2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Basis of Presentation and Principles of Consolidation

The accompanying consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Catabasis Securities Corporation. All intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. These consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with United States generally accepted accounting principles (“U.S. GAAP”) and include all adjustments necessary for the fair presentation of the Company’s financial position for the periods presented.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of the Company’s consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. Actual results could differ from such estimates.

The Company utilizes certain estimates to record expenses relating to research and development contracts. These contract estimates, which are primarily related to the length of service of each contract and the amount of service provided as of each measurement date, are determined by the Company based on input from internal project management, as well as from third-party service providers.

Off-Balance Sheet Risk and Concentrations of Credit Risk

The Company has no off-balance sheet risk, such as foreign exchange contracts, option contracts or other foreign hedging arrangements. Financial instruments that subject the Company to credit risk primarily consist of cash, cash equivalents, short-term investments and restricted cash. The primary objectives for the Company's investment portfolio are the preservation of capital and the maintenance of liquidity. The Company's investment policy includes guidelines on the quality of the institutions and financial instruments and defines allowable investments that the Company believes minimizes the exposure to concentration of credit risk.

Cash and Cash Equivalents and Restricted Cash

The Company considers highly liquid investments with a maturity of three months or less when purchased to be cash equivalents. Cash equivalents, which consist of money market funds, corporate debt securities and reverse repurchase agreements are stated at fair value. Cash and cash equivalents consist of the following (in thousands):


	December 31,
	2018		2017
Cash	$	4,390	$	2,781
Money market fund		5,956		13,588
Corporate debt securities		1,948		—
Reverse repurchase agreements		3,000		—
Total	$	15,294	$	16,369

The reconciliation of cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash reported within the applicable balance sheet that sum to the total of the same such amount shown in the statement of cash flows is as follows:


	December 31,
	2018		2017
Cash and cash equivalents	$	15,294	$	16,369
Restricted cash		113		113
Total	$	15,407	$	16,482

Short-Term Investments

The Company classifies all corporate debt securities with a remaining maturity of greater than three months and reverse repurchase agreements with a remaining maturity of greater than one business day at the time of purchase as short-term investments. Short-term investments are recorded at fair value, with the unrealized gains and losses reported in other comprehensive loss. The amortized cost of debt securities is adjusted for the amortization of premiums and accretion of discounts to maturity. Such amortization is included in interest and investment income. Realized gains and losses, interest, dividends and declines in value judged to be other-than-temporary are included in interest and investment income.

The cost of securities sold is based on the specific identification method for purposes of recording realized gains and losses. To determine whether an other-than-temporary impairment exists, the Company considers whether it has the ability and intent to hold the investment until a market price recovery, and whether evidence indicating the recoverability of the cost of the investment outweighs evidence to the contrary.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

The fair value hierarchy prioritizes the inputs to valuation techniques used to measure fair value into three broad levels as follows: Level 1 inputs are quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets for identical assets or liabilities; Level 2 inputs are inputs other than quoted prices included within Level 1 that are observable for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly; and Level 3 inputs are unobservable inputs that reflect the Company’s own assumptions about the assumptions market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability. Financial assets and liabilities are classified in their entirety based on the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement.

The carrying amounts reflected in the balance sheets for cash equivalents, restricted cash, prepaid expenses and other current assets, accounts payable and accrued expenses approximate their fair values at December 31, 2018 and 2017, due to their short-term nature. There have been no changes to the valuation methods during the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017. The Company evaluates transfers between levels at the end of each reporting period. There were no transfers of assets or liabilities between levels during the year ended December 31, 2018 and 2017.

The Company’s investment portfolio may include fixed income securities that do not always trade on a daily basis. As a result, the pricing services used by the Company apply other available information as applicable through processes such as benchmark yields, benchmarking of like securities, sector groupings and matrix pricing to prepare valuations. The Company validates the prices provided by its third party pricing services by obtaining market values from other pricing sources and analyzing pricing data in certain instances. The Company also invests in certain reverse repurchase agreements which are collateralized by deposits in the form of U.S. Government Securities and Obligations for an amount no less than 102% of their value. The Company does not record an asset or liability for the collateral as the Company is not permitted to sell or re-pledge the collateral. The collateral has at least the prevailing credit rating of U.S. Government Treasuries and Agencies. The Company utilizes a third party custodian to manage the exchange of funds and ensure that collateral received is maintained at 102% of the value of the reverse repurchase agreements on a daily basis.

Property and Equipment

Property and equipment consist of computer equipment, leasehold improvements and furniture and fixtures. Property and equipment is stated at cost and depreciated using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the respective assets. Costs of major additions and betterments are capitalized; maintenance and repairs, which do not improve or extend the life of the respective assets, are charged to expense as incurred. Upon retirement or sale, the cost of the disposed asset and the related accumulated depreciation are removed from the accounts and the resulting gain or loss is recognized.

Impairment of Long-Lived Assets

The Company continually evaluates whether events or circumstances have occurred that indicate that the estimated remaining useful life of its long-lived assets may warrant revision or that the carrying value of these assets may be impaired. The Company has not recognized any significant impairment charges from inception through December 31, 2018.

Research and Development Expenses

Research and development costs are expensed as incurred. Research and development costs include salaries and personnel-related costs, stock-based compensation, consulting fees, fees paid for contract research services, the costs of laboratory equipment and facilities and other external costs. Nonrefundable advance payments for goods or services to be received in the future for use in research and development activities are deferred. The deferred amounts are expensed as the related goods are delivered or the services are performed.

Revenue Recognition

The Company recognizes revenue in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”), Revenue from Contracts with Customers, (“ASC 606”). This standard applies to all contracts with customers, except for contracts that are within the scope of other standards, such as leases, insurance, collaboration arrangements and financial instruments. Under ASC 606, an entity recognizes revenue when its customer obtains control of promised goods or services, in an amount that reflects the consideration which the entity expects to receive in exchange for those goods or services. In determining the appropriate amount of revenue to be recognized as the Company fulfills its obligations under the agreement, the Company performs the following steps: (i) identification of the promised goods or services in the contract; (ii) determination of whether the promised goods or services are performance obligations including whether they are distinct in the context of the contract; (iii) measurement of the transaction price, including the constraint on variable consideration; (iv) allocation of the transaction price to the performance obligations; and (v) recognition of revenue when (or as) the Company satisfies each performance obligation. The Company only applies the five-step model to contracts when it is probable that it will collect the consideration it is entitled to in exchange for the goods or services it transfers to the customer. At contract inception, once the contract is determined to be within the scope of ASC 606, the Company assesses the goods or services promised within each contract and determines those that are performance obligations, and assesses whether each promised good or service is distinct. 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.

Stock-Based Compensation

The Company accounts for its stock-based compensation awards in accordance with ASC Topic 718, Compensation—Stock Compensation (“ASC 718”). ASC 718 requires all share-based payments to employees, including grants of employee stock options, to be recognized in the statements of operations based on their grant date fair values. For stock options granted to employees and to members of the board of directors for their services on the board of directors, the Company estimates the grant date fair value of each option award using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model. The use of the Black-Scholes option-pricing model requires management to make assumptions with respect to the expected term of the option, the expected volatility of the Common Stock consistent with the expected term of the option, risk-free interest rates and expected dividend yields of the Common Stock.

For awards subject to service-based vesting conditions, the Company recognizes stock-based compensation expense equal to the grant date fair value of stock options on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period.

The Company expenses restricted stock awards based on the fair value of the award on a straight-line basis over the associated service period of the award.

During the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017, the Company recorded stock-based compensation expense for employee and non-employee stock options and restricted stock, which was allocated as follows in the statements of operations (in thousands):


	Year Ended December 31,
	2018		2017
Research and development	$	673	$	784
General and administrative		1,098		1,223
Total	$	1,771	$	2,007

No related tax benefits were recognized for the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017.

Grant Awards

In the year ended December 31, 2017, the Company received $124,000 in grants from the Muscular Dystrophy Association and Friedreich's Ataxia Research Alliance. No such grants were received in the year ended December 31, 2018. In the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017, the Company utilized $8,000 and $205,000 of the grants received to offset related expenses incurred in the Company’s statements of operations.

Net Loss Per Share

Basic net loss per share is calculated by dividing net loss by the weighted average shares outstanding during the period, without consideration for Common Stock equivalents. Diluted net loss per share is calculated by adjusting weighted average shares outstanding for the dilutive effect of Common Stock equivalents outstanding for the period, determined using the treasury-stock method. For purposes of the Company’s dilutive net loss per share calculation, stock options and warrants to purchase Common Stock were considered to be Common Stock equivalents but were excluded from the calculation of diluted net loss per share, as their effect would be anti-dilutive; therefore, basic and diluted net loss per share were the same for all periods presented.

The following Common Stock equivalents were excluded from the calculation of diluted net loss per share for the periods indicated because including them would have had an anti-dilutive effect:


	Year Ended December 31,
	2018	2017
Stock options	433,389	283,277
Common stock warrants	4,202,449	2,454
	4,635,838	285,731

Income Taxes

The Company provides deferred tax assets and liabilities for the expected future tax consequences of temporary differences between the Company's financial statement carrying amounts and the tax basis of assets and liabilities using enacted tax rates expected to be in effect in the years in which the differences are expected to reverse. A valuation allowance is provided to reduce the deferred tax assets to the amount that will more likely than not be realized.

The Company accounts for uncertain tax positions in accordance with the provisions of ASC Topic 740, Expenses—Income Taxes. When uncertain tax positions exist, the Company recognizes the tax benefit of tax positions to the extent that the benefit will more likely than not be realized. The determination as to whether the tax benefit will more likely than not be realized is based upon the technical merits of the tax position as well as consideration of the available facts and circumstances. The Company did not have any significant uncertain tax positions for any periods presented.

Segment Information

Operating segments are identified as components of an enterprise for which separate discrete financial information is available for evaluation by the chief operating decision maker, or decision making group, in making decisions on how to allocate resources and assess performance. The Company views its operations and manages its business in one operating segment. The Company operates in one geographic segment.

Comprehensive Loss

Comprehensive loss is defined as the change in equity of a business enterprise during a period from transactions and other events and circumstances from non-owner sources. For the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017 amounts in accumulated other comprehensive loss were comprised of unrealized gains and losses on short-term investments.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements-Adopted

In October 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2016-18, Statement of Cash Flows- Restricted Cash (Topic 230), which requires that a statement of cash flows explain the change during the period in the total of cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash or restricted cash equivalents. Therefore, amounts described as restricted cash and restricted cash equivalents should be included with cash and cash equivalents when reconciling the beginning-of-period and end-of-period total amounts shown on the statement of cash flows. The Company adopted ASU 2016-18 in the period beginning January 1, 2018. Upon adoption of ASU 2016-18 the Company revised the presentation as well as caption of certain items within the audited consolidated statements of cash flows to conform to the current period presentation. These revisions had no impact on the net cash used in operating activities or cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at the end of the period.

In July 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-07, Compensation- Stock Compensation (Topic 718). This standard simplifies several areas of the accounting for non-employee share-based payment transactions. This amendment is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2018, and the Company early adopted this standard on October 1, 2018. The adoption did not have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements-Not Yet Adopted

From time to time, new accounting pronouncements are issued by the FASB or other standard setting bodies and adopted by the Company as of the specified effective date. Unless otherwise discussed, the Company believes that the impact of recently issued standards that are not yet effective will not have a material impact on its financial position or results of operations upon adoption.

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, Leases. This standard amends the existing guidance to require lessees to present most leases on their balance sheets but recognize corresponding expenses on their statements of operations. The FASB added a transition option to the new leases standard that allows entities to not apply the new guidance in the comparative periods they present in their financial statements in the year of adoption. The FASB also provided a practical expedient that gives lessors an option to combine non-lease and associated lease components when certain criteria are met and requires a lessor to account for the combined component in accordance with the new revenue standard if the associated non-lease components are the predominant component. This standard is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2018. The Company will adopt this standard as of January 1, 2019 using the modified retrospective approach recording any cumulative adjustment to retained earnings. The adoption of this standard is expected to have a material impact on lease assets and lease liabilities but will not materially impact consolidated net losses. The Company will elect a package of practical expedients permitted under the transition guidance within the new standard, which among other things, allows the Company to carryforward the historical lease classification.

In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-13, Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820). This standard includes amendments regarding changes in unrealized gains and losses, the range and weighted average of significant unobservable inputs used to develop Level 3 fair value measurements, and disclosure requirements of measurement uncertainty. This amendment is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2019. The Company is currently evaluating the impact that this standard will have on its consolidated financial statements.