Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies) | 12 Months Ended |
Dec. 31, 2022 |
Accounting Policies [Abstract] | |
Organization | Organization Tyra Biosciences, Inc. (the Company) was incorporated in the state of Delaware on August 2, 2018. The Company is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing next-generation precision medicines that target large opportunities in Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptor (FGFR) biology. The Company’s in-house precision medicine platform, SNÅP, enables rapid and precise drug design through iterative molecular SNÅPshots that help predict genetic alterations most likely to cause acquired resistance to existing therapies. The Company’s initial focus is on applying accelerated small molecule drug discovery engine to develop therapies in targeted oncology and genetically defined conditions. Since its inception, the Company has devoted substantially all of its resources to research and development activities, business planning, establishing and maintaining its intellectual property portfolio, hiring personnel, raising capital, and providing general and administrative support for these operations. It has incurred losses and negative cash flows from operations since commencement of its operations. The Company had an accumulated deficit of $ 95.7 million and cash and cash equivalents of $ 251.2 million as of December 31, 2022. From its inception through December 31, 2022, the Company has financed its operations primarily through the sale of common stock and private placements of its convertible preferred stock. As the Company continues its expansion, it may seek additional financing and/or strategic investments, however, there can be no assurance that any additional financing or strategic investments will be available to the Company on acceptable terms, if at all. If events or circumstances occur such that the Company does not obtain additional funding, it will most likely be required to reduce its plans and/or certain discretionary spending, which could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s ability to achieve its intended business objectives. Management believes that it has sufficient working capital on hand to fund operations through at least the next twelve months from the date of issuance of these financial statements. On September 17, 2021, the Company completed its initial public offering (the IPO) and issued 12,420,000 shares of common stock for net proceeds of approximately $ 181.2 million. |
Basis of Presentation | Basis of Presentation The accompanying financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (GAAP). Any reference in these notes to applicable guidance is meant to refer to GAAP as found in the Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) and Accounting Standards Updates (ASU) promulgated by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB). |
Use of Estimates | Use of Estimates The preparation of 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 financial statements and the reported amounts of expenses during the reporting period. Accounting estimates and management judgments reflected in the financial statements include: normal recurring accruals, including the accrual of research and development expenses and stock-based compensation. Although these estimates are based on the Company’s knowledge of current events and actions it may undertake in the future, actual results may materially differ from these estimates and assumptions. |
Concentration of Credit Risk | Concentration of Credit Risk Financial instruments which potentially subject the Company to significant concentration of credit risk consist of cash and cash equivalents. The Company maintains deposits in federally insured financial institutions in excess of federally insured limits. The Company has not experienced any losses in such accounts, and management believes that the Company is not exposed to significant credit risk due to the nature of the instruments held in the depository institutions. |
Segment Reporting | Segment Reporting The Company operates and manages its business as one operating segment. The Company’s Chief Executive Officer, who is the chief operating decision maker, reviews financial information on an aggregate basis for allocating resources and evaluating financial performance. All long-lived assets are maintained in the United States. |
Fair Value of Financial Instruments | Fair Value of Financial Instruments The accounting guidance defines fair value, establishes a consistent framework for measuring fair value, and expands disclosure for each major asset and liability category measured at fair value on either a recurring or nonrecurring basis. Fair value is defined as an exit price representing the amount that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants. As such, fair value is a market-based measurement that should be determined based on assumptions that market participants would use in pricing an asset or liability. The carrying amounts of all cash and cash equivalents, prepaid and other current assets, restricted cash, accounts payable, and accrued and other current liabilities are considered to be representative of their respective fair values because of the short-term nature of those instruments. |
Cash and Cash Equivalents | Cash and Cash Equivalents The Company considers all highly liquid investments with an original maturity of three months or less at the date of purchase to be cash equivalents. Cash equivalents primarily represent funds invested in readily available money market accounts. As of December 31, 2022 , the Company had cash and cash equivalents balances deposited at major financial institutions. |
Restricted Cash | Restricted Cash Restricted cash is comprised of cash that is restricted as to withdrawal or use under the terms of certain contractual agreements. Restricted cash as of December 31, 2022 and 2021 was $ 1.0 million and $ 0.2 million, respectively, which consisted of collateral for letters of credit related to the Company’s operating leases which are considered a non-current asset on the balance sheets. |
Property and Equipment | Property and Equipment Property and equipment is stated at cost and depreciated using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets (generally three to seven years , or the remaining term of the lease). |
Impairment of Long-Lived Assets | Impairment of Long-Lived Assets The Company accounts for the impairment of long-lived assets by reviewing these assets for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. If circumstances require a long-lived asset or asset group to be tested for possible impairment, the Company first compares undiscounted cash flows expected to be generated by that asset or asset group to its carrying value. If the carrying value of the long-lived asset or asset group is not recoverable on an undiscounted-cash-flow basis, an impairment is recognized to the extent that the carrying value exceeds its fair value. The Company did no t recognize impairment losses for the years December 31, 2022 and 2021 . |
Accrued Research and Development Expense | Accrued Research and Development Expense Research and development expenses consist of external and internal costs associated with the Company’s research and development activities, including its discovery and research efforts and the preclinical and clinical development of its product candidates. Research and development costs are expensed in the period incurred. The Company has entered into various research and development contracts with clinical research organizations, clinical manufacturing organizations, clinical sites and other vendors and consultants. Payments for these activities are based on the terms of the individual agreements, which may differ from the pattern of costs incurred, and payments made in advance of or after performance are reflected in the accompanying balance sheets as prepaid expenses or accrued liabilities, respectively. The Company records accruals for estimated costs incurred for ongoing research and development activities. When evaluating the adequacy of the accrued liabilities, the Company analyzes progress of the services, including the phase or completion of events, invoices received and contracted costs. The Company holds discussions with applicable personnel and outside service providers as to the progress of clinical trials, or the services completed. Significant judgments and estimates may be made in determining the prepaid or accrued balances at the end of any reporting period. Actual results could differ from the Company’s estimates. Nonrefundable advance payments for goods and services, including fees for process development, are deferred and recognized as expense in the period that the related goods are consumed, or services are performed. |
Patent Costs | Patent Costs The Company expenses all costs as incurred in connection with patent applications (including direct application fees, and the legal and consulting expenses related to making such applications) and such costs are included in general and administrative expenses in the statements of operations and comprehensive loss. |
Leases | Leases The Company has operating leases for office and lab space. At the inception of a contractual arrangement, the Company determines whether the contract contains a lease by assessing whether there is an identified asset and whether the contract conveys the right to control the use of the identified asset in exchange for consideration over a period of time. If both criteria are met, the Company records the associated lease liability and corresponding right-of-use asset (ROU) upon commencement of the lease using the implicit rate or a discount rate based on a credit-adjusted secured borrowing rate commensurate with the term of the lease. The Company additionally evaluates leases at their inception to determine if they are to be accounted for as an operating lease or a finance lease. Operating lease assets represent a right to use an underlying asset for the lease term and operating lease liabilities represent an obligation to make lease payments arising from the lease. Operating lease liabilities with a term greater than one year and their corresponding ROUs are recognized on the balance sheet at the commencement date of the lease based on the present value of lease payments over the expected lease term. The Company excludes short-term leases, if any, having initial terms of 12 months or less at lease commencement as an accounting policy election. Certain adjustments to the ROU may be required for items such as payments made at or before the commencement date, initial direct costs paid or lease incentives received. As the Company’s leases do not typically provide an implicit rate, the Company utilizes the appropriate incremental borrowing rate (IBR), determined as the rate of interest that the Company would have to pay to borrow on a collateralized basis over a similar term and in a similar economic environment. Lease cost is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term and variable lease payments are recognized as operating expenses in the period in which the obligation for those payments is incurred. Variable lease payments primarily include common area maintenance, utilities, real estate taxes, insurance, and other operating costs that are passed on from the lessor in proportion to the space leased by the Company. In measuring the ROU assets and lease liabilities, the Company has elected to combine lease and non-lease components. Operating ROU assets are reflected in ROU assets in the accompanying balance sheets. Operating lease liabilities are reflected in leases liabilities, current and noncurrent in the accompanying balance sheets. |
Stock-Based Compensation | Stock-Based Compensation Stock-based compensation expense represents the cost of the grant date fair value of employee, officer, director and non-employee equity awards, estimated in accordance with the applicable accounting guidance, and, for those awards subject only to service conditions, recognized on a straight-line basis over the vesting period. The vesting period generally approximates the expected service period of the awards. The Company recognizes stock-based compensation expense for awards with performance conditions when it is probable that the condition will be met, and the award will vest. If the achievement of performance conditions is no longer deemed probable, previously recognized compensation cost is reversed. For awards with performance and service conditions, the Company begins recording share-based compensation when achieving the performance criteria is probable and recognizes the costs using the accelerated attribution method. The Company recognizes forfeitures as they occur. The fair value of stock options is estimated using a Black-Scholes valuation model on the date of grant. This method requires certain assumptions be used as inputs, such as the fair value of the underlying common stock, expected term of the option before exercise, expected volatility of the Company’s common stock, risk-free interest rate and expected dividend. Options granted have a maximum contractual term of ten years . The Company has limited historical stock option activity and therefore estimates the expected term of stock options granted using the simplified method, which represents the arithmetic average of the original contractual term of the stock option and its weighted-average vesting term. The expected volatility of stock options is estimated based on the average historical volatilities of common stock of comparable publicly traded companies and Company's own volatility. The comparable companies are chosen based on their size and stage in the life cycle. The Company will continue to apply this process until a sufficient amount of historical information regarding the volatility of its own stock price becomes available. The risk-free interest rates used are based on the U.S. Treasury yield in effect at the time of grant for zero-coupon U.S. treasury notes with maturities approximately equal to the expected term of the stock options. The Company has historically not declared or paid any dividends and does not currently expect to do so in the foreseeable future, and therefore has estimated the dividend yield to be zero . |
Commitments and Contingencies | Commitments and Contingencies The Company recognizes a liability with regard to loss contingencies when it believes it is probable a liability has been incurred, and the amount can be reasonably estimated. If some amount within a range of loss appears at the time to be a better estimate than any other amount within the range, the Company accrues that amount. When no amount within the range is a better estimate than any other amount the Company accrues the minimum amount in the range. |
Income Taxes | Income Taxes The Company accounts for income taxes under the asset and liability method, which requires the recognition of deferred tax assets and liabilities for the expected future tax consequences of events that have been included in the financial statements. Under this method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are determined on the basis of the differences between the financial statements and tax basis of assets and liabilities using enacted tax rates in effect for the year in which the differences are expected to reverse. The effect of a change in tax rates on deferred tax assets and liabilities is recognized in the statement of operations in the period that includes the enactment date. The Company recognizes deferred tax assets to the extent that the Company believes these assets are more likely than not to be realized. In making such a determination, management considers all available positive and negative evidence, including future reversals of existing taxable temporary differences, projected future taxable income, tax-planning strategies, and results of recent operations. If management determines that the Company would be able to realize its deferred tax assets in the future in excess of their recorded amount, management would make an adjustment to the deferred tax asset valuation allowance, which would reduce the provision for income taxes. As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, the Company maintained valuation allowances against its deferred tax assets as the Company concluded it had not met the “more likely than not” to be realized threshold. Changes in the valuation allowance when they are recognized in the provision for income taxes may result in a change in the estimated annual effective tax rate. The Company records uncertain tax positions on the basis of a two-step process whereby (1) management determines whether it is more likely than not that the tax positions will be sustained on the basis of the technical merits of the position and (2) for those tax positions that meet the more-likely-than-not recognition threshold, management recognizes the largest amount of tax benefit that is more than 50 percent likely to be realized upon ultimate settlement with the related tax authority. The Company recognizes interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits within income tax expense. Any accrued interest and penalties are included within the related tax liability. As of December 31, 2022 , the Company had no accrued interest or penalties. |
Comprehensive Loss | Comprehensive Loss Comprehensive loss is defined as a change in equity during a period from transactions and other events and circumstances from non-owner sources. The Company’s comprehensive loss was the same as its reported net loss for all periods presented. |
Net Loss Per Share | Net Loss Per Share Basic net loss per share is calculated by dividing the net loss by the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding for the period. Diluted net loss per share is computed by dividing the net loss by the weighted-average number of shares of common stock and common stock equivalents outstanding for the period. Common stock equivalents are only included when their effect is dilutive. The Company’s potentially dilutive securities include unvested common stock, unvested common stock upon early exercise of stock options and outstanding stock options under the Company’s equity incentive plan and have been excluded from the computation of diluted net loss per share as their inclusion would be antidilutive. For all periods presented, there is no difference in the number of shares used to calculate basic and diluted shares outstanding due to the Company’s net loss position. |
Related Parties | Related Parties Transactions between related parties are considered to be related party transactions even though they may not be given accounting recognition. FASB ASC 850, Related Party Disclosures (FASB ASC 850) requires that transactions with related parties that would make a difference in decision making shall be disclosed so that users of the financial statements can evaluate their significance. Related party transactions typically occur within the context of the following relationships: • Affiliates of the entity; • Entities for which investments in their equity securities is typically accounted for under the equity method by the investing entity; • Trusts for the benefit of employees; • Principal owners of the entity and members of their immediate families; • Management of the entity and members of their immediate families; • Other parties that can significantly influence the management or operating policies of the transacting parties and can significantly influence the other to an extent that one or more of the transacting parties might be prevented from fully pursuing its own separate interests. The Company previously entered into a consulting agreement with van den Boom & Associates, LLC (van den Boom & Associates), a professional services firm contracted to provide resources to assist with day-to-day accounting functions. Services provided under the agreement with van den Boom & Associates are billed at hourly rates. On April 16, 2021, Ms. van den Boom, the managing partner of van den Boom & Associates, entered into an employment agreement with the Company whereby she became its Chief Financial Officer. Van den Boom & Associates is considered a related party under FASB ASC 850 from the point in which Ms. van den Boom became a Company officer. On October 28, 2022, Ms. van den Boom informed the Company of her intent to resign as the Chief Financial Officer, effective December 31, 2022. From the date of the employment agreement with Ms. van den Boom to December 31, 2021, van den Boom & Associates rendered contracted services totaling approximately $ 0.5 million. For the year ended December 31, 2022, van den Boom & Associated rendered contracted services totaling approximately $ 0.8 million. |
Recently Adopted and Issued Accounting Principles | Recently Adopted Accounting Principles There were no accounting principles adopted during the year ended December 31, 2022, which had a material impact on the financial statements. Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements There were no recently issued accounting pronouncements that would materially impact the Company's financial statements and related disclosures for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 . Although there were several other new accounting pronouncements issued or proposed by the FASB, the Company does not believe any of those accounting pronouncements have had or will have a material impact on its financial position or operating results. |