Summary of Significant Accounting Policies | 2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies Basis of Presentation The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with United States generally accepted accounting principles (“U.S. GAAP”). The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts and disclosures reported in the financial statements and accompanying notes. Use of Estimates Management uses significant judgment when making estimates related to common stock valuation and related stock-based compensation expense, accrued expenses related to clinical trials and deferred tax valuation allowances. Management bases its estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results could differ from those estimates under different assumptions or conditions, and those differences could be material to the financial position and results of operations. Concentration of Credit Risk and Other Risks and Uncertainties Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to credit risk principally consist of cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities. These financial instruments are held in accounts at select financial institutions that management believes possess high credit quality. Amounts on deposit with these financial institutions have and will continue to exceed federally-insured limits. The Company has not experienced any losses on its cash deposits. Additionally, the Company’s investment policy limits its investments to certain types of securities issued by the U.S. government and its agencies. The Company is subject to a number of risks similar to that of other early-stage biopharmaceutical companies, including, but not limited to, the need to obtain adequate additional funding, possible failure of current or future clinical trials, its reliance on third-parties to conduct its clinical trials, the need to obtain regulatory and marketing approvals for its product candidates, competitive developments, the need to successfully commercialize and gain market acceptance of the Company’s product candidates, its right to develop and commercialize its product candidates pursuant to the terms and conditions of the licenses granted to the Company, protection of proprietary technology, the ability to make milestone, royalty or other payments due under licensing agreements, and the need to secure and maintain adequate manufacturing arrangements with third-parties. If the Company does not successfully commercialize or partner its product candidates, it will be unable to generate product revenue or achieve profitability. Cash, Cash Equivalents and Restricted Cash The Company considers all highly liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less from the date of purchase to be cash equivalents. The following table provides a reconciliation of cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash reported within the Company’s balance sheets and which, in aggregate, represent the amounts reported in the statements of cash flows (in thousands): December 31, 2018 2017 2016 Cash and cash equivalents $ 33,660 $ 85,207 $ 13,416 Restricted cash 802 — — Total $ 34,462 $ 85,207 $ 13,416 Restricted cash at December 31, 2018 represents $0.8 million in deposits restricted from withdrawal and held by a bank in the form of collateral for an irrevocable standby letter of credit held as security for the lease of the Company’s facility in Redwood City, California. Restricted cash amounts are included within long term assets on the Company’s balance sheets. Marketable Securities The Company invests in marketable securities, primarily securities issued by the U.S. government and its agencies. Investments with contractual maturities greater than 90 days that mature less than one year from the balance sheet date are classified as short-term investments. Those investments with a contractual maturity date greater than one year are considered long-term investments. Unrealized gains and losses are excluded from earnings and are reported as a component of accumulated comprehensive income (loss). The cost of securities sold is determined using the specific-identification method. Interest earned and adjustments for the amortization of premiums and discounts on investments are included in interest income (expense), net, on the statements of operations and comprehensive loss. Realized gains and losses and declines in fair value judged to be other than temporary, if any, on investments in marketable securities are included in other income (expense), net, on the statements of operations and comprehensive loss. Fair Value Measurements The Company accounts for fair value of its financial instruments in accordance with Financial Accounting Standards Board (the “FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic No. 820, Fair Value Measurements The Company measures fair value based on a three-level hierarchy of inputs, of which the first two are considered observable and the last unobservable. Unobservable inputs reflect the Company’s own assumptions about current market conditions. The three-level hierarchy of inputs is as follows: Level 1 – Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities. Level 2 – Inputs other than Level 1 that are observable, either directly or indirectly, such as quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities; quoted prices in markets that are not active; or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data for substantially the full term of the assets or liabilities. Level 3 – Unobservable inputs that are supported by little or no market activity and that are significant to the fair value of assets or liabilities. To the extent that the valuation is based on models or inputs that are less observable or unobservable in the market, the determination of fair value requires more judgment. Accordingly, the degree of judgment exercised by the Company in determining fair value is greatest for instruments categorized in Level 3. A financial instrument’s level within the fair value hierarchy is based on the lowest level of any input that is significant to the fair value measurement. The carrying amounts reflected in the Company’s balance sheets for cash and cash equivalents, prepaid expenses and other current assets, other long-term assets, accounts payable, and accrued expenses and other current liabilities approximate fair value, due to their short-term nature. Deferred Initial Public Offering Costs Costs incurred in connection with the IPO primarily consist of direct incremental legal, printing and accounting fees. IPO costs are capitalized as incurred and will be offset against proceeds upon consummation of the offering. In the event the offering had been terminated or abandoned, deferred IPO costs would have been expensed in the period such determination had been made. As of December 31, 2017, there was $0.2 million of deferred IPO costs included in other long-term assets on the Company’s balance sheets. The Company completed its IPO in July 2018. Accordingly, there were no deferred IPO offering costs at December 31, 2018. Lease Liabilities The Company classifies the agreements for its office and laboratory facilities as an operating lease. Rent expense is recorded on a straight-line basis over the term of the lease. Differences that exist between cash rent payments and the recognition of rent expense, such as those resulting from rent abatements or contractual escalations of minimum lease payments, are recorded as a deferred rent liability and recognized as adjustments to rental expense on a straight-line basis over the term of the lease. The current portion of the deferred rent liability is included within accrued expenses and other current liabilities on the Company’s balance sheets. Noncurrent portion of deferred rent liability is classified as other long-term liabilities. Tenant improvement allowances received are recorded as lease incentive obligations included in accrued expenses and other current liabilities and other long-term liabilities on the Company’s balance sheets and are amortized to rent expense over the term of the lease. Term Loan Financing Costs During the year ended December 31, 2017, the Company recognized noncash interest expense of $101,000, related to its then outstanding debt facility. Noncash interest included the amortization and accretion of various costs incurred in connection with the issuance of the associated debt instruments and calculated using the effective interest rate method over the expected term of the debt. In December 2017, the Company repaid all outstanding debt. Noncash interest expense was included in interest income (expense), net, within the Company’s statements of operations and comprehensive loss. Property and Equipment, Net Property and equipment are stated at cost, net of accumulated depreciation. Depreciation is computed using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets. The useful lives of property and equipment are as follows: Laboratory equipment – 3 to 5 years Leasehold improvements – Shorter of remaining lease term or estimated life of the assets Upon retirement or sale, the cost of disposed assets and their related accumulated depreciation are removed from the balance sheet. Any resulting gains or losses on dispositions of property and equipment are included as a component of other income (expense), net, within the Company’s statements of operations and comprehensive loss. Repair and maintenance costs that do not significantly add value to the property and equipment, or prolong its life, are charged to operating expense as incurred. Research and Development Expense Research and development costs are expensed as incurred. Research and development costs include, among others, consulting costs, salaries, benefits, travel, stock-based compensation, laboratory supplies and other non-capital equipment utilized for in-house research, allocation of facilities and overhead costs and external costs paid to third-parties that conduct research and development activities on the Company’s behalf. Amounts incurred in connection with license agreements are also included in research and development expense. Advance payments for goods or services to be rendered in the future for use in research and development activities are deferred and included in prepaid expenses and other current assets. The deferred amounts are expensed as the related goods are delivered or the services are performed. Accrued Research and Development Costs Service agreements with contract research organizations (“CROs”) and contract development and manufacturing organizations (“CDMOs”) comprise a significant component of the Company’s research and development activities. External costs for CROs and CDMOs are recognized as the services are incurred. The Company accrues for expenses resulting from obligations under agreements with its third-parties for which the timing of payments does not match the periods over which the materials or services are provided to the Company. Accruals are recorded based on estimates of services received and efforts expended pursuant to agreements established with CROs, CDMOs and other outside service providers. These estimates are typically based on contracted amounts applied to the proportion of work performed and determined through analysis with internal personnel and external service providers as to the progress or stage of completion of the services. The Company makes judgements and estimates in determining the accrual balance in each reporting period. In the event advance payments are made to a CRO, CDMO or other outside service provider, the payments are recorded within prepaid expenses and other current assets and subsequently recognized as research and development expense when the associated services have been performed. As actual costs become known, the Company adjusts its liabilities and assets. Inputs, such as the extent of services received and the duration of services to be performed, may vary from the Company’s estimates, which will result in adjustments to research and development expense in future periods. Changes in these estimates that result in material changes to the Company’s accruals could materially affect the Company’s results of operations. The Company’s historical estimates have not been materially different from actual amounts recorded. Convertible Debt Features Beneficial conversion features embedded within the Company’s convertible debt instruments are recognized at their intrinsic value at the commitment date. Intrinsic value is calculated as the difference between the effective conversion price and the fair value of the preferred stock into which the debt is convertible, multiplied by the number of shares of preferred stock into which the debt is convertible. The Company allocates a portion of the proceeds from issuance of the convertible debt to the beneficial conversion feature as a reduction to the carrying value of the debt, with the offset to additional paid-in capital. The resulting debt discount is amortized to interest expense through the stated maturity date of the convertible debt instrument using the effective interest method. Conversion of the debt to convertible preferred stock is accounted for as an extinguishment. Upon conversion, all unamortized discounts at the conversion date are recognized immediately as interest expense. The Company then allocates a portion of the reacquisition price to the repurchase of the beneficial conversion feature, as calculated by the intrinsic value of the conversion option at the extinguishment date. The residual amount, if any, is allocated to the convertible debt instrument. The gain or loss on extinguishment of the convertible debt instrument is measured as the difference between the retired debt’s reacquisition price and carrying amount prior to extinguishment. Gains or losses resulting from convertible debt instruments issued to related parties are classified as capital contributions or distributions. Preferred Stock Tranche Rights Convertible preferred stock that includes features the Company has determined are not clearly and closely related to the equity host are bifurcated and accounted for separately as freestanding derivative assets or liabilities on the balance sheet at their estimated fair value. The Company historically recorded preferred stock derivative liabilities resulting from certain investors’ rights to purchase from the Company, on the same terms as the Series A Preferred Stock Purchase Agreement executed in December 2012, additional shares of Series A convertible preferred stock in a second and third tranche. At initial recognition, the Company recorded these derivatives as an asset or liability on the balance sheets at their estimated fair value. The derivatives were subject to remeasurement at each balance sheet date, with changes in fair value recognized as a component of other income (expense), net on the Company’s statements of operations and comprehensive loss. At the time of each tranche funding, the Company remeasured the derivative asset or liability, with the change in fair value recognized as a component of other income (expense), net and then reclassified the remaining value associated with the preferred stock derivative to Series A convertible preferred stock. Convertible Preferred Stock The Company recorded all shares of convertible preferred stock net of offering costs at their respective fair values on the dates of issuance. The convertible preferred stock was recorded outside of stockholders’ deficit because, in the event of certain deemed liquidation events considered not solely within the Company’s control, such as a merger, acquisition or sale of all or substantially all of the Company’s assets, the convertible preferred stock will become redeemable at the option of the holders. In the event of a change of control of the Company, proceeds received from the sale of such shares will be distributed in accordance with the liquidation preferences set forth in the Company’s Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation unless the holders of convertible preferred stock had previously converted their shares of convertible preferred stock into shares of common stock. In connection with the completion of the Company’s IPO in July 2018, all then outstanding shares of convertible preferred stock were converted into 30,971,627 shares of common stock. Segments Operating segments are defined as components of an entity about which separate discrete information is available for evaluation by the chief operating decision maker or decision-making group, in deciding how to allocate resources and in assessing performance. The Company’s chief operating decision maker, its Chief Executive Officer, views its operations and manages its business in one operating segment operating exclusively in the United States. Patent Costs The Company expenses patent application and related legal costs as incurred and classifies such costs as general and administrative expenses in the statements of operations and comprehensive loss Stock-Based Compensation The Company accounts for its stock-based compensation in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718, Compensation—Stock Compensation Expected volatility – As there is insufficient trading history for the Company’s common stock, 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 the expected term assumption. Expected term – The Company determines the expected term in accordance with the “simplified method” described by SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 107, , as it does not have sufficient historical exercise data to provide a reasonable basis upon which to estimate the expected term. Risk-free interest rate – The Company bases the risk-free interest rate on United States Treasury securities with terms consistent to the expected term of the stock option being valued. Expected dividends – 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. The Company uses historical data to estimate pre-vesting forfeitures and records stock-based compensation expense only for those awards expected to vest. To the extent that actual forfeitures differ from estimates, the difference is recorded as a cumulative adjustment in the period the estimate are revised. The Company expenses the fair value of its stock-based compensation awards to employees on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period, which is generally the vesting period. Income Taxes In December 2017, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (the “Tax Act”) was signed into law. The Tax Act, among other changes, lowered the Company’s federal tax rate from 34% to 21%. Based on provisions of the Tax Act, the Company remeasured its deferred tax assets and liabilities at December 31, 2017 to reflect the lower statutory tax rate, however, since the Company established a full valuation allowance to offset its deferred tax assets, there was no impact to the effective tax rate. The deferred tax remeasurement was provisional and represented our reasonable estimate within the meaning of Staff Accounting Board 118, which provided a measurement period that should not extend beyond one year from the Tax Act’s enactment date for companies to complete the accounting under ASC 740. As of December 31, 2018, the Company has completed its analysis of the income tax effects of the Tax Act. The results of this analysis have been reflected in the Company’s financial statements and related footnotes. Comprehensive Loss Comprehensive loss is defined as the change in stockholders’ equity (deficit) during a period from transactions and other events and circumstances from non-owner sources. The difference between net loss and comprehensive loss for the year ended December 31, 2018 is a result of unrealized losses on the Company’s investments in marketable securities included in current assets on the balance sheets. Net Loss per Share The Company calculates basic net loss per share by dividing the net loss attributable to common stockholders by the weighted-average shares of common stock outstanding during the period. The Company calculates diluted net loss per share after giving consideration to all potentially dilutive securities outstanding during the period using the treasury-stock and if-converted methods, except where the effect of including such securities would be anti-dilutive. Because the Company has reported net losses since inception, the effect from potentially dilutive securities would have been anti-dilutive and therefore has been excluded from the calculation of diluted net loss per share. Basic and diluted net loss per share was calculated as follows (in thousands, except per share data): Year Ended December 31, 2018 2017 2016 Numerator: Net loss $ (43,538 ) $ (23,552 ) $ (17,100 ) Denominator: Weighted-average shares of common stock outstanding, basic and diluted 19,833 1,620 1,312 Net loss per share, basic and diluted $ (2.20 ) $ (14.54 ) $ (13.03 ) The following table sets forth the potentially dilutive securities that have been excluded from the calculation of diluted net loss per share due to their anti-dilutive effect for the periods indicated (in thousands): Year Ended December 31, 2018 2017 2016 Series A convertible preferred stock — 20,866 20,866 Series B convertible preferred stock — 10,105 — Options to purchase common stock 7,811 4,884 2,722 Warrants to purchase common stock — 48 48 Unvested restricted common stock 47 104 205 Shares issuable under 2018 Employee Stock Purchase Plan 29 — — Total 7,887 36,007 23,841 Foreign Currency Transactions The Company is party to multiple contract manufacturing and clinical research agreements for which services to be performed are denominated in foreign currencies other than the United States Dollar. The Company records gains and losses attributable to fluctuations in foreign currencies as a component of other income (expense), net, on the statements of operations and comprehensive loss. Recent Accounting Pronouncements In August 2018, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2018-13, Fair Value Measurement In August 2018, the SEC adopted amendments to certain disclosure requirements in the Securities Act Release No. 33-10532, Disclosure Update and Simplification In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842) Leases (Topic 842): Targeted Improvements In November 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-18, Statement of Cash Flows: Restricted Cash |