Item 1A. Risk Factors.

Investing in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. Our business, prospects, financial condition or operating results could be materially adversely affected by the risks identified below, as well as other risks not currently known to us or that we currently consider immaterial. Furthermore, these factors represent risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those implied by forward-looking statements. Accordingly, in evaluating our business, we encourage you to consider the following discussion of risk factors, in its entirety, in addition to other information contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K and our other public filings with the SEC. The following risk factors may be amended, supplemented or superseded from time to time by other reports we file with the SEC in the future.

In the following discussion of risk factors, references to “we,” “us,” “our” and similar terms refer to the combined business of Synlogic, Inc. after the Merger on August 28, 2017.

Summary of Risk Factors

Our business is subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, including those highlighted in this section below, that represent challenges that we face in connection with the successful implementation of our strategy. The occurrence of one or more of the events or circumstances described in more detail in the risk factors below, alone or in combination with other events or circumstances, may have an adverse effect on our business, cash flows, financial condition and results of operations. Such risks include, but are not limited to:

•

Our business to date has been almost entirely dependent on the success of SYNB1934, and we have decided to discontinue further development of SYNB1934 and devote significant time and resources to identifying and evaluating strategic alternatives, which may not be successful.

•

If we do not successfully consummate a strategic transaction, our board of directors may decide to pursue a dissolution and liquidation of our company. In such an event, the amount of cash available for distribution to our stockholders will depend heavily on the timing of such liquidation as well as the amount of cash that will need to be reserved for commitments and contingent liabilities.

•

We are a biopharmaceutical company with a history of losses, and we expect to continue to incur losses for the foreseeable future, and we may never achieve or maintain profitability.

•

We will require substantial additional funding, which may not be available on acceptable terms, or at all.

•

Our quarterly and annual operating results may fluctuate in the future. As a result, we may fail to meet the expectations of research analysts or investors, which could cause our stock price to decline.

•

Our stock price is volatile, and our stockholders may not be able to resell shares of our common stock at or above the price they paid.

•

Our short operating history may make it difficult for stockholders to evaluate the success of our business to date and to assess our future viability.

•

Adverse developments affecting the financial services industry, such as actual events or concerns involving liquidity, defaults or non-performance by financial institutions or transactional counterparties, could adversely affect our current and projected business operations and its financial condition and results of operations.

•

Clinical trials are costly, time consuming and inherently risky, and we may fail to demonstrate safety and efficacy to the satisfaction of applicable regulatory authorities.

•

The approach we are taking to discover and develop novel therapeutics using synthetic biology to create novel medicines is unproven and may never lead to marketable products.

•

Our product candidates may cause undesirable side effects or have other properties that could delay or prevent their regulatory approval, limit the commercial viability of an approved label, or result in significant negative consequences following marketing approval, if any.

•

Product development involves a lengthy and expensive process with an uncertain outcome, and results of earlier preclinical studies and clinical trials may not be predictive of future clinical trial results.

•

We may face potential product liability claims, and, if successful claims are brought against us, we may incur substantial liability and costs. If the use or misuse of our product candidates harms patients or is perceived to harm patients even when such harm is unrelated to our product candidates, our regulatory approvals, if any, could be revoked or otherwise negatively impacted and we could be subject to costly and damaging product liability claims. If we are unable to obtain adequate

insurance or are required to pay for liabilities resulting from a claim excluded from, or beyond the limits of, our insurance coverage, such liability could adversely affect our financial condition.

•

A pandemic, epidemic, or outbreak of an infectious disease, or geopolitical tensions, such as the armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine or the conflict in the Middle East, may materially and adversely affect our business and our financial results.

•

We may be subject, directly or indirectly, to federal and state healthcare fraud and abuse laws, false claims laws, and health information privacy and security laws. If we are unable to comply, or have not fully complied, with such laws, we could face substantial penalties.

•

We may be subject to, or may in the future become subject to, U.S. federal and state, and foreign laws and regulations imposing obligations on how we collect, use, disclose, store and process personal information. Our actual or perceived failure to comply with such obligations could result in liability or reputational harm and could harm our business. Ensuring compliance with such laws could also impair our efforts to maintain and expand our customer base, and thereby decrease our revenue.

•

If we fail to comply with environmental, health and safety laws and regulations, we could become subject to fines or penalties or incur costs that could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

•

Our internal computer systems, or those of our collaborators or other contractors or consultants, may fail or suffer security breaches, which could result in a material disruption of our product development programs.

•

Ethical, legal and social concerns about synthetic biology and genetic engineering could limit or prevent the use of our technologies and limit our revenues.

•

We may not be successful in obtaining or maintaining necessary rights to Synthetic Biotics, product candidates and processes for our development pipeline through acquisitions and in-licenses.

•

We may not have sufficient patent term protections for our product candidates to effectively protect our business.

•

If we are unable to maintain effective proprietary rights for our product candidates or any future product candidates, we may not be able to compete effectively in our proposed markets.

•

Third-party claims of intellectual property infringement may prevent or delay our development and commercialization efforts.

•

We may be involved in lawsuits to protect or enforce our patents or the patents of our licensors, which could be expensive, time consuming, and unsuccessful.

•

We may be subject to claims challenging the inventorship of our patents and other intellectual property.

•

We may not be able to protect our intellectual property rights throughout the world.

•

We have historically relied on and may in the future rely, on third parties to conduct some aspects of our product formulation, research, preclinical, and clinical studies, and those third parties may not perform satisfactorily, including by failing to meet deadlines for the completion of such formulation, research or testing.

•

We have historically relied on and may in the future rely on third-party supply and manufacturing partners for drug supplies for our late-stage clinical activities and may do the same for any commercial supplies of our product candidates.

•

We may attempt to form collaborations in the future with respect to our product candidates, but we may not be able to do so, which may cause us to alter our development and commercialization plans.

•

We have identified a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2024, due to an ineffective internal information and communication process related to significant and non-routine transactions, to ensure that relevant and reliable information was communicated on a timely basis across the organization, to enable financial personnel to effectively carry out their financial reporting and internal control roles and responsibilities. If we are not able to remediate this material weakness, or if we experience additional material weaknesses or other deficiencies in our internal control over financial reporting in the future or otherwise fail to maintain an effective system of internal control over financial reporting, we may not be able to accurately or timely report our financial results or prevent fraud, and we may conclude that our internal control over financial reporting is not effective, which may adversely affect our business.

•

Our principal stockholders and management own a significant percentage of our stock and are able to exert significant control over matters subject to stockholder approval.

•

Provisions of our charter documents or Delaware law could delay or prevent an acquisition of us, even if the acquisition would be beneficial to our stockholders and could make it more difficult for you to change management.

Risks Related to Our Evaluation of Strategic Alternatives

Our business to date has been significantly dependent on the success ofSYNB1934, and we have decided to discontinue further development of SYNB1934 and devote significant time and resources to identifying and evaluating strategic alternatives, which may not be successful.

To date, we have invested significant efforts and financial resources in the research and development of SYNB1934, which was our lead product candidate in clinical trials. In February 2024, we voluntarily halted Synpheny-3 based on results of an internal review in advance of an upcoming independent Data Monitoring Committee (DMC) assessment, which indicated the trial was unlikely to meet its primary endpoint. The decision was not based on concerns regarding safety or tolerability. Beginning in February 2024, we started to reduce operating expenses while we evaluate our strategic alternatives with a goal to enhance stockholder value, including the possibility of a merger or sale of the Company. There can be no assurance that our process to identify and evaluate potential strategic alternatives will result in any definitive offer to consummate a strategic transaction, or if made what the terms thereof will be or that any transaction will be approved or consummated. If any definitive offer to consummate a strategic transaction is received, there can be no assurance that a definitive agreement will be executed or that, if a definitive agreement is executed, the transaction will be consummated. In addition, there can be no assurance that any transaction, involving our company and/or assets, that is consummated would enhance shareholder value. There also can be no assurance that we will conduct further drug research or development activities in the future.

Any such strategic transaction may require us to incur non-recurring or other charges, may increase our near-and long-term expenditures and may pose significant integration challenges or disrupt our management or business, which could adversely affect our operations and financial results. For example, these transactions may entail numerous operational and financial risks, including:

•

exposure to unknown liabilities;

•

incurrence of substantial debt or dilutive issuances of equity securities to pay for acquisitions;

•

higher-than-expected acquisition and integration costs;

•

write-downs of assets or goodwill or impairment charges;

•

increased amortization expenses;

•

difficulty and cost in combining the operations and personnel of any acquired businesses with our operations and personnel;

•

impairment of relationships with key suppliers or customers of any acquired businesses due to changes in management and ownership; and

•

inability to retain key employees of our company or any acquired businesses.

There can be no assurance that the process to identify a strategic transaction will result in a successfully consummated transaction. If no transaction is completed, our board of directors may decide to pursue a dissolution and liquidation of our company. In such an event, the amount of cash available for distribution to our stockholders will depend heavily on the timing of such decision and, ultimately, such liquidation, since the amount of cash available for distribution continues to decrease as we fund our operations while we evaluate our strategic alternatives. In addition, if our board of directors were to approve and recommend, and our stockholders were to approve, a dissolution and liquidation of our company, we would be required under Delaware corporate law to pay our outstanding obligations, as well as to make reasonable provision for contingent and unknown obligations, prior to making any distributions in liquidation to our stockholders. Our commitments and contingent liabilities may include (i) obligations under our employment and related agreements with certain employees that provide for severance and other payments following a termination of employment occurring for various reasons, including a change in control of our company; and (ii) potential litigation against us, and other various claims and legal actions arising in the ordinary course of business. As a result of this requirement, a portion of our assets may need to be reserved pending the resolution of such obligations. In addition, we may be subject to litigation or other claims related to a dissolution and liquidation of our company. If a dissolution and liquidation were pursued, our board of directors, in consultation with its advisors, would need to evaluate these matters and make a determination about a reasonable amount to reserve. Accordingly,

holders of our common stock could lose all or a significant portion of their investment in the event of a liquidation, dissolution or winding up of our company.

Risks Related to Our Financial Condition, Capital Requirements and Operating Results

We are a biopharmaceutical company with a history of losses, and we expect to continue to incur losses for the foreseeable future, and we may never achieve or maintain profitability.

We are a biopharmaceutical company developing Synthetic Biotics and we have incurred significant operating losses since our inception. Our net loss was approximately $23.4 million and $61.3 million for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. As of December 31, 2024, we had an accumulated deficit of approximately $441.7 million. To date, we have not generated any product revenue. Substantially all of our losses have resulted from expenses incurred in connection with our research and development programs and from general and administrative costs associated with our operations. We have no products on the market.

We have not generated, and do not expect to generate, any product revenue for the foreseeable future, and we expect to continue to incur significant operating losses for the foreseeable future due to the cost of research and development, preclinical studies and clinical trials, the regulatory review process for product candidates, and the development of manufacturing and marketing capabilities for any product candidates approved for commercial sale. The amount of our potential future losses is uncertain. To achieve profitability, we must successfully develop product candidates, obtain regulatory approvals to market and commercialize product candidates, manufacture any approved product candidates on commercially reasonable terms, establish a sales and marketing organization or suitable third-party alternatives for any approved product candidates and raise sufficient funds to finance our business activities. We may never succeed in these activities and, even if we do, may never generate revenues that are significant or large enough to achieve profitability. Even if we do achieve profitability, we may not be able to sustain or increase profitability on a quarterly or annual basis. Our failure to become and remain profitable would decrease our value and could impair our ability to raise capital, maintain our research and development efforts, expand our business or continue our operations. A decline in our value could also cause our stockholders to lose all or part of their investment.

We will require substantial additional funding, which may not be available on acceptable terms, or at all.

We have used substantial funds to discover and develop our programs and proprietary drug development platform in synthetic biology and will require substantial additional funds to conduct further research and development, including preclinical studies and clinical trials of our product candidates, seek regulatory approvals for our product candidates and manufacture and market any products that are approved for commercial sale. Our future capital requirements and the period for which we expect our existing resources to support our operations may vary significantly from what we expect. Our monthly spending levels vary based on new and ongoing research and development and corporate activities. Because we cannot be certain of the length of time or activities associated with successful development and commercialization of our product candidates, we are unable to estimate the actual funds we will require to develop and commercialize them.

We do not expect to realize any appreciable revenue from product sales or royalties in the foreseeable future, if at all. Our revenue sources will remain very limited unless and until our product candidates complete clinical development and are approved for commercialization and successfully marketed or we enter into third-party arrangements with collaborators. To date, we have primarily financed our operations through sales of our securities, our third-party collaborations and the Merger. We intend to seek additional funding in the future through collaborations, equity or debt financings, credit or loan facilities or a combination of one or more of these financing sources. Our ability to raise additional funds will depend on financial, economic and other factors, many of which are beyond our control. Additional funds may not be available to us on acceptable terms or at all. If we raise additional funds by issuing equity or convertible debt securities, our stockholders will suffer dilution and the terms of any financing may adversely affect the rights of our stockholders. In addition, as a condition to providing additional funds to us, future investors may demand, and may be granted, rights superior to those of existing stockholders. Debt financing, if available, may involve restrictive covenants limiting our flexibility in conducting future business activities, and, in the event of insolvency, debt holders would be repaid before holders of equity securities received any distribution of corporate assets.

If we are unable to obtain funding on a timely basis or on acceptable terms, or at all, we may have to delay, limit or terminate our research and development programs and preclinical studies or clinical trials, if any, limit strategic opportunities or undergo reductions in our workforce or other corporate restructuring activities. We also could be required to seek funds through arrangements with collaborators or others that may require us to relinquish rights to some of our product candidates or technologies that we would otherwise pursue on our own.

Our financial condition and operating results may fluctuate from quarter to quarter and year to year in the future due to a variety of factors, many of which are beyond our control. Factors relating to our business that may contribute to these fluctuations include the following factors, as well as factors described elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K and others:

•

Our ability to successfully identify, evaluate and effectuate a strategic alternative;

•

Our ability to achieve or maintain profitability;

•

Our ability to develop and maintain Synthetic Biotic technologies;

•

Our ability to manage our growth;

•

The outcomes of research programs, clinical trials, or other product development and approval processes;

•

Our ability to accurately report our financial results in a timely manner;

•

Our dependence on, and the need to attract and retain, key management and other personnel;

•

Our ability to obtain, protect and enforce our intellectual property rights;

•

Our ability to prevent the theft or misappropriation of our intellectual property, know-how or technologies;

•

Our ability to achieve milestones with our collaborators;

•

Potential advantages that our competitors and potential competitors may have in securing funding or developing competing technologies or products;

•

Our ability to obtain additional capital that may be necessary to expand our business; and

•

Other macro-economic factors outside of our control.

Due to the various factors mentioned above, and others, the results of any prior quarterly or annual periods should not be relied upon as indications of our future operating performance.

Our stock price is volatile, and our stockholders may not be able to resell shares of our common stock at or above the price they paid.

The trading price of our common stock is highly volatile and could be subject to wide fluctuations in response to various factors, some of which are beyond our control, such as reports by industry analysts, investor perceptions, general industry trends, macro-economic conditions, or negative announcements by other companies involving similar technologies or diseases. These factors also include those discussed in this “Risk Factors” section of this Annual Report on Form 10-K and others such as:

•

Announcements relating to our identification and evaluation of strategic alternatives;

•

Announcements relating to collaborations that we may enter into with respect to the development or commercialization of our product candidates;

•

Announcements relating to the receipt, modification or termination of government contracts or grants;

•

Termination or delay of a development program;

•

Product liability claims related to our clinical trials or product candidates;

•

Prevailing economic conditions;

•

Perspectives on synthetic biology and genetic engineering;

•

Perspectives on the programs of competitors;

•

Additions or departures of key personnel;

•

Business disruptions caused by natural disasters;

•

Disputes concerning our intellectual property or other proprietary rights;

•

FDA or other U.S. or foreign regulatory actions affecting us or our industry;

•

Sales of our common stock by the company, our executive officers and directors or our stockholders in the future;

•

Future sales or issuances of equity or debt securities by us;

•

Lack of an active, liquid and orderly market in our common stock;

•

Fluctuations in our quarterly operating results; and

•

The issuance of new or changed securities analysts’ reports or recommendations regarding us.

In addition, the stock markets in general, and the markets for pharmaceutical, biopharmaceutical and biotechnology stocks in particular, have experienced extreme volatility that have been often unrelated to the operating performance of the issuer. These broad market fluctuations may adversely affect the trading price or liquidity of our common stock. In the past, when the market price of a stock has been volatile, holders of that stock have sometimes instituted securities class action litigation against the issuer. If any of our stockholders were to bring such a lawsuit against us, we could incur substantial costs defending the lawsuit and the attention of our management would be diverted from the operation of our business.

Our short operating history may make it difficult for stockholders to evaluate the success of our business to date and to assess our future viability.

We are a biopharmaceutical company with a limited operating history. We commenced active operations in 2014. Our operations to date have been limited to organizing and staffing our company, research and development activities, business planning and raising capital. In February 2024, we voluntarily halted Synpheny-3 based on results of an internal review in advance of an upcoming independent Data Monitoring Committee (DMC) assessment, which indicated the trial was unlikely to meet its primary endpoint. The decision was not based on concerns regarding safety or tolerability. We have not yet demonstrated our ability to successfully complete large-scale, pivotal clinical trials, obtain marketing approvals, manufacture a commercial-scale product, or arrange for a third-party to do so on our behalf, or conduct sales and marketing activities necessary for successful product commercialization. Typically, it takes many years to develop one new product candidate from the time it is discovered to the time that it becomes available for treating patients. We may encounter unforeseen expenses, difficulties, complications, delays and other known and unknown factors that may hinder our success in commercializing one or more of our product candidates. Further, drug development is a capital-intensive and highly speculative undertaking that involves a substantial degree of risk. You should consider our prospects in light of the costs, uncertainties, delays and difficulties frequently encountered by companies in the early stages of development and clinical trials. Any forward-looking statements regarding our future prospects, plans or viability may not be as accurate as they may be if we had a longer operating history or a history of successfully developing and commercializing pharmaceutical products.

Actual events involving limited liquidity, defaults, non-performance or other adverse developments that affect financial institutions, transactional counterparties or other companies in the financial services industry or the financial services industry generally, or concerns or rumors about any events of these kinds or other similar risks, have in the past and may in the future lead to market-wide liquidity problems. For example, on March 10, 2023, Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), was closed by the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation, which appointed the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (the FDIC) as receiver. Similarly, on March 12, 2023, Signature Bank and Silvergate Capital Corp. were each swept into receivership and on May 1, 2023, First Republic Bank was swept into receivership. Although a statement by the Department of the Treasury, the Federal Reserve and the FDIC stated that all depositors of SVB would have access to all of their money after only one business day of closure, including funds held in uninsured deposit accounts, uncertainty remains over liquidity concerns in the broader financial services industry. Similar impacts have occurred in the past, such as during the 2008-2010 financial crisis.

Inflation and rapid increases in interest rates have led to a decline in the trading value of previously issued government securities with interest rates below current market interest rates. Although the U.S. Department of Treasury, FDIC and Federal Reserve Board have announced a program to provide up to $25 billion of loans to financial institutions secured by certain of such government securities held by financial institutions to mitigate the risk of potential losses on the sale of such instruments, widespread demands for customer withdrawals or other liquidity needs of financial institutions for immediate liquidity may exceed the capacity of such program. There is no guarantee that the U.S. Department of Treasury, FDIC and Federal Reserve Board will provide access to uninsured funds in the future in the event of the closure of other banks or financial institutions, or that they would do so in a timely fashion.

Although we review our banking relationships as we believe appropriate, our access to funding sources and other credit arrangements in amounts adequate to finance or capitalize our current and projected future business operations could be significantly impaired by factors that affect us, the financial institutions with which we have arrangements directly, or the financial services industry or economy in general. These factors could include, among others, events such as liquidity constraints or failures, the ability to perform obligations under various types of financial, credit or liquidity agreements or arrangements, disruptions or instability in the

financial services industry or financial markets, or concerns or negative expectations about the prospects for companies in the financial services industry. These factors could involve financial institutions or financial services industry companies with which we have financial or business relationships, but could also include factors involving financial markets or the financial services industry generally.

The results of events or concerns that involve one or more of these factors could include a variety of material and adverse impacts on our current and projected business operations and our financial condition and results of operations. These could include, but may not be limited to, the following:

•

delayed access to deposits or other financial assets or the uninsured loss of deposits or other financial assets;

•

loss of access to working capital sources;

•

potential or actual breach of contractual obligations that require us to maintain letters or credit or other credit support arrangements; or

•

termination of cash management arrangements and/or delays in accessing or actual loss of funds subject to cash management arrangements.

In addition, investor concerns regarding the U.S. or international financial systems could result in less favorable commercial financing terms, including higher interest rates or costs and tighter financial and operating covenants, or systemic limitations on access to credit and liquidity sources, thereby making it more difficult for us to acquire financing on acceptable terms or at all. Any decline in available funding or access to our cash and liquidity resources could, among other risks, adversely impact our ability to meet our operating expenses, financial obligations or fulfill our other obligations, result in breaches of our financial and/or contractual obligations or result in violations of federal or state wage and hour laws. Any of these impacts, or any other impacts resulting from the factors described above or other related or similar factors not described above, could have material adverse impacts on our liquidity and our current and/or projected business operations and financial condition and results of operations.

In addition, any further deterioration in the macroeconomic economy or financial services industry could lead to losses or defaults by parties with whom we conduct business, which in turn, could have a material adverse effect on our current and/or projected business operations and results of operations and financial condition.

Risks Related to the Development of Our Product Candidates

Clinical trials are costly, time consuming and inherently risky, and we may fail to demonstrate safety and efficacy to the satisfaction of applicable regulatory authorities.

Clinical development of a product candidate is expensive, time consuming and involves significant risk. We cannot guarantee that any clinical trials we undertake to conduct will be conducted as planned or completed on schedule or at all. A failure of one or more clinical trials can occur at any stage of development. For example, in February 2024, we voluntarily halted Synpheny-3 based on results of an internal review in advance of an upcoming independent DMC assessment, which indicated the trial was unlikely to meet its primary endpoint. The decision was not based on concerns regarding safety or tolerability. Events that may prevent successful or timely completion of clinical development of our product candidates include but are not limited to:

•

Inability to generate satisfactory preclinical or other nonclinical data, including, toxicology, or other in vivo or in vitro data or diagnostics to support the initiation or continuation of clinical trials;

•

Delays in reaching agreement on acceptable terms with CROs and clinical trial sites, the terms of which can be subject to extensive negotiation and may vary significantly among different CROs and clinical trial sites;

•

Delays in obtaining required institutional review board approval at each clinical trial site;

•

Failure to permit the conduct of a clinical trial by regulatory authorities, after review of an investigational new drug or equivalent foreign application or amendment;

•

Delays in recruiting qualified patients in our clinical trials;

•

Failure by clinical sites or CROs or other third parties to adhere to clinical trial requirements;

•

Failure by us, clinical sites, CROs or other third parties to perform in accordance with the good clinical practices requirements of the FDA or applicable foreign regulatory guidelines;

•

Patients dropping out of the clinical trials;

•

Occurrence of adverse events, unacceptable side effects or toxicity issues associated with our product candidates;

•

Imposition by the FDA of a clinical hold or the requirement by other similar regulatory agencies that one or more clinical trials be delayed or halted;

•

Changes in regulatory requirements and guidance that require amending or submitting new clinical protocols or performing additional nonclinical studies;

•

The ultimate affordability of the cost of clinical trials of our product candidates;

•

Negative or inconclusive results from our clinical trials that may result in us deciding, or regulators requiring us, to conduct additional clinical trials or abandon such clinical trials and/or clinical trials or development programs in other ongoing or planned indications for a product candidate; and

•

Delays in identifying or reaching agreement on acceptable terms with third-party manufacturers, delays in developing and transferring a reproducible, scalable manufacturing process, or delays or failure in manufacturing sufficient quantities of our product candidates for use in clinical trials.

Any inability to successfully complete clinical development and obtain regulatory approval for our product candidates could result in additional costs to us or impair our ability to raise additional capital or generate revenue. In addition, if we make manufacturing or formulation changes to our product candidates, we may need to conduct additional nonclinical studies and/or clinical trials, the results obtained from such new formulation may not be consistent with previous results obtained, or the regulatory authorities may need to further review and approve our process before we can proceed. Clinical trial delays could also shorten any anticipated periods of patent exclusivity for our product candidates and may allow competitors to develop and bring products to market before we do which could impair our ability to successfully commercialize our product candidates and may harm our business and results of operations.

The approach we are taking to discover and develop novel therapeutics using synthetic biology to create novel medicines is unproven and may never lead to marketable products.

The scientific discoveries that form the basis for our efforts to generate and develop our product candidates are relatively recent. The scientific evidence to support the feasibility of developing drugs based on our approach is both preliminary and limited. Synthetic Biotics represent a novel therapeutic modality and their successful development by us may require additional studies and efforts to optimize their therapeutic potential. Any product candidates that we develop may not demonstrate in patients the therapeutic properties ascribed to them in laboratory and other preclinical studies, and they may interact with human biological systems in unforeseen, ineffective or even harmful ways. We have also not yet succeeded and may never succeed in demonstrating efficacy and safety for our current or any future product candidates in a pivotal clinical trial. If we are not able to successfully develop and commercialize product candidates based upon this technological approach, we may never become profitable, and the value of our capital stock may decline. Additionally, the FDA or other regulatory authorities may lack experience in evaluating the safety and efficacy of novel product candidates based on synthetic biology, which could result in a longer than expected regulatory review process, increase our expected development costs and delay or prevent commercialization of our product candidates.

Our Synthetic Biotic product candidates are based on a relatively novel technology, which makes it difficult to predict the time and cost of development and of subsequently obtaining regulatory approval, if at all.

We have concentrated our research and development efforts to date on a limited number of product candidates based on our Synthetic Biotic therapeutic platform. Our future success depends on our successful development of viable product candidates. There can be no assurance that we will not experience problems or delays in developing our product candidates and that such problems or delays will not cause unanticipated costs, or that any such development problems can be solved. For example, in February 2024, we voluntarily halted Synpheny-3 based on results of an internal review in advance of an upcoming independent DMC assessment, which indicated the trial was unlikely to meet its primary endpoint. The decision was not based on concerns regarding safety or tolerability.

The clinical trial and manufacturing requirements of the FDA, the EMA and other regulatory authorities, and the criteria these regulators use to determine the safety and efficacy of a product candidate, vary substantially according to the type, complexity, novelty and intended use and market of the product candidate. The regulatory approval process for novel product candidates such as Synthetic Biotics may be more expensive and take longer than for other, better known or more extensively studied therapeutic modalities. It is difficult to determine how long it will take or how much it will cost to obtain regulatory approvals for our product candidates in either the United States or the European Union or how long it will take to commercialize our product candidates, even if approved for marketing. Approvals by the EMA or national regulatory agencies may not be indicative of what the FDA, and vice versa, may require for approval and different or additional nonclinical studies or clinical trials may be required to support regulatory approval in each respective jurisdiction. Delay or failure to obtain, or unexpected costs in obtaining, the regulatory approval necessary to bring a potential product candidate to market could decrease our ability to generate sufficient product revenue, and our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may be harmed.

We may not be successful in our efforts to use and expand our development platform to build a pipeline of product candidates.

A key element of our strategy was to create Synthetic Biotics that can be deployed against a broad range of human diseases in order to build a pipeline of product candidates. Although our research and development efforts to date have resulted in potential product candidates, we may not be able to continue to identify and develop additional product candidates. Even if we are successful in continuing to build our pipeline, the potential product candidates that we identify may not be suitable for clinical development. For example, these potential product candidates may be shown to have harmful side effects or other characteristics that indicate that they are unlikely to be drugs that will receive marketing approval and achieve market acceptance. If we do not successfully develop and commercialize product candidates based upon our approach, we will not be able to obtain product revenue in future periods, which likely would result in significant harm to our financial position. There is no assurance that we will be successful in our preclinical and clinical development, and the process of obtaining regulatory approvals will, in any event, require the expenditure of substantial time and financial resources.

Undesirable side effects caused by our product candidates could cause us or regulatory authorities to interrupt, delay or terminate our clinical trials or result in a restrictive label or delay regulatory approval by the FDA or comparable foreign authorities. Undesirable side effects and negative results for other indications may negatively impact the development and potential for approval of our product candidates for their proposed indications.

Additionally, even if one or more of our product candidates receives marketing approval, and we or others later identify undesirable side effects caused by such products, potentially significant negative consequences could result, including but not limited to:

•

Regulatory authorities may withdraw approvals of or revoke licenses for such products;

•

Regulatory authorities may require additional warnings on the labels of such products;

•

We may be required to create a REMS plan, which could include a medication guide outlining the risks of such side effects for distribution to patients, a communication plan for healthcare providers, and/or other elements to assure safe use;

•

We may be required to conduct additional clinical trials or costly post-marketing testing and surveillance to monitor the safety of the product;

•

We could be sued and held liable for harm caused to patients; and

•

Our reputation may suffer.

Any of these events could prevent us from achieving or maintaining market acceptance of a product candidate, even if approved, and could significantly harm our business, results of operations, and prospects.

Our product development program may not uncover all possible adverse events that patients who take our product candidates may experience. The number of subjects exposed to our product candidates during clinical trials and the average exposure time in the clinical development program may be inadequate to detect rare adverse events, or chance findings, that may only be detected once the product is administered to more patients and for greater periods of time.

Clinical trials by their nature use a sample of the potential patient population. However, with a limited number of patients and limited duration of exposure, we cannot be fully assured that uncommon or severe side effects of our product candidates will be uncovered. Such side effects may only be uncovered with a significantly larger number of patients exposed to the drug. If such safety problems occur or are identified after a product candidate reaches the market, the FDA may require that we amend the labeling of the product or recall the product or may even withdraw approval for the product. Any of these events could prevent us from achieving or maintaining market acceptance of a product candidate, even if approved, and could significantly harm our business, results of operations, and prospects.

If we fail to obtain or maintain orphan drug exclusivity for some of our products, our competitors may obtain approval to sell competing drugs to treat the same conditions and our revenues will be reduced.

As part of our business strategy, we have developed and may in the future develop product candidates that may be eligible for FDA and European Commission orphan drug designation. In May 2023, the FDA granted orphan drug designation to labafenogene

marselecobac (SYNB1934) for the treatment of PKU. Under the Orphan Drug Act, the FDA may designate a product as an orphan drug if it is intended to treat, diagnose or prevent rare diseases or conditions that affect fewer than 200,000 people in the United States. In the EU, orphan drug designation may be granted to drugs intended to treat, diagnose or prevent a life-threatening or chronically debilitating disease having a prevalence of no more than five in 10,000 people in the EU. The company that first obtains FDA approval for a designated orphan drug for the associated rare disease receives marketing exclusivity for use of that drug for the stated condition for a period of seven years. Orphan drug exclusive marketing rights may be lost under several circumstances, including a later determination by the FDA that the request for designation was materially defective or if the manufacturer is unable to assure sufficient quantity of the drug. Similar regulations are in effect in the EU with a ten-year period of market exclusivity.

Because the extent and scope of patent protection for some of our product candidates may be limited, obtaining orphan drug exclusivity is especially important for any product candidates that may be eligible for orphan drug designation. For eligible products, we plan to rely on the exclusivity period under the Orphan Drug Act to maintain a competitive position. If we do not obtain orphan drug designation for our product candidates that do not have broad patent protection, our competitors may then seek to sell a competing drug to treat the same condition and our revenues, if any, may be adversely affected thereby.

Even though we have obtained orphan drug designation for some of our product candidates and intend to seek orphan drug designation for other product candidates, there is no assurance that we will be the first to obtain marketing approval for any particular orphan indication. Further, even though we have obtained orphan drug designation for certain of our product candidates, or even if we obtain orphan drug designation for other potential product candidates, and obtain approval for such products, orphan product exclusivity may not effectively protect us from competition because different drugs can be approved for the same condition and the same drug can be approved for different conditions and potentially used off-label in the orphan indication. In addition, after an orphan drug is approved, the FDA can subsequently approve a competing drug for the same condition for several reasons, including, if the FDA concludes that the later drug is safer or more effective or makes a major contribution to patient care. Orphan drug designation neither shortens the development time or regulatory review time of a drug, nor gives the drug any advantage in the regulatory review or approval process.

We may seek a Rare Pediatric Disease Designation, or RPDD, for one or more of our product candidates. However, a BLA for one or more of our product candidates may not meet the eligibility criteria for a priority review voucher upon approval.

In January 2023, labafenogene marselecobac received RPDD (Rare Pediatric Drug Designation) for phenylketonuria and in December 2022, SYNB1353 received RPDD for homocystinuria. With enactment of the Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act in 2012, Congress authorized the FDA to award priority review vouchers to sponsors of certain rare pediatric disease product applications that meet the criteria specified in the law. This provision is designed to encourage development of new drug and biological products for prevention and treatment of certain rare pediatric diseases. Specifically, under this program, a sponsor who receives an approval for a drug or biologic for a “rare pediatric disease” may qualify for a voucher that can be redeemed to receive a priority review of a subsequent marketing application for a different product. The sponsor of a rare pediatric disease drug product receiving a priority review voucher may transfer (including by sale) the voucher to another sponsor. The voucher may be further transferred any number of times before the voucher is used, as long as the sponsor making the transfer has not yet submitted the application. The FDA may also revoke any priority review voucher if the rare pediatric disease drug for which the voucher was awarded is not marketed in the U.S. within one year following the date of approval.

For the purposes of this program, a “rare pediatric disease” is a (a) serious or life-threatening disease in which the serious or life-threatening manifestations primarily affect individuals aged from birth to 18 years, including age groups often called neonates, infants, children, and adolescents; and (b) rare disease or conditions within the meaning of the Orphan Drug Act. The FDA may determine that a BLA for one or more of our product candidates does not meet the eligibility criteria for a priority review voucher upon approval. Moreover, due to the current statutory authority for the RPDD and voucher program, the FDA may not award the voucher to sponsors of marketing applications unless Congress reauthorizes the program. Even if legislation is enacted that extends the date by which approval of the rare pediatric disease-designated drug must obtain approval to receive a priority review voucher, we may not obtain approval by that date, and even if we do, we may not obtain a priority review voucher.

The results from preclinical studies or early clinical trials of a product candidate may not predict the results that will be obtained in subsequent subjects or in later stage clinical trials of that product candidate or any other product candidate. Flaws in the design of a clinical trial may not become apparent until the clinical trial is well advanced. We have limited experience in designing clinical trials and we may be unable to design and execute clinical trials to support regulatory approval of our product candidates. In addition, preclinical study and clinical trial data are often susceptible to varying interpretations and analyses, and many companies that believed their product candidates performed satisfactorily in preclinical studies and clinical trials nonetheless failed to obtain regulatory authority approval. Product candidates that seemingly perform satisfactorily in preclinical studies and clinical trials may nonetheless fail to obtain regulatory approval. There is a high failure rate for drugs proceeding through clinical trials. Many companies in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries have suffered significant setbacks in clinical development even after achieving promising

results in earlier studies. These setbacks have been caused by, among other things, preclinical findings made while clinical trials were underway, or safety or efficacy observations made in preclinical studies and clinical trials, including previously unreported adverse events. Any such setbacks in our clinical development could negatively affect our business and operating results.

If we experience delays or difficulties in the enrollment of patients in clinical trials, our costs might be higher than expected and our receipt of necessary regulatory approvals could be delayed or prevented.

Clinical trials of a new product candidate require the enrollment of a sufficient number of healthy volunteers or patients suffering from the disease or condition the product candidate is intended to treat and who meet other eligibility criteria. The timing of our clinical trials depends on our ability to recruit eligible subjects to participate as well as the completion of required follow-up evaluations. Patients and healthy volunteers may be unwilling to participate in our clinical trials because of negative publicity from adverse events related to novel therapeutic approaches, competitive clinical trials for similar patient populations, the existence of current treatments or for other reasons including due to concerns posed by local or global health emergencies. Rates of patient enrollment are affected by many factors, including the size of the potential patient population, the age and condition of the patients, the stage and severity of disease or condition, the nature and requirements of the protocol, the proximity of patients to clinical sites, the availability of effective treatments for the relevant disease or condition, the perceived risks, the clinical trial administration practices of the contract research organization (CRO) or clinical trial sites, labor shortages at the CRO or clinical trial sites, benefits and convenience of administration of the product candidate being studied, the patient referral practices of physicians, the amount of attention provided to our trial by clinical trial sites, our efforts and the CRO efforts, our efforts to facilitate timely enrollment in clinical trials, and the eligibility criteria for the clinical trial. Delays or difficulties in patient enrollment or difficulties retaining trial participants, including as a result of the availability of existing or other investigational treatments, can result in increased costs, longer development times or termination of a clinical trial.

In addition, our success may depend, in part, on our ability to identify patients who qualify for our clinical trials or are likely to benefit from any product candidate that we may develop, which will require those potential patients to undergo a screening assay for the presence or absence of a particular genetic sequence or clinical trait. Genetically defined diseases generally, and especially those for which our current product candidates are targeted, may have relatively low prevalence. If we, or any third parties that we engage to assist us, are unable to successfully identify patients with these diseases, or experience delays in doing so, then we may not realize the full commercial potential of any product candidate we develop.

Congress also recently amended the FDCA to require sponsors of a Phase 3 clinical trial, or other “pivotal study” of a new drug or biologic to support marketing authorization, to design and submit a diversity action plan for such clinical trial. The action plan must describe appropriate diversity goals for enrollment, as well as a rationale for the goals and a description of how the sponsor will meet them. For any future Phase 3 trials we plan to conduct, we must submit a diversity action plan to the FDA by the time we submit plans for such Phase 3, or pivotal study, protocol to the agency for review as part of an IND, unless we are able to obtain a waiver for some or all of the requirements for a diversity action plan. It is unknown at this time how the diversity action plan may affect the planning and timing of any future Phase 3 trial for our product candidates or what specific information FDA will expect in such plans. However, initiation of such trials may be delayed if the FDA objects to our proposed diversity action plans for any future Phase 3 trial for our product candidates, and we may experience difficulties recruiting a diverse population of patients in attempting to fulfill the requirements of any approved diversity action plan.

Interim “top-line” and preliminary data from our clinical trials that we announce or publish from time to time may change as more patient data become available and are subject to audit and verification procedures that could result in material changes in final data.

From time to time, we may publicly disclose interim, top-line or preliminary data from our nonclinical studies and clinical trials, which is based on a preliminary analysis of then-available data, and the results and related findings and conclusions are subject to change following a more comprehensive review of the data related to the particular study or trial. We also make assumptions, estimations, calculations and conclusions as part of our analyses of data, and we may not have received or had the opportunity to fully and carefully evaluate all data. As a result, the top-line or preliminary results that we report may differ from future results of the same studies, or different conclusions or considerations may qualify such results once additional data have been received and fully evaluated. Top-line or preliminary data also remain subject to audit and verification procedures that may result in the final data being materially different from the top-line or preliminary data that we previously published. As a result, top-line and preliminary data should be viewed with caution until final data are available. Adverse differences between interim data and final data could significantly harm our business prospects. For example, in February 2024, we voluntarily halted Synpheny-3 based on results of an internal review in advance of an upcoming independent DMC assessment, which indicated the trial was unlikely to meet its primary endpoint. The decision was not based on concerns regarding safety or tolerability. Further, disclosure of interim data by us or by our competitors could result in volatility in the price of our common stock.

Further, others, including regulatory authorities, may not accept or agree with our assumptions, estimates, calculations, conclusions or analyses or may interpret or weigh the importance of data differently, which could impact the value of the particular program, the approvability or commercialization of the particular product candidate or product and our company in general. In

addition, the information we choose to publicly disclose regarding a particular study or clinical trial is based on what is typically extensive information, and you or others may not agree with what we determine is material or otherwise appropriate information to include in our disclosure.

If the interim, top-line or preliminary data that we report differ from actual results, or if others, including regulatory authorities, disagree with the conclusions reached, our ability to obtain approval for, and commercialize, our product candidates may be harmed, which could harm our business, operating results, prospects or financial condition.

The use or misuse of our product candidates in clinical trials and the sale of any products for which we may obtain marketing approval exposes us to the risk of potential product liability claims. Product liability claims might be brought against us by consumers, healthcare providers, pharmaceutical companies or others selling or otherwise coming into contact with our product candidates and approved products, if any. There is a risk that our product candidates may induce adverse events. If we cannot successfully defend against product liability claims, we could incur substantial liability and costs. Patients with the diseases targeted by our product candidates may already be in severe and advanced stages of disease and have both known and unknown significant pre-existing and potentially life-threatening health risks. During the course of treatment, patients may suffer adverse events, including death, for reasons that may be related to our product candidates. Such events could subject us to costly litigation, require us to pay substantial amounts of money to injured patients, delay, negatively impact or end our opportunity to receive or maintain regulatory approval to market our products, or require us to suspend or abandon our commercialization efforts. Even in a circumstance in which an adverse event is unrelated to our product candidates, the investigation into the circumstance may be time-consuming or inconclusive. These investigations may delay our regulatory approval process or impact and limit the type of regulatory approvals our product candidates receive or maintain. As a result of these factors, a product liability claim, even if successfully defended, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

Although we have product liability insurance, which covers any clinical trial we may conduct in the United States or internationally, our insurance may be insufficient to reimburse us for any expenses or losses we may suffer. We will also likely be required to increase our product liability insurance coverage for the advanced clinical trials that we plan to initiate. If we obtain marketing approval for any of our product candidates, we will need to expand our insurance coverage to include the sale of commercial products. There is no way to know if we will be able to continue to obtain product liability coverage and obtain expanded coverage we may require, in sufficient amounts to protect us against losses due to liability, on acceptable terms, or at all. We may not have sufficient resources to pay for any liabilities resulting from a claim excluded from, or beyond the limits of, our insurance coverage. Where we have provided indemnities in favor of third parties under our agreements with them, there is also a risk that these third parties could incur liability and bring a claim under such indemnities. An individual may bring a product liability claim against us alleging that one of our product candidates or products causes, or is claimed to have caused, an injury or is found to be unsuitable for consumer use. Any such product liability claims may include allegations of defects in manufacturing, defects in design, a failure to warn of dangers inherent in the product, negligence, strict liability, and a breach of warranties. Claims could also be asserted under state consumer protection acts. Any product liability claim brought against us, with or without merit, could result in:

•

Withdrawal of clinical trial volunteers, investigators, patients or trial sites or limitations on approved indications;

•

The inability to commercialize, or if commercialized, decreased demand for, our product candidates;

•

If commercialized, product recalls, withdrawals of labeling, marketing or promotional restrictions or the need for product modification;

•

Initiation of investigations by regulators;

•

Loss of revenues;

•

Substantial costs of litigation, including monetary awards to patients or other claimants;

•

Liabilities that substantially exceed our product liability insurance, which we would then be required to pay ourselves;

•

An increase in our product liability insurance rates or the inability to maintain insurance coverage in the future on acceptable terms, if at all;

•

The diversion of management’s attention from our business;

•

Loss of key employees; and

•

Damage to our reputation and the reputation of our products and our technology.

Product liability claims may subject us to the foregoing and other risks, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

We or the third parties upon which we depend may be adversely affected by natural disasters and our business continuity and disaster recovery plans may not adequately protect us from a serious disaster.

Natural disasters could severely disrupt our operations and have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and prospects. If a natural disaster, power outage or other event occurred that prevented us from using all or a significant portion of our headquarters, that damaged critical infrastructure, such as the manufacturing facilities of our third-party contract manufacturers, or that otherwise disrupted operations, it may be difficult or, in certain cases, impossible for us to continue our business for a substantial period of time. The disaster recovery and business continuity plans we have in place may prove inadequate in the event of a serious disaster or similar event. We may incur substantial expenses as a result of the limited nature of our disaster recovery and business continuity plans, which could have a material adverse effect on our business.

A pandemic, epidemic, or outbreak of an infectious disease, or geopolitical tensions, such as the armed conflict, between Russia and Ukraine or the conflict in the Middle East, may materially and adversely affect our business and our financial results.

In prior years, COVID-19 affected segments of the global economy and a pandemic or epidemic may materially affect our operations again, including potentially significant interruption of our clinical trial activities. In addition, there could be a continuing effect of such pandemics to the business at FDA or other health authorities, which could result in delays of reviews and approvals, including with respect to our product candidates. Pandemics could also have a material adverse effect on our clinical trial operations in the United States and elsewhere, including our ability to recruit and retain patients and principal investigators and site staff who, as healthcare providers, may have heightened exposure to infectious diseases if an outbreak occurs in their geography.

Such pandemics or epidemics may also affect employees of third-party contract research organizations and contract manufacturing organizations located in affected geographies that we rely upon to carry out our clinical trials.

While the potential economic impact brought by and the duration of any such pandemic may be difficult to assess or predict, a widespread pandemic could result in significant disruption of global financial markets, potentially reducing our ability to access capital, which could in the future negatively affect our liquidity. Similarly, the current conflicts between Ukraine and Russia and in the Middle East have created extreme volatility in the global capital markets and is expected to have further global economic consequences, including disruptions of the global supply chain and energy markets. In addition, we have previously announced our intention to open a clinical trial site in Israel and this could be impacted by the events in the Middle East. A recession or market correction resulting from the geopolitical tensions in Russia and Ukraine and in the Middle East, could materially affect our business and the price of our common stock.

Risks Related to Regulatory Approval of Our Product Candidates and Other Legal Compliance Matters

The regulatory approval processes of the FDA and other comparable foreign regulatory authorities are lengthy, time consuming and inherently unpredictable, and if we are ultimately unable to obtain regulatory approval for our product candidates, our business will be substantially harmed.

The time required to obtain marketing approval for a novel therapeutic product from the FDA and other comparable foreign regulatory authorities is unpredictable but typically takes many years following the commencement of clinical trials and depends upon numerous factors, including the substantial discretion of the regulatory authorities. In addition, approval policies, laws or regulations, or the type and amount of clinical data necessary to gain approval may change during the course of a product candidate’s clinical development and may vary among jurisdictions. We have not obtained regulatory approval for commercialization of any product candidate and it is possible that none of our existing product candidates or any product candidates we may seek to develop in the future will ever obtain that approval.

Our product candidates could fail to receive regulatory approval for many reasons, including the following:

•

The FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities may disagree with the design or implementation of our clinical trials;

•

We may be unable to demonstrate to the satisfaction of the FDA or other comparable foreign regulatory authorities that our product candidates are safe, pure and potent or effective for their proposed indications;

•

The results of clinical trials may not meet the level of statistical significance required by the FDA or other comparable foreign regulatory authorities in order to support approval;

•

We may be unable to demonstrate that a product candidate’s clinical and other benefits outweigh its safety risks;

•

The FDA or other comparable foreign regulatory authorities may disagree with our interpretation of data from preclinical studies or clinical trials;

•

The data collected from clinical trials of our product candidates may not be sufficient to support the submission of a BLA, to the FDA or other equivalent marketing authorization application submissions to obtain regulatory approval in the United States or elsewhere;

•

Upon review of our clinical trial sites and data, the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities may find our record keeping or the record keeping of our clinical trial sites or investigators to be inadequate;

•

The FDA or other comparable foreign regulatory authorities may find deficiencies with or fail to approve the manufacturing processes or facilities of third-party manufacturers with which we contract for clinical and commercial supplies; and

•

The approval policies or regulations of the FDA or other comparable foreign regulatory authorities or the laws they enforce may significantly change in a manner rendering our clinical data insufficient for approval.

This lengthy approval process as well as the unpredictability of future clinical trial results may result in our failing to obtain regulatory approval to market any of our product candidates, which would significantly harm our business, financial condition and results of operations. The FDA and other comparable foreign regulatory authorities have substantial discretion in the approval process and determining when or whether to grant regulatory approval will be obtained for any of our product candidates, and whether to impose any conditions on such marketing approvals as described below. Even if we believe the data collected from clinical trials of our product candidates are promising, such data may not be sufficient to support approval by the FDA or other comparable foreign regulatory authorities.

In addition, even if we were to obtain approval, regulatory authorities may approve any of our product candidates for fewer or more limited indications than we request, if any, they may grant approval contingent on the performance of costly post-marketing clinical trials, or they may approve a product candidate with a label that does not include the labeling claims necessary or desirable for the successful commercialization of that product candidate or with restrictive risk mitigation measures or warning language or contraindications that make the approved product more difficult or costly to commercialize. Any of the foregoing scenarios could materially harm the commercial prospects for our product candidates.

The regulatory landscape related to clinical trials in the European Union (EU) recently evolved. The EU Clinical Trials Regulation (CTR) which was adopted in April 2014 and repeals the EU Clinical Trials Directive, became applicable on January 31, 2022. The CTR introduced a centralized process and only requires the submission of a single application to all member states concerned the competent authority and an ethics committee in each member state, leading to a single decision per member state. The assessment procedure of the CTA has been harmonized as well, including a joint assessment by all member states concerned, and a separate assessment by each member state with respect to specific requirements related to its own territory, including ethics rules. Each member state’s decision is communicated to the sponsor via the centralized EU portal or CTIS. Once the CTA is approved, clinical study development may proceed. The extent to which ongoing and new clinical trials will be governed by the CTR varies. Clinical trials for which an application was submitted (i) prior to January 31, 2022 under the Clinical Trials Directive, which the CTR replaced, or (ii) between January 31, 2022 and January 31, 2023 and for which the sponsor has opted for the application of the Clinical Trials Directive remain governed by said Directive until January 31, 2025. After this date, all clinical trials, including those that are ongoing, became subject to the provisions of the CTR. Compliance with the CTR requirements by us, our collaborators and third-party service providers, such as CROs, may impact our development plans.

This lengthy approval process, as well as the unpredictability of the results of clinical trials, may result in our failing to obtain regulatory approval to market any of our product candidates, which would significantly harm our business, results of operations and prospects.

We may seek breakthrough therapy designation for one or more of our product candidates, but we might not receive such designation, and even if we do, such designation may not lead to a faster development or regulatory review or approval process, and it does not increase the likelihood that our product candidates will receive marketing approval.

We may seek a breakthrough therapy designation from the FDA for some of our product candidates. A breakthrough therapy is defined as a drug or biological product that is intended, alone or in combination with one or more other drugs, to treat a serious or life-threatening disease or condition, and for which preliminary clinical evidence indicates that the drug or biological product may demonstrate substantial improvement over existing therapies on one or more clinically significant endpoints, such as substantial treatment effects observed early in clinical development. For drugs or biological products that have been designated as breakthrough

therapies, interaction and communication between the FDA and the sponsor of the trial can help to identify the most efficient path for clinical development. A drug or biologic designated as breakthrough therapies by the FDA could also be eligible for accelerated approval.

Designation as a breakthrough therapy is within the discretion of the FDA. Accordingly, even if we believe one of our product candidates meets the criteria for designation as a breakthrough therapy, the FDA may disagree and instead determine not to grant such designation. In any event, the receipt of a breakthrough therapy designation for a product candidate may not result in a faster development process, review or approval compared to drugs considered for approval under conventional FDA procedures and does not assure ultimate approval by the FDA. In addition, even if one or more of our product candidates qualify and are designated as breakthrough therapies, the FDA may later decide that the drugs or biological products no longer meet the conditions for designation and the designation may be rescinded.

We have received Fast Track designation for three of our product candidates and may seek such designation for one or more of our other product candidates, but we might not receive such designation, and even if we do, such designation may not actually lead to a faster development or regulatory review or approval process.

If a product candidate is intended for the treatment of a serious condition and nonclinical or clinical data demonstrate the potential to address unmet medical need for the condition, a product sponsor may apply for Fast Track designation. We were awarded Fast Track designation for SYNB1618 (an earlier generation of SYNB1934: labafenogene marselecobac) in April 2018, for labafenogene marselecobac in July 2023, and for SYNB1353 in August 2022. Fast Track designation does not ensure that we will receive marketing approval for the product candidate or that approval will be granted within any particular timeframe. We may not experience a faster development or regulatory review or approval process with Fast Track designation compared to conventional FDA procedures. In addition, the FDA may withdraw Fast Track designation if it believes that the designation is no longer supported by data from our clinical development program. Fast Track designation alone does not guarantee qualification for the FDA’s priority review procedures.

Even if we obtain regulatory approval for a product candidate, we will remain subject to ongoing regulatory requirements.

If any of our product candidates are approved for marketing, we will be subject to ongoing regulatory requirements, including with respect to manufacturing, labeling, packaging, storage, advertising, promotion, sampling, record-keeping, conduct of post-marketing clinical trials, and submission of safety, efficacy and other post-approval information, including both federal and state requirements in the United States and requirements of comparable foreign regulatory authorities.

Manufacturers and manufacturers’ facilities are required to continuously comply with FDA and comparable foreign regulatory authority requirements, including ensuring that quality control and manufacturing procedures conform to current good manufacturing practices (cGMP) regulations and corresponding foreign regulatory manufacturing requirements. As such, we and our contract manufacturers will be subject to continual review and inspections to assess compliance with cGMP and adherence to commitments made in any BLA or marketing authorization application.

Any regulatory approvals that we receive for our product candidates may be subject to limitations on the approved indicated uses for which the product candidate may be marketed or to the conditions of approval, or contain requirements for potentially costly post-marketing testing, including Phase 4 clinical trials, and surveillance to monitor the safety and efficacy of the product candidate. We will be required to report adverse reactions and production problems, if any, to the FDA and comparable foreign regulatory authorities. Any new legislation addressing drug safety issues could result in delays in product development or commercialization, or increased costs to ensure compliance. If our original marketing approval for a product candidate were obtained through an accelerated approval pathway, we could be required to conduct a successful post-marketing clinical trial in order to confirm the clinical benefit for our products. An unsuccessful post-marketing clinical trial or failure to complete such a trial could result in the withdrawal of marketing approval.

If a regulatory agency discovers previously unknown problems with a product, such as adverse events of unanticipated severity or frequency, or problems with the facility where the product is manufactured, or disagrees with the promotion, marketing or labeling of a product, the regulatory agency may impose restrictions on that product or us, including requiring withdrawal of the product from the market. If we fail to comply with applicable regulatory requirements, a regulatory agency or enforcement authority may, among other things:

•

Issue untitled or warning letters;

•

Impose civil or criminal penalties;

•

Suspend or withdraw regulatory approval or revoke a license;

•

Suspend any of our ongoing clinical trials;

•

Refuse to approve pending applications or supplements to approved applications submitted by us;

•

Impose restrictions on our operations, including closing our contract manufacturers’ facilities; or

•

Require a product recall.

Any government investigation of alleged violations of law would be expected to require us to expend significant time and resources in response and could generate adverse publicity. Any failure to comply with ongoing regulatory requirements may significantly and adversely affect our ability to develop and commercialize our products and our value and operating results would be adversely affected.

Obtaining and maintaining marketing approval of our current and future product candidates in one jurisdiction does not mean that we will be successful in obtaining marketing approval of our current and future therapeutic product candidates in other jurisdictions.

Obtaining and maintaining marketing approval of our current and future product candidates in one jurisdiction does not guarantee that we will be able to obtain or maintain marketing approval in any other jurisdiction, while a failure or delay in obtaining marketing approval in one jurisdiction may have a negative effect on the marketing approval process in others. For example, even if the FDA grants marketing approval of a product candidate, comparable foreign regulatory authorities in foreign jurisdictions must also approve the manufacturing, marketing and promotion of the product candidate in those countries. Approval procedures vary among jurisdictions and can involve requirements and administrative review periods different from, and greater than, those in the United States, including additional preclinical studies or clinical trials as clinical studies conducted in one jurisdiction may not be accepted by regulatory authorities in other jurisdictions. In many jurisdictions outside the United States, a product candidate must be approved for reimbursement before it can be approved for sale in that jurisdiction. In some cases, the price that we intend to charge for our future products will also be subject to approval.

We may submit marketing applications in other countries in addition to the United States. Regulatory authorities in jurisdictions outside of the United States have requirements for approval of product candidates with which we must comply prior to marketing in those jurisdictions. Obtaining foreign marketing approvals and compliance with foreign regulatory requirements could result in significant delays, difficulties and costs for us and could delay or prevent the introduction of our products in certain countries. If we fail to comply with the regulatory requirements in international markets and/or receive applicable marketing approvals, our target market will be reduced and our ability to realize the full market potential of our product candidates will be harmed.

The FDA and other comparable ex-U.S. regulatory authorities may not accept data from trials conducted in locations outside of their jurisdiction.

We may choose to conduct international clinical trials in the future. The acceptance of study data by the FDA or other comparable ex-U.S. regulatory authority from clinical trials conducted outside of their respective jurisdictions may be subject to certain conditions. The acceptance of study data from clinical trials conducted outside the United States or another jurisdiction by the FDA or comparable ex-U.S. regulatory authority may be subject to certain conditions or may not be accepted at all. In cases where data from ex-U.S. clinical trials are intended to serve as the sole basis for marketing approval in the United States, the FDA will generally not approve the application on the basis of ex-U.S. data alone unless (i) the data are applicable to the U.S. population and U.S. medical practice; (ii) the trials were performed by clinical investigators of recognized competence and pursuant to current GCP requirements; and (iii) the FDA is able to validate the data through an on-site inspection or other appropriate means. Additionally, the FDA's clinical trial requirements, including the adequacy of the patient population studied and statistical powering, must be met. Furthermore, even where the ex-U.S. study data are not intended to serve as the sole basis for approval, the FDA will not accept the data as support for an application for marketing approval unless the study is well-designed and well-conducted in accordance with GCP requirements and the FDA is able to validate the data from the study through an onsite inspection if deemed necessary. Many ex-U.S. regulatory authorities have similar approval requirements. In addition, such ex-U.S. trials would be subject to the applicable local laws of the ex-U.S. jurisdictions where the trials are conducted. There can be no assurance that the FDA or any comparable ex-U.S. regulatory authority will accept data from trials conducted outside of its applicable jurisdiction. If the FDA or any comparable ex-U.S. regulatory authority does not accept such data, it would result in the need for additional trials.

Inadequate funding for the FDA, the SEC and other government agencies could hinder their ability to hire and retain key leadership and other personnel, prevent new products and services from being developed or commercialized in a timely manner or otherwise prevent those agencies from performing normal business functions on which the operation of our business may rely, which could negatively impact our business.

The ability of the FDA to review and approve new products can be affected by a variety of factors, including government budget and funding levels, ability to hire and retain key personnel and accept the payment of user fees, increases in workload, and statutory, regulatory, and policy changes. Average review times at the agency have fluctuated in recent years as a result. In 2023, for example, members of Congress wrote to officials at the FDA expressing their concern that clinical holds should not be a means for FDA to gain additional time to review a clinical protocol. In addition, government funding of the SEC and other government agencies on which our

operations may rely, including those that fund research and development activities is subject to the political process, which is inherently fluid and unpredictable.

Disruptions at the FDA and other agencies may also slow the time necessary for new drugs to be reviewed and/or approved by necessary government agencies, which would adversely affect our business. For example, over the last several years, the U.S. government has shut down several times and certain regulatory agencies, such as the FDA and the SEC, have had to furlough critical FDA, SEC and other government employees and stop critical activities. The coronavirus pandemic has also adversely affected the operations of necessary government agencies. If a prolonged government shutdown occurs, it could significantly impact the ability of the FDA to timely review and process our regulatory submissions, which could have a material adverse effect on our business. Further, future government shutdowns could impact our ability to access the public markets and obtain necessary capital in order to properly capitalize and continue our operations. In addition, competing demands from other companies or issues can affect the timeliness for which the FDA can review and process our regulatory submissions.

Healthcare legislative reform measures may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

In the United States, there have been and continue to be a number of legislative initiatives to contain healthcare costs. For example, in March 2010, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, as amended by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (collectively, the “ACA”), was passed, which substantially changed the way healthcare is financed by both governmental and private insurers, and significantly impacted the U.S. pharmaceutical industry. The ACA, among other things, subjected biological products to potential competition by lower-cost biosimilars, addressed a new methodology by which rebates owed by manufacturers under the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program are calculated for drugs and biologics that are inhaled, infused, instilled, implanted or injected, increased the minimum Medicaid rebates owed by manufacturers under the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program and extended the rebate program to individuals enrolled in Medicaid managed care organizations, established annual fees and taxes on manufacturers of certain branded prescription drugs and biologics, and created a new Medicare Part D coverage gap discount program, in which manufacturers must agree to offer 70% (increased from 50% pursuant to the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018, effective as of 2019) point-of-sale discounts off negotiated prices of applicable brand drugs and biologics to eligible beneficiaries during their coverage gap period, as a condition for the manufacturer’s outpatient drugs or biologics to be covered under Medicare Part D.

Further legislative and regulatory changes under the ACA remain possible, although it is unknown what form any such changes or any law would take, and how or whether it may affect the biopharmaceutical industry as a whole or our business in the future. We expect that changes or additions to the ACA, the Medicare and Medicaid programs, such as changes allowing the federal government to directly negotiate drug prices, and changes stemming from other healthcare reform measures, especially with regard to healthcare access, financing or other legislation in individual states, could have a material adverse effect on the healthcare industry in the United States.

Further, over the past several years there has been heightened governmental scrutiny over the manner in which biopharmaceutical manufacturers set prices for their marketed products, which has resulted in several U.S. Congressional inquiries and proposed and enacted federal and state legislation designed to, among other things, bring more transparency to product pricing, review the relationship between pricing and manufacturer patient programs, and reform government program reimbursement methodologies for drug products. The probability of success of these newly announced policies, many of which have been subjected to legal challenge in the federal court system, and their potential impact on the U.S. prescription drug marketplace is unknown. There are likely to be continued political and legal challenges associated with implementing these reforms as they are currently envisioned.

Most recently, in August 2022, former President Biden signed into the law the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, or the IRA. Among other things, the IRA has multiple provisions that may impact the prices of drug products that are both sold into the Medicare program and throughout the United States. Starting in 2023, a manufacturer of a drug or biological product covered by Medicare Parts B or D must pay a rebate to the federal government if the product’s price increases faster than the rate of inflation. This calculation is made on a drug product by drug product basis and the amount of the rebate owed to the federal government is directly dependent on the volume of a drug product that is paid for by Medicare Parts B or D. Additionally, starting in payment year 2026, CMS will negotiate drug prices annually for a select number of single source Part D drugs without generic or biosimilar competition. CMS will also negotiate drug prices for a select number of Part B drugs starting for payment year 2028. If a drug product is selected by CMS for negotiation, it is expected that the revenue generated from such drug will decrease. Additional state and federal healthcare reform measures are expected to be adopted in the future, any of which could limit the amounts that federal and state governments will pay for healthcare products and services, which could result in reduced demand for certain biopharmaceutical products or additional pricing pressures.

At the state level, legislatures have increasingly passed legislation and implemented regulations designed to control pharmaceutical and biological product pricing, including price or patient reimbursement constraints, discounts, restrictions on certain product access and marketing cost disclosure and transparency measures, and, in some cases, designed to encourage importation from other countries and bulk purchasing. For example, California requires pharmaceutical manufacturers to notify certain purchasers, including health insurers and government health plans at least 60 days before any scheduled increase in the wholesale acquisition cost

(WAC), of their product if the increase exceeds 16%, and further requires pharmaceutical manufacturers to explain whether a change or improvement in the product necessitates such an increase. Similarly, Vermont requires pharmaceutical manufacturers to disclose price information on certain prescription drugs, and to provide notification to the state if introducing a new drug with a WAC in excess of the Medicare Part D specialty drug threshold. In addition, in the last few years, several states have formed prescription drug affordability boards (PDABs) with the authority to implement upper payment limits (UPLs) on drugs sold in their respective jurisdictions. However, there are several pending federal lawsuits challenging the authority of states to impose UPLs.

In December 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court also held unanimously that federal law does not preempt the states’ ability to regulate pharmaceutical benefit managers, or PBMs, and other members of the healthcare and pharmaceutical supply chain, an important decision that appears to be leading to further and more aggressive efforts by states in this area. The Federal Trade Commission in mid-2022 also launched sweeping investigations into the practices of the PBM industry that could lead to additional federal and state legislative or regulatory proposals targeting such entities’ operations, pharmacy networks, or financial arrangements. Significant efforts to change the PBM industry as it currently exists in the United States may affect the entire pharmaceutical supply chain and the business of other stakeholders, including biopharmaceutical developers like us. Legally mandated price controls on payment amounts by third-party payors or other restrictions could harm our business, results of operations, financial condition and prospects. In addition, regional healthcare authorities and individual hospitals are increasingly using bidding procedures to determine what pharmaceutical products and which suppliers will be included in their prescription drug and other healthcare programs. This could reduce the ultimate demand for our product candidates, if approved, or put pressure on our product pricing, which could negatively affect our business, results of operations, financial condition and prospects.

In the European Union, similar political, economic and regulatory developments may affect our ability to profitably commercialize our products. In addition to continuing pressure on prices and cost containment measures, legislative developments at the European Union or EU member state level may result in significant additional requirements or obstacles that may increase our operating costs.

We cannot predict the likelihood, nature or extent of government regulation that may arise from future legislation or administrative or executive action. We expect that additional federal and state healthcare reform measures will be adopted in the future, any of which could limit the amounts that federal and state governments will pay for healthcare products and services, which could result in limited coverage and reimbursement and reduced demand for our products, once approved, or additional pricing pressures.

If we obtain FDA approval for any of our product candidates and begin commercializing those products in the United States, our operations may be subject to various federal and state fraud and abuse laws, including, without limitation, the federal Anti-Kickback Statute, the federal False Claims Act, and physician payments sunshine laws and regulations. These laws may impact, among other things, our proposed sales, marketing, and education programs. In addition, we may be subject to patient privacy regulation by both the federal government and the states in which we conduct our business. The laws that may affect our ability to operate include:

•

The federal Anti-Kickback Statute, which prohibits, among other things, persons from knowingly and willfully soliciting, receiving, offering or paying remuneration, directly or indirectly, to induce, or in return for, the purchase or recommendation of an item or service reimbursable under a federal healthcare program, such as the Medicare and Medicaid programs;

•

Federal civil and criminal false claims laws and civil monetary penalty laws, which prohibit, among other things, individuals or entities from knowingly presenting, or causing to be presented, claims for payment from Medicare, Medicaid, or other government payors that are false or fraudulent or making a false statement to avoid, decrease or conceal an obligation to pay money to the federal government;

•

The federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), which created new federal criminal statutes that prohibit executing a scheme to defraud any healthcare benefit program and making false statements relating to healthcare matters;

•

HIPAA, as amended by the Health Information Technology and Clinical Health Act, and its implementing regulations, which imposes specified requirements relating to the privacy, security, and transmission of individually identifiable health information;

•

The federal physician payments sunshine requirements under the ACA require manufacturers of drugs, devices, biologics, and medical supplies to report annually to CMS information related to payments and other transfers of value to physicians, certain advanced non-physician healthcare providers, and teaching hospitals, and ownership and investment interests held by physicians and other healthcare providers and their immediate family members; and

•

State law equivalents of each of the above federal laws, such as anti-kickback and false claims laws that may apply to items or services reimbursed by any third-party payor, including governmental and private payors, to comply with the pharmaceutical industry’s voluntary compliance guidelines and the relevant compliance guidance promulgated by the federal government, or otherwise restrict payments that may be made to healthcare providers and other potential referral sources; state laws that require drug manufacturers to report information related to payments and other transfers of value to physicians and other healthcare providers or marketing expenditures, and state laws governing the privacy and security of health information in specified circumstances, many of which differ from each other in significant ways and may not have the same effect, thus complicating compliance efforts.

Because of the breadth of these laws and the narrowness of the statutory exceptions and safe harbors available, it is possible that some of our business activities could be subject to challenge under one or more of such laws. In addition, recent healthcare reform legislation has strengthened these laws. For example, the ACA, among other things, amended the intent requirement of the federal anti-kickback and criminal healthcare fraud statutes. A person or entity no longer needs to have actual knowledge of this statute or specific intent to violate it. Moreover, the ACA provides that the U.S. government may assert that a claim including items or services resulting from a violation of the federal anti-kickback statute constitutes a false or fraudulent claim for purposes of the False Claims Act.

If our operations are found to be in violation of any of the laws described above or any other governmental regulations that apply to us, we may be subject to penalties, including civil and criminal penalties, damages, fines, exclusion from participation in government healthcare programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid, imprisonment, and the curtailment or restructuring of our operations, any of which could adversely affect our ability to operate our business and our results of operations.

We may be subject to, or may in the future become subject to, U.S. federal and state, and international laws and regulations imposing obligations on how we collect, use, disclose, store and process personal information. Our actual or perceived failure to comply with such obligations could result in liability or reputational harm and could harm our business. Ensuring compliance with such laws could also impair our efforts to maintain and expand our customer base, and thereby decrease our revenue.

In many activities, including the conduct of clinical trials, we are subject to domestic and international laws and regulations governing data privacy, data security, and the protection of health-related and other personal information. The regulatory framework for collecting, using, safeguarding, sharing, transferring and other processing of personal information worldwide is rapidly evolving and in recent years there has been an increasing focus on privacy and data security issues with the potential to affect our business.

In the U.S., numerous federal and state laws and regulations, including state data breach notification laws, and federal and state consumer protection laws govern the collection, use, disclosure and protection of health-related and other personal information. Failure to comply with data protection laws and regulations, where applicable, could result in government enforcement actions, which could include civil or criminal penalties, private litigation and/or adverse publicity and could negatively affect our operating results and business. For example, California enacted the California Consumer Privacy Act (the CCPA), which took effect on January 1, 2020, and gives California residents expanded rights to access and delete their personal information, opt out of certain personal information sharing and receive detailed information about how their personal information is used by requiring covered companies to provide new disclosures to California consumers (as that term is broadly defined) and provide such consumers new ways to opt-out of certain sales of personal information. The CCPA provides for civil penalties for violations, as well as a private right of action for data breaches that is expected to increase data breach litigation. Further, in 2020, California voters passed the California Privacy Rights Act (the CPRA), which became effective as of January 1, 2023. The CPRA significantly amends the CCPA and imposes additional data protection obligations on companies doing business in California, including additional consumer rights processes, limitations on data uses, new audit requirements for higher risk data, and opt outs for certain uses of sensitive data. It also creates a new regulatory entity, the California Privacy Protection Agency, which is authorized to issue substantive regulations under the CPRA and could result in increased privacy and information security enforcement. Although the CCPA currently exempts certain health-related information, including clinical trial data, the CCPA and the CPRA may increase our compliance costs and potential liability. In addition to California, more U.S. states are enacting similar legislation, increasing compliance complexity and increasing risks of failures to comply. In 2023 and 2024, comprehensive privacy laws in Virginia, Colorado, Connecticut, Utah, Montana, Oregon, and Texas all took effect. In addition, laws in other U.S. states are set to take effect in 2025 and beyond, and additional U.S. states have proposals under consideration, all of which are likely to increase our regulatory compliance costs and risks, exposure to regulatory enforcement action and other liabilities.

Additionally, the collection, use, disclosure, transfer, or other processing of personal data in the European Union, including personal health data, is subject to the General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR, which took effect in 2018 and applies to companies within and outside of the European Union. The GDPR, which is wide-ranging in scope, imposes several requirements relating to the consent of the individuals to whom the personal data relates, the information provided to the individuals, the security and confidentiality of the personal data, data breach notification and the use of third-party processors in connection with the processing of the personal data. The GDPR also enhances enforcement authority and imposes large penalties for noncompliance, including the potential for fines of up to €20 million or 4% of the annual global revenues of the infringer, whichever is greater.

Additionally, the GDPR confers a private right of action on data subjects and consumer associations to lodge complaints with supervisory authorities, seek judicial remedies, and obtain compensation for damages resulting from violations of the GDPR. In addition, the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union and the subsequent separation of the data protection regimes of these territories mean we are required to also comply with similar data protection laws in the United Kingdom, which may lead to additional compliance costs and could increase our overall risk.

Laws in the European Economic Area (EEA), Switzerland, and the UK on data export are also evolving. For example, the GDPR only permits exports of data outside the EU where there is a suitable data transfer solution in place to safeguard personal data (e.g. the EU Commission approved Standard Contractual Clauses or certification under the recently-adopted Data Privacy Framework). If we have to rely on third parties to carry out services for us, including processing personal data on our behalf, we are required under GDPR and similar laws in Switzerland and the UK to enter into contractual arrangements to help ensure that these third parties only process such data according to our instructions and have sufficient security measures in place. Any security breach or non-compliance with our contractual terms or breach of applicable law by such third parties could result in enforcement actions, litigation, fines and penalties or adverse publicity and could cause customers to lose trust in us, which would have an adverse impact on our reputation and business. Future actions of EU, Swiss, and UK data protection authorities are difficult to predict. Some customers or other may respond to these evolving laws and regulations by asking us to make certain privacy or data-related contractual commitments that we are unable or unwilling to make. This could lead to the loss of current or prospective customers or other business relationships.

Numerous international, federal and state laws and regulations govern collection, dissemination, use and confidentiality of personally identifiable health information, including state privacy and confidentiality laws (including state laws requiring disclosure of breaches); federal and state consumer protection and employment laws; HIPAA; and European and other international data protection laws. These laws and regulations are increasing in complexity and number, may change frequently and sometimes conflict.

HIPAA establishes a set of national privacy and security standards for the protection of individually identifiable health information, including protected health information, or PHI, by health plans, certain healthcare clearinghouses and healthcare providers that submit certain covered transactions electronically, or covered entities, and their ‘‘business associates,’’ which are persons or entities that perform certain services for, or on behalf of, a covered entity that involve creating, receiving, maintaining or transmitting PHI. While we are not currently a covered entity or business associate under HIPAA, we may receive identifiable information from these entities. Failure to receive this information properly could subject us to HIPAA’s criminal penalties, which may include fines up to $50,000 per violation and/or imprisonment. In addition, responding to government investigations regarding alleged violations of these and other laws and regulations, even if ultimately concluded with no findings of violations or no penalties imposed, can consume company resources and impact our business and, if public, harm our reputation.

In addition, various states, such as California and Massachusetts, have implemented similar privacy laws and regulations, such as the California Confidentiality of Medical Information Act, that impose restrictive requirements regulating the use and disclosure of health information and other personally identifiable information. In addition to fines and penalties imposed upon violators, some of these state laws also afford private rights of action to individuals who believe their personal information has been misused. California’s patient privacy laws, for example, provide for penalties of up to $250,000 and permit injured parties to sue for damages.

Other states have implemented similar laws protecting identifiable health and personal information, and most such laws differ from each other in significant ways and may not be preempted by HIPAA, thus complicating compliance efforts.

The interplay of federal and state laws may be subject to varying interpretations by courts and government agencies, creating complex compliance issues for us and our clients and potentially exposing us to additional expense, adverse publicity and liability. Further, as regulatory focus on privacy issues continues to increase and laws and regulations concerning the protection of personal information expand and become more complex, these potential risks to our business could intensify.

In addition, the interpretation and application of consumer, health-related, and data protection laws are often uncertain, contradictory, and in flux.

The legislative and regulatory landscape for privacy and data security continues to evolve, and there has been an increasing focus on privacy and data security issues which may affect our business. Despite our efforts, we may not have fully complied in the past and may not in the future. Failure to comply with current and future laws and regulations could result in government enforcement actions (including the imposition of significant penalties), criminal and civil liability for us and our officers and directors, private litigation and/or adverse publicity that negatively affects our business.

Our research and development activities and our third-party manufacturers’ and suppliers’ activities involve the controlled storage, use, and disposal of hazardous materials, including the components of our product candidates and other hazardous compounds. We and our manufacturers and suppliers are subject to laws and regulations governing the use, manufacture, storage,

handling, and disposal of these hazardous materials. In some cases, these hazardous materials and various wastes resulting from their use are stored at our and our manufacturers’ facilities pending their use and disposal. We cannot eliminate the risk of contamination, which could cause an interruption of our research and development efforts, commercialization efforts and business operations and environmental damage resulting in costly clean-up and liabilities under applicable laws and regulations governing the use, storage, handling, and disposal of these materials and specified waste products. Although we believe that the safety procedures utilized by us and our third-party manufacturers for handling and disposing of these materials generally comply with the standards prescribed by these laws and regulations, we cannot guarantee that this is the case or eliminate the risk of accidental contamination or injury from these materials. In such an event, we may be held liable for any resulting damages and such liability could exceed our resources and state or federal or other applicable authorities may curtail our use of specified materials and/or interrupt our business operations. Furthermore, environmental laws and regulations are complex, change frequently, and have tended to become more stringent. We cannot predict the impact of such changes and cannot be certain of our future compliance. Given the nature of the research and development work conducted by us, we do not currently carry biological or hazardous waste insurance coverage.

Laws and regulations governing international operations may preclude us from developing, manufacturing and selling certain products outside of the United States and require us to develop, implement and maintain costly compliance programs.

To develop, manufacture and sell certain products outside the United States, we must dedicate resources to comply with numerous laws and regulations in each jurisdiction in which we operate. The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), prohibits any United States individual or business from paying, offering, authorizing payment or offering anything of value, directly or indirectly, to any foreign official, political party or candidate for the purpose of influencing any act or decision of the foreign entity in order to assist the individual or business in obtaining or retaining business. The FCPA also obligates companies whose securities are listed in the United States to comply with certain accounting provisions requiring the company to maintain books and records that accurately and fairly reflect all transactions of the corporation, including international subsidiaries, and to devise and maintain an adequate system of internal accounting controls for international operations.

Compliance with the FCPA is expensive and difficult, particularly in countries in which corruption is a recognized problem. In addition, the FCPA presents particular challenges in the pharmaceutical industry, because, in many countries, hospitals are operated by the government, and doctors and other hospital employees may be considered government employees or foreign officials. In other circumstances, certain payments to hospitals in connection with clinical trials and other work have been deemed to be improper payments to government officials and have led to FCPA enforcement actions.

Various laws, regulations and executive orders also restrict the use and dissemination outside of the United States, or the sharing with certain non-United States nationals, of information classified for national security purposes, as well as certain products and technical data relating to those products. These laws may preclude us from developing, manufacturing, or selling certain products and product candidates outside of the U.S., which could limit our growth potential and increase our development costs.

The failure to comply with laws governing international business practices may result in substantial civil and criminal penalties and suspension or debarment from government contracting. The SEC also may suspend or bar issuers from trading securities on U.S. exchanges for violations of the FCPA’s accounting provisions and export control laws.

Our internal computer systems, or those of our collaborators or other contractors or consultants, may fail or suffer cybersecurity incidents, which could result in a material disruption of our product development programs.

Our internal information technology, or IT, systems and those of our current and any future collaborators and other contractors, consultants, or clinical trial sites are vulnerable to damage from cyberattacks, computer viruses, unauthorized access, natural disasters, terrorism, war and telecommunication and electrical failures. Cyberattacks are increasing in their frequency, sophistication and intensity, and have become increasingly difficult to detect. Cyberattacks could include the deployment of harmful malware, ransomware, denial-of-service attacks, unauthorized access to or deletion of files, social engineering, phishing and other means to affect service reliability and threaten the confidentiality, integrity and availability of information and IT systems. If any of the above events were to occur and cause interruptions in our operations, it could result in a material disruption of our development programs and our business operations, whether due to a loss of our trade secrets or other proprietary information or other similar disruptions. For example, the loss of preclinical or clinical trial data could result in delays in our regulatory approval efforts and significantly increase our costs to recover or reproduce the data. To the extent that any disruption or cybersecurity incident were to result in a loss of, or damage to, our data or applications, or inappropriate disclosure of confidential or proprietary information, we could incur liability, our competitive position could be harmed, and the further development and commercialization of our product candidates could be delayed. The market perception of the effectiveness of our security measures could be harmed and our reputation and credibility could be damaged. Although we develop and maintain systems and controls designed to prevent these events from occurring, and we have processes to identify and mitigate threats, the development and maintenance of these systems, controls and processes is costly and requires ongoing monitoring and updating as technologies evolve and efforts to overcome security measures become increasingly sophisticated. Moreover, despite our efforts, the possibility of these events occurring cannot be eliminated entirely. In addition, there can be no assurance that we will promptly detect any such disruption or cybersecurity incident, if at all. As we outsource more of our

information systems to vendors, engage in more electronic transactions with payors and patients, and rely more on cloud-based information systems, the related security risks will increase and we will need to expend additional resources to protect our technology and information systems. In addition, there can be no assurance that our internal IT systems or those of our third-party contractors, or our consultants’ efforts to implement adequate security and control measures, will be sufficient to protect us against breakdowns, service disruption, data deterioration or loss in the event of a system malfunction, or prevent data from being stolen or corrupted in the event of a cyberattack, cybersecurity incident, industrial espionage attacks or insider threat attacks which could result in financial, legal, business or reputational harm, as well as loss of competitive advantage or loss of consumer confidence.

Ethical, legal and social concerns about synthetic biology and genetic engineering could limit or prevent the use of our technologies and limit our revenues.

Our technologies involve the use of synthetic biology and genetic engineering. Public perception about the safety and environmental hazards of, and ethical concerns over, synthetic biology and genetic engineering could influence public acceptance of our technologies, product candidates and processes. If we and our collaborators are not able to overcome the ethical, legal and social concerns relating to synthetic biology and genetic engineering, our technologies, product candidates and processes may not be accepted. These concerns could result in increased expenses, regulatory scrutiny and increased regulation, trade restrictions on imports of Synthetic Biotics, delays or other impediments to our programs or the public acceptance and commercialization of Synthetic Biotics. Further, there is a risk that Synthetic Biotics made using our technologies could result in adverse health effects or other adverse events, which could also lead to negative publicity. We design and produce product candidates with characteristics comparable or disadvantaged to those found in naturally occurring organisms or enzymes in a controlled laboratory; however, the release of such organisms into uncontrolled environments could have unintended consequences. Any adverse effect resulting from such a release could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations and we may have exposure to liability for any resulting harm.

Risks Related to Our Intellectual Property

We may not be successful in obtaining or maintaining necessary rights to Synthetic Biotics, product candidates and processes for our development pipeline through acquisitions and in-licenses.

Presently, we have rights to certain intellectual property, through licenses from third parties and under patents and patent applications owned by us. The growth of our business will likely depend in part on our ability to obtain, maintain or enforce our and our licensors’ intellectual property rights and to acquire or in-license additional proprietary rights. For example, our programs may involve additional product candidates or delivery systems that may require the use of additional proprietary rights held by third parties.

In addition, our product candidates may require specific formulations to work effectively and efficiently, and these rights may be held by other third parties. We may be unable to develop, acquire or in-license compositions, methods of use, processes or other third-party intellectual property rights from third parties that we identify. The licensing and acquisition of third-party intellectual property rights is a competitive area, and a number of other companies may also be pursuing strategies to license or acquire third-party intellectual property rights that we may consider attractive. These companies could have a competitive advantage over us due to their size, cash resources and greater clinical development and commercialization capabilities.

For example, we have previously and may continue to collaborate with academic institutions to accelerate our preclinical research or development under written agreements with these institutions. Typically, these institutions provide an option to negotiate a license to any of the institution’s rights in technology resulting from the collaboration. Regardless of such right of first negotiation for intellectual property, we may be unable to negotiate a license within the specified time frame or under terms that are acceptable to it. If we are unable to do so, the institution may offer intellectual property rights to other parties, potentially blocking our ability to pursue our program.

In addition, companies that perceive us to be a competitor may be unwilling to assign or license rights to us. We also may be unable to license or acquire third-party intellectual property rights on terms that would allow us to make an appropriate return on our investment. If we are unable to successfully obtain rights to third-party intellectual property rights, our business, financial condition and prospects for growth could suffer.

We intend to rely on patent rights and the status of our product candidates, if approved, as biologics eligible for exclusivity under the Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act (BPCIA). If Synlogic is unable to obtain or maintain exclusivity from the combination of these approaches, Synlogic may not be able to compete effectively in our markets.

We rely or will rely upon a combination of patents, trade secret protection, and confidentiality agreements to protect the intellectual property related to our technologies and product candidates. Our success depends in large part on our and our licensors’ ability to obtain regulatory exclusivity and maintain patent and other intellectual property protection in the United States and in other countries with respect to our proprietary technology and products.

We have sought to protect our proprietary position by filing patent applications in the United States and abroad related to our product candidates that are important to our business. This process is expensive and time consuming, and we may not be able to file and prosecute all necessary or desirable patent applications at a reasonable cost or in a timely manner. It is also possible that we will fail to identify patentable aspects of our research and development output before it is too late to obtain patent protection.

The patent position of biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies generally is highly uncertain and involves complex legal and factual questions for which legal principles remain unsolved. The patent applications that we own, or in-license may fail to result in issued patents with claims that cover our product candidates in the United States or in other foreign countries. There is no assurance that all potentially relevant prior art relating to our patents and patent applications has been found, which can invalidate a patent or prevent a patent from being issued from a pending patent application. Even if patents do successfully issue, and even if such patents cover our product candidates, third parties may challenge their validity, enforceability, or scope, which may result in such patents being narrowed, found unenforceable or invalidated. Furthermore, even if they are unchallenged, our patents and patent applications may not adequately protect our intellectual property, provide exclusivity for our product candidates, or prevent others from designing around our claims. Any of these outcomes could impair our ability to prevent competition from third parties, which may have an adverse impact on our business.

We, independently or together with our licensors or collaborators, have filed several patent applications covering various aspects of our product candidates. We cannot offer any assurances about which, if any, patents will issue, the breadth of any such patent or whether any issued patents will be found invalid and unenforceable or will be threatened by third parties. Any successful opposition to these patents or any other patents owned by or licensed to us after patent issuance could deprive us of rights necessary for the successful commercialization of any product candidates that we may develop. Further, if we encounter delays in regulatory approvals, the period of time during which we could market a product candidate under patent protection could be reduced.

Even if we cannot obtain and maintain effective protection of exclusivity from our regulatory efforts and intellectual property rights, including patent protection, data exclusivity or orphan drug exclusivity, for our product candidates, we believe that our product candidates will be protected by exclusivity that prevents approval of a biosimilar in the United States for a period of twelve years from the time the product to which it claims similarity was first approved. However, The Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act of 2009, Title VII, Subtitle A of the Patent Protection and Affordable Care Act, Pub.L.No.111-148, 124 Stat.119, Sections 7001-02 signed into law March 23, 2010, and codified in 42 U.S.C. §262 (the BPCIA), created an elaborate and complex patent dispute resolution mechanism for biosimilars that could prevent us from launching our product candidates in the United States or could substantially delay such launches. Current biosimilars litigation is addressing certain requirements of the BPCIA which is creating uncertainty over how certain terms of the BPCIA should be construed and this presents uncertainty for both the biologics innovator and biosimilar party. The BPCIA mechanism required for biosimilar applicants may pose greater risk that patent infringement litigation will disrupt our activities and add increased expenses as well as divert management’s attention. If a biosimilar version of one of our product candidates were approved in the United States, it could have a negative effect on our business.

We may not have sufficient patent term protections for our product candidates to effectively protect our business.

Patents have a limited term. In the United States, the statutory expiration of a patent is generally 20 years after it is filed. Although various extensions may be available, the life of a patent, and the protection it affords, is limited. Even if patents covering our product candidates are obtained, once the patent life has expired for a product candidate, we may be open to competition. In addition, upon issuance in the United States any patent term can be adjusted based on specified delays caused by the applicant(s) or the USPTO.

Patent term extensions under the Hatch-Waxman Act in the United States and under supplementary protection certificates in Europe may be available to extend the patent or data exclusivity terms of our product candidates. We will likely seek patent term extensions, and we cannot provide any assurances that any such patent term extensions will be obtained and, if so, for how long. As a result, we may not be able to maintain exclusivity for our product candidates for an extended period after regulatory approval, if any, which would negatively impact our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. If we do not have sufficient patent terms or regulatory exclusivity to protect our product candidates, our business and results of operations will be adversely affected.

Changes in U.S. and foreign patent law could diminish the value of patents in general, thereby impairing our ability to protect our products, and recent patent reform legislation could increase the uncertainties and costs surrounding the prosecution of our patent applications and the enforcement or defense of our issued patents.

As is the case with other biotechnology companies, our success is heavily dependent on patents. Obtaining and enforcing patents in the biotechnology industry involves both technological and legal complexity, and is therefore costly, time-consuming and inherently uncertain. In addition, the United States has recently enacted and is currently implementing wide-ranging patent reform legislation. Recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings have narrowed the scope of patent protection available in specified circumstances and weakened the rights of patent owners in specified situations. In addition to increasing uncertainty with regard to our ability to obtain patents in the future, this combination of events has created uncertainty with respect to the value of patents, once obtained. Depending on decisions by the U.S. Congress, the federal courts, and the USPTO, the laws and regulations governing patents could change in

unpredictable ways that would weaken our ability to obtain new patents or to enforce our existing patents and patents that we might obtain in the future.

European patent practice is expected to change now that the European Unitary Patent (UP) and Unified Patent Court (UPC) went into force on June 1, 2023. The new system will impact both pending European applications and granted European patents, and uncertainty remains about long-term implications of this change. The UPC may particularly present uncertainties for our ability to protect and enforce our patent rights against competitors in Europe. While the UPC is being implemented to provide more certainty and efficiency to patent enforcement throughout Europe, it will also provide our competitors with a new forum to use to centrally revoke our European patents. It will be several years before we will understand the scope of patent rights that will be recognized and the strength of patent remedies that will be provided by the UPC. We will have the right to opt our patents out of the UPC system over the first seven years, but doing so may preclude us from realizing the benefits of the new unified court.

Obtaining And Maintaining Our Patent Protection Depends on Compliance with Various Procedural, Document Submission, Fee Payment and Other Requirements Imposed by Governmental Patent Agencies, And Our Patent Protection Could be Reduced or Eliminated for Non-Compliance with These Requirements.

Periodic maintenance fees on any issued patents are due to be paid to the USPTO and foreign patent agencies in several stages over the lifetime of the patent. The USPTO and various foreign governmental patent agencies require compliance with a number of procedural, documentary, fee payment and other similar provisions during the patent application process. Although an inadvertent lapse can in many cases be cured by payment of a late fee or by other means in accordance with the applicable rules, there are situations in which noncompliance can result in abandonment or lapse of the patent or patent application, resulting in partial or complete loss of patent rights in the relevant jurisdiction. Noncompliance events that could result in abandonment or lapse of a patent or patent application include failure to respond to official actions within prescribed time limits, non-payment of fees, and failure to properly legalize and submit formal documents. In any such event, our competitors might be able to enter the market, which would have a material adverse effect on our business.

If we are unable to maintain effective proprietary rights for our product candidates or any future product candidates, we may not be able to compete effectively in our proposed markets.

In addition to the protection afforded by patents, we rely on trade secret protection and confidentiality agreements to protect proprietary know-how that is not patentable or that we elect not to patent. We also utilize processes for which patents are difficult to enforce. In addition, other elements of our products, and many elements of our product candidate discovery and development processes involve proprietary know-how, information or technology that is not covered by patents. Trade secrets may be difficult to protect. We seek to protect our proprietary technology and processes, in part, by entering into confidentiality agreements with our employees, consultants, collaborators, advisors, independent contractors or other third parties. We also seek to preserve the integrity and confidentiality of our data and trade secrets, including by maintaining physical and electronic security of our premises and our information technology systems. While we have confidence in these individuals, organizations and systems, agreements or security measures may be breached, and we may not have adequate remedies for any breach. In addition, competitors may otherwise gain access to our trade secrets or independently develop substantially equivalent information and techniques. Furthermore, the laws of some foreign countries do not protect proprietary rights to the same extent or in the same manner as the laws of the United States. As a result, we may encounter significant problems in protecting and defending our intellectual property both in the United States and abroad. If we are unable to prevent unauthorized material disclosure of our intellectual property to third parties, or misappropriation of our intellectual property by third parties, we may not be able to establish or maintain a competitive advantage in our market, which could materially adversely affect our business, operating results, and financial condition.

Although we expect all of our employees and consultants to assign their inventions to us, and all of our employees, consultants, collaborators, advisors, independent contractors and any third parties who have access to our proprietary know-how, information, or technology to enter into confidentiality agreements, we cannot provide any assurances that all such agreements have been duly executed or that our trade secrets and other confidential proprietary information will not be disclosed or that competitors will not otherwise gain access to our trade secrets or independently develop substantially equivalent information and techniques. Misappropriation or unauthorized disclosure of our trade secrets could impair our competitive position and may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations. Additionally, if the steps taken to maintain our trade secrets are deemed inadequate, we may have insufficient recourse against third parties for misappropriating the trade secret.

Third-party claims of intellectual property infringement may prevent or delay our development and commercialization efforts.

Our commercial success depends in part on our ability to develop, manufacture, market and sell our product candidates and use our proprietary technology without infringing the patent rights of third parties. Numerous third-party U.S. and non-U.S. issued patents and pending applications exist in the area of synthetic biology. We may become aware of U.S. and foreign patents and pending patent applications owned by third parties that cover similar therapeutic uses as the product candidates we are developing and we may in the future pursue available proceedings in the U.S. and foreign patent offices to challenge the validity of such patents and patent applications. In addition, or alternatively, we may consider whether to seek to negotiate a license of rights to technology covered by

one or more of such patents and patent applications. If any patents or patent applications cover our product candidates or technologies, we may not be free to manufacture or market our product candidates as planned, absent such a license, which may not be available to us on commercially reasonable terms, or at all.

It is possible that we have failed to identify relevant third-party patents or applications. For example, applications filed before November 29, 2000 and applications filed after that date that will not be filed outside the United States remain confidential until patents issue. Moreover, it is difficult for industry participants, including us, to identify all third-party patent rights that may be relevant to our product candidates and technologies because patent searching is imperfect due to differences in terminology among patents, incomplete databases and the difficulty in assessing the meaning of patent claims. We may fail to identify relevant patents or patent applications or may identify pending patent applications of potential interest but incorrectly predict the likelihood that such patents may issue with claims of relevance to our technology. In addition, we may be unaware of one or more issued patents that would be infringed by the manufacture, sale or use of a current or future product candidate, or we may incorrectly conclude that a third-party patent is invalid, unenforceable or not infringed by our activities. Additionally, pending patent applications that have been published can, subject to specified limitations, be later amended in a manner that could cover our technologies, our product candidates or the use of our product candidates.

There have been many lawsuits and other proceedings filed by third parties involving patent and other intellectual property rights in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries, including patent infringement lawsuits, interferences, oppositions, and reexamination, post-grant review and equivalent proceedings before the USPTO and corresponding foreign patent offices. Numerous U.S. and foreign issued patents and pending patent applications, which are owned by third parties, exist in the fields in which we are developing product candidates. As the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries expand and more patents are issued, the risk increases that our product candidates may be subject to claims of infringement of the patent rights of third parties.

Parties making claims against us may obtain injunctive or other equitable relief, which could effectively block our ability to further develop and commercialize one or more of our product candidates. Defense of these claims, regardless of their merit, would involve substantial litigation expense and would be a substantial diversion of employee resources from our business. In the event of a successful claim of infringement against us, we may have to pay substantial damages, including treble damages and attorneys’ fees for willful infringement, pay royalties, redesign our infringing products or obtain one or more licenses from third parties, which may be impossible or require substantial time and monetary expenditure.

We depend, in part, on our licensors to file, prosecute, maintain, defend and enforce patents and patent applications that are material to our business.

While we normally seek and gain the right to fully prosecute the patent applications relating to our product candidates, there may be times when the patent applications enabling our product candidates are controlled by our licensors. If any of our existing or future licensors fail to appropriately and broadly prosecute and maintain patent protection for patents covering any of our product candidates, our ability to develop and commercialize those product candidates may be adversely affected and we may not be able to prevent competitors from making, using, importing, and selling competing products. In addition, even where we now have the right to control patent prosecution of patents and patent applications we have licensed from third parties, we may still be adversely affected or prejudiced by actions or inactions of our licensors in effect from actions prior to us assuming control over patent prosecution.

If we fail to comply with obligations in the agreements under which we license intellectual property and other rights from third parties or otherwise experience disruptions to our business relationships with our licensors, we could lose license rights that are important to our business.

We are a party to certain intellectual property license agreements and may enter into additional license agreements in the future. Our existing agreements impose, and future license agreements may impose, certain obligations, including the payment of milestones and royalties based on revenues from sales of our products utilizing the technologies licensed from our licensors, and such obligations could adversely affect the overall profitability for us of any products that we may seek to commercialize. In addition, we will need to outsource and rely on third parties for many aspects of the clinical development, sales and marketing of our product candidates covered under our license agreements. Delay or failure by these third parties could adversely affect the continuation of our license agreements with our third-party licensors. If we fail to comply with our obligations under these agreements, or we are subject to a bankruptcy, these agreements may be subject to termination by the licensor which could have a material adverse effect on our business.

We may be involved in lawsuits to protect or enforce our patents or the patents of our licensors, which could be expensive, time consuming, and unsuccessful.

Competitors may infringe our patents or the patents of our licensors. To cease such infringement or unauthorized use, we or one of our licensing partners may be required to file patent infringement claims against a third-party to enforce one of our patents which can be expensive, time-consuming and unpredictable. In addition, in an infringement proceeding or a declaratory judgment action against us, a court may decide that one or more of our patents is not valid or is unenforceable or may refuse to stop the other party

from using the technology at issue on the grounds that our patents do not cover the technology in question. An adverse result in any litigation or defense proceeding could put one or more of our patents at risk of being invalidated, held unenforceable or interpreted narrowly and could put our patent applications at risk of not issuing. Defense of these claims, regardless of their merit, would involve substantial litigation expense and would be a substantial diversion of employee resources from our business.

If we or one of our licensing partners were to initiate legal proceedings against a third-party to enforce a patent covering one of our product candidates, the defendant could counterclaim that the patent covering our product candidate is invalid and/or unenforceable. In patent litigation in the United States, defendant counterclaims alleging invalidity and/or unenforceability are commonplace, and there are numerous grounds upon which a third-party can assert invalidity or unenforceability of a patent. Grounds for a validity challenge could be an alleged failure to meet any of several statutory requirements, including lack of novelty, obviousness, written description, clarity or non-enablement. Grounds for an unenforceability assertion could be an allegation that someone connected with prosecution of the patent withheld relevant information from the USPTO, or made a misleading statement, during prosecution. Third parties may also raise similar claims before administrative bodies in the United States or other jurisdictions, even outside the context of litigation. Such mechanisms include re-examination, inter partes review, post-grant review and equivalent proceedings in foreign jurisdictions, such as opposition or derivation proceedings. Such proceedings could result in revocation or amendment to our patents in such a way that they no longer cover and protect our product candidates. The outcome following legal assertions of invalidity and unenforceability is unpredictable. With respect to the validity of our patents, for example, we cannot be certain that there is no invalidating prior art of which we, our patent counsel, and the patent examiner were unaware during prosecution. If a defendant were to prevail on a legal assertion of invalidity, unpatentability and/or unenforceability, we may lose at least part, and perhaps all, of the patent protection on our product candidates. Such a loss of patent protection could have a material adverse impact on our business.

Interference or derivation proceedings provoked by third parties or brought by us or declared by the USPTO may be necessary to determine the priority of inventions or correct inventorship with respect to our patents or patent applications or those of our licensors. An unfavorable outcome could result in a loss of our current patent rights and could require us to cease using the related technology or to attempt to license rights to us from the prevailing party. Our business could be harmed if the prevailing party does not offer us a license on commercially reasonable terms. Our defense of litigation, derivation or interference proceedings may result in a decision adverse to our interests and, even if successful, may result in substantial costs and distract our management and other employees. In addition, we may be unable to raise the funds necessary to conduct our clinical trials, continue our research programs, license necessary technology from third parties, or enter into development partnerships that would help us bring our product candidates to market.

Furthermore, because of the substantial amount of discovery required in connection with intellectual property litigation, there is a risk that some of our confidential information could be compromised by disclosure during this type of litigation. There could also be public announcements of the results of hearings, motions, or other interim proceedings or developments. Any disclosure of confidential information could adversely affect our business. If securities analysts or investors perceive these results to be negative, it could have a substantial adverse effect on the price of our common stock.

We may be subject to claims challenging the inventorship of our patents and other intellectual property.

SYBX US Equity

SYBX · 10-K · period ended 2024-12-31

Item 1A. Risk Factors.

SYBX US Equity☆

SYBX · 10-K · period ended 2024-12-31

Item 1A. Risk Factors.

SYBX US Equity