UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, DC 20549

FORM 10-Q

(Mark One)

For the quarterly period ended March 31, 2022

OR

For the transition period from                 to                

Commission File Number: 001-39527 

PRELUDE THERAPEUTICS INCORPORATED

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (302) 467-1280

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

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

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

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

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

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

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed all documents and reports required to be filed by Sections 12, 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 subsequent to the distribution of securities under a plan confirmed by a court.     Yes  ☒    No  ☐

As of May 4, 2022, the registrant had 47,695,639 shares of voting and non-voting common stock, $0.0001 par value per share, outstanding.

Table of Contents

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PART I—FINANCIAL INFORMATION

Item 1. Financial Statements.

PRELUDE THERAPEUTICS INCORPORATED

BALANCE SHEETS

(UNAUDITED)

See accompanying notes to unaudited interim financial statements.

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PRELUDE THERAPEUTICS INCORPORATED

STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE LOSS

(UNAUDITED)

See accompanying notes to unaudited interim financial statements.

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PRELUDE THERAPEUTICS INCORPORATED

STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY (DEFICIT)

(UNAUDITED)

See accompanying notes to unaudited interim financial statements.

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PRELUDE THERAPEUTICS INCORPORATED

STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(UNAUDITED)

See accompanying notes to unaudited interim financial statements.

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PRELUDE THERAPEUTICS INCORPORATED

NOTES TO UNAUDITED INTERIM FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

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6. Accrued Expenses and Other Current Liabilities

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Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.

You should read the following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations together with our financial statements and the related notes and other financial information included elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. In addition to historical financial information, this discussion contains forward-looking statements based upon current expectations that involve risks and uncertainties, such as statements of our plans, objectives, expectations, intentions and belief. Our actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including those set forth in the section titled “Risk Factors” under Part II, Item 1A below. These forward-looking statements may include, but are not limited to, statements regarding our future results of operations and financial position, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, business strategy, market size, potential growth opportunities, preclinical and clinical development activities, efficacy and safety profile of our product candidates, use of net proceeds from our offerings, our ability to maintain and recognize the benefits of certain designations received by product candidates, the timing and results of preclinical studies and clinical trials, commercial collaborations with third parties and the receipt and timing of potential regulatory designations, approvals and commercialization of product candidates. The words “believe,” “may,” “will,” “potentially,” “estimate,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “predict,” “target,” “intend,” “could,” “would,” “should,” “project,” “plan,” “expect,” and similar expressions that convey uncertainty of future events or outcomes are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words.

These statements are based upon information available to us as of the date of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, and while we believe such information forms a reasonable basis for such statements, such information may be limited or incomplete, and our statements should not be read to indicate that we have conducted an exhaustive inquiry into, or review of, all potentially available relevant information. These statements are inherently uncertain, and investors are cautioned not to unduly rely upon these statements.

Overview

We are a clinical-stage fully integrated oncology company built on a foundation of drug discovery excellence to deliver novel precision cancer medicines to underserved patients. By leveraging our core competencies in cancer biology and medicinal chemistry, combined with our target class- and technology platform-agnostic approach, we have built an efficient, fully-integrated drug discovery engine to identify compelling biological targets and create new chemical entities, or NCEs, that we rapidly advance into clinical trials. We believe our approach could result in better targeted cancer therapies. Our discovery excellence has been validated by our rapid progress in creating a wholly-owned, internally developed pipeline. Since our inception in 2016, we have received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or the FDA, for six investigational new drug applications, or INDs, and successfully advanced these programs into clinical trials. In addition, we have two unique programs in various stages of preclinical development that we plan to advance into clinical development in 2022.

By focusing on developing agents using broad mechanisms that have multiple links to oncogenic driver pathways in select patients, we have developed a diverse pipeline consisting of six distinct programs spanning methyltransferases, kinases, protein-protein interactions and targeted protein degraders. Our pipeline is geared towards serving patients with high unmet medical need where there are limited or no treatment options. We believe we can best address these diseases by developing therapies that target primary and secondary resistance mechanisms.

We have advanced four candidates in clinical trials and intend to file two INDs in the second half of 2022.

We have two clinical candidates that are designed to be oral, potent and selective inhibitors of protein arginine methyltransferase 5, or PRMT5. The potency and selectivity of our product candidates is supported by preclinical data demonstrating nanomolar inhibition of PRMT5 and no inhibition of related enzymes at 1,000 times higher concentration of our product candidates. Our PRMT5 candidates are currently being studied in Phase 1 clinical trials in solid tumors and myeloid malignancies.  

Based on data from the ongoing Phase 1 dose expansion studies of our PRMT5 candidates, we are concentrating our further development efforts on our PRT811 candidate in biomarker-selected patients in specific cancer types. PRT811 was selected based on its superior safety profile, higher level of target engagement, and unique brain penetrant properties.

Specifically, for the PRMT5 program, we intend to:

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PRT1419, our next clinical candidate, is designed to be a potent and selective inhibitor of the anti-apoptotic protein, MCL1. The potency and selectivity of PRT1419 is supported by preclinical data demonstrating nanomolar inhibition of MCL1 and no inhibition of related enzymes at 200 times higher concentration of our product candidate. We have begun enrolling patients with hematologic malignancies, including patients with myelodysplastic syndrome, or MDS, acute myeloid leukemia, or AML, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, or NHL, and multiple myeloma, or MM, into the Phase 1 clinical trial for the oral formulation of PRT1419. The dose escalation portion of the Phase 1 trial of both oral formulation and the IV formulation, which leverages the optimized physicochemical properties of PRT1419, are underway in patients with solid tumors and hematologic tumors.

Based on the data to date, we have prioritized development of the IV formulation of PRT1419 which demonstrated a desirable pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamic and safety profile with potential for differentiation from competitor compounds. We intend to evaluate combinations with PRT1419 by mid-year, with the goal of establishing safety, clinical activity and a recommended Phase 2 dose in the second half of 2022.

PRT2527 is designed to be a potent and selective Cyclin-dependent kinase 9, or CDK9, inhibitor. In preclinical studies, PRT2527 was shown to reduce MCL1 and MYC protein levels and was highly active in preclinical models at well-tolerated doses. PRT2527 has demonstrated high potency and kinase selectivity which may offer improved efficacy and safety compared to less selective CDK9 inhibitors. Preclinical data demonstrated that treatment with PRT2527 depleted oncogenic drivers with short half-lives, such as MYC and MCL1, and effectively induced apoptosis. PRT2527 treatment demonstrated robust efficacy in both hematological malignancies and solid tumor models with MYC dysregulation. A phase one trial is underway evaluating escalating IV doses of PRT2527 as a monotherapy in patients with selected solid tumors, including sarcoma, prostate cancer, lung cancer, and other cancers with genomic alterations that lead to MYC dependence. We anticipate completing enrollment in the Phase 1 dose escalation study of PRT2527 with the goal of identifying a recommended Phase 2 dose in the second half of 2022.

In addition to our four clinical stage candidates, we are advancing two new preclinical programs. Our most advanced preclinical program has led to the identification of PRT3645, a brain penetrant molecule that potently and selectively targets CDK4/6. IND-enabling studies for PRT3645 are ongoing and we intend to complete IND-enabling studies, file an IND and initiate a Phase 1 clinical trial in the second half of 2022. Our second pre-clinical program targets Brahma homologue, or BRM, otherwise known as SMARCA2. We have identified SMARCA2 protein degraders that appear to be potent based on preclinical data demonstrating degradation of SMARCA2 at sub-nanomolar concentrations. Optimization of the lead compound, PRT-SCA2, is progressing, and we intend to complete IND-enabling studies and submit an IND application by year-end 2022.

We were incorporated in February 2016 under the laws of the State of Delaware. Since inception, we have devoted substantially all of our resources to developing product and technology rights, conducting research and development, organizing and staffing our company, business planning and raising capital. We have incurred recurring losses, the majority of which are attributable to research and development activities, and negative cash flows from operations. We have funded our operations primarily through the sale of convertible preferred stock and common stock. Our net loss was $29.5 million and $21.3 million for the three months ended March 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively. As of March 31, 2022, we had an accumulated deficit of $248.6 million. Our primary use of cash is to fund operating expenses, which consist primarily of research and development expenditures, and to a lesser extent, general and administrative expenditures. Our ability to generate product revenue sufficient to achieve profitability will depend heavily on the successful development and eventual commercialization of one or more of our current or future product candidates. We expect to continue to incur significant expenses and operating losses for the foreseeable future as we advance our product candidates through all stages of development and clinical trials and, ultimately, seek regulatory approval. In addition, if we obtain marketing approval for any of our product candidates, we expect to incur significant commercialization expenses related to product manufacturing, marketing, sales and distribution. Furthermore, we expect to incur additional costs associated with operating as a public company, including significant legal, accounting, investor relations and other expenses that we did not incur as a private company. Our net losses may fluctuate significantly from quarter-to-quarter and year-to-year, depending on the timing of our clinical trials and our expenditures on other research and development activities.

We will need to raise substantial additional capital to support our continuing operations and pursue our growth strategy. Until such time as we can generate significant revenue from product sales, if ever, we plan to finance our operations through the sale of equity, debt financings or other capital sources, which may include collaborations with other companies or other strategic transactions. There are no assurances that we will be successful in obtaining an adequate level of financing as and when needed to finance our operations on terms acceptable to us or at all. Any failure to raise capital as and when needed could have a negative impact on our financial condition and on our ability to pursue our business plans and strategies. If we are unable to secure adequate additional funding, we may have to significantly delay, scale back or discontinue the development and commercialization of one or more product candidates or delay our pursuit of potential in-licenses or acquisitions.

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As of March 31, 2022, we had $266.2 million in cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities. We expect our existing cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities will enable us to fund our operating expense and capital expenditures into the second half of 2024.

COVID-19 Impact

We are continuing to proactively monitor and assess the COVID-19 pandemic. Since early March 2020 we have been monitoring the potential impact on our business that may result from this rapidly evolving crisis and to avoid any unnecessary potential delays to our programs. At this time, our lead programs and research activities remain on track. The safety and well-being of employees, patients and partners is our highest priority. See the Risk Factor “The COVID-19 pandemic could adversely impact our business, including our clinical trials and clinical trial operations” in Part II, Item 1A. “Risk Factors” below.

Components of Results of Operations

Revenue

To date, we have not recognized any revenue from any sources, including from product sales, and we do not expect to generate any revenue from the sale of products in the foreseeable future. If our development efforts for our product candidates are successful and result in regulatory approval, or license agreements with third parties, we may generate revenue in the future from product sales. However, there can be no assurance as to when we will generate such revenue, if at all.

Operating Expenses

Research and Development Expenses

Research and development expenses consist primarily of costs incurred in connection with the discovery and development of our product candidates. We expense research and development costs as incurred, including:

We track outsourced development costs and other external research and development costs to specific product candidates on a program-by-program basis, fees paid to CROs, CMOs and research laboratories in connection with our preclinical development, process development, manufacturing and clinical development activities. However, we do not track our internal research and development expenses on a program-by-program basis as they primarily relate to compensation, early research and other costs which are deployed across multiple projects under development.

Research and development activities are central to our business model. Product candidates in later stages of clinical development generally have higher development costs than those in earlier stages of clinical development, primarily due to the increased size and duration of later-stage clinical trials. We expect our research and development expenses to increase significantly over the next several years as we increase personnel costs, including stock-based compensation, conduct our clinical trials, including later-stage clinical trials, for current and future product candidates and prepare regulatory filings for our product candidates.

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General and Administrative Expenses

General and administrative expenses consist primarily of personnel expenses, including salaries, benefits and stock-based compensation expense, for employees and consultants in executive, finance and accounting, legal, operations support, information technology and human resource functions. General and administrative expense also includes corporate facility costs not otherwise included in research and development expense, including rent, utilities, depreciation and maintenance, as well as legal fees related to intellectual property and corporate matters and fees for accounting and consulting services.

We expect that our general and administrative expense will increase in the future to support our continued research and development activities and potential commercialization efforts. These increases will likely include increased costs related to the hiring of additional personnel and fees to outside consultants, legal support and accountants, among other expenses. If any of our current or future product candidates obtains U.S. regulatory approval, we expect that we would incur significantly increased expenses associated with building a sales and marketing team.

Other Income, Net

Other income, net consists primarily of interest earned on our cash equivalents and marketable securities and grant income received from the State of Delaware. We anticipate re-applying for the grant from the State of Delaware from time to time as long as we maintain qualifying headcount levels in the State of Delaware.

Income Taxes

Since our inception, we have not recorded any income tax benefits for the net operating losses, or NOLs, we have incurred or for our research and development tax credits, as we believe, based upon the weight of available evidence, that it is more likely than not that all of our NOLs and tax credits will not be realized.

Results of Operations

Comparison of the Three Months Ended March 31, 2022 and 2020

The following table sets forth our results of operations for the three months ended March 31, 2022 and 2021.

Research and Development Expenses

Research and development expenses increased by $6.4 million to $22.8 million for the three months ended March 31, 2022 from $16.5 million for the three months ended March 31, 2021. Included in research and development expenses for the quarter ended March 31, 2022, was $3.2 million of non-cash expense related to stock-based compensation expense, including employee stock options, compared to $1.8 million for the three months ended March 31, 2021. The increase in research and development expense was primarily due to an increase in discovery-stage program expenses and from the growth and advancement of our clinical pipeline. Our chemistry, manufacturing and other costs for the trials also increased. We track our external research and development expenses on a program-by-program basis, such as fees paid to CROs, CMOs and research laboratories in connection with our pre-clinical development, process development, manufacturing and clinical development activities. However, we do not track our internal research and development expenses on a program-by-program basis as they primarily relate to compensation, early research and other costs which are deployed across multiple projects under development.

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Research and development expenses by program are summarized in the table below:

General and Administrative Expenses

General and administrative expenses increased by $2.0 million to $7.5 million for the three months ended March 31, 2022 from $5.5 million for the three months ended March 31, 2021. Included in the general and administrative expenses for the quarter ended March 31, 2022, was $3.6 million of non-cash expense related to stock-based compensation expense, including employee stock options, as compared to $2.0 million for the same period in 2021. The increase in general and administrative expense was primarily due to an increase in non-cash stock-based compensation expense along with professional fees as we expanded our operations to support our research and development efforts.

Other Income, net

Other income, net increased by $0.2 million to $0.8 million for the three months ended March 31, 2022 from $0.7 million for the three months ended March 31, 2021, primarily due to the receipt and recognition of research and development tax credits from the State of Delaware during 2022, as well as interest earned on the investment of our cash proceeds.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Overview

Since our inception, we have not recognized any revenue and have incurred operating losses and negative cash flows from our operations. We have not yet commercialized any product and we do not expect to generate revenue from sales of any products for several years, if at all. Since our inception, we have funded our operations through the sale of convertible preferred stock and common stock. As of March 31, 2022, we had $266.2 million in cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities and had an accumulated deficit of $248.6 million. We expect our existing cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities to enable us to fund our operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements into the second half of 2024. We have based these estimates on assumptions that may prove to be imprecise, and we could utilize our available capital resources sooner than we expect.

Funding Requirements

Our primary use of cash is to fund operating expenses, primarily research and development expenditures. Cash used to fund operating expenses is impacted by the timing of when we pay these expenses, as reflected in the change in our outstanding accounts payable, accrued expenses and prepaid expenses.

Because of the numerous risks and uncertainties associated with research, development and commercialization of pharmaceutical products, we are unable to estimate the exact amount of our operating capital requirements. Our future funding requirements will depend on many factors, including, but not limited to:

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We will need additional funds to meet operational needs and capital requirements for clinical trials, other research and development expenditures, and business development activities. We currently have no credit facility or committed sources of capital. Because of the numerous risks and uncertainties associated with the development and commercialization of our product candidates, we are unable to estimate the amounts of increased capital outlays and operating expenditures associated with our current and anticipated clinical studies.

Until such time, if ever, as we can generate substantial product revenue, we expect to finance our operations through a combination of equity offerings, debt financings, collaborations, strategic alliances and marketing, distribution or licensing arrangements. To the extent that we raise additional capital through the sale of equity or convertible debt securities, ownership interests will be diluted, and the terms of these securities may include liquidation or other preferences that adversely affect the rights of common stockholders. Debt financing and preferred equity financing, if available, may involve agreements that include covenants limiting or restricting our ability to take specific actions, such as incurring additional debt, making acquisitions or capital expenditures or declaring dividends. If we raise additional funds through collaborations, strategic alliances or marketing, distribution or licensing arrangements with third parties, we may have to relinquish valuable rights to our technologies, future revenue streams, research programs or product candidates, or grant licenses on terms that may not be favorable to us. If we are unable to raise additional funds through equity or debt financings or other arrangements when needed, we may be required to delay, limit, reduce or terminate our research, product development or future commercialization efforts, or grant rights to develop and market product candidates that we would otherwise prefer to develop and market ourselves.

Cash Flows

The following table shows a summary of our cash flows for the periods indicated:

Operating Activities

During the three months ended March 31, 2022, we used $21.9 million of cash in operating activities. Cash used in operating activities reflected our net loss of $29.5 million and a $0.7 million net increase in our operating assets and liabilities, offset by noncash charges of $8.3 million, which consisted of $6.8 million in stock-based compensation, $0.7 million in amortization of premiums and discounts on marketable securities, $0.4 million noncash lease expense, and $0.3 million in depreciation. The primary use of cash was to fund our operations related to the development of our product candidates.

During the three months ended March 31, 2021, we used $16.1 million of cash in operating activities. Cash used in operating activities reflected our net loss of $21.3 million, offset by a $0.8 million net decrease in our operating assets and liabilities and noncash charges of $4.3 million, which consisted of $0.2 million in depreciation and $3.9 million in stock-based compensation. The primary use of cash was to fund our operations related to the development of our product candidates.

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Investing Activities

During the three months ended March 31, 2022, net cash provided by investing activities consisted primarily of $42.5 million in proceeds from maturities of marketable securities. During the three months ended March 31, 2021 we used $1.0 million of cash for the purchase of property and equipment.

Financing Activities

During the three months ended March 31, 2022, financing activities provided $0.2 million from the exercise of stock options. During the three months ended March 31, 2021, financing activities provided $161.8 million, which reflected the receipt of net cash of $161.4 million from the sale of common stock as well as the receipt of $0.4 million from the exercise of stock options.

Critical Accounting Policies

During the three months ended March 31, 2022, there were no material changes to our critical accounting policies and estimates from those described under the heading “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations-Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 17, 2022.

JOBS Act Accounting Election

We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012, or the JOBS Act. Under the JOBS Act, emerging growth companies can delay adopting new or revised accounting standards issued subsequent to the enactment of the JOBS Act until such time as those standards apply to private companies.

We have elected to use this extended transition period for complying with new or revised accounting standards that have different effective dates for public and private companies until the earlier of the date we (i) are no longer an emerging growth company or (ii) affirmatively and irrevocably opt out of the extended transition period provided in the JOBS Act. As a result, our financial statements may not be comparable to companies that comply with new or revised accounting pronouncements as of public company effective dates.

We will remain an emerging growth company until the earliest of (1) the last day of our first fiscal year (a) in which we have total annual gross revenues of at least $1.07 billion, or (b) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our common stock that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700.0 million as of the prior June 30^th, (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt securities during the prior three-year period and (3) December 31, 2025.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

See Note 3 to our interim financial statements included elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for a description of recent accounting pronouncements applicable to our financial statements.

Emerging Growth Company and Smaller Reporting Company Status

In April 2012, the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012, or the JOBS Act, was enacted. Section 107 of the JOBS Act provides that an “emerging growth company” can take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, for complying with new or revised accounting standards. Thus, an emerging growth company can delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We have elected to avail ourselves of this exemption from complying with new or revised accounting standards and, therefore, will not be subject to the same new or revised accounting standards as other public companies that are not emerging growth companies. As a result, our financial statements may not be comparable to companies that comply with new or revised accounting pronouncements as of public company effective dates.

Subject to certain conditions, as an emerging growth company, we may rely on certain other exemptions and reduced reporting requirements, including without limitation, exemption to the requirements for providing an auditor’s attestation report on our system of internal controls over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. We will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier to occur of (a) the last day of the fiscal year (i) following the fifth anniversary of the completion of our IPO, (ii) in which we have total annual gross revenues of at least $1.07 billion or (iii) in which we are deemed to be a “large accelerated filer” under the rules of the SEC, which means the market value of our common stock that is held by non-affiliates

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exceeds $700.0 million as of the prior June 30th, or (b) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt during the prior three-year period.

We are also a “smaller reporting company,” meaning that the market value of our stock held by non-affiliates is less than $700.0 million and our annual revenue is less than $100.0 million during the most recently completed fiscal year. We may continue to be a smaller reporting company after if either (i) the market value of our stock held by non-affiliates is less than $250.0 million or (ii) our annual revenue is less than $100.0 million during the most recently completed fiscal year and the market value of our stock held by non-affiliates is less than $700.0 million. If we are a smaller reporting company at the time we cease to be an emerging growth company, we may continue to rely on exemptions from certain disclosure requirements that are available to smaller reporting companies. Specifically, as a smaller reporting company we may choose to present only the two most recent fiscal years of audited financial statements in our Annual Report on Form 10-K and, similar to emerging growth companies, smaller reporting companies have reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation.

Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk.

We are a smaller reporting company as defined by Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act and are not required to provide the information required under this item.

Item 4. Controls and Procedures.

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedure

As of March 31, 2022, management, with the participation of our Principal Executive Officer and Principal Financial and Accounting Officer, performed an evaluation of the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act. Our disclosure controls and procedures are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in the reports we file or submit under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized, and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms, and that such information is accumulated and communicated to our management, including the Principal Executive Officer and the Principal Financial and Accounting Officer, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosures. Any controls and procedures, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable assurance of achieving the desired control objective and management necessarily applies its judgment in evaluating the cost-benefit relationship of possible controls and procedures. Based on this evaluation, our Principal Executive Officer and Principal Financial and Accounting Officer concluded that, as of March 31, 2022, the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures were effective at a reasonable assurance level.

Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting

Management determined that, as of March 31, 2022, there were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the fiscal quarter then ended that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

Item 1. Legal Proceedings.

From time to time, we may be involved in legal proceedings arising in the ordinary course of our business. In addition, we may receive letters alleging infringement of patents or other intellectual property rights. We are not presently a party to any legal proceedings that, in the opinion of management, would have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results, cash flows or financial conditions should such litigation be resolved unfavorably. Regardless of outcome, litigation can have an adverse impact on us due to defense and settlement costs, diversion of management resources, negative publicity and reputational harm, and other factors.

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Item 1A. Risk Factors

RISK FACTORS

Investing in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. Before making your decision to invest in shares of our common stock, you should carefully consider the risks and uncertainties described below, together with the other information contained in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, including our financial statements and the related notes and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations”. The risks and uncertainties described below are not the only ones we face. Additional risks and uncertainties that we are unaware of, or that we currently believe are not material, may also become important factors that affect us. We cannot assure you that any of the events discussed below will not occur. These events could have a material and adverse impact on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. If that were to happen, the trading price of our common stock could decline, and you could lose all or part of your investment.

Summary of Risk Factors

Our business is subject to several risks and uncertainties, including those immediately following this summary. Some of these risks are:

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Risks Related to Our Financial Position and Need for Capital

We have a limited operating history, which may make it difficult to evaluate the success of our business to date and to assess our future viability. We have incurred significant operating losses since our inception and have not generated any revenue. We expect to incur continued losses for the foreseeable future and may never achieve or maintain profitability.

Investment in drug development is a highly speculative undertaking and involves a substantial degree of risk. We commenced operations in 2016 and are a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company with a limited operating history. We have not yet