LXEO US Equity☆

Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.

You should read the following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations together with the financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. This discussion contains forward-looking statements based upon current expectations that involve risks and uncertainties. Our actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including those discussed in “Item 1A. Risk Factors” and in other parts of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Overview

We are a clinical stage genetic medicine company dedicated to transforming healthcare by applying pioneering science to fundamentally change how disease is treated. By taking aim at the underlying genetic cause of the devastating diseases we target, we seek to create substantial positive impact and reduce the overwhelming burdens placed on people receiving treatment, their caregivers, and healthcare systems. Our current pipeline consists of candidates targeting patient populations that place significant burden on society and are most amenable to our genetic medicine approach.

Since our inception, we have devoted substantially all of our efforts to organizing and staffing our company, research and development activities, business planning, raising capital, building our intellectual property portfolio and providing general and administrative support for these operations. To date, we have funded our operations primarily through proceeds from the sale of shares of our convertible preferred stock and common stock, including our IPO and the subsequent partial exercise of the underwriters’ 30-day option to purchase additional shares of common stock. As of December 31, 2023, we had $121.5 million of cash and cash equivalents, and we had raised aggregate net proceeds of $100.3 million from our IPO and the subsequent partial exercise of the underwriters’ 30-day option to purchase additional shares of common stock, as well as totals of $185.0 million and $3.9 million of net proceeds from sales of our convertible equity securities and a convertible SAFE Note, respectively.

We have incurred significant operating losses since the commencement of our operations. Our ability to generate product revenue sufficient to achieve profitability will depend heavily on the successful development and eventual commercialization of one or more of our current gene therapy candidates or any future gene therapy candidates. Our net losses for the years ended December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2023 were $59.3 million and $66.4 million, respectively, and our accumulated deficit was $181.8 million at December 31, 2023. We expect to continue to incur significant losses for the foreseeable future as we advance our current and future product candidates through preclinical and clinical development, continue to build our operations and transition to operating as a public company.

We expect to continue to incur net operating losses for at least the next several years, and we expect our research and development expenses, general and administrative expenses, and capital expenditures to continue to increase. We expect our expenses and capital requirements will increase significantly in connection with our ongoing activities as we:

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continue our ongoing and planned clinical trials as well as research and development of our Friedreich’s ataxia cardiomyopathy, or FA cardiomyopathy (LX2006), APOE-associated Alzheimer’s disease (LX1001), and arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy caused by mutations in the PKP2 gene, or PKP2-ACM (LX2020) programs and other product candidates;

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initiate preclinical studies and clinical trials for any additional product candidates that we may pursue in the future;

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seek to discover and develop additional product candidates and further expand our clinical product pipeline;

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seek regulatory approvals for any product candidates that successfully complete clinical trials;

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invest in capital equipment in order to expand our research and development and manufacturing activities;

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attract, hire and retain additional clinical, scientific, quality control, regulatory, and manufacturing management and administrative personnel;

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add clinical, operational, financial and management information systems and personnel, including personnel to support our product development;

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develop, maintain, expand, protect and enforce our intellectual property portfolio, including patents, trade secrets and know-how;

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acquire or in-license other product candidates and technologies;

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expand our operations in the United States and to other geographies;

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incur additional legal, accounting, investor relations and other general and administrative expenses associated with operating as a public company; and

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establish a sales, marketing and distribution infrastructure, either ourselves or in partnership with others, to commercialize any product candidates, if approved, and related additional commercial manufacturing costs.

Summary of key factors impacting the comparability of our performance

Stelios acquisition

On July 16, 2021, we purchased all of the issued and outstanding capital stock of Stelios for initial cash consideration of $7.0 million, with payments of up to an additional $20.5 million due upon the achievement of the following milestones: clinical candidate selection for either the ACM or the TNNI3-associated programs; first patient dosed in a Phase 1 clinical trial for any product in our Cx43 program; first patient dosed in a Phase 1 clinical trial for any product in our ACM program; or first patient dosed in a Phase 1 clinical trial for any candidate in our TNNI3 program. In the third quarter of 2022, a development milestone associated with a clinical candidate selection was achieved resulting in a $2.0 million payment to the selling shareholders of Stelios.

We accounted for the acquisition of Stelios as an asset acquisition pursuant to Financial Accounting Standards Board, or FASB, Accounting Standards Codification, or ASC, Section 805, Business Combinations. We acquired in-process research and development, or IPR&D, assets from Stelios related to ACM and TNNI3-associated hypertrophic cardiomyopathy programs. Such programs relate to our development efforts for LX2020, LX2021 and LX2022. The fair value of the IPR&D acquired of $7.0 million was charged to research and development expense as it had no alternative future use at the time of the acquisition. Stelios was merged into Lexeo Therapeutics, Inc. on December 15, 2022 and ceased to exist.

See Note 13 to the audited consolidated financial statements appearing elsewhere in this Annual Report for more information on the Stelios acquisition.

Lease agreement

In February 2022, we entered into a lease agreement for our New York headquarters located at 345 Park Avenue South, 6th Floor, New York, NY 10010, pursuant to which we lease a total of approximately 15,839 square feet of office and laboratory space. The lease began in April 2022 and ends in July 2029 with an additional five-year option to extend at the then prevailing effective market rental rate. We accounted for this lease pursuant to FASB ASC Topic 842, Leases. Upon commencement of this lease, we recorded operating lease right-of-use assets and operating lease liabilities of approximately $11.6 million based on the present value of payments over the lease term using an estimated incremental borrowing rate of 8.53%. In connection with this lease, we provided a security deposit to the landlord in the form of a letter of credit totaling $1.2 million.

See Note 5 to the audited consolidated financial statements appearing elsewhere in this Annual Report for more information on this lease.

Components of our results of operations

Revenue

Our revenue to date has been comprised of grant revenue, which are amounts earned from performing contracted research and development services. These grants generally require us to meet certain research milestones in order to receive the funds. To date, we have not generated any revenue from product sales. If our development efforts for LX2006, LX1001, and LX2020 or any future product candidates, are successful and result in regulatory approval, or if we enter into collaboration or license agreements with third parties, we may generate revenue in the future from product sales, royalties or payments from such collaboration or license agreements, or a combination of product sales and payments from such agreements.

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Operating expenses

Research and development

Research and development expenses consist of costs incurred for our research activities, including our discovery efforts and the preclinical and clinical development of our programs. These expenses include:

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employee-related expenses, including salaries, benefits, and stock-based compensation expense for employees engaged in research and development functions;

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expenses incurred under agreements with third parties, such as consultants, clinical investigators, contractors and CROs that assist with (i) identification of potential product candidates in discovery platforms and (ii) the preclinical and clinical studies of our product candidates;

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the cost of developing and scaling our manufacturing process and manufacturing product candidates for use in our research, preclinical studies and clinical trials, including under agreements with third parties, such as consultants, contractors and CMOs;

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costs to maintain compliance with FDA and other regulatory requirements;

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laboratory supplies and research materials;

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facilities, depreciation, and other expenses, which include direct and allocated expenses for rent and maintenance of facilities;

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payments made under our licensing agreements with third parties, including milestone payments; and

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other expenses incurred as a result of research and development activities.

We expense research and development costs as incurred. Nonrefundable advance payments for goods and services that will be used in future research and development activities are expensed when the activity has been performed or when the goods have been received rather than when the payment is made. When third-party service providers’ billing terms do not coincide with our period-end, we are required to make estimates of our obligations to those third parties incurred in a given accounting period and record accruals at the end of the period. We base these estimates on our knowledge of the research and development programs, services performed for the period, past history for related activities and the expected duration of the third-party service contract, where applicable. If timelines or contracts are modified based upon changes in the scope of work to be performed, we modify our estimates of accrued expenses accordingly on a prospective basis; therefore, actual results could differ from our estimates. Upfront payments under license agreements are expensed upon receipt of the license, and annual maintenance fees under license agreements are expensed in the period in which they are incurred. Milestone payments under license agreements are accrued, with a corresponding expense being recognized, in the period in which the milestone is determined to be probable of achievement and the related amount is reasonably estimable.

Our direct research and development expenses are tracked on a program-by-program basis and consist primarily of external costs, such as fees paid to CROs, CMOs, central laboratories and certain outside consultants in connection with our research and discovery, preclinical development, process development, manufacturing, clinical development, clinical trials, regulatory and quality assurance activities. We do not allocate professional services costs and licensing fees and other similar costs to specific programs because these costs are deployed across multiple programs.

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Research and development activities are central to our business model and account for a significant portion of our operating expenses. Product candidates in later stages of clinical development generally have higher development costs than those in earlier stages of clinical development, primarily due to the increased size and duration of later-stage clinical trials. As a result, we expect our research and development expenses to increase substantially in absolute dollars for the foreseeable future as we further advance LX2006, LX2020, LX1001, and any other future product candidates that we may develop, into and through preclinical studies and clinical trials and pursue regulatory approvals. We cannot determine with certainty the timing of initiation, the duration or the completion costs of current or future preclinical studies and clinical trials of our product candidates due to the inherently unpredictable nature of preclinical and clinical development. Clinical and preclinical development timelines, the probability of success and development costs can differ materially from expectations. We anticipate that we will make determinations as to which product candidates to pursue and how much funding to direct to each product candidate on an ongoing basis in response to the results of ongoing and future research, preclinical studies and clinical trials, regulatory developments and our assessments as to each product candidate’s commercial potential. In addition, we cannot forecast whether any of our current or future product candidates will be subject to future collaborations, when such arrangements will be secured, if at all, and to what degree such arrangements would affect our development plans and capital requirements. We are also unable to predict when, if ever, we will generate revenue from our product candidates to offset our expenses.

General and administrative

General and administrative expenses consist primarily of personnel expenses, including salaries, benefits and stock-based compensation expense, for personnel in executive, accounting, business development, legal, human resources and administrative functions. General and administrative expenses also include corporate facility costs not otherwise included in research and development expenses, depreciation and other expenses, which include direct or allocated expenses for rent and maintenance of facilities and insurance, not otherwise included in research and development expenses, as well as professional fees for legal, consulting, investor and public relations, accounting and audit services.

We expect that our general and administrative expenses will increase significantly in the near-to-medium term as we incur additional expenses associated with operating as a public company, including increased expenses for insurance premiums and audit, legal, regulatory, and tax-related services associated with maintaining compliance with the rules and regulations of the SEC and standards applicable to companies listed on a national securities exchange, investor relations activities and other administrative and professional services. We also plan to increase our general and administrative headcount to support the continued research and development of our programs and the growth of our business.

Fair value adjustment to convertible SAFE Note

Fair value adjustment to convertible SAFE Note consists of gains (losses) on the estimated fair value of the convertible SAFE Note.

Other income (expense)

Other income (expense) includes net foreign exchange gains (losses).

Interest expense

Interest expense is primarily associated with our finance right of use asset equipment leases, as well as amortization of the discount to our convertible SAFE Note liability balance since August 2023.

Interest income

Interest income is primarily related to interest earned from our investment in a U.S. government money market fund, as well as interest earned on interest-bearing demand deposit cash accounts.

Income taxes

Provision for income taxes consists of U.S. federal and state income taxes in which we conduct business. Since our inception, we have not recorded any income tax benefits for the net losses we have incurred in each year or for our research and development tax credits, as we believe, based upon the weight of available evidence, that it is more likely than not that all of our NOL carryforwards and tax credits will not be realized. Accordingly, we have recorded a full valuation allowance against our net deferred tax assets at December 31, 2023, and December 31, 2022. As of December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022 we had no unrecognized tax benefits.

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Results of operations

Comparison of the Years Ended December 31, 2023 and 2022

The following table summarizes our results of operations for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 (in thousands):

Year Ended December 31,

Revenue

Grant revenue $ — $ 654 $ (654 )

Operating expenses

Other income and expense

Loss on fair value adjustment to convertible SAFE Note (530 ) — (530 )

Other income (expense), net (13 ) (2 ) (11 )

Income taxes — — —

Grant revenue

We did not record any grant revenue for the year ended December 31, 2023, and grant revenue was $0.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2022. The decrease in grant revenue was due to the wind-down of the underlying grants, which was completed in the third quarter of 2022.

Research and development expenses

The following table summarizes our research and development expenses incurred for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 (in thousands):

Year Ended December 31,

Direct external research and development expenses by program:

Unallocated research and development expenses:

Employee compensation and stock-based compensation expenses 13,499 10,087 3,412

Total unallocated research and development expenses 18,941 18,406 535

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The net increase of $4.0 million in total research and development expenses for the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to the year ended December 31, 2022 was primarily due to increases in (i) clinical trial costs of $5.3 million, (ii) employee compensation and stock-based compensation expenses of $3.4 million due to increased headcount, and (iii) net milestone expense of $1.5 million that consisted of a $3.5 million milestone paid to Adverum in 2023 that was partially offset by a $2.0 million milestone payment made to the selling shareholders of Stelios during the year ended December 31, 2022. These increases were partially offset by decreases in (i) non-clinical and preclinical expenses of $5.4 million primarily related to our early stage cardiovascular and CNS disease programs, (ii) other unallocated expenses of $2.9 million, and (iii) CMC expenses of $0.9 million.

General and administrative expenses

General and administrative expenses were $15.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to $12.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2022. The increase of $3.4 million was primarily due to increases in (i) $1.9 million of employee compensation and stock-based compensation expenses due to increased headcount, (ii) $1.7 million of third-party legal costs, and (iii) $0.3 million of rent expense as the operating lease for our New York headquarters commenced in April 2022, which were partially offset by a decrease of $0.4 million in third-party audit, accounting service provider, and professional service fees.

Interest income

We recognized interest income of $2.9 million and $1.3 million for the years ended December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively, primarily related to interest earned on our investment in a U.S. government money market fund, with increased interest rates on such money market fund investment earned over those periods.

Liquidity and capital resources

Sources of liquidity

Since our inception, we have not generated any revenue from product sales and have incurred significant operating losses and negative cash flows from our operations. We expect to incur significant expenses and operating losses for the foreseeable future as we advance the clinical development of our product candidates. Since our inception through December 31, 2023, we have funded our operations primarily with net proceeds from sales of our convertible preferred stock, convertible SAFE Note, and shares of common stock sold in our IPO and the subsequent partial exercise of the underwriters’ 30-day option to purchase additional shares of common stock collectively totaling $289.1 million. As of December 31, 2023, we had cash and cash equivalents of $121.5 million.

Based on our current operating plans, we expect that our existing cash and cash equivalents and the gross proceeds of $95.0 million expected to be received upon the anticipated closing of our private placement equity financing in March 2024 will be sufficient to fund our planned operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements into 2027. Our total future capital requirements will depend on many factors and is subject to the risks and uncertainties set forth in the section titled “Item 1A. Risk Factors.”

Cash flows

The following table summarizes our sources and uses of cash for the years ended December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022 (in thousands):

Year Ended December 31,

Net cash used in operating activities $ (59,496 ) $ (54,560 )

Net cash used in investing activities (165 ) (901 )

Net cash provided by financing activities 103,791 189

Net increase (decrease) in cash $ 44,130 $ (55,272 )

Operating activities

During the year ended December 31, 2023, net cash used in operating activities consisted primarily of our net loss of $66.4 million, which was partially offset by (i) $3.0 million of stock-based compensation expense, (ii) $1.6 million of amortization of our right-of-use assets for our operating and finance leases, and (iii) $1.5 million of net cash provided by changes in operating assets and liabilities.

During the year ended December 31, 2022, net cash used in operating activities consisted primarily of our net loss of $59.3 million, which was partially offset by (i) $1.8 million of net cash provided by changes in operating assets and liabilities, (ii) $1.8 million of stock-based compensation expense, and (iii) $1.0 million of amortization of our right-of-use assets for our operating and finance leases.

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Investing activities

During the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, net cash used in investing activities was $0.2 million and $0.9 million, respectively, and consisted of the purchase of lab equipment and internal use software.

Financing activities

During the year ended December 31, 2023, net cash provided by financing activities consisted primarily of the net proceeds received from the IPO of $100.3 million, as well as net proceeds received from the issuance of the convertible SAFE Note of $3.9 million, which were partially offset by $0.4 million of principal payments made on equipment finance leases.

During the year ended December 31, 2022, net cash provided by financing activities consisted primarily of proceeds received from the exercise of stock options of $0.3 million, which was partially offset by $0.2 million of principal payments made on equipment finance leases.

Our primary uses of cash are to fund our clinical trials, research and development activities related to our discovery programs and our preclinical and clinical product candidates, hiring personnel, raising capital and providing general and administrative support for these operations.

Funding requirements

We expect our expenses and capital requirements to increase significantly in connection with our ongoing activities, particularly as we advance our lead product candidates and other development programs. Further, we incur costs associated with operating as a public company. Accordingly, we will require substantial additional funding to support our continuing operations.

The timing and amount of our future operating and capital requirements will largely depend on many factors, including:

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the initiation, scope, progress, timing, results and costs of product discovery, preclinical studies and clinical trials for our product candidates or any future candidates we may develop;

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our ability to maintain our relationships with Weill Cornell Medicine, Adverum, UCSD, and any other key licensors or collaborators;

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the scope, prioritization and number of our research and development programs;

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the costs, timing and outcome of seeking and obtaining regulatory approvals from the FDA and comparable foreign regulatory authorities, including the potential for such authorities to require that we perform more preclinical studies or clinical trials than those that we currently expect or change their requirements on studies that had previously been agreed to;

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our ability to establish and maintain collaborations on favorable terms, if at all;

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the achievement of milestones or occurrence of other developments that trigger payments under any collaboration agreements we have or may enter into;

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the extent to which we are obligated to reimburse, or entitled to reimbursement of, clinical trial costs under collaboration agreements, if any;

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the costs to establish, maintain, expand, enforce and defend the scope of our intellectual property portfolio, including preparing, filing and prosecuting patent applications, maintaining and enforcing our intellectual property rights and defending intellectual property-related claims;

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the extent to which we acquire or in-license other product candidates and technologies;

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the costs of securing manufacturing arrangements for commercial production;

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the costs of establishing or contracting for sales and marketing capabilities if we obtain regulatory approvals to market our product candidates; and

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our need to implement additional internal systems and infrastructure.

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We may be unable to raise additional funds or enter into potential collaborations, strategic partnerships or marketing, distribution, licensing or other similar agreements or arrangements on favorable terms, or at all. To the extent that we raise additional capital through the sale of equity or convertible debt securities, your ownership interest will be diluted. If we fail to raise capital or enter into such agreements or arrangements as, and when, needed, we may have to significantly delay, scale back or discontinue the development or commercialization of our product candidates or grant rights to develop and market product candidates that we would otherwise prefer to develop and market ourselves.

Critical accounting policies and significant judgments and estimates

Our management’s discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations are based on our consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, or U.S. GAAP. The preparation of our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures requires us to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, expenses, and the disclosure of our contingent liabilities in our consolidated financial statements. We base our estimates on historical experience, known trends and events and various other factors that we believe are reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. We evaluate our estimates and assumptions on an ongoing basis. Our actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions.

While our significant accounting policies are described in more detail in Note 2 to our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report, we believe that the following accounting policies are those most critical to the judgments and estimates used in the preparation of our audited consolidated financial statements.

Research and development

As part of the process of preparing our consolidated financial statements, we are required to estimate our accrued research and development expenses. This process involves estimating the level of service performed and the associated cost incurred for the service when we have not yet been invoiced or otherwise notified of actual costs. The majority of our service providers invoice us in arrears for services performed, on a pre-determined schedule or when contractual milestones are met; however, some require advance payments. We make estimates of our accrued expenses as of each balance sheet date in the consolidated financial statements based on facts and circumstances known to us at that time. At each period end, we corroborate the accuracy of these estimates with the service providers and make adjustments, if necessary. Examples of estimated accrued research and development expenses include those related to fees paid to:

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vendors in connection with discovery and preclinical development activities;

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CROs in connection with preclinical studies and testing; and

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CMOs in connection with the process development and scale up activities and the production of materials.

We record the expense and accrual related to contract research and manufacturing based on our estimates of the services received and efforts expended considering a number of factors, including our knowledge of the progress towards completion of the research, development, and manufacturing activities; invoicing to date under contracts; communication from the CROs, CMOs, and other companies of any actual costs incurred during the period that have not yet been invoiced; and the costs included in the contracts and purchase orders. The financial terms of these agreements are subject to negotiation, vary from contract to contract, and may result in uneven payment flows. There may be instances in which payments made to our vendors will exceed the level of services provided and result in a prepayment of the expense. In accruing service fees, we estimate the time period over which services will be performed and the level of effort to be expended in each period. If the actual timing of the performance of services or the level of effort varies from the estimate, we adjust the accrual or the amount of prepaid expense accordingly. Although we do not expect our estimates to be materially different from amounts actually incurred, our understanding of the status and timing of services performed relative to the actual status and timing of services performed may vary and may result in reporting amounts that are too high or too low in any particular period. To date, there have not been any material adjustments to our prior estimates of accrued research and development expenses; however, we cannot guarantee that such adjustments will not be made in the future.

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Determination of fair value of common stock

Given the lack of an active public market for our common stock and other equity instruments prior to our IPO, the estimated fair value of our common stock was determined by our board of directors as of the date of each option grant, with input from management, considering our most recently available third-party valuations of common stock and our board of directors’ assessment of additional objective and subjective factors that it believed were relevant and which may have changed from the date of the most recent valuation through the date of the grant. These third-party valuations were performed in accordance with the guidance outlined in the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants’ Accounting and Valuation Guide, Valuation of Privately-Held-Company Equity Securities Issued as Compensation.

Our common stock valuations were prepared using either an option pricing method, or OPM, or a hybrid method of OPM and probability-weighted expected return method, or PWERM. Both the OPM and hybrid methods use market approaches to estimate our enterprise value. These third-party valuations were performed at various dates, which resulted in valuations of our common stock of $14.62 as of December 17, 2021, $15.15 as of February 15, 2022, $17.59 as of February 14, 2023, and $11.02 as of June 23, 2023. In addition to considering the results of these third-party valuations, our board of directors considered various objective and subjective factors to determine the fair value of our common stock as of each grant date, including:

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the prices at which we sold shares of preferred stock and the superior rights and preferences of the preferred stock relative to our common stock at the time of each grant;

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the progress of our research and development programs, including the status and results of preclinical studies for our product candidates;

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our stage of development and our business strategy;

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external market conditions affecting the biopharmaceutical industry and trends within the biopharmaceutical industry;

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our financial position, including cash on hand, and our historical and forecasted performance and operating results;

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the lack of an active public market for our common stock and our preferred stock;

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significant changes to the key assumptions underlying the factors used could have resulted in different fair values of common stock at each valuation date; the likelihood of achieving a liquidity event, such as an initial public offering, or IPO, or sale of our company in light of prevailing market conditions; and

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the analysis of IPOs and the market performance of similar companies in the therapeutics industry.

Following the closing of our IPO, the fair value of our common stock is determined based on the quoted market price of our common stock on the date of grant.

Stock option awards

We recognize share-based compensation expense related to stock option awards granted based on the estimated fair value of the awards on the date of grant using a Black-Scholes option pricing model. The grant date fair value of the share-based awards is recognized on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period, which is the vesting period of the respective awards. Share-based payments to non-employees issued in exchange for services are based upon the fair value of the equity instruments issued. Compensation expense for stock options issued to non-employees is calculated using the Black-Scholes option pricing model and is recorded over the requisite service performance period.

The Black-Scholes option-pricing model requires the use of highly subjective assumptions, which are used to determine the fair value stock option awards granted. These assumptions include:

Expected Term. The expected term represents the period that our stock option awards granted are expected to be outstanding and is determined using the simplified method (based on the mid-point between the vesting date and the end of the contractual term).

Expected Volatility. Because we did not have any trading history for our shares of common stock prior to the IPO, the expected volatility for stock options granted prior to the IPO was estimated entirely using averages of the historical volatility of our peer group of companies, and the expected stock price volatility was primarily based on the historical volatility of a publicly traded set of peer companies for stock options granted since the IPO, each for a period equal to the expected life of the stock options granted, and we expect to continue to do so until such time as we have adequate historical data regarding the volatility of our own traded stock price. Our peer group of publicly traded companies was chosen based on their similar size, stage in the life cycle or area of specialty.

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Risk-Free Interest Rate. The risk-free interest rate is based on the interest rates paid on securities issued by the U.S. Treasury with a term approximating the expected life of stock options granted.

Expected Dividend. We have never paid, and do not anticipate paying, cash dividends on our shares of common stock. Therefore, the expected dividend yield was assumed to be zero.

Fair Value of Common Stock. Since our IPO, the fair value of shares of our common stock is measured by the stock price on the date of grant.

The following table summarizes option activity for the year ended December 31, 2023:

Emerging growth company status

The JOBS Act permits an “emerging growth company” such as us to take advantage of an extended transition period to comply with new or revised accounting standards applicable to public companies until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We have elected not to “opt out” of such extended transition period, which means that when a standard is issued or revised and it has different application dates for public or private companies, we will adopt the new or revised standard at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard and will do so until such time that we either (i) irrevocably elect to “opt out” of such extended transition period or (ii) no longer qualify as an emerging growth company. There are other exemptions and reduced reporting requirements provided by the JOBS Act that we are currently evaluating. For example, as an “emerging growth company,” we are exempt from Sections 14A(a) and (b) of the Exchange Act, which would otherwise require us to (1) submit certain executive compensation matters to shareholder advisory votes, such as “say-on-pay,” “say-on-frequency,” and “golden parachutes;” and (2) disclose certain executive compensation related items such as the correlation between executive compensation and performance and comparisons of our chief executive officer’s compensation to our median employee compensation. We also rely on an exemption from the rule requiring us to provide an auditor’s attestation report on our internal controls over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. We will continue to remain an “emerging growth company” until the earliest of the following: (1) the last day of the fiscal year following the fifth anniversary of the date of the completion of our IPO; (2) the last day of the fiscal year in which our total annual gross revenue is equal to or more than $1.235 billion; (3) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in nonconvertible debt during the previous three years; or (4) the date on which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer under the rules of the SEC.

Recently issued accounting pronouncements

A description of recently issued accounting pronouncements that may potentially impact our financial position, results of operations and cash flows is disclosed in Note 2 to our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report.

Qualitative and quantitative disclosures about market risk

Interest rate risk

We are a smaller reporting company, as defined by Rule 12b-2 under the Exchange Act and are not required to provide the information under this item.

Item 7A. Reserved

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Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.

LEXEO THERAPEUTICS, INC.

INDEX TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Consolidated Balance Sheets 129

Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss 130

Consolidated Statements of Shareholders’ Equity (Deficit) 131

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows 132

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements 133

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KPMG LLP

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

To the Stockholders and Board of Directors

Lexeo Therapeutics, Inc.:

Opinion on the Consolidated Financial Statements

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Lexeo Therapeutics, Inc. and subsidiary (the Company) as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, the related consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss, convertible preferred stock and stockholders’ equity (deficit), and cash flows for the years then ended, and the related notes (collectively, the consolidated financial statements). In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the years then ended, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.

Basis for Opinion

These consolidated financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these consolidated financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the PCAOB and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the consolidated financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the consolidated financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the consolidated financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the consolidated financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2021.

New York, New York

March 11, 2024

KPMG LLP, a Delaware limited liability partnership and a member firm of

the KPMG global organization of independent member firms affiliated with

KPMG International Limited, a private English company limited by guarantee.

128

Lexeo Therapeutics, Inc.

Consolidated Balance Sheets

(In thousands, except share and per share amounts)

December 31, December 31,

Assets

Current assets:

Other current assets 3 371

Property and equipment, net 1,056 998

Lease right-of-use assets - finance, net 1,763 2,069

Lease right-of-use assets - operating 9,442 10,708

Liabilities, Convertible Preferred Stock and Stockholders' Equity (Deficit)

Current liabilities:

Accrued expenses and other current liabilities 7,873 6,420

Current portion of lease liabilities - finance 518 547

Current portion of lease liabilities - operating 2,087 2,287

Non-current liabilities

Non-current portion of lease liabilities - finance 1,247 1,648

Non-current portion of lease liabilities - operating 7,786 9,000

Commitments and contingencies (Note 12)

Stockholders' equity (deficit):

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

129

Lexeo Therapeutics, Inc.

Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss

(In thousands, except share and per share amounts)

Year Ended December 31,

Revenue

Grant revenue $ — $ 654

Total revenue — 654

Operating expenses

Other income and expense

Loss on fair value adjustment to convertible SAFE Note (530 ) —

Other income (expense), net (13 ) (2 )

Interest expense (205 ) (91 )

Total other income and expense 2,119 1,232

Loss from operations before income taxes (66,394 ) (59,277 )

Income taxes — —

Net loss and comprehensive loss $ (66,394 ) $ (59,277 )

Net loss per common share, basic and diluted $ (12.40 ) $ (36.36 )

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

130

Lexeo Therapeutics, Inc.

Consolidated Statements of Convertible Preferred Stock and Stockholders’ Equity (Deficit)

(In thousands, except share amounts)

Convertible Additional Total

Preferred Stock Common Stock Paid-in Accumulated Stockholders'

Shares Amount Shares Amount Capital Deficit Equity (Deficit)

Proceeds from issuance of series A convertible preferred stock — 20 — — — — —

Stock-based compensation expense — — — — 1,781 — 1,781

Exercise of stock options — — 11,916 — 51 — 51

Stock-based compensation expense — — — — 3,043 — 3,043

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

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Lexeo Therapeutics, Inc.

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

(In thousands)

Year Ended December 31,

Cash flows from operating activities:

Reduction in the carrying amount of ROU assets, operating 1,266 877

Reduction in the carrying amount of ROU assets, finance 306 148

Stock based compensation expense 3,043 1,781

Depreciation and amortization expense 271 120

Change in fair value of convertible SAFE Note liability 530 —

Changes in operating assets and liabilities:

Prepaid expenses and other current assets 990 (1,889 )

Security deposits — 2

Change in deferred income — (46 )

Accrued expenses and other current liabilities 2,440 4,476

Taxes payable (349 ) (22 )

Lease liability, operating (1,414 ) (298 )

Lease liabilities, finance (5 ) (6 )

Net cash used in operating activities (59,496 ) (54,560 )

Cash flows from investing activities:

Purchase of internal use software (50 ) (229 )

Purchase of property and equipment (115 ) (672 )

Net cash used in investing activities (165 ) (901 )

Cash flows from financing activities:

Proceeds from issuance of series A convertible preferred stock — 20

Proceeds from exercise of stock options 51 332

Payments on finance leases (425 ) (163 )

Payments of issuance costs on convertible SAFE Note (86 ) —

Proceeds from issuance of convertible SAFE Note 4,000 —

Net cash provided by financing activities 103,791 189

Net change in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash 44,130 (55,272 )

Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period 77,335 135,860

Restricted cash included in long-term assets at beginning of period 3,253 —

Cash and cash equivalents at end of period 121,466 77,335

Restricted cash included in long-term assets at end of period 3,252 3,253

Supplemental disclosures of cash flow information

Income taxes paid — —

Supplemental disclosure of non-cash activities

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

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Lexeo Therapeutics, Inc.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

(Table amounts in thousands, except share and per share amounts)

1. Description of Business and Basis of Presentation

Description of Business—Lexeo Therapeutics, Inc. (the “Company”), together with its consolidated subsidiary, Stelios Therapeutics Inc. ("Stelios"), until such subsidiary was merged into the Company on December 15, 2022 and ceased to exist, is a clinical stage genetic medicine company with a focus on hereditary and acquired diseases of high unmet need. The Company’s investigational therapies have the potential to offer gene therapy-based treatments to address many diseases that have eluded today’s existing drug delivery platforms. The Company utilizes adeno-associated viruses (“AAV”) that have been engineered to transfer genes to patients. The Company’s therapeutic investigational treatments include gene therapies primarily in the early clinical and late pre-clinical stages of research and development.

The Company is located in New York, NY and was first formed on February 17, 2017, as an LLC under the laws of the State of Delaware under the legal name Lexeo Therapeutics, LLC. The Company filed and executed a certificate of conversion to corporation on November 20, 2020, to convert the LLC to Lexeo Therapeutics, Inc, a Delaware corporation. All of the Company’s tangible assets are held in the United States (“U.S.”).

Basis of Presentation and Principles of Consolidation—The accompanying consolidated financial statements reflect the operations of the Company and its wholly-owned subsidiary that have been prepared in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America (“GAAP”). Any reference in these notes to applicable guidance is meant to refer to the authoritative GAAP as found in the Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) and Accounting Standards Updates (“ASU”) of the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”). The accounts of the wholly owned subsidiary are included in these consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes, and the Company has no unconsolidated subsidiaries. All intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

A 10.594230-for-1 reverse share split of the Company’s series A convertible preferred stock, series B convertible preferred stock, common stock, and options to purchase common stock under the Company’s 2021 Equity Incentive Plan, as well as corresponding adjustments in the respective conversion prices of the series A convertible preferred stock and series B convertible preferred stock, was effected on October 13, 2023 as approved by the Company’s board of directors (the "Board of Directors") and its shareholders (the “Stock Split”). The Stock Split reduced the number of shares of the Company’s authorized, issued and outstanding common stock, as well as the numbers of shares reserved and available for future issuance and underlying outstanding options to purchase common stock under its 2021 Equity Incentive Plan, on a 10.594230-for-1 basis. As such, all references to series A convertible preferred stock and series B convertible preferred stock conversion ratios, conversion share and per share amounts, and post- conversion share and per share amounts, as well as common stock option, option per common share, common share and common per share amounts, in these consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes have been retroactively restated to reflect the Stock Split and the Stock Split’s effect on the respective series A convertible preferred stock and series B convertible preferred stock conversion ratios for each series of convertible preferred stock. The Stock Split did not affect the par values per share.

Need for Additional Capital—Since inception, the Company has incurred net losses and negative cash flows from operations, including net losses of $66.4 million and $59.3 million during the years ended December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively. As of December 31, 2023, the Company had cash and cash equivalents of $121.5 million and an accumulated deficit of $181.8 million and expects to incur substantial operating losses and negative cash flows from operations for the foreseeable future. During the years ended December 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020, the Company raised aggregate total net proceeds of $185.0 million in connection with the issuance of series A and series B convertible preferred stock. During the year ended December 31, 2023 the Company raised $100.3 million of total net proceeds in connection with the closing of its planned initial public offering ("IPO") on November 7, 2023 and subsequent partial exercise of the underwriters' option to purchase additional shares (see Note 8), as well $3.9 million of net proceeds from the issuance of a convertible Simple Agreement for Future Equity (“SAFE”) note (the "SAFE Note") in August 2023 (see Note 6). Management estimates that the Company's current cash and cash equivalents balance is sufficient to fund its operations for at least 12 months from the issuance date of these consolidated financial statements.

If the Company is unable to obtain additional funding before achieving sufficient profitability and positive cash flows from operations, if ever, the Company will be forced to delay, reduce or eliminate some or all of its research and development programs, which could adversely affect its business prospects, or the Company may be unable to continue operations. Although management continues to pursue these plans, there is no assurance that the Company will be successful in obtaining sufficient funding on terms acceptable to the Company to fund continuing operations, if at all.

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Risks and Uncertainties—The Company is subject to risks and uncertainties common to early-stage companies in the biopharmaceutical industry, including, but not limited to, successful discovery and development of its product candidates, development by competitors of new technological innovations, dependence on key personnel, the ability to attract and retain qualified employees, protection of proprietary technology, compliance with governmental regulations, the ability to secure additional capital to fund operations, and commercial success of its product candidates. Any of the Company’s current product candidates and future product candidates that it may develop will require extensive nonclinical and clinical testing and regulatory approval prior to commercialization. These efforts require significant amounts of additional capital, adequate personnel, infrastructure, and extensive compliance- reporting capabilities. Even if the Company’s product development efforts are successful, it is uncertain when, if ever, the Company will realize significant revenue from product sales.

2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Use of Estimates—The preparation of the financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, and the reported amounts of income and expense during the reporting period. The most significant estimates relate to the accruals of research and development costs, including accruals of research contract costs, and assumptions used to estimate the fair value of the Company’s stock option awards and, prior to its IPO, to determine the fair value of its common stock. Management evaluates its estimates and assumptions on an ongoing basis using historical experience and other factors, including the current economic environment, and makes adjustments when facts and circumstances dictate. These estimates are based on information available as of the date of the financial statements; therefore, actual results could differ from those estimates.

Cash and Cash Equivalents and Restricted Cash—The Company considers all highly liquid investments with a remaining maturity when purchased of three months or less to be cash equivalents. Cash equivalents are reported at carrying values, which approximated their fair values and are based on quoted prices in active markets for identical securities. At December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, the Company’s cash equivalents were held in a money market fund. As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, cash consists of cash on deposit with U.S. banks denominated in U.S. dollars, and restricted cash consists of cash on deposit with U.S. banks denominated in U.S. dollars for which its use is restricted and is classified as non-current in the Company’s consolidated balance sheet according to the timing of maturity, and is associated with collateral for letters of credit issued in connection with its operating lease right-of-use and finance lease right-of-use assets and corresponding lease liabilities. Cash is stated at its historical carrying amount, which approximates fair value due to its short-term nature. Restricted cash is stated at its historical carrying amount, which approximates fair value. The Company regularly maintains cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash balances with financial institutions that exceed Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation insurance limits.

Net Loss per Share—The Company follows the two-class method when computing net income (loss) per common share as the Company has issued shares that meet the definition of participating securities. The two-class method determines net income (loss) per common share for each class of common and participating securities according to dividends declared or accumulated and participation rights in undistributed earnings. The two-class method requires income (loss) available to common stockholders for the period to be allocated between common and participating securities based upon their respective rights to receive dividends as if all income for the period had been distributed. The Company considers its convertible preferred stock to be participating securities as, in the event a dividend is paid on common stock, the holders of these securities would be entitled to receive dividends on a basis consistent with the common stockholders. The Company also considers the shares issued upon the early exercise of stock options that are subject to repurchase to be participating securities because holders of such shares have non-forfeitable dividend rights in the event a dividend is paid on common stock. There is no allocation required under the two-class method during periods of loss since the participating securities do not have a contractual obligation to share in the losses of the Company.

Basic net income (loss) per common share is computed by dividing the net income (loss) per common share by the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding for the period. Diluted net income (loss) per common share is computed by adjusting net income (loss) to reallocate undistributed earnings based on the potential impact of dilutive securities. Diluted net loss per common share is computed by dividing the diluted net loss by the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding for the period, including potential dilutive common shares. For the purposes of this calculation, shares of convertible preferred stock are considered potential dilutive common shares.

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In periods in which the Company reported a net loss, diluted net loss per common share was the same as basic net loss per common share since dilutive common shares were not assumed to have been issued if their effect was anti-dilutive. During (i) the year ended December 31, 2023, potential common shares related to the conversion of the convertible SAFE Note, which converted into 411,815 common shares in connection with the Company’s IPO on November 2, 2023 (see Note 6), (ii) the years ended December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, 8,070,027 potential common shares related to the conversion of series A convertible preferred stock and 5,489,573 potential common shares related to the conversion of series B convertible preferred stock, which converted into 8,070,027 common shares and 6,386,337 common shares, respectively, in connection with the Company’s IPO on November 7, 2023 (see Note 7), and (iii) the years ended December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, 2,415,740 and 1,916,194 potential common shares, respectively, related to the exercise of outstanding stock options (see Note 9), were excluded from the computation of diluted net loss per common share because including them would have had an anti-dilutive effect as the Company reported net losses for those periods.

Deferred Offering Costs—The Company capitalizes certain legal, accounting and other third-party fees that are directly associated with equity financings as deferred offering costs until such financings are consummated. After consummation of the equity financing, these costs are recorded as a reduction of the proceeds from the offering, either as a reduction of the carrying value of preferred stock or in stockholders’ equity (deficit) as a reduction of additional capital generated as a result of the offering. Should the equity financing be abandoned, the deferred offering costs would be expensed immediately as a charge to operating expenses in the consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive loss. The Company had no deferred offering costs recorded as of December 31, 2023 or December 31, 2022.

Accounts Receivable and Allowance for Doubtful Accounts—Accounts receivable are recorded net of allowances for doubtful accounts. The Company does not have any accounts receivable but in certain cases had a grant receivable balance. For the Company to be in a receivable position related to grants, the cumulative total spend on grants must exceed the cumulative cash receipts if there remains additional award money to be collected.

Classification of Convertible Preferred Stock—Until the closing of the Company's IPO on November 7, 2023, the holders of the series A and series B convertible preferred stock had certain liquidation rights in the event of a deemed liquidation that, in certain situations, were not solely within the control of the Company and could have called for the redemption of the then outstanding series A convertible preferred stock. Therefore, the series A and series B convertible preferred stock were classified outside of the stockholders’ equity (deficit) on the Company’s consolidated balance sheets. The carrying value of the convertible preferred stock was not subsequently remeasured to the redemption value until the contingent redemption events were considered to be probable of occurring.

Grant Revenue—Grants received are recognized as grant revenue in the statements of operations as and when they are earned for the specific research and development projects for which these grants are designated. Grant payments received in excess of grant revenue earned are recognized as deferred grant revenue on the Company's consolidated balance sheet and grant revenue earned in excess of grant payments received is recognized as grant receivable on the Company's consolidated balance sheet.

Research and Development—Research and development costs are expensed as incurred. Research and development expenses consist of costs incurred to discover, research, and develop drug candidates, including personnel expenses, allocated facility-related and depreciation expenses, and third-party license fees. Costs incurred to obtain technology licenses are charged immediately to research and development expense if the technology licensed has not reached technological feasibility and has no alternative future use.

General and Administrative—General and administrative expenses consist primarily of the cost of employees to engage in corporate functions, such as finance and accounting, information technology, human resources, and legal and executive management. General and administrative expenses also include rent occupancy costs, office expenses, depreciation and amortization, other general overhead costs, insurance premiums, professional service fees, and costs related to regulatory and litigation matters.

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Stock Based Compensation Expense—The Company accounts for stock-based payment awards granted to employees and non-employees as stock-based compensation expense at fair value. The Company’s stock-based payments include stock options and grants of common stock, including common stock subject to vesting. The measurement date for employee awards is the date of grant, and stock-based compensation costs are recognized as expense over the employees’ requisite service period, which is the vesting period, on a straight-line basis. The measurement date for non-employee awards is the date of grant without changes in the fair value of the award. Stock-based compensation costs for non-employees are recognized as expense over the vesting period on a straight-line basis. Stock-based compensation expense is classified in the accompanying statement of operations based on the function to which the related services are provided. As the Company is permitted to repurchase shares legally issued for unvested stock options exercised at their exercise price, (i) cash received for unvested stock options exercised is recorded as a deposit liability as a reclassification from additional paid-in capital in the Company’s consolidated balance sheet, which is relieved to additional paid-in capital as such awards vest, (ii) stock based compensation expense is recognized over the requisite service period for each such award, and (iii) the amount and number of shares of common stock outstanding in the Company’s consolidated balance sheet and consolidated statement of convertible preferred stock and stockholders’ equity (deficit) are reduced until such awards vest. The Company recognizes stock-based compensation expense for the portion of awards that have vested. Forfeitures are recorded as they occur. The Company recognizes the cumulative effect of changes in the probability outcomes in the period in which the changes occur.

The fair value of each stock option grant is estimated on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model. The Company has historically been a private company and lacks company-specific historical and implied volatility information for stock options granted prior to the Company's IPO. Therefore, the Company estimated its expected stock volatility entirely based on the historical volatility of a publicly traded set of peer companies for stock options granted prior to its IPO, and estimates its expected stock price volatility primarily based on the historical volatility of a publicly traded set of peer companies for stock options granted since its IPO, each for a period equal to the expected life of the stock options granted, and expects to continue to do so until such time as it has adequate historical data regarding the volatility of its own traded stock price. The expected term of the Company’s stock options has been determined utilizing the “simplified” method for awards that qualify as “plain-vanilla” options. The risk-free interest rate is determined by reference to the U.S. Treasury yield curve in effect at the time of grant of the award for time periods approximately equal to the expected term of the award. The expected dividend yield is zero as the Company has never paid cash dividends on its common stock and does not expect to pay any cash dividends in the foreseeable future.

Income Taxes—Prior to November 20, 2020, the Company was an LLC entity and elected to be treated under the Partnership provisions of the Internal Revenue Code. Accordingly, the LLC entity was not viewed as a tax-paying entity in any jurisdiction and all income and deductions of the LLC entity flowed through to the individual members and therefore no income taxes were recorded by the Company. On November 20, 2020, the Company converted to a C Corporation.

The Company accounts for income taxes under the asset and liability method pursuant to ASC 740, Income Taxes. Under this method, the Company recognizes deferred tax assets and liabilities for the future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases and operating loss and tax credit carryforwards. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period that includes the enactment date. A valuation allowance is recorded for deferred tax assets if it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized based on all available positive and negative evidence. Under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, the Company is required to capitalize, and subsequently amortize, research and development expenses over five years for research activities conducted in the U.S. and over fifteen years for research activities conducted outside of the U.S commencing in 2022. The capitalization of research and development expenses during the year resulted in a decrease to our operating loss generation during the years ended December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022 as compared to prior periods (see Note 11). As of December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, the Company continues to maintain a full valuation allowance against its deferred tax assets.

The Company recognizes a tax benefit only if it is more likely than not the tax position will be sustained on examination by the local taxing authorities, based on the technical merits of the position. The tax benefits recognized in the financial statements from such positions are then measured based on the largest benefit greater than 50% likelihood of being realized upon settlement with the related tax authority. The changes in recognition or measurement are reflected in the period in which the change in judgment occurs. As of December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, the Company has not identified any uncertain tax positions.

The Company records interest and penalties related to uncertain tax positions in the provision for income taxes.

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Fair Value Measurements—Fair value is defined as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. The three levels of inputs that may be used to measure fair value are as follows:

Level 1—Inputs are quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets for identical assets or liabilities that the Company has the ability to access at the measurement date.

Level 2—Inputs are observable, unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for similar assets or liabilities, unadjusted quoted prices for identical or similar assets or liabilities in markets that are not active, or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data for substantially the full term of the related assets or liabilities.

Level 3—Inputs are unobservable inputs for the asset or liability.

Concentrations of Credit Risk—Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk consist primarily of cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash. The Company’s cash and restricted cash balances exceed Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation insurance limits, and the Company’s cash equivalents consist of investments in a U.S. government money market fund. The Company’s cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash is held with large financial institutions that management believes to be of high credit quality. To date, the Company has not recognized any losses caused by uninsured balances.

Segment Information—The Company manages its operations as a single segment for the purposes of assessing performance and allocating resources. The Company is focused on preclinical and clinical stage gene therapies, and specifically on hereditary and acquired diseases of high unmet need. The Company’s chief operating decision maker ("CODM") reviews the Company’s financial information on an aggregated basis for purposes of assessing performance and allocating resources. All assets are held in the United States. The Company has not earned any product revenue through December 31, 2023.

Property and Equipment—Property and equipment are stated at cost less accumulated depreciation and amortization. Depreciation and amortization is recognized using the straight-line method over the estimated useful life of each asset. Such costs are periodically reviewed for recoverability when impairment indicators are present. Such indicators include, among other factors, unused capacity, market value declines, and technology obsolescence. Recorded values of asset groups of equipment that are not expected to be recovered through undiscounted future net cash flows are written down to current fair value, which generally is determined from estimated discounted future net cash flows (assets held for use) or net realizable value (assets held for sale).

Costs for capital assets not yet placed into service are capitalized as construction-in-progress and depreciated once placed into service. Upon retirement or sale, the cost of assets disposed of and the related accumulated depreciation and amortization are removed from the accounts and any resulting gain or loss is included in loss from operations. Expenditures for repairs and maintenance that do no improve or extend the life of the respective assets are charged to expense in the period incurred. See Note 5 for information regarding the Company’s capitalized operating and finance lease right-of-use assets.

The following is the summary of property and equipment and related accumulated depreciation as of December 31, 2023, and December 31, 2022 (years not stated in thousands):

Internal use software 3 years $ 296 $ 245

Furniture and fixtures 5 years 380 375

Leasehold improvements 7 years 247 232

Less: accumulated depreciation and amortization (381 ) (133 )

Total property and equipment, net $ 1,056 $ 998

Leases—In accordance with ASC 842, Leases, the Company determines if an arrangement is or contains a lease at inception. A contract is or contains a lease if the contract conveys the right to control the use of an identified asset for a period of time in exchange for consideration. The Company classifies leases at the lease commencement date as operating or finance leases and records a right-of-use asset and a lease liability on the consolidated balance sheet for all leases with an initial lease term of greater than 12 months. Leases with an initial term of 12 months or less are not recorded in the balance sheet, but payments are recognized as expense on a straight-line basis over the lease term. The Company has elected not to recognize leases with terms of 12 months or less.

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A lease qualifies as a finance lease if any of the following criteria are met at the inception of the lease: (i) there is a transfer of ownership of the leased asset to the Company by the end of the lease term, (ii) the Company holds an option to purchase the leased asset that it is reasonably certain to exercise, (iii) the lease term is for a major part of the remaining economic life of the leased asset, (iv) the present value of the sum of lease payments equals or exceeds substantially all of the fair value of the leased asset, or (v) the nature of the leased asset is specialized to the point that it is expected to provide the lessor no alternative use at the end of the lease term. All other leases are recorded as operating leases.

The Company enters into contracts that contain both lease and non-lease components. Non-lease components may include maintenance, utilities, and other operating costs. The Company combines the lease and non-lease components of fixed costs in its lease arrangements as a single lease component. Variable costs, such as utilities or maintenance costs, are not included in the measurement of right-of-use assets and lease liabilities, but rather are expensed when the event determining the amount of variable consideration to be paid occurs.

Operating lease right-of-use assets and lease liabilities are recognized at the lease commencement date based on the present value of the lease payments over the lease term using the discount rate implicit in the lease. If the implicit rate is not readily determinable, the Company utilizes an estimate of its incremental borrowing rate based upon the available information at the operating lease commencement date. Operating lease right-of-use assets are further adjusted for prepaid or accrued lease payments. Operating lease payments are expensed using the straight-line method as an operating expense over the lease term. The Company’s lease terms may include options to extend or terminate the lease when it is reasonably certain that the Company will exercise that option. Finance lease right-of-use assets and lease liabilities are recognized upon receipt of the assets based on their fair values, and are amortized to depreciation expense using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the related assets. Finance lease liability payments are bifurcated into (i) a portion that is recorded as interest expense and (ii) a portion that reduces the finance liability associated with the lease, according to the interest rates implicit in the leases.

Certain of the Company’s leases include options to extend or terminate the lease. The amounts determined for the Company’s right-of-use assets and lease liabilities generally do not assume that renewal options or early-termination provisions, if any, are exercised, unless it is reasonably certain that the Company will exercise such options.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements Not Yet Adopted—In December 2023, the FASB issued ASU No. 2023-09, Income Taxes (Topic 740). ASU No. 2023-09 requires disaggregation of the effective tax rate reconciliation into standard categories, enhances disclosure of income taxes paid, and modifies other income tax-related disclosures. ASU No. 2023-09 will be effective for the Company starting in annual periods in 2025, with early adoption permitted. The Company is currently assessing the impact of adopting this guidance on its consolidated financial statements.

In November 2023, the FASB issued ASU No. 2023-07, Segment Reporting - Improving Reportable Segment Disclosures (Topic 280). ASU No. 2023-07 requires disclosures to include significant segment expenses that are regularly provided to the CODM, a description of other segment items by reportable segment, and any additional measures of a segment's profit or loss used by the CODM when deciding how to allocate resources. ASU No. 2023-07 also requires all annual disclosures currently required by Topic 280 to be included in interim periods. ASU No. 2023-07 is effective for the Company starting in annual periods in 2024 and interim periods in 2025, with early adoption permitted and retrospective application required to all prior periods presented in the financial statements. The Company is currently assessing the impact of adopting this guidance on its consolidated financial statements but does not expect it to have a material impact.

3. Fair Value Measurements

The Company’s cash equivalents consist of investments in a U.S. government money market fund stated at carrying value, which approximates fair value and is based on quoted prices in active markets for identical securities. Cash is stated at carrying value, which approximates fair value due to its short-term nature. The carrying values of the Company’s prepaid expenses, other current assets, accounts payable and accrued expenses approximate their fair values due to the short-term nature of these assets and liabilities. The carrying value of the Company’s convertible SAFE Note, gross of unamortized discount, was estimated using a probability-weighted present value model, which involved the use of significant unobservable inputs (see Note 6). There have been no transfers between fair value levels during the years ended December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022.

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The following table presents information about the Company’s financial assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis and indicates the level of the fair value hierarchy utilized to determine such fair values:

Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Total

Assets:

Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Total

Assets:

Cash equivalents (money market) $ 74,802 $ — $ — $ 74,802

The following table sets forth a roll forward of changes in the fair value of financial liabilities, gross of unamortized discount, classified as Level 3 in the fair value hierarchy:

ConvertibleSAFE Note,gross

Beginning balance at December 31, 2022 $ —

Convertible SAFE Note issuance at August 24, 2023 4,000

Change in estimated fair value since issuance 530

Ending balance at December 31, 2023 $ —

The valuation models used to estimate the fair value of the Company’s convertible SAFE Note considered the estimated probabilities of each of qualified equity financing, public offering, and change of control events, together with corresponding estimated periods of time from each valuation date until the achievements of each such event. Future values were converted to present value using a discount rate appropriate for probability-adjusted cash flows. The ranges of the significant unobservable inputs used in the valuation model to estimate the fair value of the Company’s convertible SAFE Note that was categorized within Level 3 of the fair value hierarchy as of August 24, 2023 (issuance) until November 2, 2023 (settlement) were as follows (not stated in thousands):

Probability of meeting qualified equity financing event 10.0% - 20.0%

Probability of meeting public offering event 75.0% - 85.0%

Probability of meeting change in control event 5%

Time until qualified equity financing event (in years) 0.17 - 0.27

Time until public offering event (in years) 0.08 - 0.19

Time until change in control event (in years) 0.50 - 0.60

In connection with the closing of the Company’s IPO on November 7, 2023, the underwriters of the IPO were granted an option for a period of 30 days to purchase up to 1,363,636 additional shares from the Company at the public offering price of $11.00 per share less the underwriting discount, of which 1,048,746 shares were exercised (see Note 8). The total grant date fair value of this option of approximately $1.2 million, or $0.85 per share, was recorded as an offset to additional paid-in capital and was estimated using a Black-Scholes model incorporating the following assumptions (not stated in thousands):

Exercise price $ 11.00

Weighted average risk-free interest rate 5.53%

Expected term (in years) 0.08

Expected volatility 65.88%

Expected dividend yield 0.00%

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4. Accrued Expenses and Other Current Liabilities

Accrued expenses and other current liabilities consisted of the following:

Accrued research and development expenses $ 6,384 $ 4,755

Accrued payroll expenses 242 796

Other current liabilities 169 240

Total accrued expenses and other current liabilities $ 7,873 $ 6,420

5. Leases

Operating Lease Right-of-Use Asset

In January 2022, the Company entered into a lease agreement for an office facility and laboratory space in New York, New York that commenced in April 2022 and ends in July 2029 with an additional five-yearoption to extend the lease beyond July 2029 at the then-prevailing effective market rental rate. Upon commencement of this lease, the Company recorded operating lease right-of-use assets and operating lease liabilities of $11.6 million based on the present value of payments over the lease term using an estimated incremental borrowing rate of 8.53% in accordance with the provisions of ASC 842. In connection with the Company’s lease of office space and laboratory space, the Company provided a security deposit to the landlord in the form of a letter of credit totaling $1.2 million. The cash collateralizing the letter of credit was included in long-term restricted cash in the Company’s consolidated balance sheets as of December 31, 2023, and December 31, 2022. This lease was classified as an operating lease in accordance with the provisions of ASC 842. The Company did not recognize any right-of-use assets and lease liabilities associated with the potential option to renew or extend. The Company’s operating lease agreement does not contain any significant residual value guarantees or restrictive covenants.

The remaining lease terms and payment terms as of December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022 were 5.6 years and 6.6 years, respectively. The components of this operating lease were as follows:

Year Ended

December 31,

Total operating lease expense $ 2,502 $ 1,795

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The following table provides a reconciliation of the Company’s remaining undiscounted contractual rent obligations due within each year ended December 31 to the operating lease liabilities recognized as of December 31, 2023:

Year ended December 31 OperatingLeases

Total lease payments 12,421

Less: present value adjustment (2,548 )

Total operating lease liabilities $ 9,873

Included in the consolidated balance sheet:

Current portion of lease liabilities - operating 2,087

Non-current portion of lease liabilities - operating 7,786

Total operating lease liabilities $ 9,873

Equipment Finance Leases

Commencing in April 2022, the Company leases certain laboratory equipment under financing arrangements accounted for as finance leases in accordance with the provisions of ASC 842 that are classified in the Company’s consolidated balance sheet as finance lease liabilities with related right-of-use assets recorded and depreciated on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful life of 7 years. In connection with the Company’s leases of laboratory equipment, the Company provided a security deposit to the lessor in the form of a letter of credit totaling $1.9 million and assigned all rights and interests in the equipment to the lessor. The cash collateralizing the letter of credit is included in long-term restricted cash in the Company’s consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2023. The total gross, accumulated amortization, and net book values of equipment finance lease right-of-use assets capitalized under such finance lease arrangements at December 31, 2023 were $2.2 million, $0.5 million and $1.7 million, respectively. Under the terms of the equipment finance lease agreements executed through the issuance of these consolidated financial statements, the principal balances plus interest for the equipment are to be repaid in full after 60 monthly installments following lease commencement, with lease commencement dates ranging from April 1, 2022 to April 1, 2023, annual imputed interest rates ranging from 7.90% to 9.30%, and monthly installment payment amounts ranging from $4,000 to $18,000. The total aggregate monthly installment payment amount was $49,000 for equipment finance lease agreements executed through the issuance date of these consolidated financial statements.

The weighted-average remaining lease payment term, weighted-average remaining amortization term, and weighted-average effective interest rate for the Company's equipment finance lease agreements as of December 30, 2023 were 3.7 years, 5.7 years, and 8.59%, respectively. The weighted-average remaining lease payment term, weighted-average remaining amortization term, and weighted-average effective interest rate for the Company's equipment finance lease agreements as of December 31, 2022 were 4.6 years, 6.6 years, and 8.66%, respectively. The components of the equipment finance leases were as follows:

Year Ended

December 31,

Reduction in the carrying amount of ROU assets, finance $ 306 $ 148

Interest on finance lease liabilities 176 77

Total finance lease expense $ 482 $ 225

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The following table provides a reconciliation of the Company’s remaining equipment finance lease obligations due within each year ending December 31 to the equipment finance lease liabilities recognized at December 31, 2023:

Year ended December 31 Equipment Finance Leases

Thereafter -

Total lease payments 2,057

Less: imputed interest (292 )

Total finance lease liabilities $ 1,765

Included in the consolidated balance sheet:

Current portion of lease liabilities - finance 518

Non-current portion of lease liabilities - finance 1,247

Total finance lease liabilities $ 1,765

6. Convertible SAFE Note

On August 24, 2023, the Company entered into a convertible SAFE Note with Sarepta Therapeutics, Inc. (the “Investor”) in a principal amount of $4.0 million bearing simple interest at an annual rate of 10% to be repaid (the “Cash-Out Amount”) after one year in the absence of the occurrence of certain settlement events, including upon a qualified preferred stock equity financing, a public offering or a Special Purpose Acquisition Company (“SPAC”) transaction, a change of control, or dissolution. The convertible SAFE Note was accounted for as a liability in accordance with the provisions of ASC Topic 480, Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity, which was initially and subsequently measured at fair value with changes in fair value recognized in earnings (see Note 3). Upon a qualified equity financing event, the convertible SAFE Note would have automatically converted into a number of shares of corresponding preferred stock based on a certain discount to the price of such preferred stock issued to the other investors applied to the then-current Cash-Out Amount. Upon the effective date of an IPO or a direct listing, or immediately prior to the closing of a SPAC transaction, the convertible SAFE Note would have automatically converted, and did automatically convert upon the effectiveness of the Company's IPO registration statement on November 2, 2023, into a number of shares of common stock based on a certain discount to the public offering price of such common stock applied to the then-current Cash-Out Amount (see Note 8). Upon a change of control, the Investor would have been entitled to receive the greater of (i) an amount equal to a certain premium applied to the then-current Cash-Out Amount, or (ii) the amount that would have been payable on the number of shares of the senior-most series of the Company’s preferred stock after applying a certain discount to the original issue price of such senior-most preferred stock together with a certain premium applied to the then-current Cash-Out Amount (the greater of (i) and (ii), the “Conversion Amount”). Upon the one-year maturity of the convertible SAFE Note, or upon dissolution of the Company, the Investor was to be paid an amount equal to the Cash-Out Amount. Upon the event of a change of control or dissolution, the Investor’s right to receive its Cash-Out Amount or its Conversion Amount would have been junior to payment of outstanding indebtedness and creditor claims, on par with payments for the Company’s most senior series of preferred stock or other SAFE note holders, if any, and senior to payments for the Company’s common stock and any other series or class of stock. The convertible SAFE Note did not maintain any voting rights.

In connection with the convertible SAFE Note, the Company incurred issuance costs of $0.1 million that were recorded as a discount to the liability balance and amortized to interest expense over the term of the convertible SAFE Note. As of November 2, 2023, the estimated fair value of the convertible SAFE Note, gross of unamortized discount, increased by $0.5 million to $4.5 million (see Note 3), and the corresponding carrying value was $4.4 million, net of unamortized discount, which automatically converted into 411,815 shares of the Company’s common stock upon the declaration of effectiveness of the Company’s IPO registration statement on November 2, 2023 (see Note 8).

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7. Convertible Preferred Stock

As of December 31, 2022 and until the closing of the Company's IPO on November 7, 2023, the Company’s certificate of incorporation authorized the Company to issue 143,653,546 shares of series A and series B convertible preferred stock each with a par value of $0.0001 per share. Upon the closing of the Company's IPO on November 7, 2023, all 85,495,722 outstanding shares of the Company’s series A convertible preferred stock and all 58,157,823 outstanding shares of the Company’s series B convertible preferred stock converted into 8,070,027 shares and 6,386,337 shares of common stock, respectively, including 896,764 shares of common stock issued as a result of series B convertible preferred stock antidilution provisions (see Note 8).

As of December 31, 2022 and until the closing of the Company's IPO on November 7, 2023, convertible preferred stock consisted of the following:

Convertible

Convertible Preferred

Preferred Stock Common Stock

Stock Issued and Proceeds Liquidation Issuable Upon

Authorized Outstanding Received Preference Conversion

As of December 31, 2022 and until the closing of the Company's IPO on November 7, 2023, the rights and privileges of the holders of the convertible preferred stock were as follows:

Voting—Holders of preferred stock were to vote together with the holders of common stock as a single class and on an as converted to common stock basis.

Dividends—The holders of shares of series B convertible preferred stock were entitled to receive, as declared by the Company’s Board of Directors, dividends per share at the rate of 8% of the issue price per share of series B convertible preferred stock, prior and in preference to any declaration or payment of any other dividend (other than dividends on shares of common stock payable in shares of common stock). After payment of dividends to the holders of shares of series B convertible preferred stock, the holders of shares of series A convertible preferred stock were entitled to receive, as declared by the Company’s Board of Directors, dividends per share at the rate of 8% of the issue price per share of series A convertible preferred stock, prior and in preference to any declaration or payment of any other dividend (other than dividends on shares of common stock payable in shares of common stock).

Deemed Liquidation Event—Each of the following events was to be considered a “Deemed Liquidation Event” unless the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of preferred stock and the holders of at least 64% of the outstanding shares of series B convertible preferred stock elected otherwise by written notice to be sent to the Company at least five business days prior to the effective date of any such event; (a) a merger or consolidation in which the Company is a constituent party or a subsidiary of the Company was a constituent party and the Company issued shares of its capital stock pursuant to such merger or consolidation, except: any such merger or consolidation involving the Company or a subsidiary in which the shares of capital stock of the Company outstanding immediately prior to such merger or consolidation continued to represent, or were converted into or exchanged for shares of capital stock that represented, immediately following such merger or consolidation, at least a majority by voting power of the capital stock of (1) the surviving or resulting company; or (2) if the surviving or resulting company was a wholly owned subsidiary of another company immediately following such merger or consolidation, the parent company of such surviving or resulting corporation; (b) (1) the sale, lease, transfer, exclusive license or other disposition, in a single transaction or series of related transactions, by the Company or any subsidiary of the Company of all or substantially all the assets of the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole, or (2) the sale or disposition (whether by merger, consolidation or otherwise, and whether in a single transaction or a series of related transactions) of one or more subsidiaries of the Company if substantially all of the assets of the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole were held by such subsidiary or subsidiaries, except where such sale, lease, transfer, exclusive license or other disposition was to a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company; or (c) the Corporation’s completion of (1) a reverse merger into a public shell, or (2) a merger or consolidation with a special purpose acquisition company or its subsidiary in which the common stock (or similar securities) of the surviving or parent entity were publicly traded in a public offering pursuant to an effective registration statement under the 1933 Securities Act, as amended.

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Liquidation Preference—In the event of any voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution, or winding up of the Company, the holders of shares of series B convertible preferred stock were entitled to be paid out of the assets of the Company or, in the case of a Deemed Liquidation Event, out of the consideration payable to stockholders or the available proceeds, before any payment would be made to the holders of common stock or series A convertible preferred stock, an amount per share equal to the series B convertible preferred stock issue price of $18.227267 per share (subject to adjustment in the event of any stock dividend, stock split, combination or other similar recapitalization), plus any dividends declared but unpaid. If upon any such liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Company or Deemed Liquidation Event, the assets of the Company available for distribution to its stockholders was insufficient to pay the holders of shares of series B convertible preferred stock the full amount to which they were entitled, the holders of shares of series B convertible preferred stock would have shared ratably in any distribution of the assets available for distribution in proportion to the respective amounts which would otherwise be payable in respect of the shares held by them upon such distribution if all amounts payable on or with respect to such shares were paid in full (the “Series B Liquidation Preference”).

In the event of any voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution, or winding up of the Company, after payment of the Series B Liquidation Preference, the holders of shares of series A convertible preferred stock were entitled to be paid out of the assets of the Company or, in the case of a Deemed Liquidation Event, out of the consideration payable to stockholders or the available proceeds, before any payment shall be made to the holders of common stock or series A convertible preferred stock, an amount per share equal to the series A convertible preferred stock issue price of $10.594230 per share (subject to adjustment in the event of any stock dividend, stock split, combination or other similar recapitalization), plus any dividends declared but unpaid. If upon any such liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Company or Deemed Liquidation Event, the assets of the Company available for distribution to its stockholders was insufficient to pay the holders of shares of series A convertible preferred stock the full amount to which they were entitled, the holders of shares of series A convertible preferred stock would have shared ratably in any distribution of the assets available for distribution in proportion to the respective amounts which would otherwise be payable in respect of the shares held by them upon such distribution if all amounts payable on or with respect to such shares were paid in full (the “Series A Liquidation Preference”).

In the event that there were additional assets to be distributed after payment of the Series A Liquidation Preference and the Series B Liquidation Preference, the holders of the series A convertible preferred stock and series B convertible preferred stock would have shared in the distribution along with common stockholders as if the shares of the series A convertible preferred stock and series B convertible preferred stock had converted to common stock immediately prior to the distribution, up to an amount, (a) taken together with the Series A Liquidation Preference, not to exceed $31.782691 per share with respect to the series A convertible preferred stockholders; and (b) taken together with the Series B Liquidation Preference, not to exceed $54.681802 per share with respect to the series B convertible preferred stockholders.

Redemption—The preferred stock did not contain a mandatory redemption provision. Upon a deemed liquidation event, the holders would have been paid their preference amounts according to their priority. Remeasurement to redemption value would only have been required if a deemed liquidation event was probable.

Conversion—Upon either (a) the closing of the sale of shares of common stock to the public at a price of at least $22.784057 per share (subject to appropriate adjustment in the event of any stock dividend, stock split, combination or other similar recapitalization with respect to the common stock), in a firm-commitment underwritten public offering pursuant to an effective registration statement under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, resulting in at least $75,000,000 of gross proceeds to the Company and in connection with the offering of the common stock listed for trading on the Nasdaq Stock Market’s National Market, the New York Stock Exchange or another exchange or marketplace approved by the Company’s Board of Directors, including the approval of at least two (2) preferred directors (a “Qualified IPO”), which occurred on November 7, 2023, or (b) the date and time, or the occurrence of an event specified by vote or written consent of the Noteholders, then (i) all outstanding shares of convertible preferred stock were to automatically be converted into shares of common stock, at the then effective conversion rate.

8. Capital Stock

As of December 31, 2023, the Company’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation provided that the authorized capital stock of the Company was 510,000,000 shares consisting of 500,000,000 shares of common stock and 10,000,000 shares of undesignated preferred stock, both with a par value of $0.0001 per share. As of December 31, 2023, 26,668,485 shares of the Company's common stock authorized were issued, including 22,107 shares that were legally issued upon the early exercise of unvested stock options and that are excluded from the number of shares outstanding until the right to repurchase subsequently lapses upon vesting. Until the closing of the Company’s IPO on November 7, 2023, the voting, dividend and liquidation rights of the holders of the Company’s common shares were subject to and qualified by the rights, powers and preferences of the holders of the convertible preferred stock set forth in Note 7. Each common share entitles the holder to one vote on all matters submitted to a vote of the Company’s stockholders. Common stockholders are entitled to receive dividends, if any, as may be declared by the Company’s Board of Directors, and were subject to the preferential dividend rights of the convertible preferred stock until the closing of the Company’s IPO. No cash dividends have been declared or paid by the Company.

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Upon the declaration of effectiveness of the Company’s IPO registration statement on November 2, 2023, the Company's convertible SAFE Note automatically converted into 411,815 shares of common stock (see Note 6). Upon the closing of the Company's IPO on November 7, 2023, the Company issued and sold 9,090,910 shares of its common stock, and subsequently, the underwriters partially exercised their associated 30-day option to purchase additional shares of common stock with 1,048,746 additional shares issued (see Note 3). The net proceeds to the Company from the IPO and subsequent partial exercise of the underwriters’ 30-day option to purchase additional shares were approximately $100.3 million based on the initial offering price of $11.00 per share, after deducting underwriting discounts, commissions and offering expenses totaling $11.3 million. Also upon the closing of the Company's IPO on November 7, 2023, all 85,495,722 outstanding shares of the Company’s series A convertible preferred stock and all 58,157,823 outstanding shares of the Company’s series B convertible preferred stock converted into 8,070,027 shares and 6,386,337 shares of common stock, respectively, including 896,764 shares of common stock issued as a result of series B convertible preferred stock antidilution provisions (see Note 7).

The Company had reserved the following number of shares of common stock for the exercise of outstanding stock options, future issuance of stock-based awards, and conversion of outstanding shares of convertible preferred stock:

Shares of series A convertible preferred stock - 8,070,027

Shares of series B convertible preferred stock - 5,489,573

Shares available for issuance under the 2023 ESPP 238,600 -

Total shares of common stock reserved for future issuance 4,948,156 16,476,313

On March 11, 2024, the Company entered into a common stock purchase agreement to issue and sell an aggregate of 6,278,905 shares of its common stock at a price of $15.13 per share, in a private placement. The Company anticipates the gross proceeds from the private placement to be approximately $95.0 million, before deducting any offering related expenses. The private placement financing is expected to close on March 13, 2024, subject to customary closing conditions (see Note 14).

9. Stock-based Compensation

In February 2021, the Company adopted the 2021 Equity Incentive Plan (the “2021 Plan”) for the issuance of stock options to the Company’s key directors, officers, employees and consultants, as a means to secure the benefits arising from capital stock ownership. In connection with the Company’s IPO in November 2023, the Company adopted the 2023 Equity Incentive Plan (the “2023 Plan”) and the 2023 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (the "2023 ESPP" and collectively with the 2021 Plan and 2023 Plan, the “Plans”). The purposes of the Plans are to promote the alignment of the interests of key directors, officers, employees, and consultants with the success of the Company and to provide compensation opportunities to attract, retain and motivate directors, officers, employees, and consultants of the Company.

The Company’s Board of Directors adopted the 2023 Plan and the 2023 ESPP in October 2023, and the Company’s stockholders approved the 2023 Plan and the 2023 ESPP in October 2023. In connection with the IPO, the Company’s 2023 Equity Incentive Plan (the “2023 Plan”) and its 2023 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (the “2023 ESPP”) became effective. Upon the effectiveness of the 2023 Plan and the 2023 ESPP:

•

582,699 shares of common stock reserved for future issuance under the 2021 Plan ceased to be available for issuance and were added to, and became available for issuance under, the 2023 Plan, and no further grants will be made under the 2021 Plan;

•

1,803,980 shares of common stock were reserved for future issuance under the 2023 Plan, in addition to the shares of common stock reserved for issuance under the 2021 Plan that were added to the shares reserved under the 2023 Plan; and

•

238,600 shares of common stock were reserved for future issuance under the 2023 ESPP.

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The maximum number of shares of common stock that may be issued under the 2023 Plan is 4,737,000 shares, which is approximately the sum of (i) 1,803,980 new shares, plus (ii) the 2021 Plan’s available reserve, plus (iii) the number of returning shares, if any, upon the cancellation or forfeiture of equity awards that are outstanding under the 2021 Plan. In addition, the number of shares of common stock reserved for issuance under the 2023 Plan will automatically increase on January 1 of each year, beginning on January 1, 2024, and continuing through and including January 1, 2033, by 5% of the total number of shares of common stock outstanding on December 31 of the immediately preceding calendar year, or a lesser number of shares determined by the Company’s Board of Directors prior to the applicable January 1. The number of shares of common stock reserved for issuance under the 2023 ESPP will automatically increase on January 1 of each calendar year, beginning on January 1, 2024 and continuing through and including January 1, 2033, by the lesser of (i) 1% of the total number of shares of capital stock outstanding on December 31 of the preceding calendar year, (ii) 477,200 shares and (iii) a number of shares determined by the Company’s Board of Directors. Shares subject to purchase rights granted under the 2023 ESPP that terminate without having been exercised in full will not reduce the number of shares available for issuance under the 2023 ESPP.

As of December 31, 2023, 2,293,816 shares and 238,600 shares were available for future issuance under the 2023 Plan and 2023 ESPP, respectively. No shares have been issued under the 2023 ESPP through December 31, 2023.

Stock option activity

Stock options granted under the 2021 Plan generally (i) are subject to requisite service requirements, (ii) vest over a four-year period with 25% of the options granted vesting after one year and the remainder vesting in equal monthly installments over the following 36 months, and (iii) allow for early exercise subject to repurchase. Stock options granted under the 2021 Plan to certain of the Company’s non-employees vest in equal monthly installments over a four-year period or vested upon the achievement of a certain milestone event. The Company has not repurchased any shares of common stock issued pursuant to the early exercise of stock options granted under the 2021 Plan through December 31, 2023.

Stock options granted under the 2023 Plan generally (i) are subject to requisite service requirements, and (ii) vest over a four-year period with 25% of the options granted vesting after one year and the remainder vesting in equal monthly installments over the following 36 months.

The following table summarizes the stock option activity under the 2021 Plan and the 2023 Plan for the years ended December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022 (weighted-average remaining contractual term (in years) is not stated in thousands):

Shares Price Fair Value (in years)

The aggregate intrinsic value of stock options is calculated as the difference between the exercise price of the stock options and the fair value of the Company’s common stock for those stock options that had exercise prices lower than the fair value of the Company’s common stock.

The total grant date fair values of options vested during the years ended December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022 was $2.4 million and $1.6 million, respectively, including $0.1 million for a total of 342,404 stock options granted to certain nonemployees that vested upon the achievement of a certain milestone event during the year ended December 31, 2022.

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The Company estimated the fair value of options granted using a Black-Scholes option pricing model with the following assumptions presented on a weighted average basis (not stated in thousands):

Year Ended

December 31,

Risk-free interest rate 3.43 % 2.76 %

Expected term (in years) 5.78 6.03

Expected dividend yield 0.00 % 0.00 %

The expected dividend yields are 0.00% as the Company has never paid cash dividends and does not expect to pay any cash dividends in the foreseeable future.

Stock-based compensation expense

Stock-based compensation expense was classified as follows in the Company’s consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss:

Year Ended

December 31,

Research and development expense $ 1,751 $ 966

General and administrative expense 1,292 815

Total stock-based compensation expense $ 3,043 $ 1,781

As of December 31, 2023 there was $9.8 million of unrecognized stock-based compensation expense related to unvested stock options estimated to be recognized over a weighted-average period of 2.97 years.

10. Net Loss per Share

Basic and diluted net loss per common share attributable to common stockholders was calculated as follows:

Year Ended

December 31,

Numerator:

Net loss attributable to common stockholders $ (66,394 ) $ (59,277 )

Denominator:

11. Income Taxes

A reconciliation of the Company's statutory income tax rate to the Company’s effective income tax rate is as follows for the years ended December 31, 2023, and 2022:

Year Ended

December 31,

State Taxes, net of federal benefit 10.80 11.77

Change in valuation allowance (36.12 ) (36.43 )

Permanent differences (0.36 ) 0.08

Effective income tax rate 0.00 % 0.00 %

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The principal components of the Company's deferred tax assets and liabilities at December 31, 2023 and 2022 are as follows:

Year Ended

December 31,

Deferred tax assets:

Year Ended

December 31,

Deferred tax liabilities:

Other deferred tax liabilities (263 ) (18 )

Total deferred tax liabilities (3,365 ) (4,232 )

Net deferred tax assets (liabilities) $ - $ -

As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, the Company had federal net operating loss carryforwards of approximately $70.2 million and $48.6 million, respectively, which can be carried forward indefinitely. As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, the Company had state and local net operating loss carryforwards of approximately $139.3 million and $109.3 million, respectively, which begin to expire in 2040.

As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, the Company had federal tax credits of $7.1 and $3.9 million, respectively, which begin to expire in 2041.

Future realization of the tax benefits of existing temporary differences and net operating loss carryforwards ultimately depends on the existence of sufficient taxable income within the carryforward period. As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, the Company performed an evaluation to determine whether a valuation allowance was needed. The Company considered all available evidence, both positive and negative, which included the results of operations for the current and preceding years. The Company determined that it was not possible to reasonably quantify future taxable income and determined that it is more likely than not that all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. Accordingly, the Company maintained a full valuation allowance as of December 31, 2023 and 2022.

Under Internal Revenue Code Section 382, if a corporation undergoes an “ownership change,” the corporation’s ability to use its pre-change net operating loss ("NOL") carryforwards and other pre-change tax attributes to offset its post-change income may be limited. The Company has not completed a study to assess whether an “ownership change” has occurred or whether there have been multiple ownership changes since it became a “loss corporation” as defined in Section 382. Future changes in the Company's stock ownership, which may be outside of its control, may trigger an “ownership change.” In addition, future equity offerings or acquisitions that have equity as a component of the purchase price could result in an “ownership change.” If an “ownership change” has occurred or does occur in the future, utilization of the NOL carryforwards or other tax attributes may be limited, which could potentially result in increased future tax liability to the Company.

The calculation of the Company's tax liabilities involves dealing with uncertainties in the application of complex tax laws and regulations for both federal taxes and the many states in which it operates or does business in. ASC 740 states that a tax benefit from an uncertain tax position may be recognized when it is more likely than not that the position will be sustained upon examination, including resolutions of any related appeals or litigation processes, on the basis of the technical merits.

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The Company records uncertain tax positions as liabilities in accordance with ASC 740 and adjusts these liabilities when its judgment changes as a result of the evaluation of new information not previously available. Because of the complexity of some of these uncertainties, the ultimate resolution may result in a payment that is materially different from our current estimate of the unrecognized tax benefit liabilities. These differences will be reflected as increases or decreases to income tax expense in the period in which new information is available. As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, the Company has not recorded any uncertain tax positions in its consolidated financial statements.

The Company recognizes interest and penalties related to uncertain tax positions on the income tax expense line in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations. As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, no accrued interest or penalties are included on the related tax liability line in the consolidated balance sheet.

The Company files tax returns as prescribed by the tax laws of the jurisdictions in which it operates. In the normal course of business, the Company is subject to examination by federal and state jurisdictions, where applicable. The resolution of tax matters is not expected to have a material effect on the Company's consolidated financial statements.

12. Commitments and Contingencies

Leases—As of December 31, 2023, the Company had entered into commitments under lease agreements to rent office space and finance equipment (see Note 5).

Commitments—As of December 31, 2023, the Company had entered into commitments under license, acquisition, research collaboration and sponsored research agreements with third parties (see Note 13). In addition, the Company has entered into services agreements with third parties for pharmaceutical manufacturing and research activities in the normal course of business, which can generally be terminated by the Company with 30- to 60-days’ written notice, unless otherwise indicated. Further, certain of the Company’s manufacturing agreements could require early termination and wind-down payments due from the Company upon either the termination of its clinical trials or if the Company terminates such agreements for convenience.

Contingencies—From time to time, the Company may have certain contingent liabilities that arise in the ordinary course of business. The Company recognizes any associated legal fees as incurred and accrues a liability for such contingent liability matters when it is probable that future expenditures will be made, and such expenditures can be reasonably estimated. For all periods presented, the Company was not a party to any pending material litigation or other material legal proceedings, except that on October 12, 2023, Rocket Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (“Rocket”) filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York against the Company and two individuals claiming, among other things, misappropriation of confidential information and trade secrets. The individual defendants are a current employee and a former employee of the Company’s analytical development team, both of whom were employed at Rocket before joining the Company in 2021. The complaint alleges the individual defendants downloaded confidential Rocket company documents and other proprietary materials prior to leaving Rocket in 2021 and that the Company used this information to advance its programs. The complaint seeks unspecified damages and asks the court to enjoin the Company from competing and working in the market for gene therapy treatments targeting cardiac diseases. The Company retained legal counsel to assist with its ongoing review of the allegations in Rocket’s complaint and is confident in its defenses to the allegations. On December 7, 2023, the Company filed a motion to dismiss the complaint, which is now fully briefed and pending before the court. While it is not possible to predict the outcome with certainty and an estimate of the possible loss cannot be made, the Company currently does not expect the final outcome will have a material adverse effect on its timelines for development of its product candidates.

Indemnification Agreements—In the ordinary course of business, the Company may provide indemnification of varying scope and terms to vendors, lessors, business partners and other parties with respect to certain matters including, but not limited to, losses arising out of breach of such agreements or from intellectual property infringement claims made by third parties. In addition, the Company has entered into indemnification agreements with members of its Board of Directors and executive officers that will require the Company, among other things, to indemnify them against certain liabilities that may arise by reason of their status or service as directors or officers. The maximum potential amount of future payments the Company could be required to make under these indemnification agreements is, in many cases, unlimited. For all periods presented, the Company has not incurred any material costs as a result of such indemnifications.

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13. License, Acquisition, Research and Collaboration and Sponsored Research Agreements

Adverum Biotechnologies—On January 25, 2021, the Company entered into an exclusive license agreement with Adverum Biotechnologies Inc. (“Adverum”) to in-license materials and technology related to the treatment of cardiomyopathy due to Friedreich’s Ataxia (the “Adverum Agreement”). In connection with the Adverum Agreement, the Company gained access to a portfolio of inventions, patent rights, technology, and licensed methods that the Company continues to develop, and the Company will assume all development and commercialization activities worldwide. Pursuant to the Adverum Agreement, the Company paid a one-time up-front non-refundable fee of $7.5 million, and is obligated to pay aggregate development and regulatory milestones of up to $17.5 million including a $3.5 million development milestone that was achieved and paid in the first quarter of 2023, and aggregate sales event and commercialization milestones of up to $49.0 million. The Company is obligated to pay Adverum tiered royalties ranging from high single-digits to sub teens based on annual aggregate worldwide net sales of Products (as defined in the Adverum Agreement). As of December 31, 2023, there were no research and development expenses recorded by the Company or payments made to Adverum under the terms of the Adverum Agreement other than the one-time up-front non-refundable fee of $7.5 million and the $3.5 million development milestone that was achieved and paid in the first quarter of 2023.

The Adverum Agreement remains in effect until termination at the date of the last royalty term to expire. The Company can terminate the Adverum Agreement with 120 days’ written notice. The Adverum Agreement can also be terminated as a result of a patent challenge, material breach of contractual terms, or insolvency by either party.

Cornell University—On May 27, 2020, the Company entered into two exclusive license agreements with Cornell University (“Cornell”) (the “Cornell First License Agreement” and the “Cornell Second License Agreement,” collectively “the Cornell License Agreements”). The Cornell First License Agreement is for the in-license of technology related to portfolios for APOE-associated Alzheimer’s disease and Anti-Tau, although the Company’s license is not restricted by such indications and it includes assignment to the Company of Cornell’s IND for the use of AAVrh10.hAPOE2 vector to treat APOE4 homozygous patients who are at risk for or have Alzheimer’s disease to support development of the Company’s LX1001 program. The Cornell Second License Agreement is for the in-license of technology related to a portfolio for Friedreich’s ataxia although the Company’s license is not restricted by such indications. Through the Cornell License Agreements, the Company gains access to a portfolio of inventions, patent rights, technology, and licensed methods that the Company continues to develop. Under the terms of the Cornell License Agreements, the Company has assumed all development and commercialization activities worldwide with respect to the licensed technology.

As initial consideration for the Cornell License Agreements, the Company paid Cornell an upfront payment in cash of $0.3 million and issued $1.3 million of notes (the “Notes”). In November 2020, the Notes with outstanding principal of $1.3 million were cancelled in exchange for 1,337,610 shares of series A convertible preferred stock. As additional consideration, the Company is required to pay Cornell up to $8.4 million upon the achievement of specific clinical and regulatory milestones under the Cornell First License Agreement and up to $4.3 million in two portfolios and up to $0.6 million for a third portfolio upon the achievement of specific clinical and regulatory milestones under the Cornell Second License Agreement. In the second quarter of 2022, a clinical and regulatory milestone of $0.1 million was recognized and paid to Cornell in connection with the Cornell Second License Agreement. The Company is also required to pay Cornell a flat royalty in the mid-single-digits based on net sales of the products covered by the licenses, subject to certain adjustments.

Upon expiration of the royalty term of a given licensed product in a country, the respective license becomes non-exclusive and royalty-free. In addition, each of the Cornell License Agreements may be terminated by the Company for any reason upon ninety (90) days’ advance notice to Cornell and by Cornell upon the Company’s material uncured breach, and all licenses and rights granted by either party under such agreement will concurrently terminate.

During the year ended December 31, 2022, the Company incurred and paid $0.1 million and $0.1 million, respectively, of research and development expenses to Cornell in connection with the Cornell License Agreements. During the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company did not incur any research and development expenses or make any payments to Cornell in connection with the Cornell License Agreements.

Stelios Therapeutics, Inc.—Stelios was an early-stage company developing novel adeno-associated AAV-based gene therapies for rare cardiac conditions including arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy and TNNI3-associated hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. On July 16, 2021, the Company acquired 100% of the outstanding stock of Stelios that was accounted for as an asset acquisition pursuant ASC 805, Business Combinations. The Company is required to pay up to an aggregate of $20.5 million to the selling shareholders of Stelios upon the achievement of certain development milestones, including a $2.0 million development milestone that was achieved and paid in the third quarter of 2022.

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Regents of the University of California, San Diego—Stelios entered into exclusive worldwide license agreements on April 23, 2020, and August 6, 2020 (the “First UCSD Agreement” and the “Second UCSD Agreement”, respectively) with the Regents of UCSD to in-license materials and intellectual property related to gene therapies for arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, respectively. The First UCSD Agreement and the Second UCSD Agreement relate to the Company’s development efforts for its LX2021 and LX2022 programs, respectively. In connection with the First UCSD Agreement and the Second UCSD Agreement, the Company gained access to inventions, patent rights, technology, and licensed methods that it continues to develop, and it has assumed all worldwide development and commercialization activities with respect to the licensed technologies. The First UCSD Agreement and Second UCSD Agreement required Stelios to pay one-time up-front non-refundable cash fees of $20,000 for each agreement and requires the Company to pay aggregate development and commercialization milestones of up to $4.8 million and $2.4 million, respectively, and low- to mid-single digit royalties and low-single digit royalties, respectively, based on aggregate net sales. The only research and development expenses incurred by Stelios or the Company and payments made to the Regents of UCSD through December 31, 2023 under the terms of the First UCSD Agreement and the Second UCSD Agreement were the one-time up-front non-refundable cash fees of $20,000 for each agreement. The Company has the right to terminate the First UCSD Agreement and the Second UCSD Agreement at any time upon sixty (60)-days’ written notice to the Regents of UCSD.

On October 4, 2021, the Company entered into an exclusive worldwide license agreement (the “Third UCSD Agreement” and collectively with the First UCSD Agreement and the Second UCSD Agreement, the “UCSD Agreements”) with the Regents of UCSD to in-license materials and intellectual property related to LX2020, a gene therapy for arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy. In connection with the Third UCSD Agreement, the Company gained access to inventions, patent rights, technology, and licensed methods that it continues to develop, and it has assumed all worldwide development and commercialization activities with respect to the licensed technology. The Third UCSD Agreement required the Company to pay a one-time up-front non-refundable cash fee of $20,000 and requires the Company to pay aggregate development and commercialization milestones of up to $4.0 million, and low- to mid-single digit royalties based on aggregate net sales. The only research and development expenses incurred by the Company and payments made to the Regents of UCSD under the terms of the Third UCSD Agreement were the one-time up-front non-refundable cash fee of $20,000. The Company has the right to terminate the Third UCSD Agreement at any time upon sixty (60)-days’ written notice to the Regents of UCSD.

On December 3, 2021, the Company entered into two sponsored research agreements with the Regents of UCSD (collectively, the “UCSD SRAs”) for the Company’s LX2020, LX2021 and LX2022 programs in connection with the UCSD Agreements. Under the terms of the UCSD SRAs, the Company has the first rights to obtain non-exclusive or exclusive, sublicensable, royalty-bearing, perpetual and transferable worldwide licenses in any resulting inventions owned by the Regents of UCSD or resulting jointly owned inventions between the Company and the Regents of UCSD, and the Company retains the rights to any resulting inventions owned by the Company. The UCSD SRAs each have a two-year term and may be terminated early by the Company at any time upon the giving of thirty (30) days’ written notice to the Regents of UCSD. The total costs to be invoiced to the Company over the terms of the UCSD SRAs are $5.6 million, of which $1.6 million and $2.3 million were recorded in research and development expenses during the years ended December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively. The Company made payments totaling $0.4 million and $2.8 million to the Regents of UCSD during the years ended December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively. The Company has paid a cumulative total of $3.2 million to the Regents of UCSD as of December 31, 2023, in connection with the UCSD SRAs.

Weill Cornell Medical College—On February 2, 2021, the Company entered into a Research Collaboration Agreement with Weill Cornell Medical College (“WCM” and the “WCM Agreement”) in conjunction with the Cornell License Agreements entered on May 27, 2020. The Company committed to fund scientific research at WCM to investigate further and potentially enhance the technology licensed to the Company pursuant to the License Agreements.

Under the terms of the WCM Agreement, each WCM invention, joint invention, and related joint results for which an Improvement, as defined in the WCM Agreement, applies and the Company has made an election to amend the Cornell License Agreements, the Company has the first option to negotiate in good faith with WCM for royalty- bearing, worldwide license, under Cornell patent rights, Cornell rights, and Cornell’s interest in joint patent rights, to develop, make, have made, use, offer for sale, sell, have sold, and import derived products in the field. During the years ended December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022 the Company incurred $1.0 million and $6.1 million, respectively, of research and development costs in connection with the WCM Agreement. During the years ended December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022 the Company paid $2.1 million and $5.5 million, respectively, to WCM in connection with the WCM Agreement. Cumulatively, the Company has incurred and paid total research and development costs of $9.9 to WCM in connection with the WCM Agreement as of December 31, 2023.

The WCM Agreement expired in accordance with its terms in January 2024.

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14. Subsequent Events

Subsequent events have been evaluated through March 11, 2024, which is the date that these consolidated financial statements were issued and were available to be issued. On March 11, 2024, the Company entered into a common stock purchase agreement to issue and sell an aggregate of 6,278,905 shares of its common stock at a price of $15.13 per share, in a private placement. The Company anticipates the gross proceeds from the private placement to be approximately $95.0 million, before deducting any offering related expenses. The private placement financing is expected to close on March 13, 2024, subject to customary closing conditions.

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Item 9. Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure.

None.

Item 9A. Controls and Procedures.

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

Our management, with the participation of our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, has evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act, as of the end of the period covered by this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Based on such evaluation, our principal executive officer and principal financial officer have concluded that, as of such date, our disclosure controls and procedures were effective at a reasonable assurance level.

Management’s Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

This Annual Report on Form 10-K does not include a report of management’s assessment regarding our internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Exchange Act) or an attestation report of our independent registered accounting firm due to a transition period established by rules of the SEC for newly public companies. Additionally, our independent registered accounting firm will not be required to opine on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404 until we are no longer an “emerging growth company” as defined in the JOBS Act.

Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting identified in management’s evaluation pursuant to Rules 13a-15(d) or 15d-15(d) of the Exchange Act during the period covered by this Annual Report on Form 10-K, that materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

Limitations on Effectiveness of Controls and Procedures

Our management, including our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, do not expect that our disclosure controls and procedures or our internal control over financial reporting will prevent all errors and all fraud. A control system, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the control system are met. Further, the design of a control system must reflect the fact that there are resource constraints, and the benefits of controls must be considered relative to their costs. Because of the inherent limitations in all control systems, no evaluation of controls can provide absolute assurance that all control issues and instances of fraud, if any, have been detected. These inherent limitations include the realities that judgments in decision-making can be faulty, and that breakdowns can occur because of a simple error or mistake. Additionally, controls can be circumvented by the individual acts of some persons, by collusion of two or more people or by management override of the controls. The design of any system of controls is also based in part upon certain assumptions about the likelihood of future events, and there can be no assurance that any design will succeed in achieving its stated goals under all potential future conditions; over time, controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or the degree of compliance with policies or procedures may deteriorate. Due to inherent limitations in a cost-effective control system, misstatements due to error or fraud may occur and not be detected.

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Item 9B. Other Information.

Securities Trading Plans of Directors and Executive Officers

During our last fiscal quarter, the following officers, as defined in Rule 16a-1(f), adopted a “Rule 10b5-1 trading arrangement” as defined in Regulation S-K Item 408, as follows:

On December 19, 2023, R. Nolan Townsend, our Chief Executive Officer and a member of our board of directors, adopted a Rule 10b5-1 trading arrangement providing for the sale from time to time of an aggregate of up to 85,000 shares of common stock. The trading arrangement is intended to satisfy the affirmative defense in Rule 10b5-1(c). The duration of the trading arrangement is until December 31, 2024, or earlier if all transactions under the trading arrangement are completed.

On December 19, 2023, Eric Adler, our Chief Medical Officer and Head of Research, adopted a Rule 10b5-1 trading arrangement providing for the sale from time to time of an aggregate of up to 27,716 shares of common stock. The trading arrangement is intended to satisfy the affirmative defense in Rule 10b5-1(c). The duration of the trading arrangement is until May 1, 2025, or earlier if all transactions under the trading arrangement are completed.

No other officers, as defined in Rule 16a-1(f), or directors adopted or terminated a “Rule 10b5-1 trading arrangement” or a “non-Rule 10b5-1 trading arrangement,” as defined in Regulation S-K Item 408, during the last fiscal quarter.

Item 9C. Disclosure Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions that Prevent Inspections.

Not applicable.