You should read the following discussion and analysis of our financial condition
and results of operations together with our unaudited condensed financial
statements and related notes appearing in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, as
well as the audited financial statements, notes and Management's Discussion and
Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, included in our
Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020. This discussion
and other parts of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q contain forward-looking
statements that involve risks and uncertainties, such as statements of our
plans, objectives, expectations and intentions. Our actual results could differ
materially from those discussed in these forward-looking statements. Factors
that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited
to, those discussed in the section of this report entitled "Risk Factors." You
should carefully read the "Cautionary Note About Forward-Looking Statements" of
this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and "Risk Factors" sections of our Annual
Report on Form 10-K to gain an understanding of the important factors that could
cause actual results to differ materially from the results described below.
Overview
We are an innovative clinical-stage biotechnology company pioneering the
development of dual-sided fusion proteins as an entirely new class of biologic
medicine. We believe our approach has the potential to fundamentally transform
the therapeutic modulation of the immune system. We have created a novel
approach to immune-modulation by designing biologics with structural
characteristics that are not achievable by existing therapeutic modalities.
Compounds derived from our proprietary ARC® platform simultaneously inhibit
checkpoint molecules and activate costimulatory molecules within a single
therapeutic. Our initial product candidates are designed to be differentiated
therapeutics addressing molecular targets that are well characterized and
scientifically validated in immuno-oncology but are underexploited by current
treatment modalities.
Our lead, wholly-owned product candidate, SL-172154, has been rationally
designed to simultaneously inhibit the CD47/SIRP? checkpoint interaction to
restore an anti-tumor immune response and to activate the CD40 costimulatory
receptor to bolster an immune response. We are currently conducting a Phase 1
clinical trial evaluating SL-172154 in patients with ovarian cancer, and we
expect to announce initial data from the dose-escalation portion of this trial
in the fourth quarter of 2021. We are also conducting a second Phase 1 trial
evaluating SL-172154 in patients with cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, or
CSCC, or head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, or HNSCC, and we expect to
announce initial data from the dose-escalation portion of this trial in the
first half of 2022. Additionally, we intend to initiate Phase 1 clinical trials
in certain hematologic malignancies, and we anticipate filing an Investigational
New Drug Application for such clinical trials in the fourth quarter of 2021.
Our second product candidate, SL-279252, which is being developed in
collaboration with Takeda, has been rationally designed to simultaneously
inhibit the PD-1/PD-L1 interaction and activate the OX40 receptor. We are
evaluating SL-279252 in a Phase 1 clinical trial in patients with advanced solid
tumors and lymphoma, and we expect to announce initial data from the
dose-escalation portion of this trial in the fourth quarter of 2021.
In addition to our clinical-stage ARC product candidates, we possess a deep
pipeline of preclinical immuno-oncology product candidates. We anticipate
nominating an additional ARC-derived product candidate for clinical development
in the second half of 2021, with an associated regulatory filing anticipated in
2022. Longer-term, we are pursuing additional disease areas, including
autoimmune diseases, where we believe our dual-sided fusion protein platforms
may provide advantages over current treatment modalities.
Since our inception in 2016, we have devoted substantially all of our resources
to developing and perfecting our intellectual property rights, conducting
research and development activities, including undertaking preclinical
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studies of our product candidates, conducting clinical trials of our most
advanced product candidates, manufacturing our product candidates, organizing
and staffing our company, business planning and raising capital. We do not have
any products approved for sale, and we have not generated any revenue from
product sales. We have funded our operations as of the filing date of this
Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q through the net proceeds from our IPO of
approximately $213.5 million, the sale of redeemable convertible preferred stock
for approximately $152.9 million, the issuance of convertible notes for
approximately $10.5 million and payments received pursuant to our collaboration
agreement with Takeda for approximately $81.5 million.
For the six months ended June 30, 2021 and 2020, our net loss was $35.4 million
and $12.8 million, respectively. We have not been profitable since inception,
and as of June 30, 2021, we had an accumulated deficit of $107.5 million and
$304.8 million in cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments,
respectively. We expect to continue to incur significant expenses and increasing
operating losses in the near term. We expect our expenses will increase
substantially in connection with our ongoing activities, as we:
•continue to advance the preclinical and clinical development of our
clinical-stage product candidates, SL-172154 and SL-279252;
•initiate preclinical studies and clinical trials for additional product
candidates that we may identify in the future;
•expand our operational, financial and management systems;
•increase personnel and infrastructure to support our clinical development,
research and manufacturing efforts;
•build out and expand our in-house process development and manufacturing
capabilities;
•continue to develop, perfect and defend our intellectual property portfolio;
and
•incur additional legal, accounting or other expenses in operating our business,
including the additional costs associated with operating as a public company.
We do not expect to generate significant product revenue unless and until we
successfully complete development and obtain regulatory and marketing approval
of, and begin to sell, one or more of our product candidates, which we expect
will take several years. We expect to spend a significant amount in development
and marketing costs prior to such time. We may never succeed in achieving
regulatory and marketing approval for our product candidates. We may obtain
unexpected results from our preclinical and clinical trials. We may elect to
discontinue, delay or modify preclinical and clinical trials of our product
candidates. A change in the outcome of any of these variables with respect to
the development of a product candidate could mean a significant change in the
costs and timing associated with the development of that product candidate.
Accordingly, until such time as we can generate significant product revenue, if
ever, we expect to continue to seek private or public equity and debt financing
to meet our capital requirements. There can be no assurance that such funding
may be available to us on acceptable terms, or at all, or that we will be able
to commercialize our product candidates. In addition, we may not be profitable
even if we commercialize any of our product candidates.
COVID-19 Pandemic
There is significant uncertainty as to the future effects of the ongoing
COVID-19 pandemic, which may, among other things, materially impact our
business, including our ongoing and planned clinical trials. We have
experienced, and expect to continue to experience, delays in our SL-172154 and
SL-279252 clinical trials as a result of the ongoing pandemic. Our manufacturing
operations have been impacted by the ongoing pandemic, including delays with our
third-party manufacturer and difficulties in obtaining raw materials needed to
manufacture material for our clinical trials. Additionally, we have experienced,
and expect to continue to experience, delays in enrolling patients, missed
treatments for enrolled patients, and performance delays from certain
third-party vendors supporting the SL-172154 and SL-279252 clinical trials,
although the significance of any future delays is difficult to predict.
Further, due to public health guidance measures, we have in the past and may in
the future implement a work-from-home policy for our employees, excluding those
necessary to maintain minimum basic operations, which may
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negatively impact productivity, or disrupt, delay or otherwise adversely impact
our business. For example, some of our research activities that require our
personnel to be in our laboratories may be delayed. We may also experience
delays or disruptions to our operations if and when our employees need to take
time off work due to illness or other COVID-19-related impacts to our workforce.
Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and work-from-home policies and other
operational limitations mandated by federal, state and local governments as a
result of the pandemic, certain of our research and development activities,
including the conduct of preclinical studies, have been delayed and may be
further delayed and other aspects of our business, such as the conduct of
various corporate functions and the ability of our Board and management to
provide oversight and guidance may be adversely impacted until such operational
limitations are lifted. The COVID-19 pandemic or local outbreaks associated with
the COVID-19 pandemic could result in difficulty manufacturing our product
candidates, securing clinical trial site locations, CROs, and/or trial monitors
and other critical vendors and consultants supporting our clinical trials. In
addition, outbreaks or the perception of an outbreak near a clinical trial site
location could impact our ability to enroll patients or to complete all
scheduled physician visits for currently enrolled patients. These situations, or
others associated with COVID-19 pandemic, could cause delays in our clinical
trial plans and could increase expected costs, all of which could have a
material adverse effect on our business and its financial condition. At the
current time, we are unable to quantify the potential effects of the COVID-19
pandemic on our future operations.
Collaboration Agreement
On August 8, 2017, we entered into a Collaboration Agreement with Millennium
Pharmaceuticals, Inc., or Takeda, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Takeda
Pharmaceutical Company, Ltd., or the Collaboration Agreement. The Collaboration
Agreement was subsequently amended in April 2018, October 2018, and March 2020.
Pursuant to the Collaboration Agreement, we are required to use our commercially
reasonable efforts to conduct preclinical and Phase 1 clinical trials for two
molecules, SL-279252 and SL-115154, and Takeda has an exclusive option to
license one or both of these clinical-stage ARC molecules for a specified amount
of time up to and following the conclusion of each respective Phase 1 trial.
While we are currently evaluating SL-279252 in a Phase 1 clinical trial, we have
not yet conducted a Phase 1 clinical trial for SL-115154. During the development
phase of the Collaboration Agreement, we may not, by ourselves or through a
third party, develop or commercialize a compound, molecule or product that
targets both PD-1 and OX40L, or a compound, molecule or product that targets
both CSF1R and CD40L. Additionally, under the Collaboration Agreement, Takeda is
granted a right of first negotiation to enter into licenses for each molecule
within a specified class of ARC molecules.
As of June 30, 2021, under the Collaboration Agreement, we have received
approximately $81.5 million in option payments, milestone payments, and expense
reimbursements from Takeda, which includes an $11.3 million non-refundable
up-front payment applied to the license fee for SL-279252. Pursuant to the
Collaboration Agreement, we are eligible to receive up to an additional
$33.8 million if Takeda exercises options to enter into license agreements for
SL-279252 and $45.0 million if Takeda exercises options to enter into license
agreements for SL-115154. If Takeda exercises its exclusive option to license
one or both of the clinical-stage ARC molecules (SL-279252 and SL-115154), each
license agreement would, among other things, require Takeda to be solely
responsible to use its commercially reasonable efforts, at its cost, to develop,
manufacture, and commercialize the licensed ARC molecules. If both ARC molecules
are licensed, we would be entitled to additional payments of up to an aggregate
of $450 million in clinical, regulatory, and sales milestone payments. In
addition, we would be eligible for tiered royalty payments on net sales of
licensed products at percentages ranging from the high single digits to
sub-teens, subject to specified reductions, during the royalty term.
Unless sooner terminated, the Collaboration Agreement will continue until the
later of (a) the earlier of (i) the 90th day following delivery of a report
detailing certain results of the SL-279252 Phase 1 clinical trial and (ii) the
exercise by Takeda of its right to an exclusive license with respect to
SL-279252, and (b) the earlier of (i) the 90th day following delivery of a
report detailing certain results of the SL-115154 Phase 1 clinical trial and
(ii) the exercise by Takeda of its right to an exclusive license with respect to
SL-115154. Either party may terminate the Collaboration Agreement prior to
expiration upon the insolvency or uncured material breach of the other party.
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Components of our Results of Operation
Collaboration Revenue
We have no products approved for commercial sale, and we have not generated any
revenue from commercial product sales. Our total revenue to date has been
generated solely from our Collaboration Agreement with Takeda. We expect to
continue to recognize revenue under this agreement as development work is
performed. We expect that any collaboration revenue we generate from our
Collaboration Agreement with Takeda and any future collaboration partners will
fluctuate from period to period.
We have received cash of $3.0 million and $11.3 million for the six months ended
June 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively, from Takeda under the Collaboration
Agreement. We have recognized total aggregate revenue of $50.0 million through
June 30, 2021 under the Collaboration Agreement.
Operating Expense
Research and Development
Our research and development expenses consist primarily of costs incurred in
connection with the discovery and development of our product candidates. These
expenses include:
•expenses incurred under agreements with contract research organizations, or
CROs, as well as investigative sites and consultants that conduct our
preclinical studies and clinical trials;
•manufacturing and development expenses and the costs of acquiring and
manufacturing preclinical study and clinical trial materials;
•analysis of manufacturing processes for optimization;
•employee-related expenses, including salaries, benefits and stock-based
compensation;
•fees paid to consultants who assist with research and development activities;
•expenses relating to regulatory activities, including filing fees paid to
regulatory agencies;
•laboratory materials and supplies used to support our research activities; and
•allocated expenses for facility-related costs.
The following table summarizes our research and development expenses by product
candidate:
                                                                    Six Months Ended June
                                                                             30,
(in thousands)                                                                   2021                2020
                                                                                        (unaudited)
SL-172154                                                                    $    7,189          $    6,701
SL-279252                                                                         5,614               2,765
Other pipeline candidates                                                         5,171               2,445

Internal costs, including personnel related benefits, facilities and depreciation


      7,245               3,981
                                                                             $   25,219          $   15,892


Research and development activities are central to our business model. Product
candidates in later stages of clinical development generally have higher
development costs than those in earlier stages of clinical development,
primarily due to the increased size and duration of later-stage clinical trials.
We expect our research and development expenses to increase significantly over
the next several years as we conduct additional preclinical studies and clinical
trials, including later-stage clinical trials, for our current and future
product candidates and as we pursue regulatory approval of our product
candidates.
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The process of conducting the necessary preclinical and clinical research to
obtain regulatory approval is costly and time consuming. The actual probability
of success for our product candidates may be affected by a variety of factors
including:
•the safety and efficacy of our product candidates;
•early clinical data for our product candidates;
•investment in our clinical programs;
•the ability of collaborators to successfully develop our licensed product
candidates;
•competition;
•manufacturing capability; and
•commercial viability.
We may never succeed in achieving regulatory approval for any of our product
candidates due to the uncertainties discussed above. We are unable to determine
the duration and completion costs of our research and development projects or
when and to what extent we will generate revenue from the commercialization and
sale of our product candidates, if ever.
General and Administrative Expense
General and administrative expense consists primarily of personnel expenses,
including salaries, benefits and stock-based compensation expense, for employees
and consultants in executive, finance, accounting, legal, information technology
and human resource functions. General and administrative expense also includes
corporate facility costs, including rent, utilities, depreciation and
maintenance, not otherwise included in research and development expense, as well
as legal fees related to intellectual property and corporate matters and fees
for accounting and consulting services.
We expect that our general and administrative expense will increase in the
future to support our growing research and development activities and as a
result of the increased costs of operating as a public company. These increases
will likely include increased costs related to the hiring of additional
personnel and fees to outside consultants, lawyers and accountants, among other
expenses. Additionally, we anticipate increased costs associated with being a
public company, including expenses related to services associated with
maintaining compliance with the requirements of Nasdaq and the Securities and
Exchange Commission, or SEC, insurance, and investor relations costs. If any of
our current or future product candidates obtains regulatory approval, we expect
that we would incur significantly increased expenses associated with building a
sales and marketing team.
Interest Income
Interest income consists of interest earned on our cash, cash equivalents and
short-term investments, which consists of amounts held in a money market fund
and, at various times, in short-term government and corporate obligations.
Income Taxes
Since our inception, we have not recorded any income tax benefits for the net
operating losses, or NOLs, we have incurred or for our research and development
tax credits, as we believe, based upon the weight of available evidence, that it
is more likely than not that all of our NOLs and tax credits will not be
realized. Our NOLs and tax credit carryforwards will begin to expire in 2036. We
have recorded a full valuation allowance against our deferred tax assets at each
balance sheet date.
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Results of Operations
Comparison of the Three Months Ended June 30, 2021 and 2020
The following table sets forth our results of operations for the three months
ended June 30, 2021 and 2020.
                                    Three Months Ended June 30,                     Change
(in thousands)                          2021                   2020         Dollar        Percentage
                                            (unaudited)
Collaboration revenue        $        (4,231)               $  3,181      $  (7,412)        (233.0) %
Operating expenses:
Research and development              14,882                   7,755          7,127           91.9  %
General and administrative             5,399                   1,746          3,653          209.2  %
Loss from operations                 (24,512)                 (6,320)       (18,192)         287.8  %
Other income (expense):
Interest income                        1,000                     138            862          624.6  %
Other                                    (86)                    (26)           (60)         230.8  %
Net loss                     $       (23,598)               $ (6,208)     $ (17,390)         280.1  %


Collaboration Revenue
Collaboration revenue decreased by $7.4 million, or (233.0)%, to $(4.2) million
for the three months ended June 30, 2021 from $3.2 million for the three months
ended June 30, 2020. We recognize revenue related to the development of
SL-279252 under the Collaboration Agreement on a cost-based input method. In the
second quarter of 2021, in connection with our modifications to the SL-279252
clinical development plan and our intention to expand the dose escalation
portion of the ongoing Phase 1 clinical trial, the expected program costs
related to the SL-279252 development program increased. The increase in the
expected total cost of the development program, or the denominator in the
cost-based input method, resulted in a one-time negative revenue adjustment.
Actual consideration received and total revenue expected to be recognized in
accordance with the development of SL-279252 under the Collaboration Agreement
remain unchanged.
Research and Development Expense
Research and development expenses increased by $7.1 million, or 91.9%, to
$14.9 million for the three months ended June 30, 2021 from $7.8 million for the
three months ended June 30, 2020. The increase was primarily due to an increase
of $3.7 million in manufacturing costs as a result of the manufacturing of
clinical materials and expanded process development, an increase of $1.6 million
in compensation costs as a result of an increase in headcount and expansion of
our manufacturing and clinical development capabilities and an increase of $1.2
million in preclinical pipeline costs.
General and Administrative Expense
General and administrative expenses increased by $3.7 million, or 209.2%, to
$5.4 million for the three months ended June 30, 2021 from $1.7 million for the
three months ended June 30, 2020. The increase was primarily due to an increase
of $2.2 million in personnel-related costs driven by higher employee headcount
needed to support our growing research and development activities and an
increase of $1.1 million of costs associated with being a public company.
Interest Income
Interest income increased by $0.9 million to $1.0 million for the three months
ended June 30, 2021 from $0.1 million for the three months ended June 30, 2020.
The increase was primarily due to an increase in short-term investments in 2021
compared to 2020.
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Results of Operations Comparison of the Six Months Ended June 30, 2021 and 2020 The following table sets forth our results of operations for the six months ended June 30, 2021 and 2020.


                                   Six Months Ended June 30,                     Change
(in thousands)                        2021                 2020          Dollar        Percentage
                                          (unaudited)
Collaboration revenue        $       (1,961)            $   6,157      $  (8,118)        (131.8) %
Operating expenses:
Research and development             25,219                15,892          9,327           58.7  %
General and administrative            9,755                 3,346          6,409          191.5  %
Loss from operations                (36,935)              (13,081)       (23,854)         182.4  %
Other income (expense):
Interest income                       1,696                   387          1,309          338.2  %
Other                                  (172)                  (68)          (104)         152.9  %
Net loss                     $      (35,411)            $ (12,762)     $ (22,649)         177.5  %


Collaboration Revenue
Collaboration revenue decreased by $8.1 million, or (131.8)%, to $(2.0) million
for the six months ended June 30, 2021 from $6.2 million for the six months
ended June 30, 2020. We recognize revenue related to the development of
SL-279252 under the Collaboration Agreement on a cost-based input method. In the
second quarter of 2021, in connection with our modifications to the SL-279252
clinical development plan and our intention to expand the dose escalation
portion of the ongoing Phase 1 clinical trial, the expected program costs
related to the SL-279252 development program increased. The increase in the
expected total cost of the development program, or the denominator in the
cost-based input method, resulted in a one-time negative revenue adjustment.
Actual consideration received and total revenue expected to be recognized in
accordance with the development of SL-279252 under the Collaboration Agreement
remain unchanged.
Research and Development Expense
Research and development expenses increased by $9.3 million, or 58.7%, to
$25.2 million for the six months ended June 30, 2021 from $15.9 million for the
six months ended June 30, 2020. The increase was primarily due to an increase of
$3.1 million in manufacturing costs as a result of the manufacturing of clinical
materials and expanded process development, an increase of $2.7 million in
compensation costs as a result of an increase in headcount and expansion of our
manufacturing and clinical development capabilities, an increase of $1.7 million
in preclinical pipeline and facilities related costs and an increase of $1.2
million in clinical trial costs.
General and Administrative Expense
General and administrative expenses increased by $6.4 million, or 191.5%, to
$9.8 million for the six months ended June 30, 2021 from $3.3 million for the
six months ended June 30, 2020. The increase was primarily due to an increase of
$3.6 million in personnel-related costs driven by higher employee headcount
needed to support our growing research and development activities and an
increase of $2.3 million of costs associated with being a public company.
Interest Income
Interest income increased by $1.3 million to $1.7 million for the six months
ended June 30, 2021 from $0.4 million for the six months ended June 30, 2020.
The increase was primarily due to an increase in short-term investments in 2021
compared to 2020.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Since our inception, our primary sources of liquidity have been generated
through our Collaboration Agreement with Takeda and by sales of our preferred
stock and common stock, including our IPO. As of June 30,
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2021, we had an accumulated deficit of $107.5 million and $304.8 million of cash
and cash equivalents and short-term investments.
Capital Resources and Funding Requirements
Our primary uses of cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments are to
fund our operations, which consist primarily of research and development
expenditures related to our programs, product development costs, research
expenses, administrative support, capital expenditures related to bringing
in-house certain process development and manufacturing capabilities and working
capital requirements. We anticipate incurring additional net losses and negative
cash flows from operations in the near future until such time, if ever, that we
can generate significant sales of our product candidates currently in
development. Our future funding requirements will depend on many factors,
including:
•the scope, timing, progress and results of discovery, preclinical development,
laboratory testing and clinical trials for our product candidates;
•the costs of manufacturing our product candidates for clinical trials and in
preparation for marketing approval and commercialization;
•the extent to which we enter into collaborations or other arrangements with
additional third parties in order to further develop our product candidates;
•the costs of preparing, filing and prosecuting patent applications, maintaining
and enforcing our intellectual property rights and defending other intellectual
property-related claims;
•the costs and fees associated with the discovery, acquisition or in-license of
additional product candidates or technologies;
•our ability to establish additional collaborations on favorable terms, if at
all;
•the costs required to scale up our clinical, regulatory and manufacturing
capabilities;
•the costs of future commercialization activities, if any, including
establishing sales, marketing, manufacturing, distribution and storage
capabilities, for any of our product candidates for which we receive marketing
approval; and
•revenue, if any, received from commercial sales of our product candidates,
should any of our product candidates receive marketing approval.
Until we obtain regulatory approval to market our product candidates, if ever,
we cannot generate revenues from sales of our products. Even if we are able to
sell our products, we may not generate a sufficient amount of product revenues
to finance our cash requirements. Accordingly, we may seek to raise additional
capital through equity offerings and/or debt financings or from other potential
sources of liquidity, which may include new collaborations, licensing or other
commercial agreements for one or more of our development programs or patent
portfolios. There can be no assurance that such funding may be available to us
on acceptable terms, or at all. The issuance of equity securities may result in
dilution to stockholders and the issuance of debt securities may have rights,
preferences and privileges senior to those of our common stock and the terms of
any such debt securities could impose significant restrictions on our
operations. The failure to raise funds as and when needed could have a negative
impact on our financial condition and ability to pursue our business strategies.
Additionally, if additional funding is not secured when required, we may need to
delay or curtail our operations until such funding is received, which would have
a material adverse impact on our business prospects and results of operations.
We believe that our cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments as of
June 30, 2021 are sufficient to fund projected operations of the Company through
at least the end of 2024.
Cash Flows
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The following table shows a summary of our cash flows for the periods indicated:
                                                                       Six Months Ended June 30,
(in thousands)                                                          2021                  2020
                                                                              (unaudited)
Net cash used in operating activities                             $      (25,407)         $  (8,268)
Net cash (used in) provided by investing activities                      (47,284)            15,179
Net cash provided by financing activities                                  1,287            117,120
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents              $      

(71,404) $ 124,031

Net Cash Used in Operating Activities
During the six months ended June 30, 2021, net cash used in operating activities
was $25.4 million and primarily reflected our net loss of $35.4 million, offset
by noncash charges of $2.9 million in stock-based compensation and $0.6 million
in depreciation expense and a $6.5 million net decrease in our operating assets
and liabilities.
During the six months ended June 30, 2020, net cash used in operating activities
was $8.3 million and primarily reflected our net loss of $12.8 million,
partially offset by noncash charges of $0.3 million in stock-based compensation
and $0.3 million in depreciation expense and $3.9 million net increase in our
operating assets and liabilities.
Net Cash (Used in) Provided by Investing Activities
During the six months ended June 30, 2021, net cash used in investing activities
was $47.3 million, of which $117.3 million was used to purchase short-term
investments, $75.0 million was received from the sale of short-term investments
and $5.0 million was used to purchase property and equipment, primarily
attributable to our continued efforts to bring in-house certain process
development, manufacturing and laboratory capabilities.
During the six months ended June 30, 2020, net cash provided by investing
activities was $15.2 million, of which $18.3 million was received from the sale
and maturities of short-term investments, $2.7 million was used to purchase
short-term investments and $0.4 million was used to purchase property and
equipment.
Net Cash Provided by Financing Activities
During the six months ended June 30, 2021, net cash provided by financing
activities was primarily from the exercise of stock options.
During the six months ended June 30, 2020, net cash provided by financing
activities was $117.0 million and was primarily from the sale of our Series B
and Series B-1 redeemable convertible preferred stock.
Contractual Obligations and Other Commitments
There have been no material changes from the Contractual Obligations and Other
Commitments disclosed in Item 7 of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year
ended December 31, 2020.
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
During the periods presented, we did not have, nor do we currently have, any
relationships with unconsolidated entities or financial partnerships, including
entities sometimes referred to as structured finance or special purpose entities
that were established for the purpose of facilitating off-balance sheet
arrangements or other contractually narrow or limited purposes. We do not engage
in off-balance sheet financing arrangements. In addition, we do not engage in
trading activities involving non-exchange traded contracts. We, therefore,
believe that we are not materially exposed to any financing, liquidity, market
or credit risk that could arise if we had engaged in these relationships.
Critical Accounting Policies
Our management's discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results
of operations are based on our financial statements, which have been prepared in
accordance with GAAP. The preparation of these financial statements requires us
to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets,
liabilities and
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expenses and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities in our
financial statements. On an ongoing basis, we evaluate our estimates and
judgments, including those related to revenue recognition, the accrual for
research and development expenses, and the valuation of stock-based awards. We
base our estimates on historical experience, known trends and events, and
various other factors that are believed to be reasonable under the
circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about
the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from
other sources. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different
assumptions or conditions.
Our critical accounting policies are those policies which require the most
significant judgments and estimates in the preparation of our financial
statements. We believe that the assumptions and estimates associated with our
most critical accounting policies are those relating to revenue, accrued
research and development costs and stock-based compensation.
There have been no material changes in our critical accounting policies and
estimates as compared to the critical accounting policies and estimates
disclosed in Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and
Results of Operations included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year
ended December 31, 2020.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
See Note 2 to our financial statements found elsewhere in this Quarterly Report
on Form 10-Q for a description of recent accounting pronouncements applicable to
our financial statements.
Emerging Growth Company and Smaller Reporting Company Status
We are an emerging growth company as defined in the JOBS Act. Under the JOBS
Act, an emerging growth company can take advantage of the extended transition
period for complying with new or revised accounting standards and delay the
adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise
apply to private companies. We have elected to avail ourselves of this exemption
from complying with new or revised accounting standards and, therefore, will not
be subject to the same new or revised accounting standards as other public
companies that are not emerging growth companies. As a result, our financial
statements may not be comparable to companies that comply with new or revised
accounting pronouncements as of public company effective dates.
We have evaluated the benefits of relying on other exemptions and reduced
reporting requirements under the JOBS Act. Subject to certain conditions, as an
emerging growth company, we may rely on certain of these exemptions, including
without limitation exemptions to the requirements for (1) providing an auditor's
attestation report on our system of internal controls over financial reporting
pursuant to Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and (2) complying with any
requirement that may be adopted by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board
regarding mandatory audit firm rotation or a supplement to the auditor's report
providing additional information about the audit and the financial statements,
known as the auditor discussion and analysis. We will remain an emerging growth
company until the earlier of (a) the last day of the fiscal year (i) following
the fifth anniversary of the completion of our initial public offering, (ii) in
which we have total annual gross revenues of at least $1.07 billion or (iii) in
which we are deemed to be a "large accelerated filer" under the rules of the
SEC, which means the market value of our common stock that is held by
non-affiliates exceeds $700.0 million as of the prior June 30th or (b) the date
on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt during
the prior three-year period.
We are also a "smaller reporting company" as defined under the Exchange Act. We
may continue to be a smaller reporting company if either (i) the market value of
our stock held by non-affiliates is less than $250.0 million or (ii) our annual
revenue is less than $100.0 million during the most recently completed fiscal
year and the market value of our stock held by non-affiliates is less than
$700.0 million. If we are a smaller reporting company at the time we cease to be
an emerging growth company, we may continue to rely on exemptions from certain
disclosure requirements that are available to smaller reporting companies.
Specifically, as a smaller reporting company we may choose to present only the
two most recent fiscal years of audited financial statements in our Annual
Report on Form 10-K and, similar to emerging growth companies, smaller reporting
companies have reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation.
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