Cue Biopharma Inc

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-Q

(Mark One)

☒ QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

FOR THE QUARTERLY PERIOD ENDED JUNE 30,2024

or

☐ TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

FOR THE TRANSITION PERIOD FROM TO

Commission file number:001-38327

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

(617)949-2680

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes  No

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes  No

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer”, “accelerated filer”, “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). ☐ Yes No

As of August 9, 2024, the registrant had 48,643,316 shares of Common Stock ($0.001 par value per share) outstanding.

CUE BIOPHARMA, INC.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS AND INDUSTRY DATA

This Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements, which are based on certain assumptions and describe our future plans, strategies and expectations, can generally be identified by the use of forward-looking terms such as “believe,” “expect,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “would,” “could,” “seek,” “intend,” “plan,” “goal,” “project,” “estimate,” “anticipate,” “strategy,” “future,” “likely” or other comparable terms. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, contained in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, including statements regarding our strategy, future operations, future financial position, future revenue, projected costs, prospects, plans and objectives of management, are forward-looking statements.

The forward-looking statements in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q include, among other things, statements about:

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the initiation, timing, progress and results of our ongoing and planned preclinical studies and clinical trials and our research and development programs;

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our estimates regarding expenses, future revenue, capital requirements and need for additional financing;

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our expectations regarding our ability to fund our projected operating requirements with our existing cash resources and the period in which we expect that such cash resources will enable us to fund such operating requirements;

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our plans to develop our drug product candidates, including our intention to prioritize our autoimmune programs, including CUE-401 and CUE-501, while preserving the value of our oncology programs;

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our plans to pursue third party support through partnerships and collaborations to further develop the CUE-100 series programs, including CUE-101 and CUE-102;

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the timing of and our ability to submit applications for, and to obtain and maintain regulatory approvals for, our drug product candidates;

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the potential advantages of our drug product candidates;

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the rate and degree of market acceptance and clinical utility of our drug product candidates, if approved;

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our estimates regarding the potential market opportunity for our drug product candidates;

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our commercialization, marketing and manufacturing capabilities and strategy;

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our intellectual property position;

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our ability to identify additional products, drug product candidates or technologies with significant commercial potential that are consistent with our commercial objectives;

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the impact of government laws and regulations;

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our competitive position;

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developments relating to our competitors and our industry;

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our ability to continue as a going concern; and

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our ability to maintain and establish collaborations or obtain additional funding.

Forward-looking statements are neither historical facts nor assurances of future performance. Instead, they are based only on our current beliefs, expectations and assumptions regarding the future of our business, future plans and strategies, projections, anticipated events and trends, the economy and other future conditions. Because forward-looking statements relate to the future, they are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict and many of which are outside of our control. Our actual results and financial condition may differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements. Therefore, you should not rely on any of these forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause our actual results and financial condition to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements include the factors discussed below under the heading “Risk Factor Summary,” and the risk factors detailed further in Item 1A., “Risk Factors” of Part I of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023.

This report includes statistical and other industry and market data that we obtained from industry publications and research, surveys, and studies conducted by third parties as well as our own estimates. All of the market data used in this report involve a number of assumptions and limitations, and you are cautioned not to give undue weight to such data. Industry publications and third-party research, surveys, and studies generally indicate that their information has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, although they do not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of such information. Our estimates of the potential market opportunities for our drug product candidates include several key assumptions based on our industry knowledge, industry publications, third-party research, and other surveys, which may be based on a small sample size and may fail to accurately reflect market opportunities. While we believe that our internal assumptions are reasonable, no independent source has verified such assumptions.

Any forward-looking statement made by us in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q is based only on information currently available to us and speaks only as of the date on which it is made. We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether written or oral, that may be made from time to time, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.

RISK FACTOR SUMMARY

Investment in our securities involves risk. You should carefully consider the following summary of what we believe to be the principal risks facing our business, in addition to the risks described more fully in Item 1A, “Risk Factors” of Part I of our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 28, 2024 and other information included in this report. The risks and uncertainties described below are not the only risks and uncertainties we face. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we presently deem less significant may also impair our business operations.

If any of the following risks occurs, our business, financial condition and results of operations and future growth prospects could be materially and adversely affected, and the actual outcomes of matters as to which forward-looking statements are made in this report could be materially different from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements.

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We are a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, have no history of generating commercial revenue, have a history of operating losses, and may never achieve or maintain profitability.

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We currently do not have, and may never develop, any FDA-approved or commercialized products.

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We are substantially dependent on the success of our drug product candidates, only two of which are currently being tested in clinical trials, and significant additional research and development and clinical testing will be required before we can potentially seek regulatory approval for or commercialize any of our drug product candidates.

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We have limited experience in conducting clinical trials and no history of commercializing biologic products, which may make it difficult to evaluate the prospects for our future viability.

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Success in preclinical studies or early clinical trials may not be indicative of results obtained in later trials.

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We plan to continue to seek collaborations or strategic alliances. However, we may not be able to establish such relationships, and relationships we have established may not provide the expected benefits.

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Our collaboration agreement with LG Chem contains exclusivity provisions that restrict our research and development activities.

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We may not be successful in our efforts to identify additional drug product candidates. Due to our limited resources and access to capital, we must prioritize the development of certain drug product candidates; these decisions may prove to be wrong and may adversely affect our business.

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We face significant competition from other biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, and our operating results will suffer if we fail to compete effectively. Our competitors may be able to develop other compounds or drugs that are able to achieve similar or better results than our drug product candidates.

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We rely on third parties to conduct our clinical trials. If these third parties do not successfully carry out their contractual duties or meet expected deadlines, we may not be able to successfully complete development of, obtain regulatory approval for, or commercialize our drug product candidates and our business could be substantially harmed.

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We rely completely on third parties to manufacture our preclinical and clinical drug supplies for our drug product candidates.

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If we or our licensor(s) are unable to protect our or its intellectual property, then our financial condition, results of operations and the value of our technology and potential products could be adversely affected.

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Even if we, or any collaborators we may have, obtain marketing approvals for any of our drug product candidates, the terms of approvals and ongoing regulation of our products could require the substantial expenditure of resources and may limit how we, or they, manufacture and market our products, which could materially impair our ability to generate revenue.

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We will need substantial additional financing to support our growth and ongoing operations.

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Our recurring losses from operations raise substantial doubt regarding our ability to continue as a going concern.

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We have a loan agreement that requires us to meet certain operating covenants and place restrictions on our operating and financial flexibility.