XCUR US Equity☆

Item 1A. Risk Factors.

In addition to other information contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, the following risks should be considered in evaluating our business and future prospects and an investment in our common stock. The risks and uncertainties described below are not the only ones we face. If any of the following risks and uncertainties develops into actual events, our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows could be materially adversely affected. In that case, the price of our common stock could decline and you may lose all or part of your investment.

Risks Related to Our Business

Our exploration of strategic alternatives may not be successful.

Given the Company’s current focus to explore growth through strategic transactions with potential partners, the Company’s ability to execute its current business plan depends on its ability to obtain additional funding via a strategic transaction or a series of strategic transactions, or to obtain funding to support such a transaction. We currently have no source of revenues, and our financial resources are limited to our cash and cash equivalents.

The Company plans to continue actively pursuing strategic alternatives. Strategic transactions are complex and time-consuming to identify, evaluate, negotiate and consummate in compliance with applicable laws and Nasdaq requirements. Our board and management do not have meaningful experience executing this type of endeavor in the U.S. public markets. Even if we are successful in entering into a strategic transaction, the terms and conditions of that transaction may restrict us from entering into future agreements with other potential collaborators. Additionally, such strategic transactions may not be favorable to investors nor deliver any anticipated benefits by the time of business integration.

We need to obtain substantial funding in order to continue operations and our exploration of strategic alternatives.

We require significant capital resources in order to continue to operate our business and conduct our exploration of strategic alternatives, and our limited liquidity could materially and adversely affect our business operations. Because we have no current source of revenue, our current available cash and cash equivalents provide us with very limited liquidity. Our existing cash and cash equivalents are sufficient for us to continue to fund our business operations for at least the next 12 months. Any such required additional capital may not be available on reasonable terms, if at all, due to a variety of factors, including uncertainty about the future direction of the Company and investor reaction to our new controlling stockholders and board and management composition, as well as broader conditions in the economy and capital markets, including recent volatility caused by inflation, questions about bank stability and other factors. The Company has already engaged in significant cost reductions, so our ability to further cut costs and extend our operating runway is limited.

We may not be able to redeem the investment in convertible notes receivable.

In March 2024, we notified the issuer of the investment in convertible notes receivable that we were exercising our redemption right with respect to the entire principal amount of the investment in convertible notes receivable after the first anniversary of their issue dates (May 3 and May 16, 2024, respectively) for an aggregate redemption price of $2.090 million (representing the principal amount plus 4.5% per annum yield to the redemption date). Refer to Note 4 - Investment in Convertible Notes Receivable for more details. We attempted to redeem the investment in convertible notes receivable during 2024. However, the issuer of such convertible notes appears to have closed its operations and has not responded to our redemption requests. If we are unable to successfully exercise our redemption right we may be unable to obtain any or all of the redemption price under such convertible notes, or otherwise recognize value from such convertible notes, which may adversely impact our financial condition and prospects. We will continue our redemption attempts, however, it is unlikely these investments will ever be redeemed.

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Our controlling stockholders, executive officers and members of our board, have limited experience controlling or governing a public company operating in the United States status.

Our controlling stockholders have not previously controlled a U.S. public company. In addition, no members of our board of directors nor our chief executive officer nor chief financial officer have experience serving as directors or management of a U.S. publicly traded company. This could make it difficult to ensure that we comply with all applicable laws and stock exchange requirements, maintains adequate internal and disclosure controls and appropriately assesses and manages risk. This concern is exacerbated by the limited resources we have following prior reductions in force, and if there are further reductions in force or members of management leave the Company, it may be very difficult to manage this risk. The transitional state of the Company and ongoing exploration of strategic alternatives also exacerbates the challenging environment in this respect. If the board of directors does not successfully or efficiently manage their roles and responsibilities, including the significant regulatory oversight and reporting obligations under the federal securities laws and the continuous scrutiny of investors, our prospects may be adversely impacted.

Turnover of our board and senior management, and any inability to attract and retain qualified management and other key personnel, could impair our ability to implement our business plan.

As we continue our exploration of strategic alternatives, and potentially pursue transactions involving new business lines or industries, we may experience additional turnover in our board and senior management. Departures of our senior management team and board members have created, and will create if they continue, significant continuity risks and challenges to our ability to operate our business, assess and manage risks and comply with applicable laws. If key members of our senior management team depart, it will be important that we attract and retain qualified managers promptly and develop and implement an effective succession plan. We expect to face significant competition in attracting experienced executives and other key personnel, and there can be no assurance that we will be able to do so. In addition, there are significant uncertainties as to how our controlled status, transitional state of operations, financial condition and related matters will impact our ability to attract the necessary personnel and manage these succession risks. Depending on the circumstances of any management departures, it is also possible that we will be required to pay significant severance, adversely impacting our financial condition. Our need to raise capital and engage with potential partners in strategic transactions magnify these risks. If we are unable to adequately address these concerns in the near term and earn the confidence of potential investors and/or business partners, our prospects and financial condition would be adversely impacted.

Our consolidated financial statements have been prepared assuming that we will continue as a going concern.

Our ability to continue as a going concern will require us to obtain additional funding. Based on our current operating plans and existing working capital at December 31, 2024, our current liquidity is not sufficient to continue to fund operations. As a result, there is substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. Substantial additional financing will be needed by us in the very near term to fund our operations and exploration of strategic alternatives. The perception of our ability to continue as a going concern may make it more difficult for us to obtain financing for the continuation of our operations and could result in the loss of confidence by investors and employees. Obtaining additional financing contains risks, including:

•additional equity financing may not be available to us on satisfactory terms and any equity we are able to issue could lead to dilution for current stockholders;

•loans or other debt instruments may have terms and/or conditions, such as interest rate, restrictive covenants and control or revocation provisions;

•the current environment in capital markets combined with our capital constraints may prevent us from being able to obtain adequate debt financing; and

•if we fail to obtain required additional financing to grow our business we may need to seek bankruptcy protection in the near term.

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Our common stock may be delisted from Nasdaq which could negatively impact the price of our common stock, liquidity and our ability to access the capital markets.

Our common stock is currently listed on Nasdaq under the symbol “XCUR.” As previously disclosed, we have received numerous deficiency notices with respect to various Nasdaq listing requirements in the past year and recently received a delisting determination from the Nasdaq staff. These related to:

•compliance with Nasdaq’s minimum bid price rule due to our common stock trading below $1.00 for a sustained period of time. We effected a one-for-thirty reverse stock split on June 29, 2022 in order to attempt to raise the stock price. On September 13, 2023, we received a delinquency notification that the closing bid price of our common stock traded below $1.00 for the previous 30 consecutive business days. We effected a one-for-five reverse stock split on August 27, 2024 in order to attempt to raise the stock price. On September 13, 2024, we received a letter received from Nasdaq noting it met the closing bid price requirement;

•compliance with Nasdaq’s rule requiring stockholders’ equity of at least $2,500,000 based on our balance sheet as of December 31, 2024. We were not in compliance with this requirement based on its September 30, 2024 balance sheet. We believe we are in compliance with this requirement based on our December 31, 2024 balance sheet and expects to be in compliance going forward;

•compliance with Nasdaq’s corporate governance requirements with respect to board and committee composition. We have received numerous deficiency notifications with respect to these requirements in the past year. Although we are currently in compliance, there can be no assurance we will remain in compliance;

•compliance with Nasdaq’s requirement to hold an annual meeting. On January 11, 2024, Nasdaq notified us that we did not comply with listing requirements by not holding an annual meeting in 2023. We held our combined 2023 and 2024 annual meeting on June 28, 2024;

•on April 17, 2024, we received a delinquency notification as we had not filed our Annual Report Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023. The extended deadline for compliance was established by Nasdaq at May 20, 2024, the same deadline for our Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2023. The Annual Report Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023 was filed on June 6, 2024;

•although we filed our Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2023 prior to the extended deadline of May 20, 2024, on May 21, 2024, we received a delisting determination from the Nasdaq staff as a result of not filing our Annual Report Form 10-K by the May 20, 2024 deadline and failure to timely file our Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2024 (which was subsequently filed on June 17, 2024). The staff’s delisting determination also noted the failure to hold our 2023 annual meeting as another basis of the delisting determination;

•on May 28, 2024, we requested an appeal of the delisting determination to Nasdaq’s Hearings Panel (“Panel”), and the hearing took place on July 9, 2024. On July 31, 2024, we received formal notice that the Panel determined to continue our listing subject to us evidencing compliance with all applicable criteria for continued listing on The Nasdaq Capital Market by September 16, 2024. We received an additional extension to November 14, 2024 to satisfy the terms of the Panel’s decision and to ensure our continued listing on Nasdaq;

•as we did not meet Nasdaq’s listing requirements as of September 30, 2024, we requested another extension by the Panel to demonstrate compliance and another extension was granted. We thereafter presented our plan to regain compliance with the Equity Requirement to the Panel, subsequent to which the Panel ultimately granted us extensions through December 17, 2024 to do so; and

•on December 20, 2024, we received a letter from Nasdaq confirming that, as of December 17, 2024, we meet all requirements for continued listing on Nasdaq as required by the Panel’s decision dated November 20, 2024. In accordance with the Panel’s decision, on December 17, 2024, we made public disclosure under

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cover of a Form 8-K, describing the transactions undertaken by us to achieve compliance with Listing Rule 5550(b)(1) and stated affirmatively that as of that date, we believe we have stockholders’ equity above the $2.5 million requirement and provided a pro-forma balance sheet as of December 17, 2024. Pursuant to Listing Rule 5815(d)(4)(B), we will be subject to a Mandatory Panel Monitor for a period of one year from the date of Nasdaq’s letter. If, within that one-year monitoring period, the Nasdaq Listing Qualifications staff (the “Staff”) finds us again out of compliance with the $2.5 million Equity Rule that was the subject of the exception, notwithstanding Rule 5810(c)(2), we will not be permitted to provide the Staff with a plan of compliance with respect to that deficiency and the Staff will not be permitted to grant additional time for us to regain compliance with respect to that deficiency, nor will we be afforded an applicable cure or compliance period pursuant to Rule 5810(c)(3). Instead, the Staff will issue a Delist Determination Letter and we will have an opportunity to request a new hearing with the initial Panel or a newly convened Panel if the initial Panel is unavailable. We will have the opportunity to respond/present to the Panel as provided by Listing Rule 5815(d)(4)(C). Our securities may be at that time delisted from Nasdaq.

Even though we regained compliance with Nasdaq’s listing requirements, there can be no assurance that we will remain in compliance with Nasdaq’s requirements and will not be delisted in the future.

If Nasdaq suspends or delists our securities from trading on its exchange for failure to meet the listing standards, we and our stockholders could face significant negative consequences including:

•limited availability of market quotations and liquidity for our securities;

•a determination that the common stock is a “penny stock” which would require brokers trading in the common stock to adhere to more stringent rules, possibly resulting in a reduced level of trading activity in the secondary trading market for shares of common stock;

•a limited amount of analyst coverage, if any; and

•a decreased ability to issue additional securities or obtain additional financing in the future.

Suspension or delisting from Nasdaq could also result in other negative consequences, including the potential loss of institutional investor interest and make obtaining new financing much more challenging. In addition, fewer strategic opportunities may be available, particularly from counterparties that are interested in combining with a listed company.

We have a history of losses. We expect to continue to incur significant losses for the foreseeable future and may never achieve or maintain profitability, which could result in a decline in the market value of our common stock.

Since our inception in June 2011, we have devoted our resources to the development of SNA technology and are currently exploring strategic alternatives to maximize stockholder value. We have had significant operating losses since our inception. As of December 31, 2024, we have generated an accumulated deficit of $218.1 million, including $18,837 of additional paid-in capital reclassed to accumulated deficit upon C-corporation conversion. For the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, our net loss was $9.7 million and $16.9 million, respectively. Substantially all of our losses have resulted from expenses incurred in connection with our research programs and from general and administrative costs associated with our operations.

We have not generated, and do not expect to generate, any product revenue for the foreseeable future and currently have no source of revenue or committed financing, and we expect to continue to incur significant operating losses for the foreseeable future. The amount of future losses is uncertain. Our future financial performance and condition are substantially dependent on the results of our ongoing exploration of strategic alternatives, and we cannot predict whether we will be successful.

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

Despite the implementation of security measures, our internal computer systems and those of our contractors and consultants are vulnerable to damage from computer viruses, unauthorized access, natural disasters, terrorism, war and telecommunication and electrical failures. Such events could cause interruptions of our operations. For instance, theft or other exposure of data may interfere with our ability to protect our intellectual property, trade secrets, and other information critical to our operations. We can provide no assurances that certain sensitive and proprietary information relating to one or more of our therapeutic candidates has not been, or will not in the future be, compromised. Although we have invested resources to enhance the security of our computer systems, there can be no assurances we will not experience additional unauthorized intrusions into our computer systems, or those of our contractors and consultants, that we will successfully detect future unauthorized intrusions in a timely manner, or that future unauthorized intrusions will not result in material adverse effects on our financial condition, reputation, or business prospects. Payments related to the elimination of ransomware may materially affect our financial condition and results of operations.

To the extent that any disruption or security breach were to result in a loss of, or damage to, our data, or inappropriate disclosure of confidential or proprietary information, we could incur liability and the development of our therapeutic candidates could be delayed.

Our information technology systems could face serious disruptions that could adversely affect our business.

Our information technology and other internal infrastructure systems, including corporate firewalls, servers, documents storage systems, backup systems, leased lines and connection to the Internet, face the risk of systemic failure that could disrupt our operations. A significant disruption in the availability of our information technology and other internal infrastructure systems could cause interruptions and delays in our operations.

Our business and operations could suffer in the event of system failures or unauthorized or inappropriate use of or access to our information technology systems.

We are increasingly dependent on our information technology systems and infrastructure for our business. We collect, store and transmit sensitive information including intellectual property, proprietary business information and personal information in connection with business operations. The secure maintenance of this information is critical to our operations and business strategy. Some of this information could be an attractive target of criminal attack or unauthorized access and use by third parties with a wide range of motives and expertise, including organized criminal groups, “hacktivists,” patient groups, disgruntled current or former employees and others. Cyber-attacks are of ever-increasing levels of sophistication, and despite our security measures, our information technology systems and infrastructure may be vulnerable to such attacks or may be breached, including due to employee error or malfeasance.

The pervasiveness of cybersecurity incidents in general and the risks of cyber-crime are complex and continue to evolve. Although we are making significant efforts to maintain the security and integrity of our information systems and are exploring various measures to manage the risk of a security breach or disruption, there can be no assurance that our security efforts and measures will be effective or that attempted security breaches or disruptions would not be successful or damaging. Despite the implementation of security measures, our internal computer systems and those of our employees, contractors and consultants are vulnerable to damage or interruption from computer viruses, unauthorized or inappropriate access or use, natural disasters, pandemics (including COVID-19), terrorism, war, and telecommunication and electrical failures. Such events could cause interruption of our operations. For example, the loss or compromise of preclinical data for our therapeutic candidates could result in delays in our regulatory filings and development efforts, as well as delays in the commercialization of our products, and significantly increase our costs. To the extent that any disruption, security breach or unauthorized or inappropriate use or access to our systems were to result in a loss of or damage to our data, or inappropriate disclosure of confidential or proprietary information, including but not limited to patient, employee or vendor information, we could incur notification obligations to affected individuals and government agencies, liability, including potential lawsuits from patients, collaborators, employees, stockholders or other third parties and liability

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under foreign, federal and state laws that protect the privacy and security of personal information, and the development and potential commercialization of our therapeutic candidates could be delayed. Existing insurance arrangements may not provide protection for the costs that may arise from such loss or damage. Any long-term disruption in our ability to access our information technology systems could have a material adverse effect on our operations, our business, results of operations and stock price.

Our current operations are concentrated in one location and any events affecting this location may have material adverse consequences.

Our current operations are located in our facilities situated in Chicago, Illinois. Any unplanned event, such as flood, fire, explosion, earthquake, extreme weather condition, medical epidemics, power shortage, telecommunication failure or other natural or man-made accidents or incidents that result in us being unable to fully utilize the facilities, may have a material adverse effect on our ability to operate our business, particularly on a daily basis, and have significant negative consequences on our financial and operating conditions. Loss of access to these facilities may result in increased costs, delays in the development of our therapeutic candidates or interruption of our business operations. As part of our risk management policy, we maintain insurance coverage at levels that we believe are appropriate for our business. However, in the event of an accident or incident at these facilities, we cannot assure you that the amounts of insurance will be sufficient to satisfy any damages and losses. If our facilities are unable to operate because of an accident or incident or for any other reason, even for a short period of time, any or all of our research and development programs may be harmed. Any business interruption may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial position, results of operations and prospects.

If we fail to maintain proper and effective internal controls, our ability to produce accurate financial statements on a timely basis could be impaired.

We are subject to the reporting requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, or Sarbanes-Oxley Act, and the rules and regulations of The Nasdaq Capital Market. Pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, or Section 404, we are required to perform system and process evaluation and testing of our internal control over financial reporting to allow our management to report on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. However, while we remain a non-accelerated filer, we will not be required to include an attestation report on internal control over financial reporting issued by our independent registered public accounting firm.

During the evaluation and testing process, we identified material weaknesses as described under Part II, Item 9 of this Form 10-K. If we fail to remediate that material weakness, or if we identify one or more material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting, we will be unable to assert that our internal control over financial reporting is effective. Further, we may in the future discover weaknesses in our system of internal financial and accounting controls and procedures that could result in a material misstatement of our financial statements. Moreover, our internal controls over financial reporting will not prevent or detect all errors and all fraud. A control system, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the control system’s objectives will be met. Because of the inherent limitations in all control systems, no evaluation of controls can provide absolute assurance that misstatements due to error or fraud will not occur or that all control issues and instances of fraud will be detected. Moreover, we are aware that the remote working arrangements implemented in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic potentially present new areas of risk, and we continue to carefully monitor any impact to our internal controls and procedures.

Our limited resources and recent reductions in force, as well as the turnover in our board of directors and the potential for future management changes, present significant continuity risk and could impact our ability to maintain effective internal control over financial reporting.

If we are unable to assert that our internal control over financial reporting is effective, investors could lose confidence in the reliability of our financial statements, the market price of our stock could decline and we could be subject to sanctions or investigations by The Nasdaq Capital Market, the SEC or other regulatory authorities.

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The restatement of our prior quarterly financial statements may affect stockholder and investor confidence in us or harm our reputation, and may subject us to additional risks and uncertainties, including increased costs and the increased possibility of legal proceedings and regulatory inquiries, sanctions or investigations.

Management identified material weaknesses in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting and restated its first quarter and second quarter unaudited interim condensed consolidated via Forms 10-Q/A. As a result of the restatement, we have incurred, and may continue to incur, unanticipated costs for accounting and legal fees in connection with, or related to, such restatement. In addition, such restatement could subject us to a number of additional risks and uncertainties, including the increased possibility of legal proceedings and inquiries, sanctions or investigations by the SEC or other regulatory authorities. Any of the foregoing may adversely affect our reputation, the accuracy and timing of our financial reporting, or our business, results of operations, liquidity and financial condition, or cause stockholders, investors, members and customers to lose confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial reports or cause the market price of our common stock to decline.

Risks Related to Government Regulation

We are subject to European data protection laws, including the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation 2016/679, (“GDPR”). If we fail to comply with existing or future data protection regulations, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may be materially adversely affected.

By virtue of our prior clinical trial activities in the United Kingdom and Europe, we are subject to European data protection laws, including the GDPR. The GDPR which came into effect on May 25, 2018, establishes new requirements applicable to the processing of personal data (i.e., data which identifies an individual or from which an individual is identifiable), affords new data protection rights to individuals (e.g., the right to erasure of personal data) and imposes penalties for serious breaches of up to 4% annual worldwide turnover or €20 million, whichever is greater. Individuals (e.g., study subjects) also have a right to compensation for financial or non-financial losses (e.g., distress). There may be circumstances under which a failure to comply with the GDPR, or the exercise of individual rights under the GDPR, would limit our ability to utilize clinical trial data collected on certain subjects. The GDPR imposes additional responsibility and liability in relation to our processing of personal data. This may be onerous and we may be unsuccessful in implementing all measures required by data protection authorities or courts in interpretation of the GDPR, which may materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

Risks Related to Ownership of Our Common Stock

The influence of our significant stockholders could make our Common Stock less attractive to some investors or otherwise harm the trading price of our Common Stock.

HiTron beneficially owns approximately 53% of the outstanding shares of Common Stock. CBI USA, Inc. (“CBI USA”) and DGP Co., Ltd. (“DGP”), also Korean companies, collectively own approximately 9% of outstanding Common Stock and exercise significant influence over us. We previously had been a “controlled company” under the corporate governance rules for Nasdaq-listed companies. We obtained a majority independent board based on the phase-in requirements for companies after they lose “controlled company” status. Due to the recent change in control, the majority of our board members and management are directly affiliated with HiTron. Investors may be hesitant to invest in the Company given the influence of HiTron, CBI and DGP. In addition, should the interest or interests of our controlling stockholders differ from those of other stockholders, the other stockholders may not have the same protections afforded to stockholders of companies that are subject to all of the corporate governance rules for Nasdaq-listed companies.

Additionally, it is possible we could pursue strategic or financing transactions with our controlling stockholders or their affiliates. The interests of the controlling stockholders and other stockholders would diverge in this case, and the lack of an independent board to evaluate such a transaction could adversely impact other stockholders. These conflicts of interest (or the perception that they could occur) might adversely affect our business and prospects for obtaining financing or completing a strategic transaction.

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For so long as CBI USA and DGP own a significant stake, they (and/or their transferees) will have substantial control over the elections of our directors and to approve any other corporate action requiring the affirmative vote of holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of our Common Stock. This could deter investment in the Company and adversely impact our stock price and ability to obtain financing. These impacts may be more pronounced in the near term as investors assess the direction of the Company under the control of CBI USA and DGP and the actions of the new board and management. DGP’s recently announced agreement to sell its shares to a third party could also deter investment as it creates uncertainty as to the transferee’s intentions with respect to the Company. If DGP’s sale is completed, the third party transferee would become the Company’s largest stockholder.

Potential partners considering engaging in a strategic transaction with the Company could have similar concerns. Given our urgent need for additional funding and/or to complete a strategic transaction, it is imperative that our controlling stockholders and our board and management earn the confidence of investors and potential partners in the near term and there is no assurance this will occur.

The market price of our common stock has been, and is likely to continue to be, highly volatile, and you may not be able to resell your shares at or above the price you paid for them.

Our stock price will continue to be volatile. As a result of this volatility, investors may not be able to sell their common stock at or above the price paid for the shares. The market price for our common stock may be influenced by a variety of factors, including the other risks described in this section titled “Risk Factors” and the following:

•our ability or inability to raise additional capital and the terms on which we raise it;

•the development, execution and announcement of any proposed strategic alternative;

•investors may react negatively to our controlled status and the influence of our controlling stockholder or our reconstituted board and/or our uncertain business strategy;

•strategic decisions by us or our competitors, such as acquisitions, divestitures, spin-offs, joint ventures, strategic investments or changes in business strategy;

•we are unable to achieve the perceived benefits of our Company as rapidly or to the extent anticipated by financial or industry analysts; and

•changes in general economic, industry, political and market conditions, including, but not limited to, the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

•our ability to avoid suspension and/or delisting of our common stock by Nasdaq.

In addition, the stock markets in general, and the markets for pharmaceutical and biotechnology stocks in particular, have experienced extreme volatility that has been often unrelated to the operating performance of the issuer. These broad market and industry factors, such as those related to the COVID-19 pandemic, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the Israel/Hamas war and retaliatory actions taken by the United States, NATO and others, may seriously harm the market price of our common stock, regardless of our operating performance.

Raising additional funds by issuing securities may cause dilution to existing stockholders and raising funds through lending and licensing arrangements may restrict our operations or require us to relinquish proprietary rights.

Until such time, if ever, as we can generate substantial revenues, we expect to attempt to finance our cash needs through a combination of equity offerings and debt financings. As discussed elsewhere, it may be very challenging to obtain equity or debt financing given the current transitional state of the Company. However, to the extent that we raise additional capital through the issuance of shares or other securities convertible into shares, our stockholders will be diluted. Future issuances of our common stock or other equity securities, or the perception that such sales may occur, could adversely affect the prevailing market price of our common stock and impair our ability to raise capital through future offerings of equity or equity-linked securities.

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We cannot be certain if the reduced reporting requirements applicable to us will make our common stock less attractive to investors.

We were an “emerging growth company” as defined in the JOBS Act until December 31, 2023. As such, we took advantage of exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies, including (1) not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, (2) reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements and (3) exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. In addition, as an emerging growth company, we were only required to provide two years of audited financial statements. Even though we no longer qualify as an emerging growth company, we still qualify as a “smaller reporting company” and a “non-accelerated filer” which allows us to continue to take advantage of many of the same or similar exemptions from disclosure requirements including not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements. We cannot predict if investors will find our common stock less attractive because we may rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our common stock less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our common stock and our share price may be more volatile.

Anti-takeover provisions in our charter documents and under the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware could make an acquisition of us more difficult and may prevent attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our management.

Provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, as amended, and our bylaws may delay or prevent an acquisition of us or a change in our management. These provisions include a classified board of directors, a prohibition on actions by written consent of our stockholders, and the ability of the Board of Directors of the Company, or the Board, to issue preferred stock without stockholder approval. In addition, because we are incorporated in Delaware, we are governed by the provisions of Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, or DGCL, which prohibits stockholders owning in excess of 15% of the outstanding combined organization voting stock from merging or combining with the combined organization. Although we believe these provisions collectively will provide for an opportunity to receive higher bids by requiring potential acquirers to negotiate with our Board, they would apply even if the offer may be considered beneficial by some stockholders. In addition, these provisions may frustrate or prevent any attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove then-current management by making it more difficult for stockholders to replace members of the Board, which is responsible for appointing the members of management.

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation designates the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware as the sole and exclusive forum for certain types of actions and proceedings that may be initiated by our stockholders, which could limit our stockholders’ ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us or our directors, officers, employees or agents.

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that, unless we consent in writing to an alternative forum, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware will be the sole and exclusive forum for any of the following types of actions or proceedings under Delaware statutory or common law: derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf, any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any of our directors, officers, employees or agents to us or our stockholders, any action asserting a claim arising pursuant to any provision of the DGCL, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or our amended and restated bylaws or any action asserting a claim that is governed by the internal affairs doctrine, in each case subject to the Court of Chancery having personal jurisdiction over the indispensable parties named as defendants therein. This provision would not apply to suits brought to enforce a duty or liability created by the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or any other claims for which a court or forum other than the Court of Chancery has exclusive jurisdiction or for which the Court of Chancery does not have subject matter jurisdiction. Furthermore, Section 22 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, creates concurrent jurisdiction for federal and state courts over all Securities Act actions. Accordingly, both state and federal courts have jurisdiction to entertain such claims.

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Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation also provides that any person purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in any shares of our common stock shall be deemed to have notice of and to have consented to this provision of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation.

This choice of forum provision may limit our stockholders’ ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with us or our directors, officers, employees or agents, which may discourage such lawsuits against us and our directors, officers, employees and agents even though an action, if successful, might benefit our stockholders. Stockholders who do bring a claim in the Court of Chancery could face additional litigation costs in pursuing any such claim, particularly if they do not reside in or near Delaware. The Court of Chancery may also reach different judgments or results than would other courts, including courts where a stockholder considering an action may be located or would otherwise choose to bring the action, and such judgments or results may be more favorable to us than to our stockholders. If a court were to find this exclusive forum provision in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation to be inapplicable or unenforceable in any action, we may incur further significant additional costs associated with resolving the dispute in other jurisdictions, all of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

Our ability to use our net operating loss carryforwards and certain other tax attributes may be limited.

We have incurred substantial losses during our history and do not expect to be profitable in the near future, if ever. Our net operating loss, or NOL, carryforwards generated in tax years beginning on or before December 31, 2017, are only permitted to be carried forward for 20 years under applicable U.S. tax law. Under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, as modified by the CARES Act, our federal NOLs generated in tax years beginning after December 31, 2017, may be carried forward indefinitely, but the deductibility of such federal NOLs is be limited to 80% of taxable income. In addition, under Sections 382 and 383 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and corresponding provisions of state law, if a corporation undergoes an “ownership change,” generally defined as a greater than 50% change (by value) in its equity ownership over a three-year period, the corporation’s ability to use its pre-change NOL, and other pre-change tax attributes (such as research tax credits) to offset its post-change income or taxes may be limited. We have experienced ownership changes in the past. We completed a review of our changes in ownership through December 31, 2022 and determined that we experienced an “ownership change” within the meaning of Section 382(g) during the fourth quarter of 2022. This ownership change has and will continue to subject our net operating loss carryforwards to an annual limitation, which will significantly restrict our ability to use them to offset our taxable income in periods following the ownership change.

We determined that at the date of the 2022 ownership change, we had a net unrealized built-in loss (“NUBIL”). The NUBIL was determined based on the difference between the fair market value of our assets and their tax basis at the ownership change date. Because of the NUBIL, certain deductions recognized during the five-year period beginning on the date of the IRC Section 382 ownership change (the “recognition period”) are subject to the same limitation as the net operating loss carryforwards or certain other deductions.

As of December 31, 2023, we determined that we ceased operations of our historical business enterprise which subjects us to a zero limitation as defined under IRC Section 382(c). Therefore, we are restricted in our ability to use any of the historical net operating losses that occurred before the most recent ownership change in the fourth quarter of 2022.

General Risk Factors

FINRA sales practice requirements may limit a stockholder’s ability to buy and sell our stock due to our low stock price.

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, (“FINRA”), has adopted rules requiring that, in recommending an investment to a customer, a broker-dealer must have reasonable grounds for believing that the investment is suitable for that customer. Prior to recommending speculative or low-priced securities to their non-institutional customers, broker-dealers must make reasonable efforts to obtain information about the customer’s financial status, tax status, investment objectives and other information. Under interpretations of these rules, FINRA has indicated its belief that there is a high probability that speculative or low-priced securities will not be suitable for at least some customers. If

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these FINRA requirements are applicable to us or our securities, which we believe they are, they may make it more difficult for broker-dealers to recommend that at least some of their customers buy our common stock, which may limit the ability of our stockholders to buy and sell our common stock and could have an adverse effect on the market for and price of our common stock.

If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or reports about our business, or if they issue an adverse or misleading opinion regarding our stock, our stock price and trading volume could decline.

The trading market for our common stock will be influenced by the research and reports that industry or securities analysts publish about us or our business. Our research coverage by securities and industry analysts is currently limited. In addition, because we did not become a reporting company by conducting an underwritten initial public offering of our common stock, security analysts of brokerage firms may not provide wider coverage of our Company. In addition, investment banks may be less likely to agree to underwrite secondary offerings on our behalf than they might if we became a public reporting company by means of an underwritten initial public offering, because they may be less familiar with our Company as a result of more limited coverage by analysts and the media, and because we became public at an early stage in our development. The failure to receive wider research coverage or support in the market for our shares will have an adverse effect on our ability to develop a liquid market for our common stock and the trading price for our stock would be negatively impacted.

In the event we obtain wider securities or industry analyst coverage, if any of the analysts who cover us issue an adverse or misleading opinion regarding us, our business model, our intellectual property or our stock performance, or if our target studies and operating results fail to meet the expectations of analysts, our stock price would likely decline. If one or more of these analysts cease coverage of us or fail to publish reports on us regularly, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which in turn could cause our stock price or trading volume to decline.

Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments.

None.

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Item 1C. Cybersecurity.

Our management recognize the importance of maintaining the security and resiliency of our cybersecurity environment to deliver on the expectations of our employees and investors. Overall, the purpose of our information security program is to protect the confidentiality, integrity and availability of our systems and data, along with the safe operation of our systems. Our current processes are limited and reflect the transitional state of our business and lack of resources. If and when our business evolves and we obtain additional resources, we would expect to adapt our processes accordingly.

Technical safeguards

We deploy technical safeguards that are designed to protect our systems from cybersecurity threats, including firewalls, anti-malware software, and authentication and authorization controls.

Third parties

We do not currently engage third parties with respect to our cybersecurity risk management processes due to our limited resources and operations.

Governance of Cybersecurity Risks

Pursuant to its charter, the Audit Committee of the Board has the primary responsibility for oversight and review of guidelines and policies with respect to risk assessment and risk management, including cybersecurity.The Company’s Chief Executive Officer, President, and Chief Financial Officer are responsible for assessing and managing cybersecurity risks. Given our currently limited resources, we do not have dedicated personnel with specific cybersecurity expertise.When appropriate, the Company’s management will report on cybersecurity issues and presents information to our Audit Committee and/or our full Board on cybersecurity matters.

Material Impact of Cybersecurity Risks

We have not experienced a material cybersecurity incident, and we are not aware of any cybersecurity risks that are reasonably likely to materially affect our business. However, future incidents could have a material impact on our business strategy, results of operations or financial condition.

Item 2. Properties.

Our corporate headquarters moved to Redwood City, California in January 2025. The Company was formerly located in Chicago, Illinois, where we leased approximately 30,000 square feet of space (the “Chicago Lease”). The Chicago Lease commenced on July 1, 2020, and expires on July 1, 2030. During 2023 and 2024, we subleased approximately 57% of the space through the expiration date. In February 2025, the Company terminated the Chicago Lease and related sublease.

Item 3. Legal Proceedings.

On December 13, 2021, Mark Colwell filed a putative securities class action lawsuit against the Company, David A. Giljohann and Brian C. Bock in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, captioned Colwell v. Exicure, Inc. et al., Case No. 1:21-cv-06637. On February 4, 2021, plaintiff filed an amended putative securities class action complaint. On March 20, 2023, the court entered an order appointing James Mathew as lead plaintiff and Bleichmar Fonti & Auld LLP as lead counsel in the action pursuant to the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. On May 26, 2023, lead plaintiff filed a second amended complaint against the Company, Dr. Giljohann, Mr. Bock, and Grant Corbett. The second amended complaint alleges that Dr. Giljohann, Mr. Bock, and Dr. Corbett made materially false and/or misleading statements related to the Company’s clinical programs purportedly causing losses to investors who acquired Company securities between January 7, 2021 and December 10, 2021. The second amended complaint does not quantify any alleged damages but, in addition to attorneys’ fees and costs, lead plaintiff seeks to recover damages on behalf of himself and others who acquired the

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Company’s stock during the putative class period at allegedly inflated prices and purportedly suffered financial harm as a result. On October 8, 2024, the court granted preliminary approval of the settlement in the securities class action and set a schedule for final approval proceedings, including a final approval hearing on January 13, 2025. On January 13, 2025, the court entered final judgment approving the settlement.

The settlement described above will be fully covered by insurance. However, the settlement will include a reservation of rights by the insurers against the Company for the unsatisfied portion of its self-insured retainer. As a result, the Company recorded an accrual as of September 30, 2024 for the amount of the unsatisfied retainer, approximately $1.14 million.

In March and April 2022, three different stockholders filed separate shareholder derivative lawsuits on behalf of the Company against Dr. Giljohann and Mr. Bock, Jeffrey L. Cleland, Elizabeth Garofalo, Bosun Hau, Bali Muralidhar, Andrew Sassine, Matthias Schroff, James Sulat and Timothy Walbert. The cases in the ordered filed are captioned Puri v. Giljohann, et al., Case No. 1:22-cv-01083; Sim v. Giljohann, et al., Case No. 1:22-cv-01217; and Stourbridge Investments LLC v. Exicure, Inc. et al., Case No. 1:22-cv-00526. Complaints in these cases (collectively, the “Derivative Complaints”) assert, among other things, that the Company included false or misleading statements in its proxy statement for its 2021 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, also alleging certain breaches of fiduciary duties. The Derivative Complaints seek contribution from Dr. Giljohann and Mr. Bock under federal securities laws. The Puri and Stourbridge complaints further assert for a variety of related state law claims, including unjust enrichment, abuse of control, gross mismanagement, and corporate waste. Plaintiffs seek restitution for damages to the Company, attorneys’ fees, costs, and expenses, as well stockholder adoption of certain board oversight measures.

On March 18, 2022, James McNabb, through counsel, sent a written demand to the Company (the “Demand Letter”) demanding that the Board of Directors investigate certain allegations and commence proceedings on the Company’s behalf against certain of the Company’s current officers and directors for alleged breaches of fiduciary duties and corporate waste. The Derivative Complaints and Demand Letter are currently stayed, and the Company is engaged in settlement discussions with plaintiffs’ counsel regarding these matters.

On October 3, 2023, a former employee filed a complaint against the Company and its executives related to the former employee’s separation from the Company in August. The parties proceeded with paper discovery and this matter did not settle at an in-person settlement conference on July 17, 2024. As a result, we are in the discovery phase of this litigation. The parties exchanged discovery and a status conference was held on February 11, 2025, wherein opposing counsel asserted alleged various discovery deficiencies. The parties are working through these alleged discovery deficiencies and anticipate deposing the plaintiff as well as witnesses on behalf of the Company and the individual defendants themselves in the coming months.

We may also be a party to litigation and subject to claims incident to the ordinary course of business. Although the results of litigation and claims cannot be predicted with certainty, we currently believe that the final outcome of these ordinary course matters will not have a material adverse effect on our business. Regardless of the outcome, litigation can have an adverse impact on us because of defense and settlement costs, diversion of management resources and other factors.

Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures.

Not applicable.

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PART II

Item 5. Market For Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases.

Market Information

Our common stock was approved for listing on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “XCUR” and began trading on July 31, 2019. As disclosed elsewhere in this Report, we are currently in the process of appealing a delisting determination by the Nasdaq staff and there can be no assurance our common stock will remain trading and listed on Nasdaq.

On March 12, 2025, the last reported sale price of our common stock on Nasdaq was $10.57 per share.

Holders of Record

As of March 12, 2025, we had 6,317,771 shares of common stock outstanding held by 101 stockholders of record, one of which is Cede & Co., a nominee for Depository Trust Company, or DTC. All of the shares of common stock held by brokerage firms, banks and other financial institutions as nominees for beneficial owners are deposited into participant accounts at DTC, and are considered to be held of record by Cede & Co. as one stockholder.

Dividend Policy

We currently intend to retain future earnings, if any, for use in the operation of our business and to fund future growth. We have never declared or paid cash dividends on our common stock and we do not intend to pay any cash dividends on our common stock for the foreseeable future. Any future determination related to our dividend policy will be made at the discretion of our board of directors in light of conditions then-existing, including factors such as our results of operations, financial condition and requirements, business conditions and covenants under any applicable contractual arrangements.

Securities Authorized for Issuance under Equity Compensation Plans

Information about our equity compensation plans is incorporated herein by reference to Part III, Item 12 of this Annual Report.

Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds

Other than as listed below, there were no unregistered sales of equity securities sold during the period covered by this Annual Report on Form 10-K that were not previously included in a Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q or in a Current Report on Form 8-K.

On December 10, 2024, we entered into a common stock purchase agreement (the “MIRTO Purchase Agreement”) with MIRTO Co., LTD. (“MIRTO”), pursuant to which we agreed to issue and sell to MIRTO 87,808 shares of our Common Stock, for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $0.5 million, at a purchase price per share of $4.61. The transactions under the MIRTO Purchase Agreement closed on December 24, 2024.

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Item 6. RESERVED.

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

You should read the following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations together with our consolidated financial statements and the related notes and other financial information included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Some of the information contained in this discussion and analysis or set forth elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, including information with respect to our plans and strategy for our business, includes forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties as described under the heading “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. You should review the disclosure under the heading “Risk Factors” in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for a discussion of important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results described in or implied by the forward-looking statements contained in the following discussion and analysis.

Overview

Historically, we have been an early-stage biotechnology company focused on developing nucleic acid therapies targeting ribonucleic acid against validated targets. In September 2022, we announced a significant reduction in force, suspension of preclinical activities and halting of all research and development, and that we were exploring strategic alternatives to maximize stockholder value. In February 2024, we received an upfront payment of $500,000 from a licensing agreement for patents related to one of our historical drug candidates, and received a small, one-time payment and an entitlement to only modest royalties on future sales of the licensed technology that we do not believe will be material. In the second quarter, we recognized other income of $637,000 from the sale of our samples related to the licensed product. In the third quarter, we sold our historical biotechnology intellectual property and other assets (including the licensing agreement described above) pursuant to the purchase agreement and recognized other income of $1,500,000. We continue to engage in a broader exploration of strategic alternatives. This effort involves exploring growth through transactions with potential partners that see opportunity in joining an existing, publicly-traded organization.

Following the purchase agreement, any value we may generate from our historical biotechnology intellectual property and other assets will be primarily through royalties and license fees that we may receive in the future under the purchase agreement. However, whether we receive any royalties or licenses fees, and the amounts and timing thereof, are uncertain and out of our control.

While the foregoing efforts are continuing, with respect to our historical assets, we do not expect they will generate significant value for stockholders. Therefore, we are engaging in a broader exploration of strategic alternatives. We obtained significant financing late in 2024 in order to continue operations and our exploration of strategic alternatives and consummate any transactions that we may identify.

Operating, financing, and cash flow considerations

Since our inception in 2011, we have primarily funded our operations through sales of our securities, loans and collaborations. Effective as of November 12, 2024, we entered into the Initial Common Stock Purchase Agreement with HiTron, pursuant to which we agreed to issue and sell to HiTron 433,333 shares of our common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Common Stock”), for an aggregate purchase price of $1.3 million, at a purchase price per share of $3.00. On November 13, 2024, we entered into the Subsequent Common Stock Purchase Agreement, pursuant to which we agreed to sell and issue to HiTron 2,900,000 additional shares of Common Stock for an aggregate purchase price of $8.7 million, at a purchase price per share of $3.00. The issuance of such shares under the Subsequent Common Stock Purchase Agreement closed on December 24, 2024.

On December 9, 2024, we entered into a common stock purchase agreement (the “SangSang Purchase Agreement”) with SangSangIn Investment & Securities Co., Ltd. (“SangSang”), pursuant to which we agreed to issue and sell to SangSang 433,332 shares of our Common Stock, for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $2.0 million, at a purchase price per share of $4.61. The transactions under the SangSang Purchase Agreement closed on December 24, 2024.

As of December 31, 2024, our cash and cash equivalents cash were approximately $12.5 million. Our current liquidity may not be sufficient to fund operations for the next 12 months. As a result, there is substantial doubt about

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our ability to continue as a going concern. Additional financing will be needed to fund our ongoing operations and exploration of strategic alternatives and pursue any alternatives that we identify. If we are unable to raise capital, the Company could seek bankruptcy protection and/or cease operations, which may result in our stockholders receiving no or very little value in respect of their shares of our common stock.

We expect to seek financing through equity offerings. However, it may be difficult to obtain financing given our current condition and uncertainty over its future direction. Therefore, we may be unable to raise capital at all or on favorable terms. Our failure to raise capital or enter into such other arrangements as and when needed would have a negative impact on our financial condition and our ability to continue operations.

Recent Developments

Change of Control

As discussed above, effective as of November 12, 2024, we entered into the Initial Common Stock Purchase Agreement with HiTron, pursuant to which we agreed to issue and sell to HiTron 433,333 shares of Common Stock for an aggregate purchase price of $1.3 million, at a purchase price per share of $3.00.

On November 13, 2024, we entered into the Subsequent Common Stock Purchase Agreement, pursuant to which we agreed to sell and issue to HiTron 2,900,000 additional shares of the Company’s Common Stock, for an aggregate purchase price of $8.7 million, at a purchase price of $3.00 per share. The issuance of such shares under the Subsequent Common Stock Purchase Agreement closed on December 24, 2024.

As of March 12, 2025, HiTron beneficially owns 53% of the outstanding shares of Common Stock based on information available to the Company.

Nasdaq Listing Requirements Deficiency Notices

As previously disclosed, we have received numerous deficiency notes with respect to various Nasdaq listing requirements in the past year. These related to:

•Compliance with Nasdaq’s minimum bid price rule due to our stock trading below $1.00 for a sustained period of time. We effected a one-for-thirty reverse stock split on June 29, 2022 in order to attempt to raise the stock price. On September 13, 2023, we received a delinquency notification that the closing bid price of our stock traded below $1.00 for the previous 30 consecutive business days. We effected a one-for-five reverse stock split on August 27, 2024 in order to attempt to raise the stock price. On September 13, 2024, we received a letter received from Nasdaq noting it met the closing bid price requirement.

•Compliance with Nasdaq’s rule requiring stockholders’ equity of at least $2,500,000 based on our balance sheet as of December 31, 2024. We were not in compliance with this requirement based on its September 30, 2024 balance sheet. We believes it is in compliance with this requirement based on its December 31, 2024 balance sheet and expects to be in compliance going forward.

•Compliance with Nasdaq’s corporate governance requirements with respect to board and committee composition . We has received numerous deficiency notifications with respect to these requirements in the past year. Although we are currently in compliance, there can be no assurance it will remain in compliance.

•Compliance with Nasdaq’s requirement to hold an annual meeting. On January 11, 2024, Nasdaq notified us that it did not comply with listing requirements by not holding an annual meeting in 2023. We held its combined 2023 and 2024 annual meeting on June 28, 2024.

•On April 17, 2024, we received a delinquency notification as it had not filed its Annual Report Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023. The extended deadline for compliance was established by Nasdaq at May 20, 2024, the same deadline for our Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2023. The Annual Report Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023 was filed on June 6, 2024.

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•Although we filed its Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2023 prior to the extended deadline of May 20, 2024, on May 21, 2024, we received a delisting determination from the Nasdaq staff as a result of not filing its Annual Report Form 10-K by the May 20, 2024 deadline and failure to timely file its Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2024 (which was subsequently filed on June 17, 2024). The staff’s delisting determination also noted the failure to hold its 2023 annual meeting as another basis of the delisting determination.

•On May 28, 2024, we requested an appeal of the delisting determination to Nasdaq’s Hearings Panel (“Panel”), and the hearing took place on July 9, 2024. On July 31, 2024, we received formal notice that the Panel determined to continue our listing subject to us evidencing compliance with all applicable criteria for continued listing on The Nasdaq Capital Market by September 16, 2024. We received an additional extension to November 14, 2024 to satisfy the terms of the Panel’s decision and to ensure our continued listing on Nasdaq.

•As we did not meet Nasdaq’s listing requirements as of September 30, 2024, we has requested another extension by the Panel to demonstrate compliance and another extension was granted. We thereafter presented its plan to regain compliance with the Equity Requirement to the Panel, subsequent to which the Panel ultimately granted us extensions through December 17, 2024 to do so.

•On December 20, 2024, we received a letter from Nasdaq confirming that, as of December 17, 2024, we meet all requirements for continued listing on Nasdaq as required by the Panel’s decision dated November 20, 2024. In accordance with the Panel’s decision, on December 17, 2024, we made public disclosure under cover of a Form 8-K, describing the transactions undertaken by us to achieve compliance with Listing Rule 5550(b)(1) and stated affirmatively that as of that date, it believes it has stockholders’ equity above the $2.5 million requirement and provided a pro-forma balance sheet as of December 17, 2024. Pursuant to Listing Rule 5815(d)(4)(B), we will be subject to a Mandatory Panel Monitor for a period of one year from the date of Nasdaq’s letter. If, within that one-year monitoring period, the Nasdaq Listing Qualifications staff (the “Staff”) finds us again out of compliance with the $2.5 million Equity Rule that was the subject of the exception, notwithstanding Rule 5810(c)(2), we will not be permitted to provide the Staff with a plan of compliance with respect to that deficiency and the Staff will not be permitted to grant additional time for us to regain compliance with respect to that deficiency, nor will we be afforded an applicable cure or compliance period pursuant to Rule 5810(c)(3). Instead, the Staff will issue a Delist Determination Letter and we will have an opportunity to request a new hearing with the initial Panel or a newly convened Panel if the initial Panel is unavailable. We will have the opportunity to respond/present to the Panel as provided by Listing Rule 5815(d)(4)(C). Our securities may be at that time delisted from Nasdaq.

Even if we regains compliance with Nasdaq’s listing requirements and addresses the outstanding deficiency notices to Nasdaq’s satisfaction, there can be no assurance that we will remain in compliance with Nasdaq’s requirements and will not be delisted.

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Reverse Stock Split

On August 26, 2024, we filed a Certificate of Amendment to our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, or the Amendment, with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware to effect a one-for-five (1-for-5) reverse stock split of our outstanding common stock. The Amendment became effective at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on August 27, 2024.

The Amendment provided that, at the effective time of the Amendment, every five (5) shares of our issued and outstanding common stock were automatically combined into one issued and outstanding share of common stock, without any change in par value per share. The reverse stock split effected all shares of our common stock outstanding immediately prior to the effective time of the Amendment. As a result of the reverse stock split, proportionate adjustments have been made to the per share exercise price and/or the number of shares issuable upon the exercise or vesting of all stock options, restricted share unit award issued by us and outstanding immediately prior to the effective time of the Amendment, which resulted in a proportionate decrease in the number of shares of our common stock reserved for issuance upon exercise or vesting of such stock options, restricted share unit award, and, in the case of stock options, a proportionate increase in the exercise price of all such stock options. In addition, the number of shares reserved for issuance under our equity compensation plans immediately prior to the effective time of the Amendment was reduced proportionately.

No fractional shares were issued as a result of the reverse stock split. Stockholders of record who would otherwise be entitled to receive a fractional share received a full share in lieu thereof. The reverse stock split affected all stockholders proportionately and did not affect any stockholder’s percentage ownership of our common stock (except to the extent that the reverse stock split results in any stockholder owning only a fractional share).

Our common stock began trading on The Nasdaq Capital Market on a split-adjusted basis when the market opened on August 28, 2024. The new CUSIP number for our common stock following the reverse stock split is 30205M 309.

Critical Accounting Estimates

We prepare our condensed consolidated financial statements in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America, which require our management to make estimates that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities and disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities at the balance sheet dates, as well as the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting periods. To the extent that there are material differences between these estimates and actual results, our financial condition or results of operations would be affected. We base our estimates on our own historical experience and other assumptions that we believe are reasonable after taking account of our circumstances and expectations for the future based on available information. We evaluate these estimates on an ongoing basis.

We consider an accounting estimate to be critical if: (1) the accounting estimate requires us to make assumptions about matters that were highly uncertain at the time the accounting estimate was made, and (2) changes in the estimate that are reasonably likely to occur from period to period, or use of different estimates that we reasonably could have used in the current period, would have a material impact on our financial condition or results of operations. There are items within our financial statements that require estimation but are not deemed critical, as defined above.

Recent adopted accounting pronouncements

In the normal course of business, we evaluate all new accounting pronouncements issued by the FASB, SEC, or other authoritative accounting bodies to determine the potential impact they may have on our Consolidated Financial Statements. See Note 2, Significant Accounting Policies, of the notes to our consolidated financial statements in this Annual Report for additional information about these recently issued accounting standards and their potential impact on our financial condition or results of operations.

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Components of Statements of Operations

Revenue

For the year ended December 31, 2024, the Company’s revenue was generated from a patent license agreement to develop cavrotolimod for potential treatment for hepatitis with a private clinical stage biopharmaceutical company. Under the terms of the agreement, this biopharmaceutical company received an exclusive license in the field of hepatitis to all of the Company’s relevant patents. We have never generated any commercial product revenue and do not expect to generate any product revenue in the near term.

Research and development expense

Research and development expense consisted of costs associated with our research activities, including basic research on our SNA technology platform, discovery and development of novel SNAs as prospective therapeutic candidates, preclinical and clinical development activities for SNAs we have nominated for clinical development as well as maintaining and protecting our intellectual property. Our research and development expenses in the prior year presented include:

•employee-related expenses, including salaries, bonuses, benefits and equity-based compensation expense;

•early research and development expenses incurred under arrangements with third parties, such as contract research organizations, contract manufacturing organizations, and consultants;

•preclinical and clinical development expenses with third parties such as contract research organizations, contract manufacturing organizations, and consultants;

•costs of maintaining and protecting our intellectual property portfolio, including legal advisory fees, license fees, sublicense fees, patent maintenance and other similar fees;

•laboratory materials and supplies;

•facilities, depreciation and other allocated expenses, which include direct and allocated expenses for rent and maintenance of facilities, depreciation of leasehold improvements and equipment and laboratory and other supplies.

We expensed research and development costs as they were incurred. A significant portion of our research and development costs were not tracked by project as they benefit multiple projects or our technology.

As previously announced, we halted all research and development activities in 2022 and no longer incurred research and development expenses after the first quarter of 2023.

General and administrative expense

General and administrative expense consists primarily of salaries and related benefits, including equity-based compensation, related to our executive, finance, legal, business development and support functions. Other general and administrative expenses include travel expenses, professional fees for auditing, tax and legal services and allocated facility-related costs not otherwise included in research and development expenses.

Litigation legal expense

Litigation legal expense consists of expenses from its self-insured retention related to the securities litigation lawsuit.

Right-of-use asset impairment loss

This loss resulted from the impairment analysis of the Company’s right-of-use asset related to its office lease.

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Changes in fair value of investment in convertible notes receivable

The changes in fair value of investment in convertible notes receivable relate to the impairment of the convertible notes receivable and reserved their entire $2 million amount.

Dividend income

Dividend income consists of income earned on our money market funds that are recorded as cash equivalents on our consolidated balance sheets.

Interest income

Interest income consists of income earned on our available for sale securities that are recorded as short-term investments on our consolidated balance sheets, as well as income earned on our cash balances.

Interest expense

Interest expense includes amounts pursuant to debt agreements executed in 2024 that were later converted to equity.

Gain on settlement of accounts payable

During the year, the Company agreed to settle overdue legal expenses incurred in the prior year at a discounted amount resulting in a gain on this transaction.

Other income

The Company sold samples of its clinical products during the second quarter to a private clinical stage biopharmaceutical company. In the fourth quarter, the Company sold certain assets pursuant to the purchase agreement with the Purchaser.

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Results of Operations

Comparison of the Year Ended December 31, 2024and2023

The following table summarizes the results of our operations for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023:

Year EndedDecember 31,

Revenue:

Operating expenses:

Research and development expense — 1,423 (1,423) (100) %

Loss from sale of property and equipment — 920 (920) 100 %

Other (expense) income, net:

Interest expense (18) — (18) (100) %

Gain on settlement of accounts payables 407 — 407 100 %

Provision for income taxes 8 — 8 (100) %

Revenue

On February 5, 2024, the Company entered into a patent license agreement to develop cavrotolimod for potential treatment for hepatitis with a private clinical stage biopharmaceutical company. Under the terms of the agreement, this biopharmaceutical company received an exclusive license in the field of hepatitis to all of the Company’s relevant patents. $500,000 was paid to the Company after the execution of this agreement.

Our ability to generate revenues in the future is dependent on our ability to successfully explore and execute strategic alternatives. Therefore, there is substantial uncertainty as to how, when or if we might be able to generate revenues in the future.

Research and development expense

Research and development expense was $0 for the year ended December 31, 2024, a $1.4 million decrease from the year ended December 31, 2023. In 2022, the Company suspended its clinical, preclinical, and discovery program activities and reduced headcount as it began exploring strategic alternatives in April 2023. As a result, after

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the first quarter of 2023, the Company determined it was no longer appropriate to record any research and development expenses.

General and administrative expense

Year EndedDecember 31,

Full time employees 7 6 1

General and administrative expense was $5.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, representing an decrease of $6.3 million, or 53%, from $11.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2023. The decrease for the year ended December 31, 2024 was due to higher costs in 2023 from separation pay of former executives and related stock based compensation expense, payroll and related benefits, legal and consulting fees, facility and lease costs, depreciation from assets sold, and the research and development wind down costs that no longer met the criteria to be classified as research and development due to the shift in our historical operations suspending all research and development activities as previous discussed.

Litigation legal expense

The increase of $0.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2024 was due to accruals recorded for the amount of the unsatisfied self-insured retainer and legal defense costs related to the securities litigation lawsuit.

Right-of-use asset impairment loss

This loss resulted from the impairment analysis of the Company’s right-of-use asset related to its office lease.

Loss from sale of property and equipment

In the third quarter of 2023, the Company sold the majority of its scientific equipment through a third party auctioneer and incurred a loss on the sale of these assets as a result.

Changes in fair value of investment in convertible notes receivable

Changes in fair value became known and the Company impaired the entire $2 million amount of these convertible notes receivable. As a result, the convertible notes receivable is recognized at a fair value of $0 as of December 31, 2024.

Gain on settlement of accounts payable

During the year, the Company agreed to settle overdue legal expenses incurred in the prior year at a discounted amount resulting in a gain on this transaction.

Other Income

The Company sold samples of its clinical products during the second quarter to a private clinical stage biopharmaceutical company. On September 27, 2024, the Company entered into and closed the sale of certain assets pursuant to the purchase agreement with the Purchaser. The assets sold to Purchaser include the Company’s spherical nucleic acid-related technology, research and development programs, and clinical assets (the “Acquired Assets”) to the Purchaser as described in the purchase agreement. The Company will receive gross proceeds of $1,500 from the sale of the Acquired Assets.

Provision for income taxes

The effective tax rate for the year ended December 31, 2024 is attributable to the fact that the Company is subject to state income taxes. The effective income tax rate for the year ended December 31, 2024 was (0.1)%

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because the Company generated tax losses and provided a full valuation allowance against its deferred tax assets to an amount that is more likely than not to be realized. The effective tax rate for the year ended December 31, 2023 of 0% was attributable to the fact the Company was subject to the IRC Section 174 regulations requiring companies to capitalize certain research and experimental expenditures and IRC Section 382 loss limitation rules on our ability to utilize net operating losses to offset the capitalization requirement, with the ownership change being in the fourth quarter of 2022. This resulted in current income tax expense in 2022.

As of December 31, 2023, the Company has “discontinued the original business” of Exicure within the meaning of Section 382(c). This change has and will continue to subject our net operating loss carryforwards as of the fourth quarter of 2022 to an annual zero limitation, which will fully restrict our ability to use loss carryforwards and deductions from built in loss assets generated before the ownership change date to offset our taxable income in periods following the ownership change.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Since our inception, we have incurred significant operating losses. We generated limited revenue from our collaboration agreements, which have since been terminated. We have funded our operations to date with proceeds received from equity financings and payments received in connection with collaboration agreements, which have since been terminated. Currently we are exploring strategic alternatives and generating limited revenue. As of December 31, 2024, our cash and cash equivalents cash were $12.5 million.

We incurred net losses of approximately $9.7 million and $16.9 million for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. As of December 31, 2024, we have generated an accumulated deficit of $218.1 million, including $18,837 of additional paid-in capital reclassed to accumulated deficit upon C-corporation conversion, since inception and expect to incur significant expenses and negative cash flows for the foreseeable future.

Our current liquidity is not sufficient to continue to fund existing obligations and operations. As a result, there is substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. Additional financing will be needed to fund our ongoing operations and exploration of strategic alternatives and pursue any alternatives that we identify. We may need to seek bankruptcy protection and/or cease operations in the near term, which may result in our stockholders receiving no or very little value in respect of their shares of our common stock.

See “Funding Requirements” below for additional information on our future capital needs.

Cash Flows

The following table shows a summary of our cash flows for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023:

Years EndedDecember 31,

Net cash used in operating activities $ (2,910) $ (10,357)

Net cash used in investing activities — (1,078)

Net cash provided by financing activities 13,402 3,674

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Operating activities

Net cash used in operating activities was $2.9 million and $10.4 million for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. The decrease in cash used in operating activities for the year ended December 31, 2024 of $7.4 million was due to the reduction of operating activities, spending and lower headcount.

Investing activities

Net cash used in investing activities was $0.0 million and $1.1 million for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. The decrease in cash used in investing activities of $1.1 million was primarily due to a decrease in proceeds from the maturity, net of purchases, of available-for-sale securities.

Financing activities

Net cash provided by financing activities of $13.4 million for year ended December 31, 2024 is primarily due to the stock purchase agreements closed in November and December 2024. Net cash provided by financing activities of $3.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2023 is primarily due to the Private Placement closed in February 2023.

Funding Requirements

Our existing cash and cash equivalents may not be sufficient to enable us to fund our existing obligations and ongoing operating expenses for the near term. Our future capital requirements are difficult to forecast and will depend on many factors, including:

•the results of our exploration of strategic alternatives, including any potential transactions;

•the results of any future or pending litigation against the Company;

•the extent to which we encounter increased costs as a result of global and macroeconomic conditions, including rising inflation and interest rates, supply chain disruptions, fluctuating exchange rates, and increases in commodity, energy and fuel prices; and

•unknown legal, administrative, regulatory, accounting, and information technology costs as well as additional costs associated with operating as a public company.

Until such time, if ever, as we can generate substantial revenue, we expect to finance our cash needs primarily through equity offerings. To the extent that we raise additional capital through the sale of equity or convertible debt securities, the ownership interest of our stockholders may be materially diluted, and the terms of such securities could include liquidation or other preferences that adversely affect the rights of our stockholders. Debt financing and preferred equity financing, if available, may involve agreements that include restrictive covenants that limit our ability to take specified actions, such as incurring additional debt, making capital expenditures or declaring dividends. Further, the global financial markets have experienced significant disruptions over the past couple of years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, and worsening global macroeconomic conditions, including actions taken by central banks to counter inflation, volatility in the capital markets and related market uncertainty, may impact our ability to obtain additional financing when needed on favorable terms or at all. Any further disruption or slowdown in the global financial markets and economy may negatively affect our ability to raise funding through equity or debt financings on attractive terms or at all, which could in the future negatively affect our operations.

Going Concern

In accordance with Accounting Standards Codification 205-40, Going Concern, we have evaluated whether there are conditions and events, considered in the aggregate, that raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern within one year after the date that the consolidated financial statements are issued. In the absence of a significant source of recurring revenue, our continued viability is dependent on our ability to continue to raise

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additional capital to finance our operations. As discussed above, there are substantial uncertainties about our ability to raise such financing.

Contractual Obligations and Commitments

Chicago Lease

Refer to Note 5 - Leases to the Notes to our Consolidated Financial Statements included herein.

Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk.

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

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Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.

EXICURE, INC.

INDEX TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

PAGE

Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2024 and 2023 39

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements 44

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Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

To the Stockholders and Board of Directors

Exicure, Inc.

Opinion on the Financial Statements

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Exicure, Inc. (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2024 and 2023, the related consolidated statements of operations, changes in 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, based on our audits, 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.

Explanatory Paragraph – Going Concern

The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared assuming that the Company will continue as a going concern. As more fully described in Note 1 , the Company has incurred significant losses and negative cash flows since inception, and may need to raise additional funds to meet its obligations and sustain its operations. These conditions raise substantial doubt about the Company's ability to continue as a going concern. Management's plans in regard to these matters are also described in Note 1. The consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.

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 audit 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.

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Critical Audit Matter

Critical audit matters are matters arising from the current period audit of the financial statements that were communicated or required to be communicated to the audit committee and that: (1) relate to accounts or disclosures that are material to the financial statements and (2) involved our especially challenging, subjective, or complex judgments. We determined that there are no critical audit matters.

/s/ Marcum LLP

Marcum LLP

We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2023.

New York, New York

March 18, 2025

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EXICURE, INC.

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(in thousands, except share and per share data)

December 31,

ASSETS

Current assets:

Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash $ 12,508 $ 816

Prepaid expenses and other current assets 644 1,193

Property and equipment, net 26 54

Right-of-use asset — 6,517

LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

Current liabilities:

Accrued expenses and other current liabilities 2,040 879

Commitments and Contingencies (Note 15)

Stockholders’ equity:

Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity $ 15,056 $ 11,580

* reflects a one-for-five (1:5) reverse stock split effected on August 27, 2024

See Accompanying Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

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EXICURE, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

(in thousands, except share and per share data)

Year EndedDecember 31,

Revenue:

Revenue $ 500 $ —

Total revenue 500 —

Operating expenses:

Research and development expense — 1,423

General and administrative expense 5,449 11,715

Right-of-use asset impairment loss 5,721 —

Loss from sale of property and equipment — 920

Other (expense) income, net:

Changes in fair value of investment in convertible notes receivable — (2,000)

Dividend income 5 52

Interest income 8 32

Interest expense (18) —

Gain on settlement of accounts payables 407 —

Other income (expense), net 2,137 (2)

Total other income (expense), net 2,539 (1,918)

Net loss before provision for income taxes (9,693) (16,914)

Provision for income taxes 8 —

Basic and diluted loss per common share * $ (4.75) $ (10.55)

* reflects a one-for-five (1:5) reverse stock split effected on August 27, 2024

See Accompanying Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

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EXICURE, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

(in thousands, except shares)

Common Stock

Reclassification of common stock warrants to liability — — (800) — (800)

Equity-based compensation — — 1,348 — 1,348

Vesting of restricted stock units and related repurchases 56,971 — (122) — (122)

Equity-based compensation — — 22 — 22

Vesting of restricted stock units and related repurchases 166 — — — —

Issuance of common stock, debt to equity conversion 339,214 — 1,018 1,018

* reflects a one-for-five (1:5) reverse stock split effected on August 27, 2024

See Accompanying Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

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EXICURE, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(in thousands)

Year Ended December 31,

Cash flows from operating activities:

Adjustments to reconcile net loss to cash used in operating activities:

Depreciation and amortization 28 634

Amortization of right-of-use asset 796 741

Equity-based compensation 22 1,348

Right-of-use asset impairment loss 5,721 —

Gain on settlement of accounts payables (407) —

Changes in fair value of investment in convertible notes receivable — 2,000

Loss from sale of property and equipment — 920

Changes in operating assets and liabilities:

Accounts receivable (506) —

Prepaid expenses and other current assets 977 733

Other noncurrent assets — 38

Net cash used in operating activities (2,910) (10,357)

Cash flows from investing activities:

Purchase of available-for-sale securities — (2,000)

Proceeds from sale of property and equipment — 922

Net cash (used in) provided by investing activities — (1,078)

Cash flows from financing activities:

Proceeds from sale of common stock 12,402 5,440

Payment of common stock financing costs — (843)

Proceeds from short term debt 1,000 —

Payment of exercise of common stock warrants — (800)

Net cash provided by financing activities 13,402 3,674

Net (decrease) in cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash 10,492 (7,761)

Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash - beginning of year 2,016 9,777

Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash - end of year $ 12,508 $ 2,016

See Accompanying Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

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EXICURE, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(in thousands)

Year Ended December 31,

Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information

Non-cash operating activities:

Reclass prepaid expenses from noncurrent to current $ 428 $ —

Non-cash financing activities:

Equity effect of debt to equity conversion $ 1,018 $ —

The following table provides a reconciliation of cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash reported within the consolidated balance sheets that sum to the total of the amounts shown in the consolidated statements of cash flows:

Year Ended December 31,

Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash $ 12,508 $ 816

Restricted cash included in other noncurrent assets — 1,200

See Accompanying Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

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EXICURE, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(in thousands, except share and per share data)

1. Description of Business, Basis of Presentation and Going Concern

Description of Business

Exicure, Inc. has historically been an early-stage biotechnology company focused on developing nucleic acid therapies targeting ribonucleic acid against validated targets. In September 2022, the Company announced a significant reduction in force, suspension of preclinical activities and halting of all research and development, and that the Company was exploring strategic alternatives to maximize stockholder value. In the first quarter, the Company entered into a licensing agreement for patents related to one of our historical drug candidates, and received a small, one-time payment and an entitlement to only modest royalties on future sales of the licensed technology that we do not believe will be material. In the second quarter, the Company sold some of our samples related to the licensed product. In the third quarter, the Company entered into a sale agreement to sale our historical biotechnology intellectual property and other assets pursuant to the purchase agreement. The Company continues to engage in a broader exploration of strategic alternatives. This effort involves exploring growth through transactions with potential partners that see opportunity in joining an existing, publicly-traded organization.

On January 19, 2025, we entered into a Share Purchase Agreement with GPCR Therapeutics Inc, a Korean corporation, (“GPCR”) pursuant to which we acquired from GPCR all of the issued and outstanding equity securities of GPCR Therapeutics USA Inc., a California corporation (“GPCR USA”). In connection with the closing of the Share Purchase Agreement, the Company and GPCR entered into a License and Collaboration Agreement to further develop and commercialize GPCR’s technologies related to certain intellectual property and patents.

GPCR USA has an ongoing Phase 2 clinical trial focused on blood cancer patients, particularly those eligible for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Its current clinical trial involves the combined administration of G-CSF, GPC-100 (Burixafor) and propranolol. GPCR USA plans to complete the administration of GPC-100 to 20 patients by the end of April and aims to announce the clinical trial results by September.

Throughout these consolidated financial statements, the terms the “Company,” and “Exicure” refer to Exicure, Inc. and where appropriate, its wholly owned subsidiary, Exicure Operating Company. Exicure Operating Company holds all material assets and conducts all business activities and operations of Exicure, Inc.

Basis of Presentation

These consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“US GAAP”) as defined by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) within the FASB Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) and are presented in thousands, except number of shares and per share data.

Principles of Consolidation

The accompanying consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Exicure, Inc. and its wholly owned subsidiary, Exicure Operating Company. All intercompany transactions and accounts are eliminated in consolidation.

Reverse Stock Split

At the Company’s Special Meeting of Stockholders held on August 15, 2024, the Company’s stockholders approved a proposal to approve and adopt an amendment to the Company’s Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation to effect a reverse stock split of its shares of common stock, issued and outstanding or reserved for issuance, at a ratio within the range from 1-for-2 to 1-for-15, with such ratio to be determined in the discretion of the Board of Directors. On August 20, 2024, the Company’s Board of Directors adopted resolutions to effect as soon as reasonably practicable the reverse split of the issued and outstanding shares of the Common Stock at a ratio of 1-for-5.

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EXICURE, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(in thousands, except share and per share data)

The Company effected a reverse stock split of its Common Stock at a ratio of 1-for-5 as of 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on August 27, 2024. No fractional shares were issued in connection with the reverse stock split. Stockholders of record who would otherwise be entitled to receive a fractional share received a full share in lieu thereof. An additional 102,837 shares were issued as a result of the fractional shares rounded up. All information presented in the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements, unless otherwise indicated herein, assumes a 1-for-5 reverse stock split of the Company’s outstanding shares of Common Stock, and unless otherwise indicated, all such amounts and corresponding conversion price or exercise price data set forth herein have been adjusted to give effect to such assumed reverse stock split.

Going Concern

At each reporting period, the Company evaluates whether there are conditions or events that raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern for a period of one year after the date that the financial statements are issued. The Company is required to make certain additional disclosures if it concludes substantial doubt exists and it is not alleviated by the Company’s plans or when its plans alleviate substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern.

The accompanying financial statements have been prepared assuming that the Company will continue as a going concern for a period of one year after the date that the financial statements are issued. As of December 31, 2024, the Company expects to incur significant expenses and negative cash flows for the foreseeable future. As of December 31, 2024, the Company’s cash and cash equivalents were $12,508. Management believes that given the Company’s current cash position, operating plans and forecasted negative cash flows from operating activities over the next twelve months, there is substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern within one year after the date these financial statements are issued. Additional financing will be needed to fund our ongoing operations, support of GPCR USA’s operations, and exploration of strategic alternatives and pursuing any alternatives that we identify.

Management believes that the Company’s existing cash and cash equivalents are insufficient to continue to fund its operating expenses and additional funding is needed. There can be no assurance that such additional financing will be available and, if available, can be obtained on acceptable terms.

The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared as though the Company will continue as a going concern, which contemplates the realization of assets and satisfaction of liabilities in the normal course of business. The financial statements do not include any adjustments relating to the recoverability and classification of recorded asset amounts or the amounts and classification of liabilities that might be necessary should the Company be unable to continue as a going concern.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of the financial statements in conformity with US GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Management bases its estimates on certain assumptions which it believes are reasonable in the circumstances and while actual results could differ from those estimates, management does not believe that any change in those assumptions in the near term would have a significant effect on the Company’s financial position, results of operations or cash flows. Actual results in future periods could differ from those estimates.

Reclassification

Certain accounts in the prior period consolidated statement of operations have been reclassified to conform to the presentation of the current year consolidated financial statements. These reclassifications had no effect on the previously reported operating results.

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EXICURE, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(in thousands, except share and per share data)

2. Significant Accounting Policies

Cash and cash equivalents

The Company considers all highly liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less to be cash equivalents. As of December 31, 2024, cash equivalents represented funds held in a money market account.

Restricted cash

The Company secures a standby letter of credit with a restricted certificate of deposit account as part of its Chicago lease agreement, which was used to pay the lease during 2024. The Company considers the restricted certificate of deposit account in the amount of $109 to be restricted cash because its use to the Company is contractually limited and presents the balance within current assets on the accompanying consolidated balance sheet at December 31, 2024 and 2023.

Fair value of financial instruments

The Company has estimated the fair value of its financial instruments. The carrying amounts for cash, cash equivalents, and accounts payable approximate their fair value due to the relatively short-term nature of these instruments. The Company records short-term investments at their estimated fair value based on quoted market prices for identical or similar instruments.

Investment in Convertible Notes Receivable

Securities are classified as current or noncurrent based on the remaining contractual maturities of the securities. Securities are designated by the Company at the point of investment, as either trading, AFS, or held to maturity. Under ASC 825, Financial Instruments, the Company elected the fair value option for all outstanding convertible notes receivable. Management evaluates the performance of the securities on a fair value basis. Under the fair value option, the notes receivable are measured at each reporting period based upon their exit value in an orderly transaction and unrealized gains or losses from changes in fair value are recorded in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations.

Investment in convertible notes receivable at fair value totaled $0 as of December 31, 2024. As of December 31, 2024, the aggregate cost of the investment in convertible notes receivable accounted for under the fair value option was $0, which included principal balances of $2,000 and the change in fair value of $2,000.

Concentrations of credit risk and other risks and uncertainties

Financial instruments that potentially expose the Company to concentrations of credit risk consist primarily of cash and cash equivalents. The Company places its cash and cash equivalents with reputable financial institutions. The Company’s cash accounts are insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) up to $250,000 per financial institution in the United States. The Company's cash equivalent securities are insured by the Securities Investor Protection Corp. (“SIPC”) up to $500,000 per account, with a limit of $250,000 in cash. The Company has not experienced any credit losses in such accounts. The Company has no financial instruments with off-balance sheet risk of loss.

The Company is currently not profitable and no assurance can be provided that it will ever be profitable. The Company’s research and development activities have required significant investment since inception and operations are expected to continue to require cash investment in excess of its revenues. See also Note 1, Going Concern, for more information.

Property and equipment

Property and equipment are recorded at cost and depreciated using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the various classes of property and equipment, which range from three to seven years. Leasehold

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EXICURE, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(in thousands, except share and per share data)

improvements are amortized using the straight-line method over the shorter of the remaining terms of the respective leases or the estimated lives of the assets. Depreciation begins at the time the asset is placed in service.

Property and equipment are reviewed for impairment at least annually or whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. An impairment loss for the year ended December 31, 2024 resulted from an analysis of the Company’s right-of-use asset related to its office lease. No impairment losses were recorded for the year ended December 31, 2023.

Warrants

The Company accounts for freestanding warrants within stockholder’s equity or as liabilities based on the characteristics and provisions of each instrument. The Company evaluates outstanding warrants in accordance with ASC 480, Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity, and ASC 815, Derivatives and Hedging. If none of the criteria in the evaluation in these standards are met, the warrants are classified as a component of stockholders’ equity and initially recorded at their grant date fair value without subsequent remeasurement. Warrants that meet the criteria are classified as liabilities and remeasured to their fair value, estimated using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model, at the end of each reporting period with changes in the fair value of the liability recorded in other income (expense), net in the consolidated statements of operations.

Revenue recognition

The core principle of ASC Topic 606 “Revenue from Contracts with Customers” (“ASC 606”) requires that an entity recognize revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the company expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. The Company allocates the transaction price to all contractual performance obligations included in the contract. If a contract has more than one performance obligation, we allocate the transaction price to each performance obligation based on standalone selling price, which depicts the amount of consideration we expect to be entitled in exchange for satisfying each performance obligation. The Company recognizes revenue when it was satisfied or fulfilled it’s obligation to the customer.

Equity-based compensation

The Company measures the cost of equity-based awards at fair value and records the cost of the awards, net of estimated forfeitures, on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period. The Company measures fair value for all common stock options using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model. The fair value of common stock option awards is affected by the valuation assumptions, including the expected volatility based on comparable market participants, expected term of the common stock option, risk-free interest rate, and expected dividends. For all equity-based awards, the fair value measurement date is the date of grant and the requisite service period is the period over which the recipient is required to provide service in exchange for the equity-based awards, which is generally the vesting period.

Segments and geographic information

Operating segments are defined as components of an enterprise about which separate discrete information is available for evaluation by the chief operating decision-maker, in deciding how to allocate resources and in assessing performance. The Company views its operations and manages its business as one operating segment. All long-lived assets of the Company are located in the United States.

Leases

The Company determines if an arrangement is a lease at contract inception. Operating lease assets represent the Company’s right to use an underlying asset for the lease term and operating lease liabilities represent the Company’s obligation to make lease payments arising from the lease. Operating lease assets and liabilities are recognized on the balance sheet at the commencement date of the lease based upon the present value of lease payments over the lease term. When determining the lease term, the Company includes options to extend or to terminate the lease when it is

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EXICURE, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(in thousands, except share and per share data)

reasonably certain that the Company will exercise that option. The Company uses the implicit interest rate when readily determinable and uses the Company’s incremental borrowing rate when the implicit rate is not readily determinable based upon the information available at the commencement date in determining the present value of the lease payments.

The lease payments used to determine the Company’s operating lease assets may include lease incentives, stated rent increases and escalation clauses linked to rates of inflation when determinable. In addition, the Company’s lease arrangements may contain lease and non-lease components. The Company combines lease and non-lease components, which are accounted for together as a single lease component. Variable lease payments, such as real estate taxes and facility maintenance costs that are allocated by the lessor to the lessee and are not based on an index or a rate, are excluded from the measurement of the lease liability.

Lease expense for minimum lease payments is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term. Short-term leases, defined as leases that have a lease term of twelve months or less at the commencement date, are excluded from this treatment and are recognized on a straight-line basis over the term of the lease. Costs for variable lease payments that are not included in the lease liability are recognized as expense as incurred.

Research and development expense

Research and development expenses are charged to expense as incurred in performing research and development activities in accordance with ASC 730, Research and Development. The costs include employee‐related expenses including salaries, benefits, and stock‐based compensation expense, costs of funding research performed by third parties that conduct research and development and preclinical and clinical activities on the Company’s behalf, the cost of purchasing lab supplies and non‐capital equipment used in preclinical and clinical activities and in manufacturing preclinical and clinical study materials, consultant fees, facility costs including rent, depreciation and maintenance expenses, fees for acquiring and maintaining licenses under third party licensing agreements, including any sublicensing or success payments made to the Company’s licensors, and overhead and other expenses directly related to research and development operations. In accruing service fees, the Company estimates the time period over which services will be performed and the level of effort to be expended in each period. If the actual timing of the performance of services or the level of effort varies from the Company’s estimate, the accrual or prepaid is adjusted accordingly. The Company defers and capitalizes non-refundable advance payments made by the Company for research and development activities until the related goods are received or the related services are performed. In circumstances where amounts have been paid in excess of costs incurred, the Company records a prepaid expense.

Income taxes

The Company recognizes deferred tax assets and liabilities for temporary differences between the financial reporting basis and the tax basis of its assets and liabilities and the expected benefits of net operating loss carryforwards. The impact of changes in tax rates and laws on deferred taxes, if any, is applied during the years in which temporary differences are expected to be settled and is reflected in the financial statements in the period of enactment. The measurement of deferred tax assets is reduced, if necessary, if, based on weight of the evidence, it is more likely than not that some, or all, of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. At December 31, 2024 and 2023, the Company established a full valuation allowance against its deferred tax assets to an amount that is more likely than not to be realized.

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NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(in thousands, except share and per share data)

Recent Accounting Pronouncements Adopted

Segment Reporting Disclosures

In November 2023, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) No. 2023-07, Segment Reporting (Topic 280), Improvements to Reportable Segment Disclosures which will require companies to disclose significant segment expenses that are regularly provided to the chief operating decision maker (“CODM”). The pronouncement is effective for annual filings for the year ended December 31, 2024. The Company adopted this standard for our fiscal year 2024 annual financial statements and interim financial statements thereafter and have applied this standard retrospectively for all prior periods presented in the financial statements. See Note 9 – Segment Reporting for further information.

Accounting Pronouncements Not Yet Adopted

Disaggregation of Income Statement Expenses

In November 2024, the FASB issued ASU 2024-03, “Income Statement - Reporting Comprehensive Income -Expense Disaggregation Disclosures (Subtopic 220-40): Disaggregation of Income Statement Expenses.” The standard requires that public business entities disclose additional information about specific expense categories in the notes to financial statements for interim and annual reporting periods. The standard will become effective for us for our fiscal year 2027 annual financial statements and interim financial statements thereafter and may be applied prospectively to periods after the adoption date or retrospectively for all prior periods presented in the financial statements, with early adoption permitted. The Company plans to adopt the standard when it becomes effective in our fiscal year 2027 annual financial statements, and the Company is currently evaluating the impact this guidance will have on the disclosures included in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

Income Tax Disclosures

In December 2023, the FASB issued ASU 2023-09, Income Taxes (Topic 740): Improvements to Income Tax Disclosures. Update No. 2023-09 aims to enhance the transparency and decision usefulness of income tax disclosures. Update No. 2023-09 modifies the rules on income tax disclosures to require entities to disclose (1) specific categories in the rate reconciliation, (2) the income or loss from continuing operations before income tax expense or benefit (separated between domestic and foreign) and (3) income tax expense or benefit from continuing operations (separated by federal, state, and foreign). Update 2023-09 also requires entities to disclose their income tax payments to international, federal, state and local jurisdictions, among other changes. Update No. 2023-09 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2024. The Company has not yet adopted this standard for our fiscal year 2024 annual financial statements and is currently evaluating the impact this guidance will have on the disclosures included in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements. See Note 10 – Income Taxes for further information.

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NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(in thousands, except share and per share data)

3. Supplemental Balance Sheet Information

Prepaid expenses and other current assets

December 31,

Prepaid franchise tax — 259

Prepaid professional fees 70 95

Prepaid software 61 72

Prepaid expenses and other current assets $ 644 $ 1,193

Other noncurrent assets

December 31,

Restricted cash $ — $ 1,200

Prepaid insurance, noncurrent 1,357 1,785

Property and equipment, net

December 31,

Scientific equipment $ 246 $ 246

Computers and software 3 3

Furniture and fixtures 30 30

Property and equipment, gross 279 279

Less: accumulated depreciation (253) (225)

Property and equipment, net $ 26 $ 54

Depreciation and amortization expense was $28 and $634, for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. During the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company sold scientific equipment with a net book value of $1,834 and recognized a loss of $920 in the accompanying statement of operations for the year ended December 31, 2023. There were no sales in 2024.

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NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(in thousands, except share and per share data)

Accrued expenses and other current liabilities

December 31,

Current lease liability $ 722 $ 626

Accrued payroll-related expenses — 71

Accrued litigation legal fee 1,138 —

Accrued expenses and other current liabilities $ 2,040 $ 879