Summary of Significant Accounting Policies | 2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies Basis of Presentation The condensed financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”) and include the accounts of the Company. Certain information and note disclosures normally included in the financial statements prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP have been condensed or omitted pursuant to the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). Therefore, these unaudited condensed financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited financial statements and related footnotes included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") on March 3, 2022. Use of Estimates The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities, and reported amounts of income and expenses in the condensed financial statements and accompanying notes. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Key estimates in the condensed financial statements include estimated useful lives of property and equipment, impairment of long-lived assets, accrued expenses, valuation of deferred income tax assets, fair value of available-for-sale debt securities, incremental borrowing rate used for lease accounting and fair value of options granted under the Company's stock option plan. Unaudited Interim Condensed Financial Statements The accompanying condensed financial statements are unaudited. The unaudited interim condensed financial statements have been prepared on the same basis as the annual financial statements and reflect, in the opinion of management, all adjustments of a normal and recurring nature that are necessary for the fair statement of the Company’s financial position as of September 30, 2022 and its results of operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021, and statements of cash flows for the nine months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021. The financial data and the other financial information contained in these notes to the condensed financial statements related to the three-month and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2022 and 2021 are also unaudited. The results of operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2022 are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the year ending December 31, 2022 or for any other future annual or interim period. The balance sheet as of December 31, 2021 included herein was derived from the audited financial statements as of that date. Other Income Other income is comprised of amounts earned from services performed under service agreements. The Company follows the provisions of Accounting Standards Update 2014-09 Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers ( ). In determining the appropriate amount of other income to be recognized as it fulfills its obligations under the agreements, the Company performs the following steps: (i) identifies the promised goods or services in the contract; (ii) determines whether the promised goods or services are performance obligations including whether they are distinct in the context of the contract; (iii) measures the transaction price, including the constraint on variable consideration; (iv) allocates the transaction price to the performance obligations based on estimated selling prices; and (v) recognizes other income when (or as) the Company satisfies each performance obligation. The Company generally allocates the transaction price to distinct performance obligations at their stand-alone selling prices, determined by their estimated costs plus some margin. Performance obligations are generally delivered over time and recognized based upon observable inputs as the related research services are performed, which are recorded as research and development expenses. Amounts due under service agreements are generally billed monthly as services are delivered and do not generally result in contract liabilities or assets. In February 2020, the Company entered into an agreement with an external partner for a research project to identify the antigenic targets of select antibodies discovered by the Company with potential utility in oncology. The nonrefundable upfront payment from this agreement was classified as a contract liability and the Company fully recognized the amount as other income over the service period of 18 months. In March 2022, the Company entered into an agreement with a third party for the assignment of certain non-core intellectual property. The initial consideration was classified as other income and recognized upon completion of the assignment. The agreement provides for additional consideration in the event of commercial exploitation of the intellectual property. The term of the agreement extends to the date of expiration of the last to expire of any of the assigned patents. The Company recorded no receivables under service and license agreements as of September 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021. The Company recorded no contract liabilities as of both September 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021. Collaborations Historically, we have entered into a number of discovery collaborations as we developed our discovery platform. These collaborations have generally focused on identifying novel antibodies in areas of significant unmet medical need. In July 2020, the Company entered into a Collaboration and License Agreement with Xencor, Inc. (“Xencor Agreement”), to research, develop and commercialize novel CD3 bispecific antibodies as potential therapeutics in oncology. Under the Xencor Agreement, the Company and Xencor, Inc. will engage in a three-year research program in which the Company will provide antibodies against novel tumor targets through its discovery platform from which Xencor, Inc. will engineer XmAb bispecific antibodies that also bind to the CD3 receptor on T cells. Up to two joint programs are eligible to be mutually selected for further development and commercialization, with each partner sharing 50% of costs and profits. Each company has the option to lead development, regulatory and commercialization activities for one of the joint programs. In addition, the Xencor Agreement allows each partner the option to pursue up to two programs independently, with a mid-to high-single digit percent royalty payable on net sales to the other partner. The Company evaluated the Xencor Agreement under the provisions of ASC 606 and ASU 2018-18, (Topic 808) Clarifying the Interaction between Topic 808 and Topic 606. The Company concluded that Xencor, Inc. is not a customer as there are no distinct units of account that are reflective of a vendor-customer relationship or exchange of consideration for the research activities. The Company’s share of any collaboration expense is recognized as an research and development expense on the Company’s condensed statement of operations. For the cost-sharing related to the research program, the Company will follow the presentation and disclosure guidance of ASC 808, Collaboration Agreements In-Licensing Arrangements – Development In April 2022 million. The Company also received an option to obtain an exclusive license to research, develop, manufacture, and commercialize certain ADCs for additional license fees and royalties. Unless earlier terminated or extended, the term of the research license and the commercial option is The Company will be required to use commercially reasonable efforts to develop and commercialize at least one licensed product and the Company will pay to Zymeworks an option exercise fee, and lump sum payments upon the achievement of certain development and regulatory milestones and commercial milestones. In addition, with respect to each licensed product, the Company will pay tiered royalties on net sales of licensed products at single-digit royalty rates. The research license fee of $5.0 million was expensed to research and development expense in April 2022 in accordance with the Company's research and development expense policy. Employee Retention Credit The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act, as amended by the further legislation, provides an employee retention credit (“ERC”) to eligible employers, which is a refundable tax credit against certain employment taxes. In calendar 2021, the ERC was equal to 70% of qualified wages paid to employees up to $10,000 of qualified wages per employee for each of the first, second and third calendar quarters of 2021. The Company has determined that its aggregate eligible refundable credit for 2021 is $2.9 million. In May 2022, the Company filed the requisite claims for the eligible 2021 ERC. The Company classified the ERC amounts as a reduction to payroll expense. During the nine months ended September 30, 2022, the Company recorded $2.4 million and $0.5 million related to the ERC within research and development expense and general and administrative expense, respectively, on the Company’s condensed statement of operations. As of September 30, 2022, the Company has a $2.9 million receivable balance from the United States government related to the CARES Act, which is recorded as other receivables in “Prepaid expenses and other current assets” on the Company’s condensed balance sheet. Cash, Cash Equivalents and Restricted Cash Cash and cash equivalents include all cash balances and highly liquid investments purchased with an original maturity of three months or less. The Company maintained restricted cash of $1.1 million and $1.5 million as of September 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021, respectively. These amounts as of September 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021 are included in deposits and other in the accompanying condensed balance sheets and is comprised solely of letters of credit required pursuant to leases for Company facilities. The Company’s reconciliation of cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash reported within the condensed balance sheets that sum to the total of the same amounts shown in the condensed statements of cash flows were as follows (in thousands): September 30, December 31, 2022 2021 Cash and cash equivalents $ 20,903 $ 94,746 Restricted cash 1,115 1,458 Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash shown in the condensed statements of cash flows $ 22,018 $ 96,204 Investments The Company considers securities purchased with original maturities greater than three months to be investments. The Company’s policy is to protect the value of its investment portfolio and minimize principal risk by earning returns based on current interest rates. The Company’s intent is to convert all investments into cash to be used for operations and has classified them as available for sale. For purposes of determining realized gains and losses, the cost of debt securities sold is based on specific identification. Interest and dividends on securities classified as available-for-sale are included in interest income. Leases The Company determines if an arrangement is, or contains, a lease at inception. The Company measures lease liabilities based on the present value of lease payments over the lease term. As the Company’s leases generally do not provide an implicit discount rate, the net present value of future minimum lease payments is determined using the Company’s incremental borrowing rate. Options in the lease terms to extend or terminate the lease are not reflected in the lease liabilities unless it is reasonably certain that any such option will be exercised. The Company measures right-of-use assets at the lease commencement date based on the corresponding lease liabilities adjusted for (i) prepayments made to the lessor at or before the commencement date, (ii) initial direct costs incurred and (iii) certain tenant incentives under the lease. The Company evaluates the recoverability of the right-of-use assets for possible impairment in accordance with the long-lived assets policy. The Company has elected not to recognize right-of-use assets or lease liabilities for leases with an initial lease term of twelve months or less. The Company’s lease agreements do not contain residual value guarantees or covenants. Lease expense is recognized on a straight-line basis over the terms of the leases. Incentives granted under the Company’s facilities lease, including rent holidays, are recognized as adjustments to lease expense on a straight-line basis over the terms of the leases. Risks and Uncertainties The Company is subject to a number of risks associated with companies at a similar stage, including COVID-19, dependence on key individuals, competition from similar services and larger companies, volatility of the industry, ability to obtain regulatory clearance, ability to obtain adequate financing to support growth, the ability to attract and retain additional qualified personnel to manage the anticipated growth of the Company and general economic conditions. Concentration of Credit Risk Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentration of credit risk consist of cash and cash equivalents, investments and other receivables. Cash and cash equivalents are held at three financial institutions and were in excess of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation insurable limit at September 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021. Additionally, cash and cash equivalents and investments are maintained at brokerage firms for which amounts are insured by the Securities Investor Protection Corporation subject to legal limits. The Company has not experienced any losses on its deposits to date. The Company does not require collateral or other security for other receivables; however, credit risk is mitigated by the Company’s ongoing evaluations of its debtors’ credit worthiness. Research and Development Costs Research and development costs are expensed as incurred. Research and development costs consist primarily of salaries and benefits, consultant fees, stock-based compensation, certain facility costs, legal costs and other costs associated with preclinical and clinical development. A substantial portion of the Company’s ongoing research and development activities are conducted by third-party service providers in connection with preclinical and clinical development activities and contract manufacturing organizations in connection with the production of materials for clinical trials. At the end of the reporting period, the Company compares payments made to third-party service providers to the estimated progress toward completion of the research or development objectives. Such estimates are subject to change as additional information becomes available. Depending on the timing of payments to the service providers and the progress that the Company estimates has been made as a result of the service provided, the Company may record net prepaid or accrued expense relating to these costs. Stock-Based Compensation The Company generally grants stock options to its employees for a fixed number of shares with an exercise price equal to the fair value of the underlying shares at the date of grant. The Company accounts for stock option grants using the fair value method. The fair value of options is calculated using the Black-Scholes option pricing model. For restricted stock units, fair value is based on the closing price of the Company’s Class A common stock on the grant date. Stock-based compensation is recognized as the underlying options vest using the straight-line attribution approach, and forfeitures are recorded as they occur. Emerging Growth Company Status The Company is an “emerging growth company,” (“EGC”) as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act, (“JOBS Act”), and may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not EGCs. The Company may take advantage of these exemptions until it is no longer an EGC under Section 107 of the JOBS Act, which provides that an EGC can take advantage of the extended transition period afforded by the JOBS Act for the implementation of new or revised accounting standards. The Company has elected to use the extended transition period for complying with new or revised accounting standards, and as a result of this election, the Company’s condensed financial statements may not be comparable to companies that comply with public company Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) standards’ effective dates. The Company may take advantage of these exemptions up until the last day of the fiscal year following the fifth anniversary of the IPO or such earlier time that the Company is no longer an EGC. Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016 02 and subsequent amendments to the initial guidance under ASU 2017-13, ASU 2018-10, ASU 2018-11, and ASU 2019-01 (collectively, “Topic 842”), which modifies the accounting by lessees for all leases with a term greater than 12 months. This standard requires lessees to recognize on the balance sheet the assets and liabilities for the rights and obligations created by those leases. The Company adopted the new lease accounting standard on January 1, 2022, using the modified retrospective transition method. The Company implemented processes, and internal controls to enable the preparation of financial information. The adoption of this standard had a material impact on the Company’s condensed balance sheet, with the recognition of right-of-use assets and corresponding lease liabilities in the amounts of $37.7 million and $67.1 million respectively, and the derecognition of approximately $10.9 million of deferred rent and $19.1 million of tenant improvement incentives. The adoption of this standard did not have a material impact on the Company’s condensed statements of operations or cash flows. The Company provided detailed right-of-use asset and liability disclosures as required by the new standard in the notes to the Company’s condensed financial statements under Note 8 Leases. The Company adopted the transitional provisions allowed under ASU 2018-11 and as such, the condensed balance sheets and condensed statements of operations for prior periods are not comparable in the year of adoption of ASU 2016-02. Recent Accounting Pronouncements Not Yet Adopted In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-13, Financial Instruments - Credit Losses “Topic 326” Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments Topic 326 |