Commitments and Contingencies | Commitments and Contingencies From time to time, claims are asserted against the Company arising in the ordinary course of business. In the opinion of management, liabilities, if any, arising from existing claims are not expected to have a material effect on the Company’s earnings, financial position, or liquidity. On or about May 12, 2016, Trevor Abramson filed a putative securities class action lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (the “Court for the Southern District of NY”), captioned Abramson v. NewLink Genetics Corp., et al., Case 1:16-cv-3545 (the “Securities Action”). Subsequently, the Court for the Southern District of NY appointed Michael and Kelly Nguyen as lead plaintiffs and approved their selection of Kahn, Swick & Foti, LLC as lead counsel in the Securities Action. On October 31, 2016, the lead plaintiffs filed an amended complaint asserting claims under the federal securities laws against the Company, the Company’s former Chief Executive Officer Charles J. Link, Jr., and the Company’s former Chief Medical Officer and President Nicholas Vahanian, (collectively, the “Defendants”). The amended complaint alleges the Defendants made material false and/or misleading statements that caused losses to the Company’s investors. The Defendants filed a motion to dismiss the amended complaint on July 14, 2017. On March 29, 2018, the Court for the Southern District of NY dismissed the amended complaint for failure to state a claim, without prejudice, and gave the lead plaintiffs until May 4, 2018 to file any amended complaint attempting to remedy the defects in their claims. On May 4, 2018, the lead plaintiffs filed a second amended complaint asserting claims under the federal securities laws against the Defendants. Like the first amended complaint, the second amended complaint alleges that the Defendants made material false and/or misleading statements or omissions relating to the Phase 2 and 3 trials and efficacy of the product candidate algenpantucel-L that caused losses to the Company’s investors. The lead plaintiffs do not quantify any alleged damages in the second amended complaint but, in addition to attorneys’ fees and costs, they sought to recover damages on behalf of themselves and other persons who purchased or otherwise acquired the Company’s stock during the putative class period of September 17, 2013 through May 9, 2016, inclusive, at allegedly inflated prices and purportedly suffered financial harm as a result. The Defendants filed a motion to dismiss the second amended complaint on July 31, 2018. On February 13, 2019, the Court for the Southern District of NY dismissed the second amended complaint for failure to state a claim, with prejudice, and closed the case. On March 14, 2019, lead plaintiffs filed a notice of appeal. The briefing on lead plaintiffs' appeal was completed in early July 2019 and oral argument before the Second Circuit Court of Appeals was held on October 21, 2019. In an opinion dated July 13, 2020, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the district court’s dismissal of the second amended complaint in part, vacated the district court’s dismissal of the second amended complaint in part, and remanded the matter to the district court for further proceedings. On August 6, 2020, the Defendants filed a Petition for Rehearing en banc requesting reconsideration of portions of the opinion from the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. The Second Circuit Court of Appeals denied the Petition on September 8, 2020 and issued a mandate to the Court for the Southern District of NY on September 15, 2020. On December 16, 2020, the Company reached a settlement in principle to fully resolve the Securities Action, and on February 1, 2021, a motion for preliminary approval of the settlement was filed in the Court for the Southern District of NY. On February 25, 2021 the Court for the Southern District of NY denied the motion for preliminary approval and directed the parties to re-submit the motion with certain revisions. On March 24, 2021 the parties re-submitted the motion for preliminary approval, which the Court for the Southern District of NY granted on April 2, 2021. The parties’ agreement, which remains subject to final court approval and certain other conditions, provides in part for a $13.5 million settlement payment in exchange for the dismissal and a release of all claims against the Defendants in connection with the Securities Action. The full amount of the settlement payment is expected to be paid by the Company’s insurance provider under its insurance policy. The final settlement approval hearing before the Court for the Southern District of NY is currently set for September 22, 2021. On or about April 26, 2017, Ronald Morrow filed a shareholder derivative lawsuit on behalf of the Company in the Court for the Southern District of NY, against the Company’s former Chief Executive Officer Charles J. Link, Jr., the Company’s |