Summary of Significant Accounting Policies | 2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies Basis of Presentation The accompanying financial statements have been prepared in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”). Any reference in these notes to applicable guidance is meant to refer to the authoritative United States generally accepted accounting principles as found in the Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) and Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) of the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”). Use of Estimates The preparation of consolidated 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 the disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Cash and Cash Equivalents Cash and cash equivalents consist primarily of interest-bearing deposits at various financial institutions and money markets. The Company considers all highly liquid investments with an original maturity of three months or less when purchased to be cash equivalents. Receivables Grant Receivables Grant receivables relate to outstanding amounts due for reimbursable expenditures of awarded grants issued by the National Institute of Health (“NIH”) and are carried at their estimated collectible amounts. The Company expects all receivables to be collectible, and accordingly, there is no allowance for doubtful accounts required on these grant receivables. Deferred Offering Costs The Company capitalizes certain legal, accounting and other third-party fees that are directly associated with in-process equity financings, including the IPO, as deferred costs until such financings are consummated. After consummation of the equity financing, these costs are recorded in stockholders’ deficit as a reduction of proceeds generated as a result of the offering. Property and Equipment Property and equipment are stated at cost, net of accumulated depreciation. Depreciation is computed on the straight-line basis over the estimated useful life of the asset. The Company estimates the useful life to be 5 and 6 years for equipment and furniture and fixtures, respectively. The cost of repairs and maintenance is charged to expense as incurred. Equipment finance leases are included in Property and Equipment, net and other liabilities on the consolidated balance sheet. The Company reviews the recorded values of property and equipment for impairment whenever events or changes in business circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset or group of assets may not be fully recoverable. There were no indicators of impairment of long-lived assets during the years ended December 31, 2022 or 2021. Convertible Instruments ASC 815, Derivatives and Hedging Activities The Company also follows ASC 480-10, Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity Grant income The Company generates grant income through grants from government and other (non-government) organizations. Grant income is recognized in other income (expense) in the period in which the reimbursable research and development services are incurred and the right to payment is realized. Deferred grant income represents grant proceeds received by the Company prior to the period in which the reimbursable research and development services are incurred. For the year ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, the Company generated grant income of $22,217 and $17,447, respectively, primarily from reimbursements from the National Institute of Aging, a division of the NIH for aging research. The current and noncurrent portion of deferred grant income as of December 31, 2022 was $1,702 and $1,686, respectively, as compared to the current and noncurrent portion of deferred grant income as of December 31, 2021 of $753 and $0, respectively. The grants awarded relate to agreed-upon direct and indirect costs for specific studies or clinical trials, which may include personnel and consulting costs, costs paid to contract research organizations (“CROs”), research institutions and/or consortiums involved in the grant, as well as facilities and administrative costs. These grants are cost plus fixed fee arrangements in which the Company is reimbursed for its eligible direct and indirect costs over time, up to the maximum amount of each specific grant award. Only costs that are allowable under the grant award, certain government regulations and the NIH’s supplemental policy and procedure manual may be claimed for reimbursement, and the reimbursements are subject to routine audits from governmental agencies from time to time. While these NIH grants do not contain payback provisions, the NIH or other government agency may review the Company’s performance, cost structures and compliance with applicable laws, regulations, policies and standards and the terms and conditions of the applicable NIH grant. If any of the expenditures are found to be unallowable or allocated improperly or if the Company has otherwise violated terms of such NIH grant, the expenditures may not be reimbursed and/or the Company may be required to repay funds already disbursed. To date, the Company has not been found to have breached the terms of any NIH grant. As of December 31, 2022, the Company has been awarded grants with project periods that extend through May 31, 2026, subject to extension. Research and Development Costs The Company is involved in research and development aimed at the development of treatments for a variety of diseases related to the central nervous system, with a primary focus on Alzheimer’s Disease. Research and development costs are expensed as incurred. Research and development expenses consist principally of personnel costs, including salaries, stock-based compensation, and benefits for employees, third-party license fees and other operational costs related to our research and development activities, including allocated facility-related expenses and external costs of outside vendors, and other direct and indirect costs. Non-refundable research and development costs are deferred and expensed as the related goods are delivered or services are performed. Costs for external development activities are recognized based on an evaluation of the progress to completion of specific tasks. Costs for certain research and development activities are recognized based on the pattern of performance of the individual arrangements, which may differ from the pattern of billings incurred, and are reflected in the consolidated financial statements as prepaid expenses or as accrued research and development expenses. Leases The Company adopted Accounting Standards Update (ASU) No. 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842) using the optional transition method of the modified retrospective approach, as of January 1, 2022. Accordingly, prior periods will not be restated to reflect the adoption of the standard. The Company elected the practical expedient to not apply the recognition requirements in the leasing standards to short-term leases (a lease that at commencement date has a lease term of 12 months or less and does not contain a purchase option that it is reasonably certain to exercise) and the practical expedient that permits lessees to make an accounting policy election (by class of underlying asset) to not separate lease components of a contract from non-lease components. The Company determines if an arrangement is a lease at contract inception. The Company’s contracts are determined to contain a lease when all of the following criteria based on the specific circumstances of the arrangement are met: (1) there is an identified asset for which there are no substantive substitution rights; (2) the Company has the right to obtain substantially all of the economic benefits from the identified asset; and (3) the Company has the right to direct the use of the identified asset. At the commencement date, operating lease liabilities and their corresponding right-of-use assets are recorded based on the present value of future lease payments over the expected lease term. The Company’s lease agreements do not provide an implicit rate. As a result, the Company utilizes an estimated incremental borrowing rate to discount lease payments, which is based on the rate of interest the Company would have to pay to borrow a similar amount on a collateralized basis over a similar term. Certain adjustments to the right-of-use asset may be required for items such as initial direct costs paid or lease incentives received. Operating lease cost is recognized over the expected term on a straight-line basis. Variable lease cost is recognized as incurred. The expected lease term for those leases commencing prior to January 1, 2022 did not change with the adoption of the new leasing standards. As a result of the adoption of the new leasing standard, on January 1, 2022, the Company recorded a right-of-use asset of $616 and corresponding current and noncurrent operating lease liabilities of $130 and $486 , respectively. The adoption did not have a material impact on the condensed consolidated statement of operations or cash flows. For additional information on the adoption of the new leasing standard, refer to Note 7. The Company will continue to report financial information for fiscal years ended before December 31, 2021 under ASC 840. Impact of Adoption of ASC 842 on the Consolidated Financial Statements Prior to adoption Adjustment for of new leasing adoption of new standards leasing standards As adjusted Right-of-use assets (1) $ — $ 616 $ 616 Deferred rent (2) $ 6 $ (6) $ — Operating lease liabilities (3) $ — $ 130 $ 130 Operating lease liabilities, net of current portion (3) $ — $ 486 $ 486 (1) Represents recognition of operating lease right-of-use assets. (2) Represents reclassification of deferred rent to operating lease. (3) Represents recognition of operating lease liabilities. Income Taxes The Company accounts for income taxes under the asset and liability method pursuant to authoritative guidance. Under the asset and liability method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax basis and operating loss and tax credit carryforwards. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. Under this authoritative guidance, the effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period that includes the enactment date. If it is more likely than not that some portion or all of a deferred tax asset will not be recognized, a valuation allowance is recognized. The Company accounts for uncertainty in income taxes using a recognition threshold of more-likely-than-not to be sustained upon examination by the appropriate taxing authority. Measurement of the uncertainty occurs if the recognition threshold is met. The Company has determined that there were no uncertainties as of December 31, 2022 and 2021 that met the recognition threshold. Equity-based Compensation Following the provisions of ASC 718, Compensation — Stock Compensation Black-Scholes requires inputs based on certain subjective assumptions, including (i) the expected stock price volatility, (ii) the expected term of the award, (iii) the risk-free interest rate and (iv) expected dividends. Due to a lack of sufficient public market data for the Company’s common stock and lack of company-specific historical and implied volatility data, the Company has based its computation of expected volatility on the historical volatility of a representative group of public companies with similar characteristics to the Company, including stage of product development and life science industry focus. The historical volatility is calculated based on a period of time commensurate with expected term assumption. The Company uses the simplified method to calculate the expected term for stock options granted to employees whereby the expected term equals the arithmetic average of the vesting term and the original contractual term of the stock options due to its lack of sufficient historical data. The risk-free interest rate is based on U.S. Treasury securities with a maturity date commensurate with the expected term of the associated award. The expected dividend yield is assumed to be zero as the Company has never paid dividends and has no current plans to pay any dividends on its common stock. Prior to the IPO, due to the absence of an active market for the Company’s common stock, the Company utilized methodologies in accordance with the framework of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants Technical Practice Aid, Valuation of Privately-Held Company Equity Securities Issued as Compensation Concentration of Credit Risk The Company’s financial instruments that are exposed to credit risks consist of cash and cash equivalents. The Company maintains its cash and cash equivalents in bank deposit accounts which, at times, may exceed the federally insured limit. The Company has not experienced any losses in these accounts and does not believe it is exposed to any significant credit risk related to these funds. Fair Value of Financial Instruments The Company applies ASC 820, Fair Value Measurement The carrying value of the Company’s cash and cash equivalents, grants receivable, prepaid expense, other receivables, other assets, accounts payable, accrued expenses and other liabilities approximate fair value because of the short-term maturity of these financial instruments. In addition, the Company records its warrant liability, derivative liability, and SAFE at fair value. The valuation hierarchy is composed of three levels. The classification within the valuation hierarchy is based on the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement. The levels within the valuation hierarchy are described below: ● Level 1 — Assets and liabilities with unadjusted, quoted prices listed on active market exchanges. Inputs to the fair value measurement are observable inputs, such as quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities. ● Level 2 — Inputs to the fair value measurement are determined using prices for recently traded assets and liabilities with similar underlying terms, as well as direct or indirect observable inputs, such as interest rates and yield curves that are observable at commonly quoted intervals. ● Level 3 — Inputs to the fair value measurement are unobservable inputs, such as estimates, assumptions, and valuation techniques when little or no market data exists for the assets or liabilities. Comprehensive Loss The Company recorded $1 and $11 in other comprehensive loss related to foreign currency translation for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively. The Company presents comprehensive loss in a single statement within its consolidated financial statements. Net Loss Per Share Attributable to Common Stockholders Basic net loss attributable to common shares is computed by dividing the net loss attributable to common stockholders by the weighted-average number of shares of common stock outstanding during each period. Diluted net loss attributable to common shares includes the effect, if any, from the potential exercise or conversion of securities, such as convertible preferred stock and stock options, which would result in the issuance of incremental shares of common stock. For diluted net loss per share, the weighted-average number of shares of common stock is the same for basic net loss per share due to the fact that when a net loss exists, dilutive securities are not included in the calculation as the impact is anti-dilutive. The Company’s convertible preferred stock entitles the holder to participate in dividends and earnings of the Company, and, if the Company were to recognize net income, it would have to use the two-class method to calculate earnings per share. The two-class method is not applicable during periods with a net loss, as the holders of the convertible preferred stock have no obligation to fund losses. Segments The Company has determined that it operates and manages one operating segment, which is the business of developing and commercializing therapeutics. The Company’s chief operating decision maker, its chief executive officer, reviews financial information on an aggregate basis for the purpose of allocating resources. Emerging Growth Company Status The Company is an emerging growth company, as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the “JOBS Act”). Under the JOBS Act, emerging growth companies can delay adopting new or revised accounting standards issued subsequent to the enactment of the JOBS Act until such time as those standards apply to private companies. The Company has elected to use this extended transition period for complying with new or revised accounting standards that have different effective dates for public and private companies until the earlier of the date that it is (a) no longer an emerging growth company or (b) 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. Recent Accounting Pronouncements In February 2016, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) No. 2016-02, Leases In May 2021, the FASB issued ASU 2021-04, Earnings Per Share (Topic 260), Debt – Modifications and Extinguishments (Subtopic 470-50), Compensation – Stock Compensation (Topic 718), and Derivatives and Hedging – Contracts in Entity’s Own Equity (Subtopic 815-40) In November 2021, the FASB issued ASU 2021-10, Government Assistance (Topic 832) Reverse Stock Split In July 2021, the Company's board of directors approved an amendment to the Company's second amended and restated certificate of incorporation to effect a 1 shares. The par value of the common stock was not adjusted as a result of the reverse stock split. Shares of common stock underlying outstanding stock options and other equity instruments were proportionately reduced and the respective exercise prices, if applicable, were proportionately increased in accordance with the terms of the appropriate securities agreements. Shares of common stock reserved for issuance upon the conversion of our convertible preferred stock were proportionately reduced and the respective conversion prices were proportionately increased. All common share and per share data have been retrospectively revised to reflect the reverse stock split. |