Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and related notes included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. This discussion contains forward-looking statements that reflect our plans, estimates and beliefs and involve numerous risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to those described in the “Risk Factors” section of this Annual Report. Actual results may differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. You should carefully read “Forward-Looking Statements” and “Risk Factors.”
Forward-Looking Statements
The information in this discussion contains forward-looking statements and information within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act, which are subject to the “safe harbor” created by those sections. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements concerning our strategy, future operations, our expectations regarding our collaborations and clinical trials, future financial position, future revenues, projected costs, prospects and plans and objectives of management. The words “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “expects,” “intends,” “may,” “plans,” “projects,” “will,” “would” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. We may not actually achieve the plans, intentions, or expectations disclosed in our forward-looking statements and you should not place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements. Actual results or events could differ materially from the plans, intentions and expectations disclosed in the forward-looking statements that we make. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, the risks set forth in Part I, Item 1A, “Risk Factors” in this Annual Report on Form 10-K and in our other filings with the SEC. The forward-looking statements are applicable only as of the date on which they are made, and we do not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements.
Overview
We are a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing a pipeline of novel therapies. We are advancing the development of our lead product candidate, AXN-2510/IMM2510, a bispecific antibody targeting both programmed death-ligand 1, or PD-L1, and the family of vascular endothelial growth factors, or VEGFs, in solid tumor cancers, and we seek to in-license or acquire and develop additional novel therapeutic candidates in diseases with significant unmet medical need.
In August 2024, our wholly owned subsidiary, Axion Bio, Inc. (formerly SynBioTx, Inc.), or Axion Bio, in-licensed certain bispecific antibodies, including AXN-2510 (formerly SYN-2510)/IMM2510 and AXN-27M (formerly SYN-27M)/IMM27M, a monoclonal antibody targeting cytotoxic T-lymphocyte associated antigen 4, or CTLA-4, from ImmuneOnco Biopharmaceuticals (Shanghai) Inc., or ImmuneOnco. AXN-2510/IMM2510, the lead in-licensed product candidate, is a novel and differentiated PD-L1xVEGF bispecific antibody in development for the treatment of multiple solid tumor cancers. Pursuant to the license and collaboration agreement with ImmuneOnco, or the IO Collaboration Agreement, Axion Bio has an exclusive license to research, develop, manufacture and commercialize these product candidates outside of China, including mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, or Greater China. ImmuneOnco retains development and commercialization rights in Greater China.
ImmuneOnco is conducting a Phase I open label trial in China of AXN-2510/IMM2510 as monotherapy in patients with advanced solid tumors that have failed prior therapies, including triple-negative breast cancer, or TNBC, squamous NSCLC, hepatocellular carcinoma, renal cell carcinoma, and rare solid tumors including soft tissue sarcomas and thymic cancer. As of January 13, 2025, ImmuneOnco announced over 100 patients have been enrolled with AXN-2510/IMM2510 in this clinical trial.
ImmuneOnco is also conducting a Phase 1 open label clinical trial of AXN-2510/IMM2510 in combination with chemotherapy in patients with advanced/metastatic NSCLC. In January 2025, ImmuneOnco announced that the
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first patient had been dosed in the safety run-in and that it expects to eventually enroll patients with first-line advanced/metastatic NSCLC in this trial.
AXN-27M/IMM27M is an antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity-enhanced monoclonal antibody targeting CTLA-4, which has been designed to promote intratumoral regulatory T cell depletion to enhance the efficacy and reduce the toxicity associated with first-generation anti-CTLA-4 antibodies. In 2023, ImmuneOnco completed a first-in-human dose escalation study of AXN-27M/IMM27M in patients with solid tumor cancers in China with 25 patients dosed. ImmuneOnco is currently pursuing cohort expansions of the RP2D in this Phase 1 trial in patients with hormone receptor-positive breast cancer and hepatocellular carcinoma who have failed prior therapy.
ImmuneOnco is also conducting a Phase 1 open label clinical trial in China of AXN-2510/IMM2510 combined with AXN-27M/IMM27M in patients with advanced solid tumors that have failed prior therapies.
Since inception, we have had significant operating losses. Our net loss was $74.1 million and $156.1 million for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. As of December 31, 2024, we had an accumulated deficit of $655.1 million. As of December 31, 2024, we had cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash and marketable securities of $115.1 million, which consists of $8.8 million in cash and cash equivalents, $1.8 million of restricted cash and $104.5 million in marketable securities. We expect to continue to incur net losses for the foreseeable future.
Our development efforts are focused on advancing AXN-2510/IMM2510 and we expect to continue to pursue additional promising therapeutic in-licensing or acquisition opportunities. As a result, we are no longer actively pursuing the development of cell therapies, including our proprietary folate receptor alpha CoStAR-TIL cell therapy for the treatment of cancer.
Components of Operating Results
Operating Expenses
In-Process Research and Development
In-process research and development (IPR&D) expenses include IPR&D acquired as part of in-license payments made to ImmuneOnco for which there is no alternative future use and are expensed as incurred.
Research and Development
Research and development expenses consist primarily of research and development, manufacturing, monitoring and other services payments and, to a lesser extent, salaries, benefits and other personnel-related costs, including stock-based compensation, professional service fees, and facility and other related costs. In addition, research and development expense is presented net of reimbursements from reimbursable tax and expenditure credits and grants from the UK government.
We expect our future research and development expenses to change in line with our clinical development activities for AXN-2510/IMM2510, AXN-27M/IMM27M and other potential business development activities. Our expenditures on future nonclinical and clinical development programs are subject to numerous uncertainties in timing and cost to completion. The duration, costs and timing of clinical trials and development of product candidates will depend on a variety of factors, including:
•the scope, rate of progress and expenses of clinical trials and other research and development activities;
•potential safety monitoring and other studies requested by regulatory agencies;
•significant and changing government regulation; and
•the timing and receipt of regulatory approvals, if any.
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The process of conducting the necessary clinical research to obtain regulatory approval from the FDA, Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, or MHRA, European Medicines Agency, or EMA, and comparable foreign authorities is costly and time consuming and the successful development of product candidates is highly uncertain. The risks and uncertainties associated with our research and development projects are discussed more fully in the section of this Annual Report titled “Risk Factors.” As a result of these risks and uncertainties, we are unable to determine with any degree of certainty the duration and completion costs of our research and development projects, or if, when or to what extent we will generate revenues from the commercialization and sale of any of our product candidates that obtain regulatory approval. We may never succeed in achieving regulatory approval for any of our product candidates.
General and Administrative
General and administrative expenses consist primarily of compensation and personnel-related expenses, including stock-based compensation, for our personnel in executive, finance and other administrative functions. General and administrative expenses also include professional fees paid for accounting, auditing, legal, tax and consulting services, insurance costs, recruiting costs, travel expenses, facility and other related costs, depreciation, and other general and administrative costs.
We expect to continue to incur expenses as a result of operating as a public company, including expenses related to compliance with the rules and regulations of the SEC, director and officer insurance expenses, and any investor relations related expenses, as well as other administrative and professional services.
Restructuring and Impairment Charges
Restructuring and impairment charges consist primarily of:
•for the year ended December 31, 2023, asset impairment charges related to our facility in Tarzana;
•for the year ended December 31, 2024, asset impairment charges related to our former leased manufacturing facility in Manchester;
•contract terminations related to our facilities; and
•severance and other employee termination related costs.
As part of a restructuring plan adopted in January 2023, we transitioned clinical manufacturing and trial operations of our former ITIL-306 program to the United Kingdom from the United States, and as a result, in 2023 we reduced our U.S. workforce by approximately 96% and our UK workforce by approximately 42%. Subsequently, in January 2024, we decided to initiate closure of our UK manufacturing and clinical operations, and in September 2024 we decided to close most of our remaining Manchester, UK operations, which resulted in the elimination of the majority of the remaining UK workforce, with the remaining reduction substantially completed by the end of 2024, which collectively we refer to as the 2024 Plan. As a result of the 2024 Plan, we incurred charges of $7.5 million during the year ended December 31, 2024.
Interest Income
Interest income consists of interest income from funds held in our cash and cash equivalent accounts, marketable securities and long-term investments.
Interest Expense
Interest expense consists of interest expense on our debt and amortization of loan origination costs.
Other Rental Income
Other rental income consists primarily of rental income related to our Tarzana manufacturing facility.
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Other Expense, Net
Other expense, net consists primarily of derivative financial instrument fair value gain or loss, foreign exchange remeasurement gain or loss, debt extinguishment loss and other expenses and income.
Income Tax Provision
We are subject to income taxes in the United States and the foreign jurisdiction where we operate, the United Kingdom. The United Kingdom has statutory tax rates that differ from those in the United States. Accordingly, our effective tax rates will vary depending on the relative proportion of United Kingdom to United States income, the availability of research and development tax credits, changes in the valuation of our deferred tax assets and liabilities and changes in tax laws.
In assessing the realizability of deferred tax assets, management considers whether it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. The ultimate realization of deferred tax assets is dependent upon the generation of future taxable income during the periods in which those temporary differences become deductible. Due to the uncertainty of the business in which we operate, projections of future profitability are difficult and past profitability is not necessarily indicative of future profitability. We maintain full valuation allowance against net deferred tax assets for the United States and the United Kingdom. The valuation allowance has been provided based on the positive and negative evidence relative to our company, including the existence of cumulative net operating losses, or NOLs, since our inception, and the inability to carryback these NOLs to prior periods. Furthermore, we have determined that it is more likely than not that the benefit of these assets would not be realized in the foreseeable future. The timing and the reversal of our valuation allowance will continue to be monitored.
Results of Operations
Comparison of the Years Ended December 31, 2024and 2023
The following table summarizes our results of operations for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 (in thousands):
Year Ended December 31, Change
Operating expenses:
In-process research and development $ 10,000 $ — $ 10,000
In-process Research and Development Expenses
In-process research and development expenses were $10.0 million and nil for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. The increase was due to:
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•$10.0 million in research and development costs related to payments made to ImmuneOnco pursuant to the IO Collaboration Agreement.
Research and Development Expenses
Research and development expenses were $11.8 million and $39.6 million for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. The net decrease of $27.8 million was primarily due to:
•$12.8 million decrease in costs from reduced headcount, consisting primarily of decreases of $12.3 million in wages and benefits, $0.2 million for other employee-related expenses in relation to our research and development personnel, and $0.8 million in professional services, offset by a $0.5 million increase in stock-based compensation expense due to forfeitures related to our reduction in force in 2023;
•$5.7 million decrease in costs related to research and clinical development activities and our clinical trials resulting from our discontinuation of our ITIL-168 clinical manufacturing activities; and
•$9.3 million decrease in expenses related to facilities, overhead, depreciation, and other expenses due to strategic reductions made in these areas.
The following table shows our research and development expenses for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 (in thousands):
Year Ended December 31,
In-process research and development:
Research and development:
Total research and development by program $ 11,838 $ 39,604
Total research and development expenses $ 21,838 $ 39,604
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(1) Other program expenses consist of costs related to our past development of our CoStAR-TIL technology.
General and Administrative Expenses
General and administrative expenses were $44.2 million and $47.6 million for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. The net decrease of $3.3 million was primarily due to:
•$3.0 million decrease in costs resulting from decreases in headcount and personnel related costs, including a decrease in stock-based compensation expense of $1.4 million; and
•$0.4 million decrease in consulting and professional service costs, mainly consisting of costs of business operations consultants of $0.6 million, offset by an increase of costs of information technology and facility consultants of $0.2 million; offset by
•$0.1 million increase in insurance expense, depreciation, and other office expenses.
Restructuring and Impairment Charges
Restructuring and impairment charges were approximately $7.5 million and $72.0 million for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. The net decrease of $64.5 million was primarily due to:
•$11.9 million decrease in costs resulting from impairments of assets identified as held for sale;
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•$41.5 million decrease due to an impairment on our Tarzana manufacturing facility in 2023, which did not recur in 2024;
•$6.9 million decrease in leased assets impairment charge;
•$2.3 million decrease in leasehold improvement impairment charge; and
•$2.7 million decrease in costs associated with termination of contracts; offset by
•$0.8 million increase in costs consisting of severance payments and benefits continuation costs.
Interest Income, Interest Expense, Other Rental Income and Other Expense, Net
Interest income, interest expense other rental income and other expense, net was $0.6 million of expense and $3.1 million of income for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. The increase in expense of $3.7 million was primarily due to:
•$1.9 million decrease of interest income related to our investments;
•$0.9 million increase of loss on foreign currency transactions;
•$3.8 million increase of interest expense from our debt; and
•$1.3 million increase of other losses, including changes in fair value and termination of derivative financial instrument and debt extinguishment; offset by
•$4.3 million increase in rental income related to our Tarzana manufacturing facility.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Sources of Liquidity
Since our inception, we have not generated any revenue from product sales and we have incurred significant operating losses. We do not have any products that have achieved regulatory marketing approval and we do not expect to generate revenue from commercial sales of any product candidates for several years, if ever.
As of December 31, 2024, we had cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash and marketable securities of $115.1 million, which consisted of $8.8 million in cash and cash equivalents, $1.8 million in restricted cash and $104.5 million in marketable securities. Cash in excess of immediate requirements is invested in accordance with our investment policy, primarily with a view to liquidity and capital preservation.
Prior to our initial public offering, or IPO, we funded our operations primarily through the issuance and sale of convertible preferred stock. From our inception through March 2021, prior to our IPO, we raised net cash proceeds of $380.1 million from the issuance and sale of our convertible preferred stock.
In the first quarter of 2021, we raised net proceeds of $339.0 million in our IPO pursuant to which we sold an aggregate of 920,000 shares of common stock.
In June 2022, our wholly owned subsidiary, Complex Therapeutics Mezzanine LLC, and our wholly owned subsidiary, Complex Therapeutics LLC, entered into a mortgage construction loan and mezzanine construction loan, or together, the Construction Loan Agreements, secured by our Tarzana, California land and building. Construction of the Tarzana facility has been completed and the facility has been leased to AstraZeneca. The initial principal amount of the Construction Loan Agreements was $52.1 million, with additional future principal of up to $32.9 million to fund then ongoing construction costs. During the year ended December 31, 2024, we refinanced the outstanding principal amount under the Construction Loan Agreements and treated it as an extinguishment for accounting purposes. On December 20, 2024, our wholly owned subsidiary, Complex Therapeutics LLC, entered into a Term Loan Agreement and related loan documents with Midland National Life Insurance Company, or the Lender, pursuant to which Lender loaned Complex Therapeutics LLC a term loan in the principal amount of $85.6 million, or the Loan, to refinance loans secured by the facility in Tarzana, California owned by Complex
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Therapeutics LLC. Substantially all of the Loan proceeds were used to repay in full the loans related to the construction and development of the Tarzana facility made pursuant to the Construction Loan Agreements. As of December 31, 2024, the outstanding principal amount under the Loan was $85.6 million and unamortized debt issuance costs were $1.4 million.
The Loan has a term of two years with a one-year extension option. The extension option is subject to certain conditions being met, including: (a) no potential default or event of default, (b) payment of a 0.35% extension fee and the costs and expenses of Lender incurred in connection with the extension, (c) replenishing of all reserve funds as reasonably determined by Lender, and (d) compliance with minimum debt yield and debt service coverage ratio requirements. The Loan bears interest at a fixed rate of 6.35% per annum, with interest-only payments during the term of the Loan and the principal balance due in full at maturity.
The Loan may be prepaid in whole but not in part. If the Loan is prepaid on or prior to the 12-month anniversary of the Closing Date, a prepayment fee is required (other than in connection with a casualty or condemnation event) to make Lender whole for the interest it would have otherwise earned on the Loan during the first 12 months. There is no prepayment fee due if the Loan is prepaid after the 12-month anniversary of the Closing Date.
Future Funding Requirements
Based on our current operating plan, we believe our existing cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash and marketable securities will be sufficient to fund our operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements beyond 2026. We are evaluating opportunities for a potential sale of our Tarzana facility, which is leased to AstraZeneca, and AstraZeneca has the right of first offer to purchase the Tarzana facility. If we are successful in selling the Tarzana facility, such a transaction could extend our expected cash runway. We have based this estimate on assumptions that may prove to be wrong, we may not be successful in securing a sale of the Tarzana facility, or at all, and we could utilize our available capital resources sooner than we expect.
We use our cash to fund operations, primarily to fund our business development, research and development expenditures and related personnel costs. We expect our expenses to continue to be significant as we invest in research and development activities, particularly as we in-license or acquire product candidates, advance product candidates into later stages of development and conduct clinical trials, seek regulatory approvals for and commercialize any product candidates that successfully complete clinical trials, hire personnel and invest in and grow our business, expand and protect our intellectual property portfolio, and operate as a public company. Because of the numerous risks and uncertainties associated with acquiring product candidates, and the research, development and commercialization of product candidates, we are unable to estimate the exact timing and amount of our funding requirements. Our future operating expenditures will depend on many factors, including:
•the results of our collaboration with ImmuneOnco and the number and characteristics of any product candidates we develop or acquire;
•the scope, rate of progress, costs and results of future clinical and preclinical development activities;
•the costs, timing and outcome of regulatory review of any product candidates, and the number of trials required for regulatory approval;
•the cost of manufacturing any product candidates, as well as any products we successfully commercialize;
•the cost of commercialization activities of our product candidates, if approved for sale, including marketing, sales and distribution costs;
•the timing, receipt and amount of sales of any product candidates, if approved;
•costs related to our Tarzana facility and our ability to complete a sale of our Tarzana facility;
•the extent to which we acquire or in-license other companies’ product candidates and technologies;
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•our ability to establish and maintain strategic collaborations, licensing or other arrangements and the financial terms of any such arrangements, including the timing and amount of any future milestone, royalty or other payments due under any such agreement;
•any product liability or other lawsuits or claims;
•the expenses needed to attract, hire and retain skilled personnel;
•our investments in our operational, financial and management information systems;
•the costs associated with operating as a public company;
•the costs involved in preparing, filing, prosecuting, maintaining, defending and enforcing our intellectual property portfolio; and
•any delays or issues resulting from the impact of adverse geopolitical and economic conditions.
In February 2019, we entered into a license agreement with Immetacyte Ltd., or Immetacyte, pursuant to which we obtained a worldwide license to Immetacyte’s proprietary technology, know-how and intellectual property for the research, development, manufacture and commercialization of TIL therapies. In March 2020, we acquired 100% of the share capital of Immetacyte for total cash and non-cash consideration, including contingent consideration, of $15.4 million. In connection with the acquisition, we terminated the Immetacyte license agreement and associated payment obligations.
As discussed above, in August 2024, we entered into the IO Collaboration Agreement with ImmuneOnco. Among other things, pursuant to that agreement, Axion Bio paid ImmuneOnco an up-front payment of $10.0 million and prepaid ImmuneOnco $5.0 million in development costs, and has agreed to pay up to $35.0 million in potential near-term payments, as well as up to $2.1 billion in commercial, development and regulatory milestones (including up to $270.0 million in longer term development and regulatory milestones and up to $1.8 billion in commercial milestones) plus single-digit to low double-digit percentage royalties on global net sales of the licensed products outside of Greater China.
We lease operating spaces in the United States and the United Kingdom under non-cancelable operating lease arrangements that expire on various dates through 2026. These arrangements require us to pay certain operating expenses, such as taxes, repairs, and insurance and contain landlord or tenant incentives or allowances, renewal and escalation clauses. As of December 31, 2024, our future minimum lease payments under committed or non-cancelable lease agreements were $3.0 million.
Until we can generate substantial revenue from sales of our product candidates, if that occurs, we plan to fund our operations through equity offerings, debt financings, or other capital sources. This may include leasing income, strategic collaborations or other arrangements with third parties. 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 these securities may include liquidation or other preferences that adversely affect the rights of our common shareholders. 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 our equity securities receive any distribution of our corporate assets. If we raise funds through collaborations or other similar arrangements with third parties, we may have to relinquish valuable rights to technologies, future revenue streams, product candidates or research programs or grant licenses on terms that may not be favorable to us and/or may reduce the value of our common stock. Our ability to raise additional funds may be adversely impacted by worsening global economic conditions and the recent disruptions to, and volatility in, the credit and financial markets in the United States and worldwide resulting from, among other things, heightened inflation, fluctuations in interest rates, conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, and recent and potential trade wars. If we fail to obtain necessary capital when needed on acceptable terms, or at all, it could force us to delay, limit, reduce or terminate our product development programs, commercialization efforts or other operations. See “Risk Factors.”
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Cash Flows
The following table sets forth the significant sources and uses of cash for the periods set forth below (in thousands):
Years Ended December 31,
Net cash provided by (used in):
Cash used in operating activities $ (55,696) $ (82,029)
Cash provided by investing activities 53,974 41,128
Cash provided by financing activities 1,755 8,082
Cash Flows from Operating Activities
Cash used in operating activities for the year ended December 31, 2024 was $55.7 million, which consisted of the net loss of $74.1 million and a $12.6 million net change to our net operating assets and liabilities, partially offset by $31.0 million in non-cash charges and other adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities. The net change in our operating assets and liabilities was primarily due to a decrease of $1.9 million in accrued expenses, accrued restructuring costs, and other current liabilities, a decrease of $1.4 million in operating lease liabilities, a decrease of $0.6 million in accounts payable, and an increase of $0.2 million in prepaid expenses and other current assets, and a decrease of $8.6 million in other long-term assets. The non-cash charges primarily consisted of stock-based compensation of $17.3 million, in-process research and development expenses of $10.0 million, impairment of fixed assets of $4.3 million, impairment of right-of-use assets of $0.8 million and depreciation expense of $3.6 million, offset by accretion on invested securities of $4.3 million and decrease in the fair value of contingent consideration of $3.9 million.
Cash used in operating activities for the year ended December 31, 2023 was $82.0 million, which consisted of the net loss of $156.1 million and a $9.0 million net change to our net operating assets and liabilities, partially offset by $83.1 million in non-cash charges and other adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities. The net change in our operating assets and liabilities was primarily due to a decrease of $7.8 million in accrued expenses, accrued restructuring costs, and other current liabilities, a decrease of $1.4 million in operating lease liabilities, a decrease of $1.1 million in accounts payable, an increase of $0.2 million in prepaid expenses and other current assets, an increase of $1.5 million in other long-term assets. The non-cash charges primarily consisted of stock-based compensation of $18.2 million, impairment of fixed assets of $60.1 million, impairment of right-of-use assets of $7.7 million and depreciation expense of $4.8 million, offset by accretion on invested securities of $6.8 million.
Cash Flows from Investing Activities
Cash provided by investing activities for the year ended December 31, 2024 was $54.0 million, consisting primarily of $64.1 million of cash provided by marketable securities investments, $0.9 million of cash received from held for sale assets and $0.6 million of cash received from termination of derivative financial instrument, offset by $10.0 million of acquired in-process research and development and $1.6 million from the renewal of our derivative financial instrument.
Cash provided by investing activities for the year ended December 31, 2023 was $41.1 million, consisting primarily of $60.2 million of cash was provided by marketable securities investments and $1.6 million cash received from held for sale assets, offset by $20.7 million of cash used for purchases of property, plant and equipment.
Cash Flows from Financing Activities
Cash provided by financing activities for the year ended December 31, 2024 was $1.8 million, which was primarily related to net cash proceeds from our Loan of $85.6 million and proceeds from the exercise of stock
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options of $0.4 million, offset by principal repayments of our Construction Loan Agreements of $82.8 million and Loan agreement closing costs of $1.4 million.
Cash provided by financing activities for the year ended December 31, 2023 was $8.1 million, which was primarily related to net cash proceeds from our Construction Loan Agreements of $8.7 million, offset by Construction Loan Agreements payments of $0.6 million.
Contractual Obligations and Commitments
In December 2024, our wholly owned subsidiary, Complex Therapeutics LLC, entered into the Loan and as of December 31, 2024, the outstanding principal amount under the Loan, was $85.6 million and unamortized debt issuance costs were $1.4 million.
As of December 31, 2024, we had non-cancelable purchase commitments of approximately $2.1 million consisting mainly of operating commitments. Additionally, future minimum lease payments under noncancellable operating leases as of December 31, 2024 totaled $3.0 million, as discussed in Note 8 to the financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report.
Under our agreement with a collaborator related to potential investigator-initiated trials in China, we paid $2.6 million and $0.3 million in milestone payments during the year ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. Upon successful completion of future milestones, we may be required to pay up to $3.4 million for clinical development and related activities.
Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
This management’s discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations is based on our consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with GAAP. The preparation of the consolidated financial statements requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, as well as the reported expenses incurred during the reporting periods. Our estimates are based on our historical experience and on various other factors that we believe are reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying value of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions.
While our significant accounting policies are more fully described in the notes to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report, we believe that the accounting policies discussed below are most critical to understanding and evaluating our historical and expected future performance.
Stock-Based Compensation
We maintain a stock-based compensation plan as a long-term incentive for employees, directors and consultants. The plan allows for the issuance of stock options, stock appreciation rights and restricted stock units.
For stock-based awards with only service conditions, we recognize stock-based compensation expense for stock-based awards on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period and account for forfeitures as they occur. For stock-based awards with performance conditions, stock-based compensation expense is not recognized until the performance condition is probable to occur. Our stock-based compensation costs are based upon the grant date fair value estimated using the Black-Scholes option pricing model. This model utilizes inputs that are highly subjective assumptions and generally require significant judgment. These assumptions include:
•Fair Value of Common Stock—Prior to our IPO in March 2021, the fair value of the shares of common stock underlying stock options had historically been determined by the Board of Directors. Because there has been no public market for the our common stock, the Board of Directors has determined fair value of the common stock at the time of grant of the option by considering a
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number of objective and subjective factors including important developments in our operations, contemporaneous valuations performed by an independent third party firm, sales of our convertible preferred stock, our operating results and financial performance, the conditions in the biotechnology industry and the economy in general, the stock price volatility of similar public companies and the lack of marketability of our common stock, among other factors. After our IPO in March 2021, the fair value of common stock is determined using the closing price of our common stock on the Nasdaq Stock Market.
•Expected Term—The expected term represents the period that stock-based awards are expected to be outstanding and is determined as the average of the time-to-vesting and the contractual life of the awards.
•Expected Volatility—Since we do not have sufficient trading history for our common stock, the expected volatility was estimated based on the average volatility for comparable publicly traded biotechnology companies over a period equal to the expected term of the stock option grants. The comparable companies were chosen based on their similar size, stage in the life cycle or area of specialty.
•Risk-Free Interest Rate—The risk-free interest rate is based on the U.S. Treasury zero coupon issues in effect at the time of grant for periods corresponding with the expected term of awards.
•Expected Dividend Yield—We have never paid dividends on our common stock and have no plans to pay dividends on our common stock. Therefore, we used an expected dividend yield of zero.
Assets Held for Sale
We classify long-lived assets or disposal groups to be sold as held for sale in the period in which all of the following criteria are met: management, having the authority to approve the action, commits to a plan to sell the asset or disposal group; the asset or disposal group is available for immediate sale in its present condition subject only to terms that are usual and customary for sales of such assets or disposal group; the sale of the asset or disposal group is probable, and transfer of the asset or disposal group is expected to qualify for recognition as a completed sale within one year, except if events or circumstances beyond our control extend the period of time required to sell the asset or disposal group beyond one year; the asset or disposal group is being actively marketed for sale at a price that is reasonable in relation to its current fair value; and actions required to complete the plan to sell have been initiated.
We initially measure a long-lived asset or disposal group that is held for sale at the lower of its carrying value or fair value less any costs to sell. Fair value is estimated by us through evaluations of quoted market prices received for other comparable held for sale assets sold by us. Any loss resulting from this measurement is recognized in the period in which the held for sale criteria are met. Conversely, gains are not recognized on the sale of a long-lived asset or disposal group until the date of sale. We assess the fair value of a long-lived asset or disposal group less any costs to sell each reporting period it remains classified as held for sale and report any subsequent changes as an adjustment to the carrying value of the asset or disposal group, as long as the new carrying value does not exceed the carrying value of the asset at the time it was initially classified as held for sale. Upon determining that a long-lived asset or disposal group meets the criteria to be classified as held for sale, we cease depreciation and report long-lived assets in the line item “assets held for sale” in the consolidated balance sheet. Refer to Note 13 to the consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Contingent Consideration
In connection with our acquisition of Immetacyte Ltd., we may be required to pay future consideration that is contingent upon the achievement of specified development, regulatory approval or sales-based milestone events. We record contingent consideration resulting from a business combination at its fair value on the acquisition date. Each reporting period thereafter, we remeasure these obligations and record increases or decreases in their fair value on our Consolidated Statements of Operations until such time that the payment is made. Increases or decreases in fair
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value of the contingent consideration liabilities can result from updates to assumptions such as the expected timing of or probability of achieving the specified milestone, the passage of time or changes in discount rates.
Impairment of Long-Lived Assets
We review our long-lived assets for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable or that the useful life is shorter than originally estimated. Recoverability of assets is measured by comparing the carrying amount of an asset to future undiscounted net cash flows expected to be generated by the asset over its remaining useful life. If such assets are impaired, the impairment recognized is measured by the amount by which the carrying amount of the assets exceeds the fair value of the assets. If the useful life is shorter than originally estimated, we depreciate or amortize the remaining carrying value over the revised shorter useful life. Assets to be disposed of by sale are reflected at the lower of their carrying amount or fair value less cost to sell. To date, we have recorded impairment losses on long-lived assets associated with a sustained decrease in our stock price and the Plan for a strategic prioritization of our preclinical and clinical development programs. We recognized a non-cash impairment charge of $0.3 million during 2024 for leasehold improvements and $2.6 million during 2023 for leasehold improvements. The impairment charges were recorded in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss in the line item “restructuring and impairment charges.”
During the year ended December 31, 2023, we determined there were indicators of impairment on our buildings and construction work-in-progress asset groups. As a result, we performed recoverability tests on these groups and concluded these assets’ undiscounted cash flows did not exceed their carrying values. We estimate the fair value of our buildings through a combination of an income-based approach and a market-based approach. The income-based approach is dependent on specific assumptions such as market rental rates, capitalization rates and discount rates. The market-based approach utilizes observable data, such as comparable building sales and occupancy rates. The fair value of our buildings were determined to be $132.1 million, below the carrying value of $173.7 million. This led to an impairment of approximately $41.5 million recognized in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss in the line item “restructuring and impairment charges.” The fair value of these assets are classified within Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy.
See Notes 3, 8 and 13 to the consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for more information.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
Information regarding recent accounting pronouncements applicable to us is included in Note 2 to the consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Emerging Growth Company Status and Smaller Reporting Company Status
We are an “emerging growth company” as defined in the JOBS Act. For so long as we remain an emerging growth company, we are permitted and intend to rely on certain exemptions from various public company reporting requirements, including not being required to have our internal control over financial reporting audited by our independent registered public accounting firm pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and any golden parachute payments not previously approved. Accordingly, the information contained herein may be different than the information you receive from other public companies in which you hold stock.
In addition, emerging growth companies can delay adopting new or revised accounting standards issued subsequent to the enactment of the JOBS Act until such time as those standards apply to private companies. We have elected to avail ourselves of this extended transition period for complying with new or revised accounting standards that have different effective dates for public and private companies until the earlier of the date that we (i) are no longer an emerging growth company or (ii) affirmatively and irrevocably opt out of the extended transition
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period provided in the JOBS Act. As a result, our financial statements may not be comparable to companies that comply with the new or revised accounting pronouncements as of public company effective dates.
We will remain an emerging growth company until the earliest of (i) December 31, 2026, (ii) the last day of the fiscal year in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.235 billion, (iii) the last day of the fiscal year in which we are deemed to be a “large accelerated filer” as defined in Rule 12b-2 under the Exchange Act, which would occur if the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates exceeded $700.0 million as of the last business day of the second fiscal quarter of such year or (iv) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt securities during the prior three-year period.
We are also a “smaller reporting company,” as defined in Rule 12b-2 under the Exchange Act. We may continue to be a smaller reporting company if either (i) the market value of our shares held by non-affiliates is less than $250.0 million or (ii) our annual revenue was less than $100.0 million during the most recently completed fiscal year and the market value of our shares held by non-affiliates is less than $700.0 million. If we are a smaller reporting company at the time we cease to be an emerging growth company, we may continue to rely on exemptions from certain disclosure requirements that are available to smaller reporting companies. Specifically, as a smaller reporting company, we may choose to present only the two most recent fiscal years of audited financial statements in our Annual Report on Form 10-K and, similar to emerging growth companies, smaller reporting companies have reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation.
Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk.
We are a smaller reporting company as defined by Item 10 of Regulation S-K and are not required to provide the information otherwise required under this item.
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Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.
INSTIL BIO, INC.
Index to financial statements
Page
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm (PCAOB ID #34) 92
Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2024 and 2023 93
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements 97
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REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
To the stockholders and the Board of Directors of Instil Bio, Inc.:
Opinion on the Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Instil Bio, Inc. (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2024 and 2023, the related consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss, stockholders’ equity, and cash flows for each of the two years in the period ended December 31, 2024, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the “financial statements”). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2024 and 2023, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the two years in the period ended December 31, 2024, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
Basis for Opinion
These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audits, we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.
Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
/s/ Deloitte & Touche LLP
San Diego, California
March 4, 2025
We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2020.
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INSTIL BIO, INC.
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(in thousands, except share and per share amounts)
December 31,
ASSETS
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents $ 8,805 $ 9,195
Prepaid expenses and other current assets 9,325 8,902
Operating lease right-of-use assets 934 2,387
Long-term investments — 23,161
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
Current liabilities:
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities 7,237 9,347
Operating lease liabilities, non-current 1,017 2,877
Other long-term liabilities 83 80
Commitments and contingencies (Note 8)
Stockholders’ equity:
Accumulated other comprehensive loss (228) (348)
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity $ 263,567 $ 325,630
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
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INSTIL BIO, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE LOSS
(in thousands, except share and per share amounts)
Year Ended December 31,
Operating expenses:
In-process research and development $ 10,000 $ —
Restructuring and impairment charges 7,493 72,012
Other rental income 4,267 —
Other comprehensive income:
Foreign currency translation 168 (433)
Unrealized (loss) gain on available-for-sale securities, net (48) 578
Net loss per share, basic and diluted $ (11.39) $ (24.00)
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
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INSTIL BIO, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
(in thousands, except share amounts)
Shares Amount
Other comprehensive income — — — 145 — 145
Other comprehensive income — — — 120 — 120
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
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INSTIL BIO, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(in thousands)
Year Ended December 31,
Cash flows from operating activities:
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities:
Foreign exchange remeasurement loss (gain) 275 (680)
Impairment of right-of-use assets 827 7,724
Change in fair value of contingent consideration (3,910) (3,384)
In-process research and development expenses 10,000 —
Accretion on invested securities (4,327) (6,775)
Non-cash loss on debt extinguishment 415 —
Change in fair value of derivative financial instrument 1,055 1,147
Loss on disposals of property and equipment 343 377
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
Prepaid expenses and other current assets (221) (241)
Operating lease liabilities (1,377) (1,404)
Long-term liabilities 77 (12)
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities (1,898) (7,773)
Net cash used in operating activities (55,696) (82,029)
Cash flows from investing activities:
Purchases of property, plant and equipment — (20,663)
Cash received from held for sale assets 866 1,557
Acquired in-process research and development (10,000) —
Cash received from termination of derivative financial instrument 605 —
Purchase of derivative financial instrument (1,588) —
Net cash provided by investing activities 53,974 41,128
Cash flows from financing activities:
Proceeds on Construction Loan Agreements — 8,669
Proceeds from the Loan 85,600 —
Principal payments on Construction Loan Agreements (82,838) (587)
Proceeds from exercise of stock options 365 —
Loan agreement closing costs (1,372) —
Net cash provided by financing activities 1,755 8,082
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash—beginning of period 10,696 43,716
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash—end of period $ 10,635 $ 10,696
Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information:
Cash paid for interest, net of amounts capitalized $ 7,997 $ 6,639
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
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INSTIL BIO, INC.
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
1. Organization and Description of Business
Instil Bio, Inc. (the “Company”) is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing a pipeline of novel therapies. The Company is advancing the development of its lead product candidate, AXN-2510 (formerly SYN-2510)/IMM2510, a bispecific antibody targeting both programmed death-ligand 1 (“PD-L1”) and vascular endothelial growth factor (“VEGF”) in solid tumor cancers, and seeks to in-license or acquire and develop additional novel therapeutic candidates in diseases with significant unmet medical need.
In August 2024, the Company’s wholly owned subsidiary, Axion Bio, Inc. (formerly SynBioTx, Inc.) (“Axion Bio”), in-licensed certain bispecific antibodies, including AXN-2510/IMM2510, and AXN-27M (formerly SYN-27M)/IMM27M, a monoclonal antibody targeting cytotoxic T-lymphocyte associated antigen 4 (“CTLA-4”) from ImmuneOnco Biopharmaceuticals (Shanghai) Inc. (“ImmuneOnco”). AXN-2510/IMM2510, the lead in-licensed product candidate, is a novel and differentiated PD-L1xVEGF bispecific antibody in development for the treatment of multiple solid tumor cancers. Pursuant to the license and collaboration agreement with ImmuneOnco (the “IO Collaboration Agreement”), Axion Bio has an exclusive license to research, develop, manufacture and commercialize these product candidates globally, including in the United States, Europe and Japan, excluding mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan (“Greater China”). ImmuneOnco retains development and commercialization rights in Greater China.
2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
Basis of Presentation
The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) and include the accounts of the Company and its wholly owned subsidiaries. All intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.
Use of Estimates
The preparation of the consolidated financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of expenses during the reporting period. Significant estimates and assumptions made in the accompanying consolidated financial statements include but are not limited to the fair value of contingent consideration payable, assets held for sale, fair value of the Company’s building, contract termination liabilities, and stock-based compensation. The Company evaluates its estimates and assumptions on an ongoing basis using historical experience and other factors and adjusts those estimates and assumptions when facts and circumstances dictate. Actual results could differ from those estimates.
Concentration of Credit Risk
Financial Instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk consist primarily of cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash, marketable securities and long-term investments. The Company’s cash and cash equivalents are held by two financial institutions in the United States (“U.S.”) and one financial institution in the United Kingdom (“UK”), which management believes to be financially sound, and accordingly, minimal credit risk exists with respect to the financial institutions. At times, the Company’s deposits held in the U.S. and UK may exceed the Federal Depository Insurance Corporation and Financial Services Compensation Scheme, respectively, insured limits. During the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, the Company has not experienced any credit losses in such accounts or marketable securities.
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Risks and Uncertainties
The Company is subject to a number of risks similar to other development-stage biopharmaceutical companies, including but not limited to, dependency on the clinical and commercial success of its product candidates, ability to obtain regulatory approval of its product candidates, uncertainty of broad adoption of its approved products, if any, by physicians and patients, manufacturing, the need to obtain adequate additional funding, significant competition, and protection of its intellectual property portfolio.
Reverse Stock Split
Effective December 7, 2023, the Company effected a 1-for-20 reverse stock split of its outstanding shares of common stock. Where applicable, all share and per share amounts in these consolidated financial statements have been adjusted to reflect the effect of the reverse stock split.
Segments
Operating segments are identified as components of an entity for which separate discrete financial information is available and that is regularly reviewed by the chief operating decision maker, the Company’s Chief Executive Officer, in deciding how to allocate resources to an individual segment and in assessing performance. The Company has determined it operates in a single operating segment and has one operating segment. See Note 3 for further information.
Cash, Cash Equivalents, Restricted Cash, Marketable Securities, and Long-Term Investments
The Company considers all highly liquid investments purchased with original maturities of three months or less from the purchase date to be cash equivalents. Cash equivalents include amounts invested in money market accounts.
Restricted cash consists of a cash reserve which serves as collateral for the Company’s Construction Loan Agreements (as defined in Note 8) during the year ended December 31, 2023 and the Loan (as defined in Note 8) during the year ended December 31, 2024 on the consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2024. There was $1.8 million and $1.5 million restricted cash as of December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively, on the consolidated balance sheet.
The Company’s investments in marketable securities and long-term investments have been classified and accounted for as available-for-sale. The Company classifies its maturities as either short-term or long-term based on each instrument’s underlying contractual maturity date, which are carried at their fair values based on the quoted market prices of the securities. Unrealized gains and losses are reported as accumulated other comprehensive income (loss). Realized gains and losses on available-for-sale securities are included in net loss in the period earned or incurred. As of December 31, 2024 and 2023, marketable securities consisted of U.S. Treasury bills.
The Company periodically reviews whether its securities may be other-than-temporarily impaired, including whether or not (i) the Company has the intent to sell the security or (ii) it is more likely than not that the Company will be required to sell the security before its anticipated recovery. If one of these factors is met, the Company will record an impairment loss associated with its impaired investment. The impairment loss will be recorded as a write-down of investments in the consolidated balance sheets and a realized loss within other expense in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss. For the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, there were no impairment losses for the investments.
The following table provides a reconciliation of cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash reported within the consolidated balance sheets that sum to the amounts shown in the consolidated statements of cash flows (in thousands):
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December 31,
Cash and cash equivalents $ 8,805 $ 9,195
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash $ 10,635 $ 10,696
Fair Value Measurement
Assets and liabilities recorded at fair value on a recurring basis in the balance sheets are categorized based upon the level of judgment associated with the inputs used to measure their fair values. Fair value is defined as the exchange price that would be received for an asset or an exit price that would be paid to transfer a liability in the principal or most advantageous market for the asset or liability in an orderly transaction between market participants on the measurement date. Valuation techniques used to measure fair value maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs. The Company measures fair value based on a three-tier hierarchy, which prioritizes the inputs used in the valuation methodologies in measuring fair value as follows:
Level 1 —Observable inputs such as unadjusted, quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities at the measurement date.
Level 2 —Inputs (other than quoted prices included in Level 1) are either directly or indirectly observable for the assets or liabilities. These include quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in active markets and quoted prices for identical or similar assets or liabilities in markets that are not active.
Level 3 —Unobservable inputs that are supported by little or no market activity and that are significant to the fair value of the assets or liabilities.
In determining fair value, the Company utilize quoted market prices, or valuation techniques that maximize the use of unobservable inputs to the extent possible as well as considers counterparty credit risk in its assessment of fair value.
Property, Plant and Equipment, Net
Property, plant and equipment, with the exception of land, is stated at cost less accumulated depreciation. Depreciation is computed on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful lives of the related assets. Maintenance and repairs are charged to operations as incurred. Upon sale or retirement of assets, the cost and related accumulated depreciation are removed from the balance sheets and the resulting gain or loss is reflected in the consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive loss. The estimated useful lives of the Company’s property, plant and equipment are as follows:
Laboratory equipment 5 years
Manufacturing equipment 5 years
Office and computer equipment 3 years
Buildings 35 years
Leasehold improvements Shorter of remaining lease term or estimated useful life
The Company owns land and buildings and, as described in Note 4, the clinical and commercial manufacturing building has been completed and has been leased. See Note 8 for details. A variety of costs were incurred in the development of a property. After determination is made to capitalize a cost, it is allocated to the specific component of a project that is benefited. The capitalized costs include pre-construction costs essential to the development of the property, development costs, and construction costs. When the Tarzana development project was completed and available for occupancy, the Company ceased capitalization of costs other than costs to improve the functionality or
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extend the useful lives of property, plant and equipment included as part of the project. During the year ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, the Company recorded a building impairment of zero and $41.5 million, respectively, recognized in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss in the line item “restructuring and impairment charges.” See Note 4 for more information.
Assets Held for Sale
The Company classifies long-lived assets or disposal groups to be sold as held for sale in the period in which all of the following criteria are met: management, having the authority to approve the action, commits to a plan to sell the asset or disposal group; the asset or disposal group is available for immediate sale in its present condition subject only to terms that are usual and customary for sales of such assets or disposal group; the sale of the asset or disposal group is probable, and transfer of the asset or disposal group is expected to qualify for recognition as a completed sale within one year, except if events or circumstances beyond the Company’s control extend the period of time required to sell the asset or disposal group beyond one year; the asset or disposal group is being actively marketed for sale at a price that is reasonable in relation to its current fair value; and actions required to complete the plan to sell have been initiated.
The Company initially measures a long-lived asset or disposal group that is held for sale at the lower of its carrying value or fair value less any costs to sell. Fair value is estimated by the Company through evaluations of quoted market prices received for other comparable held for sale assets sold by the Company. Any loss resulting from this measurement is recognized in the period in which the held for sale criteria are met. Conversely, gains are not recognized on the sale of a long-lived asset or disposal group until the date of sale. The Company assesses the fair value of a long-lived asset or disposal group less any costs to sell each reporting period it remains classified as held for sale and reports any subsequent changes as an adjustment to the carrying value of the asset or disposal group, as long as the new carrying value does not exceed the carrying value of the asset at the time it was initially classified as held for sale. Upon determining that a long-lived asset or disposal group meets the criteria to be classified as held for sale, the Company ceases depreciation and reports long-lived assets in the line item “assets held for sale” in its consolidated balance sheet. To date, the Company has recorded impairment losses on assets held for sale associated with the Plan as defined below in Note 13. During the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, the Company recognized non-cash impairment charges for assets held for sale of $4.3 million and $16.3 million, respectively. The non-cash impairment charge was recorded in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss in the line item “restructuring and impairment charges.”
Impairment of Long-Lived Assets
The Company reviews its long-lived assets for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable or that the useful life is shorter than originally estimated. Recoverability of assets is measured by comparing the carrying amount of an asset to future undiscounted net cash flows expected to be generated by the asset over its remaining useful life. If such assets are impaired, the impairment recognized is measured by the amount by which the carrying amount of the assets exceeds the fair value of the assets. If the useful life is shorter than originally estimated, the Company depreciates or amortizes the remaining carrying value over the revised shorter useful life. Assets to be disposed of by sale are reflected at the lower of their carrying amount or fair value less costs to sell. To date, the Company has recorded impairment losses on long-lived assets associated with a sustained decrease in the Company’s stock price and in connection with the Plan as defined below in Note 13. The Company recognized a non-cash impairment charge of $0.3 million during the year ended December 31, 2024 and $2.6 million during the year ended December 31, 2023 related to leasehold improvements. Additionally, the Company recognized impairment charges of $41.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2023 relating to the Tarzana facility. These impairment charges were recorded in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss in the line item “restructuring and impairment charges.” See Notes 8 and 13 for more information.
Grant Proceeds
The Company receives government grants in the UK for the furtherance of certain research and development projects. Grant proceeds are recognized when all conditions of such grants are fulfilled or there is a reasonable
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assurance that they will be fulfilled. Grant proceeds are classified as a reduction of research and development expenses. For each of the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, $0.1 million of grant proceeds were recognized in research and development expenses on the Company’s consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss.
Research and Development Expenses
Research and development costs are expensed as incurred. Clinical trial and other development costs incurred by third parties are expensed as the contracted work is performed. The Company accrues for costs incurred as the services are being provided by monitoring the status of the trial or project and the invoices received from its external service providers. The Company adjusts its accrual as actual costs become known. Where contingent milestone payments are due to third parties under research and development arrangements or license agreements, the milestone payment obligations are expensed when the milestone results are achieved.
Stock-Based Compensation
The Company measures its stock-based awards granted to employees, non-employee directors, consultants and independent advisors based on the estimated grant date fair value of the awards. For stock-based awards with only service conditions, compensation expense is recognized over the requisite service period using the straight-line method. For stock-based awards that include performance conditions, compensation expense is not recognized until the performance condition is probable to occur. The Company uses the Black-Scholes option pricing model to estimate the fair value of its stock-based awards. The Black-Scholes option pricing model requires the Company to make assumptions and judgements about the variables used in the calculations, including the fair value of common stock, expected term, expected volatility of the Company’s common stock, risk-free interest rate and expected dividend yield. The Company accounts for forfeitures of stock-based awards as they occur.
Income Taxes
Income taxes are accounted for using the asset and liability method. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts or existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using the enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period of enactment. The Company records a valuation allowance to reduce deferred tax assets to an amount expected to be realized.
The Company recognizes the tax benefit from an uncertain tax position if it is more likely than not that the tax position will be sustained upon examination by the tax authorities, based on the merits of the position. The Company’s policy is to recognize interest and penalties related to the underpayment of income taxes as a component of income tax expense or benefit. To date, there have been no interest or penalties charged in relation to the unrecognized tax benefits.
Foreign Currency
The Company’s reporting currency is the U.S. dollar. The functional currency of the Company’s subsidiary located in the United Kingdom is the British pound sterling. Balance sheets prepared in the functional currency are translated to the reporting currency at exchange rates in effect at the end of the accounting period, except for stockholders’ deficit accounts, which are translated at rates in effect when these balances were originally recorded. Revenue and expense accounts are translated using an average exchange rate in effect during the period. The resulting foreign currency translation adjustments are recorded as a separate component of accumulated other comprehensive loss in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets.
Gains and losses resulting from exchange rate changes on intercompany transactions denominated in a currency other than the local currency are included in earnings as incurred as the related amounts are expected to be repaid in the foreseeable future.
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Net Loss Per Share
Basic net loss per share is calculated by dividing the net loss by the weighted-average number of shares of the Company’s common stock outstanding for the period, without consideration for potential dilutive shares of common stock. For purposes of the diluted net loss per share calculation, convertible preferred stock and common stock options are considered to be potentially dilutive securities. Diluted net loss per share is the same as basic net loss per share for each period presented since the effects of potentially dilutive securities are antidilutive given the net loss of the Company.
Comprehensive Loss
Comprehensive loss is defined as a change in equity during a period from transactions and other events and circumstances from non-owner sources. For the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, comprehensive loss consists of foreign currency translation adjustments and unrealized loss on available-for-sale securities net of tax.
Leases
The Company determines if an arrangement is or contains a lease at contract inception by assessing whether the arrangement contains an identified asset and whether the lessee has the right to control such asset. Lessees are required to classify leases as either finance or operating leases and to record a right-of-use (“ROU”) asset and a lease liability for all leases with a term greater than 12 months regardless of the lease classification. The lease classification will determine whether the lease expense is recognized based on an effective interest rate method or on a straight-line basis over the term of the lease. The Company determines the initial classification and measurement of its ROU assets and lease liabilities at the lease commencement date and thereafter if modified. For leases with a term greater than 12 months, the Company records the lease liability at the present value of lease payments over the term. The term of the Company’s leases equals the non-cancellable period of the lease, including any rent-free periods provided by the lessor, and also includes options to extend or terminate the lease that the Company is reasonably certain to exercise. The ROU asset equals the carrying amount of the related lease liability, adjusted for any lease payments made prior to lease commencement, any deferred rent upon adoption, and lease incentives provided by the lessor.
The Company has elected, for all classes of underlying assets, not to recognize ROU assets and lease liabilities for leases with a term of 12 months or less. Lease cost for short-term leases is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term. The Company estimates its incremental borrowing rate based on the rate of interest that the Company would have to pay to borrow on a collateralized basis over a similar term, an amount equal to the lease payments in a similar economic environment.
Variable lease payments are expensed as incurred and do not factor into the measurement of the applicable ROU asset or lease liability. Lease payments may be fixed or variable; however, only fixed payments are included in the Company’s lease liability calculation. Lease costs for the Company’s operating leases are recognized on a straight-line basis within operating expenses over the lease term. The Company’s lease agreements may contain non-lease components such as common area maintenance, operating expenses or other costs, which are expensed as incurred for all classes of assets. The Company’s leases do not contain any residual value guarantees. See Note 8 for further information below.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements Adopted
In November 2023, the FASB issued ASU No. 2023-07, Segment Reporting (Topic 280): Improvements to Reportable Segment Disclosures which requires public entities to disclose information about their reportable segments’ significant expenses on an interim and annual basis. ASU 2023-07 is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2023, and interim periods within fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2024, with early adoption permitted. The Company adopted this standard on December 31, 2024. See Note 3 for further information.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements Not Yet Adopted
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In December 2023, the FASB issued ASU 2023-09 “Income Taxes (Topics 740): Improvements to Income Tax Disclosures” to expand the disclosure requirements for income taxes, specifically related to the rate reconciliation and income taxes paid. ASU 2023-09 is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2024, with early adoption permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this ASU 2023-09 on its consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.
In November 2024, the FASB issued ASU no. 2024-03, Income Statement-Reporting Comprehensive Income-Expense Disaggregation Disclosures (Subtopic 220-40). The amendments in this update require disclosure, in the notes to the financial statements, of specific expense categories present within expense captions presented on the face of the income statement within continuing operations of public business entities. The amendments in this update are effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2026 and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2027. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this ASU 2024-03 on its consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.
A variety of proposed or otherwise potential accounting standards are currently being studied by standard-setting organizations and certain regulatory agencies. Because of the tentative and preliminary nature of such proposed standards, the Company has not yet determined the effect, if any, that the implementation of such proposed standards would have on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.
3. Segment Reporting
The Company manages its business activities on a consolidated basis and has one reportable segment relating to the research and development of its novel therapies. The Chief Executive Officer, who serves as the Company’s chief operating decision maker (“CODM”), is responsible for the overall supervision, direction, and management of the business and its officers.
The CODM reviews net loss, as reported in the consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive loss, as well as the progress of the Company’s program(s). The CODM does not review assets in evaluating the results of the segment, and therefore, such information is not presented. The accounting policies of the segment are the same as those described in Note 2.
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The following table is a summary of the segment loss, including significant segment expenses for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 (in thousands):
Year Ended December 31,
In-process research and development $ 10,000 $ —
Other (income) expense, net (1,411) 575
______________________________________________________________
(1) Depreciation expense is removed from both “General and administrative” and “Other program expense” and is disclosed separately.
(2) Other program expenses consist of costs related to the Company’s past development of its CoStAR-TIL technology.
The Company’s long-lived tangible assets, as well as the Company’s operating lease right-of-use assets, recognized on the consolidated balance sheets is as follows (in thousands):
Year Ended December 31,
United Kingdom $ — $ 7,097
4. Balance Sheet Components
Prepaid and other current assets
Prepaid and other current assets consist of the following (in thousands):
December 31,
Prepaid general and administration $ 1,316 $ 1,033
Prepaid research and development 4,146 300
Prepaid contract research organization expenses 282 1,322
Total prepaid and other current assets $ 9,325 $ 8,902
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Property, Plant and Equipment, Net
Property, plant and equipment, net consist of the following (in thousands):
December 31,
Laboratory equipment — 8,291
Office and computer equipment 509 831
Leasehold improvements — 1,424
Manufacturing equipment — 2,017
Less: accumulated depreciation (4,779) (7,555)
Depreciation expense was $3.6 million and $4.8 million for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively, in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss.
The Company capitalized interest of nil and $2.4 million during the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively, related to qualifying expenditures for construction work-in-progress for the Company’s Tarzana manufacturing facility.
Accrued Expenses and Other Current Liabilities
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities consist of the following (in thousands):
December 31,
Accrued compensation and benefits $ 2,691 $ 1,026
Accrued operational expenses 582 1,412
Accrued research, development and clinical trial expenses 209 1,833
Operating lease liabilities, current 1,682 1,750
Other current liabilities — 190
Total accrued expenses and other current liabilities $ 7,237 $ 9,347
5. Fair Value Measurement
The fair value of cash and cash equivalents approximates carrying value since cash and cash equivalents consist of short-term highly liquid investments with maturities of less than three months at the time of purchase. Cash and cash equivalents are quoted market prices in active markets for identical assets and are therefore classified as Level 1 assets. Money market funds are open-end mutual funds that invest in cash, government securities, and/or repurchase agreements that are collateralized fully. To the extent that these funds are valued based upon the reported net asset value, they are categorized in Level 1 of the fair value hierarchy.
Short-term and long-term marketable securities comprised U.S. Treasury bills that are classified within Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy are valued based on other observable inputs, including broker or dealer quotations, alternative pricing sources or U.S. Government Treasury yield of appropriate term.
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The following tables provide information by level for assets and liabilities that are measured at fair value on a recurring and nonrecurring basis:
Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Total
(In thousands)
Financial Assets
Money market funds $ 5,632 $ — $ — $ 5,632
Financial Liabilities
Contingent consideration $ — $ — $ 948 $ 948
Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Total
(In thousands)
Financial Assets
Money market funds $ 5,684 $ — $ — $ 5,684
Derivative financial instrument — 1,055 — 1,055
Financial Liabilities
Contingent consideration $ — $ — $ 4,858 $ 4,858
There were no transfers in or out of Level 1, 2 and 3 measurements for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023. As of December 31, 2024 and 2023, there were no securities within Level 3 of the fair value hierarchy. The derivative financial instrument above relates to the interest rate swap discussed in Note 8, and is included in prepaid expenses and current assets in the consolidated balance sheets.
As of December 31, 2024 and 2023, the fair value of the Company’s Loan (as defined in Note 8) was $84.7 million and $72.3 million, respectively. The fair value was determined on the basis of its net present value and is considered Level 2 in the fair value hierarchy.
The following table sets forth a summary of the changes in the fair value of the Company’s Level 3 financial liabilities (in thousands):
Level 3 Financial Liabilities
Fair value, beginning balance as of December 31, 2022 $ 8,242
Change in fair value (3,384)
Fair value, ending balance as of December 31, 2023 4,858
Change in fair value (3,910)
Fair value, ending balance as of December 31, 2024 $ 948
The Company’s acquisition of Immetacyte involved the potential for the payment of future contingent consideration upon the achievement of (i) certain product development milestones including, approval of studies and commencement and completion of certain product trials, or (ii) various other performance conditions including, receipt of final approval for the first marketing authorization and first commercial sale in certain geographical markets. Contingent consideration is recorded at the estimated fair value of the contingent payments on the acquisition date. The fair value of the contingent consideration is remeasured at the estimated fair value at each
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reporting period with the change in fair value recognized as income or expense within research and development expense in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss.
During the year of acquisition, the Company determined the fair value of the contingent consideration by probability weighting scenarios of milestone achievements to determine the expected future contingent consideration payment, discounted to present value using an 8% discount rate based on the Company’s pre-tax cost of debt on the acquisition date. The probability of payments ranged from 0% to 5% and the timing of future payments ranged from 2026 to 2028. Determinations of the likelihood of milestone achievements, which trigger payouts related to the contingent consideration, as well as the probabilities for various scenarios used in the Company’s calculations, were based on internal unobservable projections.
During the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, the change of fair value related to the contingent consideration was due to the discontinuation of the ITIL-306-202 development program, the change in present value for the passage of time, as well as expected dates and probabilities of milestone achievement revisions.
6. Financial Instruments
Marketable securities and long-term investments classified as available-for-sale on December 31, 2024 and 2023 consisted of the following (in thousands):
U.S. Treasury bills Between one and two years 23,134 27 — 23,161
As of December 31, 2024 and 2023, marketable securities that had contractual maturities less than one year are classified as current because management considers these marketable securities to be available for current operations. As of December 31, 2024 and 2023, marketable securities that had contractual maturities between one and two years are classified as long-term because management considers these marketable securities to be available for operations beyond one year. The Company does not intend to sell its marketable securities and it is not likely that the Company will be required to sell these securities before recovery of their amortized cost basis. There were $104.5 million of marketable securities classified as available-for-sale as of December 31, 2024. There were $141.2 million of marketable securities and $23.2 million of long-term investments maturing in less than two years classified as available-for-sale as of December 31, 2023.
7. License and Collaboration Agreement with ImmuneOnco
On August 1, 2024, Axion Bio and ImmuneOnco entered into the IO Collaboration Agreement pursuant to which Axion Bio in-licensed certain bispecific antibodies, including AXN-2510/IMM2510 and AXN-27M/IMM27M, from ImmuneOnco. Pursuant the IO Collaboration Agreement, Axion Bio paid ImmuneOnco a $10.0 million upfront payment and prepaid ImmuneOnco $5.0 million in development costs in the year ended December 31, 2024. ImmuneOnco is eligible to receive additional potential near-term payments of up to
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$35.0 million, up to $2.1 billion in commercial, development and regulatory milestones (including up to $270.0 million in longer term development and regulatory milestones and up to $1.8 billion in commercial milestones) plus single-digit to low double-digit percentage royalties on global net sales of the licensed products outside of Greater China.
The expenses recognized in connection with the IO Collaboration Agreement were $10.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, recorded as a component of In-process research and development on the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss. As of December 31, 2024, no additional milestones had been accrued as the underlying contingencies had not yet been resolved.
8. Commitments and Contingencies
Leases
Company as a Lessee: Operating Lease Obligations
The Company currently leases office spaces and laboratory spaces located in Thousand Oaks, California, Dallas, Texas, and Alderley Park in the United Kingdom. The Company’s leased facilities have original lease terms ranging from 2 to 5 years that predominately require the Company to provide a security deposit, while certain leases provide the right for the Company to renew the lease upon the expiration of the initial lease term, and various leases have scheduled rent increases on an annual basis. The exercise of lease renewal options for the Company’s existing leases is at the Company’s sole discretion, and not included in the measurement of right-of-use asset or lease liability as they are not reasonably certain to be exercised. Certain leases have leasehold improvements and are being amortized over the shorter of the estimated useful life of the improvements or the remaining life of the lease. Such improvements incurred by the Company will revert to the landlord at the expiration of the lease and will be removed from Company’s consolidated balance sheets.
The Company’s lease costs consist of the following (in thousands):
Year Ended December 31,
The following table summarizes cash flow information related to the Company’s lease obligations (in thousands):
Year Ended December 31,
Cash paid for operating lease liabilities $ 2,279 $ 2,308
The following table summarizes the Company’s lease assets and liabilities (in thousands):
December 31,
Operating lease right-of-use assets $ 934 $ 2,387
Current operating lease liabilities $ 1,682 $ 1,750
Non-current operating lease liabilities $ 1,017 $ 2,877
The following table summarizes other supplemental information related to the Company’s lease obligations:
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December 31,
Weighted-average remaining lease term (in years) 1.70 2.60
Weighted-average discount rate 6.75 % 6.75 %
Future minimum lease payments under operating lease liabilities were (in thousands):
Total future lease payments 3,036
Less: imputed interest 337
Total lease liability balance 2,699
Less: current portion of operating lease liabilities 1,682
Total operating lease liabilities, non-current $ 1,017
During the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, the Company evaluated its remaining right-of-use assets for impairment, as the Plan (as defined below in Note 13) has resulted in a cessation of use for several locations. The Company determined these assets were impaired, and has recognized an impairment loss of $0.8 million and $7.2 million for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively, which are recorded in the line item “restructuring and impairment charges” in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss.
Company as a Lessor: Tarzana Facility Lease with AstraZeneca
On July 10, 2024, Complex Therapeutics LLC entered into a lease with AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP (“Tenant”) (the “Lease”) pursuant to which the Tenant is leasing the Company’s facility located in Tarzana, California. The Lease has an initial term of approximately 15 years, beginning on July 10, 2024 and ending on July 31, 2039, with Tenant having two consecutive options to extend the term for a five-year period each and a one-time option to terminate the Lease on the tenth anniversary of the commencement of the Lease, which, if exercised, obligates Tenant to pay Complex Therapeutics LLC a termination fee. The initial base rent is $0.6 million per month ($7.5 million annually) and the base rent will escalate by 3% per annum. Tenant is also required to pay certain operating expenses and tax expenses as additional rent. There is rent abatement during the first year of the Lease such that Tenant will pay no rent or reduced rent during this period. Tenant also has a right of first offer to purchase the premises that are subject to the Lease.
The Lease is classified as an operating lease and revenue is recognized on a straight-line basis and will be recorded within the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss in the line item “Other rental income” as this is not a part of the Company’s core operations. Rental income related to the operating lease was as follows (in thousands):
Year Ended December 31,
Rental income $ 4,267 $ —
Approximate future straight-lined contractual lease income to be recognized under a non-cancelable operating lease in effect as of December 31, 2024, are as follows (in thousands):
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Legal Proceedings
From time to time, the Company may have certain contingent liabilities that arise in the ordinary course of its business activities. The Company accrues a liability for such matters when it is probable that future expenditures will be made and that such expenditures can be reasonably estimated. Significant judgment is required to determine both probability and the estimated amount. The Company does not expect that the resolution of these matters will have a material adverse effect on its financial position, results of operations or cash flows.
Debt
In June 2022, the Company’s wholly owned subsidiary, Complex Therapeutics Mezzanine LLC, and the Company’s wholly owned subsidiary, Complex Therapeutics LLC, entered into a mortgage construction loan and mezzanine construction loan (together, the “Construction Loan Agreements”) secured by its Tarzana, California land and building. The initial principal amount of the Construction Loan Agreements was $52.1 million, with additional future principal of up to $32.9 million to fund ongoing construction costs. Construction had been completed, and on July 10, 2024, Complex Therapeutics LLC entered into the Lease. The Construction Loan Agreements were guaranteed by the Company and secured by the Property, and bears interest at the one-month Secured Overnight Financing Rate, plus 5.25% per annum. The Company discontinued capitalizing interest in June 2023 as the building was substantially complete at such time. During the year ended December 31, 2024, the Company refinanced the outstanding principal amount under the Construction Loan Agreements and treated it as a loan extinguishment for accounting purposes and recorded the $0.4 million of unamortized debt issuance costs associated with the Construction Loan Agreement as a loss on debt extinguishment recognized in other expense, net in the consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive loss for the year ended December 31, 2024. On December 20, 2024, Complex Therapeutics LLC, entered into a Term Loan Agreement (the “Loan”) and related loan documents with Midland National Life Insurance Company (the “Lender”), pursuant to which Lender loaned Complex Therapeutics LLC a term loan in the principal amount of $85.6 million to refinance loans secured by the facility in Tarzana, California owned by Complex Therapeutics LLC. Substantially all of the Loan proceeds were used to repay in full the loans related to the construction and development of the Tarzana facility made pursuant to the Construction Loan Agreements. As of December 31, 2024, the outstanding principal amount under the Loan was $85.6 million and unamortized debt issuance costs were $1.4 million.
The Loan has a term of two years with a one-year extension option. The extension option is subject to certain conditions being met, including: (a) no potential default or event of default, (b) payment of a 0.35% extension fee and the costs and expenses of Lender incurred in connection with the extension, (c) replenishing of all reserve funds as reasonably determined by Lender, and (d) compliance with minimum debt yield and debt service coverage ratio requirements. The Loan bears interest at a fixed rate of 6.35% per annum, with interest-only payments during the term of the Loan and the principal balance due in full at maturity.
The Loan may be prepaid in whole but not in part. If the Loan is prepaid on or prior to the 12-month anniversary of the Closing Date, a prepayment fee is required (other than in connection with a casualty or condemnation event) to make Lender whole for the interest it would have otherwise earned on the Loan during the first 12 months. There is no prepayment fee due if the Loan is prepaid after the 12-month anniversary of the Closing Date.
The net carrying amount of the liability component of the debt was as follows (in thousands):
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December 31,
Unamortized debt issuance cost (1,413) (1,410)
The following table sets forth the interest expense recognized related to the debt (in thousands):
Year Ended December 31,
Contractual interest expense $ 7,997 $ 4,214
Amortization of debt issuance cost 995 995
Total interest expense related to the Debt $ 8,992 $ 5,209
Indemnifications
The Company has entered into indemnification agreements with its directors and officers that may require the Company to indemnify its directors and officers against liabilities that may arise by reason of their status or service as directors or officers to the fullest extent permitted by Delaware corporate law. The Company currently has directors’ and officers’ insurance coverage that reduces its exposure and enables the Company to recover a portion of any future amounts paid. No liability associated with such indemnifications was recorded as of December 31, 2024 and 2023.
Other Commitments
In the normal course of business, the Company enters into contracts and various purchase agreements commitments with third-party vendors for clinical research services, products and other services from third parties for operating purposes. These agreements generally provide for termination or cancellation, other than for costs already incurred. As of December 31, 2024 and 2023, the Company had $0.1 million and zero outstanding liabilities, respectively, in commitments for employee benefits as part of the Plan. As of December 31, 2024 and 2023, the Company had $1.9 million and $3.1 million, respectively, in commitments for contract terminations as part of the Plan. (see Note 13).
The Company entered into an agreement in 2023 with a third-party collaborator related to the development of the Company’s CoStAR-TIL technology. Milestone payments of $2.6 million and $0.3 million were made during the year ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively, and were recorded within research and development expense in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss.
9. Equity
Common Stock
Each share of common stock has the right to one vote. The holders of common stock are also entitled to receive dividends whenever funds are legally available and if declared by the Company’s Board of Directors (the
“Board of Directors”), subject to the prior rights of holders of all classes of stock outstanding having priority rights as to dividends. No cash dividends have been declared by the Board of Directors from inception.
As of December 31, 2024 and 2023, the Company had 6,525,887 and 6,503,913 shares of common stock outstanding, respectively.
Preferred Stock
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The Company’s current amended and restated certificate of incorporation authorizes the Company to issue up to 10,000,000 shares of preferred stock at $0.000001 par value per share. The Board of Directors is authorized to provide for the issuance of the preferred stock in one or more series, and to fix the number of shares and to determine or alter for each such series, such voting powers, full or limited, or no voting powers, and such designation, preferences, and relative, participating, optional, or other rights and such qualifications, limitations, or restrictions thereof, as shall be stated and expressed in subsequent resolution or resolutions adopted by the board providing for the issuance of such shares. As of December 31, 2024 and 2023 there were no shares of preferred stock issued or outstanding.
10. Stock-Based Compensation
2021 Equity Incentive Plan
In March 2021, the Company adopted the 2021 Equity Incentive Plan (the “2021 Plan”), which became effective in connection with the Company’s initial public offering (“IPO”). The 2021 Plan was approved by the Board of Directors and stockholders in March 2021. The 2021 Plan is an equity incentive plan pursuant to which the Company may grant the following awards: (i) incentive stock options; (ii) nonstatutory stock options; (iii) stock appreciation rights; (iv) restricted stock awards; (v) restricted stock unit awards; (vi) performance awards; and (vii) other forms of stock awards to employees, directors, and consultants, including employees and consultants of the Company’s affiliates. The 2021 Plan is a successor to the Company’s 2018 Stock Incentive Plan (the “2018 Plan”). Following the effectiveness of the 2021 Plan, no further grants may be made under the 2018 Plan; however, any outstanding equity awards granted under the 2018 Plan will continue to be governed by the terms of the 2018 Plan.
The number of shares available for future issuance under the 2021 Plan is the sum of (1) 433,000 new shares of common stock, (2) 209,722 remaining shares of common stock reserved under the 2018 Plan that became available for issuance upon the effectiveness of the 2021 Plan and (3) the number of shares of common stock subject to outstanding awards under the 2018 Plan when the 2021 Plan became effective that thereafter expire or are forfeited, canceled, withheld to satisfy tax withholding or to purchase or exercise an award, repurchased by the Company or are otherwise terminated. The number of shares of common stock reserved for issuance under the 2021 Plan will automatically increase on January 1 of each year, for a period of ten years, from January 1, 2022 continuing through January 1, 2031, by 5% of the total number of shares of common stock outstanding on December 31 of the preceding calendar year, or a lesser number of shares as may be determined by the Company’s Board of Directors. Stock options granted by the Company to employees generally vest over four years with a one-year cliff.
As of December 31, 2024, 512,993 shares of common stock remained available for issuance under the 2021 Plan.
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The following summarizes option activity under the 2021 Plan as of December 31, 2024:
Additional shares authorized —
Options exercised — — $ —
Additional shares authorized 325,196
______________________________________________________________
(1) Includes zero and 4,796 stock options during the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively, subject to only performance conditions.
The aggregate intrinsic value disclosed in the above table is based on the difference between the exercise price of the stock option and the estimated fair value of the Company’s common stock as of the respective period-end dates. There were 21,974 and zero stock options exercised during the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. The aggregate intrinsic value of stock options exercised was $0.1 million and zero during the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. The weighted-average grant date fair value of stock options granted during the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, was $22.85 and $8.74 per share, respectively.
The following table sets forth stock-based compensation included in the Company’s statements of operations and comprehensive loss (in thousands):
Year Ended December 31,
Research and development expense $ 2,066 $ 1,549
Total stock-based compensation expense $ 17,257 $ 18,166
As of December 31, 2024 and 2023, there was $16.6 million and $22.4 million, respectively, of total unrecognized compensation cost related to unvested stock options granted under the 2018 Plan and 2021 Plan, which is expected to be recognized over a weighted average period of 2.25 years and 1.39 years, respectively.
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The fair value of the Company’s stock option awards was estimated at the date of grant using a Black-Scholes option pricing model with the following assumptions:
Year Ended December 31,
Expected dividend yield —% —%
The Black-Scholes option pricing model requires the use of highly subjective assumptions which determine the fair value of stock-based awards. These assumptions include:
Expected term—The expected term represents the period that stock-based awards are expected to be outstanding and is determined as the average of the time-to-vesting and the contractual life of the awards.
Expected volatility—Since the Company is privately held and does not have any trading history for its common stock, the expected volatility was estimated based on the average volatility for comparable publicly traded biotechnology companies over a period equal to the expected term of the stock option grants. The comparable companies were chosen based on their similar size, stage in the life cycle or area of specialty.
Risk-free interest rate—The risk-free interest rate is based on the U.S. Treasury zero coupon issues in effect at the time of grant for periods corresponding with the expected term of awards.
Expected dividend yield—The Company has never paid dividends on its common stock and has no plans to pay dividends on its common stock. Therefore, the Company used an expected dividend yield of zero.
Performance Awards
During the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, zero and 4,796 stock options were granted to both employees and non-employees based upon performance conditions and strategic transactions. As of December 31, 2023, the 2023 performance grants were expected to be recognized over a weighted average period of 0.37 years. A strategic transaction has been defined as (a) a change in control, or (b) certain corporate and business goals specific to the employee’s performance or employment agreement. Stock-based compensation expense related to awards where performance conditions were achieved for the year ended December 31, 2024 was zero. As of December 31, 2024 and 2023, the Company had zero and $5.1 million of unrecognized compensation cost relating to these performance awards, calculated using the accelerated attribution method and the grant date fair value of the awards, respectively.
Employee Stock Purchase Plan
In March 2021, the Company adopted the Employee Stock Purchase Plan (the “ESPP”), which became effective in connection with the IPO. The ESPP was adopted by the Board of Directors and stockholders in March 2021, but the Company has not yet commenced offerings to employees under the ESPP. The ESPP initially provides participating employees with the opportunity to purchase up to an aggregate of 61,850 shares of common stock. The number of shares reserved under the ESPP automatically increases on January 1 of each year through and until January 1, 2031, in an amount equal to the lesser of (i) 1% of the total number of shares of common stock outstanding on December 31 of the preceding calendar year, and (ii) 123,700 shares; provided, however, that before the date of any such increase, the Board of Directors may determine that such increase will be less than the amount set forth in clauses (i) and (ii).
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11. Net Loss Per Share
The following outstanding potentially dilutive shares have been excluded from the calculation of diluted net loss per share for the periods presented due to their anti-dilutive effect:
December 31,
12. Income Taxes
The geographical breakdown of loss before provision for income taxes is as follows (in thousands):
Year Ended December 31,
The company has nil income tax expense for both Domestic and Foreign jurisdictions for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023.
The following table presents a reconciliation of the Company’s statutory federal income tax rate and effective tax rate:
Year Ended December 31,
U.S. federal taxes at statutory rate 21.0 % 21.0 %
Stock-based compensation (6.7) % (1.8) %
Permanent differences and other 0.3 % 0.8 %
Statutory tax rate differences 4.4 % 3.4 %
Change in valuation allowance (19.0) % (23.4) %
Total — % — %
The components of deferred tax liabilities consist of the following (in thousands):
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Year Ended December 31,
Deferred tax assets:
Research and development credits 4,915 4,915
Accrued compensation and benefits 646 107
Total deferred tax assets, net 1,190 —
Deferred tax liabilities:
Rent receivable (1,190) —
Total gross deferred tax liabilities (1,190) —
Net deferred tax assets (liabilities) $ — $ —
The components of unrecognized tax benefits consist of the following (in thousands):
In assessing the realizability of deferred tax assets, the Company considers whether it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. The ultimate realization of deferred tax assets is dependent upon the generation of future taxable income during the periods in which those temporary differences become deductible. Due to the uncertainty of the business in which the Company operates, projections of future profitability are difficult and past profitability is not necessarily indicative of future profitability. The Company does not believe it is more likely than not that the deferred tax assets will be realized, and accordingly, the valuation allowance increased $14.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2024. As of December 31, 2024, the Company had net operating loss carryforwards for federal income tax purposes of $348.3 million, which will carryforward indefinitely, but may only offset 80% of the Company’s taxable income. This limitation on the net operating loss may require the Company to pay federal income taxes in future years despite generating a loss for federal income tax purposes in prior years. In addition, the Company has $132.3 million of California net operating loss carryforwards available to reduce future state taxable income as of the year ended December 31, 2024. The state net operating loss carryforwards will begin to expire, if not utilized, in 2043.
The Company has R&D credits of $4.1 million, and $3.7 million for federal and California, respectively, as of December 31, 2024. The federal R&D credits expire in 2042 and the California R&D credits carryforward indefinitely.
The Company files income tax returns in the U.S. federal jurisdiction, various states where the Company has employees and/or significant business activities, and the United Kingdom. As of December 31, 2024, the Company’s federal and state returns through 2021 are still open to examination. The UK returns starting from 2023 are open to examination. The Company had uncertain tax positions as of December 31, 2023 of $2.3 million and this
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balance remained unchanged during December 31, 2024. The Company does not anticipate that the amount of existing unrecognized tax benefits will significantly increase or decrease during the next 12 months. The Company had no accrued interest or penalties related to uncertain tax positions as of December 31, 2024.
The Company has not completed a Section 382 study to assess whether an ownership change has occurred or whether there have been multiple ownership changes since the Company’s formation. Pursuant to Internal Revenue Code Sections 382 and 383, annual use of the Company’s net operating loss and research and development tax credit carryforwards may be limited in the event a cumulative change in ownership of more than 50% occurs within a three-year period. Due to the existence of the valuation allowance, limitations created by future ownership changes, if any, are not anticipated to impact the Company’s effective tax rate.
13. Corporate Restructuring Plan
In January 2023, the Board of Directors approved a restructuring plan (referred to as the “2023 Plan”) and the Company announced the consolidation of the ITIL-306 Phase 1 clinical trial and related manufacturing of CoStAR-TIL to its operations in Manchester, UK and stopped recruiting for the ITIL-306 clinical trial.
In January 2024, the Board of Directors approved a comprehensive restructuring plan, which included the closure of the Company’s UK manufacturing facility and clinical trial operations. In September 2024, the Board of Directors approved additional UK restructuring actions, which resulted in the elimination of the majority of the remaining UK workforce in the fall of 2024, with the remaining reduction and restructuring activities substantially completed by the end of 2024. Collectively, these actions are referred to as the “2024 Plan.”
The 2023 Plan and 2024 Plan are collectively referred to as the “Plan.”
Restructuring and Impairment Charges
As a result of the Plan, the Company recorded charges of $7.5 million and $72.0 million within the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss in the line item “restructuring and impairment charges” for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively.
These charges relate to asset impairments, contract terminations, severance payments and other employee-related costs incurred. The following table summarizes the restructuring and impairment charges by category (in thousands):
Year Ended December 31,
Asset impairment for leasehold improvements $ 343 $ 2,644
One-time employee termination benefits 2,721 1,844
Building and construction work in progress impairment — 41,542
Right-of-use asset impairment 827 7,724
Impairment of long-lived assets held for sale 4,325 16,271
Total restructuring and impairment charges $ 7,493 $ 72,012
Restructuring Liability
As a result of the Plan, the restructuring liability was recorded in the consolidated balance sheets under “Accrued expenses and other current liabilities” and was measured at the amount expected to be paid, or that was paid. During the year ended December 31, 2024, the Company paid $2.9 million of restructuring costs, and expects to pay the remainder of the restructuring costs by the first quarter of 2025. The following table shows the liability related to the Plan (in thousands):
117
Employee Benefits Contract Terminations Total
Item 9. Changes in and Disagreements With Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure.
None.