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Sensei Biotherapeutics Inc

For the period ended Sep 30, 2024. Filed Nov 14, 2024.

View on SEC.gov

About this filing

A company's report for each of its first three quarters. The financial statements are not audited. It shows how the business has moved since the last annual report, and what management says changed.

Sep 30, 2024 · Filed Nov 14, 2024

FTH$22.05+10.7%Stored close · as of Nov 6, 2026

What changed in Risk Factors?

Read the current filing

The baseline is this issuer’s latest earlier reporting period of the same form that was filed before the current report. A previous 10-Q is a different quarter, not a year-over-year comparison. Amendments are excluded.

Compared 346 previous paragraphs and 346 current paragraphs.

335 unchanged; 8 reworded; 3 added; 3 removed; 0 previous and 0 current paragraphs rearranged.

Tables are not compared: 0 previous and 0 current tables excluded. Dates, whitespace, punctuation and numbering changes are ignored; changes to financial figures remain significant.

A changed paragraph is not evidence that risk increased or decreased. An unchanged paragraph does not establish that risk stayed the same.

Added paragraphs (3)

Current report

Plan of Termination

Current report

On November 12, 2024, our board of directors approved a plan to reduce our current workforce by approximately 46% to decrease operating expenses, streamline operations and focus resources on advancing the clinical development of SNS-101. We expect the reduction in force to be substantially completed by the end of 2024. As a result, we estimate that we will incur a one-time charge of approximately $0.7 million in connection with one-time employee termination costs, including severance and other benefits. This charge is expected to be incurred during the fourth quarter of 2024.

Current report

The estimates of costs that we expect to incur and the timing thereof are subject to a number of assumptions and actual results may differ.
Removed paragraphs (3)

Previous report

continue the research and development of our other product candidates;

Previous report

incur additional costs associated with operating as a newly public company.

Previous report

On June 6, 2024, Cambrian BioPharma, Inc., a beneficial owner of more than 5% of the Company’s outstanding shares of common stock (“Cambrian”) entered into a trading arrangement intended to satisfy the affirmative defense of Rule 10b5-1(c) (the “Cambrian 10b5-1 Plan”). James Peyer, a director of the Company, is the Chief Executive Officer of Cambrian and in such capacity may direct the voting and disposition of the shares held by Cambrian, subject in certain instances to the approval of Cambrian’s board of directors. The Cambrian 10b5-1 Plan commenced on June 6, 2024, and willrun through December 10, 2025. The aggregate maximum number of shares of common stock that may be sold pursuant to the Cambrian 10b5-1 Plan is up to 195,000 shares.
Reworded paragraphs (8)

Previous wording

To date, we have primarily financed our operations through the sale of equity securities. We may seek to raise any necessary additional capital through a combination of public or private equity offerings, debt financings, collaborations, strategic alliances, licensing arrangements and other marketing and distribution arrangements. We cannot assure you that we will be successful in acquiring additional funding at levels sufficient to fund our operations or on terms favorable to us. While the long-term economic impact of each of the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East and recent and potential future disruptions in access to bank deposits or lending commitments due to bank failures are difficult to assess or predict, each of these events has caused significant disruptions to the global financial markets and contributed to a general global economic slowdown. Furthermore, inflation rates, particularly in the United States and the U.K., have increased recently to levels not seen in decades. Increased inflation may result in increased operating costs (including labor costs) and may affect our operating budgets. In addition, the U.S. Federal Reserve has raised, and may in the future further raise interest rates in response to concerns about inflation. Increases in interest rates, especially if coupled with reduced government spending and volatility in financial markets, may further increase economic uncertainty and heighten these risks. If the disruptions and slowdown deepen or persist, we may not be able to access additional capital on favorable terms, or at all, which could in the future negatively affect our financial condition and our ability to pursue our business strategy.

Current wording

To date, we have primarily financed our operations through the sale of equity securities. We may seek to raise any necessary additional capital through a combination of public or private equity offerings, debt financings, collaborations, strategic alliances, licensing arrangements and other marketing and distribution arrangements. We cannot assure you that we will be successful in acquiring additional funding at levels sufficient to fund our operations or on terms favorable to us. While the long-term economic impact of each of the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East and recent and potential future disruptions in access to bank deposits or lending commitments due to bank failures are difficult to assess or predict, each of these events has caused significant disruptions to the global financial markets and contributed to a general global economic slowdown. Furthermore, inflation rates, particularly in the United States and the U.K., recently increased to levels not seen in decades. While such rates have begun to decline, increased inflation may result in increased operating costs (including labor costs) and may affect our operating budgets. In addition, the U.S. Federal Reserve has raised, and may in the future further raise interest rates in response to concerns about inflation. Increases in interest rates, especially if coupled with reduced government spending and volatility in financial markets, may further increase economic uncertainty and heighten these risks. If the disruptions and slowdown deepen or persist, we may not be able to access additional capital on favorable terms, or at all, which could in the future negatively affect our financial condition and our ability to pursue our business strategy.

Previous wording

We have incurred significant net losses since our inception. Our net loss was $15.1 million and $19.6 million for the six months ended June 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively. As of June 30, 2024, we had an accumulated deficit of $247.0 million. We have funded our operations to date primarily with proceeds from the sale of our equity securities and borrowings of convertible debt.

Current wording

We have incurred significant net losses since our inception. Our net loss was $22.4 million and $26.7 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively. As of September 30, 2024, we had an accumulated deficit of $254.3 million. We have funded our operations to date primarily with proceeds from the sale of our equity securities and borrowings of convertible debt.

Previous wording

There is no assurance that any ongoing or future clinical trials of our product candidates will be successful or will generate positive clinical data and we may not receive marketing approval from the FDA or other regulatory agencies for any of our product candidates. All of our product candidates, other than SNS-101, are in preclinical development. In addition, we have paused initiation of IND-enabling studies for our next product candidate. Although the FDA cleared our IND for SNS-101 in April 2023, there can be no assurance that the FDA will permit any future IND for our other product candidates to go into effect in a timely manner or at all. We would not be permitted to conduct further clinical trials in the United States without future INDs for our other product candidates.

Current wording

There is no assurance that any ongoing or future clinical trials of our product candidates will be successful or will generate positive clinical data and we may not receive marketing approval from the FDA or other regulatory agencies for any of our product candidates. All of our product candidates, other than SNS-101, are in preclinical development. In addition, we have paused further development of our preclinical product candidates. Although the FDA cleared our IND for SNS-101 in April 2023, there can be no assurance that the FDA will permit any future IND for our other product candidates to go into effect in a timely manner or at all. We would not be permitted to conduct further clinical trials in the United States without future INDs for our other product candidates.

Previous wording

Other than SNS-101, our product candidates are still in the preclinical development stage, and the risk of failure of preclinical programs is high. Before we can commence clinical trials for a product candidate, we must complete extensive preclinical testing and studies to obtain regulatory clearance to initiate human clinical trials. We cannot be certain of the timely completion or outcome of our preclinical testing and studies and cannot predict if the FDA or other regulatory authorities will accept our proposed clinical programs or if the outcome of our preclinical testing and studies will ultimately support the further development of our programs. As a result, we cannot be sure that we will be able to submit INDs or similar applications for our preclinical programs on the timelines we expect, if at all, and we cannot be sure that submission of INDs or similar applications will result in the FDA or other regulatory authorities allowing clinical trials to begin. It is impossible to predict accurately when or if any of our product candidates will prove effective or safe in humans and will receive regulatory approval. Before obtaining marketing approval from regulatory authorities for the commercial sale of any of our product candidates, we must demonstrate through lengthy, complex and expensive preclinical testing and clinical trials that our product candidates are both safe and effective for use in each target indication. Clinical testing is expensive, difficult to design and implement, can take many years to complete and is uncertain as to outcome. A failure of one or more clinical trials can occur at any stage of testing.

Current wording

Other than SNS-101, our product candidates are still in the preclinical development stage, and the risk of failure of preclinical programs is high. Before we can commence clinical trials for a product candidate, we must complete extensive preclinical testing and studies to obtain regulatory clearance to initiate human clinical trials. In November 2024, we announced that we have paused further development of our preclinical product candidates. Even if we resume preclinical development, we cannot be certain of the timely completion or outcome of our preclinical testing and studies and cannot predict if the FDA or other regulatory authorities will accept our proposed clinical programs or if the outcome of our preclinical testing and studies will ultimately support the further development of our programs. As a result, we cannot be sure that we will be able to submit INDs or similar applications for our preclinical programs on the timelines we expect, if at all, and we cannot be sure that submission of INDs or similar applications will result in the FDA or other regulatory authorities allowing clinical trials to begin. It is impossible to predict accurately when or if any of our product candidates will prove effective or safe in humans and will receive regulatory approval. Before obtaining marketing approval from regulatory authorities for the commercial sale of any of our product candidates, we must demonstrate through lengthy, complex and expensive preclinical testing and clinical trials that our product candidates are both safe and effective for use in each target indication. Clinical testing is expensive, difficult to design and implement, can take many years to complete and is uncertain as to outcome. A failure of one or more clinical trials can occur at any stage of testing.

Previous wording

As of August 2, 2024, we had 28 full-time employees. As our development and commercialization plans and strategies develop, and as we continue operating as a public company, we expect to need additional managerial, operational, financial and other personnel, including personnel to support our product development and planned future commercialization efforts. Future growth will impose significant added responsibilities on members of management, including:

Current wording

As our development and commercialization plans and strategies develop, and as we continue operating as a public company, we expect to need additional managerial, operational, financial and other personnel, including personnel to support our product development and planned future commercialization efforts. Future growth will impose significant added responsibilities on members of management, including:

Previous wording

As a newly public company, we have incurred significant legal, accounting and other expenses that we did not incur previously. These expenses will likely be even more significant after we no longer qualify as an emerging growth company. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, the listing requirements of Nasdaq and other applicable securities rules and regulations impose various requirements on public companies in the United States, including the establishment and maintenance of effective disclosure and financial controls and corporate governance practices. Our senior management and other personnel will need to devote a substantial amount of time to these compliance initiatives. Moreover, these rules and regulations will increase our legal and financial compliance costs and will make some activities more time-consuming and costly. For example, we expect that these rules and regulations may make it more difficult and more expensive for us to obtain director and officer liability insurance, which in turn could make it more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified senior management personnel or members for our board of directors.

Current wording

As a public company, we have incurred significant legal, accounting and other expenses that we did not incur as a private company. These expenses will likely be even more significant after we no longer qualify as an emerging growth company. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, the listing requirements of Nasdaq and other applicable securities rules and regulations impose various requirements on public companies in the United States, including the establishment and maintenance of effective disclosure and financial controls and corporate governance practices. Our senior management and other personnel will need to devote a substantial amount of time to these compliance initiatives. Moreover, these rules and regulations will increase our legal and financial compliance costs and will make some activities more time-consuming and costly. For example, we expect that these rules and regulations may make it more difficult and more expensive for us to obtain director and officer liability insurance, which in turn could make it more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified senior management personnel or members for our board of directors.

Previous wording

The trading market for our common stock will be influenced by the research and reports that equity research analysts publish about us and our business. As a newly public company, we have only limited research coverage by equity research analysts. Equity research analysts may elect not to initiate or continue to provide research coverage of our common stock, and such lack of research coverage may adversely affect the market price of our common stock. Even if we continue to have equity research analyst coverage, we will not have any control over the analysts or the content and opinions included in their reports. The price of our common stock could decline if one or more equity research analysts downgrade our common stock or issue other unfavorable commentary or research about us. If one or more equity research analysts ceases coverage of us or fails to publish reports on us regularly, demand for our common stock could decrease, which in turn could cause the trading price or trading volume of our common stock to decline.

Current wording

The trading market for our common stock will be influenced by the research and reports that equity research analysts publish about us and our business. As a public company, we have only limited research coverage by equity research analysts. Equity research analysts may elect not to initiate or continue to provide research coverage of our common stock, and such lack of research coverage may adversely affect the market price of our common stock. Even if we continue to have equity research analyst coverage, we will not have any control over the analysts or the content and opinions included in their reports. The price of our common stock could decline if one or more equity research analysts downgrade our common stock or issue other unfavorable commentary or research about us. If one or more equity research analysts ceases coverage of us or fails to publish reports on us regularly, demand for our common stock could decrease, which in turn could cause the trading price or trading volume of our common stock to decline.

Previous wording

From time to time, our officers (as defined in Rule 16a-1(f)) and directors may enter into Rule 10b5-1 or non-Rule 10b5-1 trading plans (as each such term is defined in Item 408 of Regulation S-K). The trading plans are intended to satisfy the affirmative defense in Rule 10b5-1(c). During the three months ended June 30, 2024 our officers and directors took the following actions with respect to 10b5-1 trading plans:

Current wording

From time to time, our officers (as defined in Rule 16a-1(f)) and directors may enter into Rule 10b5-1 or non-Rule 10b5-1 trading plans (as each such term is defined in Item 408 of Regulation S-K). The trading plans are intended to satisfy the affirmative defense in Rule 10b5-1(c). During the three months ended September 30, 2024, none of our directors or officers adopted, modified or terminated a Rule 10b5-1 or non-Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.