INCOME TAXES	3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2017
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
INCOME TAXES	10. INCOME TAXES As of December 31, 2016, we had federal NOL, state NOL, and research and development credit carryforwards of approximately $382,781, $202,137 and $27,779 respectively, which expire at various dates through 2036. Approximately $15,080 of our federal NOL and $929 of our state NOL were generated from excess tax deductions from share-based awards. The Company adopted ASU No. 2016-09 in the first quarter of 2017. The recognition of the excess tax benefits from share-base payments mentioned above increased deferred tax assets and retained earnings accordingly. As the company doesn’t expect taxable income in the foreseeable future, we reserved the full amount at the time of the recognition and there was no impact on the net positions of deferred tax assets and retained earnings. The amount of excess tax benefits or deficiencies will fluctuate from period to period based on the price of our stock, the volume of share-based instruments settled or vested, and the value assigned to employee equity awards under U.S. GAAP and these fluctuations did not affect our net deferred tax position in the first quarter of 2017. At March 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016, we had no unrecognized tax benefits. We do not expect that the total amount of unrecognized tax benefits will significantly increase in the next twelve months. Our policy is to recognize interest and penalties related to uncertain tax positions in income tax expense. As of March 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016, we had no accrued interest or penalties related to uncertain tax positions. Our U.S. federal tax returns for the tax years 2013 through 2016 and our state tax returns for the tax years 2013 through 2016 remain open to examination. Prior tax years remain open to the extent of net operating loss and tax credit carryforwards. Utilization of NOL and research and development credit carryforwards may be subject to a substantial annual limitation in the event of an ownership change that has occurred previously or could occur in the future pursuant to Section 382 and 383 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, as well as similar state provisions. An ownership change may limit the amount of NOL and research and development credit carryforwards that can be utilized annually to offset future taxable income, and may, in turn, result in the expiration of a portion of those carryforwards before utilization. In general, an ownership change, as defined by Section 382, results from transactions that increase the ownership of certain stockholders or public groups in the stock of a corporation by more than 50 percentage points over a three year period. We undertook a detailed study of our NOL and research and development credit carryforwards through January 31, 2017, to determine whether such amounts are likely to be limited by Sections 382 or 383. As a result of this analysis, we currently do not believe any Sections 382 or 383 limitations will significantly impact our ability to offset income with available NOL and research and development credit carryforwards. However, future ownership changes under Section 382 may limit our ability to fully utilize these tax benefits.

10. INCOME TAXES

As of December 31, 2016, we had federal NOL, state NOL, and research and development credit carryforwards of approximately $382,781, $202,137 and $27,779 respectively, which expire at various dates through 2036. Approximately $15,080 of our federal NOL and $929 of our state NOL were generated from excess tax deductions from share-based awards.

The Company adopted ASU No. 2016-09 in the first quarter of 2017. The recognition of the excess tax benefits from share-base payments mentioned above increased deferred tax assets and retained earnings accordingly. As the company doesn’t expect taxable income in the foreseeable future, we reserved the full amount at the time of the recognition and there was no impact on the net positions of deferred tax assets and retained earnings. The amount of excess tax benefits or deficiencies will fluctuate from period to period based on the price of our stock, the volume of share-based instruments settled or vested, and the value assigned to employee equity awards under U.S. GAAP and these fluctuations did not affect our net deferred tax position in the first quarter of 2017.

At March 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016, we had no unrecognized tax benefits. We do not expect that the total amount of unrecognized tax benefits will significantly increase in the next twelve months. Our policy is to recognize interest and penalties related to uncertain tax positions in income tax expense. As of March 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016, we had no accrued interest or penalties related to uncertain tax positions. Our U.S. federal tax returns for the tax years 2013 through 2016 and our state tax returns for the tax years 2013 through 2016 remain open to examination. Prior tax years remain open to the extent of net operating loss and tax credit carryforwards.

Utilization of NOL and research and development credit carryforwards may be subject to a substantial annual limitation in the event of an ownership change that has occurred previously or could occur in the future pursuant to Section 382 and 383 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, as well as similar state provisions. An ownership change may limit the amount of NOL and research and development credit carryforwards that can be utilized annually to offset future taxable income, and may, in turn, result in the expiration of a portion of those carryforwards before utilization. In general, an ownership change, as defined by Section 382, results from transactions that increase the ownership of certain stockholders or public groups in the stock of a corporation by more than 50 percentage points over a three year period. We undertook a detailed study of our NOL and research and development credit carryforwards through January 31, 2017, to determine whether such amounts are likely to be limited by Sections 382 or 383. As a result of this analysis, we currently do not believe any Sections 382 or 383 limitations will significantly impact our ability to offset income with available NOL and research and development credit carryforwards. However, future ownership changes under Section 382 may limit our ability to fully utilize these tax benefits.