NOTE 2 SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES Basis of Presentation The accompanying financial statements have been prepared in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (U.S. GAAP). Segment Information The Company operates in one operating segment and, accordingly, no segment disclosures have been presented herein. All equipment and other fixed assets are physically located within the United States. Use of Estimates The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Cash Equivalents The Company considers all liquid investments with a maturity of three months or less when purchased to be cash equivalents. Cash equivalents as of March 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023 primarily consist of money market funds and cash. Concentrations of Credit Risk Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to significant concentration of credit risk consist primarily of cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities. Periodically, the Company may maintain deposits in financial institutions in excess of government insured limits. The Company believes that it is not exposed to significant credit risk as its deposits are held at financial institutions that management believes to be of high credit quality. The Company has not experienced any losses on deposits since inception. The Company regularly invests excess cash with major financial institutions in money market funds, corporate debt securities, and commercial paper, all of which can be readily purchased and sold using established markets. The Company believes that the market risk arising from our holdings of these financial instruments is mitigated based on the fact that many of these securities are of high credit rating. Deferred Offering Costs The Company capitalizes certain legal, professional, accounting and other third-party fees that are directly associated with in-process equity issuances as deferred offering costs until such equity issuances are consummated. After consummation of the equity issuance, these costs are recorded as a reduction in the capitalized amount associated with the equity issuance. Should the equity issuance be abandoned, the deferred offering costs are expensed immediately as a charge to operating expenses in the statement of operations. Deferred offering costs were $0 and $0.3 million as of March 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively. Such costs are classified in other non-current assets in the accompanying balance sheets. Property and Equipment Property and equipment is stated at cost less accumulated depreciation and amortization. Depreciation of property and equipment is computed using the straight-line method over the estimated useful life of the related asset, which is generally three to seven years, and in the case of leasehold improvements, the shorter of the estimated useful lives of the assets or the term of the lease. Leases The Company accounts for its leases under Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) Topic 842, Leases (ASC 842). At the inception of an arrangement, the Company determines whether the arrangement is or contains a lease based on the unique facts and circumstances present in the arrangement. Leases with a term greater than 12 months are recognized on the balance sheet as Right-of-Use (ROU) assets and current and non-current lease liabilities, as applicable. The Company has elected not to recognize on the balance sheet leases with terms of 12 months or less. The Company typically only includes an initial lease term in its assessment of a lease arrangement. Options to renew a lease are not included in the Company’s assessment unless there is reasonable certainty that the Company will renew. The Company monitors its material leases on a quarterly basis. Operating lease liabilities and their corresponding ROU assets are recorded based on the present value of future lease payments over the expected remaining lease term. Lease cost for operating leases is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term as an operating expense. Certain adjustments to the ROU asset may be required for items such as lease prepayments or incentives received. The interest rate implicit in lease contracts is typically not readily determinable. As a result, the Company utilizes its incremental borrowing rate, which reflects the fixed rate at which the Company could borrow on a collateralized basis the amount of the lease payments in the same currency, for a similar term, in a similar economic environment. For all asset classes of its leases, the Company has elected to account for the lease and non-lease components together for existing classes of underlying asset. Costs determined to be variable and not based on an index or rate are not include in the measurement of the lease liability. Impairment of Long-Lived Assets The Company reviews long-lived assets for impairment whenever events or circumstances indicate that the carrying value of such assets may not be fully recoverable. Impairment is evaluated based on the sum of undiscounted estimated future cash flows expected to result from use of the related asset compared to its carrying value. If impairment is recognized, the carrying value of the impaired asset is reduced to its fair value. There were no impairment charges or long-lived assets disposed of during the three months ended March 31, 2024 and 2023. Income Taxes Deferred income taxes are provided on temporary differences between financial statement and income tax reporting. Temporary differences are differences between the amounts of assets and liabilities reported for financial statement purposes and their tax bases. Deferred tax assets are recognized for temporary differences that will be deductible in future years’ tax returns and for operating loss and tax credit carryforwards. Deferred tax assets are reduced by a valuation allowance if such deferred tax assets are deemed more likely than not that some or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. Historically, the Company has not recognized these potential benefits in its financial statements and has fully reserved for such net deferred tax assets, as it believes it is more likely than not that the full benefit of these net deferred tax assets will not be realized. Deferred tax liabilities are recognized for temporary differences that will be taxable in future years. The Company evaluated its tax positions and determined it has no uncertain tax positions as of March 31, 2024. Fair Value of Financial Instruments The Company is required to disclose information on all assets and liabilities reported at fair value that enables an assessment of the inputs used in determining the reported fair values. The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) ASC Topic 820, Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures (ASC 820), establishes a hierarchy of inputs used when available. Observable inputs are inputs that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability based on market data obtained from sources independent of the Company. Unobservable inputs are those that reflect the Company’s assumptions about the inputs that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability, and are developed based on the best information available in the circumstances. The fair value hierarchy applies only to the valuation inputs used in determining the reported fair value of financial instruments and is not a measure of the investment credit quality. The three levels of the fair value hierarchy are described below: Level 1—quoted prices in active markets for identical assets and liabilities. Level 2—other significant observable inputs (including quoted prices for similar assets and liabilities, interest rates, credit risk, etc.). Level 3—significant unobservable inputs (including the Company’s own assumptions in determining the fair value of assets and liabilities). Marketable Securities, Available For Sale All marketable securities have been classified as “available-for-sale” and are carried at fair value, based upon quoted market prices. The Company considers its available-for-sale portfolio as available for use in current operations. Accordingly, the Company classifies its investments as short-term marketable securities, even though the stated maturity date may be one year or more beyond the current balance sheet date. Unrealized gains and losses, net of any related tax effects, are excluded from earnings and are included in other comprehensive income (loss) and reported as a separate component of stockholders’ equity until realized. Interest income, realized gains and losses, and declines in value judged to be other than temporary, if any, on available-for-sale securities are included in other income. The cost of securities sold is based on the specific-identification method. The amortized cost of securities is adjusted for amortization of premiums and accretion of discounts to maturity. In accordance with the Company’s investment policy, management invests in money market funds, corporate bonds, commercial paper, asset-backed securities and government securities. The Company has not experienced any realized losses on its deposits of cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities since inception. The following tables summarize the Company’s financial assets measured at fair value on a recurring basis by level within the fair value hierarchy (in thousands): | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | As of March 31, 2024 | | | Fair Value | | Amortized | | Unrealized | | Unrealized | | Fair Market | | | Hierarchy | | Cost Basis | | Gains | | Losses | | Value | Cash equivalents: | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Money market funds | | Level 1 | | $ | 30,066 | | $ | — | | $ | — | | $ | 30,066 | Marketable securities, available for sale: | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Asset-backed securities | | Level 2 | | | 52,500 | | | 4 | | | (136) | | | 52,368 | Corporate debt securities | | Level 2 | | | 176,464 | | | 29 | | | (283) | | | 176,210 | Commercial paper | | Level 2 | | | 20,287 | | | 7 | | | (14) | | | 20,280 | U.S. government treasury and agency securities | | Level 2 | | | 221,103 | | | 18 | | | (417) | | | 220,704 | Supranational and sovereign government securities | | Level 2 | | | 33,002 | | | — | | | (69) | | | 32,933 | Total financial assets | | | | $ | 533,422 | | $ | 58 | | $ | (919) | | $ | 532,561 |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | As of December 31, 2023 | | | Fair Value | | Amortized | | Unrealized | | Unrealized | | Fair Market | | | Hierarchy | | Cost Basis | | Gains | | Losses | | Value | Cash equivalents: | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Money market funds | | Level 1 | | $ | 85,897 | | $ | — | | $ | — | | $ | 85,897 | Marketable securities, available for sale: | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Asset-backed securities | | Level 2 | | | 10,228 | | | 12 | | | (2) | | | 10,238 | Corporate debt securities | | Level 2 | | | 82,514 | | | 66 | | | (113) | | | 82,467 | Commercial paper | | Level 2 | | | 19,457 | | | 13 | | | (8) | | | 19,462 | U.S. government treasury and agency securities | | Level 2 | | | 116,579 | | | 151 | | | (26) | | | 116,704 | Supranational and sovereign government securities | | Level 2 | | | 3,419 | | | 6 | | | — | | | 3,425 | Total financial assets | | | | $ | 318,094 | | $ | 248 | | $ | (149) | | $ | 318,193 |
The Company’s money market funds are classified as Level 1 because they are valued using quoted market prices. Investments in asset-backed securities, corporate debt securities, commercial paper and U.S. government treasury and agency securities, and supranational and sovereign government securities have been classified as Level 2 as they are valued using quoted prices in less active markets or other directly or indirectly observable inputs. Fair values of asset-backed securities, corporate debt securities, commercial paper, U.S. government treasury and agency securities, and supranational and sovereign government securities were derived based on input of market prices from multiple sources at each reporting period. With regard to commercial paper, all of the securities had high credit ratings and one year or less to maturity; therefore, fair value was derived from accretion of purchase price to face value over the term of maturity or quoted market prices for similar instruments if available. There were no transfers of financial assets between Level 1, Level 2, or Level 3, during the periods presented. As of March 31, 2024, the remaining contractual maturities of $391.0 million of marketable securities were less than one year and $112.4 million of marketable securities were between 1 and 2 years. The Company periodically reviews its portfolio of debt securities to determine if any investment is impaired due to credit loss or other potential valuation concerns. For debt securities where the fair value of the investment is less than the amortized cost basis, the Company has assessed at the individual security level for various quantitative factors including, but not limited to, the nature of the investments, changes in credit ratings, interest rate fluctuations, industry analyst reports, and the severity of impairment. Unrealized losses on marketable securities at March 31, 2024 were primarily due to changes in interest rates, including market credit spreads, and not due to increased credit risks associated with specific securities. Comprehensive Income (Loss) Comprehensive income (loss) is defined as the change in equity during a period from transactions and other events and/or circumstances from non-owner sources. The Company’s only element of other comprehensive income (loss) was net unrealized gain (loss) on marketable securities. Stock-Based Compensation In accordance with ASC Topic 718, Compensation—Stock Compensation, the Company recognizes compensation expense for all stock-based awards issued to employees based on the estimated grant-date fair value, which is recognized as expense on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period. The Company has elected to recognize forfeitures as they occur. For restricted stock unit awards, the fair value is based on the closing price of the Company's common stock on the date of grant. The fair value of stock options is determined using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model. The determination of fair value for stock-based awards on the date of grant using an option-pricing model requires management to make certain assumptions including expected volatility, expected term, risk-free interest rate and expected dividends in addition to the Company’s common stock valuation (see Note 4). Research and Development Expenses and Accrued Research and Development Expenses Expenditures made for research and development are charged to expense as incurred. External costs consist primarily of payments to contract research organizations (CROs), contract development and manufacturing organizations (CDMOs), sample acquisition costs and laboratory supplies purchased in connection with the Company’s discovery and preclinical activities, and process development and clinical development activities. Internal costs consist primarily of employee-related costs, facilities, depreciation and costs related to compliance with regulatory requirements. Non-refundable advance payments for goods and services that will be used in future research and development activities are capitalized and recorded as an expense in the period that the Company receives the goods or when services are performed. The Company records expenses related to external research and development services based on its estimates of the services received and efforts expended pursuant to quotes and contracts with multiple CROs and CDMOs that supply, conduct and manage preclinical studies and clinical trials on its behalf. The financial terms of these contracts vary from contract to contract and may result in payment flows that do not match the periods over which materials or services are provided under such contracts. 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 estimate, the Company adjusts the accrual or the amount of prepaid expenses accordingly. Emerging Growth Company Status The Company is an “emerging growth company”, as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (JOBS Act). Under the JOBS Act, emerging growth companies can take advantage of an extended transition period for complying with new or revised accounting standards, delaying the adoption of these accounting standards until they would apply to private companies. The Company has elected to use this extended transition period for complying with certain new or revised accounting standards that have different effective dates for public and private companies until the earlier of the date that it is (1) no longer an emerging growth company or (2) affirmatively and irrevocably opt out of the extended transition period provided in the JOBS Act. As a result, these financial statements may not be comparable to companies that comply with the new or revised accounting pronouncements as of public company effective dates. Accounting Standards Not Yet Adopted In November 2023, the FASB issued ASU 2023-07, Segment Reporting (Topic 280): Improvements to Reportable Segment Disclosures to update reportable segment disclosure requirements, primarily through enhanced disclosures about significant segment expenses and information used to assess segment performance. This update is effective beginning with the Company’s 2024 fiscal year annual reporting period, with early adoption permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact that the adoption of this standard will have on its financial statements. In December 2023, the FASB issued ASU 2023-09, Income Taxes (Topic 740: Improvements to Income Tax Disclosures. This ASU is expected to enhance the transparency and decision usefulness of income tax disclosures by requiring public business entities on an annual basis to disclose specific categories in the rate reconciliation, additional information for reconciling items that meet a quantitative threshold, and certain information about income taxes paid. This ASU is effective beginning with the Company’s 2025 fiscal year annual reporting period, with early adoption permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact that the adoption of this standard will have on its financial statements.
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