Summary of Significant Accounting Policies | Summary of Significant Accounting Policies Basis of Presentation The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America (“GAAP”). The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make judgments, estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. Significant estimates inherent in the preparation of the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements include accruals for clinical trial activities and other accruals, and the estimated fair value of equity-based awards. We base our estimates and assumptions on historical experience when available and on various factors we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances. Actual results could differ materially from those estimates. The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements as of June 30, 2019 and for the three and six months ended June 30, 2019 and 2018 and the related interim information contained within the notes to the condensed consolidated financial statements are unaudited. The unaudited interim financial statements have been prepared on the same basis as the audited financial statements and in the opinion of management, reflect all normal recurring adjustments necessary for a fair statement of our financial position for the interim periods presented. The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with our audited consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes for the years December 31, 2018 and 2017 included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018, filed with the SEC on March 18, 2019 (“Annual Report”). The results of our operations for the three and six months ended June 30, 2019 are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the full year. Principles of Consolidation Our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements include the financial position and results of operations of Alpine and our wholly owned operating company and subsidiary, AIS Operating Co., Inc., and Alpine Immune Sciences Australia PTY LTD, respectively. All inter-company balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. Restricted Cash Restricted cash represents cash drawn on lines of credit used to establish collateral to support the security deposit on our leases to rent office and laboratory space in Seattle, Washington. Short-Term Investments Our short-term investments include funds invested in highly liquid money market funds, U.S. Treasury securities, commercial paper, and corporate debt securities with a final maturity of each security of less than one year . All investments are classified as available-for-sale securities and are recorded at fair value based on quoted prices in active markets, with unrealized gains and losses excluded from earnings and reported in other comprehensive income (loss). Purchase premiums and discounts are recognized as interest income using the interest method over the terms of the securities. Realized gains and losses and declines in fair value deemed to be other than temporary are reflected in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Income (Loss) using the specific-identification method. Leases (effective January 1, 2019) We account for our leases under Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 842, Leases. Under this guidance, arrangements meeting the definition of a lease are classified as operating or financing leases, and are recorded on the condensed consolidated balance sheet as both a right-of-use asset and lease liability, calculated by discounting fixed lease payments over the lease term at the rate implicit in the lease or our incremental borrowing rate. Lease liabilities are increased by interest and reduced by payments each period, and the right-of-use asset is amortized over the lease term. For operating leases, interest on the lease liability and the amortization of the right-of-use asset result in straight-line rent expense over the lease term. For finance leases, interest on the lease liability and the amortization of the right-of-use asset results is front-loaded expense over the lease term. Variable lease expenses are recorded when incurred. In calculating the right-of-use asset and lease liability, we elected to combine lease and non-lease components. We exclude short-term leases having initial terms of 12 months or less from the new guidance as an accounting policy election, and recognize rent expense on a straight-line basis over the lease term. We continue to account for leases in the prior period financial statements under ASC Topic 840. Revenue Recognition Revenue is recognized when control of the promised goods or services is transferred to our customers, in an amount that reflects the consideration we expect to be entitled to in exchange for those goods or services. Our steps for recognizing revenue consist of; (1) identifying the contract, (2) identifying the performance obligations as either distinct or bundled goods and services, (3) determining the transaction price associated with each performance obligation for which we expect to be entitled in exchange for transferring such goods and services, (4) allocating the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract and (5) recognizing revenue upon satisfaction of performance obligations. Our collaboration agreements principally contain multiple performance obligations, which may include (1) grants of, or options to obtain, intellectual property licenses; (2) research and development services; and/or (3) manufacturing or supply services. Payments typically received under these arrangements include one or more of the following: non-refundable upfront license fees, option exercise fees, payment for research and/or development efforts, amounts due upon the achievement of specified objectives, and/or royalties on future product sales. Our revenue is primarily derived from our collaboration agreements with Adaptimmune Therapeutics plc (“Adaptimmune”) and Kite Pharma, a Gilead company (“Kite”). See further discussion of our collaboration agreements in Note 9 . We allocate revenue to each performance obligation based on its relative stand-alone selling price. We generally determine stand-alone selling prices at the inception of the contract based on our best estimate of what the selling price would be if the deliverable was regularly sold by us on a stand-alone basis. Payments received prior to satisfying the relevant revenue recognition criteria are recorded as deferred revenue in the accompanying Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets and recognized as revenue when the related revenue recognition criteria are met. We recognize revenue under our collaboration agreements based on employee hours contributed to each performance obligation. Our collaboration agreements provide for non-refundable milestone payments. We recognize revenue that is contingent upon the achievement of a substantive milestone in its entirety in the period in which the milestone is achieved. A milestone is considered substantive when the consideration payable to us for such milestone (1) is consistent with our performance necessary to achieve the milestone or the increase in value to the collaboration resulting from our performance; (2) relates solely to our past performance; and (3) is reasonable relative to all of the other deliverables and payments within the arrangement. In making this assessment, we consider all facts and circumstances relevant to the arrangement, including factors such as the scientific, regulatory, commercial, and other risks that must be overcome to achieve the milestone, the level of effort and investment required to achieve the milestone and whether any portion of the milestone consideration is related to future performance or deliverables. We review the contributed employee hours for each performance obligation under our collaboration agreements, and adjust the revenue recognized to reflect changes in assumptions relating to the estimated satisfaction of the performance obligation. We could accelerate revenue recognition in the event of early termination of programs or if our expectations change. Alternatively, we could decelerate revenue recognition if programs are extended or delayed. While such changes to our estimates have no impact on our reported cash flows, the timing of revenue recorded in future periods could be materially impacted. Revenue from Asset Purchase Agreement In June 2018, we entered into an Asset Purchase Agreement (“Purchase Agreement”) with Laurel Venture Capital Ltd. (“Laurel”) and completed the sale of global rights to the indefinite-life GSNOR inhibitor in-process research and development asset acquired as part of the merger with Nivalis in 2017. As consideration under the Purchase Agreement, we received a non-refundable closing payment of $250,000 , which was accounted for as a purchase of our intangible asset. Upon the sale of the GSNOR assets, we derecognized the full carrying value of the intangible asset on our accompanying Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets and recognized a loss on the sale of the intangible asset of $1.2 million on the accompanying Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Income (Loss) . In June 2019, we recognized as revenue an additional milestone payment of $425,000 , related to the asset purchase. Foreign Currency Translation Our functional currency is the U.S. dollar. All assets and liabilities of our subsidiaries are translated using period-end exchange rates and revenues and expenses are translated at average exchange rates for the year. Translation adjustments are included as components of comprehensive gain (loss) in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Income (Loss) . Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements In November 2018, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2018-18, Collaborative Arrangements: Clarifying the Interaction between Topic 808 and Topic 606. This ASU clarifies that certain transactions between collaborative arrangement participants should be accounted for as revenue when the collaborative arrangement participant is a customer in the context of a unit of account and precludes recognizing as revenue consideration received from a collaborative arrangement participant if the participant is not a customer. This ASU is effective for public companies for annual reporting periods and interim periods within those annual periods beginning after December 15, 2019. We are currently evaluating the effect, if any, that ASU 2018-18 will have on our consolidated financial statements. In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-13, Fair Value Measurement. ASU 2018-13 modifies the disclosure requirements for fair value measurements by removing, modifying, or adding certain disclosures. This ASU is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, and interim periods within those fiscal years, with early adoption permitted for any eliminated or modified disclosures. We are evaluating the effect of adopting this new accounting guidance to determine the impact it may have on our financial statements. Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements In June 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-07, which aligns the measurement and classification guidance for share-based payments to nonemployees with the guidance for share-based payments to employees, with certain exceptions. Under the guidance, the measurement of equity-classified nonemployee awards will be fixed at the grant date. Upon transition, nonemployee awards will be required to be measured at fair value as of the adoption date with a cumulative-effect adjustment recognized in retained earnings as of the beginning of the annual period of adoption. ASU 2018-07 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within that fiscal year. We adopted this standard on January 1, 2019 and it did not have a material impact on our financial statements and related disclosures. In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02, Leases. ASU 2016-02 requires a lessee to separate the lease components from the non-lease components in a contract and recognize in the statement of financial position a liability to make lease payments (the lease liability) and a right-of-use asset representing its right to use the underlying asset for the lease term. It also aligns lease accounting for lessors with the revenue recognition guidance in ASU 2014-09. We adopted this ASU effective January 1, 2019 using the additional (optional) approach by recording an operating lease right-of-use asset of $797,000 , a corresponding operating lease liability of $883,000 , and reducing our deferred rent balance by $86,000 to $0 on our accompanying Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets |