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Aprea Therapeutics Inc

For the period ended Dec 31, 2023. Filed Mar 26, 2024.

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About this filing

A company's yearly report to the SEC, with audited financial statements. It is the fullest account a company gives of its business, its finances and the risks it sees.

FY2023 · Filed Mar 26, 2024

APRE$0.50-3.2%Stored close · as of Nov 9, 2026

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Contents

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

1. Nature of business and basis of presentation

Nature of business—Aprea Therapeutics, Inc. (the “Company”) is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on precision oncology through synthetic lethality. The Company began principal operations in 2006 and is headquartered in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. Prior to the acquisition of Atrin Pharmaceuticals Inc. (“Atrin”), the Company was engaged in the clinical development of cancer therapeutics that reactivate the mutant p53 tumor suppressor protein. In December 2020, the Company announced that its pivotal Phase 3 myelodysplastic syndromes trial failed to meet its predefined primary endpoint of complete remission (CR) rate. Given these results, FDA feedback and the costs of continuing the APR-246 development program, the Company shifted focus of its activities to the assets acquired in the May 16, 2022 acquisition of Atrin (see Note 3). The Company’s lead product candidate, which was acquired in the Atrin acquisition, is ATRN-119, a Phase 1-ready small molecule ATR inhibitor being developed for solid tumor indications.

Agreement and plan of merger—On May 16, 2022, the Company acquired Atrin (the “Atrin Acquisition”). Under the terms of the Agreement and Plan or Merger dated May 16, 2022 (the “Merger Agreement”), the Company issued to the stockholders of Atrin 55,869 shares of the Company’s common stock, par value $0.001 per share, and 2,949,630 shares of Series A Non-Voting Convertible Preferred Stock (“Series A Preferred Stock”) (as described below). The Series A Preferred Stock had a conversion value on the closing date of $68.8 million. In addition, the Company assumed options granted under the Atrin stock option plan, which became options to purchase 163,757 shares of the Company’s common stock. See Note 3 for additional information.

Series A Preferred Stock—In connection with the Atrin Acquisition, the Company issued 2,949,630 shares of Series A Preferred Stock. Each share of Series A Preferred Stock is convertible into 10 shares of common stock on a pre-Reverse Stock Split (as defined below) basis.

The Company held a stockholders’ meeting on July 28, 2022 where approval of the conversion of the Series A Preferred Stock into shares of the Company’s common stock in accordance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(a) was received. A majority of the Series A Preferred Stockholders elected to convert their Series A Preferred Stock into common stock during the second half of 2022 (see Note 8).

Reverse stock split—On February 10, 2023, the Company effectuated a one-for-twenty reverse stock split of its outstanding shares of common stock (the “Reverse Stock Split”). The Reverse Stock Split reduces the Company’s shares of outstanding common stock, stock options and RSU’s. Fractional shares of common stock that would have otherwise resulted from the Reverse Stock Split were rounded down to the nearest whole share and cash in lieu of payments were made to stockholders. All share and per share data for all periods presented in the accompanying financial statements and the related disclosures have been adjusted retrospectively to reflect the Reverse Stock Split. The number of authorized shares of common stock and the par value per share remains unchanged.

Basis of presentation and management plans—The accompanying financial statements are prepared in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“U.S. GAAP”). The accompanying financial statements have been prepared on a going concern basis, which contemplates the realization of assets and the satisfaction of liabilities in the normal course of business.

Since its inception, the Company has devoted substantially all of its efforts to business planning, research and development, recruiting management and technical staff, and raising capital, and has financed its operations through the issuance of convertible preferred stock and common stock.

The Company is subject to risks common to companies in the biopharmaceutical industry. There can be no assurance that the Company’s research and development will be successfully completed, that adequate protection for the Company’s intellectual property will be maintained, that any therapeutic products developed will obtain required regulatory approval or that any approved or consumer products will be commercially viable. Even if the Company’s development efforts are successful, it is uncertain when, if ever, the Company will generate significant product sales.

The Company believes that the December 31, 2023 cash balance of approximately $21.6 million and the upfront gross proceeds of approximately $16 million received from our private placement of our common stock and warrants in March 2024, before deducting placement agent fees and offering costs of approximately $1.4 million, will be sufficient to meet our currently projected operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements into the third quarter of 2025. In the event that additional funds are not available thereafter, management would expect to significantly reduce expenditures to conserve cash, which would involve scaling back or curtailing new development activity.

  1. Summary of significant accounting policies

Principles of consolidation—The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its wholly owned subsidiaries Aprea Therapeutics AB, which was incorporated in May 2009, Aprea US, Inc., which was incorporated in June 2016 and ATR Pharmaceuticals LLC which was incorporated in May 2022. Management has concluded it has a single reporting segment for purposes of reporting financial condition and results of operations. All intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated.

Use of estimates—The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenue, and expenses as of and during the reporting period. The Company bases estimates and assumptions on historical experience when available and on various factors that it believes to be reasonable under the circumstances. The Company assesses estimates on an ongoing basis; however, actual results could materially differ from those estimates. Significant items subject to such estimates and assumptions, are used for, but not limited to, include stock-based compensation and accounting for research and development costs.

Foreign currency and currency translation—The functional currency for Aprea Therapeutics AB is the Swedish Krona. Assets and liabilities of Aprea Therapeutics AB are translated into United States dollars at the exchange rate in effect on the balance sheet date. Operating expenses are translated at the average exchange rate in effect during the period. Unrealized translation gains and losses are recorded as a cumulative translation adjustment, which is included in the consolidated statements of stockholders’ equity as a component of accumulated other comprehensive loss. Adjustments that arise from exchange rate changes on transactions denominated in a currency other than the local currency are included in other income (expense), net in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss as incurred.

Concentrations of credit risk—Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to significant concentration of credit risk consist primarily of cash. Periodically, the Company may maintain deposits in financial institutions in excess of government insured limits. Management believes that the Company is not exposed to significant credit risk as the Company’s deposits are held at financial institutions that management believes to be of high credit quality, and the Company has not experienced any losses on these deposits.

**Cash and cash equivalents—**The Company considers all highly liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less at the date of purchase to be cash equivalents.

**Restricted cash—**The Company has restricted cash of approximately $41,000 that is securing the Company’s credit card program.

Property and equipment—Property and equipment are recorded at cost. Expenditures for repairs and maintenance are expensed as incurred. When assets are retired or disposed of, the assets and related accumulated depreciation are eliminated from the accounts, and any resulting gain or loss is included in the determination of net income or loss. Fixed assets acquired for research and development purposes are assessed for alternative future use. Depreciation is provided using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the related assets. Leasehold improvements are amortized over the shorter of the lease term or the estimated useful life of the asset.

​​​
Asset categoryEstimated useful life
Computer equipment and software3 years
Laboratory equipment and office furniture7 years

Impairment of long-lived assets—Periodically, the Company evaluates its long-lived assets, which consist primarily of property and equipment, for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of such assets 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 the future undiscounted net cash flows expected to be generated by the asset. If such assets are considered to be impaired, the impairment to be recognized is measured by the amount by which the carrying amount of the asset exceeds the fair value of the asset. To date, no impairments have occurred.

Fair value of financial instruments—The accounting standard for fair value measurements provides a framework for measuring fair value and requires expanded disclosures regarding fair value measurements. Fair value is defined as the price that would be received upon sale of an asset or paid to transfer a liability between market participants at measurement dates. ASC Topic 820, Fair Value Measurement (“ASC 820”), establishes a three-level valuation hierarchy for instruments measured at fair value. The hierarchy is based on the transparency of inputs to the valuation of an asset or liability as of the measurement date. The hierarchy defines three levels of valuation inputs, of which the first two are considered observable and the last is considered unobservable:

●Level 1 inputs: Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.
●Level 2 inputs: Inputs other than quoted prices included within Level 1 that are either directly or indirectly observable, such as quoted market prices, interest rates and yield curves.
●Level 3 inputs: Unobservable inputs developed using estimates or assumptions developed by the Company, which reflect those that a market participant would use in pricing the asset or liability.

To the extent that the valuation is based on models or inputs that are less observable or unobservable in the market, the determination of fair value requires more judgment. Accordingly, the degree of judgment exercised by the Company in determining fair value is greatest for instruments categorized in Level 3. A financial instrument’s level within the fair value hierarchy is based on the lowest level of any input that is significant to the fair value measurement.

The Company’s financial instruments consist of cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash, accounts payable and accrued expenses. The carrying amount of accounts payable and accrued expenses is considered a reasonable estimate of fair value due to the short-term maturity.

Accounting for leases—At the inception of an arrangement, the Company determines whether the arrangement is or contains a lease based on specific facts and circumstances, the existence of an identified asset(s), if any, and the Company’s control over the use of the identified asset(s), if applicable. Operating lease liabilities and their corresponding right-of-use assets are recorded based on the present value of future lease payments over the expected lease term. The interest rate implicit in lease contracts is typically not readily determinable. As such, the Company utilizes the incremental borrowing rate, which is the rate incurred to borrow on a collateralized basis over a similar term an amount equal to the lease payments in a similar economic environment.

The Company has elected not to separate lease and non-lease components as a single component. Operating leases are recognized on the balance sheet as right of use (ROU) lease assets, lease liabilities current and lease liabilities non-current. Fixed rents are included in the calculation of the lease balances while variable costs paid for certain operating and pass-through costs are excluded. Lease expense is recognized over the expected term on a straight-line basis. The Company has also elected the short-term lease exemption for all leases with an original term of less than 12 months.

Revenue recognition— The Company’s revenue is primarily generated through grants from government organizations. Grant revenue is recognized during the period that the reimbursable research and development services occur, as qualifying expenses are incurred or conditions of the grants are met. Grant revenue received in advance is recorded as deferred grant revenue and recognized as revenue once the conditions for revenue recognition are met. Associated expenses are recognized when incurred as research and development expense. The Company concluded that payments received under these grants represent conditional, nonreciprocal contributions, as described in ASC958,** Not-for-Profit Entities, and that the grants arenot within the scope of ASC606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, as the organizations providing the grants donot meet the definition of a customer.

Research and development costs—Research and development costs are charged to expense as incurred. Research and development expenses incurred in performing research and development activities, include salaries and benefits, materials and supplies, preclinical expenses, stock-based compensation expense, depreciation of equipment, contract services, and other outside expenses. Costs for certain development activities are recognized based on an evaluation of the progress to completion of specific tasks using or information provided to the Company by its vendors on their actual costs incurred. Payments for these activities are based on the terms of the individual arrangements, which may differ from the pattern of costs incurred, and are reflected in the financial statements as prepaid or accrued research and development.

Stock-based compensation—The Company measures stock options and other stock-based awards granted to employees and directors based on their fair value on the date of the grant and recognize compensation expense of those awards over the requisite service period, which is generally the vesting period of the respective award. The Company applies the straight-line method of expense recognition to all awards with only service based vesting conditions.

For stock-based awards granted to non-employees, compensation expense is recognized over the period during which services are rendered by such non-employees until completed in accordance with ASC 718.

The Company estimates the fair value of each stock option grant on the date of grant using the Black Scholes option pricing model, which uses as inputs the fair value of the Company’s common stock and assumptions the Company makes for the volatility of its common stock, the expected term of its stock options, the risk-free interest rate for a period that approximates the expected term of its stock options and its expected dividend yield. The Company elects to account for forfeitures when they occur.

The Company also awards restricted stock units (“RSUs”) to employees and directors. RSUs are generally subject to forfeiture if employment terminates prior to the completion of the vesting restrictions. The Company expenses the cost of the RSUs, which is determined to be the fair market value of the shares of common stock underlying the RSUs at the date of grant, ratably over the period during which the vesting restrictions lapse.

Income taxes—The Company accounts for income tax in accordance with ASC 740-10, Income Taxes (“ASC 740-10”), which requires the recognition of deferred tax assets and liabilities for the expected future tax consequences of events that have been included in the Company’s financial statements and tax returns. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are determined based upon the differences between the financial statement carrying amounts and the tax bases of existing assets and liabilities and for loss and credit carryforwards, using enacted tax rates expected to be in effect in the year in which the differences are expected to reverse. Deferred tax assets are reduced by a valuation allowance if it is more likely than not that these assets may not be realized. The Company determines whether it is more likely than not that a tax position will be sustained upon examination. If it is not more likely than not that a position will be sustained, none of the benefit attributable to the position is recognized. The tax benefit to be recognized for any tax position that meets the more-likely-than-not recognition threshold is calculated as the largest amount that is more than 50% likely of being realized upon resolution of the contingency. The Company accounts for interest and penalties related to uncertain tax positions as part of its provision for income taxes.

Net loss per share—The Company has reported losses since inception and has computed basic net loss per share attributable to common stockholders by dividing net loss attributable to common stockholders by the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding for the period, without consideration for potentially dilutive securities. The Company computes diluted net loss per common share after giving consideration to all potentially dilutive common shares, including options to purchase common stock, outstanding during the period determined using the treasury-stock and if-converted methods, except where the effect of including such securities would be antidilutive. Because the Company has reported net losses since inception, these potential common shares have been anti-dilutive and basic and diluted loss per share have been the same.

The following table sets forth the potentially dilutive securities that have been excluded from the calculation of diluted net loss per share because to include them would be anti-dilutive (in common stock equivalent shares):

​​​​​​​
​ · ​ · Year ended December 31,
​ · 2023 · 2022 · 2021
Convertible preferred stock (as converted)​28,112​28,112​—
Options to purchase common stock596,466480,274229,308
Unvested restricted stock units​23,870​12,734​19,985
Total shares of common stock equivalents648,448521,120249,293

Acquired in-process research and development---The Company measures and recognizes asset acquisitions that are not deemed to be business combinations based on the cost to acquire the assets, including transaction costs. In an asset acquisition, the cost allocated to acquire in-process research and development (“IPR&D) with no alternative future use is charged to expense at the allocation date. See Note 3 – “Acquisition of Atrin” for additional information.

Segment Information— The Company manages its operations as a single segment for the purposes of assessing performance and making operating decisions. The financial information is regularly reviewed by the chief operating decision maker (“CODM”) in deciding how to allocate resources. The Company’s CODM is its chief executive officer.

**Recently issued accounting pronouncements---**From time to time, new accounting pronouncements are issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) or other standard setting bodies that the Company adopts as of the specified effective date.

Management does not believe that any recently issued, but not yet effective accounting pronouncements, if adopted, would have a material impact on the accompanying financial statements.

3. Acquisition of Atrin Pharmaceuticals

On May 16, 2022, the Company completed its acquisition of Atrin in accordance with the terms of the Merger Agreement as described in Note 1 – “Nature of business and basis of presentation”. Under the terms of the Merger Agreement, the Company issued 55,869 shares of common stock and 2,949,630 shares of Series A Preferred Stock. Each

share of Series A Preferred Stock is convertible into 10 shares of Common Stock on a pre-Reverse Stock Split basis. A majority of the Series A Preferred Stockholders elected to convert their Series A Preferred Stock into common stock during the second half of 2022 (see Note 8).

The Company concluded the Atrin acquisition was not the acquisition of a business, as substantially all of the fair value of the non-monetary assets acquired was concentrated in a single identifiable asset, ATRN-119.

The Company determined that the cost to acquire the Atrin assets was $76.2 million, based on the fair value of the equity consideration issued and including direct costs of the acquisition of $3.5 million. The net assets acquired in connection with the Atrin acquisition were recorded at their estimated fair values as of May 16, 2022, which is the date the Atrin acquisition was completed. The following table summarizes the net assets acquired based on their estimated fair values as of May 16, 2022:

​​​​
Acquired IPR&D​$76,020,184
Cash and cash equivalents​​2,489,745
Prepaid expenses and other assets​​34,579
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities​​(2,336,462)
Total Acquisition Value​$76,208,046

The Atrin acquisition was accounted for as an asset acquisition as Atrin was not considered to be a business under ASC 805 or SEC Rule 11-01(d). In the estimation of fair value of the asset purchase consideration, the Company used the carrying value of the cash and cash equivalents, prepaid expenses, accounts payable, and accrued liabilities as the most reliable indicator of fair value based on the associated short-term nature of the balances. The remaining fair value was attributable to the acquired IPR&D. Since Atrin was in preclinical development and no clinical trials had commenced at the time of the acquisition, the cost attributable to the IPR&D was expensed in the Company’s consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss for the year ended December 31, 2022, as the acquired IPR&D had no alternative future use, as determined by the Company in accordance with U.S. GAAP.

As a result of the Atrin acquisition, the Company announced in May 2022 it was closing its research facility in Sweden and reducing its related workforce in Sweden. The closure of the Swedish research facility and the reduction in workforce resulted in total expenses for employee severance and employee benefits of approximately $1.1 million, of which was recorded as of May 16, 2022. As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, the remaining liability is approximately $0 and $0.1 million.

In connection with the Atrin acquisition, a non-transferable contingent value right (a “CVR”) was distributed to the Aprea stockholders of record as of the close of business on May 13, 2022. Holders of the CVR will be entitled to receive certain stock and/or cash payments from proceeds received by the Company, if any, related to the disposition of its legacy assets in the 2 year period following the closing of the transaction. The CVR had a deminimis value as of May 16, 2022 and December 31, 2023 and 2022.

4. Property and equipment

Property and equipment consist of the following:

​ · ​ · ​ · ​ · ​ · ​ · ​
​ · ​ · December 31,
​ · 2023 · 2022
Lab equipment​$133,226​$40,133
Computer equipment​5,258​5,258
Property and equipment, at cost​138,484​45,391
Less accumulated depreciation and amortization​(50,122)​(43,070)
Property and equipment—net​$88,362​$2,321

Depreciation expense for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021 was $7,052, $4,403, $12,829, respectively.

  1. Leases

During 2023, the Company was party toone operating lease for office and laboratory space. The Company’s finance leases are immaterial both individually and in the aggregate. The Company has elected to apply the short-term lease exception to all leases of one year or less. Rent expense for years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021 was$79,991, $329,673 and $342,550, respectively, which is included in operating expenses.

The Company also has an annual operating lease for office and laboratory space in Doylestown, Pennsylvania which was renewed for 2024 and is currently set to expire on December 31, 2024. Rent expense under this lease is $110,000 annually and the Company has applied the short-term exception to this lease. The Company has no lease obligations beyond 2024.

The Company had an operating lease in Boston, Massachusetts for office space which expired in December 2022. The Company also had an operating lease for office and laboratory space in Solna, Sweden which was terminated effective November 30, 2022.

The Company was party to one operating lease in 2023 that it applied the short-term lease exception. Quantitative information regarding the Company’s leases for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 is as follows:

​ · ​ · ​ · ​ · ​ · ​ · ​
​ · ​ · ​ · ​ · ​ · ​ · ​
​ · ​ · Year ended December 31,
Lease Cost​2022​​2021
Operating lease cost​$233,628​$233,364
Other Information​​​​
Operating cash flows paid for amounts included in the measurement of lease liabilities​$245,584​$255,078
Operating lease liabilities arising from obtaining right‑of‑use assets​$123,786​$124,043
Weighted average remaining lease term (years)​—​​0.50 - 1.00
Weighted average discount rate​3.0 - 4.3%​​3.0 - 4.3%
  1. Accrued expenses

Accrued expenses consist of the following:

​ · ​ · ​ · ​ · ​ · ​ · ​
​ · December 31, · December 31,
​​2023​2022
Professional fees​$138,601​$75,012
Compensation, severance and benefits​1,016,960​1,397,977
Research and development​856,575​688,858
Other​174,126​196,485
Total accrued expenses​$2,186,262​$2,358,332
  1. Income taxes

The components of net loss are as follows:

​​​​​​​​​​​
​​Year ended December 31,​
​​2023​2022​2021
Foreign$(365,750)$(6,377,901)$(13,229,828)​
Domestic​(13,921,006)​(106,284,126)​(23,897,475)​
Net loss​$(14,286,756)​$(112,662,027)​$(37,127,303)​

A reconciliation of the effect of applying the federal statutory rate to the net loss and the effective income tax rate:

​ · ​ · ​ · ​ · ​ · ​ · ​ · ​
​ · ​ · Year ended December 31,
​ · ​ · 2023 · ​ · 2022 · ​ · 2021
Statutory federal income tax rate21.0%21.0%21.0%
Earnings in jurisdictions taxed at rates different from the statutory U.S. federal tax rate—%—%(0.1)%
Permanent differences—%(0.6)%—%
Section 162(m) limitation​10.3%(2.5)%—%
In-process research and development​—%(13.5)%—%
Changes in valuation allowance(31.1)%(3.7)%(18.2)%
Other(0.2)%(0.7)%(2.7)%
Effective income tax rate—%—%—%

Significant components of the Company’s deferred taxes as of December 31, 2023 and 2022 are as follows:

​​​​​​​
​ · ​ · December 31,
​ · ​ · 2023 · ​ · 2022
Deferred tax assets: · ​ · ​
Net operating loss carryforward​$41,784,757​$38,839,281
Stock compensation​​3,955,371​​2,309,828
Amortization​​56,882​​118,259
Capitalized research and development costs​​3,487,955​​2,362,347
Fixed Assets​​3,574​​—
Accrued Expenses​​155,320​​—
Gross deferred tax assets​49,443,859​43,629,715
Valuation allowance​(49,443,859)​(43,629,689)
Total deferred tax assets​—​26
Deferred tax liabilities:​​​​
Fixed assets​—​(26)
Total deferred tax liabilities​—​(26)
Net deferred tax assets (liabilities)​$—​$—

The Company hasno income tax expense due to operating losses incurred for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, respectively. The Company has provided a valuation allowance for the full amount of the net deferred tax assets as, based on all available evidence, it is considered more likely than not that all the recorded deferred tax assets will not be realized in a future period. At December 31, 2023, the Company has $118.2 million, $65.5 million, and $66.3 million of foreign, federal and state net operating loss carryforwards, respectively, that expire at various dates through 2037. Certain of these foreign, federal and state net operating loss carryforwards may be subject to Internal Revenue Code Section 382 or similar provisions, which impose limitations on their utilization.

The valuation allowance increased in 2023 and 2022 by $5.8 million and $1.5 million, respectively due to the increase in the deferred tax assets by the same amounts; primarily due to net operating loss carryforwards. Realization of the future tax benefits is dependent on many factors, including the Company’s ability to generate taxable income within the net operating loss carryforward period. Under the provisions of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code and Sweden tax law, certain changes in the Company’s ownership, including a sale of the Company or significant changes in ownership due to sales of equity, may have limited, or may limit in the future, the amount of net operating loss carryforwards that could be used

annually to offset future taxable income. For U.S. and Swedish income tax purposes, the Company has not completed a study to assess whether a change of control has occurred or whether there have been changes of control since the Company’s formation due to the complexity and cost associated with such study and because there could be additional changes in control in the future. As a result, the Company is not able to estimate the effect of the change in control, if any, on the Company’s ability to utilize U.S. or Swedish net operating losses or other tax attribute carryforwards in the future. For Swedish income tax purposes, the Company’s net operating losses may be subject to limitations in accordance with the country’s group contribution restriction laws.

The Company files tax returns in Sweden, the United States, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania. Income tax returns prior to 2020 in the United States and Massachusetts are no longer subject to examination and income tax returns prior to 2017 are no longer subject to examination in Sweden. The Company is not currently under examination by the IRS or any other jurisdictions for any tax years.

As tax law is complex and often subject to varied interpretations, it is uncertain whether some of the Company’s tax positions will be sustained upon examination. Tax liabilities associated with uncertain tax positions represent unrecognized tax benefits, which arise when the estimated benefit recorded in the Company’s financial statements differs from the amounts taken or expected to be taken in a tax return because of the uncertainties described above. Substantially all of these unrecognized tax benefits, if recognized, would benefit the Company’s effective income tax rate.

As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, the Company had approximately $0.1 million and $0.1 million of liabilities, respectively, related to uncertain tax positions. As the Company’s uncertain tax positions can be offset by available net operating losses, the Company did not recognize interest and penalties for 2023, 2022 and 2021.

For tax years beginning after January 1, 2022, U.S. Corporations are now mandated to capitalize direct research and development costs and costs deemed incidental to research under Section 174 of the tax code. For the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 the Company has capitalized approximately $7.8 million and $9.0 million of costs deemed direct or incidental to research and development.

  1. Stockholders’ equity

The total number of shares of all classes of capital stock that the Company is authorized to issue is 440,000,000 shares, consisting of 400,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.001 per share and 40,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.001 per share.

Reverse Stock Split

On February 10, 2023, the Company effectuated a one-for-twenty reverse stock split of its outstanding shares of common stock (the “Reverse Stock Split”). The Reverse Stock Split reduces the Company’s shares of outstanding common stock, stock options and RSU’s. Fractional shares of common stock that would have otherwise resulted from the Reverse Stock Split were rounded down to the nearest whole share and cash in lieu of payments were made to stockholders. All share and per share data for all periods presented in the accompanying financial statements and the related disclosures have been adjusted retrospectively to reflect the Reverse Stock Split. The number of authorized shares of common stock and the par value per share remains unchanged.

Conversion of Series A Preferred Stock

As discussed in Note 1 and Note 3, the Company issued to the shareholders of Atrin 2,949,630 shares of Series A Preferred Stock as partial consideration of the Atrin acquisition. Each share of Series A Preferred Stock is convertible into 10 shares of common stock on a pre-Reverse Stock Split basis. The Company held a stockholders’ meeting on July 28, 2022 where approval of the conversion of the Series A Preferred Stock into shares of the Company’s common stock in accordance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(a) was received. As of December 31, 2023, a total of 2,893,403 shares of

Series A Preferred Stock was converted into 1,446,701 shares of common stock. As of December 31, 2023, a total of 56,227 shares of Series A Preferred Stock remained outstanding.

Common Stock

The holders of common stock are entitled toone vote for each share of common stock. In the event of any voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Company, after the payment or provision for payment of all debts and liabilities of the Company, the holders of common stock shall be entitled to share in the remaining assets of the Company available for distribution, if any.

Shelf Registration Statement

On November 12, 2020, the Company filed a universal shelf registration statement with the SEC for the issuance of common stock, preferred stock, warrants, rights, debt securities and units up to an aggregate of $350.0 million (the “2020 Shelf Registration Statement”). On November 30, 2020, the 2020 Shelf Registration Statement was declared effective by the SEC and on November 30, 2023 the 2020 Shelf Registration Statement expired. The 2023 Shelf Registration Stated included an at-the-market offering program with SVB Leerink LLC (the “SVB ATM Program”) and the Company filed a Prospectus Supplement dated September 2, 2022, for the sale of up to $14,744,728 of shares of the Company’s common stock pursuant to its SVB ATM Program. The Company agreed to pay a commission of 3% of the gross proceeds of any common stock sold in connection with the SVB ATM Program. During the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, the Company issued and sold 26,302 shares,38,481 shares and 18,338 shares, respectively, of common stock under the SVB ATM Program resulting in net proceeds to the Company of approximately $0.3 million, $0.7 million and $1.5 million, respectively. The SVB ATM Program has terminated is no longer effective.

In February 2023, the Company issued and sold 1,050,000 shares of common stock at a public offering price of $5.25 per share pursuant to the 2020 Shelf Registration Statement resulting in net proceeds to the Company of approximately $4.9 million, after deducting underwriting discounts and offering expenses of approximately $0.6 million.

On January 26, 2024, the Company filed a new shelf registration statement (the “2024 Shelf Registration Statement”) with the SEC for issuance of up to $150 million, including a prospectus for the sale of $1 million under the ATM Agreement, as discussed below, which was declared effective on February 2, 2024. The Company subsequently filed a prospectus supplement to the 2024 Shelf Registration Statement for the sale of up to$2 million of shares of common stock pursuant to the ATM Agreement. On January 26, 2024, the Company entered into an At the Market Offering Agreement (the “ATM Agreement”) with H.C. Wainright & Co., LLC (“HCW”). Pursuant to the ATM Agreement and the prospectus supplement filed in connection therewith, the Company may, from time to time, in its sole discretion, issue and sell through HCW, acting as sales agent and/or principal, up to$2 million of shares of common stock. The Company has not made any sales under the ATM Agreement to date. In March 2024, the Company terminated the ATM Agreement with HCW.

9. Stock option plans

In September 2019, the Company’s Board of Directors approved the 2019 Equity Incentive Plan (the “2019 Plan) and each outstanding option to purchase Aprea AB ordinary shares pursuant to a previous plan was cancelled and the Company issued to each holder of such Aprea AB option, a substitute option to purchase, on the same terms and conditions as were applicable to such Aprea AB option, shares of the Company’s common stock pursuant to the 2019 Plan.

The Board of Directors has the discretion to provide for accelerated vesting under the 2019 Plan. At December 31, 2023, there were 61,637 shares available for future grant under the 2019 Plan.

The Company recorded stock-based compensation expense of $0.4 million, $17.0 million and $7.8 million during the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, respectively. As of December 31, 2023, there was $0.6 million of

unrecognized compensation cost related to nonvested share-based compensation arrangements granted under the 2019 Plan, which is expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of approximately 2.8 years.

The fair value of each option award is estimated on the date of grant using Black-Scholes, with the assumptions noted in the table below. Expected volatility for the Company’s common stock was determined based on an average of the historical volatility of a peer group of similar public companies. The expected term of options granted to employees was calculated using the simplified method, which represents the average of the contractual term of the option and the weighted-average vesting period of the option. The Company uses the simplified method because it does not have sufficient historical option exercise data to provide a reasonable basis upon which to estimate expected term. The contractual life of the option was used for the expected life of options granted to non-employee. The assumed dividend yield is based upon the Company’s expectation of not paying dividends in the foreseeable future. The risk-free rate for periods within the expected life of the option is based upon the Swedish Government Bond Rate in effect at the time of grant.

The assumptions used in Black-Scholes are as follows:

​ · ​ · ​ · ​ · ​ · ​ · ​
​ · ​ · Year ended December 31,
​ · 2023 · 2022 · 2021
Expected volatility84.8%-91.6%84.4%-89.6%​88.1%-90.2%
Risk‑free rate3.41%-4.73%​1.95%-2.69%​0.96%-1.04%
Expected dividend yield0%0%​0%
Expected term in years5.50-10.006.08-10.005.50 - 6.08

A summary of option activity under the Plan during the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021 are as follows:

​​​​​​​​​​​​
​ · ​ · Weighted‑ · Weighted · ​
​ · ​ · ​ · ​ · ​ · average · ​ · average · ​ · ​ · ​
​ · ​ · ​ · ​ · ​ · exercise · ​ · remaining · ​ · Aggregate
​ · ​ · Number of · ​ · price per · ​ · contractual · ​ · intrinsic
​ · ​ · options · ​ · share · ​ · term (in years) · ​ · value
Outstanding at December 31, 2020188,552​$182.006.8​​​
Granted58,980​117.40​
Exercised(11,319)​18.40​
Cancelled/Forfeited(6,905)​330.60​
Outstanding at December 31, 2021229,308​$169.006.6​​​
Granted96,798​31.40​
Options assumed in Atrin merger​​163,733​​14.21​​​​​
Exercised—​—​
Cancelled/Forfeited(9,565)​118.60​
Outstanding at December 31, 2022​​480,274​$89.496.8​$​
Granted123,062​5.68​
Exercised—​—​
Cancelled/Forfeited(6,870)​21.80​
Outstanding at December 31, 2023​​596,466​$72.956.2​$45,825
Exercisable at December 31, 2023​​464,086​$91.825.3​$—
Vested or expected to vest at December 31, 2023​​596,466​$72.956.2​$45,825

The weighted-average grant date fair value of options granted during the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, was $4.35, $23.68 and $85.82, per share, respectively.

Restricted Stock Units

During the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company granted the following RSU’s:

●a total of 17,493 RSUs to executive officers of the Company which vest ratably on the 1st, 2nd and 3rd anniversaries of the grant date.
●a total of 3,000 RSUs to non-employee directors of the Company which vest on the one-year anniversary of the grant date.

During the year ended December 31, 2022, the Company granted the following RSU’s:

●a total of 9,320 RSUs to executive officers of the Company which vest ratably on the 1st, 2nd and 3rd anniversaries of the grant date.
●a total of 3,414 RSUs to non-employee directors of the Company which vest on the one-year anniversary of the grant date.
●a total of 11,330 RSUs to executive officers and certain other employees of the Company which vest ratably on the 1st, 2nd and 3rd anniversaries of the grant date. These RSUs vested on May 16, 2022 in connection with the acquisition of Atrin.

During the year ended December 31, 2021, the Company granted the following RSU’s:

●a total of 25,000 RSUs to executive officers and certain other employees of the Company, 800 of which were canceled prior to vesting. The remaining RSUs vested on May 16, 2022 in connection with the acquisition of Atrin.
●a total of 1,150 RSUs to non-employee directors of the Company. These RSUs vested on May 16, 2022 in connection with the acquisition of Atrin.

As of December 31, 2023, there was $0.2 million of unrecognized compensation cost related to RSUs granted under the 2019 Plan, which is expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of approximately 1.7 years.

The following table shows restricted stock unit activity during the year ended December 31, 2023:

​​​​​​
​ · ​ · ​
​ · ​ · ​ · ​ · Weighted‑
​ · ​ · ​ · ​ · average
​ · ​ · ​ · ​ · grant date
​ · ​ · Shares · ​ · fair value
Outstanding at December 31, 2020​—​$—
Granted​26,150​​118.20
Vested​(5,365)​​118.80
Cancelled/Forfeited​(800)​​120.00
Outstanding at December 31, 202119,985​$118.20
Granted​24,064​​28.68
Vested​(30,981)​​88.21
Cancelled/Forfeited​(334)​​114.60
Outstanding at December 31, 2022​12,734​$21.80
Granted​20,493​​8.81
Vested​(5,102)​​21.80
Cancelled/Forfeited​(4,255)​​21.80
Outstanding at December 31, 2023​23,870​$10.00

10. Commitments and contingencies

From time to time, the Company may be party to litigation arising in the ordinary course of its business. The Company was not subject to any material legal proceedings during the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, and, to its

knowledge, no material legal proceedings are currently pending or threatened. The Company records a provision for contingent losses when it is both probable that a liability has been incurred and the amount of the loss can be reasonably estimated. As of December 31, 2023, the Company hasnot recorded a provision for any contingent losses.

11. Subsequent events

March 2024 Private Placement

On March 11, 2024, the Company entered into a securities purchase agreement with certain purchasers (the “Purchasers”) pursuant to which the Company agreed to issue and sell to the Purchasers, and the Purchasers agreed to purchase from the Company (i)1,687,712 shares of the Company’s common stock at a purchase price of $7.29 per share, (ii) pre-funded common stock purchase warrants to purchase an aggregate of up to 507,076 shares of the Company’s common stock at an exercise price of $0.001 per share, (iii) tranche A common stock purchase warrants to purchase up to 1,097,394 shares of the Company’s common stock at an exercise price of $7.29 per share (the “Tranche A Warrants”), and (iv) tranche B common stock purchase warrants to purchase up to 1,097,394 shares of the Company’s common stock at an exercise price of $9.1125 per share (the “Tranche B Warrants”). The Tranche A Warrants will be exercisable until the earlier of (i) thethree-year anniversary of issuance and (ii)30 days after the Company announces the recommended Phase 2 dose for ATRN-119, and, following such announcement, the daily volume weighted average price of the Company’s common stock equals or exceeds $14.58 for 30 consecutive trading days. The Tranche B Warrants will be exercisable until the earlier of (i) thefive-year anniversary of issuance and (ii)30 days after the Company announces the recommended Phase 2 dose for APR-1051 and, following such announcement, the daily volume weighted average price of the Company’s common stock equals or exceeds $18.225 for 30 consecutive trading days. To the extent that the exercise of a Tranche A Warrant or Tranche B Warrant would result in the holder beneficially owning greater than 4.99% (or, at the election of the holder, greater than 9.99%) of the Company’s outstanding common stock immediately following such exercise, the holder will instead receive pre-funded warrants in substantially the same form as the pre-funded warrants issued at closing. The aggregate upfront gross proceeds from the issuance of common stock totaled approximately $16.0 million, before deducting placement agent fees and offering costs of approximately $1.4 million, and the gross proceeds from potential future warrant cash exercises is expected to be approximately $18.0 million.

ATM Agreement

On January 26, 2024, the Company entered into the ATM Agreement with HCW. The Company has not made any sales under the ATM Agreement to date. In March 2024, the Company terminated the ATM Agreement with HCW.

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The text of this filing, as the company filed it with the SEC, without its images or exhibits. This is not investment advice.