Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)	3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2020
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Basis of presentation	Basis of presentation The accompanying unaudited interim consolidated financial statements includes the accounts of the Company and its subsidiaries and all intercompany amounts have been eliminated. The unaudited interim consolidated financial statements have been prepared and presented by the Company in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles ("U.S. GAAP") and the rules and regulations of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), and, in management’s opinion, reflect all adjustments necessary to present fairly the Company’s interim condensed financial information. Certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in the Company’s annual financial statements prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP have been condensed or omitted. The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2019, included in NewLink's Annual Report on Form 10-K and the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K/A, filed with the SEC on May 29, 2020. The financial results for any interim period are not necessarily indicative of financial results for the full year.
Concentration of Credit Risk	Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk consist primarily of cash and cash equivalents. Cash and cash equivalents are held by financial institutions and are federally insured up to certain limits. At times, the Company’s cash and cash equivalents balance exceeds the federally insured limits. To limit the credit risk, the Company invests its excess cash primarily in high quality securities such as money market funds.
Use of Estimates	Use of Estimates The preparation of the condensed consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the condensed consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.
Principles of Consolidation	Principles of Consolidation The condensed consolidated financial statements include the financial statements of the Company and its wholly-owned subsidiaries. All significant intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.
Financial Instruments	Financial Instruments and Concentrations of Credit RiskCash and cash equivalents, receivables, and accounts payable are recorded at cost, which approximates fair value based on the short-term nature of these financial instruments. The Company is unable to estimate the fair value of the royalty obligation based on future product sales, as the timing of payments, if any, is uncertain.
Share-based Compensation	Share-Based Compensation The Company is required to estimate the grant-date fair value of share-based payment transactions with employees which include stock options, restricted stock units ("RSUs") and performance shares and recognizes the compensation cost over the requisite service period based on the estimated fair values. The Company estimates the fair value of each award granted using the Black-Scholes option pricing model. The Black-Scholes model requires the input of assumptions, including the expected stock price volatility, the calculation of expected term and the fair value of the underlying common stock on the date of grant, among other inputs. The Company calculates the fair value of the award on the grant date, which is the date the award is authorized by the Board or by the Chief Executive Officer as delegated by the Board. The Company has issued awards to nonemployee consultants and advisers. All grants to nonemployees are valued using the same fair value method that we use for grants to employees. The compensation cost on these awards is measured each period until vesting and is recognized through the earlier of the vesting of the award or completion of services by the nonemployee. Following is a description of the inputs for the Black-Scholes model: Exercise Price The Company uses the quoted market price as listed on the public exchange on the date of grant. If incentive stock options are granted to a 10% stockholder in the Company, the exercise price shall not be less than 110% of the common stock’s fair market value on the date of grant. Expected Term (in Years) The expected term of a stock option is the period of time for which the option is expected to be outstanding. Due to the lack of historical exercise data to provide a reasonable basis upon which to estimate an expected term, we have opted to use the simplified method, which is the use of the midpoint of the vesting term and the contractual term of the award to estimate the expected term. Risk-Free Interest Rate The Company uses the average yield on current U.S. Treasury instruments with terms that approximate the expected term of the stock options being valued. Expected Dividend Yield The expected dividend yield for all of the Company’s stock option grants is 0%, as the Company has not declared a cash dividend since inception and has no plans to declare a dividend. Expected Volatility As the Company does not have sufficient historical stock price information to meet the expected life of the stock option grants, it uses a blended volatility based on the trading history from the common stock of a set of comparable publicly-traded biopharmaceutical companies. Forfeitures The Company accounts for forfeitures as they occur.
Property and Equipment	Property and EquipmentProperty and equipment are capitalized as the Company believes they have alternative future uses and are stated at cost, less accumulated depreciation of $161,000 and $154,000 as of March 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively. Depreciation on all property and equipment is calculated on the straight-line method over the shorter of the lease term or estimated useful life of the asset. Computer equipment has useful lives of three to five years, lab equipment has a useful life of five years, and contract manufacturing organization equipment has a useful life of five years.
Acquired In-process Research and Development	Acquired in-process research and development expense consists of the initial up-front payments incurred in connection with the acquisition or licensing of product candidates that do not meet the definition of a business under ASC 805, Business Combinations. During the three months ended March 31, 2020, the Company expensed the in-process research and development asset of $426,000 acquired as part of the Merger as there is no future economic benefit. The expense of $426,000 is recorded within research and development costs within the Consolidated Statement of Operations.

Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2020

The accompanying unaudited interim consolidated financial statements includes the accounts of the Company and its subsidiaries and all intercompany amounts have been eliminated. The unaudited interim consolidated financial statements have been prepared and presented by the Company in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles ("U.S. GAAP") and the rules and regulations of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), and, in management’s opinion, reflect all adjustments necessary to present fairly the Company’s interim condensed financial information.

Certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in the Company’s annual financial statements prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP have been condensed or omitted. The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2019, included in NewLink's Annual Report on Form 10-K and the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K/A, filed with the SEC on May 29, 2020. The financial results for any interim period are not necessarily indicative of financial results for the full year.

Concentration of Credit Risk

Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk consist primarily of cash and cash equivalents. Cash and cash equivalents are held by financial institutions and are federally insured up to certain limits. At times, the Company’s cash and cash equivalents balance exceeds the federally insured limits. To limit the credit risk, the Company invests its excess cash primarily in high quality securities such as money market funds.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of the condensed consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the condensed consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Principles of Consolidation

The condensed consolidated financial statements include the financial statements of the Company and its wholly-owned subsidiaries. All significant intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

Financial Instruments

Financial Instruments and Concentrations of Credit RiskCash and cash equivalents, receivables, and accounts payable are recorded at cost, which approximates fair value based on the short-term nature of these financial instruments. The Company is unable to estimate the fair value of the royalty obligation based on future product sales, as the timing of payments, if any, is uncertain.

Share-based Compensation

Share-Based Compensation

The Company is required to estimate the grant-date fair value of share-based payment transactions with employees which include stock options, restricted stock units ("RSUs") and performance shares and recognizes the compensation cost over the requisite service period based on the estimated fair values. The Company estimates the fair value of each award granted using the Black-Scholes option pricing model. The Black-Scholes model requires the input of assumptions, including the expected stock price volatility, the calculation of expected term and the fair value of the underlying common stock on the date of grant, among other inputs. The Company calculates the fair value of the award on the grant date, which is the date the award is authorized by the Board or by the Chief Executive Officer as delegated by the Board.

The Company has issued awards to nonemployee consultants and advisers. All grants to nonemployees are valued using the same fair value method that we use for grants to employees. The compensation cost on these awards is measured each period until vesting and is recognized through the earlier of the vesting of the award or completion of services by the nonemployee.

Following is a description of the inputs for the Black-Scholes model:

Exercise Price

The Company uses the quoted market price as listed on the public exchange on the date of grant. If incentive stock options are granted to a 10% stockholder in the Company, the exercise price shall not be less than 110% of the common stock’s fair market value on the date of grant.

Expected Term (in Years)

The expected term of a stock option is the period of time for which the option is expected to be outstanding. Due to the lack of historical exercise data to provide a reasonable basis upon which to estimate an expected term, we have opted to use the simplified method, which is the use of the midpoint of the vesting term and the contractual term of the award to estimate the expected term.

Risk-Free Interest Rate

The Company uses the average yield on current U.S. Treasury instruments with terms that approximate the expected term of the stock options being valued.

Expected Dividend Yield

The expected dividend yield for all of the Company’s stock option grants is 0%, as the Company has not declared a cash dividend since inception and has no plans to declare a dividend.

Expected Volatility

As the Company does not have sufficient historical stock price information to meet the expected life of the stock option grants, it uses a blended volatility based on the trading history from the common stock of a set of comparable publicly-traded biopharmaceutical companies.

Forfeitures

The Company accounts for forfeitures as they occur.

Property and Equipment

Property and EquipmentProperty and equipment are capitalized as the Company believes they have alternative future uses and are stated at cost, less accumulated depreciation of $161,000 and $154,000 as of March 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively. Depreciation on all property and equipment is calculated on the straight-line method over the shorter of the lease term or estimated useful life of the asset. Computer equipment has useful lives of three to five years, lab equipment has a useful life of five years, and contract manufacturing organization equipment has a useful life of five years.

Acquired In-process Research and Development

Acquired in-process research and development expense consists of the initial up-front payments incurred in connection with the acquisition or licensing of product candidates that do not meet the definition of a business under ASC 805, Business Combinations. During the three months ended March 31, 2020, the Company expensed the in-process research and development asset of $426,000 acquired as part of the Merger as there is no future economic benefit. The expense of $426,000 is recorded within research and development costs within the Consolidated Statement of Operations.