Faeth Therapeutics, Inc.

1. ORGANIZATION AND OPERATIONS

Business

Sensei Biotherapeutics, Inc. (the “Company” or “Sensei”), a clinical-stage biotechnology company, was incorporated in 1999 as a Maryland corporation until being incorporated in Delaware on December 1, 2017. The Company is focused on the discovery and development of next-generation therapeutics for cancer patients.

Liquidity and capital resources

Since its inception, the Company has devoted substantially all of its resources to advancing development of its portfolio of programs, establishing and protecting its intellectual property, conducting research and development activities, organizing and staffing the Company, business planning, raising capital and providing general and administrative support for these operations. The Company is subject to risks and uncertainties common to early-stage companies in the biotechnology industry including, but not limited to, technical risks associated with the successful research, development and manufacturing of product candidates, development by competitors of new technological innovations, dependence on key personnel, protection of proprietary technology, compliance with government regulations and the ability to secure additional capital to fund operations. Current and future programs will require significant research and development efforts, including extensive preclinical and clinical testing and regulatory approval prior to commercialization. These efforts require significant amounts of additional capital, adequate personnel and infrastructure. Even if the Company’s drug development efforts are successful, it is uncertain when, if ever, the Company will realize significant revenue from product sales.

Since its inception, the Company has incurred substantial losses and had a net loss of$30.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2024. As of December 31, 2024, the Company had an accumulated deficit of$262.1 million. The Company expects to generate operating losses and negative operating cash flows for the foreseeable future.

The Company expects that its cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities, as of December 31, 2024 of$41.3 million will be sufficient to fund its operations for at least the next twelve months from the date of issuance of these financial statements. The Company will need additional financing to support its continuing operations and pursue its current strategy. Until such time as the Company can generate significant revenue from product sales, if ever, it expects to finance its operations through a combination of equity offerings, debt financings, collaborations, strategic alliances and licensing arrangements. The Company may be unable to raise additional funds or enter into such other agreements when needed on favorable terms or at all. The inability to raise capital as and when needed would have a negative impact on the Company’s financial condition and its ability to pursue its business strategy. The Company will need to generate significant revenue to achieve profitability, and it may never do so.

2. SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Basis of Presentation and Principles of Consolidation

The Company has prepared the accompanying consolidated financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (“US GAAP”). The consolidated financial statements include those accounts of the Company and its subsidiaries after elimination of all intercompany accounts and transactions.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with US GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements, and the reported amounts of expenses during the reporting periods presented. Estimates are used for, but are not limited to, stock-based compensation, accrued research and development expenses, depreciation of equipment, fair value of financial instruments, the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern and contingencies. Actual results may differ from those estimates.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

Cash equivalents are highly liquid investments with an original maturity of 90 days or less at the date of purchase and consist of time deposits and investments in money market funds with commercial banks and financial institutions. As of December 31, 2024, cash and cash equivalents included cash on deposit at commercial banks and a money market fund that invests in U.S. Government securities.

Marketable Securities

Investments consist of marketable securities with original maturities greater than 90 days at the date of purchase. The Company has classified its investments with maturities beyond one year as short-term, based on their highly liquid nature and because such marketable securities represent the investment of cash that is available for current operations. The Company considers its investment portfolio of marketable securities to be available-for-sale. Accordingly, these investments are recorded at fair value (Level 2). Unrealized gains and losses are reported as the accumulated other comprehensive items in stockholders’ equity. Amortization and accretion of premiums and discounts are recorded in other income (expense). Realized gains or losses on debt securities are included in interest income or interest expense, respectively. If any adjustment to fair value reflects a decline in value of the investment, the Company considers all available evidence to evaluate the extent to which the decline is other than temporary and, if so, marks the investment to market on the Company’s statement of operations and comprehensive loss.

Balance Sheet Risk

The Company maintains each of its cash, cash equivalents and available-for-sale securities balances with high-quality and accredited financial institutions and accordingly, such funds are not exposed to significant credit risk. Periodically the Company maintains deposits in accredited financial intuitions in excess of the federally insured limits. The Company does not believe that it is subject to the unusual credit risk beyond the normal credit risk associated with the commercial banking relationships.

Leases

At lease inception, the Company determines if an arrangement is or contains a lease, and if so, assesses the lease for classification as either an operating or finance lease. A lease is classified as a finance lease if any one of the following criteria are met: (i) the lease transfers ownership of the asset by the end of the lease term, (ii) the lease contains an option to purchase the asset that is reasonably certain to be exercised, (iii) the lease term is for a major part of the remaining useful life of the asset, (iv) the present value of the lease payments equals or exceeds substantially all of the fair value of the asset, or (v) the leased asset is of such a specialized nature that it is expected to have no alternative use to the lessor at the end of the lease. A lease is classified as an operating lease if it does not meet any of these criteria.

Leases with a term greater than one year are recognized on the balance sheet as right-of-use assets and current and non-current lease liabilities, as applicable. Leases with a term of one year or less are expensed as rent in the period incurred. The Company elected not to separate lease and non-lease components for all underlying assets. As most of the Company’s leases do not provide an implicit rate, the Company uses its incremental borrowing rate based on the information available at the commencement date in determining the present value of lease payments. The incremental borrowing rate is determined by using the rate of interest that the Company would pay to borrow on a collateralized basis an amount equal to the lease payments for a similar term and in a similar economic environment. Lease terms include options to extend or terminate the lease when it is reasonably certain that the Company will exercise the options. For leases that existed prior to the adoption of ASC 842, the Company used the remaining lease term to determine the appropriate incremental borrowing rate.

Property and Equipment

Property and equipment are recorded at cost and depreciated or amortized over the estimated useful lives of the assets. Repairs or maintenance costs are expensed as incurred. Depreciation is computed using the straight-line method over the following estimated useful lives:

Leasehold improvements are depreciated over the shorter of their useful life or the life of the lease.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

US GAAP requires disclosure of fair value information about financial instruments, whether or not recognized in the balance sheet, for which it is practicable to estimate that value. The framework provides a fair value hierarchy that prioritizes the inputs for the valuation techniques. The hierarchy gives the highest priority to unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1 measurements) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (Level 3 measurements) and minimizes the use of unobservable inputs. The most observable inputs are used, when available. The three levels of the fair value hierarchy are described as follows:

Level 1—Inputs to the valuation methodology are unadjusted quoted prices for identical assets or liabilities in active markets that the Company has the ability to access.

Level 2—Inputs to the valuation methodology include quoted prices for similar assets and liabilities in active markets; quoted prices for identical or similar assets and liabilities in markets that are not active; inputs other than quoted prices that are observable for the asset or liability; and inputs that are derived from, or corroborated by, observable market data by correlation or other means.

Level 3—Inputs to the valuation methodology are unobservable and significant to the fair value measurement.

Impairment of Long-Lived Assets

Long-lived assets, such as property and equipment and right of use assets, are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. Recoverability of assets to be held and used is measured by a comparison of the carrying amount of an asset to future undiscounted cash flows expected to be generated by the asset. Impairment losses are then measured by comparing the fair value of assets to their carrying amounts. The Company recorded impairments of $1.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, consisting of $0.4 million related to property and equipment and $0.6 million related to right-of-use assets. There wereno impairments recorded for the year ended December 31, 2023.

Research and Development Costs

Research and development costs are expensed in the period incurred. Research and development costs include payroll and personnel expense; consulting costs; external contract research and development costs; raw materials and allocated overhead such as depreciation and amortization, rent and utilities. Advance payments for goods and services to be used in future research and development activities are recorded as prepaid expenses and are expensed over the service period as the services are provided or when the goods are consumed.

Clinical trial costs are a component of research and development expenses. The Company estimates expenses incurred for clinical trials that are in process based on services performed under contractual agreements with clinical research organizations and actual clinical investigators. Included in the estimates are (1) the fee per patient enrolled as specified in the clinical trial contract with each institution participating in the clinical trial and (2) progressive data on patient enrollments obtained from participating clinical trial sites and the actual services performed. Changes in clinical trial assumptions, such as the length of time estimated to enroll all patients, rate of screening failures, patient drop-out rates, number and nature of adverse event reports, and the total number of patients enrolled can impact the average and expected cost per patient and the overall cost of the clinical trial. The Company monitors the progress of the trials and their related activities and adjusts, when appropriate, the accruals accordingly. Adjustments to accruals are charged to expense in the period in which the facts that give rise to the adjustment become known. In the event of early termination of a clinical trial or site, the Company would accrue an amount based on estimates of the remaining noncancellable obligations associated with winding down the clinical trial or cancelation of a participating site.

Stock-Based Compensation

The Company accounts for all stock-based compensation, including stock options, restricted stock units and warrants, at fair value and recognizes stock-based compensation expense for those equity awards, net of actual forfeitures, over the requisite service period, which is generally the vesting period of the respective award. Stock-based compensation is classified in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss based on the function to which the related services are provided.

Thefair value of each stock option grant is estimated on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model. The assumptions used in calculating the fair value of stock-based payment awards represent management’s best estimates. The Company lacks sufficient company-specific historical and implied volatility information. Therefore, it estimates its expected stock volatility based on the historical volatility of a publicly traded set of peer companies. The expected term of the Company’s stock options has been determined utilizing the “simplified” method for awards that qualify as “plain-vanilla” options. The risk-free interest rate is determined by reference to the U.S. Treasury yield curve in effect at the time of grant of the award for time periods approximately equal to the expected term of the award. Expected dividend yield is based on the fact that the Company has never paid cash dividends oncommon stock and does not expect to pay any cash dividends in the foreseeable future. The fair value of restricted stock units are equal to the closing sale price of the Company’s common stock on the date of grant.

Income Taxes

Income taxes are accounted for using the asset and liability method of accounting for taxes. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the future tax consequences attributable to differences between the consolidated financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases, including operating loss carryforwards. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the year in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period that includes the enactment date.

A valuation allowance is established when necessary to reduce net deferred tax assets to the amount expected to be realized through future operations. Income tax expense consists of taxes payable for the current period and the net change during the period in deferred tax assets and liabilities.

The Company evaluates its uncertain tax positions based on a determination of whether and how much of a tax benefit taken by the Company in its tax filings or positions is more likely than not to be realized. Potential interest and penalties associated with any uncertain tax positions are recorded as a component of income tax expense. Management has evaluated the Company’s tax position and concluded that the Company has taken no uncertain tax positions that would require adjustment or disclosure in the consolidated financial statements.

Net Loss Per Share

The Company follows the two-class method when computing net loss per share as the Company has issued shares that meet the definition of participating securities. The two-class method determines net loss per share for each class of common and participating securities according to dividends declared or accumulated, and participation rights in undistributed earnings. The two-class method requires income available to common stockholders for the period to be allocated between common and participating securities based upon their respective rights to receive dividends as if all income for the period had been distributed.

Basic net loss per share attributable to common stockholders is computed by dividing the net loss attributable to common stockholders by the weighted average number of shares of common stock outstanding for the period. Diluted net loss attributable to common stockholders is computed by adjusting net loss attributable to common stockholders to reallocate undistributed earnings based on the potential impact of dilutive securities. Diluted loss per share attributable to common stockholders is computed by dividing the diluted net loss attributable to common stockholders by the weighted average number of shares of common stock outstanding for the period, including potential dilutive common stock. For purpose of this calculation, outstanding stock options, stock warrants and convertible preferred stock are considered potential dilutive common stock and are excluded from the computation of net loss per share as their effect is anti-dilutive.

The Company’s convertible preferred stock contractually entitles the holders of such shares to participate in dividends but does not contractually require the holders of such shares to participate in losses of the Company. Accordingly, in periods in which the Company reports a net loss, such losses are not allocated to such participating securities. In periods in which the Company reports a net loss attributable to common stockholders, diluted net loss per share attributable to common stockholders is the same as basic net loss per share attributable to common stockholders, since dilutive shares of common stock are not assumed to be outstanding if their effect is anti-dilutive. The Company reported a net loss attributable to common stockholders for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023.

Segments

The Company manages its operations as asingle segment, dedicated to discovering, developing, and advancing innovative, next-generation immunotherapies for cancer patients through its TMAb™ (Tumor Microenvironment Activated Biologics) platform. The Company’s Chief Operating Decision Maker (“CODM”), the Chief Executive Officer, reviews the operating results on an aggregate basis and manages the operations as a single operating segment. The CODM oversees performance assessment and resource allocation by reviewing net loss, from our consolidated statement of operations, to guide operational decisions, strategic planning, and forecasting for future periods. To support this oversight, operating expenses are closely tracked to compare budget against actual results. As a single reporting segment, the significant operating expense categories regularly provided to the CODM include research and development, and general and administrative expenses. These expense categories are reported as separate line items in our consolidated statements of operations. All segment assets are reflected as 'total assets' in the consolidated balance sheet. All equipment, leasehold improvements, and fixed assets are located in the United States, and agreements with partners are denominated in U.S. dollars, unless otherwise noted.

Emerging Growth Company Status

The Company is an “emerging growth company,” as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 ("the JOBS Act"), and may take advantage of reduced reporting requirements that are otherwise applicable to public companies. Section 107 of the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies are required to comply with those standards. The Company has elected to use the extended transition period for complying with new or revised accounting standards unless otherwise stated.

The Company will remain an “emerging growth company” until the earliest of (i) December 31, 2026, (ii) the last day of the fiscal year in which it has total annual gross revenues of $1.235 billion or more, (iii) the date on which it has issued more than $1.0 billion in nonconvertible debt during the previous three years or (iv) the date on which it is deemed to be a large accelerated filer under the rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), which generally is when it has more than $700 million in market value of its stock held by non-affiliates.

Share Purchase Agreements

In 2023, the Company executed two share repurchase agreements: the Apeiron Purchase Agreement (“Apeiron Purchase Agreement”)on May 23, 2023 for 4,454,248 shares at $1.58 each and the Cambrian Purchase Agreement (the “Cambrian Purchase Agreement”) on July 31, 2023 for 1,587,302 shares at $1.26 each. Both agreements involved repurchasing shares and subsequently retiring them, more fully explained in note 7.

The Apeiron Purchase Agreement and the Cambrian Purchase Agreement were liabilities in accordance with ASC 480, Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity, resulting in unconditional forward purchase contracts that required physical settlement by repurchase of a fixed number of the Company's shares for cash and recorded as treasury stock transactions. At inception, the liability of $7.7 million for the Apeiron Purchase Agreement and $2.3 million for the Cambrian Purchase Agreement, net of issuance costs, were recorded at the contractual value because the fair value exceeded the contractual value of the shares on May 23, 2023 and July 31, 2023, respectively.

Recently Adopted New Accounting Standard

The Company adopted FASB ASU 2023-07, Segment Reporting (Topic 280)—Improvements to Reportable Segment Disclosures on December 31, 2024. This ASU requires interim and annual disclosure of significant segment expenses that are regularly provided to the CODM and included within the reported measure of a segment’s profit or loss, requires interim disclosures about a reportable segment’s profit or loss and assets that are currently required annually, requires disclosure of the position and title of the CODM, clarifies circumstances in which an entity can disclose multiple segment measures of profit or loss, and contains other disclosure requirements. This authoritative guidance is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2023, and interim periods within fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2024. The Company adopted the standard effective December 31, 2024 and applied the disclosure requirements retrospectively to all prior periods presented in the financial statements. Adoption of ASU 2023-07 didnot have an impact on the Company’s consolidated financial position, results of operations, or cash flows.

Recently Issued Accounting Standards

In November 2024, the FASB issued ASU 2024-03, "Income Statement - Reporting Comprehensive Income - Expense Disaggregation Disclosures (Subtopic 220-40): Disaggregation of Income Statement Expenses." The standard is intended to require more detailed disclosures about specified categories of expenses (including employee compensation, depreciation, and amortization) included in certain expense captions presented on the face of the income statement. This ASU is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2026, and for interim periods within fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2027. Early adoption is permitted. The amendments may be applied either prospectively to financial statements issued for reporting periods after the effective date of this ASU or retrospectively to all prior periods presented in the financial statements. The Company is currently assessing the impact this standard will have on its consolidated financial statements.

In December 2023, the FASB issued ASU 2023-09, "Income Taxes (Topic 740): Improvements to Income Tax Disclosures". ASU 2023-09 is intended to enhance the transparency and decision usefulness of income tax disclosures. The amendments in ASU 2023-09 address investor requests for enhanced income tax information primarily through changes to the rate reconciliation and income taxes paid information. While early adoption is permitted, the Company has not elected to early adopt. A public entity should apply the amendments in ASU 2023-09 prospectively to all annual periods beginning after December 15, 2024. The Company does not expect adoption of this new guidance to have a material impact on its results of operations, financial condition, and financial statement disclosures.

3. MARKETABLE SECURITIES

Marketable securities consist of the following as of December 31, 2024 and 2023 (in thousands):

As of December 31, 2024, all marketable securities held by the Company had remaining contractual maturities ofone year or less.

There wereno impairments of the Company’s assets measured and carried at fair value during the year ended December 31, 2024 and 2023.

As of December 31, 2024, an immaterial amount of unrealized losses were associated with marketable securities with contractual maturities ofone year or less.

4. PROPERTY AND EQUIPMENT, NET

Property and equipment, net consist of the following (in thousands):

Depreciation and amortization expense for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 was$0.6 million and$0.6 million, respectively.

For the year ended December 31, 2024, the Company recorded a charge of $0.4 million in the long-lived asset impairment line in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss, resulting from streamlining operations and focusing resources on advancing the clinical development of solnerstotug. This charge is comprised of gross write-downs of $0.9 million for research equipment and $0.2 million for office equipment and furniture, and the write-off of associated accumulated depreciation and amortization amounting to $0.6 million and $0.1 million for research equipment and office equipment and furniture, respectively. These amounts were removed from the balance sheet.

5. FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS

The following tables present information about the Company’s financial assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis and indicate the level of the fair value hierarchy used to determine such fair values (in thousands):

When developing fair value estimates, the Company maximizes the use of observable inputs and minimizes the use of unobservable inputs. When available, the Company uses quoted market prices to measure fair value. The valuation technique used to measure fair value for the Company's Level 1 and Level 2 assets is a market approach, using prices and other relevant information generated by market transactions involving identical or comparable assets. If market prices arenot available, the fair value measurement is based on models that use primarily market-based parameters including yield curves, volatilities, credit ratings and currency rates. In certain cases where market rate assumptions arenot available, the Company is required to make judgments about assumptions market participants would use to estimate the fair value of a financial instrument.

There wereno transfers among Level 1, Level 2 or Level 3 categories in the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023.

6. COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

Operating Lease

As of December 31, 2024, the Company leased office and laboratory facilities under operating leases, which expire at various dates through 2027. The Company had $678 thousand in letters of credit outstanding as security on certain of these leases. As part of its adoption of ASC 842, the Company recorded operating right-of-use assets and operating lease liabilities for these leases as of January 1, 2022.

The Company entered into an operating sublease agreement on January 18, 2023 (the "Sublease") with respect to part of its existing Boston office and laboratory facilities (the "Head Lease"). The Company accounted for the Head Lease and the Sublease as separate contracts and there was no effect on the right-of-use asset or lease liability associated with the Head Lease. The Sublease ended on December 31, 2024. The Head Lease rent expense is presented separately from income related to the Sublease and both are reported as components of operating expenses on the condensed consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss. The Company recorded $385 thousand and $331 thousand of income related to the Sublease for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively.

Finance Leases

The Company leases research equipment and furniture under finance leases.

The following table contains a summary of the lease costs recognized under ASC 842 pertaining to the Company’s finance and operating leases for the year ended December 31, 2024 (in thousands):

During the year ended December 31, 2024, the Company recognized impairment charges on certain finance right-of-use assets due to streamlining operations and focusing resources on advancing the clinical development of solnerstotug. These charges amounted to $0.6 million, which are not included in the regular amortization expense shown in the table above. The amount related right-of-use asset impairment is recorded in the long-lived asset impairment charges line in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss.

The following table contains a summary of other information pertaining to the Company’s finance and operating leases for the year ended December 31, 2024 (in thousands, except lease term and discount rate):

The following table presents the maturity of the Company’s operating and finance lease liabilities as of December 31, 2024 (in thousands):

License Agreements

In the normal course of business, the Company enters into licensing agreements with various parties to obtain the right to make, use, and sell licensed products currently in development.

Litigation

The Company records estimated losses from loss contingencies, such as a loss arising from a litigation, when it determines that it is probable a liability has been incurred and the amount of loss can be reasonably estimated. Litigation is subject to many factors that are difficult to predict so that there can be no assurance, in the event of a material unfavorable result in one or more claims, the Company will not incur material costs.

7. ACCOUNTS PAYABLE AND CURRENT ACCRUED LIABILITIES

Accounts payable and accrued liabilities consist of the following (in thousands):

8. Equity

Each share of common stock entitles the holder to one vote on all matters submitted to a vote of the Company’s stockholders. Common stockholders are not entitled to receive dividends, unless declared by the board of directors.

Common Stock Warrants

There was no common stock warrant activity related to common stock warrants issued in conjunction with equity and debt fundraising events for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023. The following is a summary of the common stock warrants outstanding at December 31, 2024 and 2023:

Share Purchase Agreements

On May 23, 2023, the Company entered into a stock purchase agreement with Apeiron Investment Group Ltd., Presight Sensei Co-Invest Fund, L.P., Presight Sensei Co-Invest Management, L.L.C., Christian Angermayer, Apeiron SICAV Ltd. - Presight Capital Fund ONE, and Altarius Asset Management Ltd. (collectively, the “Apeiron Parties”) (the “Apeiron Purchase Agreement”). Pursuant to the Apeiron Purchase Agreement, the Company acquired 4,454,248 shares of its common stock (“Shares”) from the Apeiron Parties at a purchase price of $1.58 per share. The closing of the acquisition (the “Closing”) occurred on June 1, 2023, pursuant to which the Company paid approximately $7.8 million in the aggregate to the Aperion Parties, including $0.75 million for costs related to the negotiation and execution of the Apeiron Purchase Agreement. The acquired Shares were subsequently retired and cancelled.

On July 31, 2023, the Company entered into a stock purchase agreement with Cambrian BioPharma, Inc. and its associates and controlled affiliates (“Cambrian”), pursuant to which the Company agreed to repurchase 1,587,302 shares of its common stock from Cambrian at a price of $1.26 per share and for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $2.0 million. The transaction closed on August 15, 2023 and the 1,587,302 repurchased shares have been retired and cancelled.

On August 16, 2022, the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (“IRA”) was signed into law, which contains certain revisions to the Internal Revenue Code, including a 1% excise tax on the value of net corporate stock repurchases that was effective beginning on January 1, 2023. The excise tax related to stock repurchases completed in 2023 was recorded as an incremental cost in equity on the Company’s condensed consolidated balance sheets as of December 31, 2023. This amount was subsequently paid in 2024 and is no longer reflected on the Company’s condensed consolidated balance sheets as of December 31, 2024.

9. STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION

2018 Equity Incentive Plan

The Company’s 2018 Stock Incentive Plan (the “2018 Plan”), provided for the Company to grant qualified incentive options, nonqualified options, stock grants and other stock-based awards to employees and non-employees to purchase the Company’s common stock. Upon the effectiveness of the 2021 Plan (as defined below), the Company ceased issuing new awards under the 2018 Plan.

2021 Equity Incentive Plan

The Company’s 2021 Equity Incentive Plan (the “2021 Plan”) became effective in February 2021. The 2021 Plan provides for the grant of incentive stock options to employees, including employees of any parent or subsidiary corporations, and for the grant of nonstatutory stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock awards, restricted stock unit awards, performance awards and other forms of stock awards to employees, directors, and consultants, including employees and consultants of the Company’s affiliates. The number of shares initially reserved for issuance under the 2021 Plan was 5,000,000, which began automatically increasing on January 1 of each calendar year, starting on January 1, 2022 through January 1, 2031, in an amount equal to 4.0% of the total number of shares of the Company’s capital stock outstanding on the last day of the calendar month before the date of each automatic increase, or a lesser number of shares determined by the board of directors. As of December 31, 2024,1,182,021 shares remained available for issuance pursuant to the 2021 Plan.

2021 Employee Stock Purchase Plan

The 2021 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (the “2021 ESPP”) became effective in February 2021. A total of 333,333 shares of common stock were initially reserved for issuance under the 2021 ESPP, which will automatically increase on January 1 of each calendar year, beginning on January 1, 2022 through January 1, 2031, by an amount equal to 1.0% of the total shares of common stock outstanding on December 31st of the preceding calendar year. The purchase price of the shares under the 2021 ESPP are at 85% of the lower of the fair market value of the Company’s common stock on the first trading day of the offering period or on the purchase date. As of December 31, 2024, the Company had issued 225,011 shares under the 2021 ESPP, and 972,354 shares were available to be issued under the same plan.

Stock Options

The Company has granted options to purchase shares of common stock to employees and nonexecutive directors pursuant to the 2021 Plan at a weighted average fair value of$0.49 per share and $0.99 per share during the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. The Company uses the Black-Scholes option-pricing model to estimate the fair value of the stock options on the applicable grant dates.

The following is a summary of the stock option award activity during the year ended December 31, 2024:

No stock options were exercised in the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2024, respectively.

The total fair value of options vested during the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 was$3.3 million and $4.4 million, respectively.

At December 31, 2024, there was approximately$1.5 million of unrecognized stock-based compensation expense associated with the stock options, which is expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of 1.62 years.

At December 31, 2023, there was approximately $4.1 million of unrecognized stock-based compensation expense associated with the stock options, which is expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of 1.52 years.

Restricted Stock Units

The Company has granted restricted stock units with service-based vesting conditions.

The following is a summary of the restricted stock unit activity during the year ended December 31, 2024:

Pursuant to the 2021 Plan, the Company granted restricted stock units which vest annually over a period ofone, two, three orfour years.

At December 31, 2024, there was approximately$0.1 million of unrecognized stock-based compensation expense associated with the restricted stock units which is expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of 1.44 years.

At December 31, 2023, there was approximately $0.4 million of unrecognized stock-based compensation expense associated with the restricted stock units which is expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of 2.26 years.

Common Stock Warrants

The following is a summary of the common stock warrant activity during the years ended December 31, 2024:

As of December 31, 2024, there wasno unrecognized stock-based compensation expense associated with the common stock warrants.

During the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, the Company utilized the Black-Scholes option-pricing model for estimating the fair value of the stock options and common stock warrants granted. The following table presents the assumptions and the Company’s methodology for developing each of the assumptions used:

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Volatility—The Company estimates the expected volatility of its common stock at the date of grant based on the historical volatility of comparable public companies over the expected term.

•

Expected term—The Company calculates the expected term of options using the simplified method, as the Company lacks relevant historical data due to the Company’s limited operating experience.

•

Risk-free interest rate—The risk-free rate for periods within the estimated life of the stock award is based on the U.S. Treasury yield curve in effect at the time of grant.

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Dividend rate—The assumed dividend yield is based upon the Company’s expectation of not paying dividends in the foreseeable future.

Stock-based compensation expense was recorded in the following line items in the consolidated statements of operations for the years ended December 31,2024 and 2023 (in thousands):

10. EMPLOYEE RETIREMENT PLAN

The Company maintains a defined contribution 401(k) profit-sharing plan (the “Plan”) for all employees. Under the Plan, participants may make voluntary contributions up to the maximum amount allowable by law. The Plan is based on employees’ salary deferral, and the Company matches employees’ contributions up to 4% of the employees’ base salary. Employees are 100% vested in the Company’s match contributions. During the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, the Company’s matching contributions were $238 thousand and $240 thousand, respectively.

11. COMPENSATION AND EMPLOYEE BENEFITS

Compensation and employee benefits consist of the following (in thousands):

12. RELATED-PARTY TRANSACTIONS

Purchase Agreement - Apeiron Investment Group

On May 23, 2023, the Company entered into the Apeiron Purchase Agreement with the Apeiron Parties, pursuant to which the Company agreed to purchase 4,454,248 shares of the Company’s common stock from certain of the Apeiron Parties for a purchase price of $1.58 per share. The closing of the purchase transaction was completed on June 1, 2023, pursuant to which the Company paid approximately $7.8 million in the aggregate to the Aperion Parties, including $0.75 million for costs related to the negotiation and execution of the Purchase Agreement. Prior to the closing, certain of the Apeiron Parties beneficially owned more than 5% of the Company's outstanding shares of common stock. Following the closing, the Apeiron Parties owned no outstanding shares of the Company’s common stock. The price per share and the transaction were unanimously approved by the independent directors of the Company’s board of directors. The repurchased shares were retired and cancelled on or about the date of the closing.

Under the terms of the Apeiron Purchase Agreement, the Apeiron Parties agreed to withdraw their notice of intent to nominate director candidates for election to the Company’s board of directors at the 2023 annual meeting of stockholders. The Apeiron Parties additionally agreed to customary standstill restrictions, including an agreement to not acquire any additional shares of the Company’s voting securities or any of the Company’s indebtedness until the date that is the earlier of (i) four years from the date of the Apeiron Purchase Agreement and (ii) 30 days prior to the nomination deadline for the nomination of director candidates for election to the Company’s board of directors at the Company’s 2027 annual meeting of stockholders.

Purchase Agreement - Cambrian BioPharma, Inc.

On July 31, 2023, the Company entered into the Cambrian Purchase Agreement, pursuant to which the Company agreed to repurchase 1,587,302 shares of its common stock from Cambrian, a beneficial owner of more than 5% of the Company’s outstanding shares of common stock, at a purchase price of $1.26 per share and for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $2 million. The transaction closed on August 15, 2023 and the 1,587,302 repurchased shares were retired and cancelled on or about the date of the closing. James Peyer, a director of the Company, is the CEO of Cambrian. The price per share and the transaction were unanimously approved by the independent directors of the Company’s board of directors.

Under the terms of the Cambrian Purchase Agreement, Cambrian agreed to vote, until thirty days prior to the deadline for delivery of notice for the nomination of director candidates for election to the Company’s board of directors at the Company’s 2025 annual meeting of stockholders (the “Effective Period”), all of Cambrian’s shares of the Company’s common stock at all meetings of stockholders, as well as in any consent solicitations of the Company’s stockholders, in accordance with the board’s recommendations. In the event that Institutional Shareholder Services, Inc. and Glass Lewis & Co., LLC recommend otherwise with respect to any Company proposals (other than the election or removal of directors), Cambrian will be permitted to vote in accordance with such recommendations. Under the terms of the Cambrian Purchase Agreement, Cambrian has also agreed to certain standstill restrictions during the Effective Period including, among other things, with respect to nominating persons for election to the board of directors, submitting any stockholder proposal for consideration at any stockholder meeting, soliciting any proxies, and conducting any “withhold” or similar campaign.

13. INCOME TAXES

Income tax expense consists of the following (in thousands):

The components of the Company’s loss before income tax expense is comprised solely of domestic sources. The effective income tax rate for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 was different from the federal statutory income tax rate primarily due to the change in valuation allowance against deferred tax assets and permanent differences primarily related to equity based compensation. The reconciliation of the federal statutory income tax rate to the Company’s effective income tax rate is as follows:

The Company’s deferred tax assets consist primarily of its net operating loss, equity-based compensation, research and development tax credit carryforwards and capitalized research and development expenditures, along with other minor temporary differences. No amounts are being considered as an uncertain tax position or disclosed as an unrecognized tax benefit. The Company has provided a valuation allowance against its total net deferred tax assets because the Company’s ability to generate sufficient future taxable income is uncertain.

Significant components of the Company’s deferred tax assets and liabilities consist of the following (in thousands):

The Company has incurred annual net operating losses in each year since inception. The Company believes it could be subject to certain limitations on the utilization of these net operating losses pursuant to Internal Revenue Code Section 382. Therefore, the Company has not reflected the benefit of any such net operating loss carryforwards in the financial statements. Due to the Company’s history of losses, and lack of other positive evidence, the Company has determined that it is more likely than not that its net deferred tax assets will not be realized, and therefore, the net deferred tax assets are fully offset by a valuation allowance at December 31, 2024 and 2023.

Future realization of the tax benefits of existing temporary differences and net operating loss carryforwards ultimately depends on the existence of sufficient taxable income within the carryforward period. As of December 31, 2024 and 2023, the Company performed an evaluation to determine whether a valuation allowance was needed. The Company considered all available evidence, both positive and negative, which included the results of operations for the current and preceding years. The Company determined that it was not possible to reasonably quantify future taxable income and determined that it is more likely than not that all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. Accordingly, the Company maintained a full valuation allowance as of December 31, 2024 and 2023.

The utilization of NOLs and tax credit carryforwards to offset future taxable income may be subject to an annual limitation as a result of ownership changes that have occurred previously or may occur in the future. Under Sections 382 and 383 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, (“IRC”), a corporation that undergoes an ownership change may be subject to limitations on its ability to utilize its pre-change NOLs and other tax attributes otherwise available to offset future taxable income and/or tax liability. An ownership change is defined as a cumulative change of 50% or more in the ownership positions of certain stockholders during a rolling three-year period. The Company has not completed a formal study to determine if any ownership changes within the meaning of IRC Section 382 and 383 have occurred as of December 31, 2024. An ownership change would restrict its ability to use its NOLs or tax credit carryforwards and could require the Company to pay federal or state income taxes earlier than would be required if such limitations were not in effect.

The Company’s valuation allowance increased during the year by $7.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2024 due primarily to the generation of net operating losses and a $0.1 million change recorded to equity.

As of December 31, 2024, the Company has net operating loss carryforwards for federal and state tax reporting purposes of $150.6 million and $84.4 million, respectively, a portion of which expire beginning in 2025. Net operating loss carryforwards generated after December 31, 2017 for federal tax reporting purposes of $114.4 million have an indefinite life. The remaining federal net operating losses are subject to a 20-year carryforward period. As of December 31, 2024, the Company has research and development tax credit carryforwards of approximately $1.4 million, which expire beginning in 2034.

The Company evaluates its uncertain tax positions under ASC 740-10, which requires that realization of an uncertain income tax position be recognized in the financial statements. The benefit to be recorded in the financial statements is the amount most likely to be realized assuming a review by tax authorities having all relevant information and applying current conventions. The Company concluded that there are no uncertain tax positions in any of the periods presented.

The Company files tax returns as prescribed by the tax laws of the jurisdictions in which it operates. In the normal course of business, the Company is subject to examination by federal and state jurisdictions, where applicable. The earliest tax years that remain subject to examination by jurisdiction is 2021 for both federal and state. However, to the extent the Company utilizes net operating losses from years prior to 2021, the statute remains open to the extent of the net operating losses or other credits are utilized.

14. NET LOSS PER SHARE

Basic and diluted net loss per share attributable to common stockholders is calculated as follows (in thousands except share and per share amounts):

The following outstanding potentially dilutive securities have been excluded from the calculation of diluted net loss per share, as their effect is anti-dilutive:

15. RESTRUCTURING AND RELATED CHARGES

In December 2022, the Company began implementing a restructuring plan to reduce operating costs primarily associated with a reduction in the Company's workforce (the “2022 Restructuring”).

The Company incurred$0.2 million of expenses within research and development and general and administrative expenses during the year ended December 31, 2023. These costs primarily related to one-time termination benefits and ongoing benefit arrangements, both of which included severance payments and extended benefits coverage support. These costs were accrued as a liability in December 2022 and settled during the year ended December 31, 2023. Aggregate costs in connection with the 2022 Restructuring also included certain contract termination costs.

In connection with the 2022 Restructuring, the Company incurredno expenses during the year ended December 31, 2024.

In November 2024, the Company announced an additional restructuring initiative to streamline operations and focus resources on advancing the clinical development of solnerstotug (the "2024 Restructuring"). As part of the 2024 Restructuring, the Company closed its research site in Rockville, Maryland, and reduced its workforce by approximately 46%, with the majority of reductions occurring in the preclinical research and development group. These actions were intended to extend the Company’s cash runway. The 2024 Restructuring costs primarily related to one-time termination benefits and ongoing benefit arrangements, both of which included severance payments and extended benefits coverage. Aggregate costs also included certain contract termination costs.

The following table summarizes the accrued liabilities activity recorded in connection with the 2024 Restructuring as of December 31, 2024 (in thousands):