| Summary of Significant Accounting Policies | 2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
Principles of Consolidation
The accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its wholly owned subsidiaries. All intercompany accounts and transactions are eliminated upon consolidation.
Use of Estimates
The presentation of condensed consolidated 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 contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the condensed consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.
Research and development incentive income and receivable
The Company recognizes other income from Australian research and development incentives when there is reasonable assurance that the income will be received, the relevant expenditure has been incurred, and the consideration can be reliably measured. The research and development incentive is one of the key elements of the Australian Government’s support for Australia’s innovation system and is supported by legislative law primarily in the form of the Australian Income Tax Assessment Act 1997, as long as eligibility criteria are met.
Management has assessed the Company’s research and development activities and expenditures to determine which activities and expenditures are likely to be eligible under the research and development incentive regime described above. At each period end, management estimates the refundable tax offset available to the Company based on available information at the time. This estimate is also reviewed by external tax advisors on an annual basis.
Under the program, a percentage of eligible research and development expenses incurred by the Company through its subsidiary in Australia are reimbursed. The percentage was 43.5% for the year ended December 31, 2017 and for the nine months ended September 30, 2018.
The research and development incentive receivable represents an amount due in connection with the above program. The Company has recorded a research and development incentive receivable of $2,068 and $1,744 as of September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017, respectively, in the condensed consolidated balance sheets and other income from Australian research and development incentives of $299 and $961, respectively, for the three months ended September 30, 2018 and 2017 and $1,188 and $1,852, respectively, for the nine months ended September 30, 2018 and 2017 in the condensed consolidated statements of operations related to refundable research and development incentive program payments in Australia.
The following table shows the change in the research and development incentive receivable from December 31, 2016 to September 30, 2018 (in thousands):
Balance at December 31, 2016
$
Australian research and development incentive income
(1)
Cash received for 2016 eligible expenses
)
Foreign currency translation
Balance at December 31, 2017
Australian research and development incentive income
Cash received for 2016 eligible overseas research and development expenses
)
Foreign currency translation
)
Balance at September 30, 2018
$
(1) Certain supporting research and development activity is performed outside of Australia when there are no Australian facilities that support the activity (“Overseas research and development activities”). In October 2017, the Commonwealth of Australia issued the Company a favorable ruling on its Overseas research and development activities, considering such activities to be eligible research and development activities under the Australian Incentive Program. As such, the Company recorded Australian research and development incentives during the three months ended September 30, 2017 for its Overseas research and development activities performed during the year ended December 31, 2016 and the six months ended June 30, 2017, of $347 and $412, respectively.
Foreign Currency Translation
The financial statements of the Company’s Australian subsidiary are measured using the local currency as the functional currency. Assets and liabilities of this subsidiary are translated into U.S. dollars at an exchange rate as of the consolidated balance sheet date. Equity is translated at historical exchange rates. Revenues and expenses are translated into U.S. dollars at average rates of exchange in effect during the year. The resulting cumulative translation adjustments have been recorded as a separate component of stockholders’ equity. Realized foreign currency transaction gains and losses are included in the results of operations.
Other Assets
Other assets as of September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017 included $1,176 and $1,076, respectively, of deposits made by the Company with certain service providers that are to be applied to future payments due under the service agreements or returned to the Company if not utilized. In addition, as of September 30, 2018, other assets included $162 of deferred issuance costs and a deposit of $35 related to the operating lease for the Company’s office space in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Fair Value of Financial Instruments
Certain assets and liabilities are carried at fair value under GAAP. Fair value is defined as the exchange price that would be received for an asset or paid to transfer a liability (an exit price) in the principal or most advantageous market for the asset or liability in an orderly transaction between market participants on the measurement date. Valuation techniques used to measure fair value must maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs. Financial assets and liabilities carried at fair value are to be classified and disclosed in one of the following three levels of the fair value hierarchy, of which the first two are considered observable and the last is considered unobservable:
·
Level 1—Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.
·
Level 2—Observable inputs (other than Level 1 quoted prices), such as quoted prices in active markets for similar assets or liabilities, quoted prices in markets that are not active for identical or similar assets or liabilities, or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data.
·
Level 3—Unobservable inputs that are supported by little or no market activity and that are significant to determining the fair value of the assets or liabilities, including pricing models, discounted cash flow methodologies and similar techniques.
During the periods presented, the Company has not changed the manner in which it values assets and liabilities that are measured at fair value using Level 3 inputs. The Company recognizes transfers between levels of the fair value hierarchy as of the end of the reporting period. There were no transfers within the hierarchy during the nine months ended September 30, 2018 and the year ended December 31, 2017.
A summary of the assets and liabilities carried at fair value in accordance with the hierarchy defined above is as follows (in thousands):
Total
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
September 30, 2018
Assets:
Cash equivalents
$
$
$
—
$
—
Total assets
$
$
$
—
$
—
Liabilities:
Warrant liability
$
$
—
$
—
$
Total liabilities
$
$
—
$
—
$
December 31, 2017
Assets:
Cash equivalents
$
$
$
—
$
—
Total assets
$
$
$
—
$
—
Liabilities:
Warrant liability
$
$
—
$
—
$
Total liabilities
$
$
—
$
—
$
Cash equivalents of $23,249 and $25,737 as of September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017, respectively, consisted of overnight investments and money market funds and are classified within Level 1 of the fair value hierarchy because they are valued using quoted market prices in active markets.
The carrying value of the research and development incentive receivable, accounts payable and accrued liabilities approximate their fair value due to the short-term nature of these assets and liabilities.
A roll-forward of the recurring fair value measurements of the warrant liability categorized with Level 3 inputs is as follows (in thousands):
Balance—December 31, 2017
$
Change in fair value
Balance—March 31, 2018
Exercise of warrants
)
Change in fair value
Balance—June 30, 2018
Change in fair value
)
Balance—September 30, 2018
$
The warrant liability in the table above is composed of the fair value of warrants to purchase common shares that the Company issued in connection with the private placement of common stock in November 2017. The fair value of the warrant liability was determined based on significant inputs not observable in the market, which represents a Level 3 measurement within the fair value hierarchy. The Company utilized a Monte Carlo simulation, which is a statistical method used to generate a defined number of share price paths to develop a reasonable estimate of the range of the future expected share prices, to value the warrant liability. The Monte Carlo simulation incorporated assumptions and estimates to value the warrant liability. Estimates and assumptions impacting the fair value measurement included the estimated probability of adjusting the exercise price of the warrants, the number of shares for which the warrants will be exercisable, the remaining contractual term of the warrants, the risk-free interest rate, the expected dividend yield, and the expected volatility of the price of the underlying common shares.
The Company historically had been a private company and lacks company-specific historical and implied volatility information of its shares. Therefore, it estimated its expected share volatility based on the historical volatility of publicly traded peer companies for a term equal to the remaining contractual term of the warrants. The risk-free interest rate was determined by reference to the U.S. Treasury yield curve for time periods approximately equal to the remaining contractual term of the warrants. The Company estimated a 0% expected dividend yield based on the fact that the Company has never paid or declared dividends and does not intend to do so in the foreseeable future.
Net Loss per Share
Basic net loss per share is computed using the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period. Diluted net loss per share is computed using the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period and, if dilutive, the weighted average number of potential shares of common stock, including the assumed exercise of stock options and warrants.
Warrant Liability
In connection with entering into the Private Placement (as defined below), the Company issued a warrant to purchase common stock with each share of common stock sold in the Private Placement (as defined below). The Company classified the warrants as a liability on its consolidated balance sheet because each warrant represents a freestanding financial instrument that is not indexed to the Company’s own shares. The warrant liability was initially recorded at fair value upon entering into the Private Placement (as defined below) agreement and is subsequently remeasured to fair value at each reporting date. Changes in the fair value of the warrant liability are recognized as gains (losses) in the condensed consolidated statement of operations. Changes in the fair value of the warrant liability will continue to be recognized until the warrants are exercised, expire or qualify for equity classification.
If the Company issues shares to discharge the liability, the derivative financial liability is derecognized and common stock and additional paid-in capital are recognized on the issuance of those shares. Warrants are valued using the Monte Carlo simulation model. If the terms of warrants that initially require the warrant to be classified as a liability lapse, the liability is reclassified out of financial liabilities into equity at its fair value on that date. The cash proceeds received from exercises of warrants are recorded in common stock and additional paid-in capital.
Subsequent Events
The Company considers events or transactions that occur after the balance sheet date but prior to the issuance of the financial statements to provide additional evidence for certain estimates or to identify matters that require additional disclosure. Subsequent events have been evaluated as required.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
From time to time, new accounting pronouncements are issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board, or FASB, and are early adopted by the Company or adopted as of the specified effective date.
In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-09, Compensation—Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting. The new standard involves several aspects of the accounting for share-based payment transactions, including the income tax consequences, classification of awards as either equity or liabilities and classification on the statement of cash flows. The Company adopted this standard effective January 1, 2018, which had no impact on the Company’s condensed consolidated financial statements.
In August 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-15, Statement of Cash Flows: Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments (“ASU 2016-15”), to address diversity in practice in how certain cash receipts and cash payments are presented and classified in the statement of cash flows. The standard is effective for the Company for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within those fiscal years. The Company is currently evaluating the impact that the adoption of ASU 2016-15 will have on its consolidated financial statements.
In May 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-09, Compensation—Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Scope of Modification Accounting (“ASU 2017-09”), which clarifies when to account for a change to the terms or conditions of a share-based payment award as a modification. Under the new guidance, modification accounting is required only if the fair value, the vesting conditions, or the classification of the award (as equity or liability) changes as a result of the change in terms or conditions. The Company adopted this standard effective January 1, 2018, which had no impact on the Company’s condensed consolidated financial statements.
In July 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-11, Earnings Per Share (Topic 260), Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity (Topic 480), and Derivatives and Hedging (Topic 815) (“ASU 2017-11”), which changes the classification analysis of certain equity-linked financial instruments (or embedded features) with down round features. The amendments require entities that present earnings per share (“EPS”) in accordance with Topic 260 to recognize the effect of the down round feature when triggered with the effect treated as a dividend and as a reduction of income available to common shareholders in basic EPS. The new standard is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within those fiscal years. The Company does not expect that the adoption of ASU 2017-11 will have a material impact on its consolidated financial statements.
The Company also considered the following recent accounting pronouncements which were not yet adopted as of September 30, 2018:
In June 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-07, Compensation—Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Improvements to Nonemployee Share-Based Payment Accounting, which is intended 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 new guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted. The Company has evaluated the accounting, transition and disclosure requirements of this standard and does not expect it to have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.
In February 2016, the FASB established Topic 842, Leases, by issuing Accounting Standards Update (ASU) No. 2016-02, which requires lessees to recognize leases on the balance sheet and disclose key information about leasing arrangements. The new standard establishes a right-of-use model (ROU) that requires a lessee to recognize a ROU asset and lease liability on the balance sheet for all leases with a term longer that 12 months. Leases will be classified as finance or operating, with classification affecting the pattern and classification of expense recognition in the income statement. The new standard is effective for the Company on January 1, 2019, with early adoption permitted. The Company expects to adopt the new standard on its effective date. A modified retrospective transition approach is required, applying the new standard to all leases existing at the date of initial application. An entity may choose to use either (1) its effective date or (2) the beginning of the earliest comparative period presented in the financial statements as its date of initial application. The Company expects that this standard will have a material effect on its financial statements. While the Company continues to assess all of the effects of adoption, it currently believes the most significant effects relate to (1) the recognition of new ROU assets and lease liabilities on its balance sheet for its office and equipment operating leases; and 2) providing significant new disclosures about its leasing activities.
The Company believes that the impact of other recently issued but not yet adopted accounting pronouncements will not have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial position, results of operations, and cash flows, or do not apply to the Company’s operations. |
