10-K
2035-12-3100false0001720580--12-31FY2037-12-31http://fasb.org/us-gaap/2024#PropertyPlantAndEquipmentNet0001720580acet:BancOfCaliforniaMember2023-05-300001720580acet:RegeneronPharmaceuticalsIncorporationMember2022-01-282022-01-280001720580acet:WestportOfficeParkLlcMember2023-09-010001720580us-gaap:USTreasurySecuritiesMemberus-gaap:FairValueMeasurementsRecurringMember2023-12-310001720580acet:BlackScholesOptionPricingModelMember2024-01-012024-12-310001720580acet:BancOfCaliforniaMembersrt:MaximumMember2024-04-300001720580acet:CaliforniaResearchAndDevelopmentMember2024-12-310001720580us-gaap:ForeignCountryMember2024-12-310001720580acet:OptionsAvailableForFutureGrantsMember2024-12-3100017205802022-12-310001720580us-gaap:LeaseholdImprovementsMember2023-12-310001720580acet:CommonStockWarrantsMember2023-12-310001720580us-gaap:MoneyMarketFundsMemberus-gaap:FairValueInputsLevel1Memberus-gaap:FairValueMeasurementsRecurringMember2024-12-310001720580us-gaap:CommonStockMember2023-12-310001720580us-gaap:AdditionalPaidInCapitalMember2024-12-310001720580us-gaap:FairValueInputsLevel3Memberus-gaap:FairValueMeasurementsRecurringMember2023-12-3100017205802019-01-012019-12-310001720580us-gaap:AccumulatedOtherComprehensiveIncomeMember2024-01-012024-12-310001720580us-gaap:EmployeeStockOptionMember2024-12-310001720580us-gaap:FairValueInputsLevel3Memberus-gaap:MoneyMarketFundsMemberus-gaap:FairValueMeasurementsRecurringMember2024-12-310001720580acet:RedwoodCityLeaseAgreementMember2024-12-310001720580us-gaap:USTreasurySecuritiesMember2024-12-310001720580us-gaap:AccumulatedOtherComprehensiveIncomeMember2024-12-310001720580us-gaap:RetainedEarningsMember2023-12-310001720580us-gaap:USTreasurySecuritiesMemberus-gaap:FairValueInputsLevel1Memberus-gaap:FairValueMeasurementsRecurringMember2024-12-310001720580us-gaap:ComputerEquipmentMember2024-12-310001720580us-gaap:StateAndLocalJurisdictionMember2024-12-310001720580us-gaap:RetainedEarningsMember2024-01-012024-12-310001720580acet:SalesAgreementMember2022-08-312022-08-3100017205802024-01-222024-01-220001720580us-gaap:ResearchAndDevelopmentExpenseMember2024-01-012024-12-310001720580us-gaap:CommonStockMember2023-01-012023-12-310001720580acet:AdicetVieMember2024-12-310001720580us-gaap:CommonStockMember2024-12-310001720580us-gaap:FurnitureAndFixturesMember2024-12-310001720580acet:ADITwoSevenZeroExpensesMember2023-01-012023-12-310001720580acet:ADIZeroZeroOneExpensesMember2023-01-012023-12-310001720580acet:CommonStockWarrantsMember2024-12-310001720580us-gaap:StateAndLocalJurisdictionMember2023-01-012023-12-310001720580acet:EmployeeStockPurchasePlanMember2024-01-012024-12-310001720580us-gaap:AdditionalPaidInCapitalMember2024-01-012024-12-310001720580acet:BancOfCaliforniaMember2020-04-280001720580us-gaap:CommonStockMember2024-01-012024-12-310001720580acet:RegeneronPharmaceuticalsIncorporationMember2022-01-012022-12-310001720580us-gaap:ConstructionInProgressMember2023-12-3100017205802024-01-232024-01-230001720580us-gaap:FurnitureAndFixturesMember2023-12-310001720580us-gaap:ResearchAndDevelopmentExpenseMember2023-01-012023-12-310001720580us-gaap:LeaseholdImprovementsMember2024-12-310001720580acet:RegeneronPharmaceuticalsIncorporationMember2024-12-310001720580us-gaap:FairValueInputsLevel2Memberus-gaap:USTreasurySecuritiesMemberus-gaap:FairValueMeasurementsRecurringMember2024-12-310001720580acet:AdicetTherapeuticsIncMember2024-12-310001720580us-gaap:FairValueInputsLevel3Memberus-gaap:USTreasurySecuritiesMemberus-gaap:FairValueMeasurementsRecurringMember2024-12-310001720580srt:MaximumMember2024-01-012024-12-310001720580acet:LaboratoryEquipmentMember2024-12-310001720580srt:MinimumMember2024-01-012024-12-310001720580us-gaap:StockOptionMember2023-01-012023-12-310001720580us-gaap:FairValueMeasurementsRecurringMember2023-12-310001720580acet:RedwoodCityLeaseAgreementMember2023-12-310001720580acet:BancOfCaliforniaMember2024-11-272024-11-270001720580us-gaap:USTreasurySecuritiesMemberus-gaap:FairValueInputsLevel1Memberus-gaap:FairValueMeasurementsRecurringMember2023-12-310001720580acet:WestportOfficeParkLlcMember2023-01-092023-01-090001720580us-gaap:RestrictedStockUnitsRSUMember2024-01-012024-12-310001720580us-gaap:FairValueInputsLevel2Memberus-gaap:FairValueMeasurementsRecurringMember2023-12-310001720580us-gaap:GeneralAndAdministrativeExpenseMember2024-01-012024-12-3100017205802023-01-012023-09-300001720580us-gaap:SoftwareAndSoftwareDevelopmentCostsMember2024-12-310001720580us-gaap:RestrictedStockUnitsRSUMember2024-12-310001720580acet:BostonMember2023-12-310001720580acet:SalesAgreementMember2022-08-310001720580acet:ADIZeroZeroOneExpensesMember2024-01-012024-12-310001720580us-gaap:AdditionalPaidInCapitalMember2022-12-3100017205802021-07-190001720580us-gaap:ComputerEquipmentMember2023-12-310001720580acet:PreFundedWarrantMemberacet:JefferiesLlcMember2024-01-012024-01-310001720580acet:BancOfCaliforniaMembersrt:MinimumMember2020-04-280001720580us-gaap:FairValueInputsLevel1Memberus-gaap:FairValueMeasurementsRecurringMember2024-12-310001720580us-gaap:FairValueInputsLevel2Memberus-gaap:USTreasurySecuritiesMemberus-gaap:FairValueMeasurementsRecurringMember2023-12-3100017205802023-12-310001720580acet:PacificWesternBankMember2023-05-3000017205802024-10-012024-12-310001720580us-gaap:WarrantMember2024-12-310001720580acet:FederalAndStateResearchAndDevelopmentMember2024-12-310001720580us-gaap:AccountingStandardsUpdate201602Member2023-01-012023-12-310001720580acet:OtherProgramsExpensesMember2023-01-012023-12-310001720580us-gaap:RestrictedStockUnitsRSUMember2023-01-012023-12-310001720580us-gaap:AdditionalPaidInCapitalMember2023-12-310001720580acet:PreFundedWarrantMemberus-gaap:IPOMemberacet:JefferiesLlcMember2024-01-220001720580acet:COVID19Member2023-01-012023-12-3100017205802024-01-012024-12-310001720580us-gaap:StockOptionMember2024-01-012024-12-310001720580acet:BostonMember2024-12-310001720580us-gaap:GeneralAndAdministrativeExpenseMember2023-01-012023-12-310001720580us-gaap:RetainedEarningsMember2024-12-310001720580us-gaap:AccountingStandardsUpdate201602Member2024-01-012024-12-310001720580acet:OptionsAvailableForFutureGrantsMember2023-12-310001720580acet:PreFundedWarrantMemberacet:JefferiesLlcMember2024-01-220001720580acet:SalesAgreementMember2022-11-3000017205802023-08-082023-08-0800017205802023-01-012023-12-310001720580us-gaap:WarrantMember2024-01-012024-12-310001720580us-gaap:FairValueInputsLevel3Memberus-gaap:FairValueMeasurementsRecurringMember2024-12-310001720580acet:COVID19Member2024-01-012024-12-310001720580acet:RedwoodCityLeaseAgreementOneMember2024-12-310001720580acet:EmployeeStockPurchasePlanMember2023-01-012023-12-310001720580us-gaap:CommonStockMemberacet:JefferiesLlcMember2024-01-2200017205802024-01-2200017205802025-03-030001720580us-gaap:ConstructionInProgressMember2024-12-3100017205802024-12-310001720580us-gaap:IntellectualPropertyMember2024-12-310001720580acet:FrancescoGalimiMember2024-10-012024-12-310001720580acet:JefferiesLlcMember2024-01-220001720580acet:SalesAgreementMember2024-01-310001720580us-gaap:MoneyMarketFundsMemberus-gaap:FairValueInputsLevel2Memberus-gaap:FairValueMeasurementsRecurringMember2024-12-310001720580acet:LaboratoryEquipmentMember2023-12-310001720580us-gaap:AdditionalPaidInCapitalMember2023-01-012023-12-310001720580us-gaap:RetainedEarningsMember2023-01-012023-12-310001720580acet:RegeneronPharmaceuticalsIncorporationMember2024-01-012024-12-310001720580srt:MinimumMember2023-01-012023-12-310001720580acet:BancOfCaliforniaMembersrt:MaximumMember2020-04-280001720580us-gaap:FairValueInputsLevel2Memberus-gaap:FairValueMeasurementsRecurringMember2024-12-310001720580us-gaap:RestrictedStockUnitsRSUMember2023-12-310001720580acet:FrancescoGalimiMember2024-12-310001720580us-gaap:DomesticCountryMember2023-01-012023-12-310001720580us-gaap:EmployeeStockOptionMember2024-01-012024-12-310001720580us-gaap:WarrantMember2023-12-310001720580us-gaap:USTreasurySecuritiesMemberus-gaap:FairValueMeasurementsRecurringMember2024-12-310001720580acet:RedwoodCityLeaseAgreementMember2024-12-310001720580srt:MaximumMember2023-01-012023-12-310001720580us-gaap:SoftwareAndSoftwareDevelopmentCostsMember2023-12-310001720580acet:ADITwoSevenZeroExpensesMember2024-01-012024-12-310001720580us-gaap:EmployeeStockOptionMember2023-01-012023-12-310001720580us-gaap:CommonStockMember2024-01-220001720580us-gaap:EmployeeStockOptionMember2023-12-310001720580us-gaap:RetainedEarningsMember2022-12-310001720580srt:MaximumMemberacet:SalesAgreementMember2021-03-122021-03-120001720580acet:BancOfCaliforniaMember2024-12-310001720580us-gaap:EquipmentMember2024-12-3100017205802020-01-012020-12-310001720580us-gaap:EmployeeStockOptionMember2024-12-3100017205802024-06-300001720580acet:SalesAgreementMember2022-11-012022-11-300001720580us-gaap:FairValueMeasurementsRecurringMember2024-12-310001720580acet:AdicetVieMember2024-01-012024-12-310001720580acet:BostonMember2024-12-310001720580us-gaap:DomesticCountryMember2024-12-310001720580acet:BancOfCaliforniaMember2023-03-130001720580us-gaap:CommonStockMember2022-12-310001720580acet:OtherProgramsExpensesMember2024-01-012024-12-310001720580us-gaap:FairValueInputsLevel1Memberus-gaap:FairValueMeasurementsRecurringMember2023-12-310001720580us-gaap:MoneyMarketFundsMemberus-gaap:FairValueMeasurementsRecurringMember2024-12-310001720580acet:CorporateCreditCardServicesMember2024-12-310001720580us-gaap:FairValueInputsLevel3Memberus-gaap:USTreasurySecuritiesMemberus-gaap:FairValueMeasurementsRecurringMember2023-12-31xbrli:pureutr:sqftxbrli:sharesacet:Segmentiso4217:USDxbrli:sharesiso4217:USD

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

FORM 10-K

 

(Mark One)

 

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

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024

OR

 

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

For the transition period from to

Commission File No. 001-38359

 

Adicet Bio, Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

 

Delaware

 

81-3305277

(State or other jurisdiction of

incorporation or organization)

 

(I.R.S. Employer

Identification No.)

131 Dartmouth Street, 3rd Floor

Boston, MA 02116

(650) 503-9095

(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of registrant’s principal executive offices)

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

 

Title of each class

Trading Symbol(s)

Name of each exchange on which registered

Common Stock, par value $0.0001 per share

ACET

The Nasdaq Global Market

 

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

None

 

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. ☐ Yes ☒ No

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Act. ☐ Yes ☒ No

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.

 

Large accelerated filer

 

Accelerated filer

Non-accelerated filer

 

 

Smaller reporting company

 

 

 

 

Emerging growth company

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 has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report.

If securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements.

Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any of the registrant’s executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to §240.10D-1(b). ☐

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

As of June 30, 2024, the aggregate market value of the registrant’s voting and non-voting common stock held by non-affiliates was approximately $84.4 million based on a closing price of $1.21 per share as quoted by The Nasdaq Global Market on June 28, 2024. In determining the market value of non-affiliate common stock, shares of the registrant’s common stock beneficially owned by officers, directors and affiliates have been excluded. This determination of affiliate status is not necessarily a conclusive determination for other purposes.

As of March 3, 2025, there were 82,685,750 shares of common stock, $0.0001 par value per share, outstanding.

 

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Part III of this Annual Report on Form 10-K incorporates by reference certain information from the registrant’s definitive Proxy Statement for its 2025 annual meeting of shareholders, scheduled to be held on June 11, 2025, which the registrant intends to file pursuant to Regulation 14A with the Securities and Exchange Commission not later than 120 days after the registrant’s fiscal year end of December 31, 2024. Except with respect to information specifically incorporated by reference in this Form 10-K, the Proxy Statement is not deemed to be filed as part of this Form 10-K.

 

 


 

Summary of the Material and Other Risks Associated with Our Business

 

We have a limited operating history and face significant challenges and expenses as we build our capabilities.
Our business is highly dependent on the success of ADI-001 and ADI-270. If we are unable to obtain regulatory approval for ADI-001 or ADI-270 in one or more indications and effectively commercialize these product candidates for the treatment of patients in indications for which we receive approval (if any), our business would be significantly harmed.
Our gamma delta T cell candidates represent a novel approach to the treatment of autoimmune diseases and cancer indications that creates significant challenges for us.
Our product candidates are based on novel technologies, which makes it difficult to predict the likely success of such product candidates and the time and cost of product candidate development and obtaining regulatory approval.
Our clinical trials may fail to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of any of our product candidates, which would prevent or delay regulatory approval and commercialization.
We may not be able to file Investigational New Drug (IND) applications to commence additional clinical trials on the timelines we expect, and even if we are able to, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) may not permit us to proceed.
We may encounter substantial delays in our clinical trials, or may not be able to conduct our trials on the timelines we expect.
The market opportunities for our product candidates may be limited to those patients who are ineligible for or have failed prior treatments and may be small.
Although we have commenced manufacturing operations at our manufacturing facility, we currently depend on the ability of our third-party suppliers and manufacturers with whom we contract to perform adequately, particularly with respect to the timely production and delivery of our product candidates, including ADI-001. This reliance on third parties increases the risk that we will not have sufficient quantities of our product candidates or products or such quantities at an acceptable cost, which could delay, prevent or impair our development or commercialization efforts.
We are highly dependent on our key personnel, and if we are not successful in attracting and retaining highly qualified personnel, we may not be able to successfully implement our business strategy.
We will need substantial additional financing to develop our product candidates and implement our operating plans. If we fail to obtain additional financing, we may be unable to complete the development and commercialization of our product candidates.
The pharmaceutical industry in China is highly regulated and such regulations, including the Foreign Investment Law and the “negative list,” are subject to change which may affect development, approval and commercialization of our product candidates.
The uncertainties in the People’s Republic of China’s legal system regarding the Foreign Investment Law may subject our contractual arrangements to different interpretations or enforcement challenges, or subject us to severe penalties or force us to relinquish our interests in our operations.
Business disruptions, including armed conflicts, could substantially delay our clinical trials or seriously harm our future revenue and financial condition and increase our costs and expenses.
A variety of risks associated with conducting research and clinical trials abroad and marketing our product candidates internationally could materially adversely affect our business.
Global conflicts may increase the likelihood of supply interruptions which could impact our ability to find the materials we need to make our product candidates.
We have in the past failed and may in the future fail to achieve and maintain effective internal control over financial reporting, which could harm our business and negatively impact the value of our common stock.
If our collaboration with Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Regeneron) is terminated, or if Regeneron materially breaches its obligations thereunder, our business, prospects, operating results, and financial condition would be materially harmed.
The FDA regulatory approval process is lengthy and time-consuming, and we may experience significant delays in the clinical development and regulatory approval of our product candidates.

i


 

If our efforts to protect the proprietary nature of the intellectual property related to our technologies are not adequate, we may not be able to compete effectively in our market.
We depend on intellectual property licensed from third parties and termination of any of these licenses could result in the loss of significant rights, which would harm our business.
The trading price of our common stock is highly volatile, which could result in substantial losses for purchasers of our common stock. Securities class action or other litigation involving our company or members of our management team could also substantially harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Unstable market and economic conditions may have serious adverse consequences on our business, financial condition and stock price.

ii


 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

 

 

 

Page

SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

 

3

 

 

 

 

 

PART I

 

 

 

5

Item 1.

 

Business

 

5

Item 1A.

 

Risk Factors

 

36

Item 1B.

 

Unresolved Staff Comments

 

93

Item 1C.

 

Cybersecurity

 

93

Item 2.

 

Properties

 

93

Item 3.

 

Legal Proceedings

 

94

Item 4.

 

Mine Safety Disclosures

 

94

 

 

 

 

PART II

 

 

 

95

Item 5.

 

Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of
Equity Securities

 

95

Item 6.

 

[Reserved]

 

95

Item 7.

 

Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

 

96

Item 7A.

 

Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

 

105

Item 8.

 

Financial Statements and Supplementary Data

 

106

Item 9.

 

Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure

 

106

Item 9A.

 

Controls and Procedures

 

106

Item 9B.

 

Other Information

 

107

Item 9C.

 

Disclosure Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions That Prevent Inspections

 

107

 

 

 

 

PART III

 

 

 

108

Item 10.

 

Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance

 

108

Item 11.

 

Executive Compensation

 

114

Item 12.

 

Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters

 

125

Item 13.

 

Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence

 

129

Item 14.

 

Principal Accountant Fees and Services

 

131

 

 

 

 

PART IV

 

 

 

133

Item 15.

 

Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules

 

133

Item 16.

 

Form 10-K Summary

 

136

 

iii


 

 

SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS AND INDUSTRY DATA

This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains forward-looking statements that involve substantial risks and uncertainties. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, including statements regarding our strategy, future operations, future financial position, future revenue, projected costs, prospects, plans and objectives of management and expected market growth are forward-looking statements. The words “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “target,” “would” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words.

These forward-looking statements include, among other things, statements about:

the timing of and our ability to execute our clinical trials for ADI-001 in autoimmune indications, including the ability to successfully complete our Phase 1 clinical trial in lupus nephritis (LN) and initiate Phase 1 clinical trials in lupus erythematosus (SLE), systemic sclerosis (SSc), antineutrophil cytoplasmic autoantibody associated vasculitis (AAV), idiopathic inflammatory myopathy (IIM) and stiff person syndrome (SPS);
our expectations regarding our additional internal gamma delta T cell therapy programs in clinical and preclinical development, including ADI-270, and our ability to develop other product candidates in our research pipeline;
our expectations regarding site activation and enrollment for and the availability, timing and announcement of data from our Phase 1 clinical trials for ADI-001 and ADI-270;
our expectations for ADI-270 as a treatment for renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and other CD70+ solid tumor and hematological malignancies;
our expectations regarding discussions with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) of a potential path to support Biologics License Applications (BLA) and Marketing Authorization Applications (MAA) for our product candidates;
the anticipated timing of our submission of Investigational New Drug (IND) applications or equivalent regulatory filings and initiation of future clinical trials, including the timing of the anticipated results;
our expectations regarding the impact of unstable market and economic conditions, including impacts of inflation and adverse developments affecting the financial services industry, on our business, results of operations or financial conditions;
the timing of and our ability to obtain and maintain regulatory approvals for our product candidates;
the rate and degree of acceptance and clinical utility of any products for which we receive regulatory approval;
our expectations regarding the manufacturing of our product candidates and any products for which we receive regulatory approval by us or by our third-party suppliers;
our commercialization, marketing and manufacturing capabilities and strategy;
our intellectual property position and strategy;
our ability to identify additional product candidates with significant commercial potential;
our plans to enter into collaborations for the development and commercialization of product candidates;
the potential benefits of any current and future collaboration;
our research and development activities outside of the United States, including in China, and related contractual relationships;
our ability to contract with third-party suppliers and manufacturers and their ability to perform adequately;
the success of competing therapies that are or may become available;
developments relating to our competitors and our industry;
our ability to retain the continued service of our key professionals and to identify, hire, and retain additional qualified professionals;
our financial performance;

3


 

our expectations related to the use of cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments;
our estimates regarding expenses, future revenue, capital requirements and needs for additional financing;
our ability to maintain effective internal control over financial reporting;
the impact of government laws and regulations; and
other risks and uncertainties, including those listed under the caption “Risk Factors.”

We may not actually achieve the plans, intentions or expectations disclosed in our forward-looking statements, and you should not place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements. Actual results or events could differ materially from the plans, intentions and expectations disclosed in the forward-looking statements we make. We have included important factors in the cautionary statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, particularly in the “Risk Factors” section, that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from the forward-looking statements that we make. Our forward-looking statements do not reflect the potential impact of any future acquisitions, mergers, dispositions, collaborations, joint ventures or investments that we may make or enter into.

You should read this Annual Report on Form 10-K and the documents that we reference herein and have filed or incorporated by reference as exhibits hereto completely and with the understanding that our actual future results may be materially different from what we expect. We do not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

This Annual Report on Form 10-K includes statistical and other industry and market data that we obtained from industry publications and research, surveys and studies conducted by third parties. Industry publications and third-party research, surveys and studies generally indicate that their information has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, although they do not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of such information. We are responsible for all of the disclosure contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, and we believe these industry publications and third-party research, surveys and studies are reliable.

 

4


 

PART I

All brand names or trademarks appearing in this report are the property of their respective owners. Unless the context requires otherwise, references in this report to “Adicet Bio,” “Adicet,” the “Company,” “we,” “us” and “our” refer to Adicet Bio, Inc. and its subsidiaries, as applicable.

Item 1. Business.

Overview

We are a clinical stage biotechnology company discovering and developing allogeneic gamma delta T cell therapies for autoimmune diseases and cancer. We are advancing a pipeline of “off-the-shelf” gamma delta T cells, engineered with chimeric antigen receptors (CARs), to facilitate durable activity in patients.

Our approach to activate, engineer and manufacture allogeneic gamma delta T cell product candidates derived from the peripheral blood cells of unrelated donors allows us to generate new product candidates in a rapid and cost-efficient manner. Our allogeneic "off-the-shelf" manufacturing process is designed to allow product from unrelated donors to be stored and sold on demand to treat patients without inducing a graft versus host immune response. This is in contrast to products based on alpha beta T cells, which either must be manufactured for each patient from his or her own T cells, or require significant gene editing to manufacture if the T cells are derived from donors that are unrelated to the patient.

Our lead product candidate, ADI-001, a first-in-class allogeneic gamma delta T cell therapy expressing a CAR targeting CD20, is being developed for the potential treatment of autoimmune diseases. We are also pursuing ADI-270, an armored gamma delta CAR T cell product candidate designed to address multiple CD70+ solid tumor and hematological malignancies indications, with renal cell carcinoma (RCC) as the initial indication. Our pipeline has several additional internal gamma delta T cell therapy programs in discovery and preclinical development for both hematological malignancies and solid tumors. We expect to continue to develop product candidates in autoimmune diseases and cancer based on our gamma delta T cell platform using either previously validated antigens or those that we identify and target using CAR and other technology. We plan to file one new Investigational New Drug (IND) application every 12-18 months.

ADI-001

In December 2023, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cleared our IND application for ADI-001 in lupus nephritis (LN). In August 2024, we expanded our ADI-001 autoimmune clinical development program to include systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), systemic sclerosis (SSc) and anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic autoantibody associated vasculitis (AAV). In September 2024, we activated sites for our Phase 1 clinical trial of ADI-001 in autoimmune diseases and opened enrollment for patients with LN. In October 2024, we received clearance for our IND amendment to evaluate ADI-001 in idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM) and stiff person syndrome (SPS) as part of our Phase 1 clinical trial in autoimmune diseases. We expect to initiate enrollment for patients with SLE, SSc, IIM and SPS in the second quarter of 2025, and for patients with AAV in the second half of 2025. We believe the favorable safety profile, cellular kinetics and B cell depletion in peripheral blood and secondary lymphoid tissue demonstrated with ADI-001 clinical experience to date is favorable for development in autoimmune diseases. We believe the potential market opportunity for ADI-001 in B cell mediated autoimmune diseases is substantial based on the prevalence in the U.S., EU5, China and Japan of greater than 1.7 million patients with autoimmune diseases where CAR-T cell therapy has demonstrated clinical proof-of-concept, including SLE (which includes LN), SSc, IIM and SPS. In June 2024, the FDA granted Fast Track Designation to ADI-001 for the potential treatment of relapsed/refractory class III or class IV LN. In February 2025, the FDA granted Fast Track Designation to ADI-001 for the potential treatment of adult patients with refractory SLE with extrarenal involvement and for SSc. In November 2024, we dosed our first LN patient, and in February 2025, reported that we have dosed a total of three LN patients, in our Phase 1 clinical trial of ADI-001 in autoimmune diseases. We plan to report preliminary LN clinical data from this trial in the first half of 2025, and data for other autoimmune diseases in the second half of 2025, subject to study site initiation and patient enrollment.

Due to the prioritization of ADI-001 in autoimmune indications, patient enrollment in the Phase 1 clinical study of ADI-001 in mantle cell lymphoma has been closed.

ADI-270

ADI-270 is an investigational allogeneic gamma delta CAR T cell therapy targeting CD70 via the CD27-ligand for the treatment of RCC and with potential in other solid tumor and hematological malignancies indications. ADI-270 is designed to

5


 

home to solid tumors, with a highly specific targeting moiety for CD70 and an armoring technology of transforming growth factor beta dominant-negative receptor to address immunosuppressive factors in the tumor microenvironment. Building on gamma delta 1 tissue tropism to solid tumors and three mechanisms of anti-tumor activity (CAR, innate and adaptive), CAR gamma delta 1 T cells may be well positioned to address solid tumors.

In June 2024, we received FDA clearance for our IND application for ADI-270 in RCC. In July 2024, we also received FDA Fast Track Designation for ADI-270 for the potential treatment of patients with metastatic/advanced clear cell RCC (ccRCC). In December 2024, we dosed our first RCC patient, and in February 2025 reported that we have enrolled a total of three RCC patients, in our Phase 1 multicenter, open-label clinical trial to assess the safety and anti-tumor activity of ADI-270. We plan to share preliminary clinical data in the first half of 2025.

Our Pipeline

We are currently developing a pipeline of allogeneic “off-the-shelf” gamma delta T cell therapies, using either previously validated antigens or those that we identify and target using our CAR and other technology. Our most advanced product candidate in development, ADI-001, is in an ongoing Phase 1 clinical trial for LN and we expect to report clinical data from this trial in the first half of 2025. We are also developing a pipeline to advance the research and development of allogeneic CAR T cell product candidates in hematological malignancies and solid tumor indications. We expect to continue to develop product candidates in autoimmune diseases and cancer based on our gamma delta T cell platform using either previously validated antigens or those that we identify and target using CAR and other technologies.

Our pipeline is represented in the diagram below:

img105755451_0.jpg

Figure 1. Company Pipeline

Our Strategy

Our objective is to be the leading biotechnology company developing allogeneic gamma delta T cell therapies for autoimmune diseases and cancer. Key elements of our strategy include our plans to:

Continue to advance clinical development of ADI-001. ADI-001, our lead product candidate, is in Phase 1 clinical development for autoimmune diseases. CD20 is a validated target for autoimmune diseases.

6


 

Continue to advance clinical development of ADI-270 in renal cell carcinoma. Building on gamma delta 1 tissue tropism to solid tumors and three mechanisms of anti-tumor activity (CAR, innate and adaptive), CAR gamma delta 1 T cells may be well positioned to address solid tumors.
Continue to innovate and invest in the gamma delta T cell platform and pipeline. We expect to continue to develop product candidates in autoimmune diseases and cancer based on the gamma delta T cell platform using either previously validated antigens or those that we identify and target. We also expect to continue to develop product candidates in autoimmune diseases and cancer based on our allogeneic gamma delta T cell platform using CAR and other technologies. We may utilize genetic engineering, editing technologies or other technologies with the goal of further improving the activity and tolerability profile of our product candidates. A key strength of our gamma delta T cell therapy platform lies in our ability to target antigens of both known and unknown potential and devote our clinical development resources to those antigens that show the most promise in preclinical in vivo analyses and early human trials.
Exploit the potential for outpatient administration. While we expect that the initial subjects receiving our allogeneic gamma delta T cell-based therapies in clinical studies will be hospitalized for a minimum of 24-hours for observation after infusion, a favorable tolerability profile may allow administration of such investigational therapies in an outpatient setting. We believe this would represent a significant competitive advantage for our gamma delta T cell-based therapies as compared to existing approved CAR T-cell therapy or other therapies.
Expand and protect our intellectual property. We will continue to aggressively protect the allogeneic gamma delta T cell production methodology we have developed as well as specific product candidates based on proprietary antigen-binding domains. For more information on our intellectual property, see “Business—Our Intellectual Property” section of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

 

Background

 

Autoimmune Diseases

CAR T therapy, originally developed as a cancer treatment, has recently been the subject of increased interest for autoimmune diseases, due to its potential to remove disease causing immune cells with a single dose or treatment over a short period of time. Currently approved therapies for autoimmune indications treat only the symptoms with a chronic treatment regimen and are not considered curative. There are currently no FDA approved CAR T therapies for autoimmune indications. Initial support for and increased interest in the use of CAR T therapies for autoimmune indications was based on durable proof of concept data presented by Dr. Georg Schett at the American College of Rheumatology and the 2023 American Society of Hematology Meeting showing that CD19-targeted CAR T cells induced persistent, drug-free remission in three distinct autoantibody dependent autoimmune diseases with good tolerability.

Clinical data for ADI-001 in non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) have shown B cell depletion that mirrors the B cell depletion by autologous alpha beta CD19-targeted CAR T in academic and industry-sponsored clinical studies in SLE, SSc and IIM patients. Given that gamma delta 1 T cells preferentially traffic to organs and tissues, ADI-001 is designed to target and deplete B cells in the periphery, secondary lymphoid organs, kidneys and other organs, which is highly desirable in autoimmune diseases. We believe ADI-001's off-the-shelf availability and favorable safety profile as demonstrated in the cancer setting support the potential for outpatient administration.

Limitations of Autologous Cell Therapies

Autologous cell therapies, such as those developed by Kite Pharma and Novartis, have a number of limitations, including but not limited to the following:

Treatment delays imposed by individualized manufacturing. Due to the individualized manufacturing process, patients must wait up to three to four weeks for the individualized products to be manufactured and administered. In the registrational trials for Yescarta® and Kymriah®, up to 31% of intended patients ultimately did not receive treatment primarily due to complications from the underlying disease that occurred during manufacturing or due to manufacturing failures.
Manufacturing variability and failure. An article published by the American Society of Hematology in 2023 reported CAR T manufacturing failure rates between 1-13%. The article states that, in some cases, the manufacturing process fails to yield a product and, in others, results in one which does not meet pre-specified criteria for release and labelled an out of specification product

7


 

High costs limit patient access. The high cost of therapy and payer policies can limit access to autologous CAR T-cell therapies. According to a 2019 article published in the journal Managed Care, treating physicians estimate that the costs of autologous CAR T-cell therapies combined with patient care services are approximately $1 million per patient, generating reluctance of payers to approve these therapies for patients before they have exhausted other options. These therapies are then relegated to the most heavily pretreated patients who may be unable to withstand the potential severe side effects.
Scalability. Because each patient requires a custom manufacturing batch, the production of autologous CAR T cells at the scale needed to meet commercial demand and anticipated label and geographic expansions may be challenging.

Autologous cell therapies, such as CAR T cells derived from alpha beta T cells, have been successful in their initial use in hematological malignancies. However, manufacturing of these cells imposes some critical limitations that could be minimized if similar allogeneic cell therapies that can be given to any patient, regardless of the donor of cells, are developed. We believe that allogeneic cell therapies offer great promise for optimizing the access to therapy, overcoming manufacturing-related and cost-related limitations of autologous cell therapies.

 

Potential Advantages of Gamma Delta T Cell-Based Therapies

Immunotherapies developed using gamma delta T cells have a number of potential or anticipated advantages over other therapies developed using other cell types, including the following:

Consistent values observed. Exposure, measured by Cmax, D28 persistence and area under curve with ADI-001, has been consistent with values reported for approved autologous CD19 CAR T therapies. This property differentiates our CAR gamma-delta1 allogeneic T cell therapies from other allogeneic therapies.
Potential for superior cytotoxic activity. T cells from some patients, for example those with chronic lymphocytic leukemia, often display an exhausted, or otherwise dysfunctional, phenotype and CAR T-cell products from these cells may perform poorly. Our allogeneic cell therapy is manufactured from unrelated donors whose T cells have been shown to generate highly active CAR T-cells. Clinical B-cell depletion data from ADI-001 in lymphoma, mirrors the B-cell depletion reported in academic studies by Shett et.al. of autologous CD19 CAR-T in lupus patients who experienced robust efficacy associated with an immune reset of the B cell compartment. Similarly, in lymphoma patients, ADI-001 has demonstrated deep cytoreductive complete responses that surpassed the depth of response demonstrated by autologous CAR T therapy in the same patient.
Tissue and tumor localization. In addition to being present in the circulation at low frequency, gamma delta T cells have an inherent propensity to home to tissues and tumors. Their ability to be activated in tissue environments less perfused with oxygen, such as those found in the tumor microenvironment, has the potential to increase the activity of gamma delta T cells in solid tumors and in tissues. Similarly, this tissue homing may be ideally suited to deplete B-cell nests located in peripheral tissues including secondary lymphoid organs and kidneys associated with autoimmune disease, which may better enable an effective reset of the immune system.
Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC)-independent antigen recognition for tissue homeostasis and tumor targeting. Gamma delta TCR can recognize antigens associated with dysfunctional cells, associated with tumorigenic or dysregulated functions, in a MHC-independent manner. This further facilitates the use of products derived from donors who are unrelated to patients which may avoid the need to match the human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-type of the donor to the patient.
Limited ability for antigen escape. Although the initial responses to immunotherapies such as antibodies and CAR T cells are often impressive, many patients become refractory or relapse. A common mechanism for the relapse to these therapies is loss of the expression of the CAR-targeted antigen such as CD19 from target cells. Because gamma delta T cells also express innate cytotoxic immune receptors, they can recognize and kill dysfunctional cells even in the absence of the CAR-targeted tumor antigen.
Ability to manufacture more efficiently and cost-effectively. Unlike alpha beta T cells, therapies based on gamma delta T cells can potentially be manufactured in bulk and used in the allogeneic or "off-the-shelf" setting, addressing many of the shortcomings of conventional alpha beta T cell therapy.
Lack of Graft-versus-host disease (GvHD). A body of published evidence, mainly in the field of haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), supports the safety profile of transfer of allogeneic gamma delta T cells to patient recipients from unrelated donors. HSCT procedures containing significant numbers of gamma delta T cells were able to proceed with no signs of acute or chronic GvHD. In many cases, the presence of gamma delta T cells in the HSCT products correlated with improved clinical outcomes, indicating the antitumor potential of gamma delta T cells.

8


 

Additionally, a study performed by Martin Wilhelm and colleagues in 2014 indicated that gamma delta T cells from haploidentical donors could be successfully expanded and infused in large numbers (2.17x106 cells/kg (range, 0.9-3.84)), followed by further expansion (mean, 68-fold) in the patients without any observed GvHD.
Limited cytokine secretion. Unlike alpha beta T cells, gamma delta T cells can be made to secrete lower levels of certain cytokines such as interleukin 6 (IL-6). This, combined with lack of recognition of normal, non-malignant, cells by of gamma delta T cells, may lower the risk of life-threatening cytokine release syndrome.
Potential for re-dosing. Along with increased availability of material due to the ability to utilize "off-the-shelf" donor-derived starting material from unrelated donors compared to conventional CAR T-cell therapies, the lack of MHC-dependent GvHD also opens up the possibility of being able to re-dose patients to achieve further clinical activity if they do not obtain an adequate clinical response from initial treatment or if they relapse. A number of studies with other CAR T-cell therapies have linked the development of cytokine release syndrome with high numbers of circulating CAR T cells following rapid alpha beta T cell proliferation. Having the option to retreat patients with gamma delta T cells provides the option of starting with a low dose and re-dosing if required.
Safety Potential. ADI-001 has shown to be well tolerated to date with no significant CRS, ICANS and an inherently lower risk of T-cell malignancies compared to autologous CAR-Ts. This profile and ADI-001's off-the-shelf availability makes it suitable for the treatment of autoimmune diseases and provides the potential to treat patients in the community setting.

 

Our Allogeneic Gamma Delta T Cell Technology

Human gamma delta T cells can be divided into three main subsets based on their TCR delta chain usage: Vδ1, Vδ2 and Vδ3. The most abundant subset of gamma delta T cells in the circulatory system, the Vδ2 cells, is also the most well-studied. However, it is the Vδ1 subset which primarily resides in tissues and presents a favorable cytotoxic profile against target cells that we are activating and manufacturing using our proprietary platform technology.

 

Vδ1 Gamma Delta T Cells

Vδ1 cells have properties of both the innate and adaptive immune system, meaning that they can be activated by tumor-specific antigens as well as by general activators common to damaged or otherwise abnormal cells. Similar to other T cells, they express TCRs, but also express cytotoxicity receptors that are found on innate immune cells such as natural killer (NK) cells. These gamma delta T cells can induce tumor cell death through multiple mechanisms including the secretion of cytotoxic proteins such as granzymes and perforin as well as through the secretion of cytokines such as interferon gamma (IFNγ), and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα).

In in vitro and in vivo preclinical models, Vδ1 cells are more cytotoxic and may have a longer durability than Vδ2 cells. Vδ1 cells are also more resistant to activation induced cell death (AICD), which has posed significant problems in clinical trials following chronic stimulation of Vδ2 cells. Vδ1 cells normally reside within tissues and they are able to adapt to lower nutrient availability and decreased oxygen levels, conditions which are similar to those in the microenvironments or localized areas associated with certain solid tumors. Incubation of these gamma delta T cells in conditions of low oxygen (hypoxia) that are typical of tumors has been shown to enhance their cytotoxicity.

 

Anticipated Advantages of Vδ1 Gamma Delta T Cells Over NK Cell Based Therapies

An alternate approach to the development of allogeneic CAR T cells consists of engineered NK cell-based therapy. While both gamma delta T cell and NK cell therapy generally are not expected to cause GvHD, NK cells express a broad repertoire of both inhibitory and activating receptors and have more limited tumor induced secretion of multiple cytokines. We believe that the gamma delta T cell technology we are developing has several advantages over this approach. Unlike engineered NK cells, Vδ1 gamma delta T cells have the following advantages:

The presence of cytotoxic gamma delta cells in tumors and disease-associated tissues is strongly correlated with positive clinical outcomes;
Can secrete multiple cytokines associated with potent cytotoxicity including expressing high levels of interferon-gamma;
Can be produced as highly homogeneous cell populations that display potent non-clinical anti-tumor activity;
Express activating receptors more predominantly; and

9


 

Display features of adaptive immunity including, TCR-mediated, but MHC-independent, antigen recognition against those commonly displayed on malignant and abnormal cells, a long lifespan and persistence for protracted periods of time.

We believe these advantages position gamma delta T cell-based therapies to become an attractive alternative to NK based therapies for many autoimmune and cancer indications and lines of therapy.

 

Anticipated Advantages of Vδ1 Gamma Delta T Cells Over Other Approaches to Generate Allogeneic CAR T Cells

An alternative approach to the development of allogeneic gamma delta CAR T cells consists of introducing genetic modifications that disable the TCR in alpha beta T cells derived from donors that are unrelated to the patient. This process prevents these cells from attacking the patient’s healthy cells. We believe that the unrelated donor-derived gamma delta T cell technology, which lacks the ability to attack healthy cells from unrelated individuals, has a number of advantages over this approach. In an allogeneic paradigm, unlike alpha beta T cells, Vδ1 gamma delta T cells have the following advantages:

Do not rely on genetic manipulations to inactivate the alpha beta TCR;
Display properties of both adaptive and innate immune systems and are capable of killing cells even if their specifically targeted CAR antigen is expressed at low levels or not present;
May not be prone to exhaustion and are likely to persist longer;
May maintain the capacity to home to tissues and tumors rather than predominantly residing in circulation; and
May be less likely to induce cytokine release syndrome due to more limited endogenous IL-6 secretion by activated cells.

We believe these advantages position gamma delta T cell based therapies to become an attractive alternative to alpha beta T cell based therapies.

 

Anticipated Advantages of Vδ1 Gamma Delta T Cells Over Bispecific Antibody T Cell Recruitment for Tumor Immunotherapy

An alternative approach to the development of allogeneic CAR T cells consists of bispecific antibodies that are designed to crosslink T cells to specific targets on the tumor. This approach generally requires healthy and functional T cells able to attack the tumor when guided to the tumor expressing the target antigen. We believe that the unrelated donor-derived gamma delta T cell technology has a number of potential advantages over this approach. Unlike bispecific antibodies, Vδ1 gamma delta T cells have the following advantages:

Do not rely on functional T cells derived from the patient for clinical activity;
Display properties of both adaptive and innate immune systems and are capable of killing cells even if their specifically targeted CAR antigen is not present;
Maintain the capacity to home to tissues and tumors rather than predominantly residing in circulation and can actively distribute into localized tumors; and
May be less likely to induce cytokine release syndrome due to more limited endogenous IL-6 secretion by activated cells.

We believe these advantages position gamma delta T cell-based therapies to become an attractive alternative to bispecific-based therapies for many autoimmune and cancer indications and lines of therapy.

 

Our Key Anticipated Differentiation from Gamma Delta T Cell Competitors

We believe that the gamma delta T cell technology that we are developing has a number of potential advantages over the technology of gamma delta T cell competitor companies, including the following:

Robust and practical proprietary antibody-based manufacturing method for gamma delta T cells;
Large-scale expansion of blood-derived gamma delta T cells;
Ability to selectively expand multiple gamma delta T cell subpopulations including highly potent Vδ1 cells;
No potentially pro-tumorigenic or pro-autoimmune Th17-type responses in our Vδ1 subpopulation;

10


 

In-house CAR target identification and verification process; and
Ability to effectively target tumor-specific intracellular protein-derived peptides using proprietary T cell receptor-like (TCRL) antibodies.

We believe these advantages position our gamma delta T cell based therapies to become an attractive approach to the technologies used by other gamma delta T cell competitor companies.

 

Production of Gamma Delta T Cells

To produce gamma delta T cell-based product candidates, we isolate peripheral blood mononuclear cells from unrelated donors that meet all the safety criteria for human cells, tissues, and cellular and tissue-based products (HCT/P) for donors as outlined by the FDA in Title 21 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Part 1271. We then activate Vδ1 gamma delta T cells using a proprietary agonistic antibody and cytokines which expands these cells before transduction with replication-incompetent retroviral vectors containing the coding sequence for CAR constructs. These CAR-modified cells are further expanded at significant orders of magnitude, routinely greater than 6,000-fold at clinical scale, resulting in cell cultures that primarily consist of the desired gamma delta T cells. To reduce the chance of a patient developing GvHD, the remaining alpha beta T cells are then depleted using alpha-beta-specific, antibody-based techniques. The resulting gamma delta T cells are then formulated in an infusible solution to form the final drug product, which is filled into vials and then frozen to enable delivery of a post-thaw cell dose of CAR-T cells. A schematic of our large-scale manufacturing process is summarized in the diagram below.

img105755451_1.jpg

Figure 2. Production of Gamma Delta T Cells

 

ADI-001, an Anti-CD20 CAR Gamma Delta T Cell Product Candidate Targeting Autoimmune Diseases

 

Our Solution, ADI-001

ADI-001 is our gamma delta CAR T-cell product candidate that is designed to target malignant B cells via an anti-CD20 CAR and via the gamma delta T cell endogenous receptors, which we are developing as an allogeneic immunocellular therapy for the treatment of autoimmune diseases and cancer. ADI-001 is created from Vδ1 gamma delta T cells isolated from unrelated donors. It is manufactured in bulk under current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP) -compliant conditions and is intended to be supplied as an immediately available "off-the-shelf" anti-CD20 CAR T-cell therapy.

11


 

ADI-001 contains an anti-CD20 CAR that has a proprietary antigen-binding domain that recognizes a region of CD20 distinct from that recognized by rituximab. Similar to other CAR-Ts cells including the one used to create Kymriah®, our CAR T cells contain the clinically validated costimulatory domain from 4-1BB and the CD3ζ.

ADI-001 Development Program

Autoimmune Diseases

In November 2024, we dosed our first LN patient, and in February 2025, reported that we have dosed a total of three LN patients, in our Phase 1 trial of ADI-001. Our trial involves a 3+3 dose escalation starting at 100 or 300 million CAR+ cells flat dose. Subject to safety findings, higher doses will be explored up to one billion CAR+ cells. Before ADI-001 infusion, each patient will be conditioned with cyclophosphamide and fludarabine lymphodepletion. The dose limiting toxicity reporting window is set to 42 days; safety events during this period will be driving dose escalation decisions. The first safety assessment is scheduled on Day 28 after infusion, and then on months 3-6-9-12-18 and 24 thereafter. Once the maximum tolerated dose is determined, a dose expansion cohort will be opened to further characterize the safety and efficacy of ADI-001 in lupus nephritis patients. Primary endpoints will be focused on safety. For an illustration of our ADI-001 Phase 1 study design in lupus nephritis, please refer to Figure 3 below.

img105755451_2.jpg

Some patients may be initially dosed with 1E8 until our IND amendment to allow the starting dose of 3E8 becomes effective. For each indication, starting dose is 3E8 with potential to escalate up to 1E9 (based on 3+3 design) or de-escalate down to DL1 of 1E8 (in all cases CAR+ cells); LTFU= Long term follow up

 

Figure 3. Planned ADI-001 Phase 1 Study Design in Autoimmune Diseases

Aggressive Relapsed and Refractory NHL

In October 2020, the FDA cleared our IND application for ADI-001 for the treatment of NHL. The active IND enabled us to initiate the first-in-human clinical trial to assess safety and efficacy of ADI-001 in NHL patients in the first quarter of 2021. The study included a dose finding portion followed by dose expansion cohorts to explore the activity of ADI-001 in multiple subtypes of NHL. Included in this trial were previously treated patients who were not able to receive approved autologous CAR T-cell therapies due to medical, technical, logistical, or financial reasons, as well as patients who relapsed after receiving autologous CAR T-cell therapies.

Due to the prioritization of ADI-001 in autoimmune indications, patient enrollment in the Phase 1 clinical study of ADI-001 in mantle cell lymphoma has been closed.

12


 

Results from ADI-001 Phase 1 Trial in Relapsed or Refractory NHL

On September 10, 2024, we announced interim results among patients with mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) from the Phase 1 study of ADI-001 in relapsed or refractory NHL. Data highlights from the study as of the August 22, 2024 cut-off date are summarized below.

Across all doses, 10 evaluable patients with MCL that were treated with ADI-001 demonstrated an overall response rate (ORR) of 80% (8/10), a complete response (CR) rate of 60% (6/10), with a median duration of complete response of 17.5 months. Patients were heavily pretreated with a median of 3 prior lines of therapy and 30% of patients had progressed on prior CAR T. In the Phase 1 study, ADI-001 demonstrated a generally favorable safety and tolerability profile, with no occurrences of graft-versus-host disease and low incidence of grade ≥3 cytokine release syndrome and neurotoxicity that compared favorably to data reported for autologous CD19 CAR T in MCL. Additional translational data from patients enrolled in the Phase 1 clinical study in relapsed/refractory B-cell non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma further support the significant potential of ADI-001 in autoimmune indications.

 

ADI-270, an investigational allogeneic gamma delta CAR T cell therapy targeting CD70 via the CD27-ligand for the treatment of RCC

ADI-270 is an investigational allogeneic gamma delta CAR T cell therapy targeting CD70 via the CD27-ligand for the treatment of RCC, with potential in other solid tumor indications. ADI-270 is designed to home to solid tumors, with a highly specific targeting moiety for CD70 and an armoring technology of a dominant-negative TGF beta receptor to address immunosuppressive factors in the tumor microenvironment.  Building on gamma delta 1 tissue tropism to solid tumors and three mechanisms of anti-tumor activity (CAR, innate and adaptive) observed in preclinical models, CAR gamma delta 1 T cells may be well positioned to address solid tumors.

In June 2024, we received FDA clearance for our IND application for ADI-270 in RCC. In July 2024, we also received FDA Fast Track Designation for ADI-270 for the potential treatment of patients with metastatic/advanced ccRCC. In December 2024, we dosed our first RCC patient, and in February 2025, reported that we have dosed a total of three RCC patients, in our Phase 1 multicenter, open-label clinical trial to assess the safety and anti-tumor activity of ADI-270. We plan to share preliminary clinical data in the first half of 2025.

 

Additional Preclinical Programs (CAR and Other Technologies)

Our pipeline also includes additional internal gamma delta T cell therapy programs in discovery and preclinical development for autoimmune diseases, hematological malignancies and solid tumors. These pipeline programs were selected by integrating aspects of gamma delta one tissue homing, differentiated mechanisms of action, targeting enhancement and engineered armoring. We believe that the combination of our gamma delta T cells engineered with CAR or other technology provides the basis for a new generation of gamma delta T cell therapies that have the potential to transform the treatment of solid tumors.

 

ADI-002, an Anti-GPC3 CAR Gamma Delta T Cell Product Candidate

On January 28, 2022, Regeneron exercised its option to license the exclusive, worldwide rights to ADI-002, an anti-GPC3 allogeneic CAR gamma delta T cell product candidate, pursuant to our agreement signed in 2016. In conjunction with the exercise of its option, Regeneron paid us an exercise fee of $20.0 million. We elected not to exercise our option to co-fund the further development of ADI-002. Accordingly, Regeneron is responsible, at its sole cost, for all development, manufacturing and commercialization of ADI-002 and we are entitled to royalties of any future sales of such products by Regeneron. See Note 9. Third Party Agreements to our consolidated financial statements in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

 

Our Strategic Agreements

We have entered into multiple strategic agreements and collaborations, including our License and Collaboration Agreement with Regeneron as well as our Antibody Discovery Agreement with Twist Bioscience Corporation. We have also entered into amendments to these original agreements. For additional information regarding our significant agreements, refer to Note 9. Third Party Agreements to our consolidated financial statements appearing elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

13


 

 

Our Intellectual Property

Our gamma delta T cell-based product candidates and substantially all of our intellectual property have been developed by us, with certain antigen binding domains derived from our collaboration with Regeneron. Additional intellectual portfolio assets were acquired in 2016 via acquisition of Applied Immune Technologies Ltd. (AIT), which is now our wholly owned subsidiary, Adicet Bio Israel, Ltd. We strive to protect and enhance proprietary technology, inventions and improvements that are commercially material to our business, including seeking, maintaining and defending our patent rights.

Our policy is to develop and maintain protection of our proprietary position by, among other methods, filing or in-licensing United States and foreign patents and applications related to our technology, inventions, and improvements that are material to the development and implementation of our business. We also rely on trademarks, trade secrets, know-how, continuing technological innovation, confidentiality agreements, and invention assignment agreements to develop and maintain our proprietary position.

Our patent portfolio includes composition of matter, method of treatment and manufacturing process protection for our lead product candidates, ADI-001 and ADI-270, as well as for our partnered program ADI-002 and several additional research-stage candidates. As of March 4, 2025, there are multiple granted patents and pending non-provisional applications in the United States and internationally directed to our gamma delta T cell expansion platform, including several pending patent families directed to particular reagents and related protocols for gamma delta T cell expansion and resulting gamma delta T cell compositions of matter, including engineered gamma delta CAR T cells which are expected to expire between 2035 and 2038, absent any patent term adjustment and/or extension. The first U.S. non-provisional application in our original patent family was granted as U.S. Patent No. 11,135,245, expiring on May 19, 2038; the first U.S. non-provisional application in our second patent family was granted as U.S. Patent No. 11,299,708, expiring on December 26, 2037; and the first U.S. non-provisional application in our third patent family was granted as U.S. Patent No. 12,221,480, expiring on February 1, 2042.

We also have one pending international PCT application directed to certain improvements in gamma delta CAR T cell engineering, where any subsequent national stage applications claiming the benefit of this PCT application would expire in 2045 assuming they are filed and issued in due course. We also have one pending U.S. provisional patent application directed to certain improvements in gamma delta CAR T cell manufacturing, where applications claiming the benefit of this provisional application would expire in 2045 assuming they are converted, prosecuted and issued in due course.

For our ADI-001 program in particular, there is one patent family with pending non-provisional applications in the U.S. and internationally directed to CAR constructs and antigen binding domains relating to ADI-001, as well as their methods of use for certain indications, preconditioning methods, and dosing regimens, which, if issued, would expire in 2039, absent any patent term adjustment and/or extension. Additionally, we have a second patent family with pending non-provisional applications in the U.S. and internationally directed to certain methods of treating B cell malignancies using ADI-001 which, if issued, are expected to expire in 2042, absent any patent term adjustment and/or extension. We also have a pending U.S. provisional patent application directed to certain methods of treating autoimmune disorders using ADI-001, where applications claiming the benefit of this provisional application would expire in 2045 assuming they are converted, prosecuted and issued in due course.

For our ADI-270 program in particular, there is one patent family with pending non-provisional applications in the U.S. and internationally directed to CAR constructs with CD70 binding domains, as well as their methods of use for certain indications which, if issued, would expire in 2043, absent any patent term adjustment and/or extension. Additionally, we have a second patent family with a pending international PCT application focusing on dual CAR constructs binding to CD70 and additional disease-associated antigens of interest, and multi-specific CAR T cells comprising same having increased persistence, where any subsequent national stage applications claiming the benefit of this PCT application would expire in 2044 assuming they are filed and issued in due course.

For our research-stage programs, we have several patent families with pending non-provisional applications in the U.S. and internationally focusing on dap10, prostate specific member antigen and B7-H6 which, if issued, would expire between 2042 and 2043, absent any patent term adjustment and/or extension. We also have one pending international PCT application directed to a companion diagnostic and related adjunctive therapy for use in adoptive cell therapies in general, where any subsequent national stage applications claiming the benefit of this PCT application would expire in 2044 assuming they are filed and issued in due course.

14


 

Finally, there are also multiple granted patents and pending patent applications in the United States and internationally directed to our TCRL platform technology expiring between 2023 and 2037, including two pending patent families directed to certain carcinoma, melanoma and glioblastoma targets expiring between 2036 and 2037.

For our ADI-002 program, partnered with Regeneron, there is one patent family with pending non-provisional applications in the United States and internationally directed to CAR constructs and antigen binding domains relating to ADI-002, as well as their methods of use for certain indications, preconditioning methods, and dosing regimens, which, if issued, would expire in 2039, absent any patent term adjustment and/or extension. We also have one patent family with pending non-provisional applications in the U.S. and internationally directed to certain proprietary antibodies to GPC3 and methods of use thereof which, if issued, would expire in 2042, absent any patent term adjustment and/or extension.

The term of individual patents depends upon the legal term of the patents in the countries in which they are obtained. In most countries in which we file, the patent term is 20 years from the date of filing of the first non-provisional application to which priority is claimed. In the U.S., patent term may be lengthened by patent term adjustment, which compensates a patentee for administrative delays by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in granting a patent or may be shortened if a patent is terminally disclaimed over an earlier-filed patent. In the U.S., the term of a patent that covers an FDA-approved drug may also be eligible for a patent term extension of up to five years under the Hatch-Waxman Act, which is designed to compensate for the patent term lost during the FDA regulatory review process. The length of the patent term extension involves a complex calculation based on the length of time it takes for regulatory review. A patent term extension under the Hatch-Waxman Act cannot extend the remaining term of a patent beyond a total of 14 years from the date of product approval and only one patent applicable to an approved drug may be extended. Moreover, a patent can only be extended once, and thus, if a single patent is applicable to multiple products, it can only be extended based on one product. Similar provisions are available in Europe and certain other foreign jurisdictions to extend the term of a patent that covers an approved drug.

Our commercial success depends in part on our ability to obtain and maintain proprietary protection for our product candidates, as well as novel discoveries, core technologies, and know-how, as well as our ability to operate without infringing on the proprietary rights of others and to prevent others from infringing our proprietary rights.

The patent positions of companies like us are generally uncertain and involve complex legal, scientific, and factual questions. In addition, the coverage claimed in a patent application can be significantly reduced before the patent is issued, and its scope can be reinterpreted after issuance. Consequently, we do not know whether any of our product candidates will be protectable or remain protected by enforceable patents or will be commercially useful in protecting our commercial products and methods of using and manufacturing the same. We also cannot predict whether the patent applications it is currently pursuing will issue as patents in any particular jurisdiction or whether the claims of any issued patents will provide sufficient proprietary protection from competitors. Any patents that we hold, or control may be challenged, circumvented or invalidated by third parties. In addition, while we have confidence in our agreements and security measures, either may be breached, and we may not have adequate remedies. Further, our trade secrets may otherwise become known or independently discovered by competitors.

We have licensed various intellectual property and trade secrets to third parties for purposes of collaboration, product development and research and development.

 

Manufacturing

We are developing and enabling scalable and proprietary cGMP-compliant manufacturing processes. We have invested resources to optimize our manufacturing process and plan to maintain that investment to continuously improve our production and supply chain capabilities over time.

We manufacture cell-based immunotherapy products utilizing gamma delta T cells obtained from the blood of donors who are unrelated to the patients that will be treated. These products are classed as allogeneic cell therapy products. Donor-derived blood product is fractionated and the fraction enriched for gamma delta T cells is frozen prior to use in future manufacturing campaigns. We believe that freezing and storing the donor blood products allows us to efficiently schedule subsequent manufacturing steps. After obtaining blood products from unrelated donors the manufacturing process begins with the activation of a subpopulation of gamma delta T cells, referred to as Vd1 T-cells, using an antibody that is proprietary to us. This antibody, in combination with other factors including cytokines, induces gamma delta T cells to proliferate, whereupon we expose the cells to a viral vector that transfers a gene sequence encoding a CAR or other gene sequences, to the proliferating cells. This step is referred to as the transduction step. Following the transduction step, gamma delta T cells are induced to proliferate further. During the manufacturing process, there are depletion steps that increase the proportion of gamma delta T cells by removing unwanted residual alpha beta T cells, resulting in an enriched CAR-modified gamma delta T

15


 

cell drug product. CAR-modified gamma delta T cell products are then frozen in single-use vials for long-term storage at cryogenic temperatures. These storage conditions are designed to ensure stability of the cell-based drug products for protracted periods of time. The storage in single use vials is designed to simplify the handling and treatment administration. Just prior to administration of treatment, the vials will be thawed and then the contents infused into the patient. We believe that the manufacturing processes we are developing will be able to be completed in approximately two to three weeks and will result in sufficient quantities of drug product to treat numerous patients.

To date, we currently rely, and expect to continue to rely, on third parties for the manufacture of our product candidates and any products that we may develop. We have chosen to partner with a number of contract development and manufacturing organizations (CDMOs) in the United States to access specific capabilities to ensure that the manufacturing process is highly scalable, and fully cGMP compliant. This strategy allows us to maintain a more flexible infrastructure while focusing our expertise on developing our products. In addition to the quality management systems utilized by strategic manufacturing partners, we have established a quality control and quality assurance program, which includes a set of standard operating procedures and specifications designed to ensure that our products are manufactured in accordance with cGMPs, and other applicable domestic and foreign regulations.

For example, we currently engage multiple third-party manufacturers for both viral vector and drug product across our pipeline. We also conduct internal GMP cell processing and vector manufacturing operations at our 1000 Bridge Parkway, Redwood City, California facility (1000 Bridge Parkway) for the production of viral vector and drug products intended for Phase 1/2 clinical trials. We also utilize separate third-party contractors to manufacture cGMP-compliant starting and critical materials that are used for the manufacturing of our product candidates, such as donor blood products, gamma delta T cell activating antibody and viral vectors that are used to deliver the applicable CAR gene into the T cells. We believe all materials and components utilized in the production of the activating antibody producing cell line and viral vector are available from qualified suppliers and suitable for pivotal process development in readiness for registration and commercialization. Going forward, we intend to continue to expand our manufacturing capability through agreements with leading cell therapy and viral vector CDMOs.

If there is a setback or delay with third-party manufacturing, or our own internal cell or vector manufacturing, we believe that there are a number of potential replacements, although we would likely incur some delay in identifying and qualifying such replacements. We plan to continue to create a robust supply chain with redundant sources of supply comprised of both internal and external infrastructure.

 

Competition

The pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries are characterized by rapidly advancing technologies, intense competition and a strong emphasis on proprietary products. We face potential competition from many different sources, including existing and novel therapies developed by biopharmaceutical companies, academic research institutions, governmental agencies and public and private research institutions, in addition to standard of care treatments.

Novartis and Kite Pharma (now Gilead) were the first to achieve FDA approval for autologous T cell therapies. In August 2017, Novartis obtained FDA approval to commercialize Kymriah®, for the treatment of children and young adults with B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) that is refractory or has relapsed at least twice. In May 2018, Kymriah® received FDA approval for adults with relapsed or refractory (R/R) large B cell lymphoma. In October 2017, Kite Pharma obtained FDA approval to commercialize Yescarta®, the first CAR T-cell product candidate for the treatment of adult patients with R/R large B cell lymphoma. In July 2020, Gilead obtained FDA approval to commercialize Tecartus™, the first CAR T-cell product candidate for the treatment of adult patients with R/R mantle cell lymphoma. In February 2021, Bristol Myers Squibb obtained FDA approval to commercialize Breyanzi® for the treatment of adults with R/R large B cell lymphoma. In 2022, both Yescarta and Breyanzi were approved by the FDA for treating a subset of adult patients with LBCL in the second line, representing a line-expansion from the earlier third-line approvals.

Due to the promising therapeutic effect of T cell therapies in clinical trials, we anticipate increasing competition from existing and new companies developing these therapies, as well as in the development of allogeneic T cell therapies generally. Potential T cell therapy competitors include, but are not limited to:

Autoimmune Competition

Allogeneic immune cell therapy competition: Sana Biotechnology, Inc., CRISPR Therapeutics AG, Fate Therapeutics, Inc., Nkarta, Inc., Century Therapeutics, Inc., Allogene Therapeutics, Inc., and Caribou Biosciences, Inc.

16


 

Autologous T-cell therapy competition: Novartis AG, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Autolus Therapeutics PLC, Cartesian Therapeutics, Inc., iCell Gene Therapeutics Inc., Cabaletta Bio, Inc., and Kyverna Therapeutics, Inc.

Cancer Competition

Allogeneic T-cell therapy competition: Allogene Therapeutics, Inc., Caribou Biosciences, Inc., Century Therapeutics, Inc., Cellectis, S.A., CRISPR Therapeutics AG, Fate Therapeutics Inc., Precision Biosciences, Inc., Immatics Biotechnologies GmbH, Takeda, TC BioPharm Limited, and IN8Bio, Inc.
Autologous T-cell therapy competition: Adaptimmune Therapeutics PLC, Autolus Therapeutics plc, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Gilead Sciences, Inc., Johnson & Johnson, Iovance Biotherapeutics, Inc., Mustang Bio, Inc., and Novartis International AG.

Although we believe our development of proprietary processes for engineering and manufacturing gamma delta T cells expressing CARs is unique due to what we believe is the enormous potential of these cells, it is likely that additional competition may arise from existing companies currently focusing on development of alpha beta or gamma delta T cell therapies, or from new entrants in the field.

Competition may also arise from non-cell based immune cancer platforms. For instance, we may experience competition from companies, such as Amgen Inc., Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Cullinan Therapeutics, Inc., F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG, Genmab A/S, GlaxoSmithKline plc, GSK plc, MacroGenics, Inc., Merck & Co., Inc., Merus N.V., Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., and Xencor Inc., that are pursuing bispecific antibodies, which target both an antigen on the cancer or target B-cell and the T cell receptor, thus bringing both target cells and T cells in close proximity to maximize the likelihood of an immune response. Further, companies such as Novartis AG, F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG, Biogen Inc., and GSK plc are developing antibody-based therapies targeting B cell antigens and other targets for the treatment of autoimmune diseases. Additionally, companies, such as Amgen Inc., AbbVie Inc., Daiichi Sankyo Company, Limited, GSK plc, Immunomedics, Inc., and Pfizer Inc., are pursuing antibody drug conjugates, which utilize the targeting ability of antibodies to deliver cell-killing agents directly to cancer cells.

Many of our competitors, either alone or with their collaboration partners, have significantly greater financial resources and expertise in research and development, preclinical testing, clinical trials, manufacturing, and marketing than we do. Future collaborations and mergers and acquisitions may result in further resource concentration among a smaller number of competitors.

Our commercial potential could be reduced or eliminated if our competitors develop and commercialize products that are safer, more effective, have fewer or less severe side effects, are more convenient or are less expensive than products that we may develop. Our competitors also may obtain FDA or other regulatory approval for their products more rapidly than we may obtain approval for our own products, which could result in our competitors establishing a strong market position before we are able to enter the market or make our development more complicated. The key competitive factors affecting the success of all of our programs are likely to be efficacy, safety and tolerability profile, convenience, price, reimbursement and cost of manufacturing.

These competitors may also vie for a similar pool of qualified scientific and management talent, sites and patient populations for clinical trials, and investor capital, as well as for technologies complementary to, or necessary for, our programs.

Government Regulation and Product Approval

As a biopharmaceutical company that operates in the United States, we are subject to extensive regulation. Our cell products will be regulated as biologics. With this classification, commercial production of our products will need to occur in registered facilities in compliance with cGMP for biologics. The FDA categorizes human cell- or tissue-based products as either minimally manipulated or more than minimally manipulated and has determined that more than minimally manipulated products require clinical trials to demonstrate product safety and efficacy and the submission of a BLA to the FDA for marketing authorization. Our products are considered more than minimally manipulated and will require evaluation in clinical trials and the submission and approval of a Biologics License Application (BLA) before we can market them. Generally, before a new drug or biologic can be marketed, considerable data demonstrating our quality, safety and efficacy must be obtained, organized into a format specific for each regulatory authority, submitted for review and approved by the regulatory authority.

17


 

Government authorities in the United States (at the federal, state, and local level) and in other countries extensively regulate, among other things, the research, development, testing, manufacturing, quality control, approval, labeling, packaging, storage, record-keeping, promotion, advertising, distribution, post-approval monitoring and reporting, marketing and export and import of biopharmaceutical products such as those we are developing. Our product candidates must be approved by the FDA before they may be legally marketed in the United States and by the appropriate foreign regulatory agency before they may be legally marketed in foreign countries. Generally, our activities in other countries will be subject to regulation that is similar in nature and scope as that imposed in the U.S., although there can be important differences. Additionally, some significant aspects of regulation in Europe are addressed in a centralized way but country-specific regulation remains essential in many respects. The process for obtaining regulatory marketing approvals and the subsequent compliance with appropriate federal, state, local and foreign statutes and regulations require the expenditure of substantial time and financial resources.

United States Product Development Process

In the U.S., the FDA regulates pharmaceutical and biological products under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (the FDCA), the Public Health Service Act (the PHSA), and their implementing regulations. The process of obtaining regulatory approvals and the subsequent compliance with appropriate federal, state, local and foreign statutes and regulations require the expenditure of substantial time and financial resources. Failure to comply with the applicable United States requirements at any time during the product development process, approval process or after approval, may subject an applicant to administrative or judicial sanctions. FDA sanctions could include, among other actions, refusal to approve pending applications, withdrawal of an approval, a clinical hold, warning letters, product recalls or withdrawals from the market, product seizures, total or partial suspension of production or distribution injunctions, fines, refusals of government contracts, restitution, disgorgement or civil or criminal penalties. Any agency or judicial enforcement action could have a material adverse effect on us. The process required by the FDA before a biological product may be marketed in the United States generally involves the following:

completion of nonclinical laboratory tests and key animal studies according to good laboratory practices (GLPs), and applicable requirements for the humane use of laboratory animals or other applicable regulations;
submission to the FDA of an IND application, which is subject to a waiting period of 30 calendar days, must become effective before human clinical trials may begin;
approval by an independent Institutional Review Board (IRB) or ethics committee for each clinical site before the trial is commenced;
performance of adequate and well-controlled human clinical trials according to the FDA’s regulations commonly referred to as good clinical practices (GCPs) and any additional requirements for the protection of human research patients and their health information, to establish the safety and efficacy of the proposed biological product for our intended use;
submission to the FDA of a BLA for marketing approval that includes substantial evidence of safety, purity, and potency from results of nonclinical testing and clinical trials;
satisfactory completion of an FDA Advisory Committee review, if applicable;
satisfactory completion of an FDA inspection of the manufacturing facility or facilities where the biological product is produced to assess compliance with cGMP, to assure that the facilities, methods and controls are adequate to preserve the biological product’s identity, strength, quality and purity and, if applicable, the FDA’s current good tissue practices (cGTPs) for the use of human cellular and tissue products;
potential FDA audit of the nonclinical study and clinical trial sites that generated the data in support of the BLA; and
FDA review and approval, or licensure, of the BLA prior to any commercial marketing or sale of the biologic in the U.S.

Before testing any biological product candidate, including our product candidates, in humans, the product candidate enters the preclinical testing stage. Preclinical tests, also referred to as nonclinical studies, include laboratory evaluations of product chemistry, toxicity and formulation, as well as animal studies to assess the potential safety and activity of the product candidate. The conduct of the key preclinical tests must comply with federal regulations and requirements including GLPs. An IND application is a request for authorization from the FDA to administer an investigational product to humans and must become

18


 

effective before human clinical trials may begin. The clinical trial sponsor must submit the results of the preclinical tests, together with manufacturing information, analytical data, any available clinical data or literature and a proposed clinical protocol, to the FDA as part of the IND. Some preclinical testing may continue even after the IND application is submitted. The IND automatically becomes effective 30 days after receipt by the FDA, unless the FDA raises concerns or questions regarding the proposed clinical trials and requests additional information and or places the trial on a clinical hold within that 30-day time period. In such a case, the IND sponsor and the FDA must resolve any outstanding concerns before the clinical trial can begin. The FDA may also impose clinical holds on a biological product candidate at any time before or during clinical trials due to safety concerns or non-compliance. If the FDA imposes a clinical hold, trials may not recommence without FDA authorization and then only under terms authorized by the FDA. Accordingly, we cannot be sure that submission of an IND application will result in the FDA allowing clinical trials to begin, or that, once begun, issues will not arise that suspend or terminate such trials.

Clinical trials involve the administration of the biological product candidate to patients under the supervision of qualified investigators at independent clinical sites/hospitals, physicians not employed by or under the trial sponsor’s control. Clinical trials are conducted under protocols detailing, among other things, the objectives of the clinical trial, dosing procedures, subject selection and exclusion criteria, and the parameters to be used to monitor subject safety, including stopping rules that assure a clinical trial will be stopped if certain adverse events should occur. Each protocol and any amendments to the protocol must be submitted to the FDA as part of the IND. Clinical trials must be conducted and monitored in accordance with the FDA’s regulations comprising the GCP requirements, including the requirement that all research patients provide informed consent. Further, each clinical trial must be reviewed and approved by an IRB at or servicing each institution at which the clinical trial will be conducted. An IRB is charged with protecting the welfare and rights of trial participants and considers such items as whether the risks to individuals participating in the clinical trials are minimized and are reasonable in relation to anticipated benefits. The IRB also approves the form and content of the informed consent that must be signed by each clinical trial subject or his or her legal representative and must monitor the clinical trial until completed. Some studies also include oversight by an independent group of qualified experts organized by the clinical study sponsor, known as a data safety monitoring board, which provides authorization for whether or not a study may move forward at designated check points based on access to certain data from the study and may halt the clinical trial if it determines that there is an unacceptable safety risk for subjects or other grounds, such as no demonstration of efficacy. There are also requirements governing the reporting of ongoing clinical studies and clinical study results to public registries.

A sponsor who wishes to conduct a clinical trial outside of the United States may, but need not, obtain FDA authorization to conduct the clinical trial under an IND. If a foreign clinical trial is not conducted under an IND, the sponsor may submit data from the clinical trial to the FDA in support of a BLA. A clinical trial outside the United States may also be conducted under the authorization of similar regulatory authorities of the country/region. The FDA will accept a well-designed and well-conducted foreign clinical study not conducted under an IND if the study was conducted in accordance with GCP requirements, and the FDA is able to validate the data through an onsite inspection if deemed necessary.

Human clinical trials are typically conducted in three sequential phases that may overlap or be combined:

Phase 1. The biological product is typically introduced into healthy human subjects and tested for safety. However, in the case of some products for severe or life-threatening diseases, such as cancer or the hematological malignancies that we aspire to treat, initial human testing is routinely conducted directly in ill patients with the approval of relevant ethics committee(s) under the supervision of a licensed physician.
Phase 2. The biological product is evaluated in a limited patient population to identify possible adverse effects and safety risks, to preliminarily evaluate the efficacy of the product for specific targeted diseases and to determine dosage tolerance, optimal dosage and dosing schedule.
Phase 3. Clinical trials are undertaken to further evaluate dosage, clinical efficacy, potency, and safety in an expanded patient population at geographically dispersed clinical trial sites. These clinical trials are intended to establish the overall risk to benefit ratio of the product and provide an adequate basis for product labeling.

Post-approval clinical trials, sometimes referred to as Phase 4 clinical trials, may be conducted after initial marketing approval. These clinical trials are used to gain additional experience from the treatment of patients in the intended therapeutic indication, particularly for long-term safety follow-up. In case of an accelerated BLA approval based on limited clinical data, FDA may mandate a Phase 4 clinical trial prior to full approval. During all phases of clinical development, regulatory agencies require extensive monitoring and auditing of all clinical activities, clinical data, and clinical trial investigators. Annual progress reports detailing the results of the clinical trials must be submitted to the FDA. Written IND safety reports must be promptly submitted to the FDA, and the investigators for serious and unexpected adverse events, any findings from other studies, tests in

19


 

laboratory animals or in vitro testing that suggest a significant risk for human patients, or any clinically important increase in the rate of a serious suspected adverse reaction over that listed in the protocol or investigator brochure. The sponsor must submit an IND safety report within 15 calendar days after the sponsor determines that the information qualifies for reporting. The sponsor also must notify the FDA of any unexpected fatal or life-threatening suspected adverse reaction within 7 calendar days after the sponsor’s initial receipt of the information.

Sponsors of applicable clinical trials of FDA-regulated products are required to register and disclose certain clinical trial information on www.clinicaltrials.gov. Sponsors also must disclose certain results of these clinical trials, although disclosure of results may be delayed until after the new product or new indication has been approved by the FDA. Competitors may use this publicly available information to gain knowledge regarding the progress of development programs.

Phase 1, Phase 2 and Phase 3 clinical trials may not be completed successfully within any specified period, if at all. The FDA or the sponsor or its data safety monitoring board may suspend or terminate a clinical trial at any time on various grounds, including a finding that the research patients are being exposed to an unacceptable health risk, including risks inferred from other unrelated immunotherapy trials. Similarly, an IRB can suspend or terminate approval of a clinical trial at its institution if the clinical trial is not being conducted in accordance with the IRB’s requirements or if the biological product has been associated with unexpected serious harm to patients.

Concurrently with clinical trials, companies usually complete additional studies and must also develop additional information about the physical characteristics of the biological product as well as finalize a process for manufacturing the product in commercial quantities in accordance with cGMP requirements. To help reduce the risk of the introduction of adventitious agents with use of biological products, the PHSA emphasizes the importance of manufacturing control for products whose attributes cannot be precisely defined. The manufacturing process must be capable of consistently producing quality batches of the product candidate and, among other things, the sponsor must develop methods for testing the identity, strength, quality, potency and purity of the final biological product according to the requirements of the phase of clinical development. Additionally, appropriate packaging must be selected and tested, and stability studies must be conducted to demonstrate that the biological product candidate does not undergo unacceptable deterioration over its shelf life.

United States Review and Approval Processes

After the completion of clinical trials of a biological product, FDA approval of a BLA must be obtained before commercial marketing of the biological product. The BLA submission must include results of product safety, efficacy, development, laboratory and animal studies, human trials, information on the manufacture and composition of the product, proposed labeling and other relevant information. The testing and approval processes require substantial time and effort and there can be no assurance or guarantee that the FDA will accept the BLA for filing and, even if filed, that any approval will be granted on a timely basis, if at all.

Under the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA), as amended, each BLA must be accompanied by a significant user fee. The FDA adjusts the PDUFA user fees on an annual basis. PDUFA also imposes an annual program fee for biological products. Fee waivers or reductions are available in certain circumstances, including a waiver of the application fee for the first application filed by a small business. Additionally, no user fees are assessed on BLAs for products designated as orphan drugs, unless the product also includes a non-orphan indication.

Within 60 days following submission of the application, the FDA reviews a BLA submitted to determine if it is substantially complete before the agency accepts it for filing. The FDA may refuse to file any BLA that it deems incomplete or not properly reviewable at the time of submission and may request additional information. In this event, the BLA must be resubmitted with the additional information. The resubmitted application also is subject to review before the FDA accepts it for filing. Under the goals and policies agreed to by the FDA under PDUFA, the FDA has 10 months from the filing date to complete its initial review of an original BLA and respond to the applicant, and six months from the filing date of an original BLA designated for priority review. The FDA does not always meet its PDUFA goal dates for standard and priority BLAs, and the review process is often extended by FDA requests for additional information or clarification.

Once the submission is accepted for filing, the FDA begins an in-depth substantive review of the BLA. The FDA reviews the BLA to determine, among other things, whether the proposed product is safe, potent, and/or effective for its intended use, and has an acceptable purity profile, and whether the product is being manufactured in accordance with cGMP to assure and preserve the product’s identity, safety, strength, quality, potency and purity. The FDA may refer applications for novel biological products or biological products that present difficult questions of safety or efficacy to an advisory committee, typically a panel that includes clinicians and other experts, for review, evaluation and a recommendation as to whether the application should be

20


 

approved and under what conditions. The FDA is not bound by the recommendations of an advisory committee, but it considers such recommendations carefully when making decisions.

During the biological product approval process, the FDA also will determine whether a Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) is necessary to assure the safe use of the biological product. A REMS is a safety strategy to manage a known or potential serious risk associated with a medicine and to enable patients to have continued access to such medicines by managing their safe use, and could include medication guides, physician communication plans, or elements to assure safe use, such as restricted distribution methods, patient registries and other risk minimization tools. If the FDA concludes a REMS is needed, the sponsor of the BLA must submit a proposed REMS. The FDA will not approve a BLA without a REMS, if required.

Before approving a BLA, the FDA will inspect the facilities at which the product is manufactured. The FDA will not approve the product unless it determines that the manufacturing processes and facilities are in compliance with cGMP requirements and adequate to assure consistent production of the product within required specifications. For cellular immunotherapy products, the FDA also will not approve the product if the manufacturer is not in compliance with cGTPs, to the extent applicable. These are FDA regulations and guidance documents that in part govern the methods used in, and the facilities and controls used for, the manufacture of human cells, tissue, and HCT/Ps, which are human cells or tissue intended for implantation, transplant, infusion, or transfer into a human recipient. The primary intent of the cGTPs is to ensure that cell and tissue-based products are manufactured in a manner designed to prevent the introduction, transmission and spread of communicable disease. FDA regulations also require tissue establishments to register and list their HCT/Ps with the FDA and, when applicable, to evaluate donors through screening and testing. Additionally, before approving a BLA, the FDA will typically inspect one or more clinical sites to assure that the clinical trials were conducted in compliance with IND trial requirements and GCP requirements. To assure cGMP, cGTPs and GCP compliance, an applicant must incur significant expenditure of time, money and effort in the areas of training, record keeping, production, and quality control.

Notwithstanding the submission of relevant data and information, the FDA may ultimately decide that the BLA does not satisfy its regulatory criteria for approval and deny approval. Data obtained from clinical trials are not always conclusive and the FDA may interpret data differently than we interpret the same data. If the agency decides not to approve the BLA in its present form, the FDA will issue a complete response letter that describes all of the specific deficiencies in the BLA identified by the FDA. The deficiencies identified may be minor, for example, requiring labeling changes, or major, for example, requiring additional clinical trials. Additionally, the complete response letter may include recommended actions that the applicant might take to place the application in a condition for approval. If a complete response letter is issued, the applicant may either resubmit the BLA, addressing all of the deficiencies identified in the letter, or withdraw the application.

If a product receives regulatory approval, the approval may be limited to specific diseases and dosages or the indications for use may otherwise be limited, which could restrict the commercial value of the product. Further, the FDA may require that certain contraindications, warnings or precautions be included in the product labeling. The FDA may impose restrictions and conditions on product distribution, prescribing, or dispensing in the form of a risk management plan, or otherwise limit the scope of any approval. In addition, the FDA may require post marketing clinical trials, sometimes referred to as Phase 4 clinical trials, designed to further assess a biological product’s safety and effectiveness, and testing and surveillance programs to monitor the safety of approved products that have been commercialized.

Pediatric Information

In addition, under the Pediatric Research Equity Act, a BLA or supplement to a BLA must contain data to assess the safety and effectiveness of the product for the claimed indications in all relevant pediatric subpopulations and to support dosing and administration for each pediatric subpopulation for which the product is safe and effective. The FDA may grant deferrals for submission of data or full or partial waivers. A sponsor who is planning to submit a marketing application for a drug that includes a new active ingredient, new indication, new dosage form, new dosing regimen or new route of administration must submit an initial Pediatric Study Plan (PSP), within 60 days of an end-of-Phase 2 meeting or, if there is no such meeting, as early as practicable before the initiation of the Phase 3 or Phase 2/3 study. The initial PSP must include an outline of the pediatric study or studies that the sponsor plans to conduct, including study objectives and design, age groups, relevant endpoints and statistical approach, or a justification for not including such detailed information, and any request for a deferral of pediatric assessments or a full or partial waiver of the requirement to provide data from pediatric studies along with supporting information. The FDA and the sponsor must reach an agreement on the PSP. A sponsor can submit amendments to an agreed-upon initial PSP at any time if changes to the pediatric plan need to be considered based on data collected from preclinical studies, early phase clinical trials and/or other clinical development programs.

Orphan Drug Designation

21


 

Under the Orphan Drug Act, the FDA may grant orphan designation to a drug or biologic intended to treat a rare disease or condition, which is generally a disease or condition that affects fewer than 200,000 individuals in the U.S., or more than 200,000 individuals in the United States and for which there is no reasonable expectation that the cost of developing and making available in the United States a drug or biologic for this type of disease or condition will be recovered from sales in the United States for that drug or biologic. Orphan drug designation must be requested before submitting a BLA. After the FDA grants orphan drug designation, the generic identity of the therapeutic agent and its potential orphan use are disclosed publicly by the FDA. The orphan drug designation does not convey any advantage in, or shorten the duration of, the regulatory review or approval process.

If a product that has orphan drug designation subsequently receives the first FDA approval for the disease for which it has such designation, the product is entitled to orphan product exclusivity, which means that the FDA may not approve any other applications, including a full BLA, to market the same biologic for the same indication for seven years, except in limited circumstances, such as a showing of clinical superiority to the product with orphan drug exclusivity. Orphan drug exclusivity does not prevent FDA from approving a different drug or biologic for the same disease or condition, or the same drug or biologic for a different disease or condition. Among the other benefits of orphan drug designation are tax credits for certain research and a waiver of the BLA application user fee.

A designated orphan drug may not receive orphan drug exclusivity if it is approved for a use that is broader than the indication for which it received orphan designation. In addition, exclusive marketing rights in the United States may be lost if the FDA later determines that the request for designation was materially defective or if the manufacturer is unable to assure sufficient quantities of the product to meet the needs of patients with the rare disease or condition.

Expedited Development and Review Programs

FDA provides programs intended to facilitate and expedite development and review of new products that are intended to address an unmet medical need in the treatment of a serious or life-threatening disease or condition. These programs are referred to as fast track designation, priority review designation, accelerated approval, Regenerative Medicine Advanced Therapy (RMAT) designation, and breakthrough therapy designation. Additionally, under the Food and Drug Omnibus Reform Act of 2022 (FDORA), sponsors of designated platform technologies may receive expedited development and review of any subsequent application for a drug or biologic that uses or incorporates the platform technology.

The fast track program is intended to expedite or facilitate the process for reviewing new products that meet certain criteria. Specifically, new products are eligible for fast track designation if they are intended to treat a serious or life-threatening disease or condition and demonstrate the potential to address unmet medical needs for the disease or condition. Fast track designation applies to the combination of the product and the specific indication for which it is being studied. The FDA may consider for review sections of the BLA on a rolling basis before the complete application is submitted, if the sponsor provides a schedule for the submission of the sections of the BLA, the FDA agrees to accept sections of the BLA and determines that the schedule is acceptable, and the sponsor pays any required user fees upon submission of the first section of the BLA.

Any product submitted to the FDA for approval, including a product with a fast track designation, may also be eligible for other types of FDA programs intended to expedite development and review, such as priority review and accelerated approval. A product is eligible for priority review if it has the potential to provide safe and effective therapy where no satisfactory alternative therapy exists or a significant improvement in the treatment, diagnosis or prevention of a disease compared to marketed products. The FDA will attempt to direct additional resources to the evaluation of an application for a new product designated for priority review in an effort to facilitate the review. Additionally, a product may be eligible for accelerated approval. Products studied for their safety and effectiveness in treating serious or life-threatening diseases or conditions may receive accelerated approval upon a determination that the product has an effect on a surrogate endpoint that is reasonably likely to predict clinical benefit, or on a clinical endpoint that can be measured earlier than irreversible morbidity or mortality, that is reasonably likely to predict an effect on irreversible morbidity or mortality or other clinical benefit, taking into account the severity, rarity, or prevalence of the condition and the availability or lack of alternative treatments. As a condition of approval, the FDA may require that a sponsor of a drug or biological product receiving accelerated approval perform adequate and well-controlled post-marketing clinical studies and, under FDORA, the FDA is now permitted to require that such trials be underway prior to approval or within a specific time period after the date of approval for a product granted accelerated approval. Under FDORA, the FDA has increased authority for expedited procedures to withdraw approval of a drug or indication approved under accelerated approval if, for example, the confirmatory trial fails to verify the predicted clinical benefit of the product. In addition, for products being considered for accelerated approval, the FDA generally requires, unless otherwise informed by the agency, that all advertising and promotional materials intended for dissemination or publication within 120 days of marketing approval be submitted to the agency for review during the pre-approval review period, which could adversely impact the timing of the commercial launch of the product.

22


 

RMAT designation was established by the FDA in 2017 to facilitate an efficient development program for, and expedite review of, any drug that meets the following criteria: (1) it qualifies as a RMAT, which is defined as a cell therapy, therapeutic tissue engineering product, human cell and tissue product, or any combination product using such therapies or products, with limited exceptions; (2) it is intended to treat, modify, reverse, or cure a serious or life-threatening disease or condition; and (3) preliminary clinical evidence indicates that the drug has the potential to address unmet medical needs for such a disease or condition. RMAT designation provides potential benefits that include more frequent meetings with FDA to discuss the development plan for the product candidate and eligibility for rolling review and priority review. Products granted RMAT designation may also be eligible for accelerated approval on the basis of a surrogate or intermediate endpoint reasonably likely to predict long-term clinical benefit, or reliance upon data obtained from a meaningful number of sites, including through expansion to additional sites. Once approved, when appropriate, the FDA can permit fulfillment of post-approval requirements under accelerated approval through the submission of clinical evidence, clinical studies, patient registries, or other sources of real world evidence such as electronic health records; through the collection of larger confirmatory datasets; or through post-approval monitoring of all patients treated with the therapy prior to approval.

Breakthrough therapy designation is also intended to expedite the development and review of products that treat serious or life-threatening conditions. The designation by FDA requires preliminary clinical evidence that a product candidate, alone or in combination with other drugs and biologics, demonstrates substantial improvement over currently available therapy on one or more clinically significant endpoints, such as substantial treatment effects observed early in clinical development. Breakthrough therapy designation comes with all of the benefits of fast track designation, which means that the sponsor may file sections of the BLA for review on a rolling basis if certain conditions are satisfied, including an agreement with FDA on the proposed schedule for submission of portions of the application and the payment of applicable user fees before the FDA may initiate a review.

Fast track designation, priority review, RMAT and breakthrough therapy designation do not change the standards for approval but may expedite the development or regulatory approval process for our products.

Additionally, under FDORA, a platform technology incorporated within or utilized by a biological product is eligible for designation as a designated platform technology if (1) the platform technology is incorporated in, or utilized by, a biological product approved under a BLA; (2) preliminary evidence submitted by the sponsor of the licensed biological product, or a sponsor that has been granted a right of reference to data submitted in the application for such biological product, demonstrates that the platform technology has the potential to be incorporated in, or utilized by, more than one biological product without an adverse effect on quality, manufacturing, or safety; and (3) data or information submitted by the applicable person indicates that incorporation or utilization of the platform technology has a reasonable likelihood to bring significant efficiencies to the biological product development or manufacturing process and to the review process. A sponsor may request the FDA to designate a platform technology as a designated platform technology concurrently with, or at any time after, submission of an IND for a biological product that incorporates or utilizes the platform technology that is the subject of the request. If so designated, the FDA may expedite the development and review of any subsequent original BLA for a biological product that uses or incorporates the platform technology. Designated platform technology status does not ensure that a biological product will be developed more quickly or receive FDA approval. In addition, the FDA may revoke a designation if the FDA determines that a designated platform technology no longer meets the criteria for such designation.

Post-Approval Requirements

Any products for which we receive FDA approvals are subject to continuing regulation by the FDA, including, among other things, record-keeping requirements, reporting of adverse experiences with the product, providing the FDA with updated safety and efficacy information, product sampling and distribution requirements, and complying with FDA promotion and advertising requirements, which include, among others, standards for direct-to-consumer advertising, restrictions on promoting products for uses or in patient populations that are not described in the product’s approved uses (known as off-label use), limitations on industry-sponsored scientific and educational activities, and requirements for promotional activities involving the internet. Although a physician may prescribe a legally available product for an off-label use, if the physician deems such product to be appropriate in his/her professional medical judgment, a manufacturer may not market or promote off-label uses. However, it is permissible to share in certain circumstances truthful and not misleading information that is consistent with the product’s approved labeling.

Further, additional FDA limitations on approval or marketing could restrict the commercial promotion, distribution, prescription or dispensing of products. Product approvals may be withdrawn for non-compliance with regulatory standards or if problems occur following initial marketing. Newly discovered or developed safety or effectiveness data may require changes to a product’s approved labeling, including the addition of new warnings and contraindications, and may also require the

23


 

implementation of other risk management measures, including a REMS, or the conduct of post-marketing studies to assess a newly discovered safety issue.

In addition, quality control and manufacturing procedures must continue to conform to applicable manufacturing requirements after approval to ensure the adequate stability of the product. cGMP regulations require among other things, quality control and quality assurance as well as the corresponding maintenance of records and documentation and the obligation to investigate and correct any deviations from cGMP. Manufacturers and other entities involved in the manufacture and distribution of approved products are required to register their establishments with the FDA and certain state agencies and are subject to periodic unannounced inspections by the FDA and certain state agencies for compliance with cGMP and other laws. Manufacturers and other parties involved in the drug supply chain for prescription drug products must also comply with product tracking and tracing requirements and for notifying the FDA of counterfeit, diverted, stolen and intentionally adulterated products or products that are otherwise unfit for distribution in the United States. Accordingly, manufacturers must continue to expend time, money, and effort in the area of production and quality control to maintain cGMP compliance. Discovery of problems with a product after approval may result in restrictions on a product, manufacturer, or holder of an approved BLA, including, among other things, recall or withdrawal of the product from the market. Under FDORA, sponsors of approved drugs and biologics must provide 6 months’ notice to the FDA of any changes in marketing status, such as the withdrawal of a product, and failure to do so could result in the FDA placing the product on a list of discontinued products, which would revoke the product’s ability to be marketed. In addition, changes to the manufacturing process are strictly regulated, and depending on the significance of the change, may require prior FDA approval before being implemented. Other types of changes to the approved product, such as adding new indications and claims, are also subject to further FDA review and approval.

We rely, and expect to continue to rely, on third parties to produce clinical and commercial quantities of our products in accordance with cGMP regulations. These manufacturers must comply with cGMP regulations that require, among other things, quality control and quality assurance, the maintenance of records and documentation and the obligation to investigate and correct any deviations from cGMP. Manufacturers and other entities involved in the manufacture and distribution of approved biologics are required to register their establishments with the FDA and certain state agencies and are subject to periodic unannounced inspections by the FDA and certain state agencies for compliance with cGMP requirements and other laws.

The FDA also may require post-marketing testing, known as Phase 4 testing, and surveillance to monitor the effects of an approved product. Discovery of previously unknown problems with a product or the failure to comply with applicable FDA requirements can have negative consequences, including adverse publicity, judicial or administrative enforcement, warning letters from the FDA, mandated corrective advertising or communications with doctors, and civil or criminal penalties, among others. Newly discovered or developed safety or effectiveness data may require changes to a product’s approved labeling, including the addition of new warnings and contraindications, and also may require the implementation of other risk management measures. Also, new government requirements, including those resulting from new legislation, may be established, or the FDA’s policies may change, which could delay or prevent regulatory approval of our products under development.

From time to time, legislation is drafted, introduced, passed in Congress and signed into law that could significantly change the statutory provisions governing the approval, manufacturing, and marketing of products regulated by the FDA. In addition to new legislation, FDA regulations, guidance, and policies are often revised or reinterpreted by the agency in ways that may significantly affect the manner in which pharmaceutical products are regulated and marketed.

U.S. Marketing Exclusivity

The Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act of 2009 (BPCIA), amended the PHSA to authorize the FDA to approve similar versions of innovative biologics, commonly known as biosimilars. A competitor seeking approval of a biosimilar must file an application to establish its molecule as highly similar to an approved innovator biologic, among other requirements. BPCIA, however, bars the FDA from approving biosimilar applications for 12 years after an innovator biological product receives initial marketing approval.

Depending upon the timing, duration and specifics of the FDA approval of the use of our product candidates, some of our United States patents, if granted, may be eligible for limited patent term extension under the Drug Price Competition and Patent Term Restoration Act of 1984, commonly referred to as the Hatch-Waxman Act. The Hatch-Waxman Act permits a patent restoration term of up to five years, as compensation for patent term lost during product development and the FDA regulatory review process. However, patent term restoration cannot extend the remaining term of a patent beyond a total of 14 years from the product’s approval date. The patent term restoration period is generally one-half the time between the effective date of an IND and the submission date of a BLA plus the time between the submission date of a BLA and the approval of that application. Only one patent applicable to an approved product is eligible for the extension and the application for the extension must be submitted prior to the expiration of the patent. The USPTO, in consultation with the FDA, reviews and approves the application

24


 

for any patent term extension or restoration. In the future, we may intend to apply for restoration of patent term for one of our currently owned or licensed patents to add patent life beyond its current expiration date, depending on the expected length of the clinical trials and other factors involved in the filing of the relevant BLA.

Pediatric exclusivity is another type of regulatory market exclusivity in the United States Pediatric exclusivity that, if granted, adds six months to existing exclusivity periods for all formulations, dosage forms, and indications of the biologic. This six-month exclusivity, which runs from the end of other exclusivity protection, may be granted based on the voluntary completion of a pediatric trial in accordance with an FDA-issued “Written Request” for such a trial.

Other U.S. Healthcare Laws and Compliance Requirements

In the United States, our activities are potentially subject to regulation by various federal, state and local authorities in addition to the FDA, including but not limited to, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), other divisions of the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) (e.g., the Office of Inspector General, the United States Department of Justice (DOJ), and individual United States Attorney offices within the DOJ, and state and local governments). For example, our business practices, including any of our research and future sales, marketing and scientific/educational grant programs may be required to comply with the anti-fraud and abuse provisions of the Social Security Act, the false claims laws, the patient data privacy and security provisions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), transparency requirements, and similar state, local and foreign laws, each as amended.

The federal Anti-Kickback Statute prohibits, among other things, any person or entity, from knowingly and willfully offering, paying, soliciting or receiving any remuneration, directly or indirectly, overtly or covertly, in cash or in kind, to induce or in return for purchasing, leasing, ordering or arranging for the purchase, lease or order of any item, good, facility or service reimbursable under Medicare, Medicaid or other federal healthcare programs. The term remuneration has been interpreted broadly to include anything of value. The federal Anti-Kickback Statute has been interpreted to apply to arrangements between pharmaceutical manufacturers on one hand and prescribers, purchasers, formulary managers, and other individuals and entities on the other. There are a number of statutory exceptions and regulatory safe harbors protecting some common activities from prosecution. The exceptions and safe harbors are drawn narrowly and require strict compliance in order to offer protection. Practices that involve remuneration that may be alleged to be intended to induce prescribing, purchasing or recommending may be subject to scrutiny if they do not qualify for an exception or safe harbor. Failure to meet all of the requirements of a particular applicable statutory exception or regulatory safe harbor does not make the conduct per se illegal under the Anti-Kickback Statute. Instead, the legality of the arrangement will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis based on a cumulative review of all of the facts and circumstances. Our practices may not in all cases meet all of the criteria for protection under a statutory exception or regulatory safe harbor.

Additionally, a person or entity does not need to have actual knowledge of the federal Anti-Kickback Statute or specific intent to violate it. Rather, if “one purpose” of the remuneration is to induce referrals, the federal Anti-Kickback Statute is violated. Violations are subject to civil and criminal fines and penalties for each violation, plus up to three times the remuneration involved, imprisonment, and exclusion from government healthcare programs. In addition, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) codified case law that a claim that includes items or services resulting from a violation of the federal Anti-Kickback Statute constitutes a false or fraudulent claim for purposes of the federal civil False Claims Act (discussed below).

The civil monetary penalties statute imposes penalties against any person or entity who, among other things, is determined to have presented or caused to be presented a claim to, among others, a federal healthcare program that the person knows or should know is for a medical or other item or service that was not provided as claimed or is false or fraudulent.

The federal civil False Claims Act prohibits, among other things, any person or entity from knowingly presenting, or causing to be presented, a false claim for payment to, or approval by, the federal government or knowingly making, using, or causing to be made or used a false record or statement material to a false or fraudulent claim to the federal government. As a result of a modification made by the Fraud Enforcement and Recovery Act of 2009, a claim includes “any request or demand” for money or property presented to the United States government. For example, pharmaceutical and other healthcare companies have been, and continue to be, investigated or prosecuted under these laws for allegedly providing free product to customers with the expectation that the customers would bill federal programs for the product and for causing false claims to be submitted because of the companies’ marketing of the product for unapproved, and thus non-reimbursable, uses. Manufacturers can be held liable under the federal False Claims Act even when they do not submit claims directly to government payors if they are deemed to “cause” the submission of false or fraudulent claims. The federal False Claims Act also permits a private individual acting as a “whistleblower” to bring actions on behalf of the federal government alleging violations of the federal False Claims Act and to share in any monetary recovery.

25


 

HIPAA created additional federal criminal statutes that prohibit knowingly and willfully executing, or attempting to execute, a scheme to defraud or to obtain, by means of false or fraudulent pretenses, representations or promises, any money or property owned by, or under the control or custody of, any healthcare benefit program, including private third-party payors and knowingly and willfully falsifying, concealing or covering up by trick, scheme or device, a material fact or making any materially false, fictitious or fraudulent statement in connection with the delivery of or payment for healthcare benefits, items or services. Similar to the federal Anti-Kickback Statute, a person or entity does not need to have actual knowledge of the statute or specific intent to violate it in order to have committed a violation.

Also, many states have similar fraud and abuse statutes or regulations, such as state anti-kickback and false claims laws, which may be broader in scope and apply regardless of payor. These laws are enforced by various state agencies and through private actions. Some state laws require pharmaceutical companies to comply with the pharmaceutical industry’s voluntary compliance guidelines and the relevant federal government compliance guidance, require drug manufacturers to report information related to payments and other transfers of value to physicians and other healthcare providers, and restrict marketing practices or require disclosure of marketing expenditures. In addition, certain state and local laws require the registration of pharmaceutical sales representatives.

We may be subject to data privacy and security regulations by both the federal government and the states in which we conduct business. HIPAA, as amended by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH) and their implementing regulations, impose requirements on certain types of individuals and entities relating to the privacy, security and transmission of individually identifiable health information. Among other things, HITECH makes HIPAA’s privacy and security standards directly applicable to business associates that are independent contractors or agents of covered entities that receive or obtain protected health information in connection with providing a service on behalf of a covered entity. HITECH also created four new tiers of civil monetary penalties, amended HIPAA to make civil and criminal penalties directly applicable to business associates, and gave state attorneys general new authority to file civil actions for damages or injunctions in federal courts to enforce the federal HIPAA laws and seek attorneys’ fees and costs associated with pursuing federal civil actions. In addition, state laws govern the privacy and security of health information in specified circumstances, many of which differ from each other in significant ways and may not have the same effect, thus complicating compliance efforts. State and foreign laws, including for example the European Union General Data Protection Regulation also govern the privacy and security of health information in some circumstances, many of which differ from each other in significant ways and often are not preempted by HIPAA, thus complicating compliance efforts. There are ambiguities as to what is required to comply with these privacy and security requirements and if we fail to comply with an applicable state law requirement we could be subject to penalties. There are also state and foreign laws governing the privacy and security of health information, many of which differ from each other in significant ways and often are not preempted by HIPAA, thus complicating compliance efforts. In addition, regulators and legislators around the world are increasingly scrutinizing certain data transfers and may impose data localization requirements, which could impact our ability to conduct our business across international borders.

We may also be subject to federal government price reporting laws, which require us to calculate and report complex pricing metrics in an accurate and timely manner to government programs, as well as federal consumer protection and unfair competition laws, which broadly regulate marketplace activities that potentially harm consumers.

Additionally, the federal Physician Payments Sunshine Act within the Affordable Care Act, and its implementing regulations, require that certain manufacturers of drugs, devices, biological and medical supplies for which payment is available under Medicare, Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (with certain exceptions) annually report information to CMS related to certain payments or other transfers of value made or distributed to physicians, as defined by such law, certain other licensed health care practitioners and teaching hospitals, or to entities or individuals at the request of, or designated on behalf of, physicians and teaching hospitals and certain ownership and investment interests held by physicians and their immediate family members.

In order to distribute products commercially, we must comply with state laws that require the registration of manufacturers and wholesale distributors of drug and biological products in a state, including, in certain states, manufacturers and distributors who ship products into the state even if such manufacturers or distributors have no place of business within the state. Some states also impose requirements on manufacturers and distributors to establish the pedigree of product in the chain of distribution, including some states that require manufacturers and others to adopt new technology capable of tracking and tracing product as it moves through the distribution chain. Several states have enacted legislation requiring pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies to establish marketing compliance programs, file periodic reports with the state, make periodic public disclosures on sales, marketing, pricing, clinical trials and other activities, and/or register their sales representatives, as well as to prohibit pharmacies and other healthcare entities from providing certain physician prescribing data to pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies for use in sales and marketing, and to prohibit certain other sales and marketing practices. All of our activities are potentially subject to federal and state consumer protection and unfair competition laws.

26


 

If our operations are found to be in violation of any of the federal and state healthcare laws described above or any other governmental regulations that apply to us, we may be subject to penalties, including without limitation, civil, criminal and administrative penalties, damages, fines, disgorgement, imprisonment, exclusion from participation in government programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid, refusal to allow us to enter into government contracts, contractual damages, reputational harm, administrative burdens, diminished profits and future earnings, additional reporting requirements and/or oversight if we become subject to a corporate integrity agreement or similar agreement to resolve allegations of non-compliance with these laws, and the curtailment or restructuring of our operations, any of which could adversely affect our ability to operate our business and our results of operations.

Coverage, Pricing and Reimbursement

Significant uncertainty exists as to the coverage and reimbursement status of any product candidates for which we obtain regulatory approval. In the United States and markets in other countries, sales of any products for which we receive regulatory approval for commercial sale will depend, in part, on the extent to which third-party payors provide coverage, and establish adequate reimbursement levels for such products. In the U.S., third-party payors include federal and state healthcare programs, private managed care providers, health insurers and other organizations. The process for determining whether a third-party payor will provide coverage for a product may be separate from the process for setting the price of a product or for establishing the reimbursement rate that such a payor will pay for the product. Third-party payors may limit coverage to specific products on an approved list, or also known as a formulary, which might not include all of the FDA-approved products for a particular indication. Third-party payors are increasingly challenging the price, examining the medical necessity and reviewing the cost-effectiveness of medical products, therapies and services, in addition to questioning their safety and efficacy. We may need to conduct expensive pharmaco-economic studies in order to demonstrate the medical necessity and cost-effectiveness of our products, in addition to the costs required to obtain the FDA approvals. Our product candidates may not be considered medically necessary or cost-effective. A payor’s decision to provide coverage for a product does not imply that an adequate reimbursement rate will be approved. Further, one payor’s determination to provide coverage for a product does not assure that other payors will also provide coverage for the product. Adequate third-party reimbursement may not be available to enable us to maintain price levels sufficient to realize an appropriate return on our investment in product development.

Different pricing and reimbursement schemes exist in other countries. In the European Union (EU), governments influence the price of pharmaceutical products through their pricing and reimbursement rules and control of national health care systems that fund a large part of the cost of those products to consumers. Some jurisdictions operate positive and negative list systems under which products may only be marketed once a reimbursement price has been agreed. To obtain reimbursement or pricing approval, some of these countries may require the completion of clinical trials that compare the cost-effectiveness of a particular product candidate to currently available therapies. Other EU member states allow companies to fix their own prices for medicines but monitor and control company profits. Historically, products launched in the EU do not follow price structures of the United States and generally prices tend to be significantly lower. The downward pressure on health care costs has become very intense. As a result, increasingly high barriers are being erected to the entry of new products. In addition, in some countries, cross-border imports from low-priced markets exert a commercial pressure on pricing within a country.

The marketability of any product candidates for which we receive regulatory approval for commercial sale may suffer if the government and third-party payors fail to provide adequate coverage and reimbursement. In addition, emphasis on managed care in the United States has increased and we expect will continue to increase the pressure on healthcare pricing. Coverage policies and third-party reimbursement rates may change at any time. Even if favorable coverage and reimbursement status is attained for one or more products for which we receive regulatory approval, less favorable coverage policies and reimbursement rates may be implemented in the future.

Healthcare Reform

In the United States and some foreign jurisdictions, there have been, and continue to be, several legislative and regulatory changes and proposed changes regarding the healthcare system that could prevent or delay marketing approval of product candidates, restrict or regulate post-approval activities, and affect the ability to profitably sell product candidates for which marketing approval is obtained. Among policy makers and payors in the United States and elsewhere, there is significant interest in promoting changes in healthcare systems with the stated goals of containing healthcare costs, improving quality and/or expanding access. In the U.S., the pharmaceutical industry has been a particular focus of these efforts and has been significantly affected by major legislative initiatives.

27


 

For example, the ACA has substantially changed healthcare financing and delivery by both governmental and private insurers. Among the ACA provisions of importance to the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, in addition to those otherwise described above, are the following:

created an annual, nondeductible fee on any entity that manufactures or imports certain specified branded prescription drugs and biologic agents apportioned among these entities according to their market share in some government healthcare programs that began in 2011;
increased the statutory minimum rebates a manufacturer must pay under the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program, retroactive to January 1, 2010, to 23.1% and 13% of the average manufacturer price for most branded and generic drugs, respectively, and capped the total rebate amount for innovator drugs at 100% of the Average Manufacturer Price (AMP);
created a Medicare Part D coverage gap discount program, in which manufacturers must now agree to offer 70% point-of-sale discounts, off negotiated prices of applicable brand drugs to eligible beneficiaries during their coverage gap period, as a condition for the manufacturers’ outpatient drugs to be covered under Medicare Part D;
extended manufacturers’ Medicaid rebate liability under the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program;
expanded eligibility criteria for Medicaid programs, thereby potentially increasing manufacturers’ Medicaid rebate liability;
expanded the entities eligible for discounts under the 340B Drug Discount Program;
created a Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute to oversee, identify priorities in, and conduct comparative clinical effectiveness research, along with funding for such research;
expanded healthcare fraud and abuse laws, including the Anti-Kickback Statute and the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), created new government investigative powers, and enhanced penalties for noncompliance;
required reporting of certain financial arrangements with physicians and teaching hospitals;
required annual reporting of certain information regarding drug samples that manufacturers and distributors provide to physicians;
established a Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation at CMS to test innovative payment and service delivery models to lower Medicare and Medicaid spending; and
created a licensure framework for follow on biologic products.

Further legislation or regulation could be passed that could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations. Other legislative changes have been proposed and adopted since the ACA was enacted:

The Budget Control Act of 2011, among other things, created measures for spending reductions by Congress. This includes aggregate reductions to Medicare payments to providers of up to 2% per fiscal year, which went into effect beginning on April 1, 2013 and will stay in effect through 2031 unless additional Congressional action is taken. Subsequent legislation extended the 2% payment reduction which remains in effect through 2030. Due to the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, estimated budget deficit increases resulting from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, and subsequent legislation, Medicare payments to providers will be further reduced starting in 2025 absent further legislation;
The U.S. American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 further reduced Medicare payments to several types of providers and increased the statute of limitations period for the government to recover overpayments to providers from three to five years;
On April 13, 2017, CMS published a final rule that gives states greater flexibility in setting benchmarks for insurers in the individual and small group marketplaces, which may have the effect of relaxing the essential health benefits required under the ACA for plans sold through such marketplaces;
On May 30, 2018, the Right to Try Act, was signed into law. The law, among other things, provides a federal framework for certain patients to access certain investigational new drug products that have completed a Phase 1 clinical trial and that are undergoing investigation for FDA approval. Under certain circumstances, eligible patients can seek treatment without enrolling in clinical trials and without obtaining FDA permission under the FDA expanded access program. There is no obligation for a pharmaceutical manufacturer to make its drug products available to eligible patients as a result of the Right to Try Act; and

28


 

On May 23, 2019, CMS published a final rule to allow Medicare Advantage Plans the option of using step therapy for Part B drugs beginning January 1, 2020.

Additionally, there has been increasing legislative and enforcement interest in the United States with respect to specialty drug pricing practices. Specifically, there have been several recent United States Congressional inquiries and federal and state legislative activity designed to, among other things, bring more transparency to drug pricing, reduce the cost of prescription drugs under Medicare, review the relationship between pricing and manufacturer patient programs, and reform government program reimbursement methodologies for drugs.

Former President Biden issued multiple executive orders that sought to reduce prescription drug costs. In February 2023, HHS also issued a proposal in response to an October 2022 executive order from former President Biden that included a proposed prescription drug pricing model that would test whether targeted Medicare payment adjustments would sufficiently incentivize manufacturers to complete confirmatory trials for drugs approved through FDA’s accelerated approval pathway. Although a number of these and other proposed measures may require authorization through additional legislation to become effective, and the Trump administration may reverse or otherwise change these measures, Congress has indicated that they will continue to seek new legislative measures to control drug costs.

The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA) includes several provisions that may impact our business to varying degrees, including provisions that reduce the out-of-pocket cap for Medicare Part D beneficiaries to $2,000 starting in 2025; impose new manufacturer financial liability on certain drugs under Medicare Part D, allow the U.S. government to negotiate Medicare Part B and Part D price caps for certain high-cost drugs and biologics without generic or biosimilar competition, require companies to pay rebates to Medicare for certain drug prices that increase faster than inflation, and delay the rebate rule that would limit the fees that pharmacy benefit managers can charge. Further, under the IRA, orphan drugs are exempted from the Medicare drug price negotiation program, but only if they have one orphan designation and for which the only approved indication is for that disease or condition. If a product receives multiple orphan designations or has multiple approved indications, it may not qualify for the orphan drug exemption. The implementation of the IRA is currently subject to ongoing litigation challenging the constitutionality of the IRA’s Medicare drug price negotiation program. The effects of the IRA on our business and the healthcare industry in general is not yet known.

Individual states in the United States have also increasingly passed legislation and implemented regulations designed to control pharmaceutical product pricing, including price or patient reimbursement constraints, discounts, restrictions on certain product access and marketing cost disclosure and transparency measures, and, in some cases, designed to encourage importation from other countries and bulk purchasing. Individual states in the United States have also been increasingly passing legislation and implementing regulations designed to control pharmaceutical and biological product pricing, including price or patient reimbursement constraints, discounts, restrictions on certain product access and marketing cost disclosure and transparency measures, and, in some cases, designed to encourage importation from other countries and bulk purchasing.

We anticipate that these and other healthcare reform efforts will continue to result in additional downward pressure on coverage and the price that we receive for any approved product, and could materially harm our business. Any reduction in reimbursement from Medicare and other government programs may result in a similar reduction in payments from private payors. The implementation of cost containment measures or other healthcare reforms may prevent us from being able to generate revenue, attain profitability, or commercialize our products. Such reforms could have an adverse effect on anticipated revenue from product candidates that we may successfully develop and for which we may obtain regulatory approval and may affect our overall financial condition and ability to develop product candidates.

The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act

The FCPA prohibits any United States individual or business from offering, paying, promising to pay, or authorizing payment of money or anything of value, to any person, while knowing that all or a portion of such money or thing of value will be offered, given or promised, directly or indirectly, to any foreign official, political party or candidate to influence the foreign official in his or her official capacity, induce the foreign official to do or omit to do an act in violation of his or her lawful duty, or to secure any improper advantage in order to assist the individual or business in obtaining or retaining business.

The FCPA also obligates companies whose securities are listed in the United States to comply with certain accounting provisions requiring us to maintain books and records that accurately and fairly reflect all transactions of the corporation, including international subsidiaries, and to devise and maintain an adequate system of internal accounting controls. Compliance with the FCPA is expensive and difficult, particularly in countries in which corruption is a recognized problem. In addition, the FCPA presents particular challenges in the pharmaceutical industry, because, in many countries, hospitals are owned and

29


 

operated by the government, and doctors and other hospital employees are considered foreign officials for the purposes of the statute. Certain payments made in connection with clinical trials and other work have been deemed to be improper payments to government officials and have led to FCPA enforcement actions. Various laws, regulations and executive orders also restrict the use and dissemination outside of the United States, or the sharing with certain non-United States nationals, of information classified for national security purposes, as well as certain products and technical data relating to those products.

Accordingly, if we expand our presence outside of the United States, we will need to dedicate additional resources to complying with the laws and regulations in each jurisdiction in which it plans to operate. Therefore, this may preclude us from developing, manufacturing, or selling certain products and product candidates outside of the United States, which could limit our growth potential and increase our development costs.

Packaging and Distribution in the United States

If our products are made available to authorized users of the Federal Supply Schedule of the General Services Administration, additional laws and requirements apply. Products must meet applicable child-resistant packaging requirements under the United States Poison Prevention Packaging Act. Manufacturing, sales, promotion and other activities also are potentially subject to federal and state consumer protection and unfair competition laws.

The distribution of pharmaceutical products is subject to additional requirements and regulations, including extensive record-keeping, licensing, storage and security requirements intended to prevent the unauthorized sale of pharmaceutical products. The failure to comply with any of these laws or regulatory requirements subjects firms to possible legal or regulatory action. Depending on the circumstances, failure to meet applicable regulatory requirements can result in criminal prosecution, fines or other penalties, injunctions, exclusion from federal healthcare programs, requests for recall, seizure of products, total or partial suspension of production, denial or withdrawal of product approvals, or refusal to allow a firm to enter into supply contracts, including government contracts. Any action against us for violation of these laws, even if we successfully defend against it, could cause us to incur significant legal expenses and divert our management’s attention from the operation of our business. Prohibitions or restrictions on sales or withdrawal of future products marketed by us could materially affect our business in an adverse way.

Changes in regulations, statutes or the interpretation of existing regulations could impact our business in the future by requiring, for example: (i) changes to our manufacturing arrangements; (ii) additions or modifications to product labeling; (iii) the recall or discontinuation of our products; or (iv) additional record-keeping requirements. If any such changes were to be imposed, they could adversely affect the operation of our business.

Additional Regulation

In addition to the foregoing, state and federal laws regarding environmental protection and hazardous substances, including the Occupational Safety and Health Act, the Resource Conservancy and Recovery Act and the Toxic Substances Control Act, affect our business. These and other laws govern our use, handling and disposal of various biological, chemical and radioactive substances used in, and wastes generated by, our operations.

Even if we contract with third parties for the disposal of these materials and waste products, we cannot completely eliminate the risk of contamination or injury resulting from these materials. If our operations result in contamination of the environment or expose individuals to hazardous substances, we could be liable for damages and governmental fines, and any liability could exceed our resources. We also could incur significant costs associated with civil or criminal fines and penalties for failure to comply with such laws and regulations. We maintain workers’ compensation insurance to cover costs and expenses it may incur due to injuries to our employees, but this insurance may not provide adequate coverage against potential liabilities. However, we do not maintain insurance for environmental liability or toxic tort claims that may be asserted against it. In addition, we may incur substantial costs in order to comply with current or future environmental, health and safety laws and regulations. Current or future environmental laws and regulations may impair our research, development or production efforts. In addition, failure to comply with these laws and regulations may result in substantial fines, penalties or other sanctions.

We believe that we are in material compliance with applicable environmental laws and that continued compliance therewith will not have a material adverse effect on our business. We cannot predict, however, how changes in these laws may affect our future operations.

30


 

EU / Rest of World Government Regulation

In addition to regulations in the U.S., we will be subject to a variety of regulations in other jurisdictions governing, among other things, clinical trials and any commercial sales and distribution of our products. Whether or not we obtain FDA approval of a product, we must obtain the requisite approvals from regulatory authorities in foreign countries prior to the commencement of clinical trials or marketing of the product in those countries. Certain countries outside of the United States have a similar process that requires the submission of a clinical trial application much like the IND prior to the commencement of human clinical trials. In the EU, for example, a clinical trial authorization application must be submitted to each country’s national health authority and an independent ethics committee, much like the FDA and IRB, respectively. Once the clinical trial authorization application is approved in accordance with a country’s requirements, clinical trial development may proceed. Because biologically sourced raw materials are subject to unique contamination risks, their use may be restricted in some countries.

The requirements and process governing the conduct of clinical trials, product licensing, pricing and reimbursement vary from country to country. In all cases, the clinical trials must be conducted in accordance with GCP and the applicable regulatory requirements and the ethical principles that have their origin in the Declaration of Helsinki.

In China specifically, in addition to GCP, the conduct of clinical trials for investigational drugs is subject to the oversight and regulation of the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA), including without limitation to requirement of obtaining formal or tacit (as the case may be) authorization from NMPA for the clinical trials. Investigator-initiated trials of somatic cell products are also strictly regulated in China. Additionally, the use of China’s human genetic resources in such clinical trials must strictly comply with human genetic resources and biosecurity regulations in China, such as the Administrative Regulations of the People's Republic of China on Human Genetic Resources, and the Implementing Rules for the Administrative Regulation on Human Genetic Resources, under which the use of China’s human genetic resources shall complete mandatory filings and/or approvals with designated authorities. For market approval in China, we need to submit MAA and obtain an NMPA-issued drug registration certificate, which is a centralized procedure for the whole China, and the Center for Drug Evaluation (CDE) of NMPA will conduct the scientific evaluation of the product and make the final decision. For some specific products, such as (i) a drug for the treatment of life-threatening illnesses for which there is no effective treatment approach, and the clinical trial of drugs already has data to prove efficacy and is able to forecast the clinical value, or (ii) a drug used for prevention and treatment of life-threatening illnesses or illnesses which have a serious impact on quality of life and for which there is no other effective prevention and treatment method or there is adequate evidence to prove that the said innovative drug has obvious clinical advantages over existing treatment approach(es), the evaluation and approval procedure of CDE may be expedited.

Drug manufacturing in China must comply with China’s Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) standards. In terms of pricing, drugs not included in national reimbursement programs retain commercial pricing flexibility. However, inclusion in China’s national reimbursement drug list requires participation in government-led price negotiations. These negotiations may lead to significant price adjustments to align with public health priorities.

In April 2014, the EU adopted the Clinical Trials Regulation (EU) No 536/2014 (Regulation), which replaced the Clinical Trials Directive 2001/20/EC (Directive), on January 31, 2022. The Clinical Trials Regulation, which is directly applicable in all EU member states (meaning that no national implementing legislation in each EU member state is required), aims at simplifying and streamlining the approval of clinical trials in the EU. The main characteristics of the regulation include: a streamlined application procedure via a single-entry point through the Clinical Trials Information System (CTIS); a single set of documents to be prepared and submitted for the application as well as simplified reporting procedures for clinical trial sponsors; and a harmonized procedure for the assessment of applications for clinical trials.

To obtain regulatory approval of a medicinal product under EU regulatory systems, we must submit an MAA. The centralized procedure provides for the grant of a single marketing authorization by the European Commission (EC) that is valid across all of the EU, and in the additional countries of the European Economic Area (Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway). The scientific evaluation of MAAs for Advanced Therapy Medicinal Product (ATMPS) (which comprise gene therapy, somatic cell therapy and tissue engineered medicines) is primarily performed by a specialized scientific committee called the Committee for Advanced Therapies (CAT). The CAT prepares a draft opinion on the quality, safety and efficacy of the ATMP which is the subject of the MAA, which is sent for final approval to the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP). The maximum timeframe for the evaluation of an MAA for an ATMP is 210 days from receipt of a valid MAA, excluding clock stops when additional information or written or oral explanation is to be provided by the applicant in response to questions asked by the CAT and/or CHMP. Clock stops may extend the timeframe of evaluation of an MAA considerably beyond 210 days. Where the CHMP gives a positive opinion, the EMA provides the opinion together with supporting documentation to the EC, who make the final decision to grant a marketing authorization, which is issued within 67 days of receipt of the EMA’s recommendation. Accelerated assessment may be granted by the CHMP in exceptional cases, when a medicinal product is of major public health interest,

31


 

particularly from the viewpoint of therapeutic innovation. If the CHMP accepts such a request, the timeframe of 210 days for assessment will be reduced to 150 days (excluding clock stops), but it is possible that the CHMP may revert to the standard time limit for the centralized procedure if it determines that the application is no longer appropriate to conduct an accelerated assessment.

Products with an orphan designation in the EU can receive ten years of market exclusivity, during which time “no similar medicinal product” for the same indication may be placed on the market. A “similar medicinal product” is defined as a medicinal product containing a similar active substance or substances as contained in an authorized orphan medicinal product, and which is intended for the same therapeutic indication. An orphan product can also obtain an additional two years of market exclusivity in the EU where an agreed pediatric investigation plan for pediatric studies has been complied with. The criteria for designating an “orphan medicinal product” in the EU are similar in principle to those in the United States. Under Article 3 of Regulation (EC) 141/2000, a medicinal product may be designated as an orphan medicinal product if it meets the following criteria: (1) it is intended for the diagnosis, prevention or treatment of a life-threatening or chronically debilitating condition; and (2) either (i) the prevalence of such condition is no more than five in 10,000 persons in the EU when the application is made, or (ii) without the benefits derived from orphan status, it is unlikely that the marketing of the medicine would generate sufficient return in the EU to justify the investment needed for its development; and (3) there exists no satisfactory method of diagnosis, prevention or treatment of such condition authorized for marketing in the EU, or if such a method exists, the product will be of significant benefit to those affected by the condition, as defined in Regulation (EC) 847/2000. Orphan medicinal products are eligible for financial incentives such as reduction of fees or fee waivers. The application for orphan designation must be submitted before the application for marketing authorization. The applicant will receive a fee reduction for the MAA if the orphan designation has been granted, but not if the designation is still pending at the time the MAA is submitted. Orphan designation does not convey any advantage in, or shorten the duration of, the regulatory review and approval process. The ten-year market exclusivity may be reduced to six years if, at the end of the fifth year, it is established that the product no longer meets the criteria for orphan designation, for example, if the product is sufficiently profitable not to justify maintenance of market exclusivity. Otherwise, orphan medicine marketing exclusivity may be revoked only in very select cases, such as if: (i) a second applicant can establish that its product, although similar to the authorized orphan product, is safer, more effective or otherwise clinically superior; (ii) the marketing authorization holder of the authorized orphan product consents to a second application; or (iii) the marketing authorization holder of the authorized orphan product cannot supply enough orphan medicinal product.

All of the aforementioned EU rules are generally applicable in the EEA.

Reform of the Regulatory Framework in the European Union

The European Commission introduced legislative proposals in April 2023 that, if implemented, will replace the current regulatory framework in the EU for all medicines (including those for rare diseases and for children). The European Commission has provided the legislative proposals to the European Parliament and the European Council for their review and approval, and, in April 2024, the European Parliament proposed amendments to the legislative proposals. Once the European Commission’s legislative proposals are approved (with or without amendment), they will be adopted into EU law.

Regulatory framework in the UK

The UK formally left the EU on January 31, 2020. As a result of the Northern Ireland protocol, following Brexit, the EMA remained responsible for approving novel medicines for supply in Northern Ireland under the EU centralized procedure, and a separate authorization was required to supply the same medicine in Great Britain (England, Wales and Scotland). On February 27, 2023, the United Kingdom government and the EC announced a political agreement in principle to replace the Northern Ireland Protocol with a new set of arrangements, known as the “Windsor Framework”. The Windsor Framework was approved by the EU-UK Joint Committee on March 24, 2023, and the medicines aspects of the Windsor Framework have applied since January 1, 2025. This new framework fundamentally changes the previous system under the Northern Ireland Protocol, including with respect to the regulation of medicinal products in the United Kingdom. In particular, the MHRA is now responsible for approving all medicinal products destined for the United Kingdom market (i.e., Great Britain and Northern Ireland), and the EMA no longer has any role in approving medicinal products destined for Northern Ireland under the European Union centralized procedure. A single United Kingdom-wide marketing authorization will be granted by the MHRA for all novel medicinal products to be sold in the United Kingdom, enabling products to be sold in a single pack and under a single authorization throughout the United Kingdom. In addition, the new arrangements require all medicines placed on the UK market to be labelled “UK only”, indicating they are not for sale in the EU.

The MHRA has introduced changes to national licensing procedures, including procedures to prioritize access to new medicines that will benefit patients, an accelerated assessment procedure and new routes of evaluation for novel products and biotechnological products. On January 1, 2024, the MHRA put in place a new international recognition framework which means that the MHRA may have regard to decisions on the approval of marketing authorizations made by the EMA and certain other

32


 

regulators when determining an application for a new UK marketing authorization. There is now no pre- marketing authorization orphan designation in the United Kingdom. Instead, the MHRA reviews applications for orphan designation in parallel to the corresponding MAA. The criteria are essentially the same, but have been tailored for the United Kingdom market, i.e., the prevalence of the condition in the United Kingdom (rather than the European Union) must not be more than five in 10,000. Should an orphan designation be granted, the period of market exclusivity will be set from the date of first approval of the product in the United Kingdom.

For other countries outside of the EU and UK, such as countries in Eastern Europe, Latin America or Asia, the requirements governing the conduct of clinical trials, product licensing, pricing and reimbursement vary from country to country. In all cases, again, the clinical trials must be conducted in accordance with GCP and the applicable regulatory requirements and the ethical principles that have their origin in the Declaration of Helsinki.

If we or our potential collaborators fail to comply with applicable foreign regulatory requirements, we may be subject to, among other things, fines, suspension or withdrawal of regulatory approvals, product recalls, seizure of products, operating restrictions and criminal prosecution.

European Union General Data Protection Regulation

In addition to EU regulations related to the approval and commercialization of our products, we may be subject to the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The GDPR imposes stringent requirements for controllers and processors of personal data of persons in the EU, including, for example, more robust disclosures to individuals and a strengthened individual data rights regime, ensuring a legal basis or condition applies to the processing of personal data, rules relating to for data breach notifications, limitations on retention of information, increased requirements pertaining to special categories of data, such as health data, and additional obligations when we contracts with third-party processors in connection with the processing of the personal data. The GDPR also imposes strict rules on the transfer of personal data out of the EU to the United States and other third countries. In addition, the GDPR provides that EU member states may make their own further laws and regulations limiting the processing of personal data, including genetic, biometric or health data.

The GDPR applies extraterritorially, and we may be subject to the GDPR because of our data processing activities that involve the personal data of individuals located in the EU, such as in connection with our EU clinical trials. Failure to comply with the requirements of the GDPR and the applicable national data protection laws of the EU member states may result in fines of up to €20,000,000 or up to 4% of the total worldwide annual turnover of the preceding financial year, whichever is higher, and other administrative penalties. GDPR regulations may impose additional responsibility and liability in relation to the personal data that we process and we may be required to put in place additional mechanisms to ensure compliance with the new data protection rules.

In addition, following the United Kingdom’s (UK) exit from the EU, the UK’s European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 incorporated the UK GDPR into UK law. The UK GDPR and the UK Data Protection Act 2018 set out the UK’s data protection regime, which is independent from but aligned to the EU’s data protection regime. Non-compliance with the UK GDPR may result in monetary penalties of up to £17.5 million or 4% of worldwide revenue, whichever is higher. Although the UK is regarded as a third country under the EU’s GDPR, the EC has now issued a decision recognizing the UK as providing adequate protection under the EU GDPR and, therefore, transfers of personal data originating in the EU to the UK remain unrestricted. Like the EU GDPR, the UK GDPR restricts personal data transfers outside the UK to countries not regarded by the UK as providing adequate protection. The UK government has confirmed that personal data transfers from the UK to the European Economic Area (EEA) remain free flowing.

To enable the transfer of personal data outside of the EEA or the UK, adequate safeguards must be implemented in compliance with European and UK data protection laws. On June 4, 2021, the EC issued new forms of standard contractual clauses for data transfers from controllers or processors in the EU/EEA (or otherwise subject to the GDPR) to controllers or processors established outside the EU/EEA (and not subject to the GDPR). The UK is not subject to the EC’s new standard contractual clauses but has published a draft version of a UK-specific transfer mechanism, which will enable transfers from the UK (the International Data Transfer Agreement or Addendum). We will be required to implement these new safeguards when conducting restricted data transfers under the EU and UK GDPR and doing so will require significant effort and cost.

Compliance with these and any other applicable privacy and data security laws and regulations is a rigorous and time-intensive process, and we may be required to put in place additional mechanisms ensuring compliance with the new data protection rules. If we fail to comply with any such laws or regulations, we may face significant fines and penalties that could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

33


 

U.S. Data Privacy Law

At the federal level, in addition to HIPAA, failing to take appropriate steps to keep consumers’ personal information secure may constitute unfair acts or practices in or affecting commerce in violation of Section 5(a) of the Federal Trade Commission Act (the FTCA), 15 U.S.C § 45(a). The FTC expects a company’s data security measures to be reasonable and appropriate in light of the sensitivity and volume of consumer information it holds, the size and complexity of its business and the cost of available tools to improve security and reduce vulnerabilities. Regulators and legislators in the U.S. are also increasingly scrutinizing and restricting certain personal data transfers and transactions involving foreign countries. For example, the Biden Administration’s executive order Preventing Access to Americans’ Bulk Sensitive Personal Data and United States Government-Related Data by Countries of Concern as implemented by Department of Justice regulations issued in December 2024, prohibits data brokerage transactions involving certain sensitive personal data categories, including health data, genetic data, and biospecimens, to countries of concern, including China. The regulations also restrict certain investment agreements, employment agreements and vendor agreements involving such data and countries of concern, absent specified cybersecurity controls. Actual or alleged violations of these regulations may be punishable by criminal and/or civil sanctions, and may result in exclusion from participation in federal and state programs.

In addition, certain state laws govern privacy and security of personal information. For example, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), which went into effect on January 1, 2020, created comprehensive individual privacy rights for consumers (as that word is broadly defined in the law) and placed increased privacy and security obligations on entities handling the personal data of consumers or households. The CCPA required covered companies to provide new disclosures to California consumers, provided such consumers new ways to opt-out of certain sales of personal information, and allowed for a new private cause of action for data breaches. The CCPA was amended by the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA) which became effective on January 1, 2023 and imposed additional obligations on companies covered by the legislation. The CPRA significantly modified the CCPA and created a state agency that is vested with authority to implement and enforce the CCPA. As our business progresses, the CCPA may impact (possibly significantly) our business activities and exemplifies the vulnerability of our business to the evolving regulatory environment related to personal data and protected health information.

Similar laws have been passed and proposed in numerous other states. These laws are substantially similar in scope and contain many of the same requirements and exceptions as the CCPA, including a general exemption for clinical trial data and limited obligations for entities regulated by HIPAA. There are also states that are specifically regulating health information. For example, Washington’s My Health My Data Act, which became effective on March 31, 2024, regulates the collection and sharing of health information, and the law also has a private right of action, which further increases the relevant compliance risk. Other states, including Connecticut and Nevada, have passed similar laws regulating consumer health data, and additional states are considering and may pass similar laws. In addition, other states have proposed and/or passed legislation that regulates the privacy and/or security of certain specific types of information. For example, a small number of states have passed laws that regulate biometric data specifically. These various privacy and security laws may impact our business activities, including our identification of research subjects, relationships with business partners and ultimately the marketing and distribution of our products.

State laws are changing rapidly and there are discussions in the U.S. Congress of new comprehensive federal data privacy laws to which we could become subject to, if enacted. Such enacted and proposed legislation may add additional complexity, variation in requirements, restrictions and potential legal risk, require additional investment of resources in compliance programs, impact strategies and the availability of previously useful data and could result in increased compliance costs and/or changes in business practices and policies. The existence of comprehensive privacy laws in different states in the country would make our compliance obligations more complex and costly and may increase the likelihood that we may be subject to enforcement actions or otherwise incur liability for noncompliance.

All of these evolving compliance and operational requirements impose significant costs, such as costs related to organizational changes, implementing additional protection technologies, training employees and engaging consultants and legal advisors, which are likely to increase over time. In addition, such requirements may require us to modify our data processing practices and policies, utilize management’s time and/or divert resources from other initiatives and projects. Any failure or perceived failure by us to comply with any applicable federal, state or foreign laws and regulations relating to data privacy and security could result in damage to our reputation, as well as proceedings or litigation by governmental agencies or other third parties, including class action privacy litigation in certain jurisdictions, which would subject us to significant fines, sanctions,

34


 

awards, injunctions, penalties or judgments. Any of the foregoing could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

Human Capital

As of December 31, 2024, we had 152 full-time employees. None of our employees are represented by labor unions or covered by collective bargaining agreements. We consider our relationship with our employees to be good.

We have built a strong culture by collaboratively creating company values, a Mission and Vision. We seek input from employees on our culture through regular employee engagement surveys. We optimize employee performance through goal setting and regular written feedback. We offer attractive benefits, including competitive salaries, equity grants, an employee stock purchase plan, excellent health insurance, and a 401(k) match. We are committed to pay equity, regardless of gender, race/ethnicity, or sexual orientation and conduct comprehensive pay equity analyses on a semi-annual basis. During the pay equity reviews, we assess and ensure equality in pay for various groups to ensure fairness. In addition to providing strong benefits packages to employees, we believe in fostering individual and organizational effectiveness by offering our employees various professional development opportunities. We believe that investing in our employees’ career growth provides individuals and the organization with the knowledge and skills to respond effectively to current and future business demands and support the organization’s development efforts. Our culture is one that actively supports the application of new knowledge and skills on the job. In addition, we recognize several cultural holidays during the year in support of our diverse workforce. In 2025, we plan to continue adding to our human capital resources as we grow. We are also monitoring the current landscape of wage inflation and labor shortages in connection with our employees' overall compensation.

Corporate Information

We own or have rights to various trademarks, service marks and trade names that we use in connection with the operation of our business. This Annual Report on Form 10-K may also contain trademarks, service marks and trade names of third parties, which are the property of their respective owners. Our use or display of third parties’ trademarks, service marks, trade names or products in this Annual Report on Form 10-K is not intended to, and does not imply a relationship with, or endorsement or sponsorship by us. Solely for convenience, the trademarks, service marks and trade names referred to in this Annual Report on Form 10-K may appear without the ®, ™ or SM symbols, but the omission of such references is not intended to indicate, in any way, that we will not assert, to the fullest extent under applicable law, our rights or the right of the applicable owner of these trademarks, service marks and trade names.

Available Information

Our Internet address is www.adicetbio.com. Our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, including exhibits, proxy and information statements and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Sections 13(a), 14, and 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the Exchange Act), are available through the “Investors” portion of our website free of charge as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such material with, or furnish it to, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Information on our website is not part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K or any of our other securities filings unless specifically incorporated herein by reference. In addition, our filings with the SEC may be accessed through the SEC’s Interactive Data Electronic Applications system at www.sec.gov. All statements made in any of our securities filings, including all forward-looking statements or information, are made as of the date of the document in which the statement is included, and we do not assume or undertake any obligation to update any of those statements or documents unless we are required to do so by law.

35


 

Item 1A. Risk Factors.

Investing in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. In evaluating the Company and our business, you should carefully consider the following risks and uncertainties, together with all other information in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, including our consolidated financial statements and related notes and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” as well as our other filings with the SEC, before investing in our common stock. Any of the risk factors we describe below could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations. The market price of our common stock could decline if one or more of these risks or uncertainties actually occur, causing you to lose all or part of your investment in our common stock. The risks and uncertainties we describe below are not the only ones we face. Additional risks and uncertainties that we currently do not know about or that we currently believe to be immaterial may also impair our business. Certain statements below are forward-looking statements. See “Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements and Industry Data” section in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Risks Related to Our Business and Industry

Risks Related to Operating History

We have a limited operating history and face significant challenges and expenses as we build our capabilities.

Biopharmaceutical product development is a highly speculative undertaking and involves a substantial degree of risk. We began operations in November 2014. We have a limited operating history upon which someone can evaluate our business and prospects and is subject to the risks inherent in any early stage company, including, among other things, risks that we may not be able to hire sufficient qualified personnel and establish operating controls and procedures. We currently do not have complete in-house resources to enable our gamma delta T cell platform. As we build our own capabilities, we expect to encounter risks and uncertainties frequently experienced by growing companies in new and rapidly evolving fields, including the risks and uncertainties described herein. Consequently, any predictions made about our future success or viability may not be as accurate as they could be if we had a history of successfully developing and commercializing biopharmaceutical products.

We have incurred net losses since our inception and anticipate that we will incur substantial net losses in the future.

We are an early clinical stage biopharmaceutical company. Investment in biopharmaceutical product development is highly speculative because it entails substantial upfront capital expenditures and significant risk that any potential product candidate will fail to demonstrate adequate effect or an acceptable safety profile, gain regulatory approval and become commercially viable. We have no products approved for commercial sale and have not generated any revenue from product sales to date, and we will continue to incur significant research and development and other expenses related to our ongoing operations. As a result, we are not profitable and have incurred net losses since our inception. To date, we have financed our operations primarily with proceeds from our license and collaboration agreements and the issuance and sale of our capital stock, including most recently: (i) net proceeds of approximately $19.3 million, after deducting sales agent commissions, but before deducting any expenses related to such sales, from sales of our common stock under our “at-the-market” program in January 2024 and (ii) net proceeds of approximately $91.7 million, after deducting the underwriting discount and commissions and other estimated offering expenses, from the sale of our common stock and pre-funded warrants in an underwritten public offering in January 2024. For the year ended December 31, 2024, we recorded net loss of $117.1 million. As of December 31, 2024, we had an accumulated deficit of $497.9 million.

We expect to incur significant expenditures for the foreseeable future, and we expect these expenditures to increase as we continue our research and development of, and seek regulatory approvals for, product candidates based on our gamma delta T cell platform, including ADI-001 and ADI-270. Even if we succeed in commercializing one or more of our product candidates, we will continue to incur substantial research and development and other expenditures to develop and market additional product candidates. We may encounter unforeseen expenses, difficulties, complications, delays and other unknown factors that may adversely affect our business. The size of our future net losses will depend, in part, on the rate of future growth of our expenses and our ability to generate revenue. Our prior losses and expected future losses have had and will continue to have an adverse effect on our stockholders’ equity and working capital. Further, even if we do achieve profitability, we may not be able to sustain or increase profitability on a quarterly or annual basis. Our failure to become and remain profitable would depress the value of our company and could impair our ability to raise capital, expand our business, maintain our research and development efforts, diversify our product candidates or even continue our operations, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our

36


 

business, financial condition, results of operations, and prospects and cause investors to lose all or part of their investments.

Risks Related to Our Product Candidates

Our business is highly dependent on the success of ADI-001 and ADI-270. If we are unable to obtain regulatory approval for ADI-001 and ADI-270 in one or more indications and effectively commercialize these product candidates for the treatment of patients in indications for which we receive approval (if any), our business would be significantly harmed.

Our business and future success depends on our ability to obtain regulatory approval of, and then successfully commercialize ADI-001, our most advanced product candidate, and ADI-270. In November 2024, we dosed our first LN patient in our Phase 1 clinical study of ADI-001 in autoimmune diseases. We plan to report preliminary LN clinical data from this study in the first half of 2025, and data for other autoimmune diseases in the second half of 2025, subject to study site initiation and patient enrollment. In addition, we received FDA clearance for our IND application for ADI-270 in RCC in June 2024, and in December 2024, we dosed our first patient in our Phase 1 multicenter, open-label clinical trial to assess the safety and anti-tumor activity of ADI-270 in RCC patients. We plan to share preliminary clinical data from this trial in the first half of 2025.

Our preclinical results or clinical results to date may not predict results for our planned or ongoing trials or any future studies of ADI-001, ADI-270 or any other allogeneic gamma delta T cell product candidate. Because of the lack of evaluation of allogeneic products and gamma delta T cell therapy products in the clinic to date, any such product’s failure, or the failure of other allogeneic T cell therapies or gamma delta T cell therapies, may significantly influence physicians’ and regulators’ opinions in regards to the viability of our entire pipeline of allogeneic T cell therapies, which could have a material adverse effect on our reputation. If our gamma delta T cell therapy is viewed as less safe or effective than autologous therapies or other allogeneic T cell therapies, our ability to develop other allogeneic gamma delta T cell therapies may be significantly harmed.

All of our product candidates, including ADI-001 and ADI-270, will require additional clinical and non-clinical development, regulatory review and approval in multiple jurisdictions, substantial investment, access to sufficient commercial manufacturing capacity and significant marketing efforts before we can generate any revenue from product sales. In addition, because ADI-001 is our most advanced product candidate, and because our other product candidates are based on similar technology, if ADI-001 encounters safety or efficacy problems, manufacturing problems, developmental delays, regulatory issues or other problems, our development plans and business would be significantly harmed, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, reputation and prospects.

Our gamma delta T cell candidates represent a novel approach to the treatment of autoimmune diseases and cancer indications that creates significant challenges for us.

We are developing a pipeline of gamma delta T cell product candidates and a novel antibody platform that are intended for use in patients with certain autoimmune diseases and cancers. Advancing these novel product candidates creates significant challenges for us, including:

negative or inconclusive results from our clinical trials, preclinical studies or the clinical trials of others for product candidates similar to ours, leading to a decision or requirement to conduct additional clinical trials or preclinical studies or abandon a program;
delays in enrolling or inability to enroll subjects in our clinical trials;
manufacturing our product candidates to our specifications and in a timely manner to support our current and future clinical trials, and, if approved, commercialization;

37


 

sourcing current and future clinical and, if approved, commercial supplies for the raw materials used to manufacture our product candidates;
understanding and addressing variability in the quality of a donor’s T cells, which could ultimately affect our ability to produce product in a reliable and consistent manner;
inability to achieve efficacy in autoimmune disease and cancer patients following treatment with our product candidates;
achieving a side effect profile from our product candidates in autoimmune diseases and cancer indications that makes them clinically and commercially attractive for further development;
educating medical personnel regarding the potential side effect profile of our product candidates, if approved;
using medicines to manage adverse side effects of our product candidates which may not adequately control the side effects and/or may have a detrimental impact on the efficacy of the treatment;
conditioning patients with chemotherapy or other lymphodepletion agents in advance of administering our product candidates, which may increase the risk of adverse side effects;
obtaining regulatory approval, as the FDA and other regulatory authorities have limited experience with development of allogeneic T cell therapies for autoimmune diseases and cancer; and
establishing sales and marketing capabilities upon obtaining any regulatory approval to gain market acceptance of a novel therapy.

The success of our business, including our ability to obtain financing and generate any revenue in the future, will primarily depend on the positive efficacy and safety profile and durability of our product candidates in our clinical trials, regulatory approval, successful development and commercialization of our novel product candidates, and our ability to build out our manufacturing capabilities, which may never occur. We have not yet succeeded and may not succeed in demonstrating efficacy and safety or durability for any of our product candidates in clinical trials or in obtaining marketing approval thereafter. Given our early stage of development, it may be several years, if at all, before we have demonstrated the safety and efficacy of a product candidate sufficient to warrant approval for commercialization. If we are unable to develop, or obtain regulatory approval for, or, if approved, successfully commercialize our product candidates, we may not be able to generate sufficient revenue to continue our business, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and prospects.

Our product candidates are based on novel technologies, which makes it difficult to predict the likely success of such product candidates and the time and cost of product candidate development and obtaining regulatory approval.

We have concentrated our research and development efforts on our allogeneic gamma delta T cell therapy and our future success depends on the successful development of this therapeutic approach. We are in the early stages of developing our platform and product candidates and there can be no assurance that any development problems we have experienced or may experience in the future will not cause significant delays or result in unforeseen issues or unanticipated costs, or that any such development problems or issues can be overcome. We may also experience delays in developing a sustainable, reproducible and scalable manufacturing process or transferring that process to commercial partners, which may prevent us from completing our future clinical studies or commercializing our products on a timely or profitable basis, if at all. In addition, our expectations with regard to the advantages of an allogeneic gamma delta T cell therapy platform relative to other therapies may not materialize or materialize to the degree we anticipate. Further, our scalability and costs of manufacturing may vary significantly as we develop our product candidates and understand these critical factors.

In addition, the clinical study requirements of the FDA, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and other regulatory agencies and the criteria these regulators use to determine the safety and efficacy of a product candidate are determined according to the type, complexity, novelty and intended use and market of the potential products. The regulatory approval process for novel product candidates such as ours can be more complex and consequently more expensive and take longer than for other, better known or extensively studied pharmaceutical or other product candidates. Allogeneic gamma delta T cell therapies are novel therapies, with no immunotherapies licensed to date in

38


 

the United States or the European Union to treat autoimmune diseases. Approvals by the EMA and FDA for existing autologous CAR T cell therapies, such as Kymriah® and Yescarta®, as well as other pathways to approval, may not be indicative of what these regulators may require for approval of our therapies. Also, while we expect reduced variability in our product candidates compared to autologous products, we do not have significant clinical data supporting any benefit of lower variability. More generally, approvals by any regulatory agency may not be indicative of what any other regulatory agency may require for approval or what such regulatory agencies may require for approval in connection with new product candidates.

Our product candidates may also not perform successfully in clinical trials or may be associated with adverse events that distinguish them from the autologous CAR T-cell therapies that have previously been approved or alpha beta T cell therapies that may be approved in the future. Unexpected clinical outcomes could materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations and prospects.

Our product candidates may cause undesirable side effects or have other properties that could halt our clinical development, prevent our regulatory approval, limit our commercial potential or result in significant negative consequences.

Undesirable or unacceptable side effects caused by our product candidates could cause us or regulatory authorities to interrupt, delay or halt clinical trials and could result in a more restrictive label or the delay or denial of regulatory approval by the FDA, the EMA or other comparable foreign regulatory authorities. Results of our clinical trials could reveal a high and unacceptable severity and prevalence of side effects or unexpected characteristics. Approved autologous CAR T-cell therapies and those under development have shown frequent rates of cytokine release syndrome and neurotoxicity, and adverse events have resulted in the death of patients. Additionally, in November 2023, the FDA announced an investigation into reports of T-cell malignancies in patients who had received B-cell maturation (BCMA)-directed or CD19-directed autologous CAR T cell immunotherapies. In January 2024, the FDA determined that new boxed warning language related to T-cell malignancies should be included in the labeling for all BCMA- and CD19-directed genetically modified autologous T cell immunotherapies. While we believe our gamma delta T cell approach may lessen such results, similar or other adverse events for our allogeneic gamma delta T cell product candidates may occur and could result in increased government regulation, unfavorable public perception and publicity, potential impacts on enrollment in our clinical trials, potential regulatory delays in the testing or approval of our product candidates, stricter labeling requirements for those product candidates that are approved, and a decrease in demand for any such product candidates . In addition, while we anticipate our focus on gamma delta T cells may lessen the likelihood of graft versus host disease relative to therapies relying on unrelated alpha beta T cells, similar or other adverse events for our allogeneic gamma delta T cell product candidates may occur.

If unacceptable toxicities arise in the development of our product candidates, we could suspend or terminate our trials or the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities could order us to cease clinical trials or deny approval of our product candidates for any or all targeted indications. A data safety monitoring board may also suspend or terminate a clinical trial at any time on various grounds, including a finding that the research patients are being exposed to an unacceptable health risk, including risks inferred from other unrelated immunotherapy trials. Treatment-related side effects could also affect patient recruitment or the ability of enrolled subjects to complete the trial or result in potential product liability claims. Novel therapeutic candidates, such as those we are developing, may result in novel side effect profiles that may not be appropriately recognized or managed by the treating medical staff. We anticipate having to train medical personnel using our product candidates to understand the side effect profile of our product candidates for our clinical trials and upon any commercialization of any of our product candidates. Inadequate training in recognizing or managing the potential side effects of our product candidates could result in serious adverse events including patient deaths. Based on available preclinical data and clinical experience with other cell therapy agents, the safety profile of our pipeline product candidates is expected to include cytokine release syndrome, neurotoxicity, and possibly additional adverse events. Any of these occurrences may have a material adverse effect our business, financial condition and prospects.

In addition to side effects and adverse events caused by any product candidates we may develop, the conditioning, administration process or related procedures that may be used with our product candidates may also cause adverse side effects. A T cell therapy patient is generally administered cytotoxic drugs to remove stem cells from the bone marrow to create sufficient space in the bone marrow for the modified stem cells to engraft and produce new cells. This procedure causes side effects and, among other potential risks, can transiently compromise the patient’s immune system, known as neutropenia, and reduce blood clotting, known as thrombocytopenia. If we are unable to demonstrate that such adverse events were caused by the conditioning regimens used, administration process or related procedure, the FDA, the EMA or other regulatory authorities could order us to cease further development of, or deny approval of, any product candidates we may develop for any or all target indications. Even if we are able to demonstrate that adverse events are not related to our product candidate, such occurrences could affect patient recruitment, the ability

39


 

of enrolled patients to complete the clinical trial or the commercial viability of any product candidates that obtain regulatory approval.

If we are required by the FDA to obtain approval of a companion diagnostic in connection with approval of any of our product candidates, including in connection with our gamma delta T cell therapy targeting CD70, and we do not obtain, or face delays in obtaining, FDA approval of such companion diagnostic, we will not be able to commercialize such product candidate and our ability to generate revenue will be materially impaired.

If the FDA believes that the safe and effective use of any of our product candidates depends on an in vitro diagnostic, then it may require approval or clearance of that diagnostic as a companion diagnostic at the same time that the FDA approves our product candidates, if at all. According to FDA guidance, if the FDA determines that a companion diagnostic device is essential to the safe and effective use of a novel therapeutic product or indication, the FDA generally will not approve the therapeutic product or new therapeutic product indication if the companion diagnostic is not also approved or cleared for that indication. Depending on the data from our clinical trials, we may decide to collaborate with diagnostic companies during our clinical trial enrollment process to help identify patients with characteristics that we believe will be most likely to respond to our product candidates. If a satisfactory companion diagnostic is not commercially available in this situation, we may be required to develop or obtain such test, which would be subject regulatory approval requirements. The process of obtaining or creating such diagnostic is time consuming and costly.

Companion diagnostics are developed in conjunction with clinical programs for the associated product and are subject to regulation as medical devices by the FDA and comparable foreign regulatory authorities, and the FDA has generally required premarket approval of companion diagnostics for cancer therapies. In January 2024, FDA announced its intention to initiate the reclassification process for most in vitro diagnostics, including companion diagnostics. Further, FDA indicated that in addition to the reclassification process, FDA will continue taking a risk-based approach in the initial classification of individual in vitro diagnostics to determine whether a new test may be classified into class II through the de novo classification process. In so doing, FDA indicated that it may regulate most future companion diagnostics as class II devices. The approval or clearance of a companion diagnostic as part of the therapeutic product’s further labeling limits the use of the therapeutic product to only those patients who express the specific characteristic that the companion diagnostic was developed to detect.

If the FDA or a comparable foreign regulatory authority requires approval or clearance of a companion diagnostic for any of our product candidates, whether before or after the product candidate obtains regulatory approval, we and/or third-party collaborators may encounter difficulties in developing and obtaining approval or clearance for these companion diagnostics. Any delay or failure by us or third party collaborators to develop or obtain regulatory approval or clearance of a companion diagnostic could delay or prevent approval or continued marketing of the relevant product. We or our collaborators may also experience delays in developing a sustainable, reproducible and scalable manufacturing process for the companion diagnostic or in transferring that process to commercial partners or negotiating insurance reimbursement plans, all of which may prevent us from completing our clinical trials or commercializing our product candidates, if approved, on a timely or profitable basis, if at all.

Risks Related to Clinical Trials

Our clinical trials may fail to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of any of our product candidates, which would prevent or delay regulatory approval and commercialization.

Before obtaining regulatory approvals for the commercial sale of our product candidates, we must demonstrate through lengthy, complex and expensive preclinical testing and clinical trials that our product candidates are both safe and effective for use in each target indication. Clinical testing is expensive and can take many years to complete, and its outcome is inherently uncertain. Failure can occur at any time during the clinical trial process. The results of preclinical studies and early clinical trials of our product candidates may not be predictive of the results of later-stage clinical trials.

There is typically an extremely high rate of attrition from the failure of product candidates proceeding through clinical trials. Product candidates in later stages of clinical trials may fail to show the desired safety and efficacy profile despite having progressed through preclinical studies and initial clinical trials. A number of companies in the biopharmaceutical industry have suffered significant setbacks in advanced clinical trials due to lack of efficacy, insufficient durability of efficacy or unacceptable safety issues, notwithstanding promising results in earlier trials. Most product candidates that commence clinical trials are never approved as products.

40


 

In addition, for the ongoing Phase 1 study of ADI-001 and any future trials that may be completed, we cannot guarantee that the FDA or foreign regulatory authorities will interpret the results as we do, and more trials could be required before we submit our product candidates for approval. To the extent that the results of the trials are not satisfactory to the FDA or foreign regulatory authorities for support of a marketing application, approval of our product candidates may be significantly delayed, or we may be required to expend significant additional resources, which may not be available to us, to conduct additional trials in support of potential approval of our product candidates. Any of the foregoing could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects and financial condition.

We may not be able to file IND applications to commence additional clinical trials on the timelines we expect, and even if we are able to, the FDA may not permit us to proceed.

In December 2023, the IND for our lead product candidate, ADI-001, to treat patients with LN was cleared by the FDA. In the second quarter of 2024, we received clearance for our IND for ADI-001 to include SLE, SSc and AAV. In October 2024, we received clearance for our IND amendment to evaluate ADI-001 in IIM and SPS as part of the ongoing Phase 1 trial in autoimmune diseases. Our pipeline also includes ADI-270, an armored gamma delta CAR T cell product candidate targeting CD70+ cancers. In June 2024, our IND for ADI-270 in RCC was cleared by the FDA. We also have several additional internal gamma delta T cell therapy programs in preclinical development. We previously announced our plan to file one new IND every 12-18 months. We may not be able to make these filings on the timelines we expect, which may cause delays in commencing additional clinical trials. Even if such regulatory authorities agree with the design and implementation of the clinical trials set forth in an IND application or clinical trial application, we cannot guarantee that such regulatory authorities will not change their requirements in the future. Moreover, we cannot be sure that submission of an IND application for any of our other product candidates will result in the FDA allowing trials to begin, or that, once begun, issues will not arise that result in a decision by us, by independent institutional review boards (IRBs) or independent ethics committees, or by the FDA, the EMA or other regulatory authorities to suspend or terminate clinical trials. For example, we may experience manufacturing delays or other delays with IND-enabling studies or the FDA, the EMA or other regulatory authorities may require additional preclinical studies that we did not anticipate. Moreover, we cannot be assured that submission of an IND application will result in the FDA allowing clinical trials to begin, or that, once begun, issues will not arise that result in a decision by us, by IRBs, or independent ethics committees or by the FDA, the EMA or other regulatory authorities to suspend or terminate clinical trials, including as a result of a clinical hold. Additionally, even if such regulatory authorities agree with the design and implementation of the clinical trials set forth in an IND application or clinical trial application, we cannot guarantee that such regulatory authorities will not change their requirements in the future. The inability to initiate clinical trials any of our product candidates on the timeline currently anticipated or at all could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and prospects.

We may encounter substantial delays in our clinical trials, or may not be able to conduct our trials on the timelines we expect.

Clinical testing is expensive, time consuming and subject to uncertainty. We cannot guarantee that any clinical studies will be conducted as planned or completed on schedule, if at all. Even if these trials begin as planned, issues may arise that could suspend or terminate such clinical trials. A failure of one or more clinical studies can occur at any stage of testing, and our future clinical studies may not be successful. Events that may prevent successful or timely completion of clinical development include:

inability to generate sufficient preclinical, toxicology or other in vivo or in vitro data to support the initiation of clinical studies;
delays in sufficiently developing, characterizing or controlling a manufacturing process suitable for advanced clinical trials;
delays in developing suitable assays for screening patients for eligibility for trials with respect to certain product candidates;
delays in reaching a consensus with regulatory agencies on study design;
obtaining regulatory authorization to begin a trial, which may include the evaluation of a companion diagnostic, if applicable;

41


 

delays in reaching an agreement on acceptable terms with prospective contract research organizations (CROs) and clinical study sites, the terms of which can be subject to extensive negotiation and may vary significantly among different CROs and clinical study sites;
delays in obtaining required IRB approval at each clinical study site;
imposition of a temporary or permanent clinical hold by regulatory agencies for a number of reasons, including after review of an IND application or amendment, or equivalent application or amendment; as a result of a safety finding that presents unreasonable risk to clinical trial participants; a negative finding from an inspection of our clinical study operations or study sites; developments on trials conducted by competitors for related technology that raises FDA concerns about risk to patients of the technology broadly; or if FDA finds that the investigational protocol or plan is clearly deficient to meet its stated objectives;
delays in recruiting suitable patients to participate in our clinical studies;
difficulty collaborating with patient groups and investigators;
failure by our CROs or other third parties to adhere to clinical study requirements;
failure to perform in accordance with the FDA’s Good Clinical Practices (GCPs) requirements or applicable regulatory guidelines in other countries;
challenges in transferring manufacturing processes to any new contract development and manufacturing organizations (CDMOs) or our manufacturing facilities or any other development or commercialization partner for the manufacture of product candidates;
delays in having patients’ complete participation in a study or return for post-treatment follow-up;
developing and implementing processes and procedures with collaborators, if applicable, relating to the collection and transfer of patient samples and the timely performance of a companion diagnostic on such samples;
patients dropping out of a study;
occurrence of adverse events associated with the product candidate that are viewed to outweigh its potential benefits;
changes in regulatory requirements and guidance that require amending or submitting new clinical protocols;
changes in the standard of care on which a clinical development plan was based, which may require new or additional trials;
the cost of clinical studies of our product candidates being greater than we anticipate;
clinical studies of our product candidates producing negative or inconclusive results, which may result in us deciding, or regulators requiring us, to conduct additional clinical studies or abandon product development programs;
delays or failure to secure supply agreements with suitable raw material suppliers, or any failures by suppliers to meet our quantity or quality requirements for necessary raw materials;
political conditions or conflicts in regions where we conduct or may seek to conduct our clinical trials; and
manufacturing challenges, including delays in testing, releasing, validating, or importing/exporting sufficient stable quantities of our product candidates for use in clinical studies or the inability to do any of the foregoing.

Our timing of filing INDs for our product candidates is dependent on further preclinical and manufacturing success, which we work on with various third parties. We cannot be sure that we will be able to submit our INDs in a

42


 

timely manner, if at all, or that submission of an IND application or IND amendment will result in the FDA allowing testing and clinical trials to begin, or that, once begun, issues will not arise that suspend or terminate such clinical trials.

Any inability to successfully complete preclinical and clinical development could result in additional costs to us or impair our ability to generate revenue. In addition, if we make manufacturing or formulation changes to our product candidates, we may be required to or we may elect to conduct additional studies to bridge our modified product candidates to earlier versions. Clinical study delays could also shorten any periods during which our products have patent protection and may allow our competitors to bring products to market before we do, which could impair our ability to successfully commercialize our product candidates and may harm our business and results of operations.

Monitoring safety of patients receiving our product candidates is challenging, which could adversely affect our ability to obtain regulatory approval and commercialize.

In our current and planned clinical trials of our product candidates, we have contracted with and expect to continue to contract with academic medical centers and hospitals experienced in the assessment and management of toxicities arising during clinical trials. Nonetheless, these centers and hospitals may have difficulty observing patients and treating toxicities, which may be more challenging due to personnel changes, inexperience, shift changes, house staff coverage or related issues. This could lead to more severe or prolonged toxicities or even patient deaths, which could result in us or the FDA delaying, suspending or terminating one or more of our clinical trials, and which could jeopardize regulatory approval. Medicines used at centers to help manage adverse side effects of ADI-001 and ADI-270 may not adequately control the side effects and/or may have a detrimental impact on the efficacy of the treatment. Use of these medicines may increase with new physicians and centers administering our product candidates, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our ability to obtain regulatory approval and commercialize on the timelines anticipated or at all, which could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

If we encounter difficulties enrolling patients in our clinical trials, our clinical development activities could be delayed or otherwise adversely affected.

We may experience difficulties in patient enrollment in our clinical trials for a variety of reasons. The timely completion of clinical trials in accordance with the protocols depends, among other things, on our ability to enroll a sufficient number of patients who remain in the study until the conclusion. The enrollment of patients depends on many factors, including:

the patient eligibility criteria defined in the protocol;
the size of the patient population required for analysis of the trial’s primary endpoints;
the proximity of patients to study sites;
the design of the trial;
our ability to recruit clinical trial investigators with the appropriate competencies and experience;
our ability to obtain and maintain patient consents; and
the risk that patients enrolled in clinical trials will drop out of the trials before the infusion of our product candidates or trial completion.

In addition, our clinical trials will compete with other clinical trials for product candidates that are in the same therapeutic areas as our product candidates, and this competition will reduce the number and types of patients available to us because some patients who might have opted to enroll in our trials may instead opt to enroll in a trial being conducted by one of our competitors. Since the number of qualified clinical investigators is limited, some of our clinical trial sites are also being used by some of our competitors, which may reduce the number of patients who are available for our clinical trials in that clinical trial site.

Moreover, because our product candidates represent unproven methods for the treatment of autoimmune diseases and cancer, potential patients and their doctors may be inclined to use conventional therapies rather than enroll in our clinical trial. For cancer, they may use chemotherapy and hematopoietic cell transplantation or autologous CAR T cell

43


 

therapies. Patients eligible for allogeneic CAR T cell therapies but ineligible for autologous CAR T cell therapies due to aggressive cancer and inability to wait for autologous CAR T cell therapies may be at greater risk for complications and death from therapy. For autoimmune diseases, potential patients may use therapies that focus on symptomatic relief.

Delays in patient enrollment may result in increased costs or may affect the timing or outcome of our ongoing clinical trial and planned clinical trials, which could prevent completion of these trials and adversely affect our ability to advance the development of our product candidates.

Clinical trials are expensive, time-consuming and difficult to design and implement.

Human clinical trials are expensive and difficult to design and implement, in part because they are subject to rigorous regulatory requirements. Because our gamma delta T cell product candidates are based on new technologies and will require the creation of inventory of mass-produced, “off-the-shelf” products, we expect that we will require extensive research and development and have substantial manufacturing and processing costs. In addition, costs to treat patients with autoimmune diseases and cancer and to treat potential side effects that may result from our product candidates can be significant. Accordingly, our clinical trial costs are likely to be significantly higher than for more conventional therapeutic technologies or drug products, which is expected to have a material adverse effect on our financial position and ability to achieve profitability.

As a result, because we have limited financial and managerial resources, we may forego or delay pursuit of opportunities with other product candidates or for other indications that later prove to have greater commercial potential. For example, in November 2023, we announced that we paused preclinical development of ADI-925 to prioritize corporate resources on ADI-270. In January 2024, we announced we had deprioritized enrollment of large B cell lymphoma patients in our Phase 1 clinical trial of ADI-001 in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and in September 2024 we announced a strategic prioritization to focus ADI-001 development resources on autoimmune indications. Due to this prioritization, patient enrollment in the Phase 1 clinical study of ADI-001 in mantle cell lymphoma has been closed. Our resource allocation decisions may cause us to fail to capitalize on viable commercial products or profitable market opportunities. Our spending on current and future research and development programs and product candidates for specific indications may not yield any commercially viable products. Failure to allocate resources or capitalize on strategies in a successful manner will have an adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

A variety of risks associated with conducting research and clinical trials abroad and marketing our product candidates internationally could materially adversely affect our business.

We are currently conducting research and development activities outside of the United States, including in China, and plan to continue to globally develop our product candidates. Accordingly, we expect that our development programs will be subject to additional risks related to operating in foreign countries, including:

differing and changing regulatory requirements in foreign countries, including for clinical trial activities and product approvals;
unexpected changes in tariffs (including tariffs that have been or may in the future be imposed by the United States or other countries), trade barriers, price and exchange controls and other regulatory requirements;
increased difficulties in managing the logistics and transportation of storing and shipping product candidates produced in the United States and shipping the product candidate to the patient abroad;
import and export requirements and restrictions;
economic weakness, including inflation, or political instability in particular foreign economies and markets;
difficulties in compliance with different, complex and changing laws, regulations and court systems of multiple jurisdictions and compliance with a wide variety of foreign laws, treaties and regulations;
increasing geopolitical tensions between the U.S. and other countries in which we may operate and changes in a specific country’s or region’s political or economic environment especially with respect to a particular country’s treatment of or stance towards other countries;

44


 

foreign taxes, including withholding of payroll taxes;
foreign currency fluctuations, which could result in increased operating expenses and reduced revenue, and other obligations incident to doing business in another country;
difficulties staffing and managing foreign operations;
workforce uncertainty in countries where labor unrest is more common than in the United States;
differing payor reimbursement regimes, governmental payors or patient self-pay systems and price controls;
potential liability under the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) or comparable foreign regulations;
challenges enforcing our contractual and intellectual property rights, especially in those foreign countries that do not respect and protect intellectual property rights to the same extent as the United States; and
production shortages resulting from any events affecting raw material supply or manufacturing capabilities abroad.

Furthermore, conducting clinical trials in countries outside the United States presents additional risks, including political and economic risks that are not present in the United States, such as armed conflict and economic embargoes or boycotts. We currently conduct and plan in the future to initiate clinical trials of ADI-001 at sites outside of the United States, which may be located in countries involved in or impacted by political unrest and conflicts. For example, while we currently do not expect armed conflicts, such as the conflicts between Russia and Ukraine or Israel and Hamas, or related developments to have a significant impact on our ability to obtain results from our clinical trials, further escalation (whether in these countries or surrounding areas) may adversely affect our ability to adequately conduct certain clinical trials and maintain compliance with relevant protocols due to, among other reasons, the prioritization of hospital resources away from clinical trials, reallocation or evacuation of site staff and subjects, or as a result of government-imposed curfews, warfare, violence, or other governmental action or other events that restrict movement. These developments may also result in our inability to access sites for monitoring or to obtain data from affected sites or patients going forward. We could also experience disruptions in our supply chain or limits to our ability to provide sufficient investigational materials in such countries and surrounding regions. Clinical trial sites may suspend or terminate the trials being conducted and patients could be forced to evacuate or choose to relocate, making them unavailable for initial or further participation in such trials. Alternative sites in these areas may not be available and we may need to find other countries to conduct the relevant trials. Furthermore, military action may prevent the FDA or other regulatory agencies from inspecting clinical sites in these countries. Such interruptions may delay our plans for clinical development and approvals for our product candidates.

These and other risks associated with our potential international operations may materially adversely affect our ability to develop our product candidates and attain or maintain profitable operations, which could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

Risks Related to Marketing Our Product Candidates

The market opportunities for our product candidates may be limited to those patients who are ineligible for or have failed prior treatments and may be small.

The FDA often approves new therapies initially only for use in patients who are currently not adequately treated with currently approved therapies. We expect to initially seek approval of ADI-001 and our other product candidates in this setting. Subsequently, for those products that prove to be sufficiently beneficial, if any, we would expect to seek approval in earlier lines of treatment and potentially as a first line therapy. There is no guarantee that our product candidates, even if approved, would be approved for earlier lines of therapy, and, prior to any such approvals, we will have to conduct additional clinical trials, including potentially comparative trials against approved therapies. We are also targeting a similar patient population as autologous CAR T-cell product candidates, including approved autologous CAR T-cell products. Our therapies may not be as safe and effective as autologous CAR T-cell therapies and may only be approved for patients who are ineligible for autologous CAR T-cell therapy.

Our projections of both the number of people who have the indications we are targeting, as well as the subset of people with these indications in a position to receive second or later lines of therapy and who have the potential to benefit from treatment with our product candidates, are based on our beliefs and estimates. These estimates have been derived from a variety of sources, including scientific literature, patient foundations or market research and may prove

45


 

to be incorrect. Further, new studies may change the estimated incidence or prevalence of these indications. The number of patients may turn out to be lower than expected. Additionally, the potentially addressable patient population for our product candidates may be limited or may not be amenable to treatment with our product candidates. Even if we obtain significant market share for our product candidates, because the potential target populations are small, we may never achieve profitability without obtaining regulatory approval for additional indications.

If we fail to develop additional product candidates, our commercial opportunity will be limited.

One of our core strategies is to pursue clinical development of additional product candidates beyond ADI-001. Our pipeline also includes ADI-270, an armored gamma delta CAR T-cell product candidate targeting CD70+ cancers, which has initiated clinical development. In addition, we have several additional internal gamma delta T cell therapy programs in preclinical development. We plan to submit one new IND to the FDA every 12-18 months. Developing, obtaining regulatory approval for and commercializing additional gamma delta T cell product candidates will require substantial additional funding and is prone to the risks of failure inherent in medical product development. We cannot provide you any assurance that we will be able to successfully advance any of these additional product candidates through the development process.

Even if we receive FDA approval to market our product candidates for the treatment of our targeted indications, we cannot assure you that any such product candidates will be successfully commercialized, widely accepted in the marketplace or more effective than other commercially available alternatives. If we are unable to successfully develop and commercialize additional product candidates, our commercial opportunity will be limited. Moreover, a failure in obtaining regulatory approval of additional product candidates may have a negative effect on the approval process of any other, or result in losing approval of any approved, product candidate which could have a material adverse effect on our business and prospects.

We currently have no marketing and sales organization and as a company have no experience in marketing products. If we are unable to establish marketing and sales capabilities or enter into agreements with third parties to market and sell our product candidates, if approved, we may not be able to generate product revenue.

We currently have no sales, marketing or distribution capabilities and as a company have no experience in marketing products. We may develop a marketing organization and sales force, which will require significant capital expenditures, management resources and time. We will have to compete with other pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies to recruit, hire, train and retain marketing and sales personnel.

If we are unable or decide not to establish internal sales, marketing and distribution capabilities, we will pursue collaborative arrangements regarding the sales and marketing of our products; however, there can be no assurance that we will be able to establish or maintain such collaborative arrangements, or if we are able to do so, that it will have effective sales forces. Any revenue we receive will depend upon the efforts of such third parties, which may not be successful. We may have little or no control over the marketing and sales efforts of such third parties and our revenue from product sales may be lower than if we had commercialized our product candidates ourselves. We also face competition in our search for third parties to assist us with the sales and marketing efforts of our product candidates.

There can be no assurance that we will be able to develop in-house sales and distribution capabilities or establish or maintain relationships with third-party collaborators to commercialize any product that receives regulatory approval in the United States or overseas. If we are unable to successfully market and distribute our products, our business, results of operations and prospects could be materially adversely affected.

We face significant competition from other biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, and our operating results will suffer if we fail to compete effectively.

The biopharmaceutical industry is characterized by intense competition and rapid innovation. Our competitors may be able to develop other compounds or drugs that are able to achieve similar or better results. Our potential competitors include major multinational pharmaceutical companies, established biotechnology companies, specialty pharmaceutical companies and universities and other research institutions. Many of our competitors have substantially greater financial, technical and other resources, such as larger research and development staff and experienced marketing and manufacturing organizations and well-established sales forces. Smaller or early-stage companies may also prove to be significant competitors, particularly through collaborative arrangements with large, established companies. Mergers and acquisitions in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries may result in even more resources being concentrated in our competitors. Competition may increase further as a result of advances in the commercial applicability of technologies and greater availability of capital for investment in these industries. Our

46


 

competitors, either alone or with collaborative partners, may succeed in developing, acquiring or licensing on an exclusive basis drug or biologic products that are more effective, safer, more easily commercialized or less costly than our product candidates or may develop proprietary technologies or secure patent protection that we may need for the development of our technologies and products.

Specifically, engineered T cells face significant competition in both the CAR and T cell receptor (TCR) technology space from multiple companies. Even if we obtain regulatory approval of our product candidates, the availability and price of our competitors’ products could limit the demand and the price we are able to charge for our product candidates. We may not be able to implement our business plan if the acceptance of our product candidates is affected by price competition or the reluctance of physicians to switch from existing methods of treatment to our product candidates, or if physicians switch to other new drug or biologic products or choose to reserve our product candidates for use in limited circumstances.

Risks Related to Manufacturing

Although we have commenced manufacturing operations at our manufacturing facility, we currently depend on the ability of our third-party suppliers and manufacturers with whom we contract to perform adequately, particularly with respect to the timely production and delivery of our product candidates, including ADI-001. This reliance on third parties increases the risk that we will not have sufficient quantities of our product candidates or products or such quantities at an acceptable cost, which could delay, prevent or impair our development or commercialization efforts.

Although we commenced manufacturing operations at our Redwood City facility, we rely and expect to continue to rely to a significant extent on third parties for the manufacture of our product candidates for preclinical and clinical development. We may not be able to achieve clinical or commercial manufacturing and cell processing on our own or through our CDMOs, including timely supply of “off-the-shelf” product to satisfy demands to support clinical trials of any of our product candidates. To the extent we are not able to obtain timely supply of “off-the-shelf” product, the anticipated timing for our clinical trials and the development of our product candidates could be adversely impacted. Very few companies have experience in manufacturing gamma delta T cell therapy derived from blood of unrelated donors, and gamma delta T cells require several complex manufacturing steps before being available as a mass-produced, “off-the-shelf” product. We have limited experience in managing the allogeneic gamma delta T cell engineering process, and our allogeneic processes may be more difficult or more expensive than the approaches taken by our competitors. We cannot be sure that the manufacturing processes employed by or on our behalf will result in T cells that will be safe and effective.

Our operations remain subject to review and oversight by the FDA and the FDA could object to our use of any manufacturing facilities. Even if our product candidates are approved, we would be subject to ongoing periodic unannounced inspection by the FDA and corresponding state agencies to ensure strict compliance with current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMPs) and other government regulations. Our license to manufacture product candidates will be subject to continued regulatory review.

Our cost of goods development is at an early stage. The actual cost to manufacture and process our product candidates could be greater than we expect and could materially and adversely affect the commercial viability of our product candidates.

The manufacture of biopharmaceutical products is complex and requires significant expertise, including the development of advanced manufacturing techniques and process controls. Manufacturers of cell therapy products often encounter difficulties in production, particularly in scaling out and validating initial production and ensuring the absence of contamination. These problems include difficulties with production costs and yields, quality control, including stability of the product, quality assurance testing, operator error, shortages of qualified personnel, as well as compliance with strictly enforced federal, state and foreign regulations. The occurrence of any of such problems could adversely impact the availability of products for our clinical trials and commercial sale. Furthermore, if contaminants are discovered in our supply of product candidates or in the manufacturing facilities, such manufacturing facilities may need to be closed for an extended period of time to investigate and remedy the contamination. We have experienced manufacturing delays due to these issues in the past and cannot assure you that any stability or other issues relating to the manufacture of our product candidates will not occur in the future.

Our product candidates and any products that we may develop may compete with other product candidates and approved products for access to manufacturing facilities. There are a limited number of manufacturers that operate under cGMP regulations and that might be capable of manufacturing for us.

47


 

We may fail to manage the logistics of storing and shipping our product candidates. Storage failures and shipment delays and problems caused by us, our vendors or other factors not in our control, such as weather, could result in loss of usable product or prevent or delay the delivery of product candidates to patients.

We may also experience both internal and external manufacturing difficulties due to resource constraints or as a result of labor disputes. We have experienced external manufacturing difficulties in the past; if we were to continue to encounter any of these difficulties, our ability to provide our product candidates to patients would be jeopardized, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and prospects.

Risks Related to Our Operations

We are highly dependent on our key personnel, and if we are not successful in attracting and retaining highly qualified personnel, we may not be able to successfully implement our business strategy.

Our ability to compete in the highly competitive biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries depends upon our ability to attract and retain highly qualified managerial, scientific and medical personnel. We are highly dependent on our management, scientific and medical personnel. The loss of the services of any of our executive officers, other key employees and other scientific and medical advisors, and our inability to find suitable replacements could result in delays in product development and harm our business.

We conduct substantially all of our operations at our facilities in the San Francisco Bay Area. This region is headquarters to many other biopharmaceutical companies and many academic and research institutions. Competition for skilled personnel in this market is intense and may limit our ability to hire and retain highly qualified personnel on acceptable terms or at all.

To induce valuable employees to remain at our company, in addition to salary and cash incentives, we have provided stock options and restricted stock units that vest over time. The value to employees of stock options that vest over time may be significantly affected by fluctuations in our stock price that are beyond our control. Declines in our stock price generally reduce the value of equity awards granted to its employees. To the extent our stock price declines, our ability to incentivize, retain or attract qualified talent could be negatively impacted. Such declines in stock price may result in additional “underwater” stock options held by certain employees and officers. For example, in August 2024, certain of our executive officers entered into an option cancellation agreement to surrender certain underwater stock options.

The value of our stock options may at any time be insufficient to counteract more lucrative offers from other companies. Despite our efforts to retain valuable employees, members of our management, scientific and development teams may terminate their employment with us on short notice. Although we have employment agreements with our key employees, these employment agreements provide for at-will employment, which means that any of our employees could leave our employment at any time, with or without notice. We do not maintain “key person” insurance policies on the lives of these individuals or the lives of any of our other employees. Our success also depends on our ability to continue to attract, retain and motivate highly skilled junior, mid-level and senior managers as well as junior, mid-level and senior scientific and medical personnel. To provide added incentives to retain and motivate key contributors, our board of directors approved a stock option repricing in August 2023. Despite this, we may have difficulty retaining key personnel, which could adversely affect our business and further development of our product candidates.

48


 

We will need substantial additional financing to develop our product candidates and implement our operating plans. If we fail to obtain additional financing, we may be unable to complete the development and commercialization of our product candidates.

We expect to spend a substantial amount of capital in the clinical development of our product candidates, including the ongoing and future clinical trials for ADI-001, the ongoing clinical trial for ADI-270 in RCC and IND-enabling activities for our additional internal gamma delta T cell therapy programs in preclinical development. We will need substantial additional financing to develop our products and implement our operating plans. In particular, we will require substantial additional financing to enable commercial production of our products and initiate and complete registration trials for multiple products. Further, if approved, we will require significant additional amounts in order to launch and commercialize our product candidates.

As of the date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, we believe that with $176.3 million in cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash and short-term investments in treasury securities as of December 31, 2024, we are capitalized into the second half of 2026. However, changing circumstances may cause us to consume capital significantly faster than we currently anticipate, and we may need to spend more money than currently expected because of circumstances beyond our control. We may require additional capital for the further development and commercialization of our product candidates, including funding our internal manufacturing capabilities and may need to raise additional funds sooner if we choose to expand more rapidly than we presently anticipate.

We cannot be certain that additional funding will be available on acceptable terms, or at all. We have no committed source of additional capital and if we are unable to raise additional capital in sufficient amounts or on terms acceptable to us, we may have to significantly delay, scale back or discontinue the development or commercialization of our product candidates or other research and development initiatives. Our license agreements may also be terminated if we are unable to meet the payment obligations under the agreements. We could be required to seek collaborators for our product candidates at an earlier stage than otherwise would be desirable or on terms that are less favorable than might otherwise be available or relinquish or license on unfavorable terms our rights to our product candidates in markets where we otherwise would seek to pursue development or commercialization ourselves. Additionally, United States and global economic uncertainty, higher interest rates and diminished credit availability may limit our ability to incur indebtedness on favorable terms. Furthermore, the impact of geopolitical tension, such as a deterioration in the bilateral relationship between the United States and China, an escalation in conflict between Russia and Ukraine or the ongoing armed conflict in Israel and the Gaza strip, including any resulting sanctions, export controls or other restrictive actions, also could lead to disruption, instability and volatility in the global markets, which may have an impact on our ability to obtain additional funding.

Any of the above events could significantly harm our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations and cause the price of our common stock to decline.

We have grown rapidly and will need to continue to grow the size of our organization, and it may experience difficulties in managing this growth.

As our development and commercialization plans and strategies develop, and as we have transitioned into operating as a public company, we have rapidly expanded our employee base and expect to continue to add managerial, operational, sales, research and development, marketing, financial and other personnel. Current and future growth imposes significant added responsibilities on members of management, including:

identifying, recruiting, integrating, maintaining and motivating additional employees;
managing our internal development efforts effectively, including the clinical and FDA review process for our product candidates, while complying with our contractual obligations to contractors and other third parties; and
improving our operational, financial and management controls, reporting systems and procedures.

Our future financial performance and our ability to commercialize our product candidates will depend, in part, on our ability to effectively manage our growth, and our management may also have to divert a disproportionate amount of our attention away from day-to-day activities in order to devote a substantial amount of time to managing these growth activities.

We currently rely, and for the foreseeable future will continue to rely, in substantial part on certain independent organizations, advisors and consultants, pursuant to arrangements which expire after a certain period of time, to

49


 

provide certain services, including certain research and development as well as general and administrative support. There can be no assurance that the services of independent organizations, advisors and consultants will continue to be available to us on a timely basis when needed, or that we can find qualified replacements. In addition, if we are unable to effectively manage our outsourced activities or if the quality or accuracy of the services provided by consultants is compromised for any reason, our clinical trials may be extended, delayed or terminated, and we may not be able to obtain regulatory approval of our product candidates or otherwise advance our business. There can be no assurance that we will be able to manage our existing consultants or find other competent outside contractors and consultants on economically reasonable terms, or at all.

If we are not able to effectively expand our organization by hiring new employees and expanding our groups of consultants and contractors, we may not be able to successfully implement the tasks necessary to further develop and commercialize our product candidates and, accordingly, may not achieve our research, development and commercialization goals, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and prospects.

We may form or seek strategic alliances or enter into additional licensing arrangements in the future, and we may not realize the benefits of such alliances or licensing arrangements.

We may form or seek strategic alliances, create joint ventures or collaborations or enter into additional licensing arrangements with third parties that we believe will complement or augment our development and commercialization efforts with respect to our product candidates and any future product candidates that we may develop. Any of these relationships may require us to incur non-recurring and other charges, increase our near and long-term expenditures, issue securities that dilute our existing stockholders or disrupt our management and business. In addition, we face significant competition in seeking appropriate strategic partners and the negotiation process is time-consuming and complex. Moreover, we may not be successful in our efforts to establish a strategic partnership or other alternative arrangements for our product candidates because they may be deemed to be at too early of a stage of development for collaborative effort and third parties may not view our product candidates as having the requisite potential to demonstrate safety and efficacy. Any delays in entering into new strategic partnership agreements related to our product candidates could delay the development and commercialization of our product candidates in certain geographies for certain indications, which would harm our business prospects, financial condition and results of operations.

If we license products or businesses, we may not be able to realize the benefit of such transactions if we are unable to successfully integrate them with our existing operations and company culture. For instance, our License and Collaboration Agreement (the Regeneron Agreement) with Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Regeneron) requires significant research and development commitments that may not result in the development and commercialization of product candidates. We cannot be certain that, following a strategic transaction or license, we will achieve the results, revenue or specific net income that justifies such transaction, which could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

Risks Related to Doing Business in China and Our International Operations

The pharmaceutical industry in China is highly regulated and such regulations, including the Foreign Investment Law and the “negative list,” are subject to change which may affect development approval and commercialization of our product candidates.

The pharmaceutical industry in China is subject to comprehensive government regulation and supervision, encompassing the development, approval, registration, manufacturing, packaging, licensing and marketing of new drugs. For example, under the People's Republic of China (PRC) law, before we or our subsidiaries commence a clinical trial with Shanghai Adicet Biotechnology Co., Ltd., our variable interest entity (the Adicet VIE), an approval or filing, as the case may be, needs to be obtained in advance for any projects in respect of human genetic resources in order to collect any biological samples that contain the genetic material of Chinese human subjects. Any failure to obtain such approval or filing could cause such projects to be suspended by governing authorities, and may result in fines. Investigator-initiated trials cannot be implemented in a medical and healthcare institution without first being approved by such medical and healthcare institutions. Such medical and healthcare institutions shall file such approval to the medical and healthcare authority which issues its operating license for record. Furthermore, under relevant PRC laws, a license for use of laboratory animals is required for performing experimentation on animals. Any failure to fully comply with such requirements may result in the invalidation of our experimental data. In recent years, the regulatory framework in China regarding the pharmaceutical industry has undergone significant changes, and we expect that it will continue to undergo significant changes. Any such changes or amendments may result in increased

50


 

compliance costs on our business or cause delays in or prevent the successful development or commercialization of our product candidates in China and reduce the current benefits we believe are available to us from developing and manufacturing drugs in China. PRC authorities have become increasingly vigilant in enforcing laws in the pharmaceutical industry and any failure by us or our partners to maintain compliance with applicable laws and regulations or obtain and maintain required licenses and permits may result in the suspension or termination of our business activities in China. We believe our strategy and approach are aligned with the PRC government’s regulatory policies, but we cannot ensure that our strategy and approach will continue to be aligned.

In addition, the Foreign Investment Law in China grants foreign invested entities the same treatment as PRC domestic entities, except for those foreign invested entities that operate in industries deemed to be either “restricted” or “prohibited” in the “negative list” published by the Ministry of Commerce, and the National Development and Reform Commission (2024 Negative List). We and our PRC subsidiary, Adicet (Shanghai) Biotechnology Co., Ltd. (Adicet Shanghai), a wholly foreign-owned enterprise (WFOE), are currently considered to be a foreign invested entity in China.

The 2024 Negative List provides that foreign investment is prohibited in the development and application of human stem cell or gene diagnostic and therapeutic technologies. As of October 2024, there has been no official interpretation of the scope of “human stem cell or gene diagnostic and therapeutic technologies” and the application of this regulation remains unclear. If discovering and developing our allogeneic gamma delta T cell therapies are deemed by relevant PRC regulatory agencies as falling into the category of “human stem cell or gene diagnostic and therapeutic technologies,” Adicet Shanghai would be prohibited from engaging in the research or development of such technologies. To comply with the PRC laws and regulations, we conduct our research and development activities in PRC through the Adicet VIE. It is also noted that in September 2024, Ministry of Commerce, National Healthcare Commission and National Medical Products Administration of PRC jointly announce a pilot policy (2024 Pilot Policy) to allow foreign invested entities in Free Trade Zone of Beijing, Shanghai, Guangdong and Hainan to develop human stem cell or gene diagnostic and therapeutic technologies. However, the application of 2024 Pilot Policy remains unclear.

Any of the above factors may affect the development, approval and commercialization of our product candidates, which could have a material adverse effect on our business and financial condition.

The uncertainties in the PRC legal system regarding the Foreign Investment Law may subject our contractual arrangements to different interpretations or enforcement challenges, or subject us to severe penalties or force us to relinquish our interests in our operations.

In May 2024, we formed Adicet Shanghai, located in Shanghai, PRC, as a wholly owned subsidiary of Adicet Therapeutics. Through Adicet Shanghai, we operate our business in PRC pursuant to a series of contractual arrangements between Adicet Shanghai and the Adicet VIE, and the Adicet VIE’s shareholders, which enable us to (i) direct the activities of the Adicet VIE that most significantly impact the Adicet VIE’s economic performance, (ii) receive substantially all of the economic benefits of the Adicet VIE and its subsidiary, and (iii) have an exclusive option to purchase all or part of the equity interests and assets in the Adicet VIE, when and to the extent permitted by PRC laws. As a result of these contractual arrangements, Adicet Therapeutics is considered the primary beneficiary of the Adicet VIE and the Adicet VIE’s subsidiaries for accounting purposes and is able to consolidate the financial results of the Adicet VIE in the consolidated financial statements in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. Investors in our common stock do not hold any ownership interest, directly or indirectly, in the Adicet VIE in China, and we merely have a contractual relationship with the operating entity in China.

Our PRC legal counsel based on its understanding of the relevant laws and regulations, is of the opinion that (i) the ownership structure of Adicet Shanghai and the Adicet VIE are in compliance with applicable PRC laws or regulations and (ii) such contractual arrangements constitute valid, legal and binding obligations enforceable against each party of such agreements in accordance with the terms of each agreement, and will not result in any violation of PRC laws or regulations currently in effect. However, our PRC legal counsel has also advised us that there are substantial uncertainties regarding the interpretation and application of current and future PRC laws, regulations and rules. Accordingly, the PRC regulatory authorities may take a view that is contrary to the opinion of our PRC legal counsel.

If we, Adicet Shanghai or the Adicet VIE are found to be in violation of any existing or future PRC laws or regulations, or fail to obtain or maintain any of the required permits or approvals, the relevant PRC regulatory authorities would have broad discretion to take action in dealing with such violations or failures, including:

51


 

revoking the business licenses and/or operating licenses of such entities;
discontinuing or placing restrictions or onerous conditions on our operation through any transactions between the WFOE and the Adicet VIE;
imposing fines, confiscating the income from Adicet Shanghai or the Adicet VIE, or imposing other requirements with which we or the Adicet VIE may not be able to comply;
requiring us to restructure our ownership structure or operations, including terminating the contractual arrangements with the Adicet VIE and deregistering the equity pledges of the Adicet VIE, which in turn would affect our ability to consolidate or derive economic interests from the Adicet VIE; or
restricting or prohibiting use of any of our offering proceeds to finance our business and operations in China, and taking other regulatory or enforcement actions that could be harmful to our business.

The imposition of any of these penalties would result in a material and adverse effect on our ability to conduct our business. In addition, it is unclear what impact the PRC government actions would have on us and on our ability to consolidate the financial results of the Adicet VIE in our consolidated financial statements, if the PRC government authorities were to find our legal structure and contractual arrangements to be in violation of PRC laws and regulations. If the imposition of any of these government actions causes us to lose our right to direct the activities of the Adicet VIE or our right to receive substantially all the economic benefits and residual returns from the Adicet VIE and we are not able to restructure our ownership structure and operations in a satisfactory manner, we would no longer be able to be considered the primary beneficiary of the Adicet VIE for accounting purposes or consolidate the financial results of the Adicet VIE in our consolidated financial statements. Either of these results, or any other significant penalties that might be imposed on us in this event, would have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

We rely on contractual arrangements with the Adicet VIE and its shareholders to undertake the activities of the Adicet VIE that most significantly impact the Adicet VIE’s economic performance, which may not be as effective as direct ownership in providing operational control.

We have relied and expect to continue to rely on contractual arrangements with the Adicet VIE and its shareholders to operate our business in China. These contractual arrangements may not be as effective as direct ownership of the Adicet VIE. For example, the Adicet VIE and its shareholders could breach their contractual arrangements with us by, among other things, failing to conduct their operations in an acceptable manner or taking other actions that are detrimental to our interests.

If we had direct ownership of the Adicet VIE, we would be able to exercise our rights as a shareholder to effect changes in the board of directors of the Adicet VIE, which in turn could implement changes, subject to any applicable fiduciary obligations, at the management and operational level. However, under the current contractual arrangements, we rely on the performance by the Adicet VIE and its shareholders of their respective obligations under the contracts to direct the activities of the Adicet VIE that most significantly impact the Adicet VIE’s economic performance. The shareholders of the Adicet VIE may not act in the best interests of our company or may not perform their obligations under these contracts. Such risks exist throughout the period in which we intend to operate certain portion of our business through the contractual arrangements with the Adicet VIE. If any dispute relating to these contracts remains unresolved, we will have to enforce our rights under these contracts through arbitration, litigation or other legal proceedings and therefore will be subject to uncertainties in the PRC legal system. Therefore, our contractual arrangements with the Adicet VIE may not be as effective in controlling our business operations as direct ownership.

Our contractual arrangements with the Adicet VIE and its shareholders are governed by PRC law. Accordingly, these contracts would be interpreted in accordance with PRC law, and any disputes would be resolved in accordance with PRC legal procedures, which may not protect us as much as those of other jurisdictions, such as the United States.

All the agreements under our contractual arrangements with the Adicet VIE and its shareholders are governed by PRC law and provide for the resolution of disputes through arbitration in China. Accordingly, these contracts would be interpreted in accordance with PRC law and any disputes would be resolved in accordance with PRC legal procedures. The legal system in the PRC is not as developed as in some other jurisdictions, such as the United States. As a result, uncertainties in the PRC legal system could limit our ability to enforce these contractual arrangements. Meanwhile, there are very few precedents and little formal guidance as to how contractual arrangements in the context of a variable interest entity should be interpreted or enforced under PRC law. There remain significant uncertainties

52


 

regarding the ultimate outcome of such arbitration should legal action become necessary. In addition, under PRC law, rulings by arbitrators are final, parties cannot appeal the arbitration results in courts, and if the losing parties fail to carry out the arbitration awards within a prescribed time limit, the prevailing parties may only enforce the arbitration awards in PRC courts through arbitration award recognition proceedings, which would require additional expenses and delay. In the event we are unable to enforce these contractual arrangements, or if we suffer significant delay or other obstacles in the process of enforcing these contractual arrangements, our ability to conduct our business may be negatively affected.

Changes in U.S. and Chinese regulations may impact our business, financial condition, and our operating results.

The U.S. government, including the SEC, has made statements and taken certain actions that led to changes to United States and international relations, and will impact companies with connections to the United States or China, including imposing several rounds of tariffs affecting certain products manufactured in China, imposing certain sanctions and restrictions in relation to China and issuing statements indicating enhanced review of companies with certain operations based in China. It is unknown whether and to what extent new legislation, executive orders, tariffs, laws or regulations will be adopted, or the effect that any such actions would have on companies with significant connections to the United States or to China, our industry or on us. We conduct research activities and have business operations both in the United States and China. Any unfavorable government policies on cross-border relations and/or international trade, including increased scrutiny on companies with certain operations based in China, capital controls or tariffs, may affect the competitive position of our product candidates, the hiring of scientists and other research and development personnel, the demand for our product candidates, the import or export of raw materials in relation to drug development, our ability to raise capital, or prevent us from selling our product candidates in certain countries. Furthermore, the SEC has issued statements primarily focused on companies with certain operations based in China, such as us. For example, in 2021, the Chairman of the SEC, issued a Statement on Investor Protection Related to Recent Developments in China, pursuant to which he stated that he has asked the SEC staff to engage in targeted additional reviews of filings for companies with certain operations based in China. The statement also addressed risks inherent in companies with variable interest entity structures.

If any new legislation, executive orders, tariffs, laws and/or regulations are implemented, if existing trade agreements are renegotiated or if the U.S. or Chinese governments take retaliatory actions due to the recent U.S.-China tension, such changes could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We may be restricted from transferring our scientific data abroad.

On March 17, 2018, the General Office of the PRC State Council promulgated the Measures for the Management of Scientific Data (the Scientific Data Measures), which provide a broad definition of scientific data and relevant rules for the management of scientific data. According to the Scientific Data Measures, enterprises in China must seek governmental approval before any scientific data involving a state secret may be transferred abroad or to foreign parties. Further, researchers conducting research funded, at least in part, by the PRC government may be required to submit relevant scientific data for management by the entity to which such researcher is affiliated before such data may be published in any foreign academic journal. Currently, as the term “state secret” is not clearly defined, there is no assurance that we can always obtain relevant approvals for sending scientific data (such as the results of our preclinical studies or clinical trials conducted within China) abroad, or to our foreign partners in China.

If we are unable to obtain the necessary approvals in a timely manner, or at all, our research and development of product candidates may be hindered, which may materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations, financial conditions and prospects. If relevant government authorities consider the transmission of our scientific data to be in violation of the requirements under the Scientific Data Measures, we may be subject to specific administrative penalties imposed by those government authorities.

Compliance with China’s Data Security Law, Cyber Security Law, Personal Information Protection Law, regulations and guidelines relating to the multi-level protection scheme on cyber security and any other future laws and regulations may entail significant expenses and could affect our business.

China has implemented or will implement rules and is considering a number of additional proposals relating to data protection. China’s Data Security Law took effect in September 2021 and provided that the data processing activities must be conducted based on “data classification and hierarchical protection system” for the purpose of data protection and prohibits entities in China from transferring data stored in China to foreign law enforcement agencies or judicial authorities without prior approval by the Chinese government.

53


 

Additionally, China’s Cyber Security Law, promulgated by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, which came into effect in 2017, and the Administrative Measures for the Hierarchical Protection of Information Security promulgated by the Ministry of Public Security, National Administration of State Secrets Protection, State Cryptography Administration and other government authority in 2007, requires companies to take certain organizational, technical and administrative measures and other necessary measures to ensure the security of their networks and data stored on their networks. Specifically, the Cyber Security Law provides that China adopts a multi-level protection scheme (MLPS), under which network operators are required to perform obligations of security protection to ensure that the network is free from interference, disruption or unauthorized access, and prevent network data from being disclosed, stolen or tampered. Under the MLPS, entities operating information systems must have a thorough assessment of the risks and the conditions of their information and network systems to determine the level of the entity’s information and network systems. These levels range from the lowest Level 1 to the highest Level 5 pursuant to a series of national standards on the grading and implementation of the classified protection of cyber security. The grading result will determine the set of security protection obligations that entities must comply with. Entities classified as Level 2 or above should report the grade to the relevant government authority for examination and approval.

Also, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress released the Personal Information Protection Law, which became effective in 2021. The Personal Information Protection Law provided a comprehensive set of data privacy and protection requirements that apply to the processing of personal information and expands data protection compliance obligations to cover the processing of personal information of persons by organizations and individuals in China, and the processing of personal information of persons in China outside of China if such processing is for purposes of providing products and services to, or analyzing and evaluating the behavior of, persons in China. The Personal Information Protection Law also provides that critical information infrastructure operators and personal information processing entities who process personal information meeting a volume threshold set by Chinese cyberspace regulators are also required to store in China personal information generated or collected in China, and to pass a security assessment administered by Chinese cyberspace regulators for any export of such personal information. Lastly, the Personal Information Protection Law contains proposals for significant fines for serious violations of up to Renminbi 50 million or 5% of annual revenues from the prior year and may also be ordered to suspend any related activity by competent authorities. Meanwhile, the State Council of the PRC promulgates the Regulations on the Administration of Network Data Security, which came into effect on January 1, 2025, and put forward a series of detailed requirements regarding data protection. With regard to the cross-border transfer of personal information, the Cyberspace Administration of China released the Regulations on Promoting and Regulating Cross-border Data Flows in 2024. The Regulations on Promoting and Regulating Cross-border Data Flows establishes the latest regulatory framework for the cross-border transfer of personal information. The personal information handler should pass the security assessment, submit the standard contract signed for the provision of personal information abroad, or be certified by a specialized agency for the protection of personal information authentication before the cross-border transfer of the personal information when certain threshold provided in the Regulations on Promoting and Regulating Cross-border Data Flows is reached.

In addition, certain industry-specific laws and regulations affect the collection and transfer of data in the PRC. The Regulations on the Administration of Human Genetic Resources of the PRC (the HGR Regulation), promulgated by the State Council, came into effect in 2019 and was thereafter revised in 2024. It stipulates that foreign organizations, individuals, and the entities established or actually controlled by foreign organizations or individuals are forbidden to collect, preserve and export China’s human genetic resources. Foreign organizations and the entities established or actually controlled by foreign organizations or individuals may only utilize and be provided with China’s human genetic resources after satisfaction of all requirements under the HGR Regulation and other applicable laws, such as (i) China’s human genetic resources being utilized only in international cooperation with Chinese scientific research institutions, universities, medical institutions, and enterprises for scientific research and clinical trials after completion of requisite approval or filing formalities with competent governmental authorities, and (ii) China’s human genetic resources information being provided after required filing and information backup procedures have been gone through. In 2020, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress promulgated the Biosecurity Law of the PRC, which was later amended in 2024, and it reaffirms the regulatory requirements stipulated by the HGR Regulation while potentially increasing the administrative sanctions where China’s human genetic resources are collected, preserved, exported or used in international cooperation in violation of applicable laws. The Ministry of Science and Technology published the Implementing Rules for the Regulations on the Administration of Human Genetic Resources (the HGR Implementing Rules), which came into effect in 2023. The HGR Implementing Rules have, among other things, further clarified the scope of China’s human genetic resources information, improved the procedure rules for applicable approval, filing and security review, and refined the provisions with respect to the forbiddance on the collection, preservation and export of China’s human genetic resources by foreign organizations, individuals, and the entities established or actually controlled by foreign organizations or individuals. There remain significant uncertainties as to how various provisions of the HGR Regulation and the related laws and regulations may be interpreted and implemented. Given such uncertainty, although we have made great efforts to comply with

54


 

mandatory requirements of laws and government authorities in this regard, we cannot assure you that we will be deemed at all times in full compliance with the HGR Regulation, the Biosecurity Law of the PRC, the HGR Implementing Rules and other applicable laws in our utilizing of and dealing with China’s human genetic resources. As a result, we may be exposed to compliance risks under the HGR Regulation, the Biosecurity Law of the PRC and the HGR Implementing Rules.

Interpretation, application and enforcement of these laws, rules and regulations evolve from time to time and their scope may continually change, through new legislation, amendments to existing legislation or changes in enforcement. Compliance with China’s new Cyber Security Law and Data Security Law could significantly increase the cost to us of providing our service offerings, require significant changes to our operations or even prevent us from providing certain service offerings in jurisdictions in which we currently operate or in which we may operate in the future. Despite our efforts to comply with applicable laws, regulations and other obligations relating to privacy, data protection and information security, it is possible that our practices, offerings or platform could fail to meet all of the requirements imposed on us by the Cyber Security Law, the Data Security Law and/or related implementing regulations. Any failure on our part to comply with such law or regulations or any other obligations relating to privacy, data protection or information security, or any compromise of security that results in unauthorized access, use or release of personally identifiable information or other data, or the perception or allegation that any of the foregoing types of failure or compromise has occurred, could damage our reputation, discourage new and existing counterparties from contracting with us or result in investigations, fines, suspension or other penalties by Chinese government authorities and private claims or litigation, any of which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Even if our practices are not subject to legal challenge, the perception of privacy concerns, whether or not valid, may harm our reputation and brand and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Moreover, the legal uncertainty created by the Data Security Law, the recent Chinese government actions could adversely affect our ability, on favorable terms, to raise capital, including engaging in follow-on offerings of our securities in the U.S. market.

Pharmaceutical companies operating in China are required to comply with extensive regulations and hold a number of permits and licenses to carry on their business. Our ability to obtain and maintain these regulatory approvals is uncertain, and future government regulation may place additional burdens on our current and planned operations in China.

The pharmaceutical industry in China is subject to extensive government regulation and supervision. The regulatory framework addresses all aspects of operating in the pharmaceutical industry, including product development activities, clinical trials, registration, production, distribution, packaging, labeling, storage and shipment, advertising, licensing and post-approval pharmacovigilance certification requirements and procedures, periodic renewal and reassessment processes, data security and data privacy protection requirements and compliance and environmental protection. Violation of applicable laws and regulations may materially and adversely affect our business by impacting the Adicet VIE through which we conduct certain research and development activities. The regulatory framework governing the pharmaceutical industry in China is subject to change and amendment from time to time. Any such change or amendment could materially and adversely impact our business, financial condition and prospects. The Chinese government has introduced various reforms to the Chinese healthcare system in recent years and may continue to do so, with an overall objective to expand basic medical insurance coverage and improve the quality and reliability of healthcare services. The specific regulatory changes under the various reform initiatives remain uncertain. The implementing measures to be issued may not be sufficiently effective to achieve the stated goals, and as a result, we may not be able to benefit from such reform to the extent we expect, if at all. Moreover, the various reform initiatives could give rise to regulatory developments, such as more burdensome administrative procedures, which may have an adverse effect on our business and prospects.

We may be exposed to liabilities under the FCPA, and similar anti-corruption and anti-bribery laws of China and other countries in which we operate, as well as U.S. and certain foreign export controls, trade sanctions and import laws and regulations. Compliance with these legal requirements could limit our ability to compete in foreign markets and any determination that we have violated these laws could have a material adverse effect on our business or our reputation.

Our operations are subject to the FCPA and similar anti-bribery or anti-corruption laws, regulations or rules of China and other countries in which we operate. The FCPA and these other laws generally prohibit us, our officers, and our employees and intermediaries from, directly or indirectly, offering, authorizing or making improper payments to non-U.S. government officials for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business or other advantage. We may engage third parties for clinical trials outside of the United States, to sell our products abroad once we enter a commercialization phase, and/or to obtain necessary permits, licenses, patent registrations and other regulatory

55


 

approvals. We have direct or indirect interactions with officials and employees of government agencies or government-affiliated hospitals, universities and other organizations. As our business expands, the applicability of the FCPA and other anti-bribery laws to our operations will increase. If our procedures and controls to monitor anti-bribery compliance fail to protect us from reckless or criminal acts committed by our employees or agents or if we, or our employees, agents, contractors or other collaborators, fail to comply with applicable anti-bribery laws, our reputation could be harmed and we could incur criminal or civil penalties, other sanctions and/or significant expenses, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, including our financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and prospects.

In addition, our products may be subject to U.S. and foreign export controls, trade sanctions and import laws and regulations. Governmental regulation of the import or export of our products, or our failure to obtain any required import or export authorization for our products, when applicable, could harm our international or domestic sales and adversely affect our revenue. Compliance with applicable regulatory requirements regarding the export of our products may create delays in the introduction of our products in international markets or, in some cases, prevent the export of our products to some countries altogether. Furthermore, U.S. export control laws and economic sanctions prohibit the shipment of certain products and services to countries, governments and persons targeted by U.S. sanctions. If we fail to comply with export and import regulations and such economic sanctions, penalties could be imposed, including fines and/or denial of certain export privileges. Moreover, any new export or import restrictions, new legislation or shifting approaches in the enforcement or scope of existing regulations, or in the countries, persons or products targeted by such regulations, could result in decreased use of our products by, or in our decreased ability to export our products to, existing or potential customers with international operations. Any decreased use of our products or limitation on our ability to export or sell our products would likely adversely affect our business.

Any failure to comply with Chinese regulations regarding the registration requirements for our employee equity incentive plans may subject us to fines and other legal or administrative sanctions, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

In 2012, the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE) promulgated the Notices on Issues Concerning the Foreign Exchange Administration for Domestic Individuals Participating in Stock Incentive Plans of Overseas Publicly Listed Companies (the Stock Option Rules). In accordance with the Stock Option Rules and other relevant rules and regulations, Chinese citizens or non-Chinese citizens residing in China for a continuous period of not less than one year who participate in any stock incentive plan of an overseas publicly listed company, subject to a few exceptions, are required to register with SAFE through a domestic qualified agent, which could be a Chinese subsidiary of such overseas listed company, and complete certain procedures. Our employees who are Chinese citizens or who reside in China for a continuous period of not less than one year and who participate in our stock incentive plans are subject to such regulation. We plan to assist our employees to register their equity awards. However, any failure of our Chinese individual beneficial owners and holders of equity awards to comply with the SAFE registration requirements may subject them to fines and legal sanctions and may limit the ability of our Chinese subsidiaries to distribute dividends to us. We also face regulatory uncertainties that could restrict our ability to adopt additional incentive plans for our employees under Chinese law.

Risks Related to Business Disruptions

Business disruptions, including armed conflicts, could substantially delay our clinical trials or seriously harm our future revenue and financial condition and increase our costs and expenses.

Our operations, and those of our CDMO, CROs and other contractors and consultants, could be subject to earthquakes, power shortages, telecommunications failures, water shortages, floods, hurricanes, typhoons, fires, extreme weather conditions, armed conflicts, medical epidemics, such as public health crises or other natural or man-made disasters or business interruptions. The occurrence of any of these business disruptions could seriously harm our operations and financial condition and increase our costs and expenses.

Our ability to manufacture our product candidates could be disrupted if our operations or those of our suppliers are affected by a man-made or natural disaster, the severity and frequency of which may be amplified by global climate change, or other business interruptions. We have facilities located in California near major earthquake faults and fire zones. The ultimate impact on us, our significant suppliers and our general infrastructure of being located near major earthquake faults and fire zones and being consolidated in certain geographical areas is unknown, but our operations and financial condition could suffer in the event of a major earthquake, fire or other natural disaster.

56


 

Global conflicts may increase the likelihood of supply interruptions which could impact our ability to find the materials we need to make our product candidates.

Ongoing conflicts, including conflicts between Russia and Ukraine and Israel and Hamas and a deterioration in the bilateral relationship between the United States and PRC, may increase the likelihood of supply interruptions and hinder our ability to find the materials we need to make our product candidates. Supply disruptions make it more difficult for us to find favorable pricing and reliable sources for the materials we need, which increases pressure on our costs and increases the risk that we may be unable to acquire the necessary goods and services to successfully manufacture our product candidates. If we were to encounter any of these difficulties, our ability to provide our product candidates to patients in preclinical studies or clinical trials, such as our ongoing or planned clinical trials of ADI-001 and ADI-270, could be delayed or suspended. Any delay or interruption in the supply of trial materials could delay the completion of such trials, increase the costs associated with maintaining these research and development activities and, depending upon the period of delay, require us to commence new preclinical studies or clinical trials at additional expense or terminate such trials completely.

Changes in the political and economic policies or in relations between China and the United States may affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

Due to our operations in China, our business, results of operations, financial condition and prospects may be influenced to a certain degree by economic, political, legal and social conditions in China or changes in government relations between China and the United States or other governments. The Chinese government may intervene in or influence our operations, which could result in a change in our operations. Any economic downturn, whether actual or perceived, further decrease in economic growth rates or an otherwise uncertain economic outlook could affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, the global macroeconomic environment is facing challenges. It is unclear whether these challenges and uncertainties will be contained or resolved, and what effects they may have on the global political and economic conditions, and our business operations in the long term. There is significant uncertainty about the future relationship between the United States and China with respect to trade policies, treaties, government regulations and tariffs. The Chinese government has implemented various measures to encourage economic development and guide the allocation of resources. Some of these measures may benefit the overall Chinese economy, but may have a negative effect on us. Due to our operations in China, any future Chinese, U.S. or other rules and regulations that place restrictions on capital raising or other activities by companies with operations in China could affect our business and results of operations. If the business environment in China deteriorates from the perspective of domestic or international investment, or if relations between China and the United States or other governments deteriorate and geopolitical tensions between China and the United States increase, our business in China and United States may also be affected.

Inadequate funding for the FDA, the SEC and other government agencies, including from government shut downs, or other disruptions to these agencies’ operations, could hinder their ability to hire and retain key leadership and other personnel, prevent new products and services from being developed or commercialized in a timely manner or otherwise prevent those agencies from performing normal business functions on which the approval of our product candidates rely, which would negatively impact our business.

Currently, federal agencies in the U.S. are operating under a continuing resolution that is set to expire on March 14, 2025. Without appropriation of additional funding to federal agencies, our business operations related to our product development activities for the U.S. market could be impacted. The ability of the FDA to review and approve new products can be affected by a variety of factors, including government budget and funding levels, adequate staffing, furloughs, ability to hire and retain key personnel and accept the payment of user fees, and statutory, regulatory and policy changes. Average review times at the agency have fluctuated in recent years as a result. In addition, government funding of other government agencies on which our operations may rely, including those that fund research and development activities is subject to the political process, which is inherently fluid and unpredictable.

Disruptions at the FDA and other agencies may also slow the time necessary for new drugs to be reviewed and/or approved, which would adversely affect our business. For example, over the past decade, the U.S. government has shut down several times, and certain regulatory agencies, such as the FDA and the SEC, have had to furlough critical employees and stop critical activities. If a prolonged government shutdown occurs, it could significantly impact the ability of the FDA to timely review and process our regulatory submissions, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, including our ability to access the public markets and obtain necessary capital in order to properly capitalize and continue our operations. Further, future government shutdowns could impact our ability to access the public markets and obtain necessary capital in order to properly capitalize and continue to fund our operations.

57


 

Significant political, trade, regulatory developments, and other circumstances beyond our control, could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition or results of operations.

We operate globally and, if approved, we may sell our products in countries throughout the world. Significant political, trade, or regulatory developments in the jurisdictions in which we may sell our products, such as those stemming from the change in U.S. federal administration, are difficult to predict and may have a material adverse effect on us. Similarly, changes in U.S. federal policy that affect the geopolitical landscape could give rise to circumstances outside our control that could have negative impacts on our business operations. For example, on February 1, 2025, the U.S. imposed a 25% tariff on imports from Canada and Mexico, which were subsequently suspended for a period of one month, and a 10% additional tariff on imports from China. Historically, tariffs have led to increased trade and political tensions. In response to tariffs, other countries have implemented retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods. Political tensions as a result of trade policies could reduce trade volume, investment, technological exchange and other economic activities between major international economies, resulting in a material adverse effect on global economic conditions and the stability of global financial markets. Any changes in political, trade, regulatory, and economic conditions, including U.S. trade policies, could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition or results of operations.

Risks Related to Healthcare Regulation

Our relationships with customers, physicians including clinical investigators, CROs and third-party payors are subject, directly or indirectly, to federal and state healthcare fraud and abuse laws, false claims laws, health information privacy and security laws, transparency laws, government price reporting and other healthcare laws and regulations. If we or our employees, independent contractors, consultants, commercial partners, vendors, or other agents violate these laws, we could face substantial penalties.

These laws may impact, among other things, our clinical research program, as well as our proposed and future sales, marketing and education programs. In particular, the promotion, sales and marketing of healthcare items and services is subject to extensive laws and regulations designed to prevent fraud, kickbacks, self-dealing and other abusive practices. These laws and regulations may restrict or prohibit a wide range of pricing, discounting, marketing and promotion, sales commission, customer incentive and other business arrangements. We may also be subject to federal, state and foreign laws governing the privacy and security of identifiable patient information. For further discussion on U.S. healthcare regulations, see the section entitled “Business–Government Regulation and Product Approval—Other U.S. Healthcare Laws and Compliance Requirements” in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

The scope and enforcement of each of these laws is uncertain and subject to rapid change in the current environment of healthcare reform. Federal and state enforcement bodies have recently increased their scrutiny of interactions between healthcare companies and healthcare providers, which has led to a number of investigations, prosecutions, convictions and settlements in the healthcare industry. Because of the breadth of these laws and the narrowness of the statutory exceptions and regulatory safe harbors available, it is possible that some of our business activities, or our arrangements with physicians, could be subject to challenge under one or more of such laws. If we or our employees, independent contractors, consultants, commercial partners and vendors violate these laws, we may be subject to investigations, enforcement actions and/or significant penalties.

We have adopted a code of business conduct and ethics, but it is not always possible to identify and deter employee misconduct or business noncompliance, and the precautions we take to detect and prevent inappropriate conduct may not be effective in controlling unknown or unmanaged risks or losses or in protecting us from governmental investigations or other actions or lawsuits stemming from a failure to be in compliance with such laws or regulations. Efforts to ensure that our business arrangements will comply with applicable healthcare laws may involve substantial costs. It is possible that governmental and enforcement authorities will conclude that our business practices may not comply with current or future statutes, regulations or case law interpreting applicable fraud and abuse or other healthcare laws and regulations. If any such actions are instituted against us, and we are not successful in defending themselves or asserting our rights, those actions could have a significant impact on our business, including the imposition of civil, criminal and administrative penalties, damages, disgorgement, monetary fines, possible exclusion from participation in Medicare, Medicaid and other federal healthcare programs, contractual damages, reputational harm, diminished profits and future earnings, additional reporting requirements and/or oversight if we become subject to a corporate integrity agreement or similar agreement to resolve allegations of non-compliance with these laws and

58


 

curtailment of our operations, any of which could adversely affect our ability to operate our business and our results of operations. In addition, the approval and commercialization of any of our product candidates outside the United States will also likely subject us to foreign equivalents of the healthcare laws mentioned above, among other foreign laws.

Data protection, privacy and similar laws restrict access, use, and disclosure of information, and failure to comply with or adapt to changes in these laws could materially and adversely harm our business.

We are subject to federal and state data privacy and security laws and regulations, and laws and expectations relating to privacy continue to evolve. Changes in these laws may limit our data access, use and disclosure, and may require increased expenditures. In addition, data protection, privacy and similar laws protect more than patient information and, although they vary by jurisdiction, these laws can extend to employee information, business contact information, provider information, and other information relating to identifiable individuals. For example, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) requires covered businesses to, among other things, provide notices to California consumers regarding the collection, use and disclosure of such consumers’ personal information and afford such consumers new rights with respect to their personal information, including the right to opt out of certain sales of personal information. In addition, the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), which amended the CCPA, became effective on January 1, 2023 and imposed additional obligations on companies covered by the legislation. The CPRA modified the CCPA and has created a state agency that is vested with authority to implement and enforce the CCPA. There are also states that are specifically regulating health information or specific types of information, such as biometric information, and regulators and legislators are continuing to propose and adopt new laws and regulations protecting privacy and certain types of personal information. For example, the Washington My Health My Data Law, and similar laws adopted and proposed in other states, regulate the collection and sharing of health information, and some such law include a private right of action, which further increases compliance risks.

We believe that increased regulation in additional jurisdictions is likely in the area of data privacy. Any of the foregoing may have a material adverse effect on our ability to provide services to patients and, in turn, our results of operations.

The collection and use of personal health data in the European Economic Area (EEA) is governed by the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The GDPR applies to any company established in the EEA and to companies established outside the EEA that process personal data in connection with the offering of goods or services to data subjects in the EEA or the monitoring of the behavior of data subjects in the EEA. The GDPR enhances data protection obligations for controllers of personal data, including stringent requirements relating to ensuring an appropriate legal basis or condition applies to the processing of personal data, stricter requirements relating to obtaining consent from data subjects, stricter requirements around the collection of sensitive data (such as health data), expanded disclosures about how personal data is used, requirements to conduct data protection impact assessments for “high risk” processing, limitations on retention of personal data, mandatory data breach notification and “privacy by design” requirements, implementing safeguards to protect the security and confidentiality of personal data and creates direct obligations on service providers acting as processors. The GDPR also imposes strict rules on the transfer of personal data outside of the EEA to countries that do not ensure an adequate level of protection, like the United States.

Following the United Kingdom’s (UK) exit from the European Union (EU), the UK’s European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 incorporated the GDPR into UK law, referred to as the UK GDPR. The UK GDPR and the UK Data Protection Act 2018 set out the United Kingdom’s data protection regime, which is independent from but aligned to the European Union’s data protection regime. Although the GDPR and the UK GDPR currently impose substantially similar obligations, it is possible that over time the UK GDPR could become less aligned with the GDPR. The UK Government has introduced a Data Use and Access Bill (the UK Bill) into the UK legislative process with the intention for this bill to reform the UK’s data protection regime following Brexit. If passed, the UK Bill will have the effect of further altering the similarities between the UK and EU data protection regime. This may lead to additional compliance costs and could increase our overall risk. This lack of clarity on future UK laws and regulations and their interaction with EU laws and regulations could add legal risk, uncertainty, complexity and cost to our handling of EU personal information and our privacy and data security compliance programs and could require us to implement different compliance measures for the UK and the EU. Non-compliance with the UK GDPR may result in monetary penalties of up to £17.5 million or 4% of worldwide revenue, whichever is higher. Although the UK is regarded as a third country under the European Union’s GDPR, the European Commission has issued a decision recognizing the UK as providing adequate protection under the EU GDPR and, therefore, transfers of personal data originating in the EU to the UK remain unrestricted (“UK Adequacy Decision”). However, the UK Bill may threaten the validity of this UK Adequacy Decision. Like the EU GDPR, the UK GDPR restricts personal data transfers outside the United Kingdom to countries not regarded by the United Kingdom as providing adequate protection. The UK government has confirmed that personal data transfers from the United Kingdom to the EEA remain free flowing.

59


 

To enable the transfer of personal data outside of the EEA or the UK, adequate safeguards must be implemented in compliance with European and UK data protection laws. The European Commission has issued forms of standard contractual clauses for data transfers from controllers or processors in the EU/EEA (or otherwise subject to the GDPR) to controllers or processors established outside the EU/EEA (and not subject to the GDPR). The UK is not subject to the EC’s new standard contractual clauses but has published the UK International Data Transfer Agreement and International Data Transfer Addendum to the new standard contractual clauses (the IDTA), which enable transfers from the UK. For new transfers, the IDTA already needs to be in place, and must be in place for all existing transfers from the UK from March 21, 2024. Following a ruling from the Court of Justice of the EU, in Data Protection Commissioner v Facebook Ireland Limited and Maximillian Schrems, Case C-311/18 (Schrems II), companies relying on standard contractual clauses to govern transfers of personal data to third countries (in particular the United States) will need to assess whether the data importer can ensure sufficient guarantees for safeguarding the personal data under GDPR. This assessment includes assessing whether third party vendors can also ensure these guarantees. The same assessment is required for transfers governed by the IDTA. Further, the EU and United States have adopted its adequacy decision for the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework (Framework), which entered into force on July 11, 2023. This Framework provides that the protection of personal data transferred between the EU and the United States is comparable to that offered in the EU. This provides a further avenue to ensuring transfers to the United States are carried out in line with GDPR. There has been an extension to the Framework to cover UK transfers to the United States. The Framework has already been challenged and could be invalidated like its predecessor frameworks. We are required to implement these new safeguards when conducting restricted data transfers under the GDPR and doing so will require significant effort and cost.

Failure to comply with the requirements of the GDPR or UK GDPR and the related national data protection laws of the EEA Member States may result in fines up to €20 million or 4% of a company’s global annual revenues for the preceding financial year, whichever is higher. Moreover, the GDPR and UK GDPR grant data subjects the right to claim material and non-material damages resulting from infringement of the GDPR or UK GDPR. Given the breadth and depth of changes in data protection obligations, maintaining compliance with the GDPR and UK GDPR, will require significant time, resources and expense, and we may be required to put in place additional mechanisms ensuring compliance with the new data protection rules. This may be onerous and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

In addition, many other jurisdictions outside of Europe are also considering and/or enacting new and/or amended comprehensive data protection legislation. We also continue to see jurisdictions imposing data localization laws. These regulations may interfere with our intended business activities, inhibit our ability to expand into those markets or prohibit us from continuing to offer services in those markets without significant additional costs. Because the interpretation and application of many privacy and data protection laws (including the GDPR), commercial frameworks, and standards are uncertain, it is possible that these laws, frameworks, and standards may be interpreted and applied in a manner that is inconsistent with our existing data management practices and policies. If so, in addition to the possibility of fines, lawsuits, breach of contract claims, and other claims and penalties, we could be required to fundamentally change our business activities and practices or modify our solutions, which could have an adverse effect on our business. Any inability to adequately address privacy and security concerns, even if unfounded, or comply with applicable privacy and security or data security laws, regulations, and policies, could result in additional cost and liability to us, damage our reputation, inhibit our ability to conduct trials, and adversely affect our business.

Data protection, privacy and similar laws protect more than patient information and, although they vary by jurisdiction, these laws can extend to employee information, business contact information, provider information, and other information relating to identifiable individuals. Failure to comply with these laws may result in, among other things, civil and criminal liability, negative publicity, damage to our reputation, and liability under contractual provisions. In addition, compliance with such laws may require increased costs to us or may dictate that wet not offer certain types of services in the future.

Artificial intelligence presents risks and challenges that can impact our business including by posing security risks to our confidential information, proprietary information, and personal data.

Issues in the development and use of artificial intelligence, combined with an uncertain regulatory environment, may result in reputational harm, liability, or other adverse consequences to our business operations. As with many technological innovations, artificial intelligence presents risks and challenges that could impact our business. We expect to see increasing government and supranational regulation related to artificial intelligence use and ethics, which may also significantly increase the burden and cost of research, development and compliance in this area. For example, the EU’s Artificial Intelligence Act (AI Act) — the world’s first comprehensive AI law – which has entered into force on August 1, 2024 and most provisions of which will become effective on August 2, 2026. This legislation imposes

60


 

significant obligations on providers and deployers of high risk artificial intelligence systems, and encourages providers and deployers of artificial intelligence systems to account for EU ethical principles in their development and use of these systems. If we develop or use AI systems that are governed by the AI Act, it may necessitate ensuring higher standards of data quality, transparency, and human oversight, as well as adhering to specific and potentially burdensome and costly ethical, accountability, and administrative requirements. Furthermore, in the U.S., a number of states have proposed and passed laws regulating various uses of AI, and federal regulators have issued guidance affecting the use of AI in regulated sectors.

We may adopt and integrate generative artificial intelligence tools into our systems for specific use cases reviewed by legal and information security. Our vendors may incorporate generative artificial intelligence tools into their offerings without disclosing this use to us, and the providers of these generative artificial intelligence tools may not meet existing or rapidly evolving regulatory or industry standards with respect to privacy and data protection and may inhibit our or our vendors’ ability to maintain an adequate level of service and experience. If we, our vendors, or our third-party partners experience an actual or perceived breach or privacy or security incident because of the use of generative artificial intelligence, we may lose valuable intellectual property and confidential information and our reputation and the public perception of the effectiveness of our security measures could be harmed. Further, bad actors around the world use increasingly sophisticated methods, including the use of artificial intelligence, to engage in illegal activities involving the theft and misuse of personal information, confidential information, and intellectual property. Any of these outcomes could damage our reputation, result in the loss of valuable property and information, and adversely impact our business.

Risks Related to Our Financial Position

Adverse developments affecting the financial services industry, such as actual events or concerns involving liquidity, defaults or non-performance by financial institutions or transactional counterparties, could adversely affect our current and projected business operations and its financial condition and results of operations.

Actual events involving limited liquidity, defaults, non-performance or other adverse developments that affect financial institutions, transactional counterparties or other companies in the financial services industry or the financial services industry generally, or concerns or rumors about any events of these kinds or other similar risks, have in the past and may in the future lead to market-wide liquidity problems. For example, on March 10, 2023, Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) was closed by the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation, which appointed the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) as receiver. Similarly, on March 12, 2023, Signature Bank and Silvergate Capital Corp. were each swept into receivership. Although a statement by the Department of the Treasury, the Federal Reserve and the FDIC stated all depositors of SVB would have access to all of their money after only one business day of closure, including funds held in uninsured deposit accounts, borrowers under credit agreements, letters of credit and certain other financial instruments with SVB, Signature Bank or any other financial institution that is placed into receivership by the FDIC may be unable to access undrawn amounts thereunder. Although we are not a borrower or party to any such instruments with SVB, Signature or any other financial institution currently in receivership, if any of our lenders or counterparties to any such instruments were to be placed into receivership, we may be unable to access such funds. In addition, counterparties to SVB credit agreements and arrangements, and third parties such as beneficiaries of letters of credit (among others), may experience direct impacts from the closure of SVB and uncertainty remains over liquidity concerns in the broader financial services industry. Similar impacts have occurred in the past, such as during the 2008-2010 financial crisis.

Inflation and rapid increases in interest rates have led to a decline in the trading value of previously issued government securities with interest rates below current market interest rates. Although the U.S. Department of Treasury, FDIC and Federal Reserve Board have announced a program to provide up to $25 billion of loans to financial institutions secured by certain of such government securities held by financial institutions to mitigate the risk of potential losses on the sale of such instruments, widespread demands for customer withdrawals or other liquidity needs of financial institutions for immediately liquidity may exceed the capacity of such program. There is no guarantee that the U.S. Department of Treasury, FDIC and Federal Reserve Board will provide access to uninsured funds in the future in the event of the closure of other banks or financial institutions, or that they would do so in a timely fashion.

Although we assess our banking relationships as we believe necessary or appropriate, our access to funding sources and other credit arrangements in amounts adequate to finance or capitalize our current and projected future business operations could be significantly impaired by factors that affect us, the financial institutions with which we have credit agreements or arrangements directly, or the financial services industry or economy in general. These factors could include, among others, events such as liquidity constraints or failures, the ability to perform obligations

61


 

under various types of financial, credit or liquidity agreements or arrangements, disruptions or instability in the financial services industry or financial markets, or concerns or negative expectations about the prospects for companies in the financial services industry. These factors could involve financial institutions or financial services industry companies with which we have financial or business relationships, but could also include factors involving financial markets or the financial services industry generally.

The results of events or concerns that involve one or more of these factors could include a variety of material and adverse impacts on our current and projected business operations and our financial condition and results of operations. These could include, but may not be limited to, the following:

delayed access to deposits or other financial assets or the uninsured loss of deposits or other financial assets;
loss of access to revolving existing credit facilities or other working capital sources and/or the inability to refund, roll over or extend the maturity of, or enter into new credit facilities or other working capital resources;
potential or actual breach of contractual obligations that require us to maintain letters or credit or other credit support arrangements;
potential or actual breach of financial covenants in our credit agreements or credit arrangements;
potential or actual cross-defaults in other credit agreements, credit arrangements or operating or financing agreements; or
termination of cash management arrangements and/or delays in accessing or actual loss of funds subject to cash management arrangements.

We have in the past failed and may in the future fail to achieve and maintain effective internal control over financial reporting could harm our business and negatively impact the value of our common stock.

Effective internal control over financial reporting is necessary for us to provide reliable financial reports and, together with adequate disclosure controls and procedures, are designed to prevent fraud. Any failure to implement required new or improved controls, or difficulties encountered in their implementation could cause us to fail to meet our reporting obligations. Any testing by us conducted in connection with Section 404, or any subsequent testing by our independent registered public accounting firm, may reveal deficiencies in our internal control over financial reporting that are deemed to be material weaknesses or that may require prospective or retroactive changes to our financial statements, or may identify other areas for further attention or improvement. Inferior internal controls could also cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information, which could have a negative effect on the trading price of our stock.

We are required to disclose changes made in our internal controls and procedures on a quarterly basis and our management is required to assess the effectiveness of these controls annually. However, for as long as we are non-accelerated filer, our independent registered public accounting firm will not be required to attest to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as amended. We will remain a non-accelerated filer as long as we qualify to be a “smaller reporting company” under Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act, which will be for as long as either (i) the market value of our common 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 common stock held by non-affiliates is less than $700.0 million as of the prior June 30. An independent assessment of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting could detect problems that our management’s assessment might not. Undetected material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting could lead to financial statement restatements and require us to incur the expense of remediation.

Pursuant to Section 404, we are required to furnish a report by our management on our internal control over financial reporting. To continue to achieve and maintain compliance with Section 404, we engage in a process to document and evaluate our internal control over financial reporting, which is both costly and challenging. In this regard, we need to continue to dedicate internal resources, potentially engage outside consultants and adopt a detailed work plan to assess and document the adequacy of internal control over financial reporting, continue steps to improve control processes as appropriate, validate through testing that controls are functioning as documented and implement a continuous reporting and improvement process for internal control over financial reporting. Despite our efforts, from time to time we may not be able to conclude that our internal control over financial reporting is effective as required by Section 404. For example, our management concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was not

62


 

effective at the reasonable assurance level as of December 31, 2024 due to the material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting described below. However, after giving full consideration to this material weakness, our management has concluded that the remediation steps taken have been sufficient to remediate this material weakness as of the date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Additional material weaknesses may arise in the future. Any additional material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting may, in the future, result in our management being unable to conclude that our disclosure controls and procedures were effective for the applicable period.

We expect to continue our efforts to improve our control processes, though there can be no assurance that our efforts will ultimately be successful or avoid potential future material weaknesses, and we expect to continue incurring additional costs as a result of these efforts. If we are unable to successfully remediate any future material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting, or if we identify any additional material weaknesses, the accuracy and timing of our financial reporting may be adversely affected, we may be unable to maintain compliance with securities law requirements regarding timely filing of periodic reports in addition to applicable stock exchange listing requirements, investors may lose confidence in our financial reporting, and our stock price may decline as a result. We also could become subject to investigations by Nasdaq, the SEC or other regulatory authorities, which could harm our reputation and our financial condition, or divert financial and management resources from our core business.

We have previously identified material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting and may identify additional material weaknesses in the future. If we fail to remediate a material weakness or if we otherwise fail to establish and maintain effective control over financial reporting, it may adversely affect our ability to accurately and timely report our financial results, and may adversely affect investor confidence and business operations.

A material weakness is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of our annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis.

In connection with the audit of our consolidated financial statements as of and for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, we identified a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting which relates to cash disbursements. We have concluded that this material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting occurred due to our internal controls having not been adequately designed to prevent or timely detect unauthorized cash disbursements. We believe that the remediation steps taken have been sufficient to remediate this material weakness as of the date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

We are focused on designing and implementing effective internal controls measures to improve our evaluation of disclosure controls and procedures, including internal control over financial reporting, and remediating the material weaknesses. We have taken steps to remediate including consulting with experts on technical accounting matters and in the preparation of our financial statements.

However, we cannot assure you that the measures we are taking to remediate the material weaknesses will prevent or avoid potential future material weaknesses. Further, additional weaknesses in our disclosure controls and internal controls over financial reporting may be discovered in the future. Any failure to develop or maintain effective controls or any difficulties encountered in their implementation or improvement could limit our ability to prevent or detect a misstatement of our accounts or disclosures that could result in a material misstatement of our annual or interim financial statements. In such a case, we may be unable to maintain compliance with securities law requirements regarding timely filing of periodic reports in addition to the listing requirements of Nasdaq, investors may lose confidence in our financial reporting and our stock price may decline as a result.

Risks Related to Taxation

Our ability to utilize our net operating loss carryforwards and certain other tax attributes may be limited.

Under Section 382 and Section 383 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (IRC), as amended, if a corporation undergoes an “ownership change” (generally defined as one or more shareholders or groups of shareholders who own at least 5 percent of the corporation’s equity increasing their equity ownership in the aggregate by a greater than 50 percentage point change (by value) over a three-year period), the corporation’s ability to use its pre-change net operating loss carryforwards and certain other pre-change tax attributes to offset its post-change income may be limited. Similar rules may apply under state tax laws. We may have experienced such ownership changes in the past, and we may experience ownership changes in the future as a result of subsequent shifts in our stock ownership. As of December 31, 2024, we had federal net operating loss carryforwards of approximately $339.9 million, and our ability

63


 

to utilize those net operating loss carryforwards could be limited by an “ownership change” as described above or subject to other limitations, which could potentially result in increased future tax liability to us.

The U.S. Congress, the Trump administration, or any new administration may make substantial changes to fiscal, tax, and other federal policies that may adversely affect our business.

The rules dealing with U.S. federal, state and local income taxation are constantly under review by persons involved in the legislative process and by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the U.S. Treasury Department. Changes to tax laws (which changes may have retroactive application) could adversely affect us or holders of our common stock. In recent years, many changes have been made and changes are likely to continue to occur in the future. In 2017, the U.S. Congress and the Trump administration made substantial changes to U.S. policies, which included comprehensive corporate and individual tax reform. In addition, the Trump administration called for significant changes to U.S. trade, healthcare, immigration and government regulatory policy. With the transition to the Biden administration in early 2021, changes to U. S. policy occurred and since the start of the Trump Administration in 2025, U.S. policy changes have been implemented at a rapid pace and additional changes are likely. Changes to U.S. policy implemented by the U.S. Congress, the Trump administration or any new administration have impacted and may in the future impact, among other things, the U.S. and global economy, international trade relations, unemployment, immigration, healthcare, taxation, the U.S. regulatory environment, inflation and other areas. Although we cannot predict the impact, if any, of these changes to our business, they could adversely affect our business. Until we know what policy changes are made, whether those policy changes are challenged and subsequently upheld by the court system and how those changes impact our business and the business of our competitors over the long term, we will not know if, overall, we will benefit from them or be negatively affected by them. You are urged to consult your tax advisor regarding the implications of potential changes in tax laws on an investment in our common stock.

Risks Related to Third Parties

If our collaboration with Regeneron is terminated, or if Regeneron materially breaches its obligations thereunder, our business, prospects, operating results, and financial condition would be materially harmed.

Our financial performance may be significantly affected by our Regeneron collaboration that we have entered into to develop next-generation engineered immune-cell therapeutics with fully human CARs and TCRs directed to disease-specific cell surface antigens in order to enable the precise engagement and killing of tumor cells. Under the Regeneron Agreement, Regeneron paid us a non-refundable upfront payment of $25.0 million and an aggregate of $20.0 million of additional payments for research funding as of December 31, 2024, and we will collaborate with Regeneron to identify and validate targets and develop a pipeline of engineered immune-cell therapeutics for selected targets. Regeneron has the option to obtain development and commercial rights for a certain number of the product candidates developed by the parties, subject to an option payment for each product candidate. On January 28, 2022, we received a payment of $20.0 million from Regeneron for exercise of its option to license exclusive rights to ADI-002, and we completed the transfer of the associated license rights to Regeneron in the first quarter of 2022. If Regeneron exercises its option on a given product candidate, we then have an option to participate in the development and commercialization for such product. If we do not exercise our option, we will be entitled to royalties on any future sales of such products by Regeneron. We did not exercise our option to participate in the development and commercialization of ADI-002. In addition to developing CARs and TCRs for use in novel immune-cell therapies as part of the collaboration, Regeneron will have the right to use these CARs and TCRs in our other antibody programs outside of the collaboration. Regeneron will also be entitled to royalties on any future sales of products developed and commercialized by us under the agreement. If Regeneron were to terminate our collaboration agreement with us, we may not have the resources or skills to replace those of our collaborator, which could require us to seek additional funding or another collaboration that might not be available on favorable terms or at all, and could cause significant delays in development and/or commercialization efforts and result in substantial additional costs to us. Termination of such collaboration agreement or the loss of rights provided to us under such agreement may create substantial new and additional risks to the successful development and commercialization of our products and could materially harm our financial condition and operating results.

Regeneron may change its strategic focus or pursue alternative technologies in a manner that results in reduced, delayed or no revenue to us under the agreement. Regeneron has a variety of marketed products and product candidates either by itself or under collaboration with other companies, including some of our competitors, and the corporate objectives of Regeneron may not be consistent with our best interests. Regeneron may change its position regarding its participation and funding of our and Regeneron joint activities, which may impact our ability to successfully pursue the program.

64


 

Our existing and future collaborations will be important to our business. If we are unable to maintain any of these collaborations, or if these collaborations are not successful, our business could be adversely affected.

We have entered, and plan to enter, into collaborations with other companies, including our collaboration agreement with Regeneron and discovery agreement with Twist Bioscience Corporation (Twist), that we believe can provide us with additional capabilities beneficial to our business. The collaboration with Regeneron has provided us with important technologies, expertise and funding for our programs and technology. Under our discovery agreement with Twist, Twist will utilize its proprietary platform technology to assist us with the discovery of novel antibodies related to our gamma delta T cell therapy programs. We may receive additional technologies, expertise and funding under other collaborations in the future. Our existing therapeutic collaborations, and any future collaborations we enter into, may pose a number of risks, including the following:

collaborators have significant discretion in determining the efforts and resources that they will apply;
collaborators may not perform their obligations as expected;
collaborators may dispute the amounts of payments owed;
collaborators may not pursue development and commercialization of any product candidates that achieve regulatory approval or may elect not to continue or renew development or commercialization programs or license arrangements based on clinical trial results, changes in the collaborators’ strategic focus or available funding, or external factors, such as a strategic transaction that may divert resources or create competing priorities;
collaborators may delay clinical trials, provide insufficient funding for a clinical trial program, stop a clinical trial or abandon a product candidate, repeat or conduct new clinical trials or require a new formulation of a product candidate for clinical testing;
collaborators could develop independently, or with third parties, products that compete directly or indirectly with our products and product candidates if the collaborators believe that the competitive products are more likely to be successfully developed or can be commercialized under terms that are more economically attractive than ours;
product candidates discovered in collaboration with us may be viewed by our collaborators as competitive with our own product candidates or products, which may cause collaborators to cease to devote resources to the development or commercialization of our product candidates;
collaborators may dispute ownership or rights in jointly developed technologies or intellectual property;
collaborators may fail to comply with applicable legal and regulatory requirements regarding the development, manufacture, sale, distribution or marketing of a product candidate or product;
collaborators with sales, marketing, manufacturing and distribution rights to one or more of our product candidates that achieve regulatory approval may not commit sufficient resources to the sale, marketing, manufacturing and distribution of such product or products;
disagreements with collaborators, including disagreements over proprietary rights, contract interpretation, payment obligations or the preferred course of discovery, development, sales or marketing, might cause delays or terminations of the research, development or commercialization of product candidates, might lead to additional and burdensome responsibilities for us with respect to product candidates, or might result in litigation or arbitration, any of which would be time-consuming and expensive;
collaborators may not properly maintain or defend their or our relevant intellectual property rights or may use our proprietary information in such a way as to invite litigation that could jeopardize or invalidate our intellectual property or proprietary information or expose us to potential litigation and liability;
collaborators may infringe the intellectual property rights of third parties, which may expose us to litigation and potential liability;
if a collaborator of ours is involved in a business combination or cessation, the collaborator might deemphasize or terminate the development or commercialization of any product candidate licensed to it by us; and

65


 

collaborations may be terminated by the collaborator, and, if terminated, we could be required to raise additional capital to pursue further development or commercialization of the applicable product candidates, or potentially lose access to the collaborator’s intellectual property.

If our therapeutic collaborations do not result in the successful discovery, development and commercialization of products or if one of our collaborators terminates our agreement with us, we may not receive any future research funding or milestone or royalty payments under the collaboration. If we do not receive the funding we expect under these agreements, our development and commercialization of our technology and product candidates could be delayed and we may need additional resources to develop product candidates and our technology. All of the risks relating to product discovery, development, regulatory approval and commercialization described in these risk factors also apply to the activities of our therapeutic collaborators.

In addition to the Regeneron collaboration described above, for some of our programs, we may in the future determine to collaborate with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies for discovery, development and potential commercialization of therapeutic products. We face significant competition in seeking appropriate collaborators because, for example, third parties also have rights to allogeneic T cell technologies. For example, in April 2020, Johnson & Johnson entered into a collaboration agreement with Fate Therapeutics, a company that is also using allogeneic T cell technologies, for up to four CAR Natural Killer and CAR T-cell therapies. Our ability to reach a definitive agreement for a collaboration will depend, among other things, upon our assessment of the collaborator’s resources and expertise, the terms and conditions of the proposed collaboration and the proposed collaborator’s evaluation of a number of factors. If we are unable to reach agreements with suitable collaborators on a timely basis, on acceptable terms, or at all, we may have to curtail discovery efforts or the development of a product candidate, reduce or delay our development program or one or more of our other development programs, delay our potential manufacture or commercialization, or reduce the scope of any sales or marketing activities, or increase our expenditures and undertake development or commercialization activities at our expense. If we elect to fund and undertake discovery, development, manufacturing or commercialization activities on our own, we may need to obtain additional expertise and additional capital, which may not be available to us on acceptable terms or at all. If we fail to enter into collaborations and do not have sufficient funds or expertise to undertake the necessary discovery, development, manufacturing and commercialization activities, we may not be able to further develop our product candidates, manufacture the product candidates, bring them to market or continue to develop our technology and our business may be materially and adversely affected.

We are subject to certain exclusivity obligations under our agreement with Regeneron.

During the five-year period following the effective date of the Regeneron Agreement, with certain limited exceptions, we may not directly or indirectly research, develop, manufacture or commercialize a gamma delta immune cell product (ICP) or grant a license to do the foregoing, except pursuant to the terms of the Regeneron Agreement. Both parties also have obligations not to research, develop, manufacture or commercialize an ICP with the same target as one being developed under a research program or commercialized by a party (and royalty bearing under the agreement), for so long as such activities are occurring. These exclusivity obligations are limited to engineered gamma delta immune cells to targets reasonably considered to have therapeutic relevance in cancer. If our collaboration with Regeneron is not successful, including any failure caused by the risks listed in the preceding paragraphs, and the agreement and research programs are not terminated, we may not be able to enter into collaborations with other companies with respect to ICPs and our business could be adversely affected.

The exclusivity obligations under the Regeneron Agreement expired on July 29, 2021. Prior to this expiration date, our ability to advance any gamma delta immune cell therapeutics outside of the scope of the research plan agreed on with Regeneron was limited. The restrictions on internal development under the Regeneron Agreement could lead to delays in our ability to discover and develop gamma delta immune cell therapeutics for targets not covered by the collaboration with Regeneron and loss of opportunities to obtain additional research funding and advance our own technologies separately from the Regeneron collaboration. If we are delayed in our ability to advance our technologies due to the Regeneron Agreement, our business could be harmed.

66


 

We rely and will continue to rely on third parties to conduct our clinical trials. If these third parties do not successfully carry out their contractual duties or meet expected deadlines, we may not be able to obtain regulatory approval of or commercialize our product candidates.

We currently depend and will continue to depend upon independent investigators and collaborators, such as universities, medical institutions, CROs and strategic partners to conduct our preclinical and clinical trials under agreements with us.

We negotiate budgets and contracts with CROs and study sites, which may result in delays to our development timelines and increased costs. We will rely heavily on these third parties over the course of our clinical trials, and we control only certain aspects of their activities. Nevertheless, we are responsible for ensuring that each of our studies is conducted in accordance with applicable protocol, legal, regulatory and scientific standards, and our reliance on third parties does not relieve us of our regulatory responsibilities. We and these third parties are required to comply with GCPs, which are regulations and guidelines enforced by the FDA and comparable foreign regulatory authorities for product candidates in clinical development. Regulatory authorities enforce these GCPs through periodic inspections of trial sponsors, principal investigators and trial sites. If we or any of these third parties fail to comply with applicable GCP regulations, the clinical data generated in our clinical trials may be deemed unreliable and the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities may require us to perform additional clinical trials before approving our marketing applications. We cannot assure you that, upon inspection, such regulatory authorities will determine that any of our clinical trials comply with the GCP regulations. In addition, our clinical trials must be conducted with biologic product produced under cGMPs and will require a large number of test patients. Our failure or any failure by these third parties to comply with these regulations or to recruit a sufficient number of patients may require us to repeat clinical trials, which would delay the regulatory approval process. Moreover, our business may be implicated if any of these third parties violates federal or state fraud and abuse or false claims laws and regulations or healthcare privacy and security laws.

Any third parties conducting our clinical trials are and will not be our employees and, except for remedies available to us under our agreements with such third parties, we cannot control whether or not they devote sufficient time and resources to our ongoing preclinical, clinical and nonclinical programs. These third parties may also have relationships with other commercial entities, including our competitors, for whom they may also be conducting clinical studies or other drug development activities, which could affect their performance on our behalf. If these third parties do not successfully carry out their contractual duties or obligations or meet expected deadlines, if they need to be replaced or if the quality or accuracy of the clinical data they obtain is compromised due to the failure to adhere to our clinical protocols or regulatory requirements or for other reasons, our clinical trials may be extended, delayed or terminated and we may not be able to complete development of, obtain regulatory approval of or successfully commercialize our product candidates. As a result, our financial results and the commercial prospects for our product candidates would be harmed, our costs could increase and our ability to generate revenue could be delayed.

If any of our relationships with trial sites, or any CRO that we may use in the future, terminates, we may not be able to enter into arrangements with alternative trial sites or CROs or do so on commercially reasonable terms. Switching or adding third parties to conduct our clinical trials will involve substantial cost and require extensive management time and focus. In addition, there is a natural transition period when a new third party commences work. As a result, delays occur, which can materially impact our ability to meet our desired clinical development timelines.

We currently rely on third parties to manufacture our clinical product supplies, and we may have to rely on third parties to produce and process our product candidates, if approved.

In addition to our own internal manufacturing capabilities, we currently utilize, and expect to continue to utilize, third parties to manufacture our product candidates. If the field of cell therapy continues to expand, we may encounter increasing competition and costs for these materials and services. Demand for third-party manufacturing in cell therapy may grow at a faster rate than existing capacity, which could disrupt our ability to find and retain third-party manufacturers capable of producing sufficient quantities of our product candidates at an acceptable cost or at all. We have also not yet caused our product candidates to be manufactured or processed on a commercial scale and may not be able to achieve manufacturing and processing at a commercial scale and therefore may be unable to create an inventory of mass-produced, "off-the-shelf" product to satisfy demands for any of our product candidates.

We do not yet have sufficient information to reliably estimate the cost of the commercial manufacturing and processing of our product candidates, and the actual cost to manufacture and process our product candidates could materially and adversely affect the commercial viability of our product candidates. As a result, we may never be able to develop a commercially viable product.

67


 

In addition, we anticipate reliance on a limited number of third-party manufacturers may adversely affect our operations and exposes us to the following risks:

We may be unable to identify manufacturers on acceptable terms or at all because the number of potential manufacturers is limited and the FDA may have questions regarding any replacement contractor. This may require new testing and regulatory interactions. In addition, a new manufacturer would have to be educated in, or develop substantially equivalent processes for, production of our products;
Our third-party manufacturers might be unable to timely formulate and manufacture our product or produce the quantity and quality required to meet our clinical and commercial needs, if any;
Contract manufacturers may not be able to execute our manufacturing procedures appropriately;
Our future contract manufacturers may not perform as agreed or may not remain in the contract manufacturing business for the time required to supply our clinical trials or to successfully produce, store and distribute our products;
Manufacturers are subject to ongoing periodic unannounced inspection by the FDA and corresponding state agencies to ensure strict compliance with cGMP and other government regulations and corresponding foreign standards. We do not have control over third-party manufacturers’ compliance with these regulations and standards;
We may not own, or may have to share, the intellectual property rights to any improvements made by our third-party manufacturers in the manufacturing process for our products; and
Our third-party manufacturers could breach or terminate their agreement(s) with us.

If any CDMO with whom we contract fails to perform its obligations, we may be forced to manufacture the materials ourselves, for which we may not have the capabilities or resources, or enter into an agreement with a different CDMO, which we may not be able to do on reasonable terms, if at all. In either scenario, our clinical trials supply could be delayed significantly as we establish alternative supply sources. In some cases, the technical skills required to manufacture our product candidates may be unique or proprietary to the original CDMO and we may have difficulty, or there may be contractual restrictions prohibiting us from, transferring such skills to a back-up or alternate supplier, or we may be unable to transfer such skills at all. In addition, if we are required to change CDMOs for any reason, we will be required to verify that the new CDMO maintains facilities and procedures that comply with quality standards and with all applicable regulations. We will also need to verify, such as through a manufacturing comparability study, that any new manufacturing process will produce our product candidates according to the specifications previously submitted to the FDA or another regulatory authority. The delays associated with the verification of a new CDMO could negatively affect our ability to develop product candidates or commercialize our products in a timely manner or within budget. Furthermore, a CDMO may possess technology related to the manufacture of our product candidates that such CDMO owns independently. This would increase our reliance on such CDMO or require us to obtain a license from such CDMO in order to have another CDMO manufacture our product candidates. In addition, changes in manufacturers often involve changes in manufacturing procedures and processes, which could require that we conduct bridging studies between our prior clinical supply used in our clinical trials and that of any new manufacturer. We may be unsuccessful in demonstrating the comparability of clinical supplies which could require the conduct of additional clinical trials.

Our contract manufacturers would also be subject to the same risks we face in developing our own manufacturing capabilities, as described above. Each of these risks could delay our clinical trials, the approval, if any, of our product candidates by the FDA or the commercialization of our product candidates or result in higher costs or deprive us of potential product revenue. In addition, we will rely on third parties to perform release tests on our product candidates prior to delivery to patients. If these tests are not appropriately done and test data are not reliable, patients could be put at risk of serious harm.

Cell-based therapies rely on the availability of specialty raw materials, which may not be available to us on acceptable terms or at all.

Our product candidates require many specialty raw materials, including viral vectors that deliver the targeting moiety and other genes to the product candidate. We currently manufacture through contract manufacturers, some of which have limited resources and experience supporting a commercial product, and such suppliers may not be able to deliver raw materials to our specifications. Those suppliers normally support blood-based hospital businesses and generally do not have the capacity to support commercial products manufactured under cGMP by biopharmaceutical

68


 

firms. The suppliers may be ill-equipped to support our needs, especially in non-routine circumstances like an FDA inspection or medical crisis, such as widespread contamination. We also do not have contracts with many of these suppliers, and we may not be able to contract with them on acceptable terms or at all. Accordingly, we may experience delays in receiving key raw materials to support clinical or commercial manufacturing.

In addition, some raw materials utilized in the manufacture of our candidates are currently available from a single supplier, or a small number of suppliers. We cannot be sure that these suppliers will remain in business or that they will not be purchased by one of our competitors or another company that is not interested in continuing to produce these materials for our intended purpose. Further, the lead time needed to establish a relationship with a new supplier can be lengthy, and we may experience delays in meeting demand in the event we must switch to a new supplier. The time and effort to qualify a new supplier could result in additional costs, diversion of resources or reduced manufacturing yields, any of which would negatively impact our operating results. We may be unable to enter into agreements with a new supplier on commercially reasonable terms, which could have a material adverse impact on our business.

If we or our third-party suppliers use hazardous, non-hazardous, biological or other materials in a manner that causes injury or violates applicable law, we may be liable for damages.

Our research and development activities involve the controlled use of potentially hazardous substances, including chemical and biological materials. We and our suppliers are subject to federal, state and local laws and regulations in the United States governing the use, manufacture, storage, handling and disposal of medical and hazardous materials. Although we believe that our and our suppliers’ procedures for using, handling, storing and disposing of these materials comply with legally prescribed standards, we and our suppliers cannot completely eliminate the risk of contamination or injury resulting from medical or hazardous materials. As a result of any such contamination or injury, we may incur liability or local, city, state or federal authorities may curtail the use of these materials and interrupt our business operations. In the event of an accident, we could be held liable for damages or penalized with fines, and the liability could exceed our resources. Compliance with applicable environmental laws and regulations is expensive, and current or future environmental regulations may impair our research, development and production efforts, which could harm our business, prospects, financial condition or results of operations.

Our internal computer systems, or those used by our CROs or other contractors or consultants, may fail or suffer security breaches, incidents, or compromises.

Our internal computer systems and the systems of our CROs, contractors and consultants are vulnerable to cybersecurity threats. Additionally, we operate in a hybrid work environment. As our employees and our business partners’ employees work from home and access our systems remotely, we may be subject to heightened security and privacy risks, including the risks of cyber attacks and privacy incidents. Cybersecurity threats include, but are not limited to, social-engineering attacks (including through phishing attacks), business email compromise, online and offline fraud, malicious code (such as viruses and worms), malware (including as a result of advanced persistent threat intrusions), denial-of-service attacks, access attacks (such as credential stuffing), personnel misconduct or error, ransomware attacks, supply-chain attacks, software bugs, server malfunctions, software or hardware failures, loss of data or other information technology assets, adware, and telecommunications failures among other cybersecurity risks. Threat actors and their techniques change frequently, are often sophisticated in nature, and may not be detected until after a security incident has occurred. We may expend significant resources to try to protect against these threats to our systems. Certain data privacy and security laws, as well as industry best practice standards, may require us to implement and maintain security measures. While we have implemented security measures designed to protect our systems and confidential and sensitive data, there can be no assurance that these measures will be effective.

We and certain of our service providers have in the past and may in the future experience cybersecurity incidents, including incidents related to social engineering, business email compromise, and wire fraud. For example, in September and October 2024, certain employee business email accounts were compromised by an unauthorized third party, and as a result, payments intended for certain vendors were fraudulently re-directed into bank accounts presumably controlled by the unauthorized third party. System failures and security breaches could cause interruptions in our operations, and could result in a disruption of our development programs and our business operations. For example, the loss of clinical trial data from future clinical trials could result in delays in our regulatory approval efforts and significantly increase our costs to recover or reproduce the data. To the extent that any disruption or security breach were to result in a loss of, or damage to, our data or applications, or inappropriate disclosure of confidential or proprietary information, we could incur liability and the further development and commercialization of our product candidates could be delayed. Other consequences may include: government enforcement actions (for example, investigations, fines, penalties, audits, and inspections); additional reporting requirements and/or oversight; restrictions on processing sensitive data (including personal data); litigation (including class claims); indemnification

69


 

obligations; negative publicity; reputational harm; monetary fund diversions; interruptions in our operations (including availability of data); financial loss; and other similar harms. Further, our insurance coverage may not be adequate or sufficient in type or amount to protect us from or to mitigate liabilities arising out of our privacy and security practices.

We may not realize the benefits of acquired assets or other strategic transactions.

We actively evaluate various strategic transactions on an ongoing basis. We may acquire other businesses, products or technologies as well as pursue joint ventures or investments in complementary businesses. The success of our strategic transactions, and any future strategic transactions depends on the risks and uncertainties involved including:

unanticipated liabilities related to acquired companies or joint ventures;
difficulties integrating acquired personnel, technologies, and operations into our existing business;
retention of key employees;
diversion of management time and focus from operating our business to management of strategic alliances or joint ventures or acquisition integration challenges;
increases in our expenses and reductions in our cash available for operations and other uses; and
disruption in our relationships with collaborators or suppliers as a result of such a transaction; and possible write-offs or impairment charges relating to acquired businesses or joint ventures.

If any of these risks or uncertainties occur, we may not realize the anticipated benefit of any acquisition or strategic transaction. Additionally, foreign acquisitions and joint ventures are subject to additional risks, including those related to integration of operations across different cultures and languages, currency risks, potentially adverse tax consequences of overseas operations and the particular economic, political and regulatory risks associated with specific countries.

Future acquisitions or dispositions could result in potentially dilutive issuances of our equity securities, the incurrence of debt, contingent liabilities or amortization expenses or write-offs of goodwill, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition.

Risks Related to Government Regulation

Risks Related to Regulatory Approval

The FDA regulatory approval process is lengthy and time-consuming, and we may experience significant delays in the clinical development and regulatory approval of our product candidates.

The research, testing, manufacturing, labeling, approval, selling, import, export, marketing, and distribution of drug products, including biologics, are subject to extensive regulation by the FDA and other regulatory authorities in the United States. We are not permitted to market any biological drug product in the United States until we receive approval of a biologics license application (BLA) from the FDA. We have not previously submitted a BLA to the FDA, or similar approval filings to the EMA or comparable foreign authorities. A BLA must include extensive preclinical and clinical data and sufficient supporting information to establish the product candidate’s safety and effectiveness for each desired indication. The BLA must also include significant information regarding the chemistry, manufacturing and controls for the product.

We expect the novel nature of our product candidates to create further challenges in obtaining regulatory approval. For example, the FDA has limited experience with commercial development of allogeneic T cell therapies for autoimmune diseases and cancer. The FDA may also require a panel of experts, referred to as an Advisory Committee, to deliberate on the adequacy of the safety and efficacy data to support licensure. The opinion of the Advisory Committee, although not binding, may have a significant impact on our ability to obtain licensure of the product candidates based on the completed clinical trials, as the FDA often adheres to the Advisory Committee’s recommendations. Accordingly, the regulatory approval pathway for our product candidates may be uncertain, complex, expensive and lengthy, and approval may not be obtained.

We may also experience delays in obtaining regulatory approvals, including but not limited to:

70


 

obtaining regulatory authorization to begin a trial, if applicable;
redesigning our study protocols and need to conduct additional studies as may be required by a regulator;
governmental or regulatory delays and changes in regulation or policy relating to the development and commercialization of our product candidate by the FDA, EMA or other comparable foreign regulatory authorities;
the outcome, timing and cost of meeting regulatory requirements established by the FDA, EMA and other comparable foreign regulatory authorities;
the availability of financial resources to commence and complete the planned trials;
negotiating the terms of any collaboration agreements we may choose to initiate or conclude;
reaching agreement on acceptable terms with prospective CROs and clinical trial sites, the terms of which can be subject to extensive negotiation and may vary significantly among different CROs and trial sites;
failure of third-party contractors, such as CROs, or investigators to comply with regulatory requirements, including GCP standards;
clinical sites deviating from trial protocol or dropping out of a trial;
delay or failure in obtaining the necessary approvals from regulators or institutional review boards, or IRBs, in order to commence a clinical trial at a prospective trial site, or their suspension or termination of a clinical trial once commenced;
inability to recruit and enroll suitable patients to participate in a trial;
having patients complete a trial, including having patients enrolled in clinical trials dropping out of the trial before the product candidate is manufactured and returned to the site, or return for post-treatment follow-up;
difficulty in having patients complete a trial or return for post-treatment follow-up;
addressing any patient safety concerns that arise during the course of a trial;
inability to add new clinical trial sites;
varying interpretations of the data generated from our preclinical studies or clinical trials;
the cost of defending intellectual property disputes, including patent infringement actions brought by third parties;
the effect of competing technological and market developments;
the cost and timing of establishing, expanding and scaling manufacturing capabilities;
inability to manufacture, or obtain from third parties, sufficient quantities of qualified materials under cGMPs, for the completion in preclinical and clinical studies;
problems with biopharmaceutical product candidate storage, stability and distribution resulting in global supply chain disruptions;
the cost of establishing sales, marketing and distribution capabilities for any product candidate for which we may receive regulatory approval in regions where we choose to commercialize our products on our own; or
potential unforeseen business disruptions or market fluctuations that delay our product development or clinical trials and increase our costs or expenses, such as business or operational disruptions, delays, or system failures due to malware, unauthorized access, terrorism, war, natural disasters, strikes, geopolitical conflicts, restrictions on trade, import or export restrictions, or public health crises.

We could also encounter delays if physicians encounter unresolved ethical issues associated with enrolling patients in clinical trials of our product candidates in lieu of prescribing existing treatments that have established safety

71


 

and efficacy profiles. Further, a clinical trial may be suspended or terminated by us, the IRBs for the institutions in which such trials are being conducted or by the FDA, EMA or other regulatory authorities due to a number of factors, including failure to conduct the clinical trial in accordance with regulatory requirements or our clinical protocols, inspection of the clinical trial operations or trial site by the FDA, EMA or other regulatory authorities resulting in the imposition of a clinical hold, safety issues or adverse side effects, failure to demonstrate a benefit from using a product candidate, changes in governmental regulations or administrative actions, lack of adequate funding to continue the clinical trial, or based on a recommendation by the Data Safety Monitoring Committee. If we experience termination of, or delays in the completion of, any clinical trial of our product candidates, the commercial prospects for our product candidates will be harmed, and our ability to generate product revenue will be delayed. In addition, any delays in completing our clinical trials will increase our costs, slow down our product development and approval process and jeopardize our ability to commence product sales and generate revenue.

Many of the factors that cause, or lead to, a delay in the commencement or completion of clinical trials may ultimately lead to the denial of regulatory approval of our product candidates.

We expect the product candidates we develop will be regulated as biological products, or biologics, and therefore they may be subject to competition from biosimilar products.

The Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act (BPCIA) was enacted as part of the Affordable Care Act to establish an abbreviated pathway for the approval of biosimilar and interchangeable biological products. The regulatory pathway establishes legal authority for the FDA to review and approve biosimilar biologics, including the possible designation of a biosimilar as “interchangeable” based on its similarity to an approved biologic. Under the BPCIA, an application for a biosimilar product cannot be approved by the FDA until 12 years after the reference product was approved under a BLA. The law is complex and is still being interpreted and implemented by the FDA.

We believe that any of our product candidates that are approved in the United States as a biological product under a BLA should qualify for the 12-year period of reference product exclusivity. However, there is a risk that this exclusivity could be shortened due to Congressional action or otherwise, potentially creating the opportunity for biosimilar competition sooner than anticipated. Moreover, the extent to which a biosimilar, once approved, will be substituted for any reference product in a way that is similar to traditional generic substitution for non-biological products is not yet clear, and will depend on a number of marketplace and regulatory factors, including under state laws, that are still developing.

The regulatory landscape that will govern our product candidates is uncertain; regulations relating to more established cell therapy products are still developing, and changes in regulatory requirements could result in delays or discontinuation of development of our product candidates or unexpected costs in obtaining regulatory approval.

Government authorities in the United States at the federal, state and local level and in other countries regulate, among other things, the research, development, testing, manufacture, quality control, approval, labeling, packaging, storage, record-keeping, promotion, advertising, distribution, post-approval monitoring and reporting, marketing and export and import of drug and biological products. Generally, before a new drug or biologic can be marketed, considerable data demonstrating its quality, safety and efficacy and durability of effect must be obtained, organized into a format specific for each regulatory authority, submitted for review and approved by the regulatory authority.

Because we are developing novel allogeneic cell immunotherapy product candidates, the regulatory requirements that we will be subject to are not entirely clear. Even with respect to more established products that fit into the category of cell therapies, the regulatory landscape is still developing. For example, regulatory requirements governing cell therapy products have changed frequently and may continue to change in the future. Moreover, there is substantial, and sometimes uncoordinated, overlap in the regulation of existing cell therapy products.

Complex regulatory environments also exist in other jurisdictions in which we might consider seeking regulatory approvals for our product candidates, further complicating the regulatory landscape. For example, in the EU a special committee called the Committee for Advanced Therapies was established within the EMA in accordance with Regulation No 1394/2007 on advanced-therapy medicinal products (ATMPs) to assess the quality, safety and efficacy of ATMPs, and to follow scientific developments in the field. ATMPs include somatic cell therapy products and tissue engineered products. These various regulatory review committees and advisory groups and new or revised guidelines that they promulgate from time to time may lengthen the regulatory review process, require us to perform additional studies, increase our development costs, lead to changes in regulatory positions and interpretations, delay or prevent approval and commercialization of our product candidates or lead to significant post-approval limitations or restrictions. Because the regulatory landscape for our gamma delta CAR T-cell product candidates is new, we may

72


 

face even more cumbersome and complex regulations than those emerging for cell therapy products. Furthermore, even if our product candidates obtain required regulatory approvals, such approvals may later be withdrawn as a result of changes in regulations or the interpretation of regulations by applicable regulatory agencies.

Delay or failure to obtain, or unexpected costs in obtaining, the regulatory approval necessary to bring a potential product to market could decrease our ability to generate sufficient product revenue to maintain our business.

The FDA may disagree with our regulatory plan and we may fail to obtain regulatory approval of our product candidates.

The general approach for FDA approval of a new biologic or drug is for the sponsor to provide dispositive data from two well-controlled, Phase 3 clinical studies of the relevant biologic or drug in the relevant patient population. Phase 3 clinical studies typically involve hundreds of patients, have significant costs and take years to complete. We expect registrational trials for our product candidates to be designed to evaluate the efficacy of the product candidate in an open-label, non-comparative, two-stage, pivotal, multicenter, single-arm clinical trial in patients who have exhausted available treatment options. If the results are sufficiently compelling, we intend to discuss with the FDA submission of a BLA for the relevant product candidate. However, the process of clinical development is inherently uncertain and we do not have any agreement or guidance from the FDA that our future regulatory development plans are acceptable or will be sufficient to support submission of a BLA. For example, we may seek an accelerated approval pathway for our one or more of our product candidates from the FDA , EMA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities. If we decide to submit an application for accelerated approval, there can be no assurance that such application will be accepted or that any approval will be granted on a timely basis, or at all.

The FDA may grant accelerated approval for our product candidates that meet the criteria for accelerated approval. As a condition for accelerated approval, the FDA may require a sponsor of a drug or biologic receiving accelerated approval to perform post marketing studies to verify and describe the predicted effect on irreversible morbidity or mortality or other clinical endpoint. Under the Food and Drug Omnibus Reform Act of 2022 (FDORA), the FDA is permitted to require that a post-approval confirmatory study or studies be underway prior to approval or within a specified time period after the date of accelerated approval was granted. FDORA also requires sponsors to send updates to the FDA every 180 days on the status of such studies, including progress toward enrollment targets, and the FDA must promptly post this information publicly. FDORA also gives the FDA increased authority to withdraw approval of a drug or biologic granted accelerated approval on an expedited basis if the sponsor fails to conduct such studies in a timely manner, send the necessary updates to the FDA, or if such post-approval studies fail to verify the drug’s predicted clinical benefit. Under FDORA, the FDA is empowered to take action, such as issuing fines, against companies that fail to conduct with due diligence any post-approval confirmatory study or submit timely reports to the agency on their progress. Even if we seek to utilize the accelerated approval pathway, we may not be able to obtain accelerated approval and, even if we do, we may not experience a faster development, regulatory review or approval process for that product. In addition, receiving accelerated approval does not assure that the product’s accelerated approval will eventually be converted to a traditional approval. Further, the standard of care may change with the approval of new products in the same indications that we are studying. This may result in the FDA, EMA or other regulatory agencies requesting additional studies to evaluate our product candidate relative to the new products.

Our clinical trial results may also not support approval. In addition, our product candidates could fail to receive regulatory approval for many reasons, including the following:

the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities may disagree with the design or implementation of our clinical trials;
we may be unable to demonstrate to the satisfaction of the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities that our product candidates are safe and effective for any of their proposed indications, or that a related companion diagnostic test is suitable to identify appropriate patient populations;
the results of clinical trials may not meet the level of statistical significance required by the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities for approval, including due to the heterogeneity of patient populations;
we may be unable to demonstrate that our product candidates’ clinical and other benefits outweigh their safety risks;
the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities may disagree with our interpretation of data from preclinical studies or clinical trials;

73


 

the data collected from clinical trials of our product candidates may not be sufficient to the satisfaction of the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities to support the submission of a BLA or other comparable submission in foreign jurisdictions or to obtain regulatory approval in the United States or elsewhere;
the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities will inspect our manufacturing facility (or our CDMO's facility) and may not find it acceptable; and
the approval policies or regulations of the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities may significantly change in a manner rendering our clinical data insufficient for approval.

We may seek orphan drug designation for some or all of our product candidates across various indications, but we may be unable to obtain such designations or to maintain the benefits associated with orphan drug designation, including market exclusivity, which may cause our revenue, if any, to be reduced.

Under the Orphan Drug Act, the FDA may grant orphan designation to a drug or biologic intended to treat a rare disease or condition, defined as a disease or condition with a patient population of fewer than 200,000 in the United States, or a patient population greater than 200,000 in the United States when there is no reasonable expectation that the cost of developing and making available the drug or biologic in the United States will be recovered from sales in the United States for that drug or biologic. In order to obtain orphan drug designation, the request must be made before submitting a BLA. In the U.S., orphan drug designation entitles a party to financial incentives such as opportunities for grant funding towards clinical trial costs, tax advantages, and user-fee waivers. After the FDA grants orphan drug designation, the generic identity of the drug and its potential orphan use are disclosed publicly by the FDA. Orphan drug designation does not convey any advantage in, or shorten the duration of, the regulatory review and approval process.

If a product that has orphan drug designation subsequently receives the first FDA approval of that particular product for the disease for which it has such designation, the product is entitled to orphan product exclusivity, which means that the FDA may not approve any other applications, including a BLA, to market the same biologic (meaning, a product with the same principal molecular structural features) for the same indication for seven years, except in limited circumstances such as a showing of clinical superiority to the product with orphan drug exclusivity or if FDA finds that the holder of the orphan drug exclusivity has not shown that it can assure the availability of sufficient quantities of the orphan drug to meet the needs of patients with the disease or condition for which the drug was designated. As a result, even if one of our product candidates receives orphan exclusivity, the FDA can still approve other biologics that do not have the same principal molecular structural features for use in treating the same indication or disease or the same biologic for a different indication or disease during the exclusivity period. Furthermore, the FDA can waive orphan exclusivity if we are unable to manufacture sufficient supply of our product or if a subsequent applicant demonstrates clinical superiority over our products.

We may seek orphan drug designation for some or all of our product candidates in specific orphan indications in which there is a medically plausible basis for the use of these products. Even if we obtain orphan drug designation, exclusive marketing rights in the United States may be limited if we seek approval for an indication broader than the orphan designated indication and may be lost if the FDA later determines that the request for designation was materially defective or if we are unable to assure sufficient quantities of the product to meet the needs of patients with the rare disease or condition, or if a subsequent applicant demonstrates clinical superiority over our products, if approved. In addition, although we may seek orphan drug designation for other product candidates, we may never receive such designations. Further, the FDA may further reevaluate its regulations and policies under the Orphan Drug Act. We do not know if, when, or how the FDA may change the orphan drug regulations and policies in the future, and it is uncertain how any changes might affect our business. Depending on what changes the FDA may make to its orphan drug regulations and policies, our business could be adversely impacted.

A fast track designation by the FDA, even if granted for any of our product candidates, may not lead to a faster development or regulatory review or approval process, and does not increase the likelihood that our product candidates will receive marketing approval.

We have received fast track designation for ADI-001 for the treatment of LN and for ADI-270 in metastatic/advanced clear cell RCC. If a drug or biologic is intended for the treatment of a serious or life-threatening condition and the product candidate demonstrates the potential to address unmet medical needs for this condition, the product candidate sponsor may apply for fast track designation for a particular indication. We may seek fast track designation for certain of our product candidates, but there is no assurance that the FDA will grant this status to any of our product candidates. Marketing applications filed by sponsors of product candidate with fast track designation

74


 

may qualify for priority review under the policies and procedures offered by the FDA, but the fast track designation does not assure any such qualification or ultimate marketing approval by the FDA. The FDA has broad discretion whether or not to grant fast track designation, so even if we believe a particular product candidate is eligible for this designation, there can be no assurance that the FDA would decide to grant it. Even if we do receive fast track designation, we may not experience a faster development process, review or approval compared to conventional FDA procedures, and receiving a fast track designation does not provide assurance of ultimate FDA approval. In addition, the FDA may withdraw fast track designation if it believes that the designation is no longer supported by data from our clinical development program. In addition, the FDA may withdraw any fast track designation at any time.

Regenerative Medicine Advanced Therapy (RMAT) designation, even if granted for any of our product candidates, may not lead to a faster development or regulatory review or approval process and it does not increase the likelihood that our product candidates will receive marketing approval.

We may seek RMAT designation for one or more of our product candidates. In 2017, the FDA established the RMAT designation to expedite review of a cell therapy, therapeutic tissue engineering product, human cell and tissue product, or any combination product using such therapies or products, with limited exceptions intended to treat, modify, reverse, or cure a serious or life-threatening disease or condition and for which preliminary clinical evidence indicates that the potential to address unmet medical needs for such a disease or condition. RMAT designation provides potential benefits that include more frequent meetings with FDA to discuss the development plan for the product candidate, and eligibility for rolling review and priority review. Products granted RMAT designation may also be eligible for accelerated approval on the basis of a surrogate or intermediate endpoint reasonably likely to predict long-term clinical benefit, or reliance upon data obtained from a meaningful number of sites, including through expansion to additional sites. There is no assurance that we will be able to obtain RMAT designation for any of our product candidates. RMAT designation does not change the FDA’s standards for product approval, and there is no assurance that such designation will result in expedited review or approval or that the approved indication will not be narrower than the indication covered by the designation. Additionally, RMAT designation can be revoked if the criteria for eligibility cease to be met as clinical data emerges.

Positive results from early preclinical studies and clinical trials are not necessarily predictive of the results of any future clinical trials of our product candidates, and may change as more patient data becomes available and is subject to audit and verification procedures that could result in material changes in the final data. If we cannot replicate the positive results from our earlier preclinical studies and clinical trials of our product candidates in our future clinical trials, we may be unable to successfully develop, obtain regulatory approval for and commercialize our product candidate.

From time to time, we may publish interim, top-line or preliminary results from our preclinical studies or clinical trials. Such clinical results are subject to the risk that one or more of the clinical outcomes may materially change as patient enrollment continues and more patient data become available. Preliminary or top-line results also remain subject to audit and verification procedures that may result in the final data being materially different from the preliminary data we previously published. As a result, interim and preliminary data should be viewed with caution until the final data are available. Data from clinical trials that we may complete are subject to the risk that one or more of the clinical outcomes may materially change as patient enrollment continues and more patient data become available. We also make assumptions, estimations, calculations and conclusions as part of our analyses of data, and we may not have received or had the opportunity to fully and carefully evaluate all data. Preliminary or “top-line” data also remain subject to audit and verification procedures that may result in the final data being materially different from the preliminary data we previously announced. As a result, interim, “top-line,” and preliminary data should be viewed with caution until the final data are available. Adverse differences between preliminary or interim data and final data could significantly harm our business prospects. It is also difficult to predict the timing of announcing interim results.

Accordingly, any positive results from our preclinical studies and ongoing and future clinical trials of our product candidates may not necessarily be predictive of the results from required later clinical trials. Similarly, even if we are able to complete our planned preclinical studies or any future clinical trials according to our current development timeline, the positive results from such preclinical studies and clinical trials may not be replicated in subsequent preclinical studies or clinical trial results.

Many companies in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries have suffered significant setbacks in late-stage clinical trials after achieving positive results in early-stage development, and we cannot be certain that we will not face similar setbacks. These setbacks have been caused by, among other things, preclinical findings made while clinical trials were underway, or safety or efficacy observations made in preclinical studies and clinical trials, including

75


 

previously unreported adverse events. Moreover, preclinical and clinical data are often susceptible to varying interpretations and analyses and many companies that believed their product candidate performed satisfactorily in preclinical studies and clinical trials nonetheless failed to obtain FDA or similar regulatory approval.

Additionally, our ongoing clinical trial utilizes an “open-label” trial design, as may be the case in planned future clinical trials. An “open-label” clinical trial is one where both the patient and investigator know whether the patient is receiving the investigational product candidate or either an existing approved drug or placebo. Most typically, open-label clinical trials test only the investigational product candidate and sometimes may do so at different dose levels. Open-label clinical trials are subject to various limitations that may exaggerate any therapeutic effect as patients in open-label clinical trials are aware when they are receiving treatment. Open-label clinical trials may be subject to a “patient bias” where patients perceive their symptoms to have improved merely due to their awareness of receiving an experimental treatment. In addition, open-label clinical trials may be subject to an “investigator bias” where those assessing and reviewing the physiological outcomes of the clinical trials are aware of which patients have received treatment and may interpret the information of the treated group more favorably given this knowledge. The results from an open-label trial may not be predictive of future clinical trial results with any of our product candidates when studied in a controlled environment with a placebo or active control.

If the clinical updates, or the interim, "top-line", or preliminary data that we report differ from actual results, or if others, including regulatory authorities, disagree with the conclusions reached, our ability to obtain approval for and commercialize our product candidates, our business, operating results, prospects or financial condition may be harmed.

Obtaining and maintaining regulatory approval of our product candidates in one jurisdiction does not mean that we will be successful in obtaining regulatory approval of our product candidates in other jurisdictions.

Obtaining and maintaining regulatory approval of our product candidates in one jurisdiction does not guarantee that we will be able to obtain or maintain regulatory approval in any other jurisdiction, while a failure or delay in obtaining regulatory approval in one jurisdiction may have a negative effect on the regulatory approval process in others. For example, even if the FDA grants marketing approval of a product candidate, comparable regulatory authorities in foreign jurisdictions must also approve the manufacturing, marketing and promotion of the product candidate in those countries. Approval procedures vary among jurisdictions and can involve requirements and administrative review periods different from, and greater than, those in the United States, including additional preclinical studies or clinical trials as clinical studies conducted in one jurisdiction may not be accepted by regulatory authorities in other jurisdictions. In many jurisdictions outside the United States, a product candidate must be approved for reimbursement before it can be approved for sale in that jurisdiction. In some cases, the price that we intend to charge for our products is also subject to approval.

We may also submit marketing applications in other countries. Regulatory authorities in jurisdictions outside of the United States have requirements for approval of product candidates with which we must comply prior to marketing in those jurisdictions. Obtaining foreign regulatory approvals and compliance with foreign regulatory requirements could result in significant delays, difficulties and costs for us and could delay or prevent the introduction of our products in certain countries. If we fail to comply with the regulatory requirements in international markets and/or receive applicable marketing approvals, our target market will be reduced and our ability to realize the full market potential of our product candidates will be harmed.

Additionally, the UK formally left the EU on January 31, 2020. The EU and the UK have concluded a trade and cooperation agreement (TCA) which was provisionally applicable since January 1, 2021 and has been formally applicable since May 1, 2021. The TCA includes specific provisions concerning pharmaceuticals, which include the mutual recognition of GMP, inspections of manufacturing facilities for medicinal products and GMP documents issued, but does not provide for wholesale mutual recognition of UK and EU pharmaceutical regulations. At present, the UK has implemented EU legislation on the marketing, promotion and sale of medicinal products through the Human Medicines Regulations 2012. The regulatory regime in the UK therefore currently aligns in the most part with EU regulations, however it is possible that these regimes will diverge in future now that the UK’s regulatory system is independent from the EU and the TCA does not provide for mutual recognition of UK and EU pharmaceutical legislation. For example, the EU Clinical Trials Regulation, which became effective in the EU on January 31, 2022 and provides for a streamlined clinical trial application and assessment procedure covering multiple EU member states, has not been implemented into UK law, and a separate application will need to be submitted for clinical trial authorization in the UK. The separate, and potentially diverging, regulatory regimes between the UK and the EU may increase our regulatory burden of applying for and obtaining authorization in the UK and the EU.

76


 

Even if we receive regulatory approval of our product candidates, we will be subject to ongoing regulatory obligations and continued regulatory review, which may result in significant additional expense and we may be subject to penalties if we fail to comply with regulatory requirements or experience unanticipated problems with our product candidates.

Any regulatory approvals that we receive for our product candidates will require post-market surveillance to monitor the safety and efficacy of the product candidate. The FDA may also require a risk evaluation and mitigation strategy (REMS), in order to approve our product candidates, which could entail requirements for a medication guide, physician communication plans or additional elements to ensure safe use, such as restricted distribution methods, patient registries and other risk minimization tools. In addition, if the FDA or a comparable foreign regulatory authority approves our product candidates, the manufacturing processes, labeling, packaging, distribution, adverse event reporting, storage, advertising, promotion, import, export and record keeping for our product candidates will be subject to extensive and ongoing regulatory requirements. These requirements include submissions of safety and other post-marketing information and reports, registration, as well as continued compliance with cGMPs and GCPs for any clinical trials that we conduct post-approval. As such, we and our contract manufacturers are required to register establishments with the FDA and certain state agencies, and will be subject to continual review and unannounced inspections by the FDA and state agencies to assess compliance with cGMPs and adherence to commitments made in any BLA, other marketing application and previous responses to inspectional observations. Manufacturers and manufacturers’ facilities are required to comply with extensive FDA, and comparable foreign regulatory authority requirements, including ensuring that quality control and manufacturing procedures conform to cGMP regulations and applicable product tracking and tracing requirements. Manufacturers and other parties involved in the drug supply chain for prescription drug products must also notify the FDA of counterfeit, diverted, stolen and intentionally adulterated products or products that are otherwise unfit for distribution in the United States. Accordingly, we and others with whom we work must continue to expend time, money and effort in all areas of regulatory compliance, including manufacturing, production and quality control. In addition, the FDA could require us to conduct another study to obtain additional safety or biomarker information.

Further, even if marketing approval of a product candidate is granted, the approval may be subject to limitations on the indicated uses for which the product may be marketed or to conditions of approval, or contain requirements for costly post-marketing testing and surveillance to monitor the safety or efficacy of the product. We will also be required to comply with FDA's promotion and advertising rules, which include, among others, standards for direct-to-consumer advertising, restrictions on promoting products for uses or in patient populations that are not described in the product’s approved uses (known as “off-label use”), limitations on industry-sponsored scientific and educational activities and requirements for promotional activities involving the internet and social media. The FDA and other agencies actively enforce the laws and regulations prohibiting the promotion of off-label uses, and a company that is found to have improperly promoted off-label may be subject to significant liability. However, physicians may, in their independent medical judgment, prescribe legally available products for off-label uses. The FDA does not regulate the behavior of physicians in their choice of treatments, but the FDA does restrict manufacturers' communications on the subject of off-label use of their products. Later discovery of previously unknown problems with our product candidates, including adverse events of unanticipated severity or frequency, or with our third-party suppliers or manufacturing processes, or failure to comply with regulatory requirements, may result in revisions to the approved labeling to add new safety information; imposition of post-market studies or clinical studies to assess new safety risks; or imposition of distribution restrictions or other restrictions under a REMS program. Other potential consequences include, among other things:

restrictions on the marketing or manufacturing of our product candidates, withdrawal of the product from the market or voluntary or mandatory product recalls;
fines, warning letters or holds on clinical trials;
refusal by the FDA to approve pending applications or supplements to approved applications filed by us or suspension or revocation of license approvals;
product seizure or detention, or refusal to permit the import or export of our product candidates; and
injunctions or the imposition of civil or criminal penalties.

The FDA’s and other regulatory authorities’ policies may change and additional government regulations may be enacted that could prevent, limit or delay regulatory approval of our product candidates. We cannot predict the likelihood, nature or extent of government regulation that may arise from future legislation or administrative or executive action, either in the United States or abroad. If we are slow or unable to adapt to changes in existing

77


 

requirements or the adoption of new requirements or policies, or if we are not able to maintain regulatory compliance, we may lose any marketing approval that we may have obtained and we may not achieve or sustain profitability.

Even if we obtain regulatory approval of our product candidates, the products may not gain market acceptance among physicians, patients, hospitals, cancer treatment centers and others in the medical community, adversely affecting our ability to achieve our commercial and financial projections.

The use of engineered gamma delta T cells as potential treatments for autoimmune diseases and cancer is a recent development and may not become broadly accepted by physicians, patients, hospitals, cancer treatment centers and others in the medical community. We expect physicians, including rheumatologists, nephrologists and oncologists, to be particularly important to the market acceptance of our products and we may not be able to educate them on the benefits of using our product candidates for many reasons. Additional factors will influence whether our product candidates are accepted in the market, including:

the clinical indications for which our product candidates are approved;
physicians, hospitals, cancer treatment centers and patients considering our product candidates as a safe and effective treatment;
the potential and perceived advantages of our product candidates over alternative treatments;
the prevalence and severity of any side effects;
product labeling or product insert requirements of the FDA, EMA or other regulatory authorities;
limitations or warnings contained in the labeling approved by the FDA;
the timing of market introduction of our product candidates as well as competitive products;
the cost of treatment in relation to alternative treatments;
the availability of coverage and adequate reimbursement and pricing by third-party payors and government authorities;
the willingness of patients to pay out-of-pocket in the absence of coverage and adequate reimbursement by third-party payors and government authorities;
relative convenience and ease of administration, including as compared to alternative treatments and competitive therapies; and
the effectiveness of our sales and marketing efforts.

If our product candidates are approved but fail to achieve market acceptance among physicians, patients, hospitals, cancer treatment centers or others in the medical community, we will not be able to generate significant revenue. Even if our products achieve market acceptance, we may not be able to maintain that market acceptance over time if new products or technologies are introduced that are more favorably received than our products, are more cost effective or render our products obsolete.

Coverage and reimbursement may be limited or unavailable in certain market segments for our product candidates, which could make it difficult for us to sell our product candidates, if approved, profitably.

Successful sales of our product candidates, if approved, depend on the availability of coverage and adequate reimbursement from third-party payors including governmental healthcare programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid, managed care organizations and commercial payors, among others. Significant uncertainty exists as to the coverage and reimbursement status of any product candidates for which we obtain regulatory approval. In addition, because our product candidates represent new approaches to the treatment of autoimmune diseases and cancer, we cannot accurately estimate the potential revenue from our product candidates. For further discussion on coverage and reimbursement matters, see the section entitled “Business—Government Regulation and Product Approval Coverage, Pricing and Reimbursement” in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Patients who are provided medical treatment for their conditions generally rely on third-party payors to reimburse all or part of the costs associated with their treatment. Obtaining coverage and adequate reimbursement from third-party payors is critical to new product acceptance.

78


 

Third-party payors decide which drugs and treatments they will cover and the amount of reimbursement. Reimbursement by a third-party payor may depend upon a number of factors, including, but not limited to, the third-party payor’s determination that use of a product is:

a covered benefit under its health plan;
safe, effective and medically necessary;
appropriate for the specific patient;
cost-effective; and
neither experimental nor investigational.

Obtaining coverage and reimbursement of a product from a government or other third-party payor is a time consuming and costly process that could require us to provide to the payor supporting scientific, clinical and cost-effectiveness data for the use of our products. Even if we obtain coverage for a given product, if the resulting reimbursement rates are insufficient, hospitals may not approve our product for use in their facility or third-party payors may require co-payments that patients find unacceptably high. Patients are unlikely to use our product candidates unless coverage is provided, and reimbursement is adequate to cover a significant portion of the cost of our product candidates. Separate reimbursement for the product itself may or may not be available. Instead, the hospital or administering physician may be reimbursed only for providing the treatment or procedure in which our product is used. Further, from time to time, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) revises the reimbursement systems used to reimburse health care providers, including the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule and Outpatient Prospective Payment System, which may result in reduced Medicare payments. In some cases, private third-party payers rely on all or portions of Medicare payment systems to determine payment rates. Changes to government healthcare programs that reduce payments under these programs may negatively impact payments from private third-party payers and reduce the willingness of physicians to use our product candidates.

In the United States, no uniform policy of coverage and reimbursement for products exists among third-party payors. Therefore, coverage and reimbursement for products can differ significantly from payor to payor. Further, one payor’s determination to provide coverage for a product does not assure that other payors will also provide coverage for the product. Adequate third-party reimbursement may not be available to enable us to maintain price levels sufficient to realize an appropriate return on our investment in product development. Because our product candidate may have a higher cost of goods than conventional therapies, and may require long-term follow-up evaluations, the risk that coverage and reimbursement rates may be inadequate for us to achieve profitability may be greater. There is significant uncertainty related to insurance coverage and reimbursement of newly approved products. It is difficult to predict at this time what third-party payors will decide with respect to the coverage and reimbursement for our product candidate. Moreover, payment methodologies may be subject to changes in healthcare legislation and regulatory initiatives. Additional state and federal healthcare reform measures are expected to be adopted in the future, any of which could limit the amounts that federal and state governments will pay for healthcare products and services, which could result in reduced demand for certain pharmaceutical products or additional pricing pressures. Specifically, there have been several United States Congressional inquiries and federal and state legislation designed to, among other things, bring more transparency to drug pricing, reduce the cost of prescription drugs under Medicare, review the relationship between pricing and manufacturer patient programs, and reform government program reimbursement methodologies for drugs. We expect to experience pricing pressures in connection with the sale of any of our product candidates due to the trend toward managed healthcare, the increasing influence of health maintenance organizations, cost containment initiatives and additional legislative changes.

Net prices for drugs may be reduced by mandatory discounts or rebates required by government healthcare programs or private payors and by any future relaxation of laws that presently restrict imports of drugs from countries where they may be sold at lower prices than in the United States. Increasingly, third-party payors are requiring that drug companies provide them with predetermined discounts from list prices and are challenging the prices charged for medical products. In addition, many pharmaceutical manufacturers must calculate and report certain price reporting metrics to the government, such as average sales price and best price. Penalties may apply in some cases when such metrics are not submitted accurately and timely. Further, these prices for drugs may be reduced by mandatory discounts or rebates required by government healthcare programs. Payment methodologies may be subject to changes in healthcare legislation and regulatory initiatives.

We intend to seek approval to market our product candidates in both the United States and in selected foreign jurisdictions. Increased efforts by governmental and third-party payors in the United States and abroad to cap or reduce healthcare costs may cause such organizations to limit both coverage and the level of reimbursement for newly approved products and, as a result, they may not cover or provide adequate payment for our product candidate. If we

79


 

obtain approval in one or more foreign jurisdictions for our product candidates, we will be subject to rules and regulations in those jurisdictions. In some foreign countries, particularly those in Europe, the pricing of biologics is subject to governmental control. In these countries, pricing negotiations with governmental authorities can take considerable time after obtaining marketing approval of a product candidate. Some of these countries may require the completion of clinical trials that compare the cost-effectiveness of a particular product candidate to currently available therapies. Other EU member states allow companies to fix their own prices for medicines but monitor and control company profits. The downward pressure on health care costs has become very intense. As a result, increasingly high barriers are being erected to the entry of new products. In addition, in some countries, cross-border imports from low-priced markets exert a commercial pressure on pricing within a country.

The marketability of any product candidates for which we receive regulatory approval for commercial sale may suffer if government and other third-party payors fail to provide coverage and adequate reimbursement. We expect downward pressure on pharmaceutical pricing to continue. Further, coverage policies and third-party reimbursement rates may change at any time. Even if favorable coverage and reimbursement status is attained for one or more products for which we receive regulatory approval, less favorable coverage policies and reimbursement rates may be implemented in the future.

The advancement of healthcare reform may negatively impact our ability to sell our product candidates, if approved, profitably.

Third-party payors, whether domestic or foreign, or governmental or commercial, are developing increasingly sophisticated methods of controlling healthcare costs. In both the United States and certain foreign jurisdictions, there have been a number of legislative and regulatory changes to the health care system that could impact our ability to sell our product candidates, if approved, profitably. For further discussion on healthcare reform matters, see the section entitled “Business – Government Regulation and Product Approval – Healthcare Reform” in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

There have been, and likely will continue to be, legislative and regulatory proposals at the foreign, federal and state levels directed at broadening the availability of healthcare and containing or lowering the cost of healthcare.

The implementation of cost containment measures or other healthcare reforms may prevent us from being able to generate revenue, attain profitability, or commercialize our products. Such reforms could have an adverse effect on anticipated revenue from product candidates that we may successfully develop and for which we may obtain regulatory approval and may affect our overall financial condition and ability to develop product candidates. Additionally, there has been heightened governmental scrutiny in the United States of pharmaceutical and biologics pricing practices in light of the rising cost of prescription drugs and biologics. Such scrutiny has resulted in various congressional inquiries and proposed and enacted federal and state legislation designed to, among other things, bring more transparency to product pricing, review the relationship between pricing and manufacturer patient programs, and reform government program reimbursement methodologies for products.

We expect that additional U.S. federal healthcare reform measures will be adopted in the future, any of which could limit the amounts that the U.S. Federal Government will pay for healthcare drugs and services, which could result in reduced demand for our product candidates or additional pricing pressures. Individual states in the United States have also become increasingly active in passing legislation and implementing regulations designed to control pharmaceutical and biological product pricing, including price or patient reimbursement constraints, discounts, restrictions on certain drug access and marketing cost disclosure and transparency measures, and designed to encourage importation from other countries and bulk purchasing. Legally mandated price controls on payment amounts by third-party payors or other restrictions could harm our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. In addition, regional healthcare authorities and individual hospitals are increasingly using bidding procedures to determine what pharmaceutical products and which suppliers will be included in their prescription drug and other healthcare programs. This could reduce the ultimate demand for our drugs or put pressure on our drug pricing, which could negatively affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. The continuing efforts of the government, insurance companies, managed care organizations and other payors of healthcare services to contain or reduce costs of healthcare and/or impose price controls may adversely affect:

the demand for our product candidates if we obtain regulatory approval;
our ability to set a price that it believes is fair for our products;
our ability to generate revenue and achieve or maintain profitability;
the level of taxes that we are required to pay; and

80


 

the availability of capital.

Any reduction in reimbursement from Medicare or other government programs may result in a similar reduction in payments from private payors, which may adversely affect our future profitability.

In addition, the U.S. Supreme Court’s June 2024 decision in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo overturned the longstanding Chevron doctrine, under which courts were required to give deference to regulatory agencies’ reasonable interpretations of ambiguous federal statutes. The Loper decision could result in additional legal challenges to regulations and guidance issued by federal agencies, including the FDA, on which we rely. Any such legal challenges, if successful, could have a material impact on our business. Additionally, the Loper decision may result in increased regulatory uncertainty, inconsistent judicial interpretations, and other impacts to the agency rulemaking process, any of which could adversely impact our business and operations. We cannot predict the likelihood, nature or extent of government regulation that may arise from future legislation or administrative action or as a result of legal challenges, either in the United States or abroad. If we are slow or unable to adapt to changes in existing requirements or the adoption of new requirements or policies, or if we are not able to maintain regulatory compliance, our business could be materially harmed.

Risks Related to Intellectual Property

Risks Related to Our Intellectual Property

If our efforts to protect the proprietary nature of the intellectual property related to our technologies are not adequate, we may not be able to compete effectively in our market.

We rely upon a combination of patents, trade secret protection and license agreements to protect the intellectual property related to our technologies. Any disclosure to or misappropriation by third parties of our confidential proprietary information could enable competitors to quickly duplicate or surpass our technological achievements, thus eroding our competitive position in our market.

Additional patent applications have been filed, and we anticipate additional patent applications will be filed, both in the United States and in other countries, as appropriate. However, we cannot predict:

if and when patents will issue;
the degree and range of protection any issued patents will afford us against competitors including whether third parties will find ways to invalidate or otherwise circumvent our patents;
whether or not others will obtain patents claiming aspects similar to those covered by our patents and patent applications; or
whether we will need to initiate litigation or administrative proceedings which may be costly whether we win or lose.

Composition of matter patents for biological and pharmaceutical products such as CAR-based product candidates often provide a strong form of intellectual property protection for those types of products, as such patents provide protection without regard to any method of use. We cannot be certain that the claims in our pending patent applications covering composition of matter of our product candidates will be considered patentable by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), or by patent offices in foreign countries, or that the claims in any of our issued patents will be considered valid and enforceable by courts in the United States or foreign countries. Method of use patents protect the use of a product for the specified method. This type of patent does not prevent a competitor from making and marketing a product that is identical to our product for an indication that is outside the scope of the patented method. Moreover, even if competitors do not actively promote their product for our targeted indications, physicians may prescribe these products “off-label.” Although off-label prescriptions may infringe or contribute to the infringement of method of use patents, the practice is common and such infringement is difficult to prevent or prosecute.

The strength of patents in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical field involves complex legal and scientific questions and can be uncertain. The patent applications that we own or in-license may fail to result in issued patents with claims that cover our product candidates or uses thereof in the United States or in other foreign countries. Even if the patents do successfully issue, third parties may challenge the patentability, validity, enforceability or scope

81


 

thereof, for example through inter partes review (IPR) post-grant review or ex parte reexamination before the USPTO or oppositions and other comparable proceedings in foreign jurisdictions, which may result in such patents being cancelled, narrowed, invalidated or held unenforceable. Furthermore, even if they are unchallenged, our patents and patent applications may not adequately protect our intellectual property or prevent others from designing their products to avoid being covered by our claims. If the breadth or strength of protection provided by the patents and patent applications we hold with respect to our product candidates is threatened, it could dissuade companies from collaborating with us to develop, and threaten our ability to commercialize, our product candidates. Further, if we encounter delays in our clinical trials, the period of time during which we could market our product candidates under patent protection would be reduced. United States patent applications containing or that at any time contained a claim not entitled to a priority date before March 16, 2013 are subject to the “first to file” system implemented by the America Invents Act (2011).

This first to file system will require us to be cognizant going forward of the time from invention to filing of a patent application. Since patent applications in the United States and most other countries are confidential for a period of time after filing, we cannot be certain that it was the first to file any patent application related to our product candidates. Furthermore, for United States applications in which all claims are entitled to a priority date before March 16, 2013, an interference proceeding can be provoked by a third-party or instituted by the USPTO, to determine who was the first to invent any of the subject matter covered by the patent claims of our applications. For United States applications containing a claim not entitled to priority before March 16, 2013, there is a greater level of uncertainty in the patent law in view of the passage of the America Invents Act, which brought into effect significant changes to the United States patent laws, including new procedures for challenging patent applications and issued patents.

We may not be successful in obtaining or maintaining necessary rights to product components and processes for our development pipeline through acquisitions and in-licenses.

We may require access to additional intellectual property to develop our current or future product candidates. Accordingly, the growth of our business will likely depend in part on our ability to acquire, in-license or use these proprietary rights.

Our product candidates may also require specific formulations to work effectively and efficiently and these rights may be held by others. We may be unable to acquire or in-license any compositions, methods of use, processes or other third-party intellectual property rights from third parties that we identify. We may fail to obtain any of these licenses at a reasonable cost or on reasonable terms, which would harm our business. Even if we are able to obtain a license, it may be non-exclusive, thereby giving our competitors access to the same technologies licensed to us. In that event, we may be required to expend significant time and resources to develop or license replacement technology. We may need to cease use of the compositions or methods covered by such third-party intellectual property rights.

The licensing and acquisition of third-party intellectual property rights is a competitive area, and companies, which may be more established, or have greater resources than we do, may also be pursuing strategies to license or acquire third-party intellectual property rights that we may consider necessary or attractive in order to commercialize our product candidates. More established companies may have a competitive advantage over us due to their size, cash resources and greater clinical development and commercialization capabilities.

We may be involved in lawsuits to protect or enforce our patents or the patents of our licensors, which could be expensive, time-consuming and unsuccessful.

Competitors may infringe our patents or the patents of our licensors. To counter infringement or unauthorized use, we may be required to file infringement claims, which can be expensive and time-consuming. In addition, in an infringement proceeding, a court may decide that one or more of our patents is not valid or is unenforceable or may refuse to stop the other party from using the technology at issue on the grounds that our patents do not cover the technology in question. An adverse result in any litigation or defense proceedings could put one or more of our patents at risk of being invalidated, held unenforceable or interpreted narrowly and could put our patent applications at risk of not issuing. Defense of these claims, regardless of their merit, would involve substantial litigation expense and would be a substantial diversion of employee resources from our business. In the event of a successful claim of infringement against us, we may have to pay substantial damages, including treble damages and attorneys’ fees for willful infringement, obtain one or more licenses from third parties, pay royalties or redesign our infringing products, which may be impossible or require substantial time and monetary expenditure.

Interference proceedings provoked by third parties or brought by the USPTO may be necessary to determine the priority of inventions with respect to our patents or patent applications or those of our licensors. An unfavorable outcome could result in a loss of our current patent rights and could require us to cease using the related technology

82


 

or to attempt to license rights to it from the prevailing party. Our business could be harmed if the prevailing party does not offer us a license on commercially reasonable terms. Litigation or interference proceedings may result in a decision adverse to our interests and, even if we are successful, may result in substantial costs and distract our management and other employees. We may not be able to prevent, alone or with our licensors, misappropriation of our trade secrets or confidential information, particularly in countries where the laws may not protect those rights as fully as in the United States.

Furthermore, because of the substantial amount of discovery required in connection with intellectual property litigation, there is a risk that some of our confidential information could be compromised by disclosure during this type of litigation. In addition, there could be public announcements of the results of hearings, motions or other interim proceedings or developments. If securities analysts or investors perceive these results to be negative, it could have a substantial adverse effect on the price of our common stock.

Obtaining and maintaining our patent protection depends on compliance with various procedural, document submission, fee payment and other requirements imposed by governmental patent agencies, and our patent protection could be reduced or eliminated for non-compliance with these requirements.

Periodic maintenance fees on any issued patent are due to be paid to the USPTO and foreign patent agencies in several stages over the lifetime of the patent. The USPTO and various foreign governmental patent agencies require compliance with a number of procedural, documentary, fee payment and other similar provisions during the patent application process. While an inadvertent lapse can in many cases be cured by payment of a late fee or by other means in accordance with the applicable rules, there are situations in which noncompliance can result in abandonment or lapse of the patent or patent application, resulting in partial or complete loss of patent rights in the relevant jurisdiction. Noncompliance events that could result in abandonment or lapse of a patent or patent application include, but are not limited to, failure to respond to official actions within prescribed time limits, non-payment of fees and failure to properly legalize and submit formal documents. In such an event, our competitors might be able to enter the market, which would have a material adverse effect on our business.

The lives of our patents may not be sufficient to effectively protect our products and business.

Patents have a limited lifespan. In the United States, the natural expiration of a patent is generally 20 years after its first effective filing date. Although various extensions may be available, the life of a patent, and the protection it affords, is limited. Even if patents covering our product candidates are obtained, once the patent life has expired for a product, we may be open to competition from biosimilar or generic medications. In addition, although upon issuance in the United States a patient’s life can be increased based on certain delays caused by the USPTO, this increase can be reduced or eliminated based on certain delays caused by the patent applicant during patent prosecution. If we do not have sufficient patent life to protect our products, our business and results of operations will be adversely affected.

We may be subject to claims challenging the inventorship of our patents and other intellectual property.

We may in the future be subject to claims that former employees, collaborators, or other third parties have an interest in our patents or other intellectual property as an inventor or co-inventor. For example, we may have inventorship disputes arise from conflicting obligations of consultants or others who are involved in developing our product candidates. Litigation may be necessary to defend against these and other claims challenging inventorship. If we fail in defending any such claims, in addition to paying monetary damages, we may lose valuable intellectual property rights, such as exclusive ownership of, or right to use, valuable intellectual property. Such an outcome could have a material adverse effect on our business. Even if we are successful in defending against such claims, litigation could result in substantial costs and be a distraction to management and other employees.

Issued patents covering our product candidates could be found unpatentable, invalid or unenforceable if challenged in court or the USPTO.

If we or one of our licensing partners initiate legal proceedings against a third party to enforce a patent covering one of our product candidates, the defendant could counterclaim that the patent covering our product candidate, as applicable, is invalid and/or unenforceable. In patent litigation in the United States, defendant counterclaims alleging invalidity and/or unenforceability are commonplace, and there are numerous grounds upon which a third party can assert invalidity or unenforceability of a patent. Third parties may also raise similar claims before administrative bodies in the United States or abroad, even outside the context of litigation. Such mechanisms include IPR, ex parte re-examination and post grant review in the United States, and equivalent proceedings in foreign jurisdictions (e.g.,

83


 

opposition proceedings). Such proceedings could result in revocation or amendment to our patents in such a way that they no longer cover and protect our product candidates. The outcome following legal assertions of unpatentability, invalidity and unenforceability is unpredictable. With respect to the validity question, for example, we cannot be certain that there is no invalidating prior art, of which we, our patent counsel and the patent examiner were unaware during prosecution. If a defendant were to prevail on a legal assertion of unpatentability, invalidity and/or unenforceability, we would lose at least part, and perhaps all, of the patent protection on our product candidates. Such a loss of patent protection could have a material adverse impact on our business.

Risks Related to Third Party Intellectual Property

We depend on intellectual property licensed from third parties and termination of any of these licenses could result in the loss of significant rights, which would harm our business.

We are dependent on patents, know-how and proprietary technology, both our own and licensed from others. We depend substantially on our license agreements with Regeneron. These licenses may be terminated upon certain conditions. Any termination of these licenses could result in the loss of significant rights and could harm our ability to commercialize our product candidates. To the extent these licensors fail to meet their obligations under their license agreements, which we are not in control of, we may lose the benefits of our license agreements with these licensors. In the future, we may also enter into additional license agreements that are material to the development of our product candidates.

Disputes may also arise between us and our licensors regarding intellectual property subject to a license agreement, including those related to:

the scope of rights granted under the license agreement and other interpretation-related issues;
whether and the extent to which our technology and processes infringe on intellectual property of the licensor that is not subject to the licensing agreement;
our right to sublicense patent and other rights to third parties under collaborative development relationships;
our diligence obligations with respect to the use of the licensed technology in relation to our development and commercialization of our product candidates, and what activities satisfy those diligence obligations; and
the ownership of inventions and know-how resulting from the joint creation or use of intellectual property by our licensors and us and our partners.

If disputes over intellectual property that we have licensed or license in the future, prevent or impair our ability to maintain our current licensing arrangements on acceptable terms, we may be unable to successfully develop and commercialize the affected product candidates.

We are generally also subject to all of the same risks with respect to protection of intellectual property that we license, as we are for intellectual property that we own, which are described below. If we or our licensors fail to adequately protect this intellectual property, our ability to commercialize products could suffer.

Confidentiality agreements with employees and third parties may not prevent unauthorized disclosure of trade secrets and other proprietary information.

In addition to the protection afforded by patents, we seek to rely on trade secret protection and confidentiality agreements to protect proprietary know-how that is not patentable, processes for which patents are difficult to enforce and any other elements of our product discovery and development processes that involve proprietary know-how, information or technology that is not covered by patents. Trade secrets, however, may be difficult to protect. Although we require all of our employees to assign their inventions to us, and require all of our employees and key consultants who have access to our proprietary know-how, information, or technology to enter into confidentiality agreements, we cannot be certain that our trade secrets and other confidential proprietary information will not be disclosed or that competitors will not otherwise gain access to our trade secrets or independently develop substantially equivalent information and techniques. Furthermore, the laws of some foreign countries do not protect proprietary rights to the same extent or in the same manner as the laws of the United States As a result, we may encounter significant problems

84


 

in protecting and defending our intellectual property both in the United States and abroad. If we are unable to prevent unauthorized material disclosure of our intellectual property to third parties, we will not be able to establish or maintain a competitive advantage in our market, which could materially adversely affect our business, operating results, and financial condition.

Third-party claims of intellectual property infringement may prevent or delay our product discovery and development efforts.

Our commercial success depends in part on us avoiding infringement of the patents and proprietary rights of third parties. There is a substantial amount of litigation involving patents and other intellectual property rights in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. Numerous United States and foreign issued patents and pending patent applications, which are owned by third parties, exist in the fields in which we are developing our product candidates. As the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries expand and more patents are issued, the risk increases that our product candidates may give rise to claims of infringement of the patent rights of others.

We are aware of United States and foreign patents held by a third parties relating to gamma delta T cell expansion protocols and related compositions which, on information and belief, are invalid and/or not infringed. In the event that these patents are successfully asserted against our product candidates, such as ADI-001, ADI-270 and ADI-002, or the use of our precursor cells in manufacture of these product candidates, such litigation may negatively impact our ability to commercialize these product candidates in such jurisdictions. We are also aware of several United States and foreign patents held by third parties relating to certain CAR compositions of matter, methods of making and methods of use which, on information and belief, are invalid and/or not infringed. Nevertheless, third parties may assert that we infringe their patents or are otherwise employing their proprietary technology without authorization and may sue us. Generally, conducting clinical trials and other development activities in the United States is not considered an act of infringement. If and when ADI-001, ADI-270, ADI-002 or another CAR-based product candidate is approved by the FDA, third parties may then seek to enforce their patents by filing a patent infringement lawsuit against us. Patents issued in the United States by law enjoy a presumption of validity that can be rebutted only with evidence that is “clear and convincing,” a heightened standard of proof. We may not be able to prove in litigation that any patent enforced against us is invalid and/or not infringed.

Additionally, there may be third-party patents of which we are currently unaware with claims to materials, formulations, methods of manufacture or methods for treatment related to the use or manufacture of our product candidates. Because patent applications can take many years to issue, there may be currently pending patent applications which may later result in issued patents that our product candidates may infringe. In addition, third parties may obtain patents in the future and claim that use of our technologies infringes upon these patents. If any third-party patents were held by a court of competent jurisdiction to cover the manufacturing process of our product candidates, constructs or molecules used in or formed during the manufacturing process, or any final product itself, the holders of any such patents may be able to block our ability to commercialize the product candidate unless we obtained a license under the applicable patents, or until such patents expire or they are finally determined to be held not infringed, unpatentable, invalid or unenforceable. Similarly, if any third-party patent were held by a court of competent jurisdiction to cover aspects of our formulations, processes for manufacture or methods of use, including combination therapy or patient selection methods, the holders of any such patent may be able to block our ability to develop and commercialize the product candidate unless we obtained a license or until such patent expires or is finally determined to be held not infringed, unpatentable, invalid or unenforceable. In either case, such a license may not be available on commercially reasonable terms or at all. If we are unable to obtain a necessary license to a third-party patent on commercially reasonable terms, or at all, our ability to commercialize our product candidates may be impaired or delayed, which could in turn significantly harm our business.

Parties making claims against us may seek and obtain injunctive or other equitable relief, which could effectively block our ability to further develop and commercialize our product candidates. Defense of these claims, regardless of their merit, would involve substantial litigation expense and would be a substantial diversion of employee resources from our business and may impact our reputation. In the event of a successful claim of infringement against us, we may have to pay substantial damages, including treble damages and attorneys’ fees for willful infringement, obtain one or more licenses from third parties, pay royalties, or redesign our infringing products, which may be impossible or require substantial time and monetary expenditure. We cannot predict whether any such license would be available at all or whether it would be available on commercially reasonable terms. Furthermore, even in the absence of litigation, we may need to obtain licenses from third parties to advance our research or allow commercialization of our product candidates. We may fail to obtain any of these licenses at a reasonable cost or on reasonable terms, if at all. In that event, we would be unable to further develop and commercialize our product candidates, which could harm our business significantly.

85


 

Risks Related to Intellectual Property Laws

Changes in United States patent law could diminish the value of patents in general, thereby impairing our ability to protect our products.

As is the case with other biopharmaceutical companies, our success is heavily dependent on intellectual property, particularly patents. Obtaining and enforcing patents in the biopharmaceutical industry involve both technological and legal complexity, and is therefore costly, time-consuming and inherently uncertain. Recent United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and Supreme Court rulings have narrowed the scope of patent protection available in certain circumstances and weakened the rights of patent owners in certain situations. In addition to increasing uncertainty with regard to our ability to obtain patents in the future, this combination of events has created uncertainty with respect to the value of patents, once obtained. Depending on decisions by the United States Congress, the federal courts, and the USPTO, the laws and regulations governing patents could change in unpredictable ways that would weaken our ability to obtain new patents or to enforce our existing patents and patents that we might obtain in the future.

We may not be able to protect our intellectual property rights throughout the world.

We may not be able to protect our intellectual property rights outside the United States. Filing, prosecuting, and defending patents on product candidates in all countries throughout the world would be prohibitively expensive, and our intellectual property rights in some countries outside the United States can be less extensive than those in the United States. In addition, the laws of some foreign countries do not protect intellectual property rights to the same extent as federal and state laws in the United States. Consequently, we may not be able to prevent third parties from practicing our inventions in all countries outside the U.S., or from selling or importing products made using our inventions outside of the United States or other jurisdictions. Competitors may use our technologies in jurisdictions where we have not obtained patent protection to develop their own products and further, may export otherwise infringing products to territories where we have patent protection, but enforcement is not as strong as that in the United States. These products may compete with our products and our patents or other intellectual property rights may not be effective or sufficient to prevent them from competing.

Many companies have encountered significant problems in protecting and defending intellectual property rights in foreign jurisdictions. The legal systems of certain countries, particularly certain developing countries, do not favor the enforcement of patents, trade secrets and other intellectual property protection, particularly those relating to biopharmaceutical products, which could make it difficult for us to stop the infringement of our patents or marketing of competing products in violation of our proprietary rights generally. Proceedings to enforce our patent rights in foreign jurisdictions could result in substantial costs and divert our efforts and attention from other aspects of our business, could put our patents at risk of being invalidated or interpreted narrowly and our patent applications at risk of not issuing and could provoke third parties to assert claims against us. We may not prevail in any lawsuits that we initiate, and the damages or other remedies awarded, if any, may not be commercially meaningful. Accordingly, our efforts to enforce our intellectual property rights around the world may be inadequate to obtain a significant commercial advantage from the intellectual property that it develops or licenses.

We may be subject to claims that our employees, consultants, or independent contractors have wrongfully used or disclosed confidential information of third parties.

We have received confidential and proprietary information from third parties. In addition, we employ individuals who were previously employed at other biotechnology or pharmaceutical companies. We may be subject to claims that we or our employees, consultants or independent contractors have inadvertently or otherwise used or disclosed confidential information of these third parties or our employees’ former employers. Litigation may be necessary to defend against these claims. Even if we are successful in defending against these claims, litigation could result in substantial cost and be a distraction to our management and employees.

Risks Related to Ownership of Our Common Stock

Risks Related to Ownership Generally

The trading price of our common stock is highly volatile, which could result in substantial losses for purchasers of our common stock. Securities class action or other litigation involving our company or members of our management team could also substantially harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.

86


 

Our stock price is highly volatile. The stock market in general and the market for smaller pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies in particular have experienced extreme volatility that has often been unrelated to the operating performance of particular companies. In addition, if the market for pharmaceutical and biotechnology stocks or the broader stock market continues to experience a loss of investor confidence, the trading price of our common stock could decline for reasons unrelated to our business, financial condition or results of operations. As a result of this volatility, you may not be able to sell your common stock at or above the purchase price and you may lose some or all of your investment. The market price for our common stock may be influenced by many factors, including:

the success of existing or new competitive products or technologies;
regulatory actions with respect to our product candidates or our competitors’ products and product candidates;
announcements by us or our competitors of significant acquisitions, strategic partnerships, joint ventures, collaborations or capital commitments;
the timing and results of clinical trials of ADI-001;
our ability to obtain FDA clearance of additional INDs for ADI-001 in autoimmune indications;
the initiation, timing and results of clinical studies of ADI-270;
commencement or termination of collaborations for our development programs;
failure or discontinuation of any of our development programs;
results of clinical trials of product candidates of our competitors;
regulatory or legal developments in the United States and other countries;
developments or disputes concerning patent applications, issued patents or other proprietary rights;
the recruitment or departure of key personnel;
the level of expenses related to any of our product candidates or clinical development programs;
the results of our efforts to develop additional product candidates or products;
issues or delays regarding the manufacturing of our product candidates and, if approved, products by us or by our third-party suppliers;
actual or anticipated changes in estimates as to financial results or development timelines;
announcement or expectation of additional financing efforts;
sales of our common stock by us, our insiders or other stockholders;
variations in our financial results or those of companies that are perceived to be similar to us;
changes in estimates or recommendations by securities analysts, if any, that cover us;
changes in the structure of healthcare payment systems;
market conditions in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors;
general economic, industry and market conditions; and
the other factors described in this “Risk Factors” section.

In the past, securities class action litigation has often been brought against a company following a decline in the market price of its securities. This risk is especially relevant for biopharmaceutical companies, which have experienced significant stock price volatility in recent years. We have been, and may in the future be, subject to securities litigation related to corporate governance matters determined in good faith by our board of directors, including the stock option repricing in August 2023 in accordance with the terms of our 2015 Plan and 2018 Plan. Even if the allegations against us are unfounded or we ultimately are not held liable, we may experience related negative publicity resulting in damage to our reputation. Further, the costs to defend ourselves may be significant and the litigation may subject us to

87


 

substantial settlements, fines, penalties or judgments against us and may consume management’s bandwidth and attention, some or all of which may negatively impact our financial condition and results of operations.

An active trading market for our common stock may not be sustained. If an active trading market is not sustained, our ability to raise capital in the future may be impaired.

Our common stock began trading on The Nasdaq Global Select Market on January 26, 2018 and now trades on The Nasdaq Global Market under the symbol “ACET.” Given the limited trading history of our common stock, there is a risk that an active trading market for our shares may not be sustained, which could put downward pressure on the market price of our common stock and thereby affect your ability to sell shares you purchased. An inactive trading market for our common stock may also impair our ability to raise capital to continue to fund our operations by selling shares and impair our ability to acquire other companies or technologies by using our shares as consideration.

Our principal stockholders and management own a significant percentage of our stock and will be able to exert significant control over matters subject to stockholder approval.

Our executive officers, directors, and 5% stockholders beneficially owned, in the aggregate, approximately 32.8% of our outstanding voting common stock as of December 31, 2024. Accordingly, these stockholders will have the ability to influence us through this ownership position and significantly affect the outcome of all matters requiring stockholder approval. For example, these stockholders may be able to significantly affect the outcome of elections of directors, amendments of our organizational documents, or approval of any merger, sale of assets, or other major corporate transaction. This may prevent or discourage unsolicited acquisition proposals or offers for our common stock that you may feel are in your best interest as one of our stockholders.

Risks Related to Market Uncertainties

Unstable market and economic conditions may have serious adverse consequences on our business, financial condition and stock price.

The global credit and financial markets have experienced extreme volatility and disruptions in the past several years, including severely diminished liquidity and credit availability, volatile interest rates, rising and fluctuating inflation rates, reduced corporate profitability, declines in consumer confidence, declines in economic growth, increases in unemployment rates and uncertainty about economic stability. U.S. debt ceiling and budget deficit concerns have increased the possibility of additional credit-rating downgrades and economic slowdowns, or a recession in the United States. Although U.S. lawmakers passed legislation to raise the federal debt ceiling on multiple occasions, ratings agencies have lowered or threatened to lower the long-term sovereign credit rating on the United States. The impact of this or any further downgrades to the U.S. government’s sovereign credit rating or its perceived creditworthiness could adversely affect the U.S. and global financial markets and economic conditions. In addition, inflation rates in the U.S. have recently increased to levels not seen in decades.

We believe that the state of global economic conditions are particularly volatile and uncertain and may negatively impact our ability to conduct clinical trials on the scale and timelines anticipated. There can be no assurance that further deterioration in credit and financial markets and confidence in economic conditions will not occur. Our general business strategy may be adversely affected by any such economic downturn, volatile business or political environment or continued unpredictable and unstable market conditions. If the current equity and credit markets deteriorate, it may make obtaining any necessary debt or equity financing more difficult, more costly and more dilutive. For example, as a result of political, social, and economic instability abroad, including as a result of armed conflict, war or threat of war, in particular, the current conflict between Russia and Ukraine, including resulting sanctions, terrorist activity and other security concerns in general, there could be a significant disruption of global financial markets, impairing our ability to raise capital when needed on acceptable terms, if at all. Failure to secure any necessary financing in a timely manner and on favorable terms could have a material adverse effect on our growth strategy, financial performance and stock price and could require us to delay or abandon clinical development plans. In addition, there is a risk that one or more of our current service providers, manufacturers and other partners may not survive an economic downturn, which could directly affect our ability to attain our operating goals on schedule and on budget. To the extent that our profitability and strategies are negatively affected by downturns or volatility in general economic conditions, our business and results of operations may be materially adversely affected.

Our business is affected by macroeconomic conditions, including rising inflation, interest rates and supply chain constraints.

88


 

Various macroeconomic factors could adversely affect our business and the results of our operations and financial condition, including changes in inflation, interest rates and overall economic conditions and uncertainties such as those resulting from the current and future conditions in the global financial markets. For instance, rising interest rates have impacted our net income. Recent supply chain constraints have led to higher inflation, which, if sustained, could have a negative impact on our product development and operations. If inflation or other factors were to significantly increase our business costs, our ability to develop our current pipeline and new therapeutic products may be negatively affected. Current capital market conditions, including the impact of inflation, have increased borrowing rates and can be expected to significantly increase our cost of capital as compared to prior periods and could also affect our ability to raise capital on favorable terms, or at all, in order to fund our operations. Similarly, these macroeconomic factors could affect the ability of our third-party suppliers and manufacturers to manufacture clinical trial materials for our product candidates.

Risks Related to our Charter and Bylaws

Anti-takeover provisions under our charter documents and Delaware law could delay or prevent a change of control which could limit the market price of our common stock and may prevent or frustrate attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management.

Our restated certificate of incorporation (certificate of incorporation) and amended and restated bylaws contain provisions that could delay or prevent a change of control of our company or changes in our board of directors that our stockholders might consider favorable. Some of these provisions include:

a board of directors divided into three classes serving staggered three-year terms, such that not all members of the board will be elected at one time;
a prohibition on stockholder action through written consent, which requires that all stockholder actions be taken at a meeting of our stockholders;
a requirement that special meetings of stockholders be called only by the chairman of the board of directors, the chief executive officer, or by a majority of the total number of authorized directors;
advance notice requirements for stockholder proposals and nominations for election to our board of directors;
a requirement that no member of our board of directors may be removed from office by our stockholders except for cause and, in addition to any other vote required by law, upon the approval of the holders of not less than 75% of the votes that all our stockholders would be entitled to cast in an annual election of directors;
a requirement of approval of not less than 75% of all outstanding shares of our voting stock to amend any bylaws by stockholder action or to amend specific provisions of our certificate of incorporation; and
the authority of the board of directors to issue preferred stock on terms determined by the board of directors without stockholder approval and which preferred stock may include rights superior to the rights of the holders of common stock.

In addition, because we are incorporated in Delaware, we are governed by the provisions of Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporate Law, which may prohibit certain business combinations with stockholders owning 15% or more of our outstanding voting stock. These anti-takeover provisions and other provisions in our certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws could make it more difficult for stockholders or potential acquirors to obtain control of our board of directors or initiate actions that are opposed by the then-current board of directors and could also delay or impede a merger, tender offer or proxy contest involving our company. These provisions could also discourage proxy contests and make it more difficult for you and other stockholders to elect directors of your choosing or cause us to take other corporate actions you desire. Any delay or prevention of a change of control transaction or changes in our board of directors could cause the market price of our common stock to decline.

Our amended and restated bylaws provides that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware will be the sole and exclusive forum for most legal actions between us and our stockholders, which could limit our stockholders’ ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us or our directors, officers, employees or agents.

89


 

Our amended and restated bylaws specifies that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware will be the sole and exclusive forum for (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf, (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any of our director, officer or other employee to us or our stockholders, (iii) any action asserting a claim arising pursuant to any provision of the Delaware General Corporation Law or our certificate of incorporation or amended and restated bylaws, or (iv) any action asserting a claim against us governed by the internal affairs doctrine (Delaware Forum Provision); provided, however, that the Delaware Forum Provision will not apply to any causes of action arising under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act. This choice of forum provision contained in our amended and restated bylaws will not apply to any causes of action arising under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in shares of our capital stock shall be deemed to have notice of and to have consented to the provisions of our amended and restated bylaws described above; provided, however, that stockholders cannot and will not be deemed to have waived our compliance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder.

We believe this provision benefits us by providing increased consistency in the application of Delaware law by chancellors particularly experienced in resolving corporate disputes, efficient administration of cases on a more expedited schedule relative to other forums and protection against the burdens of multi-forum litigation. However, the provision may have the effect of discouraging lawsuits against our directors, officers, employees and agents as it may limit any stockholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that such stockholder finds favorable for disputes with us or our directors, officers, employees or agents. The enforceability of similar choice of forum provisions in other companies’ bylaws or certificates of incorporation has been challenged in legal proceedings, and it is possible that, in connection with any applicable action brought against us, a court could find the choice of forum provisions contained in our amended and restated bylaws to be inapplicable or unenforceable in such action. If a court were to find the choice of forum provision contained in our amended and restated bylaws to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such action in other jurisdictions, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.

General Risk Factors

We are a Smaller Reporting Company (SRC) and the reduced disclosure requirements applicable to SRCs may make our common stock less attractive to investors.

We are considered a SRC under Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. We are therefore entitled to rely on certain reduced disclosure requirements, such as an exemption from providing selected financial data and executive compensation information. These exemptions and reduced disclosures in our SEC filings due to our status as a smaller reporting company also mean our auditors are not required to review our internal control over financial reporting and may make it harder for investors to analyze our results of operations and financial prospects. We cannot predict if investors will find our common stock less attractive because we may rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our common stock less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our common stock and our common stock prices may be more volatile. We will remain a smaller reporting company for as long as (i) the market value of our common 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 common stock held by non-affiliates is less than $700.0 million as of the prior June 30.


We have broad discretion over the use of our cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments and may not use them effectively.

Our management has broad discretion to use our cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments to fund our operations and could spend these funds in ways that do not improve our results of operations or enhance the value of our common stock. The failure by our management to apply these funds effectively could result in financial losses that could have a material adverse effect on our business, cause the price of our common stock to decline and delay the development of our product candidates. Pending our use to fund operations, we may invest our cash and cash equivalents in a manner that does not produce income or that loses value.


We do not anticipate paying any cash dividends on our capital stock in the foreseeable future. Accordingly, stockholders must rely on capital appreciation, if any, for any return on their investment.

We have never declared nor paid cash dividends on our capital stock. We currently plan to retain all of our future earnings, if any, to finance the operation, development and growth of our business. In addition, the terms of any future

90


 

debt or credit agreements may preclude us from paying dividends. As a result, capital appreciation, if any, of our common stock will be your sole source of gain for the foreseeable future.

If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or publish inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business, our share price and trading volume could decline.

The trading market for our common stock will be influenced by the research and reports that industry or securities analysts publish about us or our business. If one or more of the analysts who cover us issues an adverse opinion about our company, our stock price would likely decline. If one or more of these analysts ceases research coverage of us or fails to regularly publish reports on us, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which in turn could cause our stock price or trading volume to decline.

If product liability lawsuits are brought against us, we may incur substantial liabilities and may be required to limit commercialization of our product candidates.

We face an inherent risk of product liability as a result of the future clinical testing of our product candidates and will face an even greater risk if we commercialize any products. For example, we may be sued if our product candidates cause or are perceived to cause injury or are found to be otherwise unsuitable during clinical testing, manufacturing, marketing or sale. Any such product liability claims may include allegations of defects in manufacturing, defects in design, a failure to warn of dangers inherent in the product, negligence, strict liability or a breach of warranties. Claims could also be asserted under state consumer protection acts. If we cannot successfully defend themselves against product liability claims, we may incur substantial liabilities or be required to limit commercialization of our product candidates. Even successful defense would require significant financial and management resources. Regardless of the merits or eventual outcome, liability claims may result in:

decreased demand for our product candidates;
injury to our reputation;
withdrawal of clinical trial participants;
initiation of investigations by regulators;
costs to defend the related litigation;
a diversion of management’s time and our resources;
substantial monetary awards to trial participants or patients;
product recalls, withdrawals or labeling, marketing or promotional restrictions;
loss of revenue;
exhaustion of any available insurance and our capital resources; and
the inability to commercialize any product candidate.

Our inability to obtain sufficient product liability insurance at an acceptable cost to protect against potential product liability claims could prevent or inhibit the commercialization of products we develop, alone or with corporate collaborators. Our insurance policies may also have various exclusions, and we may be subject to a product liability claim for which we have no coverage. Assuming we obtain clinical trial insurance for our clinical trials, we may have to pay amounts awarded by a court or negotiated in a settlement that exceeds our coverage limitations or that are not covered by our insurance, and we may not have, or be able to obtain, sufficient capital to pay such amounts. Even if our agreements with any future corporate collaborators entitle it to indemnification against losses, such indemnification may not be available or adequate should any claim arise.


Sales of a substantial number of shares of our common stock by our existing stockholders in the public market could cause our stock price to fall.

Sales of a substantial number of shares of our common stock in the public market could occur at any time. These sales, or the perception in the market that holders of a large number of shares intend to sell shares, could reduce the market price of our common stock. Certain holders of our common stock have rights, subject to conditions, to require us to file registration statements covering their shares or to include their shares in registration statements that we may

91


 

file for ourselves or other stockholders. Registration of these shares under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (Securities Act) would result in the shares becoming freely tradable without restriction under the Securities Act, except for shares held by affiliates, as defined in Rule 144 under the Securities Act. Any sales of securities by these stockholders could have a material adverse effect on the trading price of our common stock.

On March 15, 2022, we filed a registration statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-263587) with the SEC, which was amended by the Amendment No. 1 to the Registration Statement on Form S-3, as filed with the SEC on March 16, 2022, declared effective on May 9, 2022 (2022 Shelf Registration Statement), in relation to the registration of common stock, preferred stock, debt securities, warrants and/or units of any combination thereof for the purposes of selling, from time to time, our common stock, debt securities or other equity securities in one or more offerings. Under the 2022 Shelf Registration Statement and a prospectus supplement filed on January 22, 2024, on January 25, 2024, we completed an underwritten public offering of 32,379,667 shares of our common stock, which included 5,325,000 shares sold and issued upon the exercise in full by the underwriters of their option to purchase additional shares of our common stock, and, in lieu of common stock to certain investors, pre-funded warrants to purchase 8,445,333 shares of common stock. The shares of common stock were sold at a public offering price of $2.40 per share and the pre-funded warrants were sold at a public offering price of $2.3999 per pre-funded warrant, which represents the per share public offering price of each share of common stock minus the $0.0001 per share exercise price for each pre-funded warrant. We received $98.0 million in aggregate gross proceeds from the offering, before deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and offering expenses. As a result of this offering, our stockholders experienced significant dilution. If we sell, or the market perceives that we intend to sell, substantial amounts of our common stock under the 2022 Shelf Registration Statement or otherwise, the market price of our common stock could decline significantly.

We have also filed registration statements on Form S-8 registering the issuance of shares of common stock issued or reserved for future issuance under our equity compensation plans. Shares registered under these registration statements on Form S-8 can be freely sold in the public market upon issuance and once vested, subject to volume limitations applicable to affiliates and the lock-up agreements described above. If any of these additional shares are sold, or if it is perceived that they will be sold, in the public market, the market price of our common stock could decline.

In addition, certain of our employees, executive officers, and directors may enter into Rule 10b5-1 trading plans providing for sales of shares of our common stock from time to time. Under a Rule 10b5-1 trading plan, a broker executes trades pursuant to parameters established by the employee, director, or officer when entering into the plan, without further direction from the employee, officer, or director. A Rule 10b5-1 trading plan may be amended or terminated in some circumstances. Our employees, executive officers, and directors also may buy or sell additional shares outside of a Rule 10b5-1 trading plan when they are not in possession of material, nonpublic information.

92


 

 

Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments.

Not applicable.

Item 1C. Cybersecurity.

Cyber Risk Management and Strategy

The Company relies on electronic systems and information technologies to conduct its operations. We have adopted and maintain a cybersecurity risk management program, in accordance with our risk profile and business, that is informed by industry standards. The risk management program and the security policies that have been established as part of it, are reviewed annually as part of our overall risk management procedures.

We leverage the support of third-party information technology and security providers, including to perform penetration testing, threat intelligence analysis and remediation, when necessary. We have previously conducted a cybersecurity risk assessment that was intended to take into account the evolving cyber threat landscape and industry best practices, and we have endeavored to adapt our cyber risk strategy to mitigate emerging cybersecurity risks. We implement a multi-layered approach to cybersecurity that includes, for example, employee security awareness training, various security tools and technologies, and incident response planning and remediation.

Although risks from cybersecurity threats have to date not materially affected, and we do not believe they are reasonably likely to materially affect, us, our business strategy, results of operations or financial condition, we do, from time to time, experience threats and security incidents relating to our, and our third party vendors’, information systems. For more information, please see the section entitled “Risk Factors” as well as Item 9A in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Governance Related to Cybersecurity Risks

Our Executive Director of Information Technology (IT) reports directly to our Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and is responsible for the strategic leadership and direction of our cybersecurity program, with support from our Associate Director of Information Security and Associate Director of IT. With over 20 years of experience in IT and cybersecurity risk management, our Executive Director of IT works alongside individuals across other Company management functions to establish and implement our cybersecurity risk management strategy. Our Executive Director of IT is informed of and monitors cybersecurity incidents through communications with system users as well as monitoring our intrusion detection systems and firewalls.

Our audit committee, which reports directly to the board of directors, is responsible for overseeing our cybersecurity risk management program pursuant to the audit committee’s charter. The audit committee receives periodic updates on cybersecurity risks, mitigation strategies, and, if necessary, incident response activities from our Executive Director of IT or CFO. The audit committee may update the full board of directors on matters relating to cybersecurity risk management as needed.

Item 2. Properties.

We have offices in Boston, Massachusetts, and Redwood City, California. Our principal executive offices are located at 131 Dartmouth Street, 3rd Floor, Boston, Massachusetts. On January 31, 2024, our Boston, Massachusetts lease at 200 Berkeley Street was terminated by the landlord due to closing of the office space. On January 19, 2024, we entered into a membership agreement with Industrious Bos 131 Dartmouth Street LLC for office space at 131 Dartmouth Street, Boston, Massachusetts (the Dartmouth Street Agreement). The Dartmouth Street Agreement commenced on February 1, 2024 and was set to originally expire on January 31, 2025. On March 12, 2024 and on November 25, 2024, we amended the Dartmouth Street Agreement to include additional office space and extend the term of the lease. As amended on November 25, 2024, the extended lease commenced on February 1, 2025 and will expire on January 31, 2026.

We also lease office and laboratory space located at 1000 Bridge Parkway, Redwood City, California. The lease commenced on March 31, 2020 and expires on February 28, 2030. In addition, we lease office space at 1200 Bridge Parkway, Redwood City, California. This lease commenced on June 17, 2022 and will expire on June 30, 2025.

We believe that our office and laboratory space is sufficient to meet our current needs and that suitable additional space will be available as and when needed.

93


 

We are not currently subject to any material legal proceedings. From time to time, we may be subject to various legal proceedings and claims that arise in the ordinary course of our business activities. Although the results of litigation and claims cannot be predicted with certainty, as of the date of this report, we do not believe we are party to any claim or litigation the outcome of which, if determined adversely to us, would individually or in the aggregate be reasonably expected to have a material adverse effect on our business. Regardless of the outcome, litigation can have an adverse impact on us because of defense and settlement costs, diversion of management resources and other factors.

Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures.

Not applicable.

94


 

PART II

Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities.

Our common stock trades on The Nasdaq Global Market under the symbol “ACET”. Trading of our common stock commenced on January 26, 2018, in connection with our initial public offering of resTORbio. Prior to that time, there was no established public trading market for our common stock.

As of March 3, 2025, we had approximately 12 holders of record of our common stock. The actual number of holders of our common stock is greater than this number of record holders and includes stockholders who are beneficial owners, but whose shares are held in street name by brokers or held by other nominees. This number of holders of record also does not include stockholders whose shares may be held in trust by other entities.

Dividends

We have never declared or paid any cash dividends on our common stock. We currently intend to retain all available funds and any future earnings, if any, to fund the development and growth of our business. We do not expect to pay any cash dividends in the foreseeable future. Any future determination to pay dividends will be made at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend on various factors, including applicable laws, our results of operations, financial condition, future prospects, then applicable contractual restrictions and any other factors deemed relevant by our board of directors. Investors should not purchase our common stock with the expectation of receiving cash dividends.

Equity Compensation Plan

The information required by Item 5 of Form 10-K regarding equity compensation plans is incorporated herein by reference to Item 12 of Part III of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities

None.

Purchase of Equity Securities by the Issuer and Affiliated Purchasers

We did not purchase any of our equity securities during the period covered by this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Item 6. [Reserved].

 

 

95


 

Item 7. 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 consolidated financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. This discussion and other parts of this Annual Report on Form 10-K contain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, such as our plans, objectives, expectations, intentions and beliefs. Our actual results could differ materially from those discussed in these forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, those identified below and those discussed in the section entitled “Risk Factors” included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Overview

We are a clinical stage biotechnology company discovering and developing allogeneic gamma delta T cell therapies for autoimmune diseases and cancer. We are advancing a pipeline of “off-the-shelf” gamma delta T cells, engineered with chimeric antigen receptors (CARs), to facilitate durable activity in patients.

Our approach to activate, engineer and manufacture allogeneic gamma delta T cell product candidates derived from the peripheral blood cells of unrelated donors allows us to generate new product candidates in a rapid and cost-efficient manner. Our allogeneic "off-the-shelf" manufacturing process is designed to allow product from unrelated donors to be stored and sold on demand to treat patients without inducing a graft versus host immune response. This is in contrast to products based on alpha beta T cells, which either must be manufactured for each patient from his or her own T cells, or require significant gene editing to manufacture if the T cells are derived from donors that are unrelated to the patient.

Our lead product candidate, ADI-001, a first-in-class allogeneic gamma delta T cell therapy expressing a CAR targeting CD20, is being developed for the potential treatment of autoimmune diseases. We are also pursuing ADI-270, an armored gamma delta CAR T cell product candidate designed to address multiple CD70+ solid tumor and hematological malignancies indications, with renal cell carcinoma (RCC) as the initial indication. Our pipeline has several additional internal gamma delta T cell therapy programs in discovery and preclinical development for both hematological malignancies and solid tumors. We expect to continue to develop product candidates in autoimmune diseases and cancer based on our gamma delta T cell platform using either previously validated antigens or those that we identify and target using CAR and other technology. We plan to file one new Investigational New Drug (IND) application every 12-18 months.

ADI-001

In December 2023, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cleared our IND application for ADI-001 in lupus nephritis (LN). In August 2024, we expanded our ADI-001 autoimmune clinical development program to include systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), systemic sclerosis (SSc) and anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic autoantibody associated vasculitis (AAV). In September 2024, we activated sites for our Phase 1 clinical trial of ADI-001 in autoimmune diseases and opened enrollment for patients with LN. In October 2024, we received clearance for our IND amendment to evaluate ADI-001 in idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM) and stiff person syndrome (SPS) as part of our Phase 1 clinical trial in autoimmune diseases. We expect to initiate enrollment for patients with SLE, SSc, IIM and SPS in the second quarter of 2025, and for patients with AAV in the second half of 2025. We believe the favorable safety profile, cellular kinetics and B cell depletion in peripheral blood and secondary lymphoid tissue demonstrated with ADI-001 clinical experience to date is favorable for development in autoimmune diseases. We believe the potential market opportunity for ADI-001 in B cell mediated autoimmune diseases is substantial based on the prevalence in the U.S., EU5, China and Japan of greater than 1.7 million patients with autoimmune diseases where CAR-T cell therapy has demonstrated clinical proof-of-concept, including SLE (which includes LN), SSc, IIM and SPS. In June 2024, the FDA granted Fast Track Designation to ADI-001 for the potential treatment of relapsed/refractory class III or class IV LN. In February 2025, the FDA granted Fast Track Designation to ADI-001 for the potential treatment of adult patients with refractory SLE with extrarenal involvement and for SSc. In November 2024, we dosed our first LN patient, and in February 2025, reported that we have dosed a total of three LN patients, in our Phase 1 clinical trial of ADI-001 in autoimmune diseases. We plan to report preliminary LN clinical data from this trial in the first half of 2025, and data for other autoimmune diseases in the second half of 2025, subject to study site initiation and patient enrollment.

Due to the prioritization of ADI-001 in autoimmune indications, patient enrollment in the Phase 1 clinical study of ADI-001 in mantle cell lymphoma has been closed.

ADI-270

96


 

ADI-270 is an investigational allogeneic gamma delta CAR T cell therapy targeting CD70 via the CD27-ligand for the treatment of RCC and with potential in other solid tumor and hematological malignancies indications. ADI-270 is designed to home to solid tumors, with a highly specific targeting moiety for CD70 and an armoring technology of transforming growth factor beta dominant-negative receptor to address immunosuppressive factors in the tumor microenvironment. Building on gamma delta 1 tissue tropism to solid tumors and three mechanisms of anti-tumor activity (CAR, innate and adaptive), CAR gamma delta 1 T cells may be well positioned to address solid tumors.

In June 2024, we received FDA clearance for our IND application for ADI-270 in RCC. In July 2024, we also received FDA Fast Track Designation for ADI-270 for the potential treatment of patients with metastatic/advanced clear cell RCC (ccRCC). In December 2024, we dosed our first RCC patient, and in February 2025 reported that we have enrolled a total of three RCC patients, in our Phase 1 multicenter, open-label clinical trial to assess the safety and anti-tumor activity of ADI-270. We plan to share preliminary clinical data in the first half of 2025.

Recent Developments

Termination of the Loan and Security Amendment

On November 27, 2024, Adicet Therapeutics, Inc. (Adicet Therapeutics), a Delaware corporation and our wholly-owned subsidiary, and Banc of California executed a payoff letter (the Payoff Letter) to repay in full all outstanding indebtedness and terminate all commitments and obligations, subject to certain exceptions, under that certain Loan and Security Agreement (the Loan Agreement), dated as of April 28, 2020, as amended. Under the Payoff Letter, we agreed to pay Banc of California approximately $10,000 in administrative fees and establish cash collateral accounts and execute pledge and security agreements to secure ancillary services provided by Banc of California. As of December 31, 2024, we have $2.9 million of restricted cash held in cash collateral accounts. No termination penalty was paid in connection with the Payoff Letter.

Research and Development Activities in China

In May 2024, we initiated research and development activities in China through a series of contractual agreements entered into and among Shanghai Adicet Biotechnology Co., Ltd. (the Adicet VIE), Adicet (Shanghai) Biotechnology Co., Ltd. (Adicet Shanghai), a wholly owned subsidiary of Adicet Therapeutics, and the shareholders of the Adicet VIE. We are the primary beneficiary of the Adicet VIE, which is considered a consolidated entity under accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (U.S. GAAP).

At-the-Market (ATM) Offering

On March 22, 2024, we entered into an Open Market Sales AgreementSM (the Jefferies Sales Agreement) with Jefferies to sell shares of our common stock, from time to time, through an ATM equity offering program under which Jefferies will act as sales agent or principal (the Jefferies ATM Program). As of December 31, 2024, no shares of common stock have been sold under the Jefferies Sales Agreement.

Financial Operations Overview

Revenue

We have no products approved for commercial sale and do not expect to generate revenue from product sales unless and until we successfully complete development and obtain regulatory approval for our product candidates, which we expect will not be for at least several years, if ever.

Expenses

Research and Development

Research and development expenses, which consist primarily of costs incurred in connection with the development of our product candidates, are expensed as incurred. Research and development expenses consist primarily of:

employee related costs, including salaries, benefits and stock-based compensation expenses for research and development employees;
costs incurred under agreements with consultants, contract development and manufacturing organizations (CDMOs) and contract research organizations (CROs);

97


 

lab materials, supplies and maintenance of equipment used for research and development activities; and
allocated facility-related costs, such as rent, utilities, insurance, repairs and maintenance, depreciation and amortization, information technology costs and general support services.

We allocate our external costs by product candidate. We do not allocate our internal costs by product candidate as a significant amount of internal research and development expenses are not tracked by product candidate, and we believe the allocation of such costs would be arbitrary and would not provide a meaningful assessment as we have used our employee and infrastructure resources across multiple product candidate research and development programs.

We are focusing substantially all of our resources on the development of our product candidates. At this time, we cannot reasonably estimate or know the nature, timing and estimated costs of the efforts that will be necessary to complete the development of our product candidates. We are also unable to predict when, if ever, material net cash inflows will commence from sales of our product candidates. The duration, costs, and timing of clinical trials and development of our product candidates will depend on a variety of factors, including:

the scope, rate of progress and expense of clinical trials and other research and development activities;
clinical trial results;
uncertainties in clinical trial enrollment rate or design;
significant and changing government regulation;
the timing and receipt of any regulatory approvals;
the FDA’s or other regulatory authority’s influence on clinical trial design;
establishing commercial manufacturing capabilities or making arrangements with third-party manufacturers;
commercializing product candidates, if and when approved, whether alone or in collaboration with others;
obtaining and maintaining patent and trade secret protection and regulatory exclusivity for product candidates;
continued applicable safety profiles of the products following approval; and
retention of key research and development personnel.

A change in the outcome of any of these or other variables with respect to the development of any of our product candidates could significantly change the costs and timing associated with the development of that product candidate. Furthermore, our operating plans may change in the future, and we will continue to require additional capital to meet operational needs and capital requirements associated with such operating plans.

Adequate funding may not be available to us on acceptable terms or at all. Our failure to raise capital as and when needed could have a negative impact on our financial condition and our ability to pursue our business strategies. If we are unable to raise additional funds when needed, we may be required to delay, reduce, or terminate some or all of our development programs and clinical trials or we may also be required to sell or license to other rights to our product candidates in certain territories or indications that we would prefer to develop and commercialize ourselves. If we are required to enter into collaborations and other arrangements to supplement our funds, we may have to give up certain rights that limit our ability to develop and commercialize our product candidates or may have other terms that are not favorable to us or our stockholders, which could materially affect our business and financial condition.

General and Administrative

General and administrative expenses consist principally of payroll and personnel expenses, including salaries and bonuses, benefits and stock based compensation expenses, professional fees for legal, consulting, accounting and tax services,

98


 

allocated overhead expenses, including rent, equipment, depreciation, information technology costs and utilities, and other general operating expenses not otherwise classified as research and development expenses.

We anticipate that our general and administrative expenses will increase for the foreseeable future due to expenses related to operating as a public company, including expenses related to personnel costs, expanded infrastructure and higher consulting, legal and accounting services costs associated with complying with the applicable Nasdaq and SEC requirements, investor relations costs and director and officer insurance premiums.

Goodwill Impairment

Goodwill represents the excess of the purchase price over the fair value of net tangible and identified intangible assets acquired in our merger with resTORbio, Inc. in September 2020. Goodwill is not amortized but is evaluated at least annually for impairment or when a change in facts and circumstances indicate that the fair value of the goodwill may be below the carrying value. If the fair value of the reporting unit is less than the carrying value, we measure the amount of impairment loss, if any, as the excess of the carrying value over the fair value of the reporting unit. This amount is recognized as a goodwill impairment charge for the period. The Company performed an interim test for goodwill impairment in the year ended December 31, 2023 and determined that the entire balance of goodwill was impaired.

Interest Income

Interest income consists primarily of interest earned on our cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash and short-term investments in treasury securities.

Interest Expense

Interest expense consists primarily of the non-cash amortization of costs incurred in connection with the Loan Agreement (as defined in our Liquidity and Capital Resources section below).

Other Expense, Net

Other expense, net primarily consists of state franchise and capital taxes not related to income.

Results of Operations

Comparison of the Years Ended December 31, 2024 and 2023

The following table summarizes our results of operations for the periods indicated (in thousands, except percentages):

 

 

Twelve Months Ended December 31,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2024

 

 

2023

 

 

Change

 

 

% Change

 

Operating expenses

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Research and development

 

 

99,323

 

 

 

106,043

 

 

 

(6,720

)

 

 

(6

%)

General and administrative

 

 

28,292

 

 

 

26,533

 

 

 

1,759

 

 

 

7

%

Goodwill impairment

 

 

 

 

 

19,462

 

 

 

(19,462

)

 

 

(100

%)

Total operating expenses

 

 

127,615

 

 

 

152,038

 

 

 

(24,423

)

 

 

(16

%)

Loss from operations

 

 

(127,615

)

 

 

(152,038

)

 

 

24,423

 

 

 

(16

%)

Interest income

 

 

10,714

 

 

 

9,978

 

 

 

736

 

 

 

7

%

Interest expense

 

 

(4

)

 

 

(25

)

 

 

21

 

 

 

(84

%)

Other expense, net

 

 

(217

)

 

 

(573

)

 

 

356

 

 

 

(62

%)

Loss before income tax benefit

 

 

(117,122

)

 

 

(142,658

)

 

 

25,536

 

 

 

(18

%)

Income tax provision

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

0

%

Net loss

 

$

(117,122

)

 

$

(142,658

)

 

$

25,536

 

 

 

(18

%)

 

99


 

Research and Development

 

 

Twelve Months Ended December 31,

 

 

 

2024

 

 

2023

 

Payroll and personnel expenses(1)

 

$

42,693

 

 

$

42,744

 

Costs incurred under agreements with consultants, CDMOs, and CROs

 

 

22,269

 

 

 

29,963

 

Lab materials, supplies and maintenance of equipment
used for research and development activities

 

 

11,670

 

 

 

11,065

 

Other research and development expenses(2)

 

 

22,691

 

 

 

22,271

 

Total research and development expenses

 

$

99,323

 

 

$

106,043

 

(1) Employee related costs, including salaries, benefits, bonuses, and stock-based compensation expenses for research and development employees.

(2) Allocated facility-related costs, such as rent, utilities, insurance, repairs and maintenance, depreciation and amortization, information technology costs and general support services.

Research and development expenses decreased by $6.7 million, or 6%, during the year ended December 31, 2024 compared to the year ended December 31, 2023. The decrease in research and development expenses was primarily due to a $7.7 million decrease in expenses related to CDMOs. This decrease was partially offset by a $0.6 million increase in lab expenses as well as a $0.5 million increase in professional fees.

General and Administrative

General and administrative expenses increased by $1.8 million, or 7%, during the year ended December 31, 2024 compared to the year ended December 31, 2023. The increase in general and administrative expenses was primarily due to a $0.9 million increase in professional fees for the period. There was also a $0.4 million increase in payroll and personnel expenses, which includes an increase in salaries and benefits of $0.5 million and stock-based compensation of $0.4 million, partially offset by a decrease of $0.3 million in recruiting fees. The increase was also due to a $0.3 million increase in depreciation expense as well as a $0.2 million increase in allocated facility expense for the period.

Goodwill Impairment

Goodwill impairment charges decreased by $19.5 million, or 100%, during the year ended December 31, 2024 compared to the year ended December 31, 2023. Beginning in the third quarter of 2023, we experienced a significant decline in our stock price. We concluded that the decrease in stock price was sustained and that it was more likely than not that the fair value of our single reporting unit was less than its carrying amount. Therefore, we performed an interim goodwill impairment test in the third

100


 

quarter of 2023. Based on our interim impairment test, we recorded a goodwill impairment charge of $19.5 million during the year ended December 31, 2023, representing the entire balance of goodwill.

Interest Income

Interest income increased by $0.7 million, or 7%, during the year ended December 31, 2024 compared to the year ended December 31, 2023. The increase was primarily due to higher cash balances, investments in treasury securities, and higher interest rates for the period.

Other Expense, Net

Other expense, net decreased by $0.4 million, or 62%, during the year ended December 31, 2024 compared to the year ended December 31, 2023. This was due to a decrease in franchise taxes and realized losses related to foreign exchange rates.

Income Tax Benefit

There was no income tax expense or benefit for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Sources of Liquidity

We have historically funded our operations primarily through a collaboration and licensing arrangement, public and private placements of equity securities and debt, and cash received in our merger with resTORbio, Inc.

In January 2024, we raised aggregate net proceeds of approximately $19.3 million through the JonesTrading ATM Program. In March 2024, we terminated the JonesTrading ATM Program and entered into the Jefferies ATM Program. As of December 31, 2024, no shares of common stock have been sold through the Jefferies ATM Program.

On January 22, 2024, we entered into an underwriting agreement (the Underwriting Agreement) with Jefferies LLC (Jefferies) and Guggenheim Securities, LLC, as representatives of the underwriters (the Underwriters), related to an underwritten public offering (the Offering) of 32,379,667 shares of our common stock, which included 5,325,000 shares sold and issued upon the exercise in full by the Underwriters of their option to purchase additional shares of common stock, and, in lieu of common stock to certain investors, pre-funded warrants to purchase 8,445,333 shares of common stock. The shares of common stock were sold at a public offering price of $2.40 per share and the pre-funded warrants were sold at a public offering price of $2.3999 per pre-funded warrant, which represents the per share public offering price of each share of common stock minus the $0.0001 per share exercise price for each pre-funded warrant. The purchase price paid by the Underwriters to us was $2.256 per share and $2.2559 per pre-funded warrant, representing a discount to the Underwriters of 6.0%. We received net proceeds from the Offering, after deducting the underwriting discount and commissions and other estimated offering expenses, of approximately $91.7 million. We may receive nominal proceeds, if any, from the exercise of the pre-funded warrants.

As of December 31, 2024, we had cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments of $176.3 million and restricted cash of $2.9 million. We expect that our cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments will be sufficient to fund our forecasted operating expenses, capital expenditure requirements and debt service payments for at least the next twelve months from the issuance of the consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Loan Agreement

On April 28, 2020, we entered into a Loan and Security Agreement (the Loan Agreement) with Banc of California (formerly known as Pacific Western Bank) to finance leasehold improvements for our facilities in Redwood City, CA and other purposes permitted under the Loan Agreement. On October 21, 2021, we amended the Loan Agreement (as amended, the 2021 Loan Amendment) under which Banc of California will provide one or more Term Loans (as defined in the 2021 Loan Amendment), as well as certain Non-Formula Ancillary Services which shall not exceed $5.5 million in the aggregate. Non-Formula Ancillary Services are defined as automated clearinghouse transactions, corporate credit card services, letters of credit, or other treasury management services. Per the terms of the Loan Agreement, the aggregate sum of the outstanding Term Loans and Non-Formula Ancillary Services shall at no time exceed $15.0 million, which each Term Loan to be in an amount of not less than $1.0 million. Pursuant to the 2021 Loan Amendment, the interest rate for the Term Loans shall be set at an annual rate equal to the greater of (i) 0.25% above the Prime Rate then in effect and (ii) 4.25%.

101


 

On December 2, 2022, we further amended the Loan Agreement (the 2022 Loan Amendment). The 2022 Loan Amendment extended the drawdown period for any Term Loan by one year, which expired on April 19, 2024. Furthermore, the 2022 Loan Amendment extended the final maturity date of any Term Loan by one year from October 19, 2025 to October 19, 2026, and the maturity date of non-formula ancillary services to November 30, 2023.

On May 30, 2023, we entered into the 2023 Loan Amendment. Pursuant to the 2023 Loan Amendment, we must maintain the lesser of (i) $35.0 million or (ii) all of our combined balances in demand deposit accounts, money market accounts, and/or insured cash sweep accounts with Banc of California. If our total cash and investments drop to less than $35.0 million, the 2023 Loan Amendment permits us to maintain cash and/or investments in one or more accounts outside of Banc of California up to a total of $2.5 million.

In April 2024, the Term Loan availability under our Loan Agreement expired. The Non-Formula Ancillary Services, which shall not exceed $5.5 million in the aggregate, remained available. On November 27, 2024, we executed a payoff letter (the Payoff Letter) with Banc of California to repay in full all outstanding indebtedness and terminate all commitments and obligations, subject to certain exceptions, under the Loan Agreement. Under the Payoff Letter, we agreed to pay Banc of California approximately $10,000 in administrative fees and establish cash collateral accounts and execute pledge and security agreements to secure ancillary services provided by Banc of California. We paid the $10,000 administrative fees in December 2024. As of December 31, 2024, we have $2.9 million of restricted cash held in cash collateral accounts. No termination penalty was paid in connection with the Payoff Letter.

Future Funding Requirements

We have incurred losses since inception and have incurred losses of $117.1 million and $142.7 million for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. As of December 31, 2024, we had an accumulated deficit of $497.9 million.

As of December 31, 2024, we had cash, cash equivalents, and short-term investments of $176.3 million. We believe that our cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments will be sufficient for us to fund our operations for at least twelve months from the issuance date of our consolidated financial statements as of, and for the year ended, December 31, 2024 included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. We have based these estimates on assumptions that may prove to be wrong, and we could deplete our available capital resources sooner than we expect. Because of the risks and uncertainties associated with research, development, and commercialization of product candidates, we are unable to estimate the exact amount of our working capital requirements.

All of our revenue to date has been generated from the Regeneron Agreement, which is a collaboration and license agreement. We do not expect to generate any significant product revenue until we obtain regulatory approval of and commercialize any of our product candidates or enter into additional collaborative agreements with third parties, and we do not know when, or if, either will occur. We expect to continue to incur significant losses for the foreseeable future, and we expect the losses to increase as we continue the development of, and seek regulatory approvals for, our product candidates and begin to commercialize any approved products. We are subject to all of the risks typically related to the development of new product candidates, and we may encounter unforeseen expenses, difficulties, complications, delays and other unknown factors that may adversely affect our business.

We will continue to require additional capital to develop our product candidates and fund operations for the foreseeable future. We may seek to raise capital through private or public equity or debt financings, collaborative or other arrangements with corporate sources, or through other sources of financing. We anticipate that we will need to raise substantial additional capital, the requirements for which will depend on many factors, including:

the scope, timing, rate of progress and costs of our drug discovery efforts, preclinical development activities, laboratory testing and clinical trials for our product candidates;
the timing, number and scope of clinical programs we decide to pursue;
the cost, timing and outcome of preparing for and undergoing regulatory review of our product candidates;
the scope and costs of development and commercial manufacturing activities;
the cost and timing associated with commercializing our product candidates, if they receive marketing approval;
the extent to which we acquire or in-license other product candidates and technologies;

102


 

the costs of preparing, filing and prosecuting patent applications, maintaining and enforcing our intellectual property rights and defending intellectual property-related claims;
our ability to establish and maintain collaborations on favorable terms, if at all;
our efforts to enhance operational systems and our ability to attract, hire and retain qualified personnel, including personnel to support the development of our product candidates and, ultimately, the sale of our products, following FDA approval;
our implementation of operational, financial and management systems;
the impact of potential health emergencies on United States and global economic conditions that may impact our ability to access capital on terms anticipated, or at all; and
the post-merger costs associated with being a public company.

A change in the outcome of any of these or other variables with respect to the development of any of our product candidates could significantly change the costs and timing associated with the development of that product candidate. Furthermore, our operating plans may change in the future, and we will continue to require additional capital to meet operational needs and capital requirements associated with such operating plans. Adequate funding may not be available to us on acceptable terms or at all.

Our failure to raise capital as and when needed could have a negative impact on our financial condition and our ability to pursue our business strategies. If we are unable to raise additional funds when needed, we may be required to delay, reduce, or terminate some or all of our development programs and clinical trials or we may also be required to sell or license to other rights to our product candidates in certain territories or indications that we would prefer to develop and commercialize ourselves. If we are required to enter into collaborations and other arrangements to supplement our funds, we may have to give up certain rights that limit our ability to develop and commercialize our product candidates or may have other terms that are not favorable to us or our stockholders, which could materially affect our business and financial condition.

See the section of this Annual Report on Form 10-K entitled “Risk Factors” for additional risks associated with our substantial capital requirements.

Summary Statement of Cash Flows

The following table sets forth the primary sources and uses of our cash and cash equivalents for each of the periods presented below (in thousands):

 

 

 

Twelve Months Ended December 31,

 

 

 

2024

 

 

2023

 

Net cash provided by (used in):

 

 

 

 

 

 

Operating activities

 

$

(92,378

)

 

$

(93,717

)

Investing activities

 

 

(119,242

)

 

 

(4,464

)

Financing activities

 

 

111,307

 

 

 

236

 

Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents

 

$

(100,313

)

 

$

(97,945

)

 

Cash Flows from Operating Activities

Net cash used in operating activities was $92.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2024. Cash used in operating activities consisted of net loss offset by non-cash adjustments of $30.3 million and a net decrease in operating assets and liabilities of $5.5 million. Non-cash items primarily included stock-based compensation expense of $22.2 million, depreciation and amortization of $6.5 million and non-cash lease expense of $3.2 million. The net decrease in assets and liabilities was primarily due to a decrease of $3.7 million in operating lease liability, a decrease of $2.0 million in accrued and other current and non-current liabilities and a decrease of $1.3 million in prepaid expenses and other current assets. The decrease was partially offset by an increase in accounts payable of $1.1 million and an increase in other non-current assets of $0.4 million.

Net cash used in operating activities was $93.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2023. Cash used in operating activities consisted of net loss offset by non-cash adjustments of $48.7 million and a net increase in operating assets and liabilities of $0.3 million. Non-cash items primarily included goodwill impairment of $19.5 million, stock-based compensation expense of $20.3 million, depreciation and amortization of $6.1 million and non-cash lease expense of $2.8 million. The net increase in assets and liabilities was primarily due to an increase of $0.9 million in prepaid expenses and other current assets

103


 

and an increase of $0.4 million in other non-current assets accounts. There was also an increase in accrued and other current and non-current liabilities of $0.8 million. The increase was partially offset by a decrease in accounts payable of $1.7 million.

Cash Flows from Investing Activities

Net cash used in investing activities was $119.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, which consisted of $129.1 million of purchases of short-term treasury securities and $1.1 million of purchases of lab equipment for our GMP cell processing suite at 1000 Bridge Parkway. We received $11.0 million related to the maturities of short-term treasury securities.

Net cash used in investing activities was $4.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, which consisted of purchases of property and equipment related to the construction of our facilities in Redwood City, California.

Cash Flows from Financing Activities

Net cash provided by financing activities was $111.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, which included approximately $91.7 million in net proceeds from the issuance of our common stock and pre-funded warrants in the Offering and approximately $19.3 million in net proceeds from the issuance of our common stock under the JonesTrading ATM Program.

Net cash provided by financing activities was $0.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, which was primarily related to $0.4 million in net proceeds from the issuance of common stock in connection with our employee stock purchase plan. This was partially offset by $0.2 million of cash paid for taxes withheld on the net share settlement of equity awards.

Critical Accounting Policies, Significant Judgments and Use of Estimates

Our discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations is based on our consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting practices (GAAP). The preparation of our consolidated financial statements requires us to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses, and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities in our consolidated financial statements. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions and could have a material impact on our reported results. While our significant accounting policies are more fully described in the Notes to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, we believe the following accounting policies to be the most critical in understanding the judgments and estimates we use in preparing our consolidated financial statements:

Accrued CDMO, CRO, and Research and Development Expenses

We have entered into various agreements with CDMOs and CROs. Our research and development accruals are estimated based on the level of services performed, progress of the studies, including the phase or completion of events, and contracted costs. The estimated costs of research and development provided, but not yet invoiced, are included in accrued and other current liabilities on the consolidated balance sheet. If the actual timing of the performance of services or the level of effort varies from the original estimates, we will adjust the accrual accordingly. Payments made to CDMOs and CROs under these arrangements in advance of the performance of the related services are recorded as prepaid expenses and other current assets on the consolidated balance sheets until the services are rendered. To date, our estimated accruals have not differed materially from the actual costs.

Stock-Based Compensation

We use a fair value-based method to account for all stock-based compensation arrangements with employees and non-employees, including stock options and restricted stock awards. Our determination of the fair value of stock options on the date of grant utilizes the Black-Scholes option pricing model. The fair value of the option granted is recognized on a straight-line basis over the period during which an optionee is required to provide services in exchange for the option award, known as the requisite service period, which usually is the vesting period. For awards that have a performance condition, we recognize compensation expense based on its assessment of the probability that the performance condition will be achieved, using an accelerated attribution model, over the explicit or implicit service period. We account for forfeitures as they occur. In determining fair value of the stock options granted, we use the Black–Scholes option-pricing model, which requires the input of subjective assumptions, including but not limited to, expected term, volatility and risk-free interest rates. Changes in these assumptions can materially affect the estimate of the fair value of stock-based compensation:

Goodwill

Goodwill represents the excess of the purchase price over the fair value of net tangible and identified intangible assets acquired in a business combination. Goodwill is not amortized but is evaluated at least annually for impairment or when a change in facts and circumstances indicate that the fair value of the goodwill may be below the carrying value.

104


 

Goodwill is tested for impairment at the reporting unit level annually in the fourth quarter, or more frequently when events or changes in circumstances indicate that the asset might be impaired. Examples of such events or circumstances include, but are not limited to, a significant adverse change in legal or business climate, an adverse regulatory action or unanticipated competition. We have determined that we operate in a single operating segment and have a single reporting unit.

Prior to performing the impairment test, we assess qualitative factors to determine whether the existence of events or circumstances would indicate that it is more likely than not that the fair value of the reporting unit was less than the carrying amount. If after assessing the totality of events or circumstances, we were to determine that it is more likely than not that the fair value of the reporting unit is less than the carrying amount, we would perform a quantitative impairment test.

The quantitative impairment test involves comparing the fair value of the reporting unit to the carrying value. If the fair value of the reporting unit exceeds the carrying value of the net assets, goodwill is not impaired, and no further testing is required. If the fair value of the reporting unit is less than the carrying value, we measure the amount of impairment loss, if any, as the excess of the carrying value over the fair value of the reporting unit. We performed an interim test for goodwill impairment in the third quarter of the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023 and determined that goodwill was impaired.

Smaller Reporting Company

We are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in the Exchange Act. As a smaller reporting company, we may take advantage of specified reduced disclosure and other requirements that are otherwise applicable, in general, to public companies that are not smaller reporting companies. These provisions include (i) not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes Oxley Act of 2002, as amended; (ii) scaled executive compensation disclosures; and (iii) the option to provide only two years of audited financial statements, instead of three years.

We will continue to be a smaller reporting company for as long as we continue to have (i) less than $250 million in market value of our shares held by non-affiliates as of the last business day of our second fiscal quarter or (ii) less than $100 million of annual revenues in our most recent fiscal year completed before the last business day of our second fiscal quarter and a market value of our shares held by non-affiliates of less than $700 million as of the last business day of our second fiscal quarter.

We may choose to take advantage of some but not all of these exemptions. Accordingly, the information contained herein may be different from the information you receive from other public companies in which you hold stock. We have elected to avail ourselves of the exemption for the delayed adoption of certain accounting standards and, therefore, are not subject to the same new or revised accounting standards as other public companies that are not smaller reporting companies.

Recently Issued and Adopted Accounting Pronouncements

See the section entitled “Summary of Significant Accounting Policies” in Note 2 to our financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for additional information.

Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk.

Interest Rate Risk

As of December 31, 2024, we had cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments of $176.3 million, which consisted of cash and funds invested in treasury securities and money market funds. Interest income is sensitive to general level of interest rates; however, due to the nature of these investments, an immediate 10% change in interest rates would not have a material impact on our cash and cash equivalents, financial position, or results of operations.

Foreign Currency Exchange Risk

Our headquarters are located in the United States, where a majority of our general and administrative expenses and research and development costs are incurred in U.S. Dollars. As we grow our business, our results of operations and cash flows may be subject to fluctuations due to foreign currency exchange rates. To date, we do not believe foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations have had a significant impact on our results of operations for any periods presented herein.

Inflation Risk

Our assets are primarily monetary, consisting of cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash and short-term investments in treasury securities. Because of their liquidity, these assets are not directly affected by inflation. Since we intend to retain and continue to use our equipment, furniture, fixtures and office equipment, computer hardware and software and leasehold improvements, we

105


 

believe that the incremental inflation related to replacement costs of such items will not materially affect our operations. Inflation generally affects us by increasing our cost of labor, clinical trial and manufacturing costs. We do not believe that inflation had a material effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations during the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023.

Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.

All financial statements and supplementary data required to be filed hereunder are filed as listed under Item 15(a) of this Annual Report on Form 10-K and are incorporated herein by this reference.

Item 9. Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure.

None.

Item 9A. Controls and Procedures.

Evaluation of disclosure controls and procedures

Our management, with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and our Chief Financial Officer (CFO) (our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, respectively), evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures as of December 31, 2024. The term "disclosure controls and procedures," as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act, means controls and other procedures of a company that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by a company in the reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported, within the time periods specified in the SEC's rules and forms.

Disclosure controls and procedures include, without limitation, controls and procedures designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by a company in the reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to the company's management, including its principal executive and principal financial officers, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

Management recognizes that any controls and procedures, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable assurance of achieving their objectives and management necessarily applies its judgment in evaluating the cost-benefit relationship of possible controls and procedures. There are inherent limitations to the effectiveness of any system of disclosure controls and procedures. These limitations include the possibility of human error, the circumvention or overriding of the controls and procedures and reasonable resource constraints. In addition, because we have designed our system of controls based on certain assumptions, which we believe are reasonable, about the likelihood of future events, our system of controls may not achieve its desired purpose under all possible future conditions. Accordingly, our disclosure controls and procedures provide reasonable assurance, but not absolute assurance, of achieving their objectives.

Management's Annual Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting

Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over our financial reporting (as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Exchange Act). Our internal control over financial reporting is designed to provide reasonable assurances regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of our consolidated financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP, and includes those policies and procedures that:

Pertain to the maintenance of records that in reasonable detail accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the Company;
Provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the Company are being made only in accordance with authorization of management and directors of the Company; and
Provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use or disposition of the Company's assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.

Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree or compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

Our management, with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, assessed our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2024. Management based its assessment on criteria established in Internal Control—Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission and concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was not effective at the reasonable assurance level as of December 31, 2024 due to the material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting which relates to cash disbursements

106


 

described below. However, after giving full consideration to this material weakness, and the additional analyses and other procedures that we performed to ensure that our consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K were prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP, our management has concluded that our consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, our financial position, results of operations and cash flows for the periods disclosed in conformity with U.S. GAAP.

This Annual Report on Form 10-K does not include an attestation report from our registered public accounting firm regarding internal control over financial reporting. As we are a non-accelerated filer, management’s report is not subject to attestation by our registered public accounting firm.

We cannot assure you that material weaknesses or significant deficiencies will not occur in the future or that we will be able to remediate such weaknesses or deficiencies in a timely manner, which could impair our ability to accurately and timely report our financial position, results of operations or cash flows. For additional information, see the related risks in the section entitled "Risk Factors" of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

In connection with the audit of our financial statements as of and for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, we identified a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting. The material weakness we identified was as follows:

In September and October 2024, certain employee business email accounts were compromised by an unauthorized third party, and as a result, payments intended for certain vendors were fraudulently re-directed into bank accounts presumably controlled by the unauthorized third party. As a result of the foregoing, we identified a material weakness due to our internal controls having not been adequately designed to prevent or timely detect unauthorized cash disbursements.

Remediation of Material Weakness in Internal Control over Financial Reporting

During the preparation of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, our management has implemented certain additional substantive and analytical review procedures to ensure that information required to be disclosed by us in this report is recorded, processed, summarized, and reported within the time periods specified in the Commission’s rules and forms.

Our management, under the supervision of our CEO and CFO, has undertaken a plan to remediate the material weakness identified above. We have fully implemented certain remediation efforts that are intended to address the identified material weakness. Specifically, we have added controls within the cash disbursements process that are designed to properly authenticate changes to vendor banking information as well as provide additional layers of review and approval of these changes prior to cash disbursement.

As of the date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, we believe that the remediation steps taken have been sufficient to remediate the material weakness.

Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting

Other than as stated above, no change in our internal control over our financial reporting (as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Exchange Act) occurred during the year ended December 31, 2024 that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

Item 9B. Other Information.

(a) None.

(b) On December 13, 2024, Francesco Galimi, our former Chief Medical Officer, terminated a trading plan pursuant to Rule 10b5-1 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Dr. Galimi’s Rule 10b5-1 trading plan, adopted on November 1, 2024, provided for the sale from time to time of a maximum of 400,000 shares of our common stock pursuant to the terms of the plan. If Dr. Galimi’s Rule 10b5-1 trading plan had not been terminated, it would have expired on November 3, 2025, or earlier if all transactions under the trading arrangement were completed. The trading arrangement is intended to satisfy the affirmative defense in Rule 10b5-1(c).

Item 9C. Disclosure Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions That Prevent Inspections.

Not applicable.

107


 

PART III

Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance.

The following table sets forth information about our directors and executive officers as of March 6, 2025.

Name

Position
Held with Adicet

Officer Since

Age

Executive Officers

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chen Schor, MBA

President, Chief Executive Officer and Director

2020

52

Blake Aftab, Ph.D.

 

Chief Scientific Officer

 

2021

 

43

Nick Harvey, MBA

 

Chief Financial Officer

 

2020

 

64

Donald Healey, Ph.D.

 

Chief Technology Officer

 

2020

 

63

Julia Maltzman, M.D.

 

Chief Medical Officer

 

2025

 

57

Non-Employee Directors

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jeffrey Chodakewitz, M.D.(2)

 

Director

 

2020

 

69

Steve Dubin, J.D.(1)(3)

 

Director

 

2020

 

71

Carl L. Gordon, Ph.D.(2)

 

Director

 

2015

 

60

Aya Jakobovits, Ph.D.(2)

 

Director

 

2014

 

72

Lloyd Klickstein, M.D., Ph.D.(3)

 

Director

 

2024

 

61

Katie Peng, MBA(1)

 

Director

 

2023

 

54

Andrew Sinclair, Ph.D.(1)(3)

 

Director

 

2021

 

53

(1)
Member of the Audit Committee.
(2)
Member of the Compensation Committee.
(3)
Member of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee.

Executive Officers

Chen Schor, MBA has served as our President and Chief Executive Officer and as a member of our board of directors since the completion of the Merger. Previously, he held the role of director, President and Chief Executive Officer at resTORbio since co-founding the company in 2016. Mr. Schor previously served as President, Chief Executive Officer and director of Synta Pharmaceuticals Corp. from May 2015 until its merger with Madrigal Pharmaceuticals, Inc. in July 2017, and prior to that, from 2014 until 2016, Mr. Schor served as the company’s Executive Vice President and Chief Operation Officer. From September 2012 to December 2014, Mr. Schor served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Novalere FP, Inc. From September 2011 to October 2012, Mr. Schor served as Chief Business Officer of Eleven Biotherapeutics, Inc. From March 2009 until September 2011, Mr. Schor served as Vice President of Business Development, global branded products at Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Limited (NYSE: TEVA). Mr. Schor currently serves on the board of the Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy, a non-for-profit organization committed to advancing new cancer cell and gene therapies. He is also chair of the board of directors of Carbon Biosciences, Inc., a member of the board of directors of Karyopharm Therapeutics Inc. (Nasdaq: KPTI) since December 2020, and previously served on the board of Brainstorm Cell Therapeutics Inc. (Nasdaq: BCLI) from September 2011 to April 2020. Mr. Schor received his MBA. from Tel Aviv University, a B.A. in Economics and Accounting from Haifa University and a B.A. in Biology from Tel Aviv University. We believe that Mr. Schor is qualified to serve on our board of directors due to his service as our President and Chief Executive Officer and his extensive knowledge of our company and industry.

Blake Aftab, Ph.D. has served as our Chief Scientific Officer since October 2021 and previously served as Vice President of Research and Development since April 2021. Prior to Adicet, Dr. Aftab worked at Atara Biotherapeutics, Inc. (Atara) (Nasdaq: ATRA), where he served as Vice President and Head of Preclinical and Translational Sciences and other various leadership roles from April 2015 to March 2021. During his tenure at Atara, Dr. Aftab was responsible for research strategy and execution of Atara’s preclinical science and translational medicine activities. Prior to that, Dr. Aftab held various roles of increasing responsibility at the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine from October 2012 to August 2015. Dr. Aftab received his Ph.D. from the John Hopkins University School of Medicine and holds a B.S. in Pharmacology from the University of California.

Nick Harvey, MBA has served as our Chief Financial Officer since the completion of the Merger. Previously, he served as the Chief Financial Officer since July 2018 and the Executive Vice President and Treasurer since October 2018 of Centrexion Therapeutics Corporation until December 2019, then as Senior Advisor through January 2020. From June 2017

108


 

through June 2018, he served as an independent consultant to private and public life science companies. Prior to that, Mr. Harvey served as the Chief Financial Officer of Radius Health Inc. (acquired by Gurnet Point Capital and Patient Square Capital) from December 2006 to May 2017. Mr. Harvey received a Bachelor of Economics degree and a Bachelor of Laws degree with first-class honors from the Australian National University and an MBA from the Harvard Business School.

Donald Healey, Ph.D. has served as our Chief Technology Officer since October 2020. From February 2017 to October 2020, Dr. Healey served as the Senior Vice President, Operations and Site Head for KBI Biopharma, Inc., a biopharmaceutical contract services organization. From April 2010 to February 2017, Dr. Healey held multiple roles including Chief Scientific Officer at Opexa Therapeutics, Inc., where he was responsible for all pre-clinical scientific development, closed-system process design and the scaling of Opexa’s autologous T-cell immunotherapy. From March 2001 to April 2010, Dr. Healey held various positions at Argos Therapeutics, Inc. and ML Laboratories, UK, (formerly Cobra Therapeutics Ltd.). Dr. Healey received his Ph.D. in Cellular Immunology from University of London, and holds a B.Sc. in Cellular Pathology from Bristol University.

Julia Maltzman, M.D. has served as our Chief Medical Officer since January 2025. Previously, she served as Chief Medical Officer since September 2022 of IconOVir Bio, Inc from September 2022 to January 2025 where she was leading, designing and executing a clinical development program focused on refractory solid tumors. Prior to that, she held leadership roles at Roche/Genentech, Inc., as VP, Global Head of GI Cancers and Cancer Immunotherapy at Roche/Genentech, Inc. from 2020 to November 2022, and as Group Medical Director, Cancer Immunotherapy, from 2018 to 2020. Dr. Maltzman received her M.D. from the University of Colorado, completed her Internship and Residency in the Department of Internal Medicine at the University of Chicago, and completed a Fellowship in the Division of Hematology/Oncology at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Maltzman holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Colorado.

Non-Employee Directors

Jeffrey Chodakewitz, M.D. has served as a member of our board of directors since the completion of the Merger and previously served as a member of the board of directors of resTORbio since August 2018. Since October 2022, Dr. Chodakewitz has served as Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Yale University Ventures and since December 2022, he has served as Advisory Partner of Ascenta Capital Management LLC. From March 2019 to January 2022, Dr. Chodakewitz served as a senior/executive advisor at Blackstone Life Sciences. From April 2018 through March 2019, Dr. Chodakewitz served as Executive Vice President, Clinical Medicine and External Innovation, at Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (Vertex) (Nasdaq: VRTX). Prior to that role, Dr. Chodakewitz held the roles of Chief Medical Officer and Executive Vice President, Global Medicines Development and Medical Affairs at Vertex from January 2014 to April 2018 and was a member of the Vertex Executive Committee. From December 1990 to December 2013, he worked at Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE: MRK), where he served in a number of positions including Head of Infectious Diseases and Vaccines Global Development from August 2013 to December 2013, Senior Vice President of Global Scientific Strategy (Infectious Disease, Respiratory & Immunology) from January 2013 to August 2013 and Senior Vice President of Late Stage Development from March 2011 to January 2013. Dr. Chodakewitz is a Diplomate of the National Board of Medical Examiners and the American Board of Internal Medicine (both Internal Medicine and Infectious Disease). Dr. Chodakewitz has served as a member of the board of directors of Praxis Precision Medicines, Inc. (Nasdaq: PRAX) since April 2021, Schrodinger, Inc. (Nasdaq: SDGR) since April 2020. Dr. Chodakewitz previously served on the board of Freeline Therapeutics Holdings plc. (formerly Nasdaq: FRLN) from September 2019 to February 2024, and of public company Tetraphase Pharmaceuticals Inc. (formerly Nasdaq: TTPH) from June 2014 to July 2020, which was acquired by La Jolla Pharmaceutical Company in July 2020. He holds a B.S in Biochemistry cum laude from Yale University and an M.D. from the Yale University School of Medicine. We believe Dr. Chodakewitz is qualified to serve on our board of directors because of his extensive experience working for various pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.

Steve Dubin, J.D. has served as a member of our board of directors since the completion of the Merger. Since November 2011, Mr. Dubin has been a Principal in SDA Ventures LLC, a firm focused on assisting emerging growth and middle-market companies, primarily in the health & wellness and nutritional products markets, on matters including corporate development, business acquisition, customer relations, growth strategies and corporate finance. From 2006 until its acquisition by Koninklijke DSM N.V. (DSM) in February 2011, Mr. Dubin served as Chief Executive Officer and a member of the board of directors of Martek Biosciences Corporation (Martek). He later served as President of DSM’s Nutritional Lipids Division from February 2011 through October 2011 and as a Senior Advisor to DSM Nutritional Products from November 2011 through October 2012. After joining Martek in 1992 and serving in various management positions, including Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer, Secretary, General Counsel and Senior Vice President, Business Development, he served as President of Martek from 2003 to 2006. Mr. Dubin currently serves as a member of the board of directors of privately held companies Triton Algae Innovations, Ltd., Phytolon LTD and Exosomm LTD. From May 2013 to March 2024, Mr. Dubin served on the board of directors of Alcresta Therapeutics, Inc. Mr. Dubin is a certified public accountant and a member of the Maryland Bar. He holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Maryland and a J.D. from the National Law Center at George

109


 

Washington University. We believe Mr. Dubin is qualified to serve on our board of directors because of his accounting experience and extensive experience working with emerging growth and middle-market companies.

Carl L. Gordon, Ph.D., CFA has served as a member of our board of directors since the completion of the Merger and previously served as a member of the board of directors of Former Adicet since August 2015. Dr. Gordon is a Managing Partner at OrbiMed Advisors LLC, an investment firm. Dr. Gordon has served on the boards of directors of ArriVent Biopharma, Inc. (Nasdaq: AVBP) since December 2022, Compass Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: CMPX) since September 2015, Keros Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: KROS) since March 2020, Lomond Therapeutics Holdings, Inc. (trading on OTC) since August 2024, and MBX Biosciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: MBX) since July 2020, as well as several private companies. Dr. Gordon previously served on the boards of directors of Gemini Therapeutics, Inc. (which merged with Disc Medicine, Inc.) from April 2016 to December 2022, Kinnate Biopharma, Inc. (Nasdaq: KNTE) from December 2019 to April 2024, ORIC Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: ORIC) from November 2015 to November 2021, Prevail Therapeutics Inc. (acquired by Eli Lilly and Company) from October 2017 to January 2021, Terns Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: TERN) from October 2018 to February 2025, Theseus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: THRX) from June 2018 to February 2024, and Turning Point Therapeutics, Inc. (acquired by Bristol-Myers Squibb Company) from May 2017 to November 2020. Dr. Gordon received a B.A. in Chemistry from Harvard College, a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and was a Fellow at The Rockefeller University. We believe Dr. Gordon is qualified to serve as the Chairperson of our board of directors because of his venture capital experience, expertise in the scientific field of molecular biology and financial credentials.

Aya Jakobovits, Ph.D. has served as a member of our board of directors since the completion of the merger of resTORbio, Inc. (resTORbio) and Adicet Bio, Inc. (when referred to prior to the Merger, Former Adicet) in September 2020 (the Merger) and previously served as a member of the board of directors of Former Adicet since November 2014. Dr. Jakobovits founded Former Adicet and served as President and Chief Executive Officer from its incorporation until February 2018. From February 2018 until February 2019, Dr. Jakobovits served as a senior strategic advisor to Former Adicet. Prior to starting Former Adicet, Dr. Jakobovits served as a Venture Partner with OrbiMed Advisors LLC from 2011 to 2016. From September 2010 to December 2013, she served as President and Founding Chief Executive Officer of Kite Pharma Inc. From December 2007 to June 2010, she served as Executive Vice President, Head of Research and Development at Agensys Inc. (Agensys), an affiliate of Astellas Pharma, Inc. (Astellas). Before Agensys’ acquisition by Astellas, she served as Agensys’ Senior Vice President, Technology and Corporate Development and Chief Scientific Officer and led its research, development, clinical and corporate development operations from January 1999 to December 2007. Before Agensys, from 1996 to 1999, Dr. Jakobovits served as Director, Discovery Research and Principal Scientist at Abgenix Inc. (acquired by Amgen Inc.) which was spun out of Cell Genesys, Inc. (Cell Genesys) in 1996 based on the XenoMouse® technology developed under her leadership. She joined Cell Genesys in 1989 and served ultimately as Director, Molecular Immunology. Dr. Jakobovits currently serves on the boards of directors of Dorian Therapeutics Inc. She served on the board of UCLA Technology Development Corporation from 2017 to 2022 and on the board of Yeda Research and Development Co. Ltd. From 2019 to 2023. Dr. Jakobovits received her B.Sc. from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, her M.Sc. in Chemistry and Ph.D. in Life Sciences from the Weizmann Institute of Sciences, Israel, and was a postdoctoral fellow at University of California, San Francisco and at Genentech, Inc. (Genentech). We believe Dr. Jakobovits is qualified to serve on our board of directors because of her expertise, experience, and track record in forming and growing successful companies and in developing immunotherapy platform technologies and oncology products.

Lloyd Klickstein, M.D., Ph.D. has served as a member of our board of directors since August 2024. Dr. Klickstein has served as president and chief executive officer of Koslapp Therapeutics, Inc. since April 2024. From February 2021 to March 2024, Dr. Klickstein served as the founding chief executive officer and subsequently as president and chief executive officer of Versanis Bio, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company that addressed medical conditions prevalent in older adults. Previously, Dr. Klickstein served as chief innovation officer of Adicet Bio from September 2020 to February 2021 and as chief scientific officer of resTORbio from May 2018 to September 2020. Prior to joining resTORbio, Dr. Klickstein was Head of Translational Medicine for the New Indication Discovery Unit (NIDU) and the Exploratory Disease Area (DAx) at Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research. Dr. Klickstein received his B.S. degree from Tufts University, his M.D. and Ph.D. degrees from Harvard University, completed post-graduate clinical training in Internal Medicine, Rheumatology & Immunology at BWH and a post-doctoral research fellowship at the Center for Blood Research in Boston. We believe Dr. Klickstein is qualified to serve on our board of directors because of his expertise and experience working for various pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.

Katie Peng, MBA has served as a member of our board of directors since July 2023. Since September 2021, Ms. Peng has served as Chief Commercial Officer at Denali Therapeutics Inc. (Nasdaq: DNLI). From April 2017 to September 2021, Ms. Peng served as the Senior Vice President, Head of the Ophthalmology, Metabolism, Neurosciences, Immunology Business Unit at Genentech, where she was responsible for the oncology, neurology, and rare diseases portfolio, and served as part of Genentech’s commercial leadership team. From February 2012 to April 2017, Ms. Peng held a number of senior leadership

110


 

positions at Roche Holding AG (Roche), managing the Roche portfolio in the Asia Pacific region as the General Manager of two countries. Ms. Peng has also served as a member of the board of directors of Scholar Rock Holding Corporation (Nasdaq: SRRK) since February 2024, and serves as a board member for the nonprofit organization California Life Sciences. She holds a B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley and an MBA from the Kelley School of Business, Indiana University. We believe Ms. Peng is qualified to serve on our board of directors because of her expertise and experience working for various pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.

Andrew Sinclair, Ph.D. has served as a member of our board of directors since March 2021. Dr. Sinclair is currently a partner at Abingworth LLP (Abingworth), a life sciences investment group. He has been at Abingworth since November 2008 where he has served in various positions focusing on investments in public and private biotech and pharmaceutical companies. Prior to joining Abingworth, he was senior equity analyst, director at HSBC Global Markets, where he was responsible for investment research in the mid-cap pharmaceutical sector. Previously, Dr. Sinclair held biotechnology analyst positions at Credit Suisse and SG Cowen. Dr. Sinclair has served on the board of directors of Soleno Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: SLNO) since December 2018 and previously served on the boards of directors of Sierra Oncology, Inc. (acquired by GSK plc) from November 2019 to July 2022, and Verona Pharma plc (Nasdaq: VRNA) from July 2016 to April 2022. Dr. Sinclair received his B.Sc. in Microbiology from King's College London and his Ph.D. in Chemistry and Genetic Engineering at the BBSRC Institute of Plant Science, Norwich, United Kingdom. Dr. Sinclair qualified as a chartered accountant, formerly with KPMG LLP. We believe Dr. Sinclair is qualified to serve on our board of directors due to his extensive background in strategic development within the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries.

Family Relationships and Legal Proceedings

There are no family relationships between or among any of our directors or executive officers. Our executive officers are appointed by, and serve at the discretion of, our board of directors. The principal occupation and employment during the past five years of each of our directors was carried on, in each case except as specifically identified above, with a corporation or organization that is not a parent, subsidiary or other affiliate of us. There is no arrangement or understanding between any of our directors and any other person or persons pursuant to which he or she is to be selected as a director.

There are no material legal proceedings to which any of our directors, officers or affiliate, any owner of record or beneficially of more than five percent of any class of our voting securities, or any associate of any such director, officer, affiliate, or security holder is a party adverse to us or any of our subsidiaries or in which any such person has a material interest adverse to us or our subsidiary.

Code of Business Conduct and Ethics

We have adopted a code of business conduct and ethics for directors, officers, and employees, known as the Code of Business Conduct and Ethics. The Code of Business Conduct and Ethics is available on our website at https://investor.adicetbio.com/corporate-governance/governance-highlights. We will promptly disclose on our website (i) the nature of any amendment to the policy that applies to our principal executive officer, principal financial officer, or controller, or persons performing similar functions and (ii) the nature of any waiver, including an implicit waiver, from a provision of the policy that is granted to one of these specified individuals, the name of such person who is granted the waiver and the date of the waiver. Shareholders may request a free copy of the Code of Business Conduct and Ethics from our Compliance Officer, c/o Adicet Bio, Inc., 131 Dartmouth Street, 3rd Floor, Boston, Massachusetts 02116.

Recommendation of Director Nominees by Stockholders

There have been no material changes to the procedures by which our stockholders may recommend nominees to the Board.

Board Committees

Our board of directors has established an Audit Committee, a Compensation Committee, and a Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. Each of the Audit Committee, Compensation Committee, and Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee operates under a charter that satisfies the applicable standards of the SEC and Nasdaq. Each such committee reviews its respective charter at least annually. A current copy of the charter for each of the Audit Committee, Compensation Committee, and Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee is posted on the corporate governance section of our website, investor.adicetbio.com/corporate-governance/governance-highlights.

 

111


 

Audit Committee

Our Audit Committee is composed of Steve Dubin, Katie Peng, and Andrew Sinclair, Ph.D. Currently, the Audit Committee is chaired by Mr. Dubin. Our board of directors has determined that each member of the Audit Committee is “independent” for Audit Committee purposes as that term is defined in the rules of the SEC and the applicable Nasdaq rules, and each has sufficient knowledge in financial and auditing matters to serve on the Audit Committee. Our board of directors has designated Steve Dubin as an “audit committee financial expert,” as defined under the applicable rules of the SEC. During the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024, the Audit Committee met five times. The Audit Committee’s responsibilities include:

o
appointing, approving the compensation of, and assessing the independence of our independent registered public accounting firm;
o
pre‑approving auditing and permissible non‑audit services, and the terms of such services, to be provided by our independent registered public accounting firm;
o
reviewing the overall audit plan with our independent registered public accounting firm and members of management responsible for preparing our financial statements;
o
reviewing and discussing with management and our independent registered public accounting firm our annual and quarterly financial statements and related disclosures as well as critical accounting policies and practices used by us;
o
coordinating the oversight and reviewing the adequacy of our internal control over financial reporting;
o
establishing policies and procedures for the receipt and retention of accounting‑related complaints and concerns;
o
recommending based upon the Audit Committee’s review and discussions with management and our independent registered public accounting firm whether our audited financial statements shall be included in our Annual Report on Form 10‑K;
o
monitoring the integrity of our financial statements and our compliance with legal and regulatory requirements as they relate to our financial statements and accounting matters;
o
preparing the Audit Committee report required by SEC rules to be included in our annual proxy statement;
o
reviewing all related person transactions for potential conflict of interest situations and approving all such transactions;
o
reviewing quarterly earnings releases; and
o
overseeing our cybersecurity risk management program.

All audit and non-audit services, other than de minimis non-audit services, to be provided to us by our independent registered public accounting firm must be approved in advance by our Audit Committee.

Compensation Committee

Carl L. Gordon, Ph.D., Jeffrey Chodakewitz, M.D., and Aya Jakobovits, Ph.D. serve on the Compensation Committee, which is chaired by Dr. Gordon. Our board of directors has determined that each member of the Compensation Committee is “independent” as defined in the applicable Nasdaq rules. During the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024, the Compensation Committee met seven times and acted by written consent twice. The Compensation Committee’s responsibilities include:

o
annually reviewing and recommending to the board of directors corporate goals and objectives relevant to the compensation of our chief executive officer;
o
evaluating the performance of our chief executive officer in light of such corporate goals and objectives and determine the compensation of our chief executive officer;

112


 

o
reviewing and approving the compensation of our other executive officers;
o
reviewing and establishing our overall management compensation, philosophy, and policy;
o
reviewing and making recommendations to the board regarding our compensation and similar plans;
o
evaluating and assessing potential and current compensation advisors in accordance with the independence standards identified in the applicable Nasdaq rules;
o
retaining and approving the compensation of any compensation advisors;
o
reviewing and making recommendations to our board of directors about our policies and procedures for the grant of equity‑based awards;
o
evaluating and making recommendations to the board of directors about director compensation;
o
preparing the Compensation Committee report required by SEC rules, if and when required, to be included in our annual proxy statement;
o
reviewing and approving the retention or termination of any consulting firm or outside advisor to assist in the evaluation of compensation matters; and
o
reviewing and discussing with the board of directors corporate succession plans for our chief executive officers and our other key officers.

Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee

Since August 19, 2024, Dr. Sinclair, Lloyd Klickstein, M.D., Ph.D., and Mr. Dubin have served on the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, which is chaired by Dr. Sinclair. Our board of directors has determined that each member of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee is “independent” as defined in the applicable Nasdaq rules. During the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee met twice times and acted by written consent once. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee’s responsibilities include:

o
developing and recommending to the board of directors criteria for board and committee membership;
o
establishing procedures for identifying and evaluating board of director candidates, including nominees recommended by stockholders;
o
reviewing the size and composition of the board of directors to ensure that it is composed of members containing the appropriate skills and expertise to advise us;
o
identifying individuals qualified to become members of the board of directors;
o
recommending to the board of directors the persons to be nominated for election as directors and to each of the board of directors’ committees;
o
developing and recommending to the board of directors a code of business conduct and ethics and a set of corporate governance guidelines; and
o
overseeing the annual evaluation of our board of directors and management.

The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee considers candidates for Board of Director membership suggested by its members and the Chief Executive Officer. Additionally, in selecting nominees for directors, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee will review candidates recommended by stockholders in the same manner and using the same general criteria as candidates recruited by the committee and/or recommended by our board of directors. Any stockholder who wishes to recommend a candidate for consideration by the committee as a nominee for director should follow the procedures which will be described in our 2025 Proxy Statement, which we intend to file with the SEC within 120 days of the

113


 

end of our fiscal year pursuant to General Instruction G(3) of Form 10-K. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee will also consider whether to nominate any person proposed by a stockholder in accordance with the provisions of our bylaws relating to stockholder nominations which will be described in our 2025 Proxy Statement, which we intend to file with the SEC within 120 days of the end of our fiscal year pursuant to General Instruction G(3) of Form 10-K.

Identifying and Evaluating Director Nominees. Our board of directors is responsible for filling vacancies on our board of directors and for nominating candidates for election by our stockholders each year in the class of directors whose term expires at the relevant annual meeting. The board of directors delegates the selection and nomination process to the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, with the expectation that other members of the board of directors, and of management, will be requested to take part in the process as appropriate.

Our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee Policies and Procedures for Director Candidates provide that the value of diversity should be considered in determining director candidates as well as other factors such as a candidate’s character, judgment, skills, education, expertise, and absence of conflicts of interest. Our priority in selection of board members is identification of members who will further the interests of our stockholders through their established records of professional accomplishment, their ability to contribute positively to the collaborative culture among board members, and their knowledge of our business and understanding of the competitive landscape in which we operate and adherence to high ethical standards. Our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee does not have a formal diversity policy and does not follow any ratio or formula with respect to diversity in order to determine the appropriate composition of our board of directors, although our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee and our full board of directors are committed to creating a board of directors with diversity, including diversity of expertise, experience, background and gender, and are committed to identifying, recruiting and advancing candidates offering such diversity in future searches.

Generally, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee identifies candidates for director nominees in consultation with management, through the use of search firms or other advisors, through the recommendations submitted by stockholders or through such other methods as the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee deems to be helpful to identify candidates. Once candidates have been identified, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee confirms that the candidates meet all of the minimum qualifications for director nominees established by the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee may gather information about the candidates through interviews, detailed questionnaires, comprehensive background checks or any other means that the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee deems to be appropriate in the evaluation process. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee then meets as a group to discuss and evaluate the qualities and skills of each candidate, both on an individual basis and taking into account the overall composition and needs of our board of directors. based on the results of the evaluation process, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee recommends candidates for the board of directors’ approval to fill a vacancy or as director nominees for election to the board of directors by our stockholders each year in the class of directors whose term expires at the relevant annual meeting.

Policy on Trading, Pledging and Hedging of Company Stock

Certain transactions in our securities (such as purchases and sales of publicly traded put and call options, and short sales) create a heightened compliance risk or could create the appearance of misalignment between management and stockholders. In addition, securities held in a margin account or pledged as collateral may be sold without consent if the owner fails to meet a margin call or defaults on the loan, thus creating the risk that a sale may occur at a time when an officer or director is aware of material, non-public information or otherwise is not permitted to trade in Company securities.

Insider Trading Policies and Procedures

 

We have an insider trading policy governing the purchase, sale and other dispositions of our securities that applies to all of our directors, officers, employees and other covered persons. Our insider trading policy expressly prohibits derivative transactions of our stock by our executive officers, directors and employees. Our insider trading policy expressly prohibits purchases of any derivative securities that provide the economic equivalent of ownership. We believe that our insider trading policy is reasonably designed to promote compliance with insider trading laws, rules and regulations, and listing standards applicable to us. A copy of our insider trading policy is filed as Exhibit 19.1 to this Form 10-K. In addition, with regard to the Company’s trading in its own securities, it is the Company’s policy to comply with the federal securities laws and the applicable exchange listing requirements.

Item 11. Executive Compensation.

114


 

Our named executive officers for the year ended December 31, 2024 are:

Chen Schor, MBA, our President and Chief Executive Officer;
Brian Nicholas Harvey (Nick Harvey), MBA, our Chief Financial Officer;
Blake Aftab, Ph.D., our Chief Scientific Officer and Senior Vice President; and
Francesco Galimi, M.D., Ph.D., our former Chief Medical Officer.

2024 Summary Compensation Table

The following table sets forth information regarding compensation award to, earned by, or paid to each of our named executive officers for services rendered to us in all capacities during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024. The following table also presents information regarding compensation awarded to, earned by, and paid to each such individual during the fiscal years ended December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, to the extent such individual was a named executive officer for such year.

Name and Principal Position

 

Year

 

Salary ($)(1)

 

 

Stock
Awards ($)
(2)

 

 

Option
Awards ($)
(2)

 

 

Non-Equity
Incentive Plan
Compensation ($)
(3)

 

 

All Other
Compensation ($)
(4)

 

 

 

Total ($)

 

Chen Schor, MBA

2024

 

 

627,594

 

 

 

168,720

 

 

 

3,587,633

 

 

 

241,780

 

 

 

18,638

 

 

(5

)

 

4,644,365

 

  President and Chief Executive Officer

 

2023

 

 

606,052

 

 

 

773,775

 

 

 

4,328,064

 

 

 

250,346

 

 

 

15,570

 

 

 

 

5,973,807

 

Nick Harvey, MBA

2024

 

461,694

 

 

 

63,120

 

 

 

849,165

 

 

 

129,360

 

 

 

20,087

 

 

(6

)

 

1,523,426

 

Chief Financial Officer

 

2023

 

445,538

 

 

 

236,205

 

 

 

1,301,545

 

 

 

133,830

 

 

 

15,570

 

 

 

 

2,132,688

 

Blake Aftab, Ph.D.

2024

 

470,692

 

 

 

47,280

 

 

 

732,479

 

 

 

131,880

 

 

 

91,245

 

 

(8

)

 

1,473,576

 

Chief Scientific Officer and Senior Vice President(7)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Francesco Galimi, M.D., Ph.D.

2024

 

485,150

 

 

 

63,120

 

 

 

849,591

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

449,911

 

 

(9

)

 

1,847,772

 

Former Chief Medical Officer(7)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(1)
The amounts reported in the “Salary” column set forth the base salary earned during each fiscal year.
(2)
In accordance with SEC rules, these columns set forth the aggregate grant date fair value of the stock awards and option awards, as applicable, granted during the applicable fiscal year. For 2023, the amounts also reflect the incremental fair value with respect to the option repricing that took place in August 2023, calculated as of August 14, 2023. The amounts are computed in accordance with the provisions of FASB ASC Topic 718 disregarding the effect of estimated forfeitures related to service-based vesting. These amounts reflect the accounting cost for the equity awards and do not correspond to the actual economic value that may be received by the named executive officer upon exercise of the stock options or vesting or settlement of stock awards. See Note 12 to this Annual Report on Form 10-K regarding certain assumptions underlying the valuation of equity awards.
(3)
The amounts reported in the “Non-Equity Incentive Plan Compensation” column set forth the amount of compensation earned by the executive officers under the Company’s annual performance-based bonus program during each fiscal year.
(4)
The amounts reported in the “All Other Compensation” column set forth all of the compensation for each fiscal year that we could not properly report in any other column of the table, including, but not limited to, severance pay as well as the incremental cost to the Company of perquisites and other personal benefits, such as parking reimbursement, relocation assistance, 401(k) match contributions and mobile phone allowances.
(5)
Amount includes parking reimbursement of $2,393, 401(k) matching contributions of $15,525 and mobile phone allowance of $720.
(6)
Amount includes parking reimbursement of $3,842, 401(k) matching contributions of $15,525 and mobile phone allowance of $720.
(7)
Drs. Galimi and Aftab were not named executive officers in fiscal year 2023 and, therefore, their 2023 compensation is not disclosed in this summary compensation table. Additionally, Dr. Galimi resigned from his position as chief medical officer, effective December 13, 2024.
(8)
Amount includes relocation assistance of $75,000, 401(k) matching contributions of $15,525 and mobile phone allowance of $720.
(9)
Amount includes severance pay of $433,666 as per the terms of Dr. Galimi's employment agreement and separation agreement and release. See section titled “Employment Arrangements with Our Named Executive Officers” below for additional

115


 

information on Dr. Galimi's employment agreement and separation agreement and release. Amount also includes 401(k) matching contributions of $15,525 and mobile phone allowance of $720.

Narrative to 2024 Summary Compensation Table

Our board of directors and Compensation Committee review compensation annually for all employees, including our executives. In setting executive base salaries and bonuses and granting equity incentive awards, we consider compensation for comparable positions in the market, the historical compensation levels of our executives, individual performance as compared to our expectations and objectives, our desire to motivate our employees to achieve short- and long-term results that are in the best interests of our stockholders, and a long-term commitment to our Company. We target a general competitive position, based on independent third-party benchmark analytics to inform the mix of compensation of base salary, bonus or long-term incentives.

Our Compensation Committee has historically reviewed and made recommendations to our board of directors regarding the compensation to be paid to our chief executive officer and determined the compensation of our other executive officers. Our Compensation Committee typically reviews and discusses management’s proposed compensation with the chief executive officer for all executives other than the chief executive officer. Based on those discussions and its discretion, taking into account the factors noted above, the Compensation Committee then approves the compensation of our executive officers other than the chief executive officer without members of management present. Our board of directors discusses the Compensation Committee’s recommendations and ultimately approves the compensation of our chief executive officer without members of management present. Aon Consulting, Inc. (Aon Consulting) advised the board of directors and the Compensation Committee on certain compensation matters and decisions during fiscal year 2024. Aon Consulting served at the discretion of the Compensation Committee and did not provide any other services to the Company during fiscal year 2024 other than those for which they were engaged by the Compensation Committee. Our Compensation Committee requires that its compensation consultants be independent of Company management and performs an annual assessment of the compensation consultants’ independence to determine whether the consultants are independent. Our Compensation Committee has determined that Aon Consulting is independent and that its respective work has not raised any conflicts of interest.

Annual base salary

We use base salaries to recognize the experience, skills, knowledge and responsibilities required of all our employees, including our 2024 named executive officers. Base salaries for our named executive officers are reviewed annually by our Compensation Committee, typically in connection with our annual performance review process, and adjusted from time to time, based on the recommendation of the Compensation Committee, to realign salaries with market levels after taking into account individual responsibilities, performance and experience. None of our 2024 named executive officers are currently party to an employment agreement or other agreement or arrangement that provides for automatic or scheduled increases in base salary.

During 2024, the annual base salaries for each of Messrs. Schor, Harvey, Aftab and Galimi, were $628,000, $462,000, $471,000 and $495,000, respectively, which was an increase of approximately 3.5%, 3.6%, 3.5% and 3.6%, respectively, as compared to their 2023 annual base salaries. Dr. Galimi resigned from his position as chief medical officer, effective December 13, 2024, and, therefore, his annual salary reflected his partial year of employment for fiscal year 2024, as reflected in the section titled “2024 Summary Compensation Table” above.

Annual bonus

Our named executive officers, as well as other executive officers, are eligible to participate in our Cash Incentive Bonus Plan (Bonus Plan) which is an annual bonus program intended to reward our named executive officers for meeting objective or subjective performance goals for a fiscal year. The Bonus Plan provides for cash payments based upon the attainment of performance targets established by the Compensation Committee, which may relate to financial and operational measures or objectives with respect to the Company. Each executive officer who is selected to participate in the Bonus Plan will have a target bonus opportunity set for each performance period.

116


 

With respect to performance in fiscal year 2024, the target bonus opportunity as a percentage of base salary for each of Messrs. Schor, Harvey, Aftab and Galimi were 55%, 40%, 40%, and 40%, respectively.

The 2024 corporate goals used in our 2024 Cash Incentive Bonus Plan were proposed by management, and reviewed and approved by our Compensation Committee and our board of directors in January 2024. Our board of directors considered and assigned a relative weight to each corporate goal to appropriately focus efforts on achievements that were intended to enhance stockholder value.

Based on the Company’s achievement of certain performance goals and metrics related to our 2024 corporate objectives, the Compensation Committee determined that the bonuses for executives, including our named executive officers, would be paid at 70% of target and paid in the amounts as set forth above in the Summary Compensation Table. Dr. Galimi resigned from his position as chief medical officer, effective December 13, 2024, and, therefore, he did not receive a cash incentive bonus with respect to fiscal year 2024, as reflected in the section titled “2024 Summary Compensation Table” above. See section titled “Employment Arrangements with Our Named Executive Officers” below for additional information on Dr. Galimi's employment agreement and separation agreement and release.

Long-term equity incentives

Our equity grant program is intended to align the interests of our named executive officers with those of our stockholders and to motivate them to make important contributions to our performance. In addition, the vesting requirements of our equity awards contribute to executive retention by providing an incentive to our executive officers to remain employed by us during the vesting period.

Significant equity awards are granted at the time an executive officer commences employment. Thereafter, equity awards may be granted at varying times and in varying amounts in the discretion of our Compensation Committee or, if awards are being granted to the Chief Executive Officer, in the discretion of our board of directors. None of our executive officers is currently party to an employment agreement that provides for an automatic grant of long-term equity incentives.

During the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024, we granted stock options and restricted stock units to each of our named executive officers, as shown in more detail in the “Outstanding Equity Awards at 2024 Fiscal Year End” table below.

401(k) Savings Plan

We maintain a 401(k) retirement savings plan for the benefit of our employees, including our named executive officers, who satisfy certain eligibility requirements. Under the 401(k) plan, eligible employees may elect to defer a portion of their compensation, within the limits prescribed by the Code, on a pre-tax or after-tax (Roth) basis, through contributions to the 401(k) plan. The 401(k) plan is intended to qualify under Sections 401(a) and 501(a) of the Code. As a tax-qualified retirement plan, pre-tax contributions to the 401(k) plan and earnings on those pre-tax contributions are not taxable to the employees until distributed from the 401(k) plan, and earnings on Roth contributions are not taxable when distributed from the 401(k) plan. The 401(k) plan authorizes employer discretionary match contributions. We match 100% of the first 3% and 50% of the next 3% of the contributions that eligible participants make to the 401(k) plan up to 6.00% of the participant’s eligible compensation.

Health and Welfare Benefits

All of our full-time employees, including our executive officers, are eligible to participate in our health and welfare benefits, including medical, dental and vision insurance, medical and dependent care flexible spending accounts, group life and disability insurance, and 401(k) plan. Named executive officers are eligible to participate in all our employee benefit plans, in each case on the same basis as other employees.

We do not offer any defined benefit pension plans or nonqualified defined compensation arrangements for our employees, including our named executive officers.

Perquisites and Personal Benefits

Our policy in 2024 was generally not to provide significant perquisites and personal benefits to our executive officers, including our named executive officers, other than reimbursements for relocation and commuting expenses and certain other de minimis perquisites to our executive officers, including our named executive officers. In 2024, we provided Dr. Aftab relocation assistance of $75,000.

117


 

Compensation Recovery Policy

On November 16, 2023, our board adopted a compensation recovery policy, which became effective on October 2, 2023. The compensation recovery policy provides that in the event we are required to prepare a restatement of financial statements due to material noncompliance with any financial reporting requirement under securities laws, we will seek to recover any incentive-based compensation that was based upon the attainment of a financial reporting measure and that was received by any current or former executive officer during the three-year period preceding the date that the restatement was required if such compensation exceeds the amount that the executive officers would have received based on the restated financial statements. The full text of the compensation recovery policy is included as Exhibit 97.1 to this Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024.

Policy on the Timing of Awards of Options and Other Option-Like Instruments

We generally grant annual equity awards, including stock option grants to our named executive officers, in the first quarter of each fiscal year. This grant date timing coincides with our calendar-year-based employee review cycle, allowing managers to deliver the equity awards close in time to performance reviews and feedback. In addition, new hires receive equity grants at the time of their hiring. During 2024, the Compensation Committee did not take into account any material nonpublic information when determining the timing and terms of equity incentive awards, and we did not time the disclosure of material nonpublic information for the purpose of affecting the value of executive compensation.

The Compensation Committee met to discuss the size and nature of the equity awards for our named executive officers on December 12, 2023, January 4, 2024 and January 24, 2024. The Compensation Committee discussed the Company’s projected equity usage for fiscal year 2024 and potential dilutive impact of equity awards to our named executive officers, and determined to grant a number of the annual equity awards for the named executive officers effective immediately as of January 24, 2024 with the remaining number of their respective annual awards to be granted contingent upon the approval of the Shareholder Proposal (as defined below). During 2024, consistent with our ordinary course practice of granting equity awards in the first quarter of the fiscal year, we granted stock options to our Named Executive Officers on January 24, 2024 (the “January 24th Awards”), which was the same business day that we filed the Current Report on Form 8-K announcing the closing of our underwritten public offering of 27,054,667 shares of our common stock, and, in lieu of common stock to an investor, pre-funded warrants to purchase 8,445,333 shares of common stock (collectively, the “January 2024 Offering”). The Company originally publicly announced the launch and pricing of the January 2024 Offering on January 22, 2024 via launch and pricing press releases as well as the filing of the preliminary prospectus supplement with the SEC.

On January 26, 2024, following finalization of the terms of the Shareholder Proposal, the Compensation Committee approved the grant of the remainder of the annual equity awards, contingent upon the approval of the shareholders of an amendment to the Amended and Restated 2018 Stock Option and Grant Plan (the “Shareholder Proposal”) and with an exercise price equal to the closing price of the Common Stock on the date of the Compensation Committee approval (the “Contingent Awards”). To the extent the Shareholder Proposal was not approved by the shareholders, the Contingent Awards would have been forfeited in their entirety. On June 5, 2024, the Company held its annual meeting of shareholders, where, among other things, the shareholders approved the Shareholder Proposal. Also on June 5, 2024, we furnished a Form 8-K announcing that we had received FDA Fast Track Designation for ADI-001 in Lupus Nephritis and on June 7, 2024, we filed a Current Report on Form 8-K announcing the results of the annual meeting.

118


 

Name

Grant Date(1)

 

Number of securities underlying the award

 

 

Exercise price of the award ($/Share)(2)

 

 

Grant Date fair value of the award ($)

 

 

Percentage change in the closing market price of the securities underlying the award between the trading day ending immediately prior to the disclosure of material nonpublic information and the trading day beginning immediately following the disclosure of material nonpublic information

 

 

 

Chen Schor

1/24/2024

 

 

1,116,903

 

 

 

2.40

 

 

 

1,941,200

 

 

 

2.9

%

 

(3

)

Nick Harvey

1/24/2024

 

 

288,022

 

 

 

2.40

 

 

 

500,588

 

 

 

2.9

%

 

(3

)

Blake Aftab

1/24/2024

 

 

241,173

 

 

 

2.40

 

 

 

419,163

 

 

 

2.9

%

 

(3

)

Francesco Galimi

1/24/2024

 

 

288,134

 

 

 

2.40

 

 

 

500,783

 

 

 

2.9

%

 

(3

)

Chen Schor

1/24/2024

 

 

70,300

 

 

 

 

 

 

168,720

 

 

 

2.9

%

 

(3

)

Nick Harvey

1/24/2024

 

 

26,300

 

 

 

 

 

 

63,120

 

 

 

2.9

%

 

(3

)

Blake Aftab

1/24/2024

 

 

19,700

 

 

 

 

 

 

47,280

 

 

 

2.9

%

 

(3

)

Francesco Galimi

1/24/2024

 

 

26,300

 

 

 

 

 

 

63,120

 

 

 

2.9

%

 

(3

)

Chen Schor

1/26/2024

 

 

1,770,427

 

 

 

2.53

 

 

 

1,646,434

 

 

 

-2.8

%

 

(4

)

Nick Harvey

1/26/2024

 

 

374,829

 

 

 

2.53

 

 

 

348,578

 

 

 

-2.8

%

 

(4

)

Blake Aftab

1/26/2024

 

 

336,911

 

 

 

2.53

 

 

 

313,315

 

 

 

-2.8

%

 

(4

)

Francesco Galimi

1/26/2024

 

 

375,077

 

 

 

2.53

 

 

 

348,808

 

 

 

-2.8

%

 

(4

)

 

(1)
The awards with a grant date of June 5, 2024 were approved by the compensation committee on January 26, 2024, contingent upon shareholder approval of an amendment to our equity plan, which approval was obtained at the annual meeting on June 5, 2024. Accordingly, such grants have an exercise price equal to the closing price on January 26, 2024, and were not made in contemplation of or in connection with the disclosures made on June 5, 2024 or June 7, 2024 in separate Current Report on Form 8-Ks.
(2)
Each of the option awards has a ten-year term and vests over four years. The amounts are computed in accordance with the provisions of FASB ASC Topic 718 disregarding the effect of estimated forfeitures related to service-based vesting. These amounts reflect the accounting cost for the equity awards and do not correspond to the actual economic value that may be received by the named executive officer upon exercise of the stock options or vesting or settlement of stock awards. See Note 12 to this Annual Report on Form 10-K regarding certain assumptions underlying the valuation of equity awards.
(3)
Calculated using the closing price of our common stock on the Nasdaq Global Select Market on January 24, 2024, and January 25, 2024, of $2.40 and $2.47 per share, respectively, given the filing of the Current Report on Form 8-K announcing the closing of the January 2024 Offering on January 24, 2024. As disclosed above, the January 2024 Offering was disclosed to the public on January 22, 2024. Accordingly, on January 22, 2024 and January 23, 2024, the trading days ending immediately prior and beginning immediately following the actual disclosure of the material non-public information to the public via launch and pricing press releases and the filing of a preliminary prospectus, the closing price of our common stock on the Nasdaq Global Select Market was $2.48 and $2.51.
(4)
Calculated using the closing price of our common stock on the Nasdaq Global Select Market on June 4, 2024, and June 6, 2024, of $1.44 and $1.40 per share, respectively. As disclosed above, the June 5, 2024 awards were approved on January 26, 2024. Accordingly, the percentage change in market value of the closing price on January 26, 2024 (which reflects the exercise price of such grants) compared to the closing price of our common stock on June 6, 2024, represents a change of -44.7%.

Employment Arrangements with Our Named Executive Officers

Chen Schor

In March 2017, we entered into an offer letter with Mr. Schor, as amended in January 2018 and September 2020. Under his amended offer letter, Mr. Schor is entitled to receive an annual base salary, an annual target bonus expressed as a percentage of his annual base salary, reimbursements for reasonable expenses, and is eligible to participate in our employee benefit plans, subject to the terms of such plans.

In the event Mr. Schor’s employment is terminated by us without cause or by him for good reason, and such termination occurs outside of a change in control period, Mr. Schor shall be entitled to receive, subject to his execution and non-revocation of a release in favor of the Company (i) an amount equal to twelve (12) months of Mr. Schor’s base salary; (ii) any unpaid bonus earned for the year preceding the date of Mr. Schor’s employment termination, payable at the time it otherwise would have been paid had Mr. Schor’s employment with the Company not terminated; and (iii) a monthly cash payment (including a gross up payment to account for applicable taxes and withholdings) equal to the monthly employer contribution that the

119


 

Company would have made to provide health insurance to Mr. Schor and covered dependents if the executive had remained employed by the Company until the earliest of (A) the twelve (12) month anniversary of the date of termination; (B) the date that Mr. Schor becomes eligible for group medical plan benefits under any other employer’s group medical plan; or (C) the cessation of the Mr. Schor health continuation rights under COBRA. The amounts payable under (i) and (iii), to the extent taxable, shall be paid out in substantially equal installments in accordance with the Company’s payroll practice over twelve (12) months commencing within 60 days after the date of termination.

Mr. Schor’s amended offer letter further provides that, in the event that his employment is terminated by us without cause or by him for good reason, and such termination occurs 3 months prior to or within the 12-month period following a change of control, then in lieu of the payments and benefits described above, Mr. Schor shall be entitled to receive, subject to his execution and non-revocation of a release in favor of the Company, (i) a lump sum cash payment equal to 1.5 times the sum of his then current base salary and target annual incentive compensation for the then-current year (or the target annual incentive compensation in effect immediately prior to the change in control, if higher), (ii) a lump sum cash payment of any unpaid bonus earned for the year preceding the date of Mr. Schor’s employment termination, payable at the time it otherwise would have been paid had Mr. Schor’s employment with the Company not terminated, (iii) a monthly cash payment (including a gross up payment to account for applicable taxes and withholdings) equal to the monthly employer contribution that the Company would have made to provide health insurance to Mr. Schor and covered dependents if Mr. Schor had remained employed by the Company until the earliest of (A) the eighteen (18) month anniversary of the date of termination; (B) the date that Mr. Schor becomes eligible for group medical plan benefits under any other employer’s group medical plan; or (C) the cessation of Mr. Schor’s health continuation rights under COBRA, and (iv) full acceleration of all time-based stock options and other time-based stock-based awards held by Mr. Schor. All references to “cause,” “good reason,” “change in control period” and “change in control” are as defined in his amended offer letter.

The payments and benefits provided to Mr. Schor in connection with a change in control may not be eligible for a federal income tax deduction for the company pursuant to Section 280G of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or the Code, and may subject Mr. Schor to an excise tax under Section 4999 of the Code. If the payments or benefits payable to Mr. Schor in connection with a change in control would be subject to the excise tax on golden parachutes imposed under Section 4999 of the Code, then those payments or benefits will be reduced if such reduction would result in a higher net after-tax benefit to Mr. Schor.

Nick Harvey

In September 2020, we entered into an employment agreement with Mr. Harvey. Under his agreement, Mr. Harvey is entitled to receive an annual base salary, an annual target bonus expressed as a percentage of his base salary, reimbursements for reasonable expenses, and is eligible to participate in our employee benefit plans, subject to the terms of such plans. The company granted Mr. Harvey an inducement grant equal to one percent of the issued and outstanding shares of the company, which fully vests over a period of four years.

In the event Mr. Harvey’s employment is terminated by us without cause or by him for good reason, and such termination occurs outside of a change in control period, Mr. Harvey will be eligible to receive, subject to his execution and non-revocation of a release in favor of the Company, (i) an amount equal to nine (9) months of the Mr. Harvey’s base salary; (ii) any unpaid bonus earned for the year preceding the date of Mr. Harvey’s employment termination, payable at the time it otherwise would have been paid had the Mr. Harvey’s employment with the Company not terminated; and (iii) a monthly cash payment (including a gross up payment to account for applicable taxes and withholdings) equal to the monthly employer contribution that the Company would have made to provide health insurance to Mr. Harvey and covered dependents if Mr. Harvey had remained employed by the Company until the earliest of (A) the nine (9) month anniversary of the date of termination; (B) the date that Mr. Harvey becomes eligible for group medical plan benefits under any other employer’s group medical plan; or (C) the cessation of Mr. Harvey’s health continuation rights under COBRA. The amounts payable under (i) and (iii), to the extent taxable, shall be paid out in substantially equal installments in accordance with the Company’s payroll practice over nine (9) months commencing within 60 days after the date of termination.

Mr. Harvey’s employment agreement further provides that, in the event that his employment is terminated by us without cause or by him for good reason, and such termination occurs within the 12-month period following a change of control, then in lieu of the payments and benefits described above, Mr. Harvey shall be entitled to receive, subject to his execution and non-revocation of a release in favor of the Company, (i) a lump sum in cash in an amount equal to one (1) times the sum of (A) Mr. Harvey’s then-current base salary (or Mr. Harvey’s base salary in effect immediately prior to the change in control, if higher) plus (B) Mr. Harvey’s target bonus for the then-current year (or Mr. Harvey’s target bonus in effect immediately prior to the change in control, if higher), (ii) any unpaid bonus earned for the year preceding the date of Mr. Harvey’s employment termination, payable at the time it otherwise would have been paid had Mr. Harvey’s employment with the Company not

120


 

terminated, (iii) 100% acceleration of all time-based equity awards held as of the date of termination and (iv) subject to his election of COBRA health continuation coverage, for up to twelve (12) months or his COBRA health continuation period, whichever ends earlier, a monthly cash payment equal to the monthly employer contribution that the Company would have made to provide health insurance to him if he has remained employed by the Company. All references to “cause”, “good reason”, “change in control period” and “change in control” are as defined in his employment agreement.

The payments and benefits provided to Mr. Harvey in connection with a change in control may not be eligible for a federal income tax deduction for the company pursuant to Section 280G of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or the Code, and may subject Mr. Harvey to an excise tax under Section 4999 of the Code. If the payments or benefits payable to Mr. Harvey in connection with a change in control would be subject to the excise tax on golden parachutes imposed under Section 4999 of the Code, then those payments or benefits will be reduced if such reduction would result in a higher net after-tax benefit to Mr. Harvey.

Blake Aftab, Ph.D.

In April 2021, we entered into an employment agreement with Dr. Aftab, as amended in October 2021. Under his amended agreement, Dr. Aftab is entitled to receive an annual base salary, an annual target bonus expressed as a percentage of his base salary and reimbursements for reasonable expenses, and is eligible to participate in our employee benefit plans, subject to the terms of such plans. Under the amended agreement, the company provided Dr. Aftab with a fully taxable relocation allowance of up to $6,250 per month (for up to four years from his permanent relocation date), less all required deductions and withholdings.

In the event Dr. Aftab’s employment is terminated by us without cause or by him for good reason, and such termination occurs outside of a change in control period, Dr. Aftab will be eligible to receive, subject to his execution and non-revocation of a release in favor of the Company, (i) an amount equal to nine (9) months of Dr. Aftab’s base salary; (ii) any unpaid bonus earned for the year preceding the date of Dr. Aftab’s employment termination, payable at the time it otherwise would have been paid had Dr. Aftab’s employment with the Company not terminated; (iii) an amount equal to the lesser of (A) nine (9) months of the monthly relocation allowance or (ii) the number of months of the monthly relocation allowance remaining in the four-year period following his permanent relocation; and (iv) a monthly cash payment (including a gross up payment to account for applicable taxes and withholdings) equal to the monthly employer contribution that the Company would have made to provide health insurance to Dr. Aftab and covered dependents if Dr. Aftab had remained employed by the Company until the earliest of (A) the nine (9) month anniversary of the date of termination; (B) the date that Dr. Aftab becomes eligible for group medical plan benefits under any other employer’s group medical plan; or (C) the cessation of Dr. Aftab’s health continuation rights under COBRA. The amounts payable under (i) and (iv), to the extent taxable, shall be paid out in substantially equal installments in accordance with the Company’s payroll practice over nine (9) months commencing within 60 days after the date of termination.

Dr. Aftab’s employment agreement further provides that, in the event that his employment is terminated by us without cause or by him for good reason, and such termination occurs within the 12-month period following a change of control, then in lieu of the payments and benefits described above, Dr. Aftab shall be entitled to receive, subject to his execution and non-revocation of a release in favor of the Company, (i) a lump sum in cash in an amount equal to one (1) times the sum of (A) Dr. Aftab’s then-current base salary (or Dr. Aftab’s base salary in effect immediately prior to the change in control, if higher) plus (B) Dr. Aftab’s target bonus for the then-current year (or Dr. Aftab’s target bonus in effect immediately prior to the change in control, if higher), (ii) any unpaid bonus earned for the year preceding the date of Dr. Aftab’s employment termination, payable at the time it otherwise would have been paid had Dr. Aftab’s employment with the Company not terminated, (iii) an amount equal to the lesser of (A) nine (9) months of the monthly relocation allowance or (ii) the number of months of the monthly relocation allowance remaining in the four-year period following his permanent relocation; (iv) 100% acceleration of all time-based equity awards held as of the date of termination and (v) subject to his election of COBRA health continuation coverage, for up to twelve (12) months or his COBRA health continuation period, whichever ends earlier, a monthly cash payment equal to the monthly employer contribution that the Company would have made to provide health insurance to him if he has remained employed by the Company. All references to “cause,” “good reason,” “change in control period” and “change in control” are as defined in his employment agreement.

Francesco Galimi

In October 2021, we entered into an employment agreement with Dr. Galimi. Under his employment agreement, Dr. Galimi was entitled to receive an annual base salary, an annual target bonus expressed as a percentage, reimbursements for reasonable expenses, and was eligible to participate in our employee benefit plans, subject to the terms of such plans. The

121


 

company also provides Dr. Galimi with a fully taxable commuter reimbursement for reasonable travel, less all required deductions and withholdings.

In the event Dr. Galimi’s employment was terminated by us without cause or by him for good reason, and such termination occurs outside of a change in control period, Dr. Galimi was eligible to receive, subject to his execution and non-revocation of a separation agreement and release in favor of the Company, (i) an amount equal to nine (9) months of Dr. Galimi’s base salary; (ii) any unpaid bonus earned for the year preceding the date of Dr. Galimi’s employment termination, payable at the time it otherwise would have been paid had Dr. Galimi’s employment with the Company not terminated; and (iii) a monthly cash payment (including a gross up payment to account for applicable taxes and withholdings) equal to the monthly employer contribution that the Company would have made to provide health insurance to Dr. Galini and covered dependents if Dr. Galimi had remained employed by the Company until the earliest of (A) the nine (9) month anniversary of the date of termination; (B) the date that Dr. Galimi becomes eligible for group medical plan benefits under any other employer’s group medical plan; or (C) the cessation of Dr. Galimi’s health continuation rights under COBRA. The amounts payable under (i) and (iii), to the extent taxable, are paid out in substantially equal installments in accordance with the Company’s payroll practice over nine (9) months commencing within 60 days after the date of termination.

Dr. Galimi’s employment agreement further provided that, in the event that his employment was terminated by us without cause or by him for good reason, and such termination occurred within the 12-month period following a change in control, then in lieu of the payments and benefits described above, Dr. Galimi would be entitled to receive, subject to his execution and non-revocation of a release in favor of the Company, (i) a lump sum in cash in an amount equal to one (1) times the sum of (A) Dr. Galimi’s then-current base salary (or Dr. Galimi’s base salary in effect immediately prior to the change in control, if higher) plus (B) Dr. Galimi’s target bonus for the then-current year (or Dr. Galimi’s target bonus in effect immediately prior to the change in control, if higher), (ii) any unpaid bonus earned for the year preceding the date of Dr. Galimi’s employment termination, payable at the time it otherwise would have been paid had Dr. Galimi’s employment with the Company not terminated, (iii) 100% acceleration of all time-based equity awards held as of the date of termination and (iv) subject to his election of COBRA health continuation coverage, for up to twelve (12) months or his COBRA health continuation period, whichever ends earlier, a monthly cash payment equal to the monthly employer contribution that the Company would have made to provide health insurance to him if he has remained employed by the Company. All references to “cause,” “good reason,” “change in control period” and “change in control” are as defined in his employment agreement.

In December 2024, we entered into a separation agreement and release with Dr. Galimi. Under his separation agreement and release, Mr. Galimi was entitled to receive (i) an amount equal to nine (9) months of Dr. Galimi’s base salary; and (ii) a monthly cash payment (including a gross up payment to account for applicable taxes and withholdings) equal to the monthly employer contribution that the Company would have made to provide health insurance to Dr. Galini and covered dependents if Dr. Galimi had remained employed by the Company until the earliest of (A) the nine (9) month anniversary of the date of termination; (B) the date that Dr. Galimi becomes eligible for group medical plan benefits under any other employer’s group medical plan; or (C) the cessation of Dr. Galimi’s health continuation rights under COBRA.

Compensation Risk Assessment

We believe that although a portion of the compensation provided to our executive officers and other employees is performance-based, our executive compensation program does not encourage excessive or unnecessary risk taking. Our compensation programs are designed to encourage our executive officers and other employees to remain focused on both short-term and long-term strategic goals, in particular in connection with our pay-for-performance compensation philosophy. As a result, we do not believe that our compensation programs are reasonably likely to have a material adverse effect on us.

122


 

Outstanding Equity Awards at 2024 Fiscal Year End Table

 

 

 

 

Option Awards(1)

 

 

Stock Awards

 

 

 

Grant Date and Vesting Commencement Date

 

Number of Securities
Underlaying Unexercised Options(#)

 

 

 

Option
Exercise
Price($)
(2)

 

 

Expiration
 Date

 

Number of
Shares or
Units of
Stock that
Have Not
Vested (#)

 

 

Market Value
of Shares or
Units that
Have Not
Vested ($)
(3)

 

Name

 

 

 

Exercisable

 

 

Unexercisable

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chen Schor

(4)

9/15/2020

 

 

36,857

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2.14

 

 

12/5/2029

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chen Schor

(4)

9/17/2020

 

 

872,111

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2.14

 

 

9/17/2030

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chen Schor

(5)

1/13/2021

 

 

235,000

 

 

 

5,000

 

 

 

 

2.14

 

 

1/12/2031

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chen Schor

(5)

2/12/2021

 

 

404,033

 

 

 

17,567

 

 

 

 

2.14

 

 

2/11/2031

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chen Schor

(5)

1/7/2022

 

 

215,104

 

 

 

79,896

 

 

 

 

2.14

 

 

1/6/2032

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chen Schor

(6)

1/24/2023

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

57,000

 

 

 

54,720

 

Chen Schor

(5)

1/24/2023

 

 

184,431

 

 

 

200,469

 

 

 

 

2.14

 

 

1/23/2033

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chen Schor

(7)

1/24/2024

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

70,300

 

 

 

67,488

 

Chen Schor

(5)

1/24/2024

 

 

255,956

 

 

 

860,947

 

 

 

 

2.40

 

 

1/23/2034

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chen Schor

(5)

1/26/2024

 

 

405,722

 

 

 

1,364,705

 

 

 

 

2.53

 

 

1/25/2034

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nick Harvey

(8)

1/13/2021

 

 

88,125

 

 

 

1,875

 

 

 

 

2.14

 

 

1/12/2031

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nick Harvey

(8)

2/12/2021

 

 

27,025

 

 

 

1,175

 

 

 

 

2.14

 

 

2/11/2031

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nick Harvey

(5)

1/7/2022

 

 

91,145

 

 

 

33,855

 

 

 

 

2.14

 

 

1/6/2032

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nick Harvey

(6)

1/24/2023

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

17,400

 

 

 

16,704

 

Nick Harvey

(5)

1/24/2023

 

 

56,158

 

 

 

61,042

 

 

 

 

2.14

 

 

1/23/2033

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nick Harvey

(4)

8/14/2023

 

 

176,308

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2.14

 

 

8/13/2033

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nick Harvey

(7)

1/24/2024

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

26,300

 

 

 

25,248

 

Nick Harvey

(5)

1/24/2024

 

 

66,005

 

 

 

222,017

 

 

 

 

2.40

 

 

1/23/2034

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nick Harvey

(5)

1/26/2024

 

 

85,898

 

 

 

288,931

 

 

 

 

2.53

 

 

1/25/2034

 

 

 

 

 

 

Blake Aftab

(8) (9)

4/30/2021

 

 

45,833

 

 

 

4,167

 

 

 

 

2.14

 

 

4/29/2031

 

 

 

 

 

 

Blake Aftab

(8)

10/12/2021

 

 

44,112

 

 

 

12,500

 

 

 

 

2.14

 

 

10/11/2031

 

 

 

 

 

Blake Aftab

(8)

1/7/2022

 

 

91,145

 

 

 

33,855

 

 

 

 

2.14

 

 

1/6/2032

 

 

 

 

 

Blake Aftab

(8) (10)

5/10/2022

 

 

40,000

 

 

 

20,000

 

 

 

 

2.14

 

 

5/9/2022

 

 

 

 

 

 

Blake Aftab

(6)

1/24/2023

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

17,400

 

 

 

16,704

 

Blake Aftab

(5)

1/24/2023

 

 

56,158

 

 

 

61,042

 

 

 

 

2.14

 

 

1/23/2033

 

 

 

 

Blake Aftab

(7)

1/24/2024

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

19,700

 

 

 

18,912

 

Blake Aftab

(5)

1/24/2024

 

 

55,268

 

 

 

185,905

 

 

 

 

2.40

 

 

1/23/2034

 

 

 

 

Blake Aftab

(5)

1/26/2024

 

 

77,208

 

 

 

259,703

 

 

 

 

2.53

 

 

1/25/2034

 

 

 

 

Francesco Galimi

(8)

10/15/2019

 

 

113,652

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2.14

 

 

3/13/2025

 

 

 

 

 

 

Francesco Galimi

(5)

9/17/2020

 

 

77,269

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2.14

 

 

3/13/2025

 

 

 

 

 

 

Francesco Galimi

(5)

1/13/2021

 

 

72,297

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2.14

 

 

3/13/2025

 

 

 

 

 

 

Francesco Galimi

(5)

2/12/2021

 

 

25,441

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2.14

 

 

3/13/2025

 

 

 

 

 

 

Francesco Galimi

(5)

1/7/2022

 

 

91,145

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2.14

 

 

3/13/2025

 

 

 

 

 

 

Francesco Galimi

(5)

1/24/2023

 

 

53,716

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2.14

 

 

3/13/2025

 

 

 

 

 

 

Francesco Galimi

(5)

1/24/2024

 

 

60,027

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2.40

 

 

3/13/2025

 

 

 

 

 

 

Francesco Galimi

(5)

1/26/2024

 

 

78,141

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2.53

 

 

3/13/2025

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(1)
All equity awards listed in this table were granted pursuant to our 2015 Plan and 2018 Plan.
(2)
For options granted prior to August 13, 2023, the option exercise prices reflects the effect of the option repricing which took effect on August 14, 2024 and reduced the exercise price of outstanding options under the 2018 and 2015 Plans to $2.14. Options granted after August 14, 2023 have an exercise price equal to the closing stock price on the date of grant.
(3)
The market value is based on the closing price of our common stock on December 31, 2024, the last trading day of our fiscal year 2024, in the amount of $0.96 per share.
(4)
Represents fully vested shares of common stock subject to this option.

123


 

(5)
1/48th of the shares subject to the option vest on each of the next forty-eight (48) monthly anniversaries of the vesting commencement date, provided that the optionee remains in continuous service as of the applicable vesting date.
(6)
Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) vest in three (3) annual installments, with 1/3 vesting on each of January 24, 2024, January 24, 2025 and January 24, 2026.
(7)
Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) vest in three (3) annual installments, with 1/3 vesting on each of January 24, 2025, January 24, 2026 and January 24, 2027.
(8)
25% of the shares subject to the option vest twelve (12) months after the vesting commencement date, and 1/36th of the remaining unvested shares subject to the option vest on each of the next thirty-six (36) monthly anniversaries of the vesting commencement date thereafter, provided that the optionee remains in continuous service as of the applicable vesting date.
(9)
The vesting commencement date for this grant is April 5, 2021.
(10)
The vesting commencement date for this grant is April 29, 2022.

Director Compensation

The table below shows all compensation earned by or paid to our non-employee directors during 2024. Mr. Schor, our chief executive officer, did not receive any compensation for his services as director in 2024 and, consequently, is not included in this table. The compensation received by Mr. Schor during 2024 is set forth in the section of this Annual Report on Form 10-K captioned “2024 Summary Compensation Table”.

Name

 

Fees Earned
($)
(1)

 

Stock
Awards
($)
(2)(3)

 

Option Awards
($)
(2)(3)

 

Total ($)

 

Jeffrey Chodakewitz, M.D.

 

45,000

 

 

8,496

 

 

27,298

 

 

80,794

 

Steve Dubin

 

59,000

 

 

8,496

 

 

27,298

 

 

94,794

 

Carl L. Gordon, Ph.D.

 

 

80,000

 

 

 

8,496

 

 

27,298

 

 

115,794

 

Aya Jakobovits, Ph.D.

 

 

45,000

 

 

 

8,496

 

 

27,298

 

 

80,794

 

Michael Kauffman, M.D. Ph.D.(4)

 

 

27,978

 

 

 

8,496

 

 

27,298

 

 

63,772

 

Lloyd Klickstein, M.D. Ph.D.(5)

 

 

16,141

 

 

 

 

 

79,636

 

 

95,777

 

Katie Peng

 

 

47,500

 

 

 

8,496

 

 

27,298

 

 

83,294

 

Andrew Sinclair, Ph.D.

 

 

55,500

 

 

 

8,496

 

 

27,298

 

 

91,294

 

(1)
Amounts represent cash compensation for services rendered by each member of the board of directors.
(2)
Amounts shown reflect the grant date fair value of stock option and restricted stock unit awards granted during 2024. The grant date fair value was computed in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718 disregarding the effect of estimated forfeitures related to service-based vesting. These amounts reflect the accounting cost for the stock options and RSU awards and do not correspond to the actual economic value that may be received by the director upon exercise of the stock options. See Note 12 to this Annual Report on Form 10-K regarding certain assumptions underlying the valuation of equity awards.
(3)
The following table shows the number of outstanding stock options and restricted stock units held by our directors as of December 31, 2024:

Name

 

Number of Shares
Underlying
Outstanding
Stock Options

 

 

Number of Shares
Underlying
Unvested
Restricted Stock Units

 

Jeffrey Chodakewitz, M.D.

 

119,800

 

 

 

5,900

 

Steve Dubin

 

119,800

 

 

 

5,900

 

Carl L. Gordon, Ph.D.

 

119,800

 

 

 

5,900

 

Aya Jakobovits, Ph.D.

 

119,800

 

 

 

5,900

 

Michael Kauffman, M.D. Ph.D.

 

 

 

 

 

Lloyd Klickstein, M.D. Ph.D.

 

150,200

 

 

 

 

Katie Peng

 

 

96,600

 

 

 

5,900

 

Andrew Sinclair, Ph.D.

 

126,800

 

 

 

5,900

 

(4)
Dr. Kauffman resigned from our board of directors, effective August 19, 2024. His cash fees earned represent a pro-rated amount from January 1, 2024 through August 19, 2024, the date he ceased being a member of our board of directors.

124


 

(5)
Dr. Klickstein was appointed to the board, effective August 19, 2024. Dr. Klickstein received an initial stock option grant to purchase 70,200 shares of the Company’s common stock. In addition, Dr. Klickstein replaced Dr. Kauffman as a member of the nominating and corporate governance committee, effective August 19, 2024. His cash fees earned represent a pro-rated amount from August 19, 2024 through December 31, 2024.

Under our director compensation program, we pay our non-employee directors a cash retainer for service on the board of directors and for service on each committee on which the director is a member. The chairman of each committee receives a higher retainer for such service. These fees are payable in arrears in four equal quarterly installments on the last day of each quarter, provided that the amount of such payment is prorated for any portion of such quarter that the director is not serving on our board of directors. The fees paid to non-employee directors for service on the board of directors and for service on each committee of the board of directors on which the director is a member are as follows:

 

 

Member
Annual Fee

 

 

Chairperson
Additional
Annual Fee

 

Board of Directors

$

40,000

 

$

30,000

 

Audit Committee

 

7,500

 

 

15,000

 

Compensation Committee

 

5,000

 

 

10,000

 

Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee

 

4,000

 

 

8,000

 

We also reimburse our non-employee directors for reasonable travel and out-of-pocket expenses incurred by our non-employee directors in connection with attending our meetings of the board of directors and committees thereof.

In addition, effective as of January 24, 2023, each new non-employee director elected to our board of directors will be granted an initial, one-time award of a stock option to purchase 70,200 shares, which shall vest in thirty-six (36) equal monthly installments over a three-year period from the date of grant, subject to continued service as a director through each such vesting date. Additionally, on the date of each annual meeting of stockholders of our company, each continuing non-employee director will receive an annual equity award of 26,400 options and 5,900 restricted stock units which shall vest in full upon the earlier to occur of the first anniversary of the date of grant or the date of the next annual meeting of stockholders; provided, however, that all vesting shall cease if the director resigns from the board of directors or otherwise ceases to serve as a director, unless the board of directors determines that the circumstances warrant continuation of vesting. This non-employee director compensation program is intended to provide a total compensation package that enables us to attract and retain qualified and experienced individuals to serve as directors and to align our directors’ interests with those of our stockholders.

Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters.

Equity Compensation Plan Information

The following table provides information as of December 31, 2024 with respect to the shares of our common stock that may be issued under our existing equity compensation plans.

Plan Category

 

Number of Securities
To Be Issued Upon
Exercise of
Outstanding Options, Warrants and Rights

 

 

Weighted Average
Exercise Price of
Outstanding Options, Warrants and Rights

 

 

Number of Securities
Remaining Available
for Future Issuance
under Equity Compensation Plans
(Excluding Securities in First Column)

 

Equity compensation plans approved by security holders(1)(2)(3)(4)

 

 

14,126,176

 

(5)

$

2.68

 

 

 

3,796,336

 

Equity compensation plans not approved by security holders

 

 

1,558,750

 

(6)

$

6.63

 

 

 

441,250

 

Total

 

 

15,684,926

 

 

$

3.09

 

 

 

4,237,586

 

(1)
Includes the following plans: our 2014 Share Option Plan (2014 Plan), 2015 Plan, the 2017 Plan, the 2018 Plan, and 2018 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (2018 ESPP).
(2)
As of December 31, 2024, a total of 15,857,403 shares of our common stock are authorized for issuance pursuant to the Amended 2018 Plan, which number excludes the 4,542,314 shares that were added to the Amended 2018 Plan as a result of the automatic annual increase of 5% on January 1, 2025.

125


 

(3)
As of December 31, 2024, a total of 1,155,556 shares of our common stock are authorized for issuance pursuant to the 2018 ESPP, which number excludes the 824,009 shares that were added to the 2018 ESPP as a result of the automatic annual increase of 1% on January 1, 2025.
(4)
As of December 31, 2024, an aggregate of 870,302 shares of common stock were issuable upon the exercise of outstanding stock options under the 2015 Plan at a weighted average exercise price of $2.14 per share and an aggregate of 18,987 shares of common stock were issuable upon the exercise of outstanding stock options under the 2014 Plan at a weighted average exercise price of $1.61 per share. Pursuant to the Amended 2018 Plan, any shares of Common Stock subject to outstanding grants under the 2015 Plan that terminate, expire or are canceled, forfeited, exchanged or surrendered without having been exercised, vested or paid under the 2015 Plan after the Effective Date of the Amended 2018 Plan shall be available for issuance under the Amended 2018 Plan (such shares, the “Rollover Shares”). As of December 31, 2024, a total of 20,264 shares of our common stock were available for issuance under the 2018 Plan as Rollover Shares from the 2015 Plan. Since the date of effectiveness of the Merger, the Company has not and will not grant any further awards under the 2014 Plan. Additionally, since the date of the 2023 Shareholder meeting, the Company has not and will not grant any further awards under the 2015 Plan.
(5)
Includes: (i) an aggregate of 12,517,231 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of outstanding stock options under the Amended 2018 Plan; (ii) 719,656 shares of common stock issuable upon the vesting of RSUs under the Amended 2018 Plan; (iii) 870,302 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of outstanding stock options under the 2015 Plan; and (iv) 18,987 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of outstanding stock options under the 2014 Plan.
(6)
Represents option awards granted to individuals as an inducement material to the individual’s entry into employment with us. Each such grant was approved by our Compensation Committee. Under applicable Nasdaq listing rules, inducement grants are not subject to stockholder approval. In January 2022, our board of directors approved the 2022 Inducement Plan (Inducement Plan) and authorized 1,000,000 shares for issuance under the Inducement Plan. In January 2023, our board of directors amended the Inducement Plan to increase the authorized shares to 2,000,000. In January 2025, our board of directors amended the Inducement Plan to increase the authorized shares to 2,750,000.

126


 

 

Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management

The following table sets forth information, to the extent known by us or ascertainable from public filings, with respect to the beneficial ownership of our common stock as of March 3, 2025 by:

1.
each of our directors;
2.
each of our named executive officers;
3.
all of our directors and executive officers as a group; and
4.
each person, or group of affiliated persons, who is known by us to beneficially own greater-than-5.0% of our common stock.

The column entitled “Shares of Common Stock Beneficially Owned” is based on a total of 82,661,803 shares of our common stock outstanding as of March 3, 2025.

Beneficial ownership is determined in accordance with the rules and regulations of the SEC and includes voting or investment power with respect to our common stock. Shares of our common stock subject to stock options that are currently exercisable or exercisable within 60 days of March 3, 2025, and any RSUs that vest within 60 days of March 3, 2025, are considered outstanding and beneficially owned by the person holding the stock options and RSUs for the purpose of calculating the percentage ownership of that person but not for the purpose of calculating the percentage ownership of any other person. Except as otherwise noted, the persons and entities in this table have sole voting and investing power with respect to all of the shares of our common stock beneficially owned by them, subject to community property laws, where applicable. Unless otherwise indicated, the address for each beneficial owner is c/o Adicet Bio, Inc., 131 Dartmouth Street, 3rd Floor, Boston, Massachusetts 02116.

 

Name of Beneficial Owner

 

Shares of
Common Stock Beneficially Owned

 

 

Percentage of Shares

 

Greater than 5% Stockholders

 

 

 

 

 

 

Entities affiliated with OrbiMed (1)

 

 

11,546,440

 

 

 

14.0

%

RA Capital Healthcare Fund, L.P. (2)

 

 

8,308,532

 

 

 

10.0

%

Tang Capital Partners, LP (3)

 

 

8,145,988

 

 

 

9.9

%

Named Executive Officers and Directors

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chen Schor (4)

 

 

3,135,518

 

 

 

3.7

%

Nick Harvey (5)

 

 

754,202

 

 

*

 

Blake Aftab Ph.D. (6)

 

 

543,844

 

 

*

 

Jeffrey Chodakewitz, M.D. (7)

 

 

99,300

 

 

*

 

Steve Dubin (8)

 

 

104,300

 

 

*

 

Carl L. Gordon, Ph.D. (1)

 

 

11,546,440

 

 

 

14.0

%

Aya Jakobovits, Ph.D. (9)

 

 

950,062

 

 

 

1.1

%

Lloyd Klickstein, M.D., Ph.D. (10)

 

 

198,266

 

 

*

 

Katie Peng (11)

 

 

46,850

 

 

*

 

Andrew Sinclair, Ph.D. (12)

 

 

106,300

 

 

*

 

All Current Executive Officers and Directors as a Group (12 persons) (13)

 

 

18,113,044

 

 

 

20.6

%

* Represents beneficial ownership of less than one percent.

(1)
Based solely on a Schedule 13D/A filed with the SEC on March 21, 2024 by OrbiMed Advisors LLC, OrbiMed Advisors Israel II Limited, OrbiMed Israel GP II, L.P., OrbiMed Israel GP Ltd., OrbiMed Israel BioFund GP Limited Partnership, OrbiMed Capital GP V LLC, OrbiMed Capital GP VI LLC, OrbiMed Genesis GP LLC, Carl L. Gordon and Erez Chimovits. Consists of (i) 99,300 shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of options held by Dr. Gordon exercisable within 60 days of March 3, 2025, (ii) 5,900 shares of common stock held by Dr. Gordon, (iii) 1,255,985 shares of common stock held by OrbiMed Genesis Master Fund, L.P. (Genesis), (iv) 1,027,885 shares of common stock held by OrbiMed Israel Partners Limited Partnership (OIP), (v) 646,657 shares of common stock held by OrbiMed Israel Partners II, L.P. (OIP II), (vi) 7,526,359 shares of common stock held by OrbiMed Private Investments V, LP (OPI V), and (vii) 990,254 shares of common stock held by OrbiMed Private

127


 

Investments VI, LP (OPI VI). OrbiMed Genesis GP LLC (Genesis GP) is the general partner of Genesis and OrbiMed Advisors LLC (OrbiMed Advisors) is the managing member of Genesis GP. By virtue of such relationships, Genesis GP and OrbiMed Advisors may be deemed to have voting power and investment power over the securities held by Genesis and as a result, may be deemed to have beneficial ownership over such securities. OrbiMed Israel BioFund GP Limited Partnership (BioFund GP) is the general partner of OIP and OrbiMed Israel GP Ltd. (Israel GP) is the general partner of BioFund GP. By virtue of such relationships, BioFund GP and Israel GP may be deemed to have voting power and investment power over the securities held by OIP and as a result, may be deemed to have beneficial ownership over such securities. Israel GP exercises its investment and voting power through a management committee comprised of Dr. Gordon and Mr. Chimovits, each of whom disclaims beneficial ownership of the shares of common stock held by OIP. OrbiMed Israel GP II, L.P. (Israel GP II) is the general partner of OIP II and OrbiMed Advisors Israel II Limited (Advisors Israel) is the general partner of Israel GP II. By virtue of such relationships, Israel GP II and Advisors Israel may be deemed to have voting power and investment power over the securities held by OIP II and as a result, may be deemed to have beneficial ownership over such securities. Advisors Israel exercises its investment and voting power through a management committee comprised of Dr. Gordon, David P. Bonita, and Mr. Chimovits, each of whom disclaims beneficial ownership of the shares held by OIP II. OrbiMed Capital GP V LLC (GP V) is the general partner of OPI V and OrbiMed Advisors is the managing member of GP V. By virtue of such relationships, GP V and OrbiMed Advisors may be deemed to have voting power and investment power over the securities held by OPI V and as a result, may be deemed to have beneficial ownership over such securities. OrbiMed Capital GP VI LLC (GP VI) is the general partner of OPI VI and OrbiMed Advisors is the managing member of GP VI. By virtue of such relationships, GP VI and OrbiMed Advisors may be deemed to have voting power and investment power over the securities held by OPI VI and as a result, may be deemed to have beneficial ownership over such securities. OrbiMed Advisors exercises its investment and voting power through a management committee comprised of Dr. Gordon, Sven H. Borho, and W. Carter Neild, each of whom disclaims beneficial ownership of the shares of common stock held by Genesis, OPI V, and OPI VI. Dr. Gordon, a member of OrbiMed Advisors, is a member of our board of directors. OrbiMed Advisors has its principal offices at 601 Lexington Avenue, 54th Floor, New York, New York 10022. Israel GP and Advisors Israel II have their principal offices at 5 Hahoshlim Street, Building B, 1st Floor, Herzliya Pituach, Israel.
(2)
Based solely on a Schedule 13G/A filed with the SEC on November 14, 2024 by RA Capital Management, L.P. (RA Capital). Consists of (i) 7,541,000 shares of common stock held by RA Capital Healthcare Fund, L.P. (the Fund), (ii) 767,532 shares of common stock that the Fund beneficially owns based on the right to acquire upon exercise of pre-funded warrants, subject to the beneficial ownership blocker of the pre-funded warrants. The beneficial ownership blocker of the pre-funded warrants precludes the exercise of the pre-funded warrants to the extent that, following exercise, the Fund, together with its affiliates, would beneficially own more than 9.99% of the shares of common stock outstanding immediately after giving effect to the exercise. Does not include pre-funded warrants to purchase an additional 7,677,801 shares of common stock held by the Fund, which are not deemed beneficially owned by the Fund due to the beneficial ownership blocker. RA Capital Healthcare Fund GP, LLC is the general partner of the Fund. The general partner of RA Capital is RA Capital Management GP, LLC, of which Dr. Peter Kolchinsky and Mr. Rajeev Shah are the controlling persons. RA Capital serves as investment adviser for the Fund and may be deemed a beneficial owner of any securities of the Company held by the Fund. The Fund has delegated to RA Capital the sole power to vote and the sole power to dispose of all securities held in the Fund’s portfolio, including the ordinary shares held by the Fund. Because the Fund has divested itself of voting and investment power over the reported securities it holds and may not revoke that delegation on less than 61 days’ notice, the Fund disclaims beneficial ownership of the securities it holds for purposes of Section 13(d) of the Exchange Act. As managers of RA Capital, Dr. Kolchinsky and Mr. Shah may be deemed beneficial owners, for purposes of Section 13(d) of the Exchange Act, of any securities of the Company beneficially owned by RA Capital. RA Capital, Dr. Kolchinsky, and Mr. Shah disclaim beneficial ownership of securities reported herein. The address for RA Capital is 200 Berkeley Street, 18th Floor, Boston, MA 02116.
(3)
Based solely on Schedule 13F filed with the SEC on February 14, 2025 by Tang Capital Partners, LP (Tang Capital), Tang Capital Management, LLC (Tang Capital Management), and Kevin Tang. Tang Capital Management is the general partner of Tang Capital and Kevin Tang is the manager of Tang Capital Management. All parties share voting and dispositive power over the shares of common stock reported. The principal address of Tang Capital, Tang Capital Management and Kevin Tang is 4747 Executive Drive, Suite 210, San Diego, CA 92121.
(4)
Consists of (i) 61,835 shares of common stock held directly by Mr. Schor, (ii) 53,424 shares of common stock held directly by The C. Schor IRRV Trust, an irrevocable family trust having an independent trustee, (iii) 43,469 shares of common stock held directly by The I. Schor IRRV Trust, an irrevocable family trust having an independent

128


 

trustee and (iv) 2,976,790 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of options held by Mr. Schor exercisable within 60 days of March 3, 2025.
(5)
Consists of (i) 64,815 shares of common stock held by Mr. Harvey, and (ii) 689,387 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of options held by Mr. Harvey exercisable within 60 days of March 3, 2025.
(6)
Consists of (i) 34,408 shares of common stock held by Dr. Aftab, and (ii) 509,436 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of options held by Dr. Aftab exercisable within 60 days of March 3, 2025.
(7)
Consists of (i) 5,900 shares of common stock held by Dr. Chodakewitz and (ii) 93,400 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of options held by Dr. Chodakewitz exercisable within 60 days of March 3, 2025.
(8)
Consists of (i) 5,000 shares of common stock held by a revocable trust of which Mr. Dubin and his spouse are co-trustees, (ii) 5,900 shares of common stock held by Mr. Dubin and (iii) 93,400 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of options held by Mr. Dubin exercisable within 60 days of March 3, 2025.
(9)
Consists of (i) 356,343 shares of common stock held directly by an irrevocable family trust of which Dr. Jakobovits' spouse is the trustee and Dr. Jakobovits' daughter is the beneficiary, (ii) 356,343 shares of common stock held directly by an irrevocable family trust of which Dr. Jakobovits' spouse is the trustee and Dr. Jakobovits' son is the beneficiary, (iii) 138,076 shares of common stock held by a revocable trust of which Dr. Jakobovits and her spouse are co-trustees, (iv) 5,900 shares of common stock held by Dr. Jakobovits and (v) 93,400 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of options held by Dr. Jakobovits exercisable within 60 days of March 3, 2025.
(10)
Consists of (i) 102,666 shares of common stock held by Dr. Klickstein and (ii) 95,600 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of options held by Dr. Klickstein exercisable within 60 days of March 3, 2025.
(11)
Consists of (i) 5,900 shares of common stock held by Dr. Peng and (ii) 40,950 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of options held by Ms. Peng exercisable within 60 days of March 3, 2025.
(12)
Consists of (i) 5,900 shares of common stock held by Dr. Sinclair and (ii) 100,400 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of options held by Dr. Sinclair exercisable within 60 days of March 3, 2025.
(13)
Includes (i) the shares of common stock described in note (1), (4), (5) and (6) through (13) above, (ii) 41,936 shares of common stock held by other executive officers Donald Healey, Ph.D., our Chief Technology Officer and Julia Maltzman, M.D., our Chief Medical Officer, (iii) 568,026 shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of options held by Dr. Healey and Dr. Maltzman exercisable within 60 days of March 3, 2025.

Certain Relationships and Transactions

Other than the compensation agreements and other arrangements described under “Executive Compensation” and “Director Compensation” above, since January 1, 2023, there has not been and there is not currently proposed, any transaction or series of similar transactions to which we were, or will be, a party in which the amount involved exceeded, or will exceed, $120,000 (or, if less, 1% of the average of our total assets amounts at December 31, 2024 and 2023) and in which any director, executive officer, holder of five percent or more of any class of our capital stock or any member of the immediate family of, or entities affiliated with, any of the foregoing persons, had, or will have, a direct or indirect material interest.

Underwritten Public Offering

In January 2024, we entered into an underwriting agreement (the Underwriting Agreement) with Jefferies LLC and Guggenheim Securities, LLC, as representatives of the underwriters (the Underwriters), related to an underwritten public offering (the Offering) of 32,379,667 shares of our common stock, which included 5,325,000 shares sold and issued upon the exercise in full by the Underwriters of their option to purchase additional shares of common stock, and, in lieu of common stock to certain investors, pre-funded warrants to purchase 8,445,333 shares of common stock. The shares of common stock were sold at a public offering price of $2.40 per share and the pre-funded warrants were sold at a public offering price of $2.3999 per pre-funded warrant, which represents the per share public offering price of each share of common stock minus the $0.0001 per share exercise price for each pre-funded warrant. We received net proceeds from the Offering, after deducting the underwriting discount and commissions and other estimated offering expenses, of approximately $91.8 million. We may receive nominal proceeds, if any, from the exercise of the pre-funded warrants. Certain of our investors, including entities affiliated with OrbiMed purchased shares from the Underwriters in connection with the Offering.

129


 

The following table summarizes the purchases on January 24, 2024 of our common stock by our directors and 5% stockholders at such date:

Name of Purchaser

Shares Purchased

Aggregate Purchase Price

OrbiMed Private Investments V, LP (1)

1,841,100

$4,418,640

OrbiMed Private Investments VI, LP (1)

 

242,200

 

$581,280

OrbiMed Genesis Master Fund, L.P. (1)

 

1,041,700

 

$2,500,080

Abingworth Bioventures VI LP (2)

 

833,333

 

$1,999,999

(1)
As detailed in the section above titled “Principal Stockholders,” entities affiliated with OrbiMed Advisors LLC (OrbiMed Advisors), including OrbiMed Private Investments V, LP, OrbiMed Private Investments VI, LP and OrbiMed Genesis Master Fund, L.P., hold greater than 5% of our outstanding common stock. Dr. Gordon, a member of our Board of Directors, is a founding member, Managing Partner, and Co-Head of Global Private Equity at OrbiMed Advisors.
(2)
Abingworth Bioventures VI LP has delegated to Abingworth LLP all investment and dispositive power over the securities held of record by Abingworth Bioventures VI LP. Immediately prior to the Offering, entities affiliated with Abingworth LLP held greater than 5% of our outstanding common stock. Dr. Sinclair, a member of our Board of Directors, is a partner at Abingworth LLP.

Limitation of Liability and Indemnification of Officers and Directors

Our certificate of incorporation contains provisions that limit the liability of our directors for monetary damages to the fullest extent permitted by Delaware law. Consequently, our directors will not be personally liable to us or our stockholders for monetary damages for any breach of fiduciary duties as directors, except liability for the following:

any breach of their duty of loyalty to our company or our stockholders;
any act or omission not in good faith or that involves intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law;
unlawful payments of dividends or unlawful stock repurchases or redemptions as provided in Section 174 of the Delaware General Corporation Law (DGCL); or
any transaction from which they derived an improper personal benefit.

Any amendment to, or repeal of, these provisions will not eliminate or reduce the effect of these provisions in respect of any act, omission or claim that occurred or arose prior to that amendment or repeal. If the Delaware General Corporation Law is amended to provide for further limitations on the personal liability of directors of corporations, then the personal liability of our directors will be further limited to the greatest extent permitted by the Delaware General Corporation Law. As further detailed in Proposal No. 4 above, we are also asking our shareholders to amend our Third Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation to limit liability for certain of our officers. Specifically, amended DGCL Section 102(b)(7) only permits exculpation for direct claims brought by stockholders for breach of an officer’s fiduciary duty of care, including class actions, but does not eliminate officers’ monetary liability for breach of fiduciary duty claims brought by the corporation itself or for derivative claims brought by stockholders in the name of the corporation. Furthermore, the limitation on liability does not apply to breaches of the duty of loyalty, acts or omissions not in good faith or that involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law, or any transaction in which the officer derived an improper personal benefit.

In addition, we adopted bylaws which provide that we will indemnify, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any person who is or was a party or is threatened to be made a party to any action, suit or proceeding by reason of the fact that he or she is or was one of our directors or officers or is or was serving at our request as a director or officer of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust, or other enterprise. Our bylaws provide that we may indemnify to the fullest extent permitted by law any person who is or was a party or is threatened to be made a party to any action, suit, or proceeding by reason of the fact that he or she is or was one of our employees or agents or is or was serving at our request as an employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise. Our bylaws also provide that we must advance expenses incurred by or on behalf of a director or officer in advance of the final disposition of any action or proceeding, subject to very limited exceptions.

130


 

We have entered into and, in the future, plan to enter into agreements to indemnify our directors and executive officers. These agreements, among other things, require us to indemnify these individuals for certain expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and settlement amounts reasonably incurred by such person in any action or proceeding, including any action by or in our right, on account of any services undertaken by such person on behalf of our company or that person’s status as a member of our board of directors to the maximum extent allowed under Delaware law.

Related Person Transaction Policy

Our board of directors adopted a written related person transactions policy providing that transactions with our directors, officers and holders of five percent or more of our voting securities and their affiliates, each a related person, must be approved by our Audit Committee. This policy became effective on January 25, 2018, the date our registration statement for our initial public offering became effective, and was amended on December 19, 2022. Pursuant to this policy, the Audit Committee has the primary responsibility for reviewing and approving or disapproving “related person transactions,” which are transactions between us and related persons in which a related person has or will have a direct or indirect material interest. For purposes of this policy, a related person is defined as a director, executive officer, nominee for director, or greater than 5% beneficial owner of our common stock, in each case since the beginning of the most recently completed year, and their immediate family members.

As appropriate for the circumstances, the Audit Committee will review and consider:

1.
the related person’s interest in the related person transaction;
2.
whether the transaction was undertaken in the ordinary course of our business; and
3.
whether the terms of the transaction are no less favorable to us than terms that could have been reached with an unrelated third party.

Director Independence

Applicable Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (Nasdaq) rules require a majority of a listed company’s board of directors to be comprised of independent directors within one year of listing. In addition, the Nasdaq rules require that, subject to specified exceptions, each member of a listed company’s audit, compensation and nominating and corporate governance committees be independent and that audit committee members also satisfy independence criteria set forth in Rule 10A-3 under the Exchange Act and that compensation committee members satisfy independence criteria set forth in Rule 10C-1 under the Exchange Act. Under applicable Nasdaq rules, a director will only qualify as an “independent director” if, in the opinion of the listed company’s board of directors, that person does not have a relationship that would interfere with the exercise of independent judgment in carrying out the responsibilities of a director. In order to be considered independent for purposes of Rule 10A-3, a member of an audit committee of a listed company may not, other than in his or her capacity as a member of the audit committee, the board of directors, or any other board committee, accept, directly or indirectly, any consulting, advisory, or other compensatory fee from the listed company or any of its subsidiaries or otherwise be an affiliated person of the listed company or any of its subsidiaries. In addition, in affirmatively determining the independence of any director who will serve on a company’s compensation committee, Rule 10C-1 under the Exchange Act requires that a company’s board of directors must consider all factors specifically relevant to determining whether a director has a relationship to such company which is material to that director’s ability to be independent from management in connection with the duties of a compensation committee member, including: the source of compensation to the director, including any consulting, advisory or other compensatory fee paid by such company to the director, and whether the director is affiliated with the company or any of its subsidiaries or affiliates.

Our board of directors has determined that all members of the board of directors, except Mr. Schor, are independent directors, including for purposes of the rules of Nasdaq and the SEC. In making such independence determination, our board of directors considered the relationships that each non-employee director has with us and all other facts and circumstances that our board of directors deemed relevant in determining their independence, including the beneficial ownership of our capital stock by each non-employee director. In considering the independence of the directors listed above, our board of directors considered the association of our directors with the holders of more than 5% of our common stock. There are no family relationships among any of our directors or executive officers. Mr. Schor is not an independent director under these rules because he is an executive officer of the Company.

Item 14. Principal Accountant Fees and Services.

131


 

Our independent public accounting firm is KPMG LLP, Boston, Massachusetts (PCAOB Auditor ID: 185).

The following table sets forth all fees paid or accrued by us for professional audit services and other services rendered by KPMG LLP during the years ended December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023.

Fee Category

 

Fiscal Year
2024

 

 

Fiscal Year
2023

 

Audit Fees(1)

$

592,800

 

$

796,500

 

Audit-Related Fees

 

 

Tax Fees(2)

 

 

All Other Fees(3)

 

 

Total Fees

$

592,800

 

$

796,500

 

(1)
Audit fees consist of fees for professional services provided by KPMG LLP for the audit of our annual financial statements, the review of interim consolidated financial statements included in our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and consultations on accounting matters directly related to the audit. Audit fees also consist of fees related to registration statements, comfort letters and consents and fees related to statutory audits of our subsidiary.
(2)
There were no tax fees in fiscal years 2024 and 2023.
(3)
There were no other fees for fiscal years 2024 and 2023.

 

Audit Committee Pre-approval Policy and Procedures

Our Audit Committee has adopted policies and procedures relating to the approval of all audit and non-audit services that are to be performed by our independent registered public accounting firm. This policy provides that we will not engage our independent registered public accounting firm to render audit or non-audit services unless the service is specifically approved in advance by our Audit Committee or the engagement is entered into pursuant to the pre-approval procedure described below.

From time to time, our Audit Committee may pre-approve specified types of services that are expected to be provided to us by our independent registered public accounting firm during the next 12 months. Any such pre-approval details the particular service or type of services to be provided and is also generally subject to a maximum dollar amount.

During our 2024 and 2023 fiscal years, no services were provided to us by KPMG, as applicable, other than in accordance with the pre-approval policies and procedures described above.

132


 

PART IV

Item 15. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules.

(a) The following documents are included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K:

(1)
The following Report and Consolidated Financial Statements of the Company are included in this Annual Report:
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
Consolidated Balance Sheets
Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss
Consolidated Statements of Stockholders’ Equity
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
(2)
Financial Statement Schedules:
All financial statement schedules have been omitted because they are not applicable, not required or the information required is shown in the financial statements or the notes thereto.
(3)
Exhibits. The exhibits filed as part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K are set forth on the Exhibit Index immediately preceding the signature page of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. The Exhibit Index is incorporated herein by reference.

 

 

133


 

ADICET BIO, INC.

INDEX TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

 

Page

 

 

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm (KPMG LLP, Boston, MA, Auditor Firm ID: 185)

F-2

Consolidated Financial Statements

 

Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2024 and 2023

F-3

Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023

F-4

Consolidated Statements of Stockholders’ Equity for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023

F-5

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023

F-6

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

F-7

 

F-1


 

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

To the Stockholders and Board of Directors

Adicet Bio, Inc.:

Opinion on the Consolidated Financial Statements

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Adicet Bio, Inc. and subsidiaries (the Company) as of December 31, 2024 and 2023, the related consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss, stockholders’ equity, and cash flows for the years then ended, and the related notes (collectively, the consolidated financial statements). In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2024 and 2023, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the years then ended, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.

Basis for Opinion

These consolidated financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these consolidated financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the consolidated financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audits, we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.

Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the consolidated financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the consolidated financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the consolidated financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

Critical Audit Matters

Critical audit matters are matters arising from the current period audit of the consolidated financial statements that were communicated or required to be communicated to the audit committee and that: (1) relate to accounts or disclosures that are material to the consolidated financial statements and (2) involved our especially challenging, subjective, or complex judgments. We determined that there are no critical audit matters.

 

/s/ KPMG LLP

 

We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2020.

 

Boston, Massachusetts

March 6, 2025


 

 

F-2


 

Adicet Bio, Inc.

Consolidated Balance Sheets

(in thousands, except share and per share amounts)

 

 

 

December 31,
2024

 

 

December 31,
2023

 

Assets

 

 

 

 

 

 

Current assets:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cash and cash equivalents

 

$

56,495

 

 

$

159,711

 

Short-term investments in treasury securities

 

 

119,808

 

 

 

 

Prepaid expenses and other current assets

 

 

3,833

 

 

 

2,561

 

     Total current assets

 

 

180,136

 

 

 

162,272

 

Restricted cash

 

 

2,903

 

 

 

 

Property and equipment, net

 

 

22,524

 

 

 

26,777

 

Operating lease right-of-use asset

 

 

14,228

 

 

 

17,424

 

Other non-current assets

 

 

428

 

 

 

822

 

     Total assets

 

$

220,219

 

 

$

207,295

 

Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity

 

 

 

 

 

 

Current liabilities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Accounts payable

 

$

4,830

 

 

$

2,625

 

Accrued and other current liabilities

 

 

11,430

 

 

 

13,441

 

Operating lease liability

 

 

3,132

 

 

 

3,221

 

Total current liabilities

 

 

19,392

 

 

 

19,287

 

Operating lease liability, net of current portion

 

 

14,102

 

 

 

17,703

 

Other non-current liabilities

 

 

116

 

 

 

130

 

Total liabilities

 

 

33,610

 

 

 

37,120

 

Commitments and contingencies (Note 10)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stockholders’ equity:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Preferred stock, $0.0001 par value, 10,000,000 shares authorized as of December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively; none issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively

 

 

 

 

 

 

Common stock, $0.0001 par value, 300,000,000 and 150,000,000 shares authorized as of December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively; 82,569,168 and 43,270,386 shares issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively

 

 

8

 

 

 

4

 

Additional paid-in capital

 

 

684,479

 

 

 

550,943

 

Accumulated deficit

 

 

(497,894

)

 

 

(380,772

)

Accumulated other comprehensive income

 

 

16

 

 

 

 

Total stockholders’ equity

 

 

186,609

 

 

 

170,175

 

Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity

 

$

220,219

 

 

$

207,295

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

F-3


 

Adicet Bio, Inc.

Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss

(in thousands, except share and per share amounts)

 

 

 

Years Ended December 31,

 

 

 

2024

 

 

2023

 

Operating expenses:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Research and development

 

$

99,323

 

 

$

106,043

 

General and administrative

 

 

28,292

 

 

 

26,533

 

Goodwill impairment

 

 

 

 

 

19,462

 

Total operating expenses

 

 

127,615

 

 

 

152,038

 

Loss from operations

 

 

(127,615

)

 

 

(152,038

)

Interest income

 

 

10,714

 

 

 

9,978

 

Interest expense

 

 

(4

)

 

 

(25

)

Other expense, net

 

 

(217

)

 

 

(573

)

Loss before income tax provision

 

 

(117,122

)

 

 

(142,658

)

Income tax provision

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net loss

 

$

(117,122

)

 

$

(142,658

)

Net loss per share, basic and diluted

 

$

(1.33

)

 

$

(3.31

)

Weighted-average common shares used in computing net loss per share, basic and diluted

 

 

87,866,435

 

 

 

43,042,405

 

Other comprehensive income

 

 

 

 

 

 

Unrealized gain on treasury securities, net of tax

 

 

16

 

 

 

 

Total other comprehensive income

 

 

16

 

 

 

 

Comprehensive loss

 

$

(117,106

)

 

$

(142,658

)

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

F-4


 

Adicet Bio, Inc.

Consolidated Statements of Stockholders’ Equity

(in thousands, except share amounts)

 

 

Common Stock

 

 

Additional
Paid In

 

 

Accumulated

 

 

Accumulated Other Comprehensive

 

 

Total
Stockholders'

 

 

 

Shares

 

 

Amount

 

 

Capital

 

 

Deficit

 

 

Income

 

 

Equity

 

Balance at December 31, 2022

 

 

42,954,820

 

 

$

4

 

 

$

530,448

 

 

$

(238,114

)

 

$

 

 

$

292,338

 

Issuance of common stock upon exercise of stock options

 

 

946

 

 

 

 

 

 

4

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4

 

Issuance of common stock upon vesting of restricted stock

 

 

194,455

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shares withheld for taxes

 

 

(86,145

)

 

 

 

 

 

(150

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(150

)

Purchase of common stock under Employee Stock Purchase Plan

 

 

206,310

 

 

 

 

 

 

382

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

382

 

Stock-based compensation expense

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

20,259

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

20,259

 

Net loss

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(142,658

)

 

 

 

 

 

(142,658

)

Balance at December 31, 2023

 

 

43,270,386

 

 

$

4

 

 

$

550,943

 

 

$

(380,772

)

 

$

 

 

$

170,175

 

Issuance of common stock upon exercise of stock options

 

 

92,283

 

 

 

 

 

 

195

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

195

 

Issuance of common stock upon vesting of restricted stock

 

 

184,380

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shares withheld for taxes

 

 

(67,813

)

 

 

 

 

 

(141

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(141

)

Issuance of common stock pursuant to at-the-market offering, net of issuance costs of $0.6 million

 

 

6,350,000

 

 

 

1

 

 

 

19,265

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

19,266

 

Issuance of common stock and pre-funded warrants pursuant to underwritten public offering, net of issuance costs of $6.3 million

 

 

32,379,667

 

 

 

3

 

 

 

91,649

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

91,652

 

Purchase of common stock under Employee Stock Purchase Plan

 

 

360,265

 

 

 

 

 

 

335

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

335

 

Stock-based compensation expense

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

22,233

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

22,233

 

Net income

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(117,122

)

 

 

 

 

 

(117,122

)

Other comprehensive income

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

16

 

 

 

16

 

Balance at December 31, 2024

 

 

82,569,168

 

 

$

8

 

 

$

684,479

 

 

$

(497,894

)

 

$

16

 

 

$

186,609

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

F-5


 

Adicet Bio, Inc.

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

(in thousands)

 

 

 

Twelve Months Ended December 31,

 

 

 

2024

 

 

2023

 

Cash flows from operating activities

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net loss

 

$

(117,122

)

 

$

(142,658

)

Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Depreciation and amortization expense

 

 

6,468

 

 

 

6,098

 

Noncash lease expense

 

 

3,197

 

 

 

2,844

 

Stock-based compensation expense

 

 

22,233

 

 

 

20,259

 

Loss on disposal of lease assets

 

 

 

 

 

(4

)

Net amortization of premiums and accretion discounts on investments

 

 

(1,668

)

 

 

 

Goodwill impairment

 

 

 

 

 

19,462

 

Amortization of deferred debt issuance costs

 

 

39

 

 

 

30

 

Changes in operating assets and liabilities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Prepaid expenses and other current assets

 

 

(1,271

)

 

 

926

 

Other non-current assets

 

 

353

 

 

 

358

 

Accounts payable

 

 

1,106

 

 

 

(1,683

)

Operating lease liability

 

 

(3,691

)

 

 

(99

)

Accrued and other current and non-current liabilities

 

 

(2,022

)

 

 

750

 

Net cash used in operating activities

 

 

(92,378

)

 

 

(93,717

)

Cash flows from investing activities

 

 

 

 

 

 

Purchases of short-term treasury securities

 

 

(129,124

)

 

 

 

Maturities of short term treasury securities

 

 

11,000

 

 

 

 

Purchases of property and equipment

 

 

(1,118

)

 

 

(4,464

)

Net cash used in investing activities

 

 

(119,242

)

 

 

(4,464

)

Cash flows from financing activities

 

 

 

 

 

 

Proceeds from issuance of common stock pursuant to at-the-market offering, net of issuance costs

 

 

19,266

 

 

 

 

Proceeds from issuance of common stock and pre-funded warrants pursuant to underwritten public offering, net of issuance costs

 

 

91,652

 

 

 

 

Proceeds from exercise of stock options

 

 

195

 

 

 

4

 

Proceeds from Employee Stock Purchase Plan

 

 

335

 

 

 

382

 

Taxes withheld and paid related to net share settlement of equity awards

 

 

(141

)

 

 

(150

)

Net cash provided by financing activities

 

 

111,307

 

 

 

236

 

Net change in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash

 

 

(100,313

)

 

 

(97,945

)

Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at the beginning of period

 

 

159,711

 

 

 

257,656

 

Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at the end of period

 

$

59,398

 

 

$

159,711

 

Reconciliation of cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash to consolidated balance sheets:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cash and cash equivalents

 

$

56,495

 

 

$

159,711

 

Restricted cash

 

 

2,903

 

 

 

 

Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash in consolidated balance sheets

 

$

59,398

 

 

$

159,711

 

Supplemental cash flow information

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplemental disclosures of noncash investing and financing activities

 

 

 

 

 

 

Purchases of property and equipment included in accounts payable and accrued expenses

 

$

1,454

 

 

$

279

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

F-6


Adicet Bio, Inc.

Adicet Bio, Inc.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

1. Organization and Nature of the Business

Adicet Bio, Inc. (formerly resTORbio, Inc. (resTORbio), together with its subsidiaries, the Company) is a clinical stage biotechnology company discovering and developing allogeneic gamma delta T cell therapies for autoimmune diseases and cancer. The Company is advancing a pipeline of “off-the-shelf” gamma delta T cells, engineered with chimeric antigen receptors (CARs), to facilitate durable activity in patients.

Adicet Bio, Inc. (when referred to prior to the merger, Former Adicet) was incorporated in November 2014 in Delaware. On September 15, 2020, Former Adicet completed a merger (Merger) with resTORbio, pursuant to which Former Adicet merged with a wholly owned subsidiary of resTORbio in an all-stock transaction with Former Adicet surviving as a wholly owned subsidiary of resTORbio and changing its name to “Adicet Therapeutics, Inc.” (Adicet Therapeutics). In connection with the Merger, the Company changed its name from “resTORbio, Inc.” to “Adicet Bio, Inc.” The Company’s principal executive offices are located in Boston, Massachusetts. The Company also has offices in Redwood City, California.

Adicet Bio Israel Ltd. (formerly Applied Immune Technologies Ltd.) (Adicet Israel) is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company and is located in Haifa, Israel. Adicet Israel was founded in 2006. During 2019, the Company consolidated its operations, including research and development activities, in the United States and as a result, substantially reduced its operations in Israel.

Adicet (Shanghai) Biotechnology Co., Ltd. (Adicet Shanghai) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Adicet Therapeutics and is located in Shanghai, China. Adicet Shanghai was founded in May 2024.

In May 2024, the Company initiated research and development activities in China through a series of contractual agreements entered into and among Shanghai Adicet Biotechnology Co., Ltd., a variable interest entity (the Adicet VIE), Adicet Shanghai, and the shareholders of the Adicet VIE. The Company is the primary beneficiary of the Adicet VIE which is considered a consolidated entity under accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (U.S. GAAP). The Company consolidates the financial results of this entity into its consolidated financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP.

Liquidity

The Company has incurred significant net operating losses and negative cash flows from operations and has an accumulated deficit of $497.9 million as of December 31, 2024. The Company has historically financed its operations primarily through a collaboration and licensing arrangement, public and private placements of equity securities and debt, and cash received in the Merger with resTORbio. To date, none of the Company’s product candidates have been approved for sale and therefore the Company has not generated any revenue from product sales. Management expects operating losses and negative cash flows to continue for the foreseeable future, until such time, if ever, that it can generate significant sales of its product candidates currently in development.

On March 12, 2021, the Company entered into a Capital On Demand™ Sales Agreement (the JonesTrading Sales Agreement) with JonesTrading Institutional Services LLC, as sales agent, to provide for the offering, issuance and sale of up to an aggregate amount of $75.0 million of shares of common stock from time to time in “at-the-market” (ATM) offerings. In August 2022, pursuant to the JonesTrading Sales Agreement and subject to the limitations thereof, the Company sold an aggregate of 2,611,723 shares of common stock at $17.23 per share resulting in net proceeds to the Company of $43.4 million after deducting sales agent commissions and expenses. In November 2022, the Company filed a new prospectus supplement to the 2021 Shelf Registration Statement for the offer and sale of up to $100.0 million of shares of common stock from time to time through the sales agent, which includes the $30.0 million of shares of common stock not sold under the original prospectus and up to an additional $70.0 million of shares of common stock (the JonesTrading ATM Program). In January 2024, the Company raised aggregate net proceeds of approximately $19.3 million through the JonesTrading ATM Program. In March 2024, the Company terminated the JonesTrading ATM Program.

On January 22, 2024, Adicet entered into an Underwriting Agreement (the Underwriting Agreement) with Jefferies LLC (Jefferies) and Guggenheim Securities, LLC (the Underwriters) related to an underwritten public offering (the Offering) of 27,054,667 shares (the Shares) of common stock of the Company, par value $0.0001 per share (the Common Stock), and, in lieu of Common Stock to an investor, pre-funded warrants (the Pre-Funded Warrants) to purchase 8,445,333 shares of Common Stock (the Warrant Shares). The Shares were sold at a public offering price of $2.40 per share and the Pre-Funded Warrants were sold at a public offering price of $2.3999 per underlying share, which represents the per share public offering price of each share of common stock minus the $0.0001 per share exercise price for each pre-funded warrant. The purchase price paid by the Underwriters to the Company was $2.256 per Share and $2.2559 per Pre-Funded Warrant, representing a discount to the Underwriters of 6.0%. In addition, the Company granted the Underwriters an option exercisable for 30 days

F-7


Adicet Bio, Inc.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

 

from the date of the Underwriting Agreement to purchase, at the public offering price less underwriting discounts and commissions, up to an additional 5,325,000 shares of Common Stock. On January 23, 2024, the Underwriters exercised this option in full. The Company received net proceeds from the Offering, after deducting the underwriting discount and commissions and other estimated offering expenses, of approximately $91.7 million. The Company may receive nominal proceeds, if any, from the exercise of the Pre-Funded Warrants.

In March 2024, the Company entered into an Open Market Sales AgreementSM (the Jefferies Sales Agreement) with Jefferies to sell shares of its Common Stock from time to time, through an ATM equity offering program under which Jefferies will act as sales agent or principal. As of December 31, 2024, no shares of common stock have been sold under the Jefferies Sales Agreement.

The Company expects that its cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments, including the proceeds raised through the JonesTrading ATM Program and the Offering, will be sufficient to fund its forecasted operating expenses, capital expenditure requirements and debt service payments for at least the next twelve months from the issuance of these consolidated financial statements.

All of the Company’s revenue to date has been generated from a collaboration and license agreement (the Regeneron Agreement) with Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc, (Regeneron). The Company does not expect to generate any significant product revenue until it obtains regulatory approval of and commercializes any of the Company’s product candidates or enters into additional collaborative agreements with third parties, and it does not know when, or if, either will occur. The Company expects to continue to incur significant losses for the foreseeable future, and it expects the losses to increase as the Company continues the development of, and seeks regulatory approvals for, its product candidates and begins to commercialize any approved products. The Company is subject to all of the risks typically related to the development of new product candidates, including, but not limited to, raising additional capital, development by its competitors of new technological innovations, risk of failure in preclinical and clinical studies, safety and efficacy of its product candidates in clinical trials, the risk of relying on external parties such as contract research organizations (CROs) and contract development and manufacturing organizations (CDMOs), the regulatory approval process, market acceptance of the Company’s products once approved, lack of marketing and sales history, dependence on key personnel and protection of proprietary technology and it may encounter unforeseen expenses, difficulties, complications, delays, and other unknown factors that may adversely affect its business.

Until such time as the Company can generate significant revenue from product sales, if ever, the Company expects to finance its operations through the sale of equity, debt financings, collaborative or other arrangements with corporate or other sources of financing. Adequate funding may not be available to the Company on acceptable terms or at all. The Company’s failure to raise capital as and when needed could have a negative impact on its financial condition and the Company’s ability to pursue its business strategies. Although the Company continues to pursue these plans, there is no assurance that the Company will be successful in obtaining sufficient funding on terms acceptable to the Company to fund continuing operations, if at all.

2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Basis of Presentation

The consolidated financial statements and related disclosures have been prepared in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (United States GAAP or GAAP).

Principles of Consolidation

The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its wholly owned subsidiaries. All intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. The United States dollar is the functional and reporting currency of the Company and its subsidiaries.

The Company assesses entities for consolidation based on the specific facts and circumstances surrounding that entity. The Company first considers whether an entity is considered a variable interest entity (VIE) and therefore whether to apply the consolidation guidance under the VIE model. Entities that do not qualify as VIEs are assessed for consolidation as voting interest entities under the voting interest model.

An entity is considered to be a VIE if any of the following conditions exist: (i) the equity investment at risk is not sufficient to finance the activities of the entity without additional subordinated financial support, (ii) as a group, the holders of the equity investment at risk lack the power to direct the activities that most significantly impact the entity’s economic performance or the obligation to absorb the expected losses or right to receive the expected residual returns, and (iii) the voting rights of some holders of the equity investment at risk are disproportionate to their obligation to absorb losses or right to

F-8


Adicet Bio, Inc.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

 

receive returns, and substantially all of the activities are conducted on behalf of the holder of equity investment at risk with disproportionately few voting rights.

The Company consolidates all VIEs in which it is the primary beneficiary. An entity is determined to be the primary beneficiary if it holds a controlling financial interest in a VIE. The consolidation guidance requires an analysis to determine (i) whether an entity in which the Company holds a variable interest is a VIE and (ii) whether the Company’s involvement, through holding interest directly or indirectly in the entity or contractually through other variable interests, would give it a controlling financial interest. Performance of that analysis requires judgment. As described in Note 1, Shanghai Adicet Biotechnology Co., Ltd., has been identified as a VIE and the Company is the primary beneficiary. Refer to Note 18 for additional information and operating activities for the VIE as of December 31, 2024.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosures of contingent liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements as well as the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Such estimates include deferred tax assets, useful lives of property and equipment, accruals for research and development activities, revenue recognition and stock-based compensation and the Company’s incremental borrowing rate. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Goodwill

Goodwill represents the excess of the purchase price over the fair value of net tangible and identified intangible assets acquired in a business combination. Goodwill is not amortized but is evaluated at least annually for impairment or when a change in facts and circumstances indicate that the fair value of the goodwill may be below the carrying value.

Goodwill is tested for impairment at the reporting unit level annually in the fourth quarter, or more frequently when events or changes in circumstances indicate that the asset might be impaired. Examples of such events or circumstances include, but are not limited to, a significant adverse change in legal or business climate, an adverse regulatory action or unanticipated competition. The Company has determined that it operates in a single operating segment and has a single reporting unit.

Prior to performing the impairment test, the Company assesses qualitative factors to determine whether the existence of events or circumstances would indicate that it is more likely than not that the fair value of the reporting unit was less than the carrying amount. If after assessing the totality of events or circumstances, the Company were to determine that it is more likely than not that the fair value of the reporting unit is less than the carrying amount, then the Company would perform a quantitative impairment test.

The quantitative impairment test involves comparing the fair value of the reporting unit to the carrying value. If the fair value of the reporting unit exceeds the carrying value of the net assets, goodwill is not impaired, and no further testing is required. If the fair value of the reporting unit is less than the carrying value, the Company measures the amount of impairment loss, if any, as the excess of the carrying value over the fair value of the reporting unit. The Company performed an interim test for goodwill impairment in the third quarter of the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023 and determined that goodwill was impaired. For additional information regarding this assessment, refer to Note 17. Goodwill to our consolidated financial statements.

Segments

The Company operates and manages its business as one reportable and operating segment, which is the business of research and development of allogeneic gamma delta T cell therapies for autoimmune diseases and cancer. The Company’s Chief Executive Officer, who is the chief operating decision maker, reviews financial information on an aggregate basis for purposes of allocating resources and evaluating financial performance. The Chief Operating Decision Maker (CODM) uses consolidated net loss to monitor budget versus actual results, assess cash runway, and benchmark against the Company’s competitors. The Company adopted ASU No. 2023-07, Segment Reporting (Topic 280): Improvements to Reportable Segment Disclosures in the fourth quarter of 2024. Refer to Note 19. Segment Reporting for the Company's significant segment items.

Concentration of Credit Risk

Financial instruments, which potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk, consist principally of cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash and short-term investments in treasury securities. The Company’s cash and cash equivalents, as well as its short-term investments in treasury securities, are held at two financial institutions in the U.S., one financial

F-9


Adicet Bio, Inc.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

 

institution in China and one financial institution in Israel and such amounts may, at times, exceed insured limits. The Company invests its cash equivalents in treasury securities and money market funds. The Company limits its credit risk associated with cash equivalents and short-term investments in treasury securities by placing them with banks and institutions it believes are highly creditworthy and in highly rated investments. The Company has not experienced any losses on its deposits of cash and cash equivalents or its short-term investments in treasury securities to date.

Risks and Uncertainties

The Company is subject to risks and uncertainties common to early-stage companies in the biotechnology industry, including, but not limited to, development by competitors of new technological innovations, protection of proprietary technology, dependence on key personnel, compliance with government regulations and the need to obtain additional financing to fund operations. Product candidates currently under development will require significant additional research and development efforts, including extensive preclinical studies, clinical trials, and regulatory approval, prior to commercialization. These efforts require significant amounts of additional capital, adequate personnel infrastructure and extensive compliance and reporting.

The Company’s product candidates are still in development and, to date, none of the Company’s product candidates have been approved for sale and, therefore, the Company has not generated any revenue from product sales.

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 obtained or maintained, that any products developed will obtain necessary government regulatory approval or that any approved products will be commercially viable. Even if the Company’s product development efforts are successful, it is uncertain when, if ever, the Company will generate revenue from product sales. The Company operates in an environment of rapid change in technology and substantial competition from other pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

The Company considers all highly liquid investments purchased with maturities of three months or less from the purchase date to be cash equivalents. As of December 31, 2024, and 2023, cash and cash equivalents consist of cash deposited with banks, investments in money market funds and investments in treasury securities with maturities of three months or less from the date of purchase.

Restricted Cash

Restricted cash is comprised of cash that is restricted as to withdrawal or use under the terms of certain contractual agreements. Restricted cash for year ended December 31, 2024 consists of collateral for letters of credit issued in connection with real estate leases and a letter of credit issued in connection with corporate credit card services. There was no restricted cash for the year ended December 31, 2023. Refer to Note 20 for additional information regarding restricted cash.

Short-Term Investments

The Company classifies investments with original maturities of greater than three months and less than twelve months from the date of purchase as short-term investments on its consolidated balance sheets. The Company’s short-term investments are maintained by investment managers and consist of treasury securities. Treasury securities are carried at fair value with the unrealized gains and losses included in other comprehensive income (loss) as a component of stockholders’ equity until realized. Amortization and accretion of premiums and discounts are recorded in interest income, net on the Company's consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

The carrying amounts of certain financial instruments of the Company, including cash equivalents, restricted cash, accounts payable and accrued and other current liabilities approximate fair value due to their relatively short maturities. Financial instruments, such as money market funds and treasury securities are measured at fair value at each reporting date. Refer to Note 3. Fair Value Measurements.

F-10


Adicet Bio, Inc.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

 

Property and Equipment, Net

Property and equipment are stated at cost less accumulated depreciation and amortization. Depreciation is computed on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful lives of the related assets, generally three years. Leasehold improvements are amortized using the straight-line method over the lesser of the assets’ estimated useful lives or the remaining term of the lease. Maintenance and repairs are charged to operations as incurred. When assets are retired or otherwise disposed of, the cost and accumulated depreciation are removed from the consolidated balance sheet and any resulting gain or loss is reflected in the consolidated statements of operations in the period realized.

Impairment of Long-Lived Assets

The Company reviews long-lived assets for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset or asset group may not be recoverable. Recoverability is measured by comparison of the carrying amount of the asset or asset group to the future net cash flows which the asset or asset group is expected to generate. If such asset or asset group is considered to be impaired, the impairment to be recognized is measured by the amount by which the carrying amount of the asset or asset group exceeds the fair value of the asset or asset group. No such impairments were recognized for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2024.

Revenue Recognition

Under ASC 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (ASC 606), the Company recognizes revenue when its customer obtains control of promised goods or services, in an amount that reflects the consideration which the Company expects to receive in exchange for those goods or services. To determine revenue recognition for arrangements that the Company determines are within the scope of ASC 606, the Company performs the following five steps as prescribed by ASC 606:

(i)
identify the contract(s) with a customer;
(ii)
identify the performance obligations in the contract;
(iii)
determine the transaction price;
(iv)
allocate the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract; and
(v)
recognize revenue when (or as) the Company satisfies a performance obligation.

A contract with a customer exists when (i) the Company enters into a legally enforceable contract with a customer that defines each party’s rights regarding the products or services to be transferred and identifies the payment terms related to these products or services, (ii) the contract has commercial substance and (iii) the Company determines that collection of substantially all consideration for products or services that are transferred is probable based on the customer’s intent and ability to pay the promised consideration.

At contract inception, once the contract is determined to be within the scope of ASC 606, the Company identifies the goods or services promised and determines the performance obligations by assessing whether each promised good or service is distinct. Goods or services that are not distinct are bundled with other goods or services in the contract until a bundle of goods or services that is distinct is created. The Company then recognizes as revenue the amount of the transaction price that is allocated to the respective performance obligation when (or as) the performance obligation is satisfied.

For revenue recognition purposes, the Company determines the term of its license or collaboration agreements by evaluating the period during which present and enforceable rights and obligations exist. This determination is impacted by the existence of substantive termination penalties, among other factors.

The Company recognizes revenue under the Company’s license or collaboration agreements that are within the scope of ASC 606. These agreements include promises related to licenses to intellectual property and research and development services. If the license to the Company’s intellectual property is determined to be distinct from the other performance obligations identified in the arrangement, the Company recognizes revenue from non-refundable, up-front fees allocated to the license when the license is transferred to the licensee and the licensee is able to use and benefit from the license. For licenses that are bundled with other promises, the Company utilizes judgement to assess the nature of the combined performance obligation to determine whether the combined performance obligation is satisfied over time or at a point in time and, if over time, the appropriate method of measuring progress for purposes of recognizing revenue from non-refundable, up-front fees. Accordingly, the transaction price is generally comprised of a fixed fee due at contract inception and at specified future dates, variable consideration in the form of milestone

F-11


Adicet Bio, Inc.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

 

payments due upon the achievement of specified events and tiered royalties earned when customers recognize net sales of licensed products. The Company measures the transaction price based on the amount of consideration to which it expects to be entitled in exchange for transferring the promised goods and/or services to the customer. The Company utilizes the “most likely amount” method to estimate the amount of variable consideration to which it will be entitled for the contract. Amounts of variable consideration are included in the transaction price to the extent that it is probable that a significant reversal in the amount of cumulative revenue recognized will not occur when the uncertainty associated with the variable consideration is subsequently resolved. At the inception of each arrangement that includes development and regulatory milestone payments, the Company evaluates whether the associated event is considered most likely to be achieved and estimates the amount to be included in the transaction price.

Payments or reimbursements for the Company’s research and development efforts where such efforts are considered part of or a single performance obligation are recognized over time using a measure of progress that best reflects the Company’s performance in satisfying the obligation.

Upfront payments are recorded as contract liabilities upon receipt or when due and may require deferral of revenue recognition to a future period until the Company performs its obligation under these arrangements. Amounts payable to the Company are recorded as accounts receivable when the Company’s right to consideration is unconditional. The Company does not assess whether a contract has a significant financing component if the expectation at contract inception is such that the period between payment by the customer and the transfer of the promised goods or services to the customer will be one year or less.

For arrangements that include sales-based royalties, including milestone payments based on the level of sales, and the license is deemed to be the predominant item to which the royalties relate, the Company recognizes revenue at the later of (i) when the related sales occur, or (ii) when the performance obligation to which some or all of the royalty has been allocated has been satisfied (or partially satisfied). To date, the Company has not recognized any royalty revenue resulting from its collaboration arrangement.

Research and Development Expenses

Research and development expenses include costs directly attributable to the conduct of research and development programs, including payroll and related expenses, costs for CDMOs, costs for CROs, materials, supplies, depreciation on and maintenance of research equipment, consulting costs, and the allocated portions of facility costs, such as rent, utilities, insurance, repairs and maintenance, depreciation, information technology costs and general support services. All costs associated with research and development are expensed within the consolidated statements of operations as incurred.

Costs incurred in obtaining technology licenses are charged to research and development expense as acquired in-process research and development if the technology licensed has not reached technological feasibility and has no alternative future use.

Accrued CRO, CDMO, and Research and Development Expenses

The Company has entered into various agreements with CDMOs and CROs. The Company’s research and development accruals are estimated based on the level of services performed, progress of the studies, including the phase or completion of events, and contracted costs. The estimated costs of research and development provided, but not yet invoiced are included in accrued and other current liabilities on the consolidated balance sheets. If the actual timing of the performance of services or the level of effort varies from the original estimates, the Company will adjust the accrual accordingly. Payments made to CDMOs and CROs under these arrangements in advance of the performance of the related services are recorded as prepaid expenses and other current assets on the consolidated balance sheets until the services are rendered. Through December 31, 2024, there had been no material adjustments to the Company’s prior period estimates of accrued research and development expenses.

Leases

Consistent with ASU No. 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842) (ASU 2016-02), the Company determines if an arrangement is a lease, or contains a lease, at inception. Leases with a term greater than 12 months are recognized on the balance sheet as Right-of-Use (ROU) assets and current and long-term operating lease liabilities, as applicable. The Company has elected not to recognize on the balance sheet leases with terms of 12 months or less. The Company typically only includes an initial lease term in its assessment of a lease arrangement. Options to renew a lease are not included in the Company’s assessment unless there is reasonable certainty that the Company will renew. The Company monitors its plan to renew its leases no less than on a quarterly basis. In addition, the Company’s lease agreements generally do not contain any residual value guarantees or restrictive covenants.

In accordance with ASU 2016-02, the ROU assets and lease liabilities are recognized based on the present value of the future minimum lease payments over the lease term. As most of the Company’s leases do not provide an implicit rate, the Company

F-12


Adicet Bio, Inc.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

 

uses its incremental borrowing rate (IBR), which is the estimated rate the Company would be required to pay for a fully collateralized borrowing equal to the total lease payments over the term of the lease, to determine the present value of future minimum lease payments. Lease expense for minimum lease payments is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term. For lease agreements entered into or reassessed after the adoption of ASU 2016-02, the Company does not combine lease and non-lease components. Variable lease payments are expenses as incurred.

Assumptions made by the Company at the commencement date are re-evaluated upon occurrence of certain events, including a lease modification. A lease modification results in a separate contract when the modification grants the lessee an additional right of use not included in the original lease and when lease payments increase commensurate with the standalone price for the additional right of use. When a lease modification results in a separate contract, it is accounted for in the same manner as a new lease.

Stock-Based Compensation

The Company accounts for stock-based compensation arrangements with employees and non-employees using a fair value method which requires the recognition of compensation expense for costs related to all stock-based payments including stock options. The fair value method requires the Company to estimate the fair value of stock-based payment awards on the date of grant using an option-pricing model. The Company uses the Black-Scholes option-pricing model to estimate the fair value of options granted that are expensed on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period, which is generally the vesting period. The Company accounts for forfeitures as they occur. Option valuation models, including the Black-Scholes option-pricing model, require the input of several assumptions. Changes in the assumptions used can materially affect the grant-date fair value of an award. These assumptions include the risk-free rate of interest, expected dividend yield, expected volatility and the expected life of the award. For awards that have a performance condition, the Company recognizes compensation expense based on its assessment of the probability that the performance condition will be achieved, using an accelerated attribution model, over the explicit or implicit service period.

Income Taxes

The Company accounts for income taxes using the asset and liability method, which requires the recognition of deferred tax assets and liabilities for the expected future tax consequences attributable to differences between carrying amounts of assets and liabilities for financial reporting purposes and the amounts used for income tax reporting purposes and for operating loss and tax credit carryforwards. Changes in deferred tax assets and liabilities are recorded in the provision for income taxes.

The Company’s deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply in the years in which these temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. A valuation allowance is recorded to reduce deferred tax assets if it is determined that it is more likely than not that all or a portion of the deferred tax asset will not be realized. The Company considers many factors when assessing the likelihood of future realization of deferred tax assets, including recent earnings results, expectations of future taxable income, carryforward periods available and other relevant factors. The Company records changes in the required valuation allowance in the period that the determination is made.

The Company assesses its income tax positions and records tax benefits for all years subject to examination based upon management’s evaluation of the facts, circumstances and information available as of the reporting date. For those tax positions where it is more likely than not that a tax benefit will be sustained, the Company records the largest amount of tax benefit with a greater than 50% likelihood of being realized upon ultimate settlement with a taxing authority having full knowledge of all relevant information. For those income tax positions where it is not more likely than not that a tax benefit will be sustained, the Company does not recognize a tax benefit in the consolidated financial statements. The Company records interest and penalties related to uncertain tax positions, if applicable, as a component of income tax expense (benefit).

Net Loss per Share

Basic net loss per common share is calculated by dividing the net loss by the weighted-average number of common stock outstanding during the period, without consideration of potentially dilutive securities. Diluted net loss per share is computed by dividing the net loss by the weighted-average number of common stock and potentially dilutive securities outstanding for the period. The Company’s potentially dilutive shares, which include outstanding stock options, Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP) awards and unvested restricted stock units (RSUs), are considered to be common stock equivalents and are only included in the calculation of diluted net loss per share when their effect is dilutive. Basic and diluted net loss per share is presented in conformity with the two-class method required for participating securities. The two-class method determines net income (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 (loss) available to common stockholders for the period to be allocated between common and participating securities based upon their respective rights to share in undistributed earnings as if all income (loss) for the period had been distributed. The Company’s participating securities do not have a contractual

F-13


Adicet Bio, Inc.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

 

obligation to share in the Company’s losses. As such, the net loss is attributed entirely to common stockholders. Since the Company has reported a net loss for all periods presented, diluted net loss per common share is the same as basic net loss per common share for those periods.

Subsequent Events Considerations

The Company considers events or transactions that occur after the balance sheet date but prior to the issuance of the consolidated financial statements to provide additional evidence for certain estimates or to identify matters that require additional disclosure. Subsequent events have been evaluated as required. The Company has evaluated all subsequent events and determined that there are no material recognized or unrecognized subsequent events requiring disclosure, other than as disclosed in these notes to the consolidated financial statements.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

From time to time, new accounting pronouncements are issued by the FASB under its ASC or other standard setting bodies and adopted by the Company as of the specified effective date, unless otherwise discussed below.

Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements

In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-13, Financial Instruments—Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments (ASU 2016-13), which requires the measurement and recognition of expected credit losses for financial assets held at amortized cost. This ASU replaces the existing incurred loss impairment model with an expected loss model. It also eliminates the concept of other-than-temporary impairment and requires credit losses related to available-for-sale debt securities to be recorded through an allowance for credit losses rather than as a reduction in the amortized cost basis of the securities. These changes will result in earlier recognition of credit losses. For SEC filers that are eligible to be smaller reporting companies, this ASU is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2022, and interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted. The Company adopted ASU 2016-13 in the first quarter of 2023. The impact on its consolidated financial statements and related disclosures was not material.

In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-04, Intangibles – Goodwill and Other (Topic 350): Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment (ASU 2017-04). The new guidance simplifies the subsequent measurement of goodwill by removing the second step of the two-step impairment test. The amendment requires an entity to perform its annual or interim goodwill impairment test by comparing the fair value of a reporting unit with its carrying amount. An entity still has the option to perform the qualitative assessment for a reporting unit to determine if the quantitative impairment test is necessary. SEC filers that are eligible to be smaller reporting companies should adopt the amendments in this update for its annual or any interim goodwill impairment tests in fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2022. The amendment should be applied on a prospective basis. Early adoption is permitted for interim or annual goodwill impairment tests performed on testing dates after January 1, 2017. The Company adopted ASU 2017-04 in the first quarter of 2023. The impact on its consolidated financial statements and related disclosures was not material.

In November 2023, the FASB issued ASU No. 2023-07, Segment Reporting (Topic 280): Improvements to Reportable Segment Disclosures, which enables investors to better understand an entity's overall performance and assists with assessing potential future cash flows. This amendment improves financial reporting by requiring disclosure of incremental segment information on an annual and interim basis for all public entities to enable investors to develop more decision-useful financial analyses. It is applicable to all public entities that are required to report segment information in accordance with Topic 280, Segment Reporting. For SEC filers, this ASU is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2023, and interim periods within fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2024. Early adoption is permitted. The Company adopted ASU 2023-07 in the fourth quarter of 2024. Refer to Note 19. Segment Reporting.


Accounting Pronouncements Not Yet Adopted

In September 2023, the FASB issued ASU No. 2023-09, Income Taxes (Topic 740): Improvements to Income Tax Disclosures, which enhances the transparency and usefulness of income tax disclosures. This amendment requires public issuers to disclose specific categories in the rate reconciliation and provide additional information for reconciling items that meet a quantitative threshold (if the effect of those reconciling items is equal to or greater than 5 percent of the amount computed by multiplying pretax income, or loss, by the applicable statutory income tax rate. Additionally, this amendment requires issuers to disclose the amount of income taxes paid (net of refunds received) disaggregated by federal (national), state, and foreign taxes as well as the amount of income taxes paid (net of refunds received) disaggregated by individual jurisdictions in which income taxes paid (net of refunds received) is equal to or greater than 5 percent of total income taxes paid (net of refunds received). For SEC filers, this ASU is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2024. Early adoption is permitted. The Company

F-14


Adicet Bio, Inc.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

 

is currently evaluating the impact the adoption that this ASU will have on its consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

3. Fair Value Measurements

The Company determines the fair value of financial and non-financial assets and liabilities using the fair value hierarchy which establishes three level of inputs that may be used to measure fair value, as follows:

Level 1 — Observable inputs, such as quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.

Level 2 — Observable inputs other than Level 1 prices, such as quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities, quoted prices in markets that are not active, or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data for substantially the full term of the assets or liabilities.

Level 3 — Unobservable inputs which reflect management’s best estimate of what market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability at the measurement date. Consideration is given to the risk inherent in the valuation technique and the risk inherent in the inputs to the model.

In determining fair value, the Company utilizes valuation techniques that maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs to the extent possible as well as considers counterparty credit risk in its assessment of fair value.

Assets and liabilities measured at fair value are classified in their entirety based on the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement. The Company’s assessment of the significance of a particular input to the fair value measurement in its entirety requires management to make judgments and consider factors specific to the asset or liability.

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 utilized to determine such fair values (in thousands):

 

 

 

December 31, 2024

 

 

 

Level 1

 

 

Level 2

 

 

Level 3

 

 

Total

 

Assets:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Treasury securities (1) (3)

 

$

119,808

 

 

$

 

 

$

 

 

$

119,808

 

Money market funds (2) (3)

 

 

27,084

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

27,084

 

Total fair value of assets

 

$

146,892

 

 

$

 

 

$

 

 

$

146,892

 

 

 

 

December 31, 2023

 

 

 

Level 1

 

 

Level 2

 

 

Level 3

 

 

Total

 

Assets:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Treasury securities (2) (3)

 

$

115,143

 

 

$

 

 

$

 

 

$

115,143

 

Total fair value of assets

 

$

115,143

 

 

$

 

 

$

 

 

$

115,143

 

 

F-15


Adicet Bio, Inc.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

 

(1)
Included in short-term investments in treasury securities in the consolidated balance sheets. These securities have maturity dates of greater than three months, but less than twelve months from the date of purchase.
(2)
Included in cash and cash equivalents in the consolidated balance sheets. These securities have maturity dates of less than three months from the date of purchase.
(3)
Treasury securities and money market funds are included within Level 1 of the fair value hierarchy because they are actively traded and valued using quoted market prices.

 

 

4. Marketable Securities

The following table shows the Company's available-for-sale securities adjusted cost, net unrealized gains and losses and fair value by significant investment category as of December 31, 2024. There were no marketable securities during the year ended December 31, 2023.

 

 

December 31, 2024

 

 

 

Adjusted Cost

 

 

Unrealized Gains

 

 

Unrealized Losses

 

 

Fair Value

 

Marketable Securities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Treasury securities

 

$

119,792

 

 

$

16

 

 

$

 

 

$

119,808

 

Total

 

$

119,792

 

 

$

16

 

 

$

 

 

$

119,808

 

 

5. Prepaid Expenses and Other Current Assets

Prepaid expenses and other current assets consisted of the following (in thousands):

 

 

 

December 31,
2024

 

 

December 31,
2023

 

Prepayments to CROs and CDMOs

 

$

1,138

 

 

$

53

 

Prepaid insurance

 

 

916

 

 

 

1,014

 

Prepaid software subscription and licensing fees

 

 

518

 

 

 

582

 

Prepaid maintenance

 

 

427

 

 

 

373

 

Prepaid employee benefits

 

 

310

 

 

 

 

Prepaid professional services

 

 

50

 

 

 

82

 

Other prepaid expenses and current assets

 

 

474

 

 

 

457

 

Total prepaid expenses and other current assets

 

$

3,833

 

 

$

2,561

 

 

6. Property and Equipment, net

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

 

 

 

Useful life
(in years)

 

December 31,
2024

 

 

December 31,
2023

 

Leasehold improvements

 

Lesser of useful life or lease term

 

$

28,228

 

 

$

26,643

 

Laboratory equipment

 

3

 

 

13,859

 

 

 

13,165

 

Furniture and fixtures

 

3

 

 

951

 

 

 

951

 

Construction in progress

 

 

 

198

 

 

 

265

 

Computer equipment

 

3

 

 

192

 

 

 

189

 

Software

 

3

 

 

411

 

 

 

411

 

 

 

 

 

 

43,839

 

 

 

41,624

 

Less: Accumulated depreciation and amortization

 

 

 

 

(21,315

)

 

 

(14,847

)

Property and equipment, net

 

 

 

$

22,524

 

 

$

26,777

 

 

All of the Company’s property and equipment as of December 31, 2024 and 2023 is located in the U.S. Depreciation and amortization expense for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 was $6.5 million and $6.1 million.

F-16


Adicet Bio, Inc.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

 

Construction in progress has decreased by less than $0.1 million during the year ended December 31, 2024, compared to the balance at December 31, 2023. The remaining $0.2 million in construction in progress as of December 31, 2024 is primarily related to lab and computer equipment not yet placed into service.

7. Accrued and Other Current Liabilities

Accrued and other current liabilities consisted of the following (in thousands):

 

 

 

December 31,
2024

 

 

December 31,
2023

 

Accrued compensation

 

$

7,112

 

 

$

6,514

 

Accrued CDMO costs

 

 

1,685

 

 

 

5,679

 

Accrued professional services

 

 

722

 

 

 

625

 

Accrued other research and development expenses

 

 

398

 

 

 

354

 

Accrued CRO costs

 

 

1,490

 

 

 

257

 

Accrued other liabilities

 

 

23

 

 

 

12

 

Total accrued and other liabilities

 

$

11,430

 

 

$

13,441

 

 

8. Term Loan

On April 28, 2020, the Company entered into a Loan and Security Agreement (the Loan Agreement) as amended on July 8, 2020, September 14, 2020, September 15, 2020, October 21, 2021 (the 2021 Loan Amendment), December 2, 2022 (the 2022 Loan Amendment) and May 30, 2023 with Banc of California (formerly known as Pacific Western Bank) to finance leasehold improvements for the facilities in Redwood City, CA and other purposes permitted under the Loan Agreement. Under the 2021 Loan Amendment, Banc of California will provide one or more Term Loans (as defined in the 2021 Loan Amendment), as well as Non-Formula Ancillary Services which shall not exceed $5.5 million in the aggregate. Non-Formula Ancillary Services are defined as automated clearinghouse transactions, corporate credit card services, letters of credit, or other treasury management services. Per the terms of the Loan Agreement, the aggregate sum of the outstanding Term Loans and Non-Formula Ancillary Services shall at no time exceed $15.0 million, which each Term Loan to be in an amount of not less than $1.0 million.

On March 13, 2023, the Company and Banc of California executed a letter agreeing that, notwithstanding the covenants included in the 2022 Loan Amendment, until June 30, 2023 (i) the Company and its subsidiaries will not be required to maintain the lesser of $200 million or seventy percent (70%) of its combined balances in demand deposit accounts, money market funds and/or insured cash sweep (ICS) accounts with Banc of California and (ii) the Company must maintain its combined balances at Banc of California or its affiliates, including Pacific Western Asset Management (the Letter).

On May 30, 2023, the Company further amended its Loan Agreement with Banc of California (the 2023 Loan Amendment). Pursuant to the 2023 Loan Amendment, the Company must maintain the lesser of (i) $35.0 million or (ii) all of the Company’s combined balances in demand deposit accounts, money market accounts, and/or insured cash sweep accounts with Banc of California. If the Company’s total cash and investments drop to less than $35.0 million, the 2023 Loan Amendment permits the Company to maintain cash and/or investments in one or more accounts outside of Banc of California up to a total of $2.5 million.

In April 2024, the Term Loan availability under the Loan Agreement expired. The Non-Formula Ancillary Services, which shall not exceed $5.5 million in the aggregate, remained available. On November 27, 2024, the Company executed a payoff letter (the Payoff Letter) with Banc of California to repay in full all outstanding indebtedness and terminate all commitments and obligations, subject to certain exceptions, under the Loan Agreement. Under the Payoff Letter, the Company agreed to pay Banc of California approximately $10,000 in administrative fees and establish cash collateral accounts and execute pledge and security agreements to secure ancillary services provided by Banc of California. The Company paid the $10,000 administrative fees in December 2024. As of December 31, 2024, we have $2.9 million of restricted cash held in cash collateral accounts. No termination penalty was paid in connection with the Payoff Letter.

F-17


Adicet Bio, Inc.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

 

9. Third Party Agreements

Regeneron

On July 29, 2016, the Company entered into a license and collaboration agreement with Regeneron, which was amended in April 2019, with such amendment becoming effective in connection with Regeneron’s investment in the Company’s Series B redeemable convertible preferred stock private placement transaction in July 2019 (as amended, the Regeneron Agreement).

Financial Terms. The Company received a non-refundable upfront payment of $25.0 million from Regeneron upon execution of the Regeneron Agreement and an aggregate of $20.0 million of additional payments for research funding from Regeneron as of December 31, 2024. In addition, Regeneron may have to pay the Company additional amounts in the future consisting of up to an aggregate of $80.0 million of option exercise fees, as specified in the Regeneron Agreement. Per the terms of the agreement, Regeneron must pay the Company high single digit royalties as a percentage of net sales for immune cell products (ICPs) to targets for which it has exclusive rights, and low single digit royalties as a percentage of net sales on any non-ICP product comprising a targeting moiety generated by the Company through the use of Regeneron’s proprietary mice. The Company must pay Regeneron mid-single to low double digit, but less than teens, of royalties as a percentage of net sales of ICPs to targets for which the Company has exercised exclusive rights, and low to mid-single digit of royalties as a percentage of net sales of targeting moieties generated from the Company’s license to use Regeneron’s proprietary mice. Royalties are payable until the longer of the expiration or invalidity of the licensed patent rights or twelve (12) years from first commercial sale. No royalties have been earned or paid under the Regeneron Agreement through December 31, 2024.

On January 28, 2022, Regeneron exercised its option to license the exclusive, worldwide rights to ADI-002, an allogeneic gamma delta CAR T cell therapy directed against Glypican-3, pursuant to the Regeneron Agreement. In conjunction with the exercise of the option, Regeneron paid an exercise fee of $20.0 million to the Company on January 28, 2022, and the Company completed the transfer of the associated license rights to Regeneron during the first quarter of 2022. The $20.0 million option exercise fee, plus $5.0 million of revenue recognized relating to the combined performance obligation, resulted in an aggregate of $25.0 million recorded as revenue for the year ended December 31, 2022. The Company's obligations under the combined performance obligation were completed during the year ended December 31, 2022.

Regeneron is responsible, at its sole cost, for all development, manufacturing and commercialization of ADI-002 and must pay the Company high single digit royalties as a percentage of any net sales of ADI-002 for a period commencing on the first commercial sale until the longer of (i) the expiration or invalidity of the licensed patent rights or (ii) a low double digit amount of years from first commercial sale.

Twist Bioscience

In March 2021, the Company entered into an Antibody Discovery Agreement (the Twist Agreement) with Twist Bioscience Corporation (Twist). Under the terms of the Twist Agreement, Twist will utilize its proprietary platform technology to assist the Company with the discovery of novel antibodies related to target antigens selected by the Company. The Company maintains the sole and exclusive rights to any program antibodies discovered under the Twist Agreement and has the right to patent, assign, license or transfer any work product under the agreement. Furthermore, the Company has the right to sublicense its rights to program antibodies to third parties. The Company may terminate the Twist Agreement at any time, with or without cause, upon a specified period advance written notice.

Per the terms of the agreement, the Company will pay Twist an upfront, non-refundable project initiation fee, a technology access fee, as well as a project fee for each project entered into under the agreement. Additionally, the Company will pay fees for development and regulatory milestones in the tens of millions of dollars and low single digit royalties on net sales to Twist for programs initiated under the agreement. In November 2022, the Company entered into an amendment to the Twist Agreement (the Twist Amendment). The Twist Amendment updates the language associated with Twist's audit rights as well as the amounts associated with technology access fees.

On a cumulative basis as of December 31, 2024, the Company has incurred and expensed $1.0 million related to project initiation fees, technology access fees and projects fees as research and development expense related to this agreement.

F-18


Adicet Bio, Inc.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

 

10. Commitments and Contingencies

Operating Leases

The Company leases office and laboratory space in Redwood City, California, and Boston, Massachusetts.

Redwood City

In 2018, Adicet Therapeutics executed a non-cancelable lease agreement, as amended in 2022, pursuant to which the Company leases office and laboratory facility at 1000 Bridge Parkway and a portion of 1200 Bridge Parkway in Redwood City, California (the Redwood City Lease).

On January 9, 2023, Adicet Therapeutics entered into a third lease amendment with Westport Office Park, LLC (the Third Amendment). The Third Amendment further amends the Redwood City Lease and increases the tenant improvement allowance as of January 1, 2023 by an additional $3.0 million. The Company fully utilized the allowance for the continued buildout of office and laboratory space at 1000 Bridge Parkway in 2023. Per the terms of this amendment, this additional allowance will be repaid through equal monthly payments of principal amortization and interest on a monthly basis over the term of the lease at an interest rate of eight percent (8%) per annum. The Company received the allowance on February 21, 2023 and increased the operating lease liability accordingly.

On August 7, 2023, Adicet Therapeutics entered into a fourth lease amendment with Westport Office Park, LLC (the Fourth Amendment). The Fourth Amendment amends the period over which the tenant improvement allowance received in the Third Amendment will be amortized and identifies the monthly amortization payable by the Company.

Boston

In 2018, the Company entered into a lease agreement, as amended in 2019, for office space at 500 Boylston St, Boston, Massachusetts (500 Boylston Lease). Under the terms of the 500 Boylston Lease, the Company was permitted to assign, sublease or transfer this lease, with the consent of the landlord.

On July 19, 2021, the Company entered into a sublease agreement with RFS OPCO LLC (Sublessee), whereby the Company agreed to sublease to Sublessee all of the 9,501 rentable square feet of 500 Boylston St. The expected undiscounted cash flows to be received from the sublease as of December 31, 2024 is as follows (in thousands):

 

 

 

December 31,
2024

 

2025

 

 

736

 

2026

 

 

438

 

2027 and thereafter

 

 

 

Total

 

$

1,174

 

The Company recognized rent expense, net of sublease income, of $4.0 million for both the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023.

F-19


Adicet Bio, Inc.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

 

Further, the Company remains liable for the remaining lease payments under the 500 Boylston Lease, totaling $1.0 million, which is included in the future minimum lease payments table below.

The future minimum lease payments under all non-cancelable operating lease obligations as of December 31, 2024 were as follows (in thousands):

 

 

December 31,
2024

 

2025

 

$

4,662

 

2026

 

 

4,009

 

2027

 

 

3,714

 

2028

 

 

3,808

 

2029

 

 

3,906

 

2030 and thereafter

 

 

662

 

Total undiscounted lease payments

 

 

20,761

 

Less: imputed interest

 

 

(3,527

)

Total operating lease liability

 

 

17,234

 

Less: current portion

 

 

(3,132

)

Operating lease liability, net of current maturities

 

$

14,102

 

The IBR and the remaining lease terms of our facilities and their weighted average IBR and remaining terms are as follows as of December 31, 2024:

Lease Locations

 

IBR

 

Remaining Terms
(in years)

 

Redwood City, CA (1000 Bridge Parkway)

 

6.90%

 

 

5.20

 

Redwood City, CA (1200 Bridge Parkway)

 

6.80%

 

 

0.50

 

Boston, MA

 

9.30%

 

 

1.60

 

Weighted Average

 

7.00%

 

 

4.90

 

The following table presents the operating lease cost and information related to the operating lease right-of-use assets, net and operating lease liabilities for the year ended December 31, 2024 (in thousands):

 

Twelve Months Ended December 31,

 

 

 

2024

 

 

2023

 

Lease Cost

 

 

 

 

 

 

Operating lease cost

 

$

4,557

 

 

$

4,510

 

Short-term lease cost

 

 

121

 

 

 

195

 

Sublease income

 

 

(727

)

 

 

(714

)

Total lease cost

 

$

3,951

 

 

$

3,991

 

Other Information

 

 

 

 

 

 

Operating cash flows used for lease liabilities

$

(3,691

)

 

$

(99

)

Weighted-average remaining lease term - operating leases

 

 

4.9

 

 

 

5.7

 

Weighted-average discount rate - operating leases

 

 

7.0

%

 

 

7.1

%

 

As of December 31, 2024, operating right-of-use assets were $14.2 million and operating lease liabilities were $17.2 million. The Company has no material finance leases.

 

The Company maintains letters of credit in connection with the Company’s office leases in Redwood City, CA and Boston, MA. Refer to Note 20. Restricted Cash for additional information about these letters of credit.

Indemnification Agreements

In the ordinary course of business, the Company enters into agreements that may include indemnification provisions. Pursuant to such agreements, the Company may indemnify, hold harmless and defend an indemnified party for losses suffered or incurred by the indemnified party. Some of the provisions will limit losses to those arising from third-party actions. In some cases, the indemnification will continue after the termination of the agreement. The maximum potential amount of future

F-20


Adicet Bio, Inc.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

 

payments the Company could be required to make under these provisions is not determinable. The Company has never incurred material costs to defend lawsuits or settle claims related to these indemnification provisions. The Company has also entered into indemnification agreements with its directors and officers that require the Company, among other things, to indemnify them against certain liabilities that may arise by reason of their status or service as directors or officers to the fullest extent permitted by Delaware corporate law. The Company currently has directors’ and officers’ liability insurance.

11. Stockholders' Equity

Common Stock

The Company’s Restated Certificate of Incorporation, which became effective as of June 6, 2024, authorized the Company to issue 300,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, as of December 31, 2024.

Common stockholders are entitled to dividends if and when declared by the Board of Directors of the Company subject to the prior rights of the preferred stockholders. As of December 31, 2024, no dividends on common stock had been declared by the Board of Directors.

The Company has the following shares of common stock reserved for future issuance:

 

 

 

December 31,
2024

 

 

December 31,
2023

 

Stock options and restricted stock units available for future grant

 

 

3,082,030

 

 

 

2,473,485

 

Stock options issued and outstanding

 

 

14,965,270

 

 

 

9,383,105

 

Unvested restricted stock units

 

 

719,656

 

 

 

454,200

 

Common stock warrants issued and outstanding

 

 

8,445,333

 

 

 

 

Total common stock reserved

 

 

27,212,289

 

 

 

12,310,790

 

On January 22, 2024, the Company entered into the Underwriting Agreement with Jefferies and Guggenheim Securities, LLC, as representatives of the Underwriters, related to the Offering of 32,379,667 shares of our common stock, which included 5,325,000 shares sold and issued upon the exercise in full by the Underwriters of their option to purchase additional shares of common stock, and, in lieu of common stock to certain investors, pre-funded warrants to purchase 8,445,333 shares of common stock. The pre-funded warrants were sold at a public offering price of $2.3999 per pre-funded warrant, which represents the per share public offering price of each share of common stock minus the $0.0001 per share exercise price for each pre-funded warrant. The pre-funded warrants do not have an expiration date and are exercisable at any time. The pre-funded warrants are classified as equity within the Company's consolidated balance sheet. The Company received net proceeds from the Offering, after deducting the underwriting discount and commissions and other estimated offering expenses, of approximately $91.7 million. The Company may receive nominal proceeds, if any, from the exercise of the pre-funded warrants.

The following provides a roll forward of outstanding pre-funded warrants to purchase common stock as of December 31, 2024:

Issuance Date

 

Number of Shares of Common Stock Issuable

 

 

Weighted Average Exercise Price

 

Outstanding, December 31, 2023

 

 

 

 

 

 

Warrants issued

 

 

8,445,333

 

 

$

0.0001

 

Warrants exercised

 

 

 

 

 

 

Warrants forfeited

 

 

 

 

 

 

Outstanding, December 31, 2024

 

 

8,445,333

 

 

$

0.0001

 

 

F-21


Adicet Bio, Inc.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

 

12. Stock-Based Compensation

Stock-based Compensation Expense

The following table presents stock-based compensation expense as reflected in the Company's consolidated statements of operations (in thousands):

 

 

Twelve Months Ended December 31,

 

 

 

2024

 

 

2023

 

Research and development

 

$

10,714

 

 

$

9,143

 

General and administrative

 

 

11,519

 

 

 

11,116

 

Total stock-based compensation

 

$

22,233

 

 

$

20,259

 

The following table presents stock-based compensation expense by type of award (in thousands):

 

 

Year Ended December 31,

 

 

 

2024

 

 

2023

 

Stock options

 

$

20,608

 

 

$

18,060

 

Restricted stock units

 

 

1,470

 

 

 

2,023

 

Employee Stock Purchase Plan

 

 

155

 

 

 

176

 

Total

 

$

22,233

 

 

$

20,259

 

Stock Options

A summary of stock option activity for the year ended December 31, 2024 is set forth below (in thousands, except share and per share data):

 

 

Number of
Shares
Underlying
Outstanding
Options

 

 

Weighted
Average
Exercise
Price

 

 

Weighted-
Average
Remaining
Contractual
Term
(in years)

 

 

Aggregate
Intrinsic
Value
(in thousands)

 

Outstanding, December 31, 2023

 

 

9,383,105

 

 

$

10.64

 

 

 

8.2

 

 

$

45

 

Options granted

 

 

7,549,053

 

 

$

2.47

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Options exercised

 

 

(92,283

)

 

$

2.12

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Options forfeited or cancelled

 

 

(1,874,605

)

 

$

7.60

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Outstanding, December 31, 2024

 

 

14,965,270

 

 

$

3.09

 

 

 

8.1

 

 

$

 

Options exercisable, December 31, 2024

 

 

7,327,757

 

 

$

3.41

 

 

 

7.4

 

 

$

 

Vested and expected to vest, December 31, 2024

 

 

14,965,270

 

 

$

3.09

 

 

 

8.1

 

 

$

 

The assumptions used in the Black Scholes Model to calculate stock-based compensation are as follows:

 

 

Twelve Months Ended December 31,

 

 

2024

 

2023

Fair value of common stock

 

$0.96 - $3.12

 

$1.32 - $9.15

Expected term (years)

 

5.5 - 6.08

 

5.5 - 6.1

Volatility

 

82.15% - 88.46%

 

83.25% - 92.87%

Risk free rates

 

3.63% - 4.52%

 

3.5% - 4.86%

Dividend rate

 

0.0%

 

0.0%

 

The fair value of each stock option was estimated at the date of grant using a Black-Scholes option-pricing model using the following assumptions:

F-22


Adicet Bio, Inc.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

 

The assumptions are as follows:

Expected volatility. The Company has limited trading history. As such, the expected volatility was determined by examining the historical volatilities for comparable publicly traded companies within the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry using an average of historical volatilities of the Company’s industry peers.
Risk-free interest rate. The risk-free interest rate is based on the United States Treasury yield with a maturity equal to the expected term of the option in effect at the time of grant.
Dividend yield. The expected dividend is assumed to be zero as dividends have never been paid and there are no current plans to pay dividends on common stock.
Expected term. The expected term represents the period that the stock-based awards are expected to be outstanding. The expected term is calculated using the simplified method which is used when there is insufficient historical data about exercise patterns and post-vesting employment termination behavior. The simplified method is based on the vesting period and the contractual term for each grant, or for each vesting-tranche for awards with graded vesting. The mid-point between the vesting date and the maximum contractual expiration date is used as the expected term under this method. For awards with multiple vesting-tranches, the times from grant until the mid-points for each of the tranches may be averaged to provide an overall expected term.

The Company will continue to use judgment in evaluating the expected volatility, risk-free interest rates, dividend yield and expected term, utilized for stock-based compensation on a prospective basis.

The aggregate intrinsic value is calculated as the difference between the exercise price of the underlying stock options and the fair value of the Company’s common stock for stock options that were in-the-money at December 31, 2024 and 2023. The aggregate intrinsic value of stock options exercised was less than $0.1 million during the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023.

The total fair value of options that vested during the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 was $18.0 million and $17.9 million, respectively. The options granted during the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 had a weighted-average per share grant-date fair value of $1.40 per share and $3.94 per share, respectively.

As of December 31, 2024, the total unrecognized stock-based compensation expense related to unvested stock options was $18.6 million, which is expected to be recognized over the remaining weighted-average vesting period of 2.3 years.

In August 2024, certain of our executive officers entered into an option cancellation agreement to surrender certain underwater stock options. This voluntary surrender of stock options was determined to be a settlement for no consideration and the remaining unrecognized compensation cost was recognized immediately upon cancellation. This resulted in $1.6 million of stock-based compensation recognized in the third quarter of 2024 for these options.

Restricted Stock Units

The summary of RSU activity and related information for the year ended December 31, 2024 is set forth below:

 

 

Number of Units Outstanding

 

 

Weighted Average
Grant Date Fair Value

 

Outstanding, December 31, 2023

 

 

454,200

 

 

$

7.69

 

RSUs granted

 

 

537,400

 

 

$

2.60

 

RSUs vested

 

 

(184,380

)

 

$

7.15

 

RSUs forfeited

 

 

(87,564

)

 

$

4.21

 

Outstanding, December 31, 2024

 

 

719,656

 

 

$

4.40

 

 

F-23


Adicet Bio, Inc.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

 

The Company granted 537,400 and 513,700 RSU's in the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. The weighted-average grant date fair value of RSUs granted during the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 was $2.60 and $7.47, respectively.

As of December 31, 2024, there was approximately $1.9 million of unrecognized compensation cost related to unvested RSUs that the Company expects to recognize over a remaining weighted-average period of approximately 1.6 years.

Option repricing

On August 8, 2023, the board of directors approved a stock option repricing (the Option Repricing) effective on August 14, 2023 (the Effective Date) in accordance with the terms of the Company’s 2015 Stock Incentive Plan (the 2015 Plan) and Second Amended and Restated 2018 Stock Option and Incentive Plan (the 2018 Plan, and together with the 2015 Plan, the Plans). Pursuant to the Option Repricing, the exercise price of each stock option previously granted under the Plans, totaling 6,431,910 options, was amended to reduce the exercise price of such options to $2.14 per share, the closing price of the Company’s common stock on the Nasdaq Global Market on the Effective Date.

The repriced options otherwise retained their existing terms and conditions as set forth in the Plans and applicable award agreements. The stock option modification resulted in $4.6 million of incremental compensation cost, which was calculated using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model. Of the incremental compensation cost, $2.3 million and $1.3 million was recognized in the twelve months ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. The remaining incremental compensation cost of $0.6 million, net of the reversal of expense related to employee terminations prior to August 14, 2024, will be recognized on the straight-line basis over the remaining vesting period of the repriced options. The incremental cost is included in general and administrative expense and research and development expense on the consolidated statements of operations.

Effective August 21, 2024, the board of directors approved a rescission of the Option Repricing for certain non-employee directors of the Company. All of the affected stock options have been reverted to their original exercise price as established at the time of the grant. The Company will continue to recognize the incremental fair value from the Option Repricing for the impacted options. The compensation expense associated with the Option Repricing for these options was not material.

13. Net Loss Per Share

The following table sets forth the computation of basic and diluted net loss per share (in thousands, except share and per share data):

 

 

 

Twelve Months Ended December 31,

 

 

 

2024

 

 

2023

 

Net loss - basic and diluted

 

$

(117,122

)

 

$

(142,658

)

Weighted-average shares used in computing net loss per share, basic and diluted

 

 

87,866,435

 

 

 

43,042,405

 

Net loss per share, basic and diluted

 

$

(1.33

)

 

$

(3.31

)

 

The Company's potentially dilutive shares as of December 31, 2024 and 2023, which include outstanding stock options and unvested RSUs, are considered to be common stock equivalents and are only included in the calculation of diluted net loss per share when their effect is dilutive.

 

The following outstanding shares of potentially dilutive securities were excluded from the computation of diluted net loss per share for the period presented because including them would have been antidilutive:

 

 

 

As of December 31,

 

 

 

2024

 

 

2023

 

Options to purchase common stock

 

 

14,965,270

 

 

 

9,383,105

 

Unvested restricted stock units

 

 

719,656

 

 

 

454,200

 

Total

 

 

15,684,926

 

 

 

9,837,305

 

 

F-24


Adicet Bio, Inc.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

 

14. Income Taxes

The components of the provision for (benefit from) income taxes are as follows (in thousands):

 

 

December 31,

 

 

 

2024

 

 

2023

 

Current:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Federal

 

$

 

 

$

 

State

 

 

 

 

 

 

Foreign

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total current

 

 

 

 

 

 

Deferred:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Federal

 

 

 

 

 

 

State

 

 

 

 

 

 

Foreign

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total deferred

 

 

 

 

 

 

Provision for (benefit from) income taxes

 

$

 

 

$

 

There was no income tax expense nor benefit for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023.

For the rate table below the (provision for) benefit from income taxes differ from the amount expected by applying the federal statutory rate to the loss before taxes as follows:

 

 

Year Ended December 31,

 

 

 

2024

 

 

2023

 

Federal statutory income tax rate

 

 

21.0

%

 

 

21.0

%

State income taxes

 

 

0.1

%

 

 

(8.3

)%

Change in valuation allowance

 

 

(17.5

)%

 

 

(7.0

)%

Stock-based compensation

 

 

(3.3

)%

 

 

(2.7

)%

Goodwill Impairment

 

 

 

 

 

(2.9

)%

Foreign Rate Differential

 

 

(0.2

)%

 

 

 

Other permanent differences

 

 

(0.1

)%

 

 

(0.1

)%

Provision for income taxes

 

 

(0.0

)%

 

 

(0.0

)%

The tax effects of temporary differences and carryforwards of the deferred tax assets are presented below (in thousands):

 

 

December 31,

 

 

 

2024

 

 

2023

 

Deferred Tax Assets:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net operating loss carryforwards

 

$

74,848

 

 

$

65,601

 

Operating lease right-of-use asset liability

 

 

3,638

 

 

 

4,414

 

Stock-based compensation

 

 

3,009

 

 

 

2,285

 

Intangible assets

 

 

621

 

 

 

704

 

Fixed assets

 

 

1,032

 

 

 

768

 

Accruals and reserves

 

 

1,234

 

 

 

1,074

 

Sec 174 Capitalized R&D

 

 

37,888

 

 

 

27,871

 

Tax credits

 

 

26

 

 

 

28

 

Gross deferred tax assets

 

 

122,296

 

 

 

102,745

 

Less: Valuation allowance

 

 

(119,293

)

 

 

(99,069

)

Deferred tax assets, net of valuation allowance

 

 

3,003

 

 

 

3,676

 

Deferred tax liabilities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Operating lease right-of-use asset

 

 

(3,003

)

 

 

(3,676

)

Net deferred tax assets

 

$

 

 

$

 

ASC 740 requires that the tax benefit of net operating losses, temporary differences and credit carryforwards be recorded as an asset to the extent that management assesses that realization is “more likely than not.” Realization of the future tax

F-25


Adicet Bio, Inc.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

 

benefits is dependent on the Company’s ability to generate sufficient taxable income within the carryforward period. Because of the Company’s recent history of operating losses, management believes that recognition of the deferred tax assets arising from the above-mentioned future tax benefits is currently not likely to be realized and, accordingly, has provided a valuation allowance.

The valuation allowance increased by $20.2 million and by $9.6 million during the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively.

As of December 31, 2024, the Company had net operating loss carryforwards of $339.7 million, $12.6 million, and $15.2 million to reduce future taxable income, if any, for federal, state and foreign income tax purposes, respectively. Of the federal net operating loss carryforwards, $7.5 million will begin to expire in 2036 if not utilized, and $332.4 million can be carried forward indefinitely. The state carryforwards will begin to expire in 2035.

The Company also had approximately $16.3 million of federal and $9.3 million of California research and development tax credit carryforwards available to offset future taxable income as of December 31, 2024. The federal credits begin to expire in 2041 and the California research credits can be carried forward indefinitely.

Utilization of the net operating loss carryforwards and research and development tax credit carryforwards may be subject to an annual limitation under Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, and corresponding provisions of state law, due to ownership changes that have occurred previously or that could occur in the future. In general, an ownership change, as defined by Section 382, results from transactions increasing the ownership of certain shareholders or public groups in the stock of a corporation by more than 50% over a three-year period. If the Company has experienced an ownership change, as defined by Section 382, at any time since inception, utilization of the net operating loss carryforwards or research and development tax credit carryforwards would be subject to an annual limitation. As of December 31, 2024, the ownership change analysis has not been completed. Any previous ownership changes may result in a limitation that will reduce the total amount of net operating loss and tax credit carryforwards disclosed that can be utilized. Subsequent ownership changes may affect the limitation in future years.

The Company files income tax returns in the United States federal jurisdiction, California, Massachusetts and Israel. The tax years 2016 to 2024 remains open to United States federal and state examination to the extent of the utilization of net operating loss and credit carryovers. Additionally, the Company is currently undergoing an audit with California’s Franchise Tax Board (FTB) regarding the apportionment of revenue for the tax year 2017 and may be obligated to make future payments to the state related to this tax year, depending on the outcome of the examination. The Company is evaluating the FTB's proposal and assessing its course of action.

As of December 31, 2024, the Company had unrecognized tax benefits of $0.8 million related to the transfer of certain intellectual property from its Israeli subsidiary. In addition, as of December 31, 2024, the Company had unrecognized tax benefits of $25.6 million related to the federal and state research and development credits as a result of no formal research credit study performed.

A reconciliation of the beginning and ending unrecognized tax benefit amount is as follows (in thousands):

 

 

Year Ended December 31,

 

 

 

2024

 

 

2023

 

Balance at the beginning of the year

 

$

18,462

 

 

$

9,759

 

Adjustment based on tax positions related to prior year

 

 

 

 

 

5

 

Adjustment based on tax positions related to current year

 

 

7,908

 

 

 

8,698

 

Balance at the end of the year

 

$

26,370

 

 

$

18,462

 

The Company recognizes interest expense and penalties related to the above unrecognized tax benefits within income tax expense (benefit). Management determined that no accrual for interest and penalties was required as of December 31, 2024.

15. Related Party Transactions

As of December 31, 2024, Regeneron owned 883,568 shares of the Company’s common stock. Regeneron became a related party in July 2019 as a result of Series B redeemable convertible preferred stock financing which was subsequently converted into common stock. For the year ended December 31, 2024, the Company recorded no revenue from the Regeneron Agreement. See Note 9 for a discussion of the Regeneron Agreement.

F-26


Adicet Bio, Inc.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

 

16. Defined Contribution Plan

The Company maintains a defined contribution plan under Section 401(k) of the Internal Revenue Code covering substantially all full-time United States employees. Employee contributions are voluntary and are determined on an individual basis subject to the maximum allowable under federal tax regulations. During the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, the Company made aggregate matching contributions of $1.1 million and $1.2 million, respectively.

17. Goodwill

During the third quarter of 2023, the Company experienced a significant decline in its stock price. As of September 30, 2023, the Company’s stock price declined 44% from its closing stock price on June 30, 2023, and the decline in stock price was sustained. The Company determined that this decline in stock price and market capitalization of the Company constituted a substantive change in circumstances that would more likely than not reduce the fair value of the Company’s single reporting unit below its carrying amount. Accordingly, the Company tested its goodwill for impairment as of September 30, 2023 (the Interim Testing Date).

In determining the fair value of the Company’s sole reporting unit for the interim impairment analysis as of the Interim Testing Date, the Company used a market-based approach, and the primary input in this approach was a quoted market price in an active market. To determine the estimated fair value of the Company’s single reporting unit, the Company calculated its market capitalization based on its stock price. Based on the Company’s interim impairment analysis as of the Interim Testing Date, the carrying value of the Company’s single reporting unit exceeded its fair value. Accordingly, step two of the goodwill impairment test was performed. In performing step two of the goodwill impairment test, the Company utilized observable inputs and concluded that an impairment charge was necessary for the full amount of goodwill. As a result of the step two evaluation, the Company recorded a goodwill impairment charge of $19.5 million during the twelve months ended December 31, 2023. This impairment charge reduced the balance of goodwill to $0 on it's consolidated balance sheets as of December 31, 2023 and 2024.

18. Shanghai Adicet Biotechnology Co., Ltd. (the Adicet VIE)

In May 2024, the Company initiated research and development activities in China through a series of contractual agreements entered into by and among the Adicet VIE, Adicet Shanghai, and the shareholders of the Adicet VIE. Since the Company determined it was the primary beneficiary of the Adicet VIE, the Adicet VIE was consolidated in the Company’s consolidated financial statements as of December 31, 2024. For the year ended December 31, 2024, $1.2 million of expenses have been incurred by the Adicet VIE, of which $1.1 million was recorded as research and development expense and $0.1 million as general and administrative expense in the Company’s consolidated statements of operations.

The following table summarizes the carrying amount of assets and liabilities of the Adicet VIE as of December 31, 2024, excluding intercompany balances (in thousands):

 

 

December 31,
2024

 

Assets

 

 

 

Cash and cash equivalents

 

$

46

 

Prepaid expenses and other current assets

 

 

28

 

     Total current assets

 

 

74

 

Property and equipment, net

 

 

4

 

     Total assets

 

$

78

 

Liabilities

 

 

 

Accrued and other current liabilities

 

 

9

 

     Total liabilities

 

$

9

 

 

19. Segment Reporting

The Company’s operations are organized and reported as a single reportable segment, which includes all activities related to the discovery, development, and commercialization of allogeneic gamma delta T cell therapies for autoimmune

F-27


Adicet Bio, Inc.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

 

diseases and cancer. The Company’s Chief Executive Officer, who is the chief operating decision maker, reviews financial information on an aggregate basis for purposes of allocating resources and evaluating financial performance. This presentation is consistent with how the Company’s CODM, its Chief Executive Officer, assesses the performance of the Company and makes operating decisions on a consolidated basis. The accounting policies of the consolidated segment are the same as those described in the summary of significant accounting policies (refer to Note 2). The CODM assesses performance and decides how to allocate resources based on consolidated net loss that also is reported on the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss as net loss. The CODM uses consolidated net loss to monitor budget versus actual results, assess cash runway, and benchmark against the Company’s competitors. The measure of segment assets is reported on the consolidated balance sheets as total assets. The Company’s assets are primarily held in the United States.

The following table sets forth the Company’s segment information (in thousands):

 

 

Twelve months ended December 31,

 

 

 

2024

 

 

2023

 

External program expenses for product candidates

 

 

 

 

 

 

ADI-001

 

$

17,756

 

 

$

26,305

 

ADI-270

 

 

4,474

 

 

 

1,010

 

Other programs(1)

 

 

1,191

 

 

 

2,979

 

Total external program expenses for product candidates

 

 

23,421

 

 

 

30,294

 

Non-program specific expenses(2)

 

 

12,085

 

 

 

13,412

 

Personnel-related expenses (including non-cash stock-based compensation)(3)

 

 

62,163

 

 

 

61,169

 

Depreciation

 

 

6,468

 

 

 

6,098

 

Professional services and consulting fees

 

 

7,339

 

 

 

6,042

 

Facilities and infrastructure expenses

 

 

8,560

 

 

 

9,890

 

Other segment expense(4)

 

 

7,579

 

 

 

5,671

 

Goodwill impairment

 

 

 

 

 

19,462

 

Interest income

 

 

(10,714

)

 

 

(9,978

)

Other expense, net

 

 

221

 

 

 

598

 

Income tax provision

 

 

 

 

 

 

Segment net loss

 

$

(117,122

)

 

$

(142,658

)

(1)
Relates to programs that have been discontinued or are currently in the research stage.
(2)
Relates to platform research and development expenses which are not attributed to specific programs.
(3)
Relates to personnel-related expenses including non-cash stock-based compensation for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 of $22.2 million and $20.3 million.
(4)
Relates to other expenses primarily for software subscriptions and licenses, office expenses, travel and entertainment, director compensation and recruiting fees.

20. Restricted Cash

As of December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, the Company maintained letters of credit of $2.9 million and $0.0 million, respectively, which are collateralized with bank accounts at financial institutions in accordance with the agreements. The letters of credit are included within restricted cash on the Company's consolidated balance sheets. Total restricted cash as of December 31, 2024 and 2023 consisted of the following (in thousands):

 

 

Year Ended December 31,

 

 

 

2024

 

 

2023

 

Redwood City, CA lease(1)

 

$

2,337

 

 

$

 

Boston, MA lease

 

 

266

 

 

 

 

Corporate credit card services

 

 

300

 

 

 

 

Total

 

$

2,903

 

 

$

 

(1)
Includes the Company's lease at 1000 Bridge Parkway and 1200 Bridge Parkway.

F-28


Adicet Bio, Inc.

EXHIBIT INDEX

 

Exhibit

Number

 

Description of Exhibit

 

 

 

   3.1

 

Restated Certificate of Incorporation (as currently in effect) (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.3 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 001-38359) filed with the SEC on June 7, 2024).

 

 

 

   3.2

 

Amended and Restated Bylaws of the Registrant (as currently in effect) (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.2 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 001-38359) filed with the SEC on January 30, 2018).

 

 

 

   4.1*

 

Description of Securities.

 

 

 

  4.2

 

Specimen Common Stock Certificate (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.3 to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K (File No. 001-38359) filed with the SEC on March 15, 2022).

 

 

 

  4.3

 

Form of Pre-Funded Warrant (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 001-38359) filed with the SEC on January 24, 2024).

 

 

 

  10.1

 

Second Amendment to Lease, dated as of June 16, 2022, between Adicet Therapeutics, Inc. as Tenant, and Westport Office Park, LLC, as Landlord (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 001-38359) filed with the SEC on June 21, 2022).

 

 

 

  10.2+

 

Antibody Discovery Agreement, dated as of March 23, 2021, by and between the Registrant and Twist Bioscience Corporation (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q (File No. 001-38359) filed with the SEC on November 8, 2022).

 

 

 

  10.3+

 

First Amendment to Antibody Discovery Agreement, dated as of November 8, 2022, by and between the Registrant and Twist Bioscience Corporation (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.11 to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K (File No. 001-38359) filed with the SEC on March 15, 2023).

 

 

 

  10.4#

 

Second Amended and Restated 2018 Stock Option and Incentive Plan (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 001-38359) filed with the SEC on June 5, 2023).

 

 

 

  10.5#

 

2017 Stock Incentive Plan and forms of award agreements thereunder (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form S-1, as amended, (File No. 333-222373) filed with the SEC on January 16, 2018).

 

 

 

  10.6#

 

2015 Stock Incentive Plan and forms of award agreements thereunder (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.13 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 001-38359) filed with the SEC on September 16, 2020).

 

 

 

  10.7#

 

Amended and Restated 2018 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.14 to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K (File No. 001-38359) filed with the SEC on March 15, 2022).

 

 

 

  10.8#

 

Second Amended and Restated 2018 Stock Option and Incentive Plan, as amended (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 001-38359) filed with the SEC on June 7, 2024).

 

 

 

  10.9#

 

2022 Inducement Plan and forms of award agreements thereunder (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.15 to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K (File No. 001-38359) filed with the SEC on March 15, 2022).

 

 

 

  10.10#

 

First Amendment to the 2022 Inducement Plan (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.23 to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K (File No. 001-38359) filed with the SEC on March 15, 2023).

 

 

 

  10.11#*

 

Second Amendment to the 2022 Inducement Plan.

 

 

 

  10.12#

 

Form of Employment Agreement (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.16 to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K (File No. 001-38359) filed with the SEC on March 15, 2022).

 

 

 

  10.13

 

Form of Indemnification Agreement between the Registrant and each of its directors and executive officers (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.17 to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on March 15, 2022).

 

 

 

  10.14#

 

Amended and Restated Non-Employee Director Compensation Policy (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.18 to the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q (File No. 001-38359) filed with the SEC on May 9, 2023).

 

 

 

  10.15#

 

Amended and Restated Senior Executive Cash Incentive Bonus Plan (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.19 to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K (File No. 001-38359) filed with the SEC on March 15, 2022).

F-29


Adicet Bio, Inc.

 

 

 

  10.16

 

Lease Agreement, dated as of October 31, 2018, by and between Adicet Bio, Inc. as Tenant, and Westport Office Park, LLC as Landlord (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.23 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 001-38359) filed with the SEC on September 16, 2020).

 

 

 

  10.17

 

First Amendment to Lease, dated as of December 30, 2020, by and between Adicet Therapeutics, Inc. as Tenant, and Westport Office Park, LLC as Landlord (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 001-38359) filed with the SEC on January 5, 2021).

 

 

 

  10.18

 

Third Amendment to Lease, dated as of January 9, 2023, by and between Adicet Therapeutics, Inc. as Tenant, and Westport Office Park, LLC as Landlord (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.30 to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K (File No. 001-38359) filed with the SEC on March 15, 2023).

 

 

 

  10.19

 

Office Lease Agreement, dated as of January 8, 2018, by and between resTORbio, Inc. and 500 Boylston and 222 Berkeley Owner (DE) LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.15 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form S-1, as amended, (File No. 333-222373) filed with the SEC on January 16, 2018).

 

 

 

  10.20

 

First Amendment to Office Lease, dated as of April 1, 2019, by and between resTORbio, Inc. and 500 Boylston and 222 Berkeley Owner (DE) LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q (File No. 001-38359) filed with the SEC on May 15, 2019).

 

 

 

  10.21

 

Sublease Agreement, dated as of July 19, 2021, by and between Adicet Bio, Inc. and RFS Opco LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 001-38359) filed with the SEC on July 23, 2021).

 

 

 

  10.22+

 

Amended and Restated License Agreement, dated as of May 21, 2014, by and between Technion Research and Development Foundation Ltd., acting on behalf of itself and the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, and Adicet Therapeutics, Inc. as successor in interest to Applied Immune Technology, Ltd. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.27 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 001-38359) filed with the SEC on September 16, 2020).

 

 

 

  10.23+

 

Amendment No. 1 to Amended and Restated License Agreement, dated as of June 30, 2015, by and between Technion Research and Development Foundation Ltd., acting on behalf of itself and the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, and Applied Immune Technology, Ltd. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.28 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 001-38359) filed with the SEC on September 16, 2020).

 

 

 

  10.24+

 

Amendment No. 2 to Amended and Restated License Agreement, dated as of January 13, 2016, by and between Technion Research and Development Foundation Ltd., Applied Immune Technology, Ltd., and Adicet Therapeutics, Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.29 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 001-38359) filed with the SEC on September 16, 2020).

 

 

 

  10.25+

 

License and Collaboration Agreement, dated as of July 29, 2016, by and between Adicet Bio, Inc. and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.30 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 001-38359) filed with the SEC on September 16, 2020).

 

 

 

  10.26+

 

Amendment No. 1 to License and Collaboration Agreement, dated as of April 4, 2019, by and between Adicet Bio, Inc. and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.31 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 001-38359) filed with the SEC on September 16, 2020).

 

 

 

  10.27

 

Fourth Amendment to Lease, dated as of August 7, 2023, by and between Adicet Therapeutics, Inc. as Tenant, and Westport Office Park, LLC as Landlord (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q (File No. 001-38359) filed with the SEC on August 9, 2023).

 

 

 

  10.28+

 

Membership Agreements, dated January 19, 2024 and March 12, 2024, by and between the Registrant and Industrious Bos 131 Dartmouth Street LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.39 to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K (File No. 001-38359) filed with the SEC on March 19, 2024).

 

 

 

  10.29#

 

Form of Stock Option Cancellation Agreement (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q (File No. 001-38359) filed with the SEC on November 6, 2024).

 

 

 

  19.1

 

Adicet Bio, Inc. Insider Trading Policy (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 19.1 to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K (File No. 001-38359) filed with the SEC on March 19, 2024).

 

 

 

F-30


Adicet Bio, Inc.

  21.1

 

Subsidiaries of the Registrant (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 21.1 to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K (File No. 001-38359) filed with the SEC on March 12, 2021).

 

 

 

  23.1*

 

Consent of KPMG LLP, independent registered public accounting firm.

 

 

 

  24.1*

 

Power of Attorney (included on signature page).

 

 

 

  31.1*

 

Certification of Principal Executive Officer pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) and Rule 15d-14(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as adopted pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

 

 

 

  31.2*

 

Certification of Principal Financial Officer pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) and Rule 15d-14(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as adopted pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

 

 

 

  32.1**

 

Certification of Principal Executive Officer and Principal Financial Officer pursuant to 18 U.S.C. §1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

 

 

 

  97.1#

 

Adicet Bio, Inc. Compensation Recovery Policy (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 97.1 to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K (File No. 001-38359) filed with the SEC on March 19, 2024).

 

 

 

101.INS*

 

Inline XBRL Instance Document

 

 

 

101.SCH*

 

Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document

 

 

 

101.CAL*

 

Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document

 

 

 

101.DEF*

 

Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document

 

 

 

101.LAB*

 

Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document

 

 

 

101.PRE*

 

Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document

 

 

 

104*

 

Cover Page Interactive Data File

 

* Filed herewith.

+ Portions of this exhibit (indicated by asterisks) have been omitted pursuant to Item 601(b)(10) of Regulation S-K.

# Indicates a management contract or any compensatory plan, contract or arrangement.

** The certifications furnished in Exhibit 32.1 hereto are deemed to accompany this Annual Report on Form 10-K and will not be deemed “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Such certifications will not be deemed to be incorporated by reference into any filings under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, except to the extent that the Registrant specifically incorporates it by reference.

Item 16. 10-K Summary

Not applicable.

F-31


Adicet Bio, Inc.

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

 

 

Adicet Bio, Inc.

 

 

 

Date: March 6, 2025

By:

/s/ Chen Schor

 

 

Chen Schor

President, Chief Executive Officer and Director

(Principal Executive Officer)

 

 

POWER OF ATTORNEY

Each person whose individual signature appears below hereby authorizes and appoints Chen Schor and Nick Harvey, and each of them, with full power of substitution and resubstitution and full power to act without the other, as his or her true and lawful attorney-in-fact and agent to act in his or her name, place and stead and to execute in the name and on behalf of each person, individually and in each capacity stated below, and to file any and all amendments to this annual report on Form 10-K and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto, and other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto said attorneys-in-fact and agents, and each of them, full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing, ratifying and confirming all that said attorneys-in-fact and agents or any of them or their or his substitute or substitutes may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue thereof.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1934, this Annual Report on Form 10-K has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

 

Signature

 

Title

 

Date

 

 

 

 

 

/s/ Chen Schor

 

 

 

 

Chen Schor

 

President, Chief Executive Officer and Director (principal executive officer)

 

March 6, 2025

/s/ Nick Harvey

 

 

 

 

Nick Harvey

 

Chief Financial Officer (principal financial officer and principal accounting officer)

 

March 6, 2025

/s/ Jeffrey Chodakewitz

 

 

 

 

Jeffrey Chodakewitz, M.D.

 

Director

 

March 6, 2025

/s/ Steve Dubin

 

 

 

 

Steve Dubin

 

Director

 

March 6, 2025

/s/ Carl L. Gordon

 

 

 

 

Carl L. Gordon, Ph.D.

 

Director

 

March 6, 2025

/s/ Aya Jakobovits

 

 

 

 

Aya Jakobovits, Ph.D.

 

Director

 

March 6, 2025

/s/Lloyd Klickstein, M.D., Ph.D.

 

 

 

 

Lloyd Klickstein, M.D., Ph.D.

 

Director

 

March 6, 2025

/s/ Katie Peng

 

 

 

 

Katie Peng

 

Director

 

March 6, 2025

/s/ Andrew Sinclair

 

 

 

 

Andrew Sinclair, Ph.D.

 

Director

 

March 6, 2025

 

F-32