Basis of Presentation and Significant Accounting Policies [Text Block] | 2. Significant Accounting Policies Basis of Accounting The accompanying financial statements were prepared based on the accrual method of accounting in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). Unaudited Financial Statements The accompanying balance sheet as of September 30, 2019, statements of operations and comprehensive loss and statements of stockholders’ equity for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019 and 2018 and statements of cash flows for the nine months ended September 30, 2019 and 2018 are unaudited. These unaudited financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the rules and regulations of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC) for interim financial information. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and footnotes required by GAAP for complete annual financial statements. These financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited financial statements and the accompanying notes for the year ended December 31, 2018 contained in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on March 6, 2019. The unaudited interim financial statements have been prepared on the same basis as the annual financial statements, except for the effect of adopting ASU 2016-02 Leases ( Topic 842 ), as described below under “Recently Issued Accounting Standards—Adopted Accounting Standards,” and, in the opinion of management, reflect all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring adjustments) necessary to state fairly the Company’s financial position as of September 30, 2019, its results of operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019 and 2018, changes in its stockholders’ equity for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019 and 2018 and its cash flows for the nine months ended September 30, 2019 and 2018. The December 31, 2018 balance sheet included herein was derived from audited financial statements, but does not include all disclosures including notes required by GAAP for complete annual financial statements. The financial data and other information disclosed in these notes to the financial statements related to the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019 and 2018 are unaudited. Interim results are not necessarily indicative of results for an entire year or for any future period. Use of Estimates The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting periods. Although actual results could differ from those estimates, management does not believe that such differences would be material. Fair Value Measurements The Company had no assets or liabilities that were measured using quoted prices for similar assets and liabilities or significant unobservable inputs (Level 2 and Level 3 assets and liabilities, respectively) as of September 30, 2019 and December 31, 2018. The carrying value of cash held in money market funds of $168.9 million and $207.9 million as of September 30, 2019 and December 31, 2018, respectively, is included in cash and cash equivalents and approximates market values based on quoted market prices (Level 1 inputs). Concentration of Credit Risk Credit risk represents the risk that the Company would incur a loss if counterparties failed to perform pursuant to the terms of their agreements. Financial instruments that potentially expose the Company to concentrations of credit risk consist primarily of cash and cash equivalents. Cash and cash equivalents consist of money market funds with major financial institutions in the United States. These funds may be redeemed upon demand and, therefore, bear minimal risk. The Company does not anticipate any losses on such balances. Revenue Recognition The Company applies Accounting Standards Codification, or ASC, Topic 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606), to all contracts with customers, except for contracts that are within the scope of other standards, such as leases, insurance, collaboration arrangements and financial instruments. Under Topic 606, an entity recognizes revenue when its customer obtains control of promised goods or services in an amount that reflects the consideration which the entity expects to receive in exchange for those goods and services. To determine revenue recognition for arrangements that an entity determines are within the scope of Topic 606, the entity performs the following five steps: (i) identify the contract(s) with the customer(s); (ii) identify the performance obligations in the contract; (iii) determine the transaction price; (iv) allocate the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract; and (v) recognize revenue when (or as) the entity satisfies a performance obligation. The Company only applies the five-step model to contracts when it is probable that the entity will collect the consideration it is entitled to in exchange for the goods and services it transfers to the customer. At contract inception, the Company assesses the goods or services promised within each contract that falls under the scope of Topic 606, determines those that are performance obligations and assesses whether each promised good or service is distinct. The Company then recognizes as revenue the amount of the transaction price that is allocated to the respective performance obligation when (or as) the performance obligation is satisfied. The Company enters into licensing agreements which are within the scope of Topic 606, under which it licenses certain of its drug candidates’ rights to third parties. The terms of these arrangements typically include payment of one or more of the following: non-refundable, up-front license fees; development, regulatory and commercial milestone payments; and royalties on net sales of the licensed product, if and when earned. In determining the appropriate amount of revenue to be recognized as it fulfills its obligation under each of its agreements, the Company performs the five steps under Topic 606 described above. As part of the accounting for these arrangements, the Company must develop assumptions that require judgment to determine the stand-alone selling price, which may include forecasted revenues, development timelines, reimbursement of personnel costs, discount rates and probabilities of technical and regulatory success. Licensing of Intellectual Property: If the license to the Company’s intellectual property is determined to be distinct from the other performance obligations identified in the arrangement, the Company recognizes revenue from non-refundable, up-front fees allocated to the license when the license is transferred to the licensee and the licensee is able to use and benefit from the license. For licenses that are bundled with other promises, the Company utilizes judgment to assess the nature of the combined performance obligation to determine whether the combined performance obligation is satisfied over time or at a point in time and, if over time, the appropriate method of measuring progress for purposes of recognizing revenue from non-refundable, up-front fees. The Company evaluates the measure of progress each reporting period, and, if necessary, adjusts the measure of performance and related revenue recognition. Milestone Payments : At the inception of each arrangement that includes development milestone payments, the Company evaluates whether the milestones are considered probable of being reached and estimates the amount to be included in the transaction price using the most likely amount method. If it is probable that a significant revenue reversal will not occur, the associated milestone value is included in the transaction price. Milestone payments that are not within the control of the Company or the licensee, such as regulatory approvals, are not considered probable of being achieved until those approvals are received. The transaction price is then allocated to each performance obligation on a relative stand-alone selling price basis, for which the Company recognizes revenue as or when the performance obligations under the contract are satisfied. At the end of each subsequent reporting period, the Company re-evaluates the probability of achievement of such development milestones and any related constraint and, if necessary, adjusts its estimate of the overall transaction price. Any such adjustments are recorded on a cumulative catch-up basis, which would affect license, collaboration and other revenues and earnings in their period of adjustment. Royalties : For arrangements that include sales-based royalties, including milestone payments based on the level of sales, and for which the license is deemed to be the predominant item to which royalties relate, the Company recognizes revenue at the later of (i) when the related sales occur or (ii) when the performance obligation to which some or all of the royalty has been allocated has been satisfied (or partially satisfied). To date, the Company has not recognized any royalty revenue from its license agreements. The Company entered into a collaborative research and development agreement with Pfizer Inc. (Pfizer) in 2011. The agreement is in the form of a license agreement (the Pfizer Agreement). The Pfizer Agreement calls for a non-refundable up-front payment and milestone payments upon achieving significant milestone events. The Pfizer Agreement also contemplates royalty payments on future sales of an approved product. There are no performance, cancellation, termination or refund provisions in the Pfizer Agreement that contain material financial consequences to the Company. Pfizer announced on August 2, 2019 that the licensed product candidate that was the subject of the Pfizer Agreement did not meet the primary or key secondary efficacy endpoints of the pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial being conducted by Pfizer. Pfizer’s analysis of the Phase 3 trial results is ongoing, and the Pfizer Agreement remains in effect, although the Company does not currently expect to receive any further milestone payments or royalties under the Pfizer Agreement. For a complete discussion of the Company’s accounting for the Pfizer Agreement, see Note 9, “Research and License Agreements.” Accrued Liabilities The Company is required to estimate accrued liabilities as part of the process of preparing its financial statements. The estimation of accrued liabilities involves identifying services that have been performed on the Company’s behalf, and then estimating the level of service performed and the associated cost incurred for such services as of each balance sheet date. Accrued liabilities include professional service fees, such as for lawyers and accountants, contract service fees, such as those under contracts with clinical monitors, data management organizations and investigators in conjunction with clinical trials, and fees to contract manufacturers in conjunction with the production of clinical materials. Pursuant to the Company’s assessment of the services that have been performed, the Company recognizes these expenses as the services are provided. Such assessments include: (i) an evaluation by the project manager of the work that has been completed during the period; (ii) measurement of progress prepared internally and/or provided by the third-party service provider; (iii) analyses of data that justify the progress; and (iv) the Company’s judgment. Research and Development Costs Research and development costs are expensed as incurred. For payments made in advance, the Company defers the cost and recognizes research and development expense as the services are rendered. Research and development costs primarily consist of salaries and related expenses for personnel, laboratory supplies and raw materials, sponsored research, depreciation of laboratory facilities and leasehold improvements, and utilities costs related to research space. Other research and development expenses include fees paid to consultants and outside service providers including clinical research organizations and clinical manufacturing organizations. Stock-Based Compensation Stock-based payments are accounted for in accordance with the provisions of ASC 718, Compensation—Stock Compensation . The fair value of stock-based payments is estimated, on the date of grant, using the Black-Scholes-Merton model. The resulting fair value is recognized ratably over the requisite service period, which is generally the vesting period of the option. The Company has elected to use the Black-Scholes-Merton option pricing model to value any options granted. The Company will reconsider use of the Black-Scholes-Merton model if additional information becomes available in the future that indicates another model would be more appropriate or if grants issued in future periods have characteristics that prevent their value from being reasonably estimated using this model. A discussion of management’s methodology for developing some of the assumptions used in the valuation model follows: Expected Dividend Yield —The Company has never declared or paid dividends and has no plans to do so in the foreseeable future. Expected Volatility —Volatility is a measure of the amount by which a financial variable such as share price has fluctuated (historical volatility) or is expected to fluctuate (expected volatility) during a period. The Company utilizes the historical volatilities of a peer group (e.g., several public entities of similar size, complexity, and stage of development), along with the Company’s historical volatility since its initial public offering, to determine its expected volatility. Risk-Free Interest Rate —This is the U.S. Treasury rate for the week of each option grant during the year, having a term that most closely resembles the expected life of the option. Expected Term —This is a period of time that the options granted are expected to remain unexercised. Options granted have a maximum term of 10 years. The Company estimates the expected life of the option term to be 6.25 years. The Company uses a simplified method to calculate the average expected term. Expected Forfeiture Rate —The Company accounts for forfeitures as they occur and does not make an estimate of expected forfeitures at the time of grant. Net Loss Per Common Share Basic net loss per common share is determined by dividing net loss by the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding during the period, without consideration of common stock equivalents. Diluted net loss per share is computed by dividing net loss by the weighted-average number of common stock equivalents outstanding for the period. The treasury stock method is used to determine the dilutive effect of the Company’s stock options, restricted stock units and warrants. The following potentially dilutive securities outstanding, at September 30, 2019 and 2018, have been excluded from the computation of diluted weighted-average common shares outstanding, as they would be anti-dilutive: 2019 2018 Stock options and restricted stock units 5,241,838 3,976,362 Comprehensive Loss Comprehensive loss comprises net loss and other changes in equity that are excluded from net loss. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019 and 2018, the Company’s net loss equaled comprehensive net loss and, accordingly, no additional disclosure is presented. Recently Issued Accounting Standards Adopted Accounting Standards In February 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued ASU No. 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842) , which generally requires all leases, including operating leases, to be recognized in the statement of financial position as right-of-use assets and lease liabilities by lessees. The provisions of ASU No. 2016-02 were applied using a modified retrospective approach and were adopted by the Company effective January 1, 2019. The Company elected the transition option provided under ASU No. 2018-11, which did not require adjustments to comparative periods or modified disclosures in those comparative periods. The Company elected the practical expedient as an accounting policy election by class of underlying asset to account for each separate lease component of a contract and its associated non-lease component as a single lease component. This practical expedient was applied to all underlying asset classes. Upon adoption of the standard, the Company recorded right-of-use assets and related lease liabilities for operating leases of approximately $3.6 million and $4.3 million, respectively, as of January 1, 2019. The difference between these amounts is comprised of adjustments related to unamortized balances of deferred rent, lease incentives, and prepaid rent existing as of the effective date. The adoption of the standard did not materially affect the Company’s net earnings or the statement of cash flows. For further discussion on the adoption of this standard, see Note 6, “Leases.” In June 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-07, Compensation – Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Improvements to Nonemployee Share-based Payment Accounting , to simplify the accounting for share-based payments to nonemployees by aligning it with the accounting for share-based payments to employees, with certain exceptions. The Company adopted this ASU as of January 1, 2019. Upon transition, the Company measured nonemployee awards at fair value as of the adoption date. The adoption of the standard did not materially affect the Company’s operating results, cash flows or financial position. In August 2018, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) adopted the final rule under SEC Release No. 33-10532, Disclosure Update and Simplification. This final rule amends certain disclosure requirements that are redundant, duplicative, overlapping, outdated or superseded. In addition, the amendments expand the disclosure requirements on the analysis of stockholders' equity for interim financial statements. Under the amendments, an analysis of changes in each caption of stockholders' equity presented in the balance sheet must be provided in a note or separate statement. The analysis should present a reconciliation of the beginning balance to the ending balance of each period for which a statement of comprehensive income is required to be filed. Effective with the adoption of the rule, the Company has included a separate statement of stockholders’ equity in the financial statements for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019 and 2018. Accounting Standards Not Yet Adopted In November 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-18, Collaborative Arrangements (Topic 808): Clarifying the Interaction between Topic 808 and Topic 606 . The amendment clarifies that certain transactions between collaborative arrangement participants should be accounted for as revenue under Topic 606 when the collaborative arrangement participant is a customer in the context of a unit of account. In those situations, all the guidance in Topic 606 should be applied, including recognition, measurement, presentation and disclosure requirements. The amendment also adds unit-of-account guidance in Topic 808 to align with the guidance in Topic 606 (that is, a distinct good or service) when an entity is assessing whether the collaborative arrangement or a part of the arrangement is within the scope of Topic 606. Lastly, the amendment requires that in a transaction with a collaborative arrangement participant that is not directly related to sales to third parties, presenting the transaction together with revenue recognized under Topic 606 is precluded if the collaborative arrangement participant is not a customer. For public business entities, the amendments are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, and interim periods within those fiscal years. The Company is currently evaluating these clarifications in the accounting and presentation for its collaborative arrangements within the scope of Topic 808 but does not expect it will have any material impact. With the exception of the new standards discussed above, there have been no new accounting pronouncements that have significance, or potential significance, to the Company’s financial statements. |