our operations. For example, the staff of the Department of Government Efficiency (the “DOGE”), an executive administrative agency created by the second Trump Administration, have been provided access to key payment and contracting systems at CMS to look for opportunities for improving efficiency and to identify fraud and ineffective use of resources. While we cannot predict other actions of the DOGE, there is a possibility that additional changes will be made to CMS spending, which could ultimately affect our financial condition and results of operations.
In addition, the new administration recently issued a memorandum instructing U.S. executive agencies to prepare for reductions in workforce at governmental agencies, which likely includes the FDA. If the new administration takes action that substantially reduces FDA’s workforce, in particular, at the Center for Devices and Radiological Health, we may face significant delay in obtaining approval, if required, and subsequently marketing future product candidates.
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Additionally, the Protecting Access to Medicare Act (“PAMA”) significantly altered the payment methodology under the Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule that determines Medicare coverage for laboratory tests. Under PAMA (as amended by the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020 and the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, respectively) and its implementing regulations, clinical laboratories must report to the CMS, the administrator of CLIA, private payer rates for clinical diagnostic laboratory tests. Laboratories that fail to timely report the required payment information may be subject to substantial civil money penalties. Medicare payments for clinical diagnostic laboratory tests are paid based upon these reported private payer rates. For certain clinical diagnostic laboratory tests that are not designated as advanced diagnostic laboratory tests, initial payment rates will be assigned by the cross-walk or gap-fill methodology. For laboratory tests that are designated as new advanced diagnostic laboratory tests, initial payment rates will be based on the actual list charge for the laboratory test.
If future reimbursement price levels are less than the current price, our revenues and our ability to achieve profitability could be impaired, and the market price of our common stock could decline. Additionally, any decision by CMS or its local contractors to reduce or deny coverage for our tests would have a significant adverse effect on our revenue and results of operations and ability to operate and raise capital. Any such decision could also cause affected clinicians treating Medicare-covered patients to reduce or discontinue the use of our tests.
Because of certain Medicare billing policies, we may not receive complete reimbursement for tests provided to Medicare patients.
Medicare has coverage policies that can be national or regional in scope. Coverage means that the test or assay is approved as a benefit for Medicare beneficiaries. If there is no coverage, neither the supplier nor any other party, such as a diagnostic laboratory, may receive reimbursement from Medicare for the service. Regional policies are directed by Medicare’s regional MACs. Reimbursement for our diagnostic testing may be negatively impacted by California MAC policies and we may not receive complete reimbursement for tests provided to Medicare patients due to such policies.
Long payment cycles of Medicare, Medicaid and other third-party payers, or other payment delays, could hurt our cash flows and increase our need for working capital.
Medicare and Medicaid have complex billing and documentation requirements that we will have to satisfy in order to receive payment. Failure to comply with these requirements and other laws applicable to billing may result in, among other things, non-payment, refunds, exclusion from government healthcare programs, and civil or criminal liabilities, any of which may have a material adverse effect on our revenues and earnings. Similarly, the failure of private health insurers or other private third-party payers to properly process our payment claims in a timely manner could delay our receipt of payment for our diagnostic tests and services, which may have a material adverse effect on our cash flows.
Private health insurance company policies may deny coverage or limit the amount they will reimburse us for the performance of our diagnostic tests.
Patients who are not covered by Medicare will generally rely on health insurance provided by private health insurance companies. However, private third-party payers often follow Medicare coverage policy and payment limitations in setting their own coverage and payment rates. If we are considered a “non-contracted provider” by a third-party payer, that payer may not reimburse patients for diagnostic tests performed by us, or doctors within the payer’s network of covered physicians may not use our services to perform diagnostic tests for their patients. As a result, we may need to enter into contracts with health insurance companies or other private payers to provide diagnostic tests to their insured patients at specified rates of reimbursement which may be lower than the rates we might otherwise collect.
We will be required to comply with federal and state laws governing the privacy of health information, and any failure to comply with these laws could result in material criminal and civil penalties.
HIPAA sets forth security regulations that establish administrative, physical and technical standards for maintaining the confidentiality, integrity and availability of PHI in electronic form. We also may be required to comply with state laws that are more stringent than HIPAA or that provide individuals with greater rights with respect to the privacy or security of, and access to, their health care records. HITECH established certain health information security breach notification obligations that require covered entities to notify each individual whose PHI is breached.
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We may incur significant compliance costs related to HIPAA and HITECH privacy regulations and varying state privacy regulations and varying state privacy and security laws. Given the complexity of HIPAA and HITECH and their overlap with state privacy and security laws, and the fact that these laws are rapidly evolving and are subject to changing and potentially conflicting interpretation, our ability to comply with the HIPAA, HITECH and state privacy requirements is uncertain and the costs of compliance are significant. The costs of complying with any changes to the HIPAA, HITECH and state privacy restrictions may have a negative impact on our operations. Noncompliance could subject us to criminal penalties, civil sanctions and significant monetary penalties as well as reputational damage.
If we are successful in commercializing our diagnostic tests, we will be obligated to comply with numerous additional federal and state statutes and regulations pertaining to our business and be subject to government oversight and scrutiny for our compliance with such laws. Laboratory and health care regulatory compliance efforts are expensive and time-consuming, and failure to maintain compliance with applicable laws could result in enforcement action which could be detrimental to our business.
If we are successful in commercializing any of our diagnostic tests, and particularly if payment becomes available from government or commercial payers for a test, we will be subject to extensive and frequently changing federal and state laws governing various aspects of our business. We will be subject to ongoing compliance with laws addressing our laboratory licensure and certification at the federal and state level; advertising and promotion (including laws enforced by the Federal Trade Commission); and laws intended to prevent fraud, waste, and abuse in healthcare programs (including, among others, the Anti-Kickback Statute, False Claims Act, EKRA, the Stark Law, and applicable state law equivalents).
These laws and regulations are complex and are subject to interpretation by the courts and by government agencies. If one or more such agencies alleges that we may be in violation of any of these requirements, regardless of the outcome, it could damage our reputation and adversely affect important business relationships with third parties. Any action brought against us for violation of these or other laws or regulations, even if we successfully defend against it, could cause us to incur significant legal expenses and divert our management’s attention from the operation of our business. If our operations are found to be in violation of any of these laws and regulations, we may be subject to any applicable penalty associated with the violation, including civil and criminal penalties, damages and fines, and in some circumstances we could be required to refund payments received by us from payers, or even be excluded from participation in healthcare programs. Any of the foregoing consequences could seriously harm our business and our financial results.
We plan to adopt policies and procedures designed to comply with applicable laws and regulations. Developing a compliance infrastructure is costly and time-consuming, and even a well-designed and implemented compliance program cannot necessarily prevent all violations of relevant laws. We may be subject to enforcement action based on the actions or omissions of employees or contractors, including our anticipated sales force.
Tariff policies and potential countermeasures could increase our costs and disrupt our global supply chain, which could negatively impact the results of our operations.
President Trump has increased, and has indicated his willingness to continue to increase, the use of tariffs by the U.S. to accomplish certain U.S. policy goals. Such tariffs and any countermeasures could increase the cost of raw materials and components necessary for our operations, disrupt our global supply chain and create additional operational challenges. Further, it is possible that government policy changes and related uncertainty about policy changes could increase market volatility. Because of these dynamics, we cannot predict the impact of any future changes to the U.S.’s or other countries’ trading relationships or the impact of new laws or regulations adopted by the U.S. or other countries on our business. Such changes in tariffs and trade regulations could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
Risks Related to Intellectual Property
We rely on patents and trade secrets, and our financial success will depend, in part, on our ability to obtain commercially valuable patent claims, protect our intellectual property rights and operate without infringing upon the proprietary rights of others.
We rely primarily on patents and contractual obligations with employees and third parties to protect our proprietary rights. We have sought, and intend to continue to seek, appropriate patent protection for important and strategic components of our proprietary technologies by filing patent applications in the United States and certain foreign countries. We may also use license agreements both to access technologies developed by other companies and universities and to convey certain intellectual property rights to others. Our financial success will depend, in part, on our ability to obtain commercially valuable patent claims, protect our intellectual property rights and operate without infringing upon the proprietary rights of others.
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The patent positions of biotechnology companies, including our patent position, involve complex legal and factual questions, and, therefore, the issuance, scope, validity and enforceability of any patent claims that we may obtain cannot be predicted with certainty. Patents, if issued, may be challenged, deemed unenforceable, invalidated, or circumvented. A third-party may submit prior art, or we may become involved in opposition, derivation, reexamination, inter partes review, post-grant review, supplemental examination, or interference proceedings challenging our patent rights or the patent rights of our licensors or development partners. The costs of defending or enforcing our proprietary rights in these proceedings can be substantial, and the outcome can be uncertain. An adverse determination in any such submission or proceeding could reduce the scope of, or invalidate, our patent rights, allow third parties to commercialize our technology or products and compete directly with us, or reduce our ability to manufacture or commercialize products. Furthermore, if the scope or strength of protection provided by our patents and patent applications is threatened, it could discourage companies from collaborating with us to license, develop or commercialize current or future products. The ownership of our proprietary rights could also be challenged.
Moreover, the issuance of a patent, while presumed valid and enforceable, is not conclusive as to its validity or its enforceability and it may not provide us with adequate proprietary protection or competitive advantages against competitors with similar products. Competitors may also be able to design around our patents. Other parties may develop and obtain patent protection for more effective technologies, designs or methods. We may not be able to prevent the unauthorized disclosure or use of our technical knowledge or trade secrets by consultants, vendors, former employees and current employees.
We may not be able to obtain patent protection for our diagnostic tests if our pending U.S. patent applications are found to be directed to unpatentable subject matter.
The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled on several patent cases in recent years, either narrowing the scope of patent protection available in certain circumstances or weakening the rights of patent owners in certain situations. For example, recent cases have held that diagnostic methods merely reciting a correlation between a naturally occurring event and a diagnostic outcome associated with that event is not patentable subject matter. If our pending U.S. patent applications are found to be directed to unpatentable subject matter by the USPTO, or any patents issuing from our pending patent applications are invalidated based on these decisions, we may be unable to prevent competitors from using the biomarkers or other subject matter disclosed in the patent applications to develop similar diagnostic tests that would compete with our tests. Additionally, there have been recent proposals for additional changes to the patent laws of the United States and other countries that, if adopted, could impact our ability to enforce our proprietary technology. Depending on future actions by the U.S. Congress, U.S. courts, the USPTO and the relevant law-making bodies in other countries, the laws and regulations governing patents could change in unpredictable ways that would weaken our ability to obtain new patents or to enforce our existing patents and patents that we might obtain in the future.
Changes to the patent laws in the United States and other jurisdictions could diminish the value of patents in general, thereby impairing our ability to protect our diagnostic tests.
Our success is heavily dependent on intellectual property, particularly patents. Obtaining and enforcing patents in the biopharmaceutical industry involves both technological and legal complexity and is costly, time-consuming and inherently uncertain. Patent reform legislation in the United States and other countries, including the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act (“Leahy-Smith Act”), signed into law in September 2011, could increase those uncertainties and costs. The Leahy-Smith Act includes a number of significant changes to U.S. patent law. These include provisions that affect the way patent applications are prosecuted, redefine prior art and provide more efficient and cost-effective avenues for competitors to challenge the validity of patents. In addition, the Leahy-Smith Act has transformed the U.S. patent system into a “first to file” system, which became effective in March 2013. The Leahy-Smith Act and its implementation may make it more difficult to obtain patent protection for our inventions and increase the uncertainties and costs surrounding the prosecution of our or our collaboration partners’ patent applications and the enforcement or defense of our or our collaboration partners’ issued patents, all of which could harm our business, results of operations and financial condition.
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Other companies or organizations may challenge our patent rights or may assert patent rights that prevent us from developing and commercializing our diagnostic tests.
Any patent applications that we file and any patents that we hold or later obtain could be challenged by third parties and declared invalid or infringing of third-party claims. A patent interference proceeding may be instituted with the USPTO when more than one person files a patent application covering the same technology, or if someone wishes to challenge the validity of an issued patent filed before March 16, 2013. At the completion of the interference proceeding, the USPTO will determine which competing applicant is entitled to the patent, or whether an issued patent is valid. Patent interference proceedings are complex, highly contested legal proceedings, and the USPTO’s decision is subject to appeal. This means that if an interference proceeding arises with respect to any of our patent applications, we may experience significant expenses and delay in obtaining a patent, and if the outcome of the proceeding is unfavorable to us, the patent could be issued to a competitor rather than to us. In addition to interference proceedings, the USPTO can review issued patents at the request of a third party seeking to have the patent invalidated. An inter partes review proceeding allows third parties to challenge the validity of an issued patent where there is a reasonable likelihood of invalidity. This means that patents owned or licensed by us may be subject to administrative review and may be lost if the outcome of the review is unfavorable to us.
Post Grant Review under the Leahy-Smith Act makes available opposition-like proceedings in the United States. As with the USPTO interference proceedings, Post Grant Review proceedings will be very expensive to contest and can result in significant delays in obtaining patent protection or can result in a denial of a patent application. Further, a derivation proceeding may be instituted by the USPTO or an inventor alleging that a patent or application was derived from the work of another inventor.
Oppositions to the issuance of patents may be filed under European patent law and the patent laws of certain other countries. As with the USPTO interference proceedings, these foreign proceedings can be very expensive to contest and can result in significant delays in obtaining a patent or can result in a denial of a patent application.
The enforcement of patent rights often requires litigation against third party infringers, and such litigation can be costly to pursue. Even if we succeed in having new patents issued or in defending any challenge to issued patents, our patents may not be comprehensive enough to provide us with meaningful patent protection against our competitors.
If we are unable to protect the confidentiality of our trade secrets, the value of our technology could be materially adversely affected, and our business would be harmed.
In addition to patents, we rely on trade secrets, know-how, and continuing technological advancement to maintain our competitive position. The molecular diagnostics that we are developing use gene expression classifiers or algorithms, which are mathematical models that weight the biomarkers to produce a score. We will treat the mathematical models as trade secrets. We have entered into intellectual property, invention, and non-disclosure agreements with our employees, and it is our practice to enter into confidentiality agreements with our consultants. These measures, however, may not prevent the unauthorized disclosure or use of our trade secrets and know-how, or that others may not independently develop similar trade secrets and know-how or obtain access to our trade secrets, know-how, or proprietary technology.
We may become involved in lawsuits to protect or enforce our patents or other intellectual property, which could be expensive, time-consuming and unsuccessful.
Competitors may infringe our patents, trademarks, copyrights or other intellectual property. To counter infringement or unauthorized use, we may be required to file infringement claims, which can be expensive and time-consuming and divert the time and attention of our management and scientific personnel. Any claims we assert against perceived infringers could provoke these parties to assert counterclaims against us alleging that we infringe their patents, in addition to counterclaims asserting that our patents are invalid or unenforceable, or both. In any patent infringement proceeding, a court may decide that a patent of ours is invalid or unenforceable, in whole or in part, and that we do not have the right to stop the other party from using the invention at issue. Even if the validity of such patents is upheld, the court may construe the patent’s claims narrowly or decide that we do not have the right to stop the other party from using the invention at issue on the grounds that our patent claims do not cover the invention. An adverse outcome in a litigation or proceeding involving our patents could limit our ability to assert our patents against those parties or other competitors, and may curtail or preclude our ability to exclude third parties from making and selling similar or competitive products. Any of these occurrences could adversely affect our competitive business position, business prospects and financial condition. Similarly, if we assert trademark infringement claims, a court may determine that the marks we have asserted are invalid or unenforceable, or that the party against whom we have asserted trademark infringement has superior rights to the marks in question, in which case, we could ultimately be forced to cease use of such trademarks.
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Even if we establish infringement, the court may decide not to grant an injunction against further infringing activity and instead award only monetary damages, which may or may not be an adequate remedy. Furthermore, because of the substantial amount of discovery required in connection with intellectual property litigation, some of our confidential information could be compromised by disclosure during litigation. There could also be public announcements of the results of hearings, motions or other interim proceedings or developments. If securities analysts or investors perceive these results to be negative, it could have a material adverse effect on the price of shares of our common stock. Moreover, we may not have sufficient financial or other resources to file and pursue such infringement claims, which typically last for years before they are concluded. Even if we ultimately prevail in such claims, the monetary cost of such litigation and the diversion of the attention of our management and scientific personnel could outweigh any benefit we receive as a result of the proceedings.
We may not be able to enforce our intellectual property rights throughout the world.
Filing, prosecuting and defending patents, if issued, on our diagnostic test candidate in all countries throughout the world would be prohibitively expensive. The requirements for patentability may differ in certain countries, particularly in developing countries. Competitors may use our technologies in jurisdictions where we have not obtained patent protection to develop their own products and, further, may export otherwise infringing products to territories where we may obtain patent protection, but where patent enforcement is not as strong as that in the United States. These products may compete with our diagnostic tests in jurisdictions where we do not have any issued or licensed patents or where any future patent claims or other intellectual property rights may not be effective or sufficient to prevent them from competing with us.
Moreover, our ability to protect and enforce our intellectual property rights may be adversely affected by unforeseen changes in foreign intellectual property laws. Additionally, laws of some countries outside of the United States and Europe do not afford intellectual property protection to the same extent as the laws of the United States and Europe. Many companies have encountered significant problems in protecting and defending intellectual property rights in certain foreign jurisdictions. The legal systems of some countries, including India, China and certain developing countries, do not favor the enforcement of patents and other intellectual property rights. This could make it difficult for us to stop the infringement of our patents or the misappropriation of our other intellectual property rights. For example, many foreign countries have compulsory licensing laws under which a patent owner must grant licenses to third parties. Consequently, we may not be able to prevent third parties from practicing our inventions in certain countries outside the United States and Europe. Competitors may use our technologies in jurisdictions where we have not obtained patent protection to develop their own products and, further, may export otherwise infringing products to territories where we have patent protection, if our ability to enforce our patents to stop infringing activities is inadequate. These products may compete with our diagnostic test, and our patents, if issued, or other intellectual property rights may not be effective or sufficient to prevent them from competing.
Proceedings to enforce our patent rights in foreign jurisdictions, whether or not successful, could result in substantial costs and divert our efforts and resources from other aspects of our business. Furthermore, while we intend to protect our intellectual property rights in major markets for our diagnostic test, we cannot ensure that we will be able to initiate or maintain similar efforts in all jurisdictions in which we may wish to market our diagnostic tests. Accordingly, our efforts to protect our intellectual property rights in such countries may be inadequate.
If we are sued for infringing intellectual property rights of third parties, such litigation could be costly and time consuming and could prevent or delay us from developing or commercializing our diagnostic tests.
There is a substantial amount of intellectual property litigation in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries, and we may become party to, or threatened with, litigation or other adversarial proceedings regarding intellectual property rights with respect to our current or future diagnostic test, including interference proceedings before the USPTO, misappropriation claims, or other allegations. The outcome of intellectual property litigation is subject to uncertainties that cannot be adequately quantified in advance. For example, the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries have produced a significant number of patents, and it may not always be 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 were sued for patent infringement, we would need to demonstrate that our diagnostic tests or methods either do not infringe the patent claims of the relevant patent or that the patent claims are invalid or unenforceable, and we may not be able to do this. Proving invalidity is difficult. For example, in the United States, proving invalidity requires a showing of clear and convincing evidence to overcome the presumption of validity enjoyed by issued patents.
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We may not have identified all patents, published applications or published literature that affect our business either by blocking our ability to commercialize our products or potential products, by preventing the patentability of one or more aspects of our products or potential products to us or our licensors, or by covering the same or similar technologies that may affect our ability to market our products and potential products. For example, we (or the licensor of a product or potential product to it) may not have conducted a patent clearance search sufficient to identify potentially obstructing third party patent rights. Moreover, patent applications in the United States are maintained in confidence for up to 18 months after their filing. In some cases, however, patent applications remain confidential in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, or the USPTO, for the entire time prior to issuance as a U.S. patent. Patent applications filed in countries outside of the United States are not typically published until at least 18 months from their first filing date. Similarly, publication of discoveries in the scientific or patent literature often lags behind actual discoveries. We cannot be certain that we or our licensors were the first to invent, or the first to file, patent applications covering our products. We also may not know if our competitors filed patent applications for technology covered by our pending applications or if we were the first to invent the technology that is the subject of our patent applications. Competitors may have filed patent applications or received patents and may obtain additional patents and proprietary rights that block or compete with our patents.
In addition, several of our employees have executed proprietary rights, non-disclosure and non-competition agreements, or similar agreements with their previous employers, who may allege these employees have used or disclosed intellectual property, including trade secrets or other proprietary information. Even if we are successful in these proceedings, we may incur substantial costs, and the time and attention of our management and scientific personnel could be diverted in pursuing these proceedings, which could significantly harm our business and operating results. We may also not have sufficient resources to bring these actions to a successful conclusion.
If we are found to infringe a third party’s intellectual property rights, we may have to pay monetary damages, lose valuable intellectual property rights or personnel, or be forced to cease developing, manufacturing or commercializing the infringing diagnostic test. Alternatively, we may be required to obtain a license from such third party in order to use the infringing technology and continue developing, manufacturing or marketing the infringing diagnostic test. However, we may not be able to obtain any required license on commercially reasonable terms or at all. Even if we were able to obtain a license, it could be non-exclusive, thereby giving our competitors access to the same technologies licensed to us. In addition, we could be found liable for monetary damages, including treble damages and attorneys’ fees if we are found to have willfully infringed a patent. A finding of infringement could prevent us from commercializing our diagnostic tests or force us to cease some of our business operations, which could materially harm our business. Claims that we have misappropriated the confidential information or trade secrets of third parties could have a similar negative impact on our business.
Failure to adequately protect, or disputes relating to, trademarks or patents, could harm our business.
We cannot be certain that the legal steps we are taking are sufficient to protect our trademark and patent rights or that, notwithstanding legal protection, others will not infringe or misappropriate our intellectual property rights. In addition, we could come into conflict with third parties over trademark or patent rights, which could result in disruptive and expensive litigation. Challenges to our trademarks or patents could result in significant costs related to the prosecution or defense of the registrations of our trademarks or patents or rebranding if we need to abandon or modify a trademark or patent.
Even if we have or obtain trademarks and patents covering our products, we may still be prevented from making, using, selling, offering for sale, or importing our products or technologies because of the trademark and patent rights of others. Others may have filed, and in the future may file, trademark or patent applications covering technologies or products that are similar or identical to ours. These filings could materially affect our ability to develop or sell our products. Because trademark and patent applications can take many years to issue and are not published for a period of time after filing, there may be currently pending applications unknown to us that may later result in issued trademarks or patents that our products or technologies may infringe. These trademark and patent applications may have priority over trademark and patent applications filed by us.
Patent terms may be inadequate to protect our competitive position on our diagnostic tests for an adequate amount of time.
Given the amount of time required for the development, testing and regulatory review of new diagnostic tests, patents protecting such candidates might expire before or shortly after such candidates are commercialized. We expect to seek extensions of patent terms in the United States and, if available, in other countries where we are prosecuting patents. In the United States, the Drug Price Competition and Patent Term Restoration Act of 1984 permits a patent term extension of up to five years beyond the normal expiration of the patent, which is limited to the approved indication or any additional indications approved during the period of extension. However, the applicable authorities, including the FDA and the USPTO in the United States, and any equivalent regulatory authorities in other countries, may not agree with our assessment of whether such extensions are available, and may refuse to grant extensions to our patents, or may grant more limited extensions than we request. If this occurs, our competitors may be able to take advantage of our investment in development and clinical trials by referencing our clinical and preclinical data and launch their product earlier than might otherwise be the case.
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Obtaining and maintaining patent protection depends on compliance with various procedures and other requirements, and our patent protection could be reduced or eliminated in case of non-compliance with these requirements.
Periodic maintenance fees, renewal fees, annuity fees and various other governmental fees on patents and/or applications will be due to the relevant patent agencies in several stages over the lifetime of the patents and/or applications. The relevant patent agencies require compliance with a number of procedural, documentary, fee payment and other provisions during the patent application process. In many cases, an inadvertent lapse can be cured by payment of a late fee or by other means in accordance with the applicable rules. However, there are situations in which the failure to comply with the relevant requirements can result in the abandonment or lapse of the patent or patent application, resulting in partial or complete loss of patent rights in the relevant jurisdiction. In such an event, our competitors might be able to use our technologies and know-how which could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operation.
Risks Related to Our Common Stock
We previously identified and remediated a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting. If we are unable to maintain an effective system of internal control over financial reporting, it could result in us not preventing or detecting on a timely basis a material misstatement of the Company’s financial statements.
A material weakness is a deficiency, or combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of the company’s annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. As of December 31, 2022, management had identified, and during 2023 remediated, a material weakness specifically relating to deficiencies in its internal controls over the review process relating to third-party valuations. While the Company has made improvements to the design of its internal controls, there can be no assurance that future material weaknesses will not be identified. The occurrence of, or failure to remediate, a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting or determination that our disclosure controls and procedures are ineffective may have other consequences that could materially and adversely affect our business, including an adverse impact on the market price of our common stock, potential actions or investigations by the SEC or other regulatory authorities, shareholder lawsuits, a loss of investor confidence and damage to our reputation.
Because we do not pay dividends, our stock may not be a suitable investment for anyone who needs to earn dividend income.
We do not pay cash dividends on our common stock. For the foreseeable future we anticipate that any earnings generated in our business will be used to finance the growth of our business and will not be paid out as dividends to our shareholders. Consequently, shareholders’ ability to achieve a return on their investment will depend on appreciation in the price of our common stock.
Securities analysts may not initiate coverage or continue to cover our common stock, and this may have a negative impact on the market price of our shares.
The market for our common stock will depend, in part, on the research and reports that securities analysts publish about our business and our common stock. We do not have any control over these analysts. Certain securities analysts cover our shares and they could issue reports or recommendations that are unfavorable to the price of our shares, and they could downgrade a previously favorable report or recommendation, and in either case our share price could decline as a result of the report. If one or more of these analysts ceases to cover our shares or fails to publish regular reports on our business, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which could cause our share price or trading volume to decline.
You may experience dilution of your ownership interests if we issue additional shares of common stock or preferred stock.
In the future, we may issue our authorized but previously unissued equity securities, resulting in the dilution of the ownership interests of our present shareholders. We are currently authorized to issue an aggregate of 235,000,000 shares of capital stock consisting of 230,000,000 shares of common stock and 5,000,000 “blank check” shares of preferred stock. As of December 31, 2024, there were 17,452,824 shares of common stock outstanding, 760,866 shares of common stock reserved for issuance upon the exercise of warrants, 342,888 shares of common stock reserved for issuance upon the exercise of pre-funded warrants, 1,091,000 shares of common stock reserved for issuance upon the exercise of options under our equity incentive plan, and 100,000 shares of common stock reserved for issuance upon the vesting of restricted stock units under our equity incentive plan. No shares of preferred stock are presently outstanding.
We may issue additional common stock or other securities that are convertible into or exercisable for common stock in order to raise additional capital, or in connection with hiring or retaining employees, directors, or consultants, or in connection with future acquisitions of licenses to technology or diagnostic tests in connection with future business acquisitions, or for other business purposes. The future issuance of any such additional common stock or other securities may create downward pressure on the trading price of our common stock.
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We may also issue preferred stock having rights, preferences, and privileges senior to the rights of our common stock with respect to dividends, rights to share in distributions of our assets if we liquidate our company, or voting rights. Any preferred stock may also be convertible into common stock on terms that would be dilutive to holders of common stock.
Our former parent company may sell our shares to raise capital to finance its operations.
Prior to February 17, 2017, we were a consolidated subsidiary of our former parent company Lineage Cell Therapeutics, Inc., formerly known as BioTime, Inc. (“Lineage”). Based on its most recent report of beneficial ownership on Schedule 13D, as of January 8, 2021, Lineage held 3,297,401 shares of our common stock. Lineage has been periodically selling shares of our common stock from its holdings and has announced its intention to continue to sell our shares. The sale of such shares could have a depressing effect on the market value of our common stock and the prices at which we can sell our own shares of common stock to raise capital to support our operations.
We are a “smaller reporting company” under the SEC’s disclosure rules and have elected to comply with the reduced disclosure requirements applicable to smaller reporting companies.
As a smaller reporting company, we have elected to adopt the accommodations for scaled-back disclosure in our SEC filings, resulting in less information about our Company being available compared to other public companies. We are also a non-accelerated filer and are not required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. Our internal controls over financial reporting will not receive the level of review provided by the process relating to the auditor attestation included in annual reports of issuers that are subject to these requirements.
We cannot predict if investors will find our common stock less attractive because we are not required to comply with more robust disclosure or the auditor attestation requirements. If investors find our common stock less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our common stock and trading prices may be negatively affected.
Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments.
Not applicable.
Item 1C. Cybersecurity.
We develop and maintain a cyber risk management program designed to identify, assess, manage, mitigate and respond to cybersecurity threats. The program is one component of our enterprise risk management system. The technical, administrative and physical controls underlying our program are based on nationally recognized practices and standards for cybersecurity.
Trusted partners are an important part of our cyber risk management program. We partner with leading cybersecurity advisors and service providers to conduct periodic risk assessments and to monitor and maintain the performance and effectiveness of security controls used in our environment.
In addition, we maintain processes to assess and manage risks relating to third-party service providers, including based on the nature of the engagement with the third party and based on the information and information systems to which the third party will have access. We conduct due diligence before onboarding new service providers and maintain ongoing evaluations to ensure compliance with our security standards.
The Audit Committee of the Board of Directors (the “Audit Committee”) oversees our management of enterprise risks, including cybersecurity risks. Members of the management team, including our IT director and General Counsel, brief the Audit Committee on the effectiveness of risk management efforts on at least a semi-annual basis. In addition, these risks are reviewed by the Board of Directors at least annually.
Our cyber risk management program helps mitigate risks that could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results or operations, cash flows or reputation. See “Risk Factors – Risks Related to Our Business Operations – Security breaches and other disruptions could compromise our information and expose us to liability, and could cause our business and reputation to suffer.”
Item 2. Properties.
Our principal executive and administrative offices are located in Irvine, California, under a lease arrangement. The Irvine lease includes approximately 26,800 square feet of rentable space and expires on October 31, 2027. Effective in September 2023, we entered into a sublease agreement with a subtenant to initially sublet approximately 13,400 square feet of rentable space. In June 2025, the portion of
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the Irvine lease that is subleased will automatically increase to include the remaining portion of the premises, which consists of approximately 13,400 square feet of additional rentable space for a term that will continue to the expiration of the Irvine lease on October 31, 2027. The sublease agreement is subject and subordinate to the Irvine lease.
We operate a CLIA-certified laboratory and have additional office space in Nashville, Tennessee, under lease arrangements. The Nashville leases include 10,681 square feet of rentable space and expires in January 2027. We also have a research and development facility in Göttingen, Germany.
See Note 6 to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Report for additional information regarding our lease arrangements and properties.
Item 3. Legal Proceedings.
From time to time, we may be involved in routine litigation incidental to the conduct of our business. We are not presently involved in any material pending litigation or proceedings. See Note 6 to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Report for additional information regarding commitments and contingencies.
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures.
Not applicable.
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PART II
Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities.
Market Information
On February 7, 2023, our common stock began trading on The Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “OCX.” Previously, as of March 8, 2021, our common stock was trading on The Nasdaq Global Market, and prior to that date, our common stock was traded on The New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) American, both previously under the same symbol.
Dividends
We have not declared or paid any cash dividends on our common stock. Any future decision to declare or pay dividends will be at the sole discretion of our Board of Directors.
Holders
As of March 17, 2025, we had approximately 182 holders of record of our common stock. This number does not include shareholders whose shares of our common stock are held in “street name” in accounts with securities broker-dealers or other financial institutions or fiduciaries.
Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities
None.
Repurchases
None.
Item 6. [RESERVED]
Not applicable.
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Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.
The following Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations is intended to provide information necessary to understand our consolidated financial statements for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 included elsewhere in this Report, and highlight certain other information which, in the opinion of management, will enhance a reader’s understanding of our financial condition, changes in financial condition and results of operations. These historical consolidated financial statements may not be indicative of our future performance. This Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations contains a number of forward-looking statements, all of which are based on our current expectations and could be affected by the uncertainties and risks described throughout this filing, particularly under Risk Factors in Part I, Item 1A of this Report. For additional information, refer to the section above entitled “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements.” The following discussion should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and the related notes thereto provided under Part IV, Item 15(a)(1) of this Report.
Overview
We are a pioneering diagnostics technology company. Our mission is to democratize access to novel molecular diagnostic testing to improve patient outcomes.
We do this primarily by developing molecular diagnostic test kits that empower our customers to run their own tests to participate in the patient-care value chain, which is counter-positioned with the central laboratory model. Our decentralized approach also puts testing in the hands of researchers to enable more studies, which inspires innovation, which we believe, can improve standards of care while also creating demand for more testing. We develop tests that measure both established biomarkers as well as pioneer the adoption of new and more effective biomarkers.
We believe that combining innovative science with a simple, but disruptive, business model can create enormous value. This model is designed to empower doctors to reduce uncertainty to make better decisions to save lives as well as enable researchers to measure biomarkers to inspire innovation.
Our customer institutions are hospitals, transplant centers, and labs. The decision to deploy our tests on behalf of patients or research studies supports front line doctors, including surgeons, nephrologists and oncologists, as well as researchers, pathologists, lab directors, medical directors, department heads, lab managers, and chief medical officers.
Our operating premise is that democratizing access to testing to foster scientific innovation and better treatments ultimately reduces the cost of care, while expanding access and improving outcomes.
At the heart, we are a science-driven organization that champions scientific integrity and inquiry. We employ world-renowned scientists who generate intellectual property in our strategic target markets. We have built and acquired an intellectual property portfolio that we believe will enable us to gain share in well-established clinical and research markets.
Our current intellectual property comprises three general areas: 1) organ transplant, 2) oncology therapy selection and 3) oncology therapy monitoring. Within these categories, we have developed or are in the process of developing LDTs that can be run at our Nashville, Tennessee lab, kitted RUO tests, and kitted clinical tests that can be run by local labs.
Our primary near-term strategic market is organ transplant. Oncocyte’s molecular diagnostic tests are designed to help the industry to better address one of the leading challenges in the transplantation market – which is the body’s potential to reject the donor organ. We do this by detecting early evidence of graft organ damage in the blood through assessing a known biomarker known as donor-derived cell-free DNA. GraftAssureCore (Kidney), for example, can find donor kidney damage up to 11 months sooner than other protocols. GraftAssureCore is analytically and clinically validated in three major solid organ transplant types (kidney, liver and heart) by peer reviewed international publications. We received a positive coverage decision from MolDx for GraftAssureCore (Kidney) in August of 2023, and it became commercially available for ordering in January 2024 through our CLIA laboratory in Nashville, Tennessee. GraftAssureCore (Kidney) is now broadly available to transplant professionals upon request. In December 2024, we confirmed Medicare reimbursement for also monitoring certain high-risk patients, that is, those with newly developed donor-specific antibodies.
In July 2024, we began to commercialize the technology underlying GraftAssureCore (Kidney) by distributing its sister product, GraftAssureIQ, which is intended to be sold and used for research purposes and is labeled as RUO. We expect to distribute our RUO production through a mix of direct sales, partnering and distribution agreements, and licensing. We have entered into a global strategic partnership agreement with Bio-Rad to collaborate in the development and the commercialization of RUO and IVD kitted transplant products for clinical use (see Note 10, “Collaborative Arrangements,” to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Report for additional information).
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Under strict regulatory rules, our kitted tests may not be used in a clinical treatment setting until they have attained IVD clearance from the FDA in the U.S. and In Vitro Diagnostic Medical Devices Regulation approval in the European Union. As such, we are working with these regulatory bodies to attain such clearance and approval, as applicable, supporting future distribution and higher sales of our products for clinical use.
We also have a laboratory and pharma services lab, certified under the CLIA and accredited by the CAP, in Nashville, Tennessee, and a research and development lab in Göttingen, Germany. Our innovation centers in Nashville and Germany employ world-renowned research scientists who, we believe, are leaders in their fields.
Our secondary strategic market is in the field of oncology – namely through diagnostic tests that can measure and predict which patients will best respond to certain types of therapies, as well as provide efficacy monitoring for therapies. For example, we are continuing to develop DetermaIO, a test with promising data supporting its potential to help identify patients likely to respond to checkpoint inhibitor drugs. This new class of drugs modulate the immune response and show activity in multiple solid tumor types including non-small cell lung cancer, and triple negative breast cancer. A kitted research product format of the underlying technology began proof-of-concept development in 2023. The application of immunotherapy is a global problem, so we expect partnering opportunities for each of our products as they reach clinical maturity. We also expect to begin commercializing our oncology product line, which includes DetermaIO, over the next 15 months.
The inherent uncertainties of developing and commercializing new diagnostic tests for medical use make it impossible to predict the amount of time and expense that will be required to complete the development and commercialization of those tests. There is no assurance that we will be successful in developing new technology or diagnostic tests, nor that any technology or diagnostic tests that we may develop will be proven safe and effective in diagnosis of cancer in humans or will be successfully commercialized. We expect that our operating expenses will continue to increase if we successfully complete the development of DetermaIO and commercialize this test.
We also perform other assay development and clinical testing services for pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies through our Pharma Services operations.
We believe that the experience of our team with diverse technologies through our Pharma Services activities, strong scientific integrity regarding evidence generation and innovation mentality, alongside our flexibility in operations and regulatory strategy, will drive our success, differentiate us from our competition, and are foundational to our future. We are focusing on executing the technology priorities discussed herein, which have evolved to reflect our operations and strategic vision.
Recent Developments
At-The-Market Facility
On August 9, 2024, we entered into a sales agreement with a sales agent, pursuant to which the Company may offer and sell from time to time up to an aggregate of $7.5 million of shares of our common stock, through the sales agent through an at-the-market facility (the “August 2024 Offering”). As of December 31, 2024, we received net proceeds from the sale of such shares of approximately $1.7 million. See Note 7, “Common Stock – August 2024 Offering,” to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Report for additional information. On February 8, 2025, the Company terminated this sales agreement. As a result, the Company may not make any further sales pursuant to such at-the-market facility. See Note 14, “Subsequent Events,” to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Report for additional information.
February 2025 Offering
On February 10, 2025, we consummated a registered direct offering and concurrent private placement of our securities to certain accredited investors (the “February 2025 Offering”). The aggregate gross proceeds from the February 2025 Offering were approximately $29.1 million. See Note 14, “Subsequent Events – Private Placement Transaction” and “Subsequent Events – Registered Direct Offering,” to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Report for additional information.
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Results of Operations
Summary Results of Operations
Years EndedDecember 31,
(In thousands, except percentage change values)
Cost of revenues – amortization of acquired intangibles 88 88 — —
Change in fair value of contingent consideration (4,275 ) (5,762 ) 1,487 (26 )%
Loss from discontinued operations (Note 13) — (2,926 ) 2,926 (100 )%
Results of Operations – Year Ended December 31, 2024 Compared with the Year Ended December 31, 2023
Total net revenue increased to $1.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, as compared to $1.5 million in the comparable prior period from Pharma Services as further discussed below. Future Pharma Services revenue is expected to be impacted as a result of our shift in strategic focus on commercializing our transplant kitted tests, and deploying our sales personnel toward signing new hospital research laboratory customers.
Loss from continuing operations was $60.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, compared to $24.9 million for the comparable prior period. The loss from continuing operations expanded by $35.8 million mainly due to impairment charges for certain in-process research and development (discussed below), the change in fair value of contingent consideration, and certain other changes in operating expenses from continuing operations as follows:
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Pharma Services revenue increased by $392,000. Although we had a decrease in the number of contracts performed during the period, we earned revenue from one existing customer in the amount of approximately $1.5 million during the fourth quarter of 2024. See below for additional information.
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Cost of revenues increased by $51,000, primarily related to labor and allocated overhead associated with performing our Pharma Services. See below for additional information.
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Cost of revenues - amortization of acquired intangibles was unchanged, and relates to noncash amortization of acquired intangible assets such as our customer relationship intangible assets acquired as part of the Insight merger.
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Research and development expenses increased by $545,000, as we continue development of GraftAssureCore, GraftAsssureIQ, GraftAssureDx, DetermaIO and DetermaCNI. The main drivers of the increase were personnel-related expenses and facilities costs, partially offset by depreciation and amortization, stock-based compensation and severance costs (see below for additional details).
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Sales and marketing expenses increased by $1.1 million, primarily attributable to continued ramp up in sales, marketing and advertising activities related to the transplant business, as well as supporting the commercialization efforts within oncology. The main drivers of the increase were personnel-related expenses, depreciation and amortization, and other expenses, which are primarily comprised of travel and entertainment, partially offset by facilities costs and stock-based compensation (see below for additional details).
•
General and administrative expenses decreased by $978,000, primarily due to decreases in facilities costs, stock-based compensation and severance costs, partially offset by personnel-related expenses and professional fees. See below for additional details.
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•
Change in fair value of contingent consideration was a gain of $4.3 million in 2024 compared to a gain of $5.8 million in 2023. This change was due to changes in the fair value model inputs and revised estimates on if and when future payouts will occur. See below for additional information.
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The current year impairment losses relate to our in-process research and development intangible assets. During the fourth quarter of 2024, it was determined that our DetermaIO and DetermaCNI intangible assets were impaired by $41.9 million (see Note 5 to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Report for additional information). The prior year impairment losses related to two asset impairments, including in-process research and development intangible assets of $5.0 million (see Note 5 to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Report for additional information) and leasehold improvements of $1.8 million (see Note 4 to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Report for additional information).
•
Impairment loss on held for sale assets relates to various agreements to sell laboratory equipment and the subsequent fair value adjustments. See Note 2, “Assets Held for Sale and Discontinued Operations,” to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Report for additional information.
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Total other income, net increased by $97,000, primarily due to additional interest income and miscellaneous income in 2024 compared to 2023. See below for additional information.
Revenues
The following table shows our service revenues:
Years EndedDecember 31,
(In thousands, except percentage change values)
Laboratory Developed Test Services 22 36 (14 ) (39 )%
Pharma Services are generally performed on a time and materials basis. Upon our completion of the service to the customer in accordance with the contract, we have the right to bill the customer for the agreed upon price (either on a per test or per deliverable basis) and recognize the Pharma Services revenue at that time, on an accrual basis. Pharma Services revenues are generated under discrete agreements for particular customer projects that generally expire with the completion or termination of the customer’s project. Accordingly, different customers may account for greater or lesser portions of Pharma Services during different accounting periods, and Pharma Services revenues may exhibit a larger variance from accounting period to accounting period than other revenues such as Laboratory Developed Test Services revenue. Refer to Note 2, “Revenue Recognition – Pharma Services Revenue” and “Disaggregation of Revenues and Concentrations of Credit Risk,” to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Report for additional information.
Laboratory Developed Test Services generally relate to payments received from sales prior to the Razor Sale Transaction. We generated revenue from performing DetermaRx tests on clinical samples through orders received from physicians, hospitals, and other healthcare providers. For all payers other than Medicare, we must consider the novelty of the test, the uncertainty of receiving payment, or being subject to claims for a refund, from payers with whom it does not have a sufficient payment collection history or contractual reimbursement agreements. Accordingly, for those payers, we have recognized revenue upon payment. Refer to Note 2, “Revenue Recognition – Laboratory Developed Test Services,” to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Report for additional information.
Cost of Revenues
Cost of revenues generally consists of cost of materials, direct labor including payroll, payroll taxes, bonus, benefit and stock-based compensation, equipment and infrastructure expenses, clinical sample costs associated with performing Pharma Services, and amortization of acquired intangible assets. Infrastructure expenses include depreciation of laboratory equipment, allocated rent costs and leasehold improvements. Cost of revenues for Pharma Services varies depending on the nature, timing, and scope of customer projects.
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Research and Development Expenses
A summary of the main drivers of the change in research and development expenses is as follows:
Years EndedDecember 31,
(In thousands, except percentage change values)
Professional fees, legal, and outside services 510 515 (5 ) (1 )%
We expect to continue to incur a significant amount of research and development expenses for the foreseeable future. We will continue development of GraftAssureCore, GraftAssureIQ, GraftAssureDx, DetermaIO and DetermaCNI. Our future research and development efforts and expenses will also depend on the amount of capital that we are able to raise to finance those activities and whether we acquire rights to any new diagnostic tests. A portion of our costs for leasing and operating our CLIA laboratory in Tennessee, and in Germany with Chronix, will also be included in research and development expenses to the extent allocated to the development of our diagnostic tests.
We intend to pursue a clinical trial in conjunction with our IVD submission in 2025, supporting our transplant products. We also may commence clinical trials of DetermaIO if we develop that diagnostic test to the point where we determine that its use as a clinical diagnostic appears to be feasible.
Sales and Marketing Expenses
A summary of the main drivers of the change in sales and marketing expenses is as follows:
Years EndedDecember 31,
(In thousands, except percentage change values)
Professional fees, legal, and outside services 195 163 32 20 %
We expect to continue to incur sales and marketing expenses during the foreseeable future as we complete product development and begin commercialization efforts for DetermaIO as a clinical test. Sales and marketing expenses will also increase if we successfully develop and begin commercializing GraftAssureCore, GraftAssureIQ, GraftAssureDx and DetermaCNI, or if we acquire and commercialize other diagnostic tests. Our commercialization efforts and expenses will also depend on the amount of capital that we are able to raise to finance commercialization of our tests. Our future expenditures on sales and marketing will also depend on the amount of revenue that those efforts are likely to generate. Because physicians are more likely to prescribe a test for their patients if the cost is covered by Medicare or health insurance, demand for our diagnostic and other tests and our expenditures on sales and marketing are likely to increase if our diagnostic or other tests qualify for reimbursement by Medicare or private health insurance companies.
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General and Administrative Expenses
A summary of the main drivers of the change in general and administrative expenses is as follows:
Years EndedDecember 31,
(In thousands, except percentage change values)
Personnel-related expenses and board fees $ 3,957 $ 3,461 $ 496 14 %
Depreciation and amortization 242 249 (7 ) (3 )%
Professional fees, legal, and outside services 3,289 3,117 172 6 %
Change in Fair Value of Contingent Consideration
We will pay contingent consideration if various payment milestones are triggered under the merger agreements through which we acquired Insight and Chronix. See Note 3 to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Report. Changes in the fair value of the contingent consideration will be based on our reassessment of the key assumptions underlying the determination of this liability as changes in circumstances and conditions occur from the Insight and Chronix acquisition dates to the reporting periods being presented, with the subsequent changes in fair value recorded as part of our consolidated results from operations for such periods. See above Results of Operations explanation for additional information.
Other Income and Expenses
Other income and expenses are primarily comprised of interest income and expense, and gains/losses from marketable equity securities, which were sold in 2023 (see Note 2, “Marketable Equity Securities,” to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Report). Interest income is earned from money market funds we hold for capital preservation. Interest expense was incurred mainly from our financing lease obligations (see Note 6 to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Report) and insurance financing activity.
Income Taxes
We did not record any provision or benefit for income taxes for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, as we had a full valuation allowance for the periods presented (see Note 12 to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Report).
A valuation allowance is provided when it is more-likely-than-not that some portion of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. We established a full valuation allowance for all periods presented due to the uncertainty of realizing future tax benefits from our net operating loss carry-forwards and other deferred tax assets.
Inflation
Although historically not significant to our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows, we may experience inflationary pressures, primarily in personnel costs, with certain laboratory supplies and from inventory costs related to certain raw materials. The extent of any future impacts from inflation on our business and our results of operations will be dependent upon how long elevated inflation levels persist and the extent to which the rate of inflation were to increase, if at all, neither of which we are able to predict. If elevated levels of inflation were to persist or if the rate of inflation were to accelerate, the purchasing power of our cash and cash equivalents may be diminished, our expenses could increase faster than anticipated and we may utilize our capital resources sooner than expected. Further, given the complexities of the reimbursement landscape in which we operate, our payers may be unwilling or unable to increase reimbursement rates to compensate for inflationary impacts. As such, the effects of inflation may adversely impact our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.
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Liquidity and Capital Resources
Our foreseeable material cash requirements as of December 31, 2024, are recognized as liabilities or generally are otherwise described in Note 6, “Commitments and Contingencies,” to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Report. Cash requirements are generally derived from our operating and investing activities including expenditures for working capital, human capital, equipment purchases, business development, investments in intellectual property, and business combinations. Our office lease obligations (net of sublease payments) and financing lease obligations, and contingent consideration obligations are further described in Note 6 and Note 3, respectively, to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Report. Historically, we have not entered into any off-balance sheet arrangements. As of December 31, 2024 and 2023, we had unrecognized tax benefits totaling $1.1 million and $2.3 million, respectively (see Note 12, “Income Taxes,” to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Report).
Since formation, we have financed our operations primarily through the sale of our common stock, preferred stock and warrants. We have incurred operating losses and negative cash flows since inception and had an accumulated deficit of $350.5 million as of December 31, 2024. At December 31, 2024, we had $8.6 million of cash and cash equivalents. On February 10, 2025, we raised substantial additional capital as discussed below. We expect to continue to incur operating losses and negative cash flows for the near future. Although it is difficult to predict our liquidity requirements, based on the going concern evaluation discussed in Note 1 to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Report, management believes that it will have sufficient cash to meet its projected operating requirements for at least the next twelve months following the issuance of these consolidated financial statements.
On April 3, 2023, we entered into an agreement with certain members of our Board of Directors, and several institutional and accredited investors, including Broadwood Partners, L.P., our largest shareholder, relating to their purchase of an aggregate of up to 2,278,121 shares of our common stock at an offering price of $7.08 per share to board members and $6.03 per share to the other investors participating in the offering (see Note 7 to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Report). The offering was intended to be priced at-the-market for purposes of complying with applicable Nasdaq Listing Rules. The aggregate gross proceeds from the offering were approximately $13.9 million before deducting offering expenses payable by us. We used approximately $1.1 million of the net proceeds to immediately redeem an aggregate of 1,064 shares of our Series A Redeemable Convertible Preferred Stock.
On April 15, 2024, we consummated a private placement of our securities to certain accredited investors (the “April 2024 Offering”). The resulting net proceeds were approximately $9.9 million, after deducting offering expenses of $538,000 and deducting $5.4 million for the redemption of all remaining shares of our Series A Redeemable Convertible Preferred Stock. These net proceeds are inclusive of an investment from Bio-Rad (see Note 9 to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Report), our global strategic partner. See Note 7, “Common Stock – April 2024 Offering,” to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Report for additional information.
On August 1, 2024, we filed a shelf registration statement on Form S-3, pursuant to which we registered for sale up to $100.0 million of any combination of our common stock, preferred stock, warrants and/or units from time to time and at prices and on terms that we may determine (the “Primary Shelf Registration Statement”). On August 9, 2024, we entered into a sales agreement with a sales agent, pursuant to which we may offer and sell from time to time up to an aggregate of $7.5 million of shares of our common stock, registered on the Primary Shelf Registration Statement, pursuant to the August 2024 Offering. As of December 31, 2024, we received net proceeds from the sale of such shares of approximately $1.7 million. See Note 7, “Common Stock – August 2024 Offering,” to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Report for additional information. On February 8, 2025, the Company terminated this sales agreement. As a result, the Company may not make any further sales pursuant to such sales agreement. See Note 14, “Subsequent Events,” to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Report for additional information.
On October 4, 2024, we consummated a private placement of our securities to certain accredited investors (the “October 2024 Offering”). The gross proceeds from the October 2024 Offering were approximately $10.2 million. After deducting placement agent fees and expenses and offering expenses payable by the Company of $836,000, the resulting net proceeds were approximately $9.4 million. See Note 7, “Common Stock – October 2024 Offering,” to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Report for additional information.
On February 10, 2025, we consummated the February 2025 Offering. The aggregate gross proceeds from the February 2025 Offering were approximately $29.1 million. After deducting offering expenses payable by the Company of $480,000, the resulting net proceeds were approximately $28.7 million. See Note 14, “Subsequent Events – Private Placement Transaction” and “Subsequent Events – Registered Direct Offering,” to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Report for additional information.
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We expect that our general operating expenses will be commensurate with the market opportunity as we continue to manage our available cash. Although we intend to market our diagnostic tests in the United States through our own sales force, we are also beginning to make marketing arrangements with distributors in other countries. We may also explore a range of other commercialization options in order to enter overseas markets and to reduce our capital needs and expenditures, and the risks associated with the timelines and uncertainty for attaining the Medicare reimbursement approvals that will be essential for the successful commercialization of additional diagnostic tests. Those alternative arrangements could include marketing arrangements with other diagnostic companies through which we might receive a licensing fee and royalty on sales, or through which we might form a joint venture to market one or more tests and share in net revenues, in the United States or abroad.
On April 5, 2024, we entered into a global strategic partnership agreement with Bio-Rad to collaborate in the development and the commercialization of RUO and IVD kitted transplant products. On November 8, 2024, Oncocyte and Bio-Rad entered into a memorandum of understanding with respect to such agreement to establish additional activities to be performed by each party pursuant to such agreement. See Note 10, “Collaborative Arrangements,” to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Report for additional information.
In addition to sales and marketing expenses, we will incur expenses from leasing and improving our offices and laboratory facilities in Nashville, Tennessee. During the third quarter of 2023, we entered into a sublease arrangement for our main office in Irvine, California. In January 2024, we expanded our Nashville facility by adding one new office lease and renewing and extending our existing leases. During 2024, we added five financing leases for certain laboratory equipment to be used in our operations. See Note 6, “Commitments and Contingencies,” to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Report for additional leasing information.
We may need to meet significant cash payment or stock obligations to former Insight and Chronix shareholders in connection with our acquisition of those companies, as disclosed in Note 3 to the consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Report. To meet the future cash payment obligations, we may have to utilize cash on hand that would otherwise be available to us for other business and operational purposes, which could cause us to delay or reduce activities in the development and commercialization of our tests.
We will need to continue to raise additional capital to finance our operations, including the development and commercialization of our diagnostic tests, and making payments that may become due under our obligations to former Chronix shareholders and former Insight shareholders, until such time as we are able to generate sufficient revenues to cover our operating expenses. Delays in our collaborative arrangement for the development and the commercialization of RUO and IVD kitted transplant products, or delays in obtaining regulatory approval to distribute our products for clinical use, or delays in the development of, or in obtaining reimbursement coverage from Medicare for DetermaIO and other future laboratory tests that we may develop or acquire, could prevent us from raising sufficient additional capital to finance the completion of development and commercial launch of those tests. Investors may be reluctant to provide us with capital until our tests are approved for reimbursement by Medicare or reimbursement by private healthcare insurers or healthcare providers, or until we begin generating significant amounts of revenue from performing those tests.
The unavailability or inadequacy of financing or revenues to meet future capital needs could force us to modify, curtail, delay, or suspend some or all aspects of our planned operations. Sales of additional equity securities could result in the dilution of the interests of our shareholders. We cannot assure that adequate long-term financing will be available on favorable terms, if at all.
See Note 1 and Note 7 to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Report for additional information about our liquidity discussion and equity offerings, respectively.
Cash Used in Operations
During the year ended December 31, 2024, our total research and development expenses were $9.8 million, our sales and marketing expenses were $3.9 million, and our general and administrative expenses were $10.2 million. We also incurred $1.1 million in total cost of revenues, including $88,000 for amortization of intangible expenses. Consolidated net loss for the period was $60.7 million, and our consolidated net cash used in operating activities amounted to $20.7 million. Our cash used in operating activities during 2024 did not include the following noncash items: $1.6 million in depreciation and amortization expenses, $1.8 million in stock-based compensation, $160,000 in other equity compensation expenses, $4.3 million gain from change in fair value of contingent consideration, $41.9 million loss from intangible asset impairments, and $169,000 impairment loss on held for sale assets. Net changes in operating assets and liabilities for the period were $1.3 million as an additional use of cash.
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During the year ended December 31, 2023, our total research and development expenses were $9.3 million, our sales and marketing expenses were $2.8 million, and our general and administrative expenses were $11.2 million. We also incurred $1.1 million in total cost of revenues, including $88,000 for amortization of intangible expenses. Consolidated net loss for the period was $27.8 million, of which $2.9 million was from discontinued operations, and our consolidated net cash used in operating activities amounted to $23.3 million. Our cash used in operating activities during 2023 did not include the following noncash items: $1.7 million in depreciation and amortization expenses, $2.8 million in stock-based compensation, $5.8 million gain from change in fair value of contingent consideration, $6.8 million loss from asset impairments, $1.5 million loss related to discontinued operations, $1.3 million loss on disposal and held for sale assets, $127,000 in other equity compensation expenses, and $61,000 in losses from marketable equity securities. Net changes in operating assets and liabilities were $4.0 million as an additional use of cash.
Cash Used in Investing Activities
During the year ended December 31, 2024, net cash used in investing activities was $512,000, primarily from cash paid for construction in progress and purchase of furniture and equipment.
During the year ended December 31, 2023, net cash used in investing activities was $932,000, primarily from cash sold in discontinued operations, partially offset by proceeds from the sale of marketable equity securities and equipment.
Cash Provided by Financing Activities
During the year ended December 31, 2024, net cash provided by financing activities was $20.4 million from $26.0 million of net cash proceeds from the April 2024 Offering, the August 2024 Offering and the October 2024 Offering, partially offset by the redemption of our remaining Series A Preferred Stock of $5.4 million and repayments of financing lease obligations of $201,000.
During the year ended December 31, 2023, net cash provided by financing activities was $12.2 million, attributable to the $13.4 million of net cash proceeds from the sale of shares of common stock, partially offset by redemption of Series A Redeemable Convertible Preferred Stock of $1.1 million and repayments of financing lease obligations of $117,000.
Critical Accounting Estimates
Our consolidated financial statements are prepared in conformity with GAAP. In preparing these financial statements, we make assumptions, judgments and estimates that involve a significant level of estimation uncertainty and have had or are reasonably likely to have a material impact on our financial condition or results of operations. We base our assumptions, judgments and estimates on historical experience and various other factors that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances. Actual results could differ materially from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions. On a regular basis, we evaluate our assumptions, judgments and estimates and make changes accordingly.
We believe that of the significant accounting policies discussed in Note 2 to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Report, the following accounting policies involve a significant level of estimation uncertainty and require our most difficult, subjective or complex assumptions, judgments and estimates:
•
Going Concern Assessment;
•
Contingent Consideration Liabilities;
•
Intangible Assets;
•
Impairment of Long-Lived Assets;
•
Revenue Recognition and Allowance for Credit Losses;
•
Stock-Based Compensation; and
•
Income Taxes.
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Going Concern Assessment
We assess going concern uncertainty in our consolidated financial statements to determine if we have sufficient cash and cash equivalents on hand and working capital, including available loans or lines of credit, if any, to operate for a period of at least one year from the date our consolidated financial statements are issued (the “look-forward period”). As part of this assessment, based on conditions that are known and reasonably knowable to us, we consider various scenarios, forecasts, projections and estimates, including stress tests, and we make certain key assumptions, including the timing and nature of projected cash expenditures or programs, and our ability to delay or curtail those expenditures or programs, if necessary, among other factors. Based on this assessment, as necessary or applicable, we make certain assumptions around implementing curtailments or delays in the nature and timing of programs and expenditures to the extent we deem probable those implementations can be achieved and we have the proper authority to execute them within the look-forward period. For additional information, refer to Note 1 to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Report.
Contingent Consideration Liabilities