Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2020

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

2. Significant Accounting Policies

2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Basis of Presentation

The accompanying financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“U.S. GAAP”) and pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). Operating results for the year ended December 31, 2020 are not necessarily indicative of results to be expected for any future year.

Accounting Estimates

Management uses estimates and assumptions in preparing these financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Those estimates and assumptions affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities, and the reported revenues and expenses. Actual results could differ from those estimates and the difference could be significant. Significant items subject to such estimates and assumptions include the valuation of stock-based compensation and prepaid or accrued clinical trial costs.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

The Company maintains its accounts primarily at one financial institution. At times throughout the year, the Company’s cash balances may exceed amounts insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. At December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, the Company had $11,378,685 and $18,369,229, respectively, in money market funds that are considered cash equivalents and not insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.

Property and Equipment

Property and equipment are stated at cost. Depreciation is provided over estimated useful lives using the straight-line method. Maintenance and repairs are expensed as incurred; major improvements and betterments are capitalized.

Estimated useful lives of property and equipment are as follows for the major classes of assets:

Asset Description	Estimated Lives
Furniture and Equipment	4-5
Leasehold Improvements	2-3

Long-Lived Assets

Long-lived assets, such as property and equipment, are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. If circumstances require a long-lived asset or asset group be tested for possible impairment, the Company first compares undiscounted cash flows expected to be generated by that asset or asset group to its carrying value. If the carrying value of the long-lived asset or asset group is not recoverable on an undiscounted cash flow basis, an impairment is recognized to the extent that the carrying value exceeds its fair value. Fair value is determined through various valuation techniques including discounted cash flow models, quoted market values, and third-party independent appraisals, as considered necessary.

Deferred Transaction Costs

Deferred transaction costs primarily consist of legal fees, SEC filing fees and other fees relating to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-3 filed on September 21, 2018. The deferred transaction costs were capitalized as incurred and were offset against proceeds from the sale of shares of common stock pursuant to the ATM Agreement.

Comprehensive Loss

Comprehensive loss includes net loss as well as other changes in stockholders’ equity that result from transactions and economic events other than those with stockholders. For all periods presented, there was no difference between net loss and comprehensive loss.

Risks and Uncertainties

The Company is subject to risks common to companies in the development stage including, but not limited to, dependency on the clinical and commercial success of its diagnostic tests, ability to obtain regulatory approval of its diagnostic tests, the need for substantial additional financing to achieve its goals, uncertainty of broad adoption of its approved products, if any, by physicians and consumers, and significant competition.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

The Company’s accounting for fair value measurements of assets and liabilities that are recognized or disclosed at fair value in the financial statements on a recurring or nonrecurring basis adheres to the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) fair value hierarchy that prioritizes the inputs to valuation techniques used to measure fair value. The hierarchy gives the highest priority to unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1 measurements) and the lowest priority to measurements involving significant unobservable inputs (Level 3 measurements). The three levels of the fair value hierarchy are as follows:

· Level 1 Inputs: Unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities accessible to the Company at the measurement date.

· Level 2 Inputs: Other than quoted prices included in Level 1 inputs that are observable for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly, for substantially the full term of the asset or liability.

· Level 3 Inputs: Unobservable inputs for the asset or liability used to measure fair value to the extent that observable inputs are not available, thereby allowing for situations in which there is little, if any, market activity for the asset or liability at measurement date.

The level in the fair value hierarchy within which a fair value measurement in its entirety falls, is based on the lowest level input that is significant to the fair value measurement in its entirety.

The carrying values of cash equivalents, accounts payable, accrued expenses and other financial working capital items approximate fair value at December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, due to the short maturity nature of these items.

Income Taxes

The Company accounts for income taxes using the asset and liability method, as required by the accounting standard for income taxes. Under this method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases, as well as net operating loss and tax credit carryforwards. Deferred taxes are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred taxes of a change in tax rates is recognized in results of operations in the period that includes the enactment date. The effects of any future changes in tax laws or rates have not been considered. The Company regularly reviews deferred tax assets to assess their potential realization and establish a valuation allowance for portions of such assets to reduce the carrying value if the Company does not consider it to be more likely than not that the deferred tax assets will be realized.

The Company recognizes the impact of an uncertain tax position in its financial statements if, in management's judgment, the position is more-likely-than-not sustainable upon audit based on the position's technical merits. This involves the identification of potential uncertain tax positions, the evaluation of applicable tax laws and an assessment of whether a liability for an uncertain tax position is necessary.

Stock-Based Compensation

The Company’s stock-based compensation consists of stock options and restricted stock issued to certain employees and nonemployees of the Company and the Company’s 2017 Employee Stock Purchase Plan. The Company recognizes compensation expense based on an estimated grant date fair value using the Black-Scholes option-pricing method. If the factors change and different assumptions used, the Company’s stock-based compensation expense could be materially different in the future. The Company recognizes stock-based compensation expense for these options on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period. The Company has elected to account for forfeitures as they occur.

Research and Development

Research and development costs are expensed as incurred. Research and development costs amounted to $7,683,522 for the year ended December 31, 2020 and $6,269,308 for the year ended December 31, 2019.

Clinical Trial Costs

The Company records prepaid assets or accrued expenses for prepaid or estimated clinical trial costs conducted by third-party service providers, which include the conduct of preclinical studies and clinical trials. These costs can be a significant component of the Company’s research and development expenses. The Company accrues for these costs based on factors such as estimates of the work completed and in accordance with service agreements with its third-party service providers. The Company makes significant judgments and estimates in determining the accrued liabilities balance in each reporting period. As actual costs become known, the Company adjusts its prepaid assets or accrued expenses. The Company has not experienced any material differences between accrued costs and actual costs incurred. However, the status and timing of actual services performed, number of patients enrolled, and the rate of patient enrollments may vary from the Company’s estimates, resulting in an adjustment to expense in future periods. Changes in these estimates that result in material changes to the Company’s prepaid assets or accrued expenses could materially affect the Company’s results of operations.

Segment Data

The Company manages its operations as a single segment for the purposes of assessing performance and making operating decisions.

Application of New or Revised Accounting Standards

Pursuant to the JOBS Act, a company constituting an “emerging growth company” is, among other things, entitled to rely upon certain reduced reporting requirements. The Company is an emerging growth company but has irrevocably elected not to take advantage of the extended transition period afforded by the JOBS Act for the implementation of new or revised accounting standards. As a result, the Company will comply with new or revised accounting standards on the relevant dates on which adoption of such standards is required for public companies that are not emerging growth companies.

Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements

Effective January 1, 2019, the Company adopted Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842), which requires the recognition of lease assets and lease liabilities by lessees for those leases classified as operating leases under previous guidance. The original guidance required application on a modified retrospective basis with the earliest period presented. In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-11, Targeted Improvements to ASC 842, which included an option to not restate comparative periods in transition and elect to use the effective date of ASC 842 as the date of initial application of transition, which the Company elected. As a result of the adoption of ASC 842 on January 1, 2019, the Company recorded both operating lease right-of-use (“ROU”) assets of $356,539 and lease liabilities of $404,931 and eliminated deferred rent of $63,875 and prepaid rent of $15,483. The adoption of ASC 842 had no impact on the Company’s Statement of Operations and Statement of Cash Flows for the year ended December 31, 2019. In addition, the Company elected the package of practical expedients permitted under the transition guidance within the new standard which allowed the Company to carry forward the historical lease classification. Additional information and disclosures required by this new standard are contained in Note 9.