Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2017

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Note 2 — Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Basis of Presentation

The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its wholly-owned subsidiary. All intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated in consolidation. The condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”), and applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) regarding interim financial reporting. As permitted under SEC rules, certain footnotes or other financial information normally required by U.S. GAAP have been condensed or omitted, and accordingly the balance sheet as of December 31, 2016 has been derived from audited consolidated financial statements at that date but does not include all of the information required by U.S. GAAP for complete financial statements. These condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared on the same basis as the Company’s annual financial statements and in the opinion of management, reflect all adjustments, consisting only of normal recurring adjustments, necessary for a fair presentation of the Company’s financial information. The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements and related financial information should be read in conjunction with the audited financial statements and related notes thereto as of and for the year ended December 31, 2016 included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC.

The results of operations for the nine months ended September 30, 2017 are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the year ending December 31, 2017 or for any other interim period or for any other future periods.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of 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 financial statements and the reported amounts of expenses during the reporting period. Significant estimates in these unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements include those related to the fair value of warrants, the fair value of derivative liability, stock-based compensation, research and development expenses, the provision or benefit for income taxes and the valuation allowance on deferred tax assets. In addition, management’s assessment of the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern involves the estimation of the amount and timing of future cash inflows and outflows. On an ongoing basis, the Company evaluates its estimates, judgements, and methodologies. The Company bases its estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions believed to be reasonable. Due to the inherent uncertainty involved in making estimates, actual results could differ materially from those estimates.

Cash

The Company maintains its cash at a major financial institution with high credit quality. At times, the balance of its cash deposits may exceed federally insured limits. The Company has not experienced and does not anticipate any losses on deposits with commercial banks and financial institutions which exceed federally insured limits.

Research and Development Expenses

Research and development expenses are recognized as incurred and include the salary and stock-based compensation of the Company’s Chief Medical Officer (“CMO”) and the costs related to the Company’s various contract research service providers, suppliers, engineering studies, supplies, and outsourced testing and consulting, as well as rental costs for equipment and access to certain facilities at one of the Company’s contract research service providers.

Offering Costs

Offering costs consist of certain legal, accounting, and other advisory fees incurred related to the Company’s efforts to raise debt and equity capital. Offering costs in connection with equity financing are recognized as either an offset against the financing proceeds to extent the underlying security is equity classified or a current period expense to extent the underlying security is liability classified. Offering costs, lender fees, and warrants issued in connection with debt financing are recognized as debt discount, which reduces the reported carrying value of the debt, and which is amortized as interest expense, generally over the contractual term of the debt agreement, to result in a constant rate of interest. Offering costs associated with in-process capital financing are accounted for as deferred offering costs. The deferred offering costs at December 31, 2016 relate to legal fees incurred with respect to an in-process financing transaction involving the Series A Preferred Stock Units private placement transaction, with such transaction discussed in Note 13, Series A Convertible Preferred Stock, Shareholders’ Deficit, and Warrants.

Patent Costs and Purchased Patent License Rights

Patent related costs in connection with filing and prosecuting patent applications and patents filed by the Company are expensed as incurred, and are classified as general and administrative expenses. The purchase of patent license rights for use in research and development activities are expensed as incurred and are classified as research and development expense.

Equipment

Equipment is stated at cost, less accumulated depreciation. Depreciation is computed using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the respective assets. Maintenance and repairs are charged to operations as incurred. Upon sale or retirement of assets, the cost and related accumulated depreciation are removed from the balance sheet and resulting gain or loss, if any, is included in the consolidated statement of operations. The useful lives of equipment are as follows:

Research and development equipment	5 years
Computer equipment	3 years

Long-Lived Assets

The Company evaluates its long-lived assets, including equipment, for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate the carrying value of these assets may not be recoverable. Recoverability of these assets is measured by comparison of the carrying amount of each asset to the future undiscounted cash flows expected to result from the use of the asset and its eventual disposition. If the asset is considered impaired, the amount of any impairment is measured as the difference between the carrying value and the fair value of the impaired assets. The Company has not recorded impairment of any long-lived assets in the periods presented.

Fair Value Measurements

FASB ASC Topic 820, Fair Value Measurement, (ASC 820) defines fair value as the price which would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at a transaction measurement date. The ASC 820 three-tier fair value hierarchy prioritizes the inputs used in the valuation methodologies, as follows:

Level 1	Valuations based on quoted prices for identical assets and liabilities in active markets.
Level 2	Valuations based on observable inputs other than quoted prices included in Level 1, such as quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in active markets, quoted prices for identical or similar assets and liabilities in markets which are not active, or other inputs observable or can be corroborated by observable market data.
Level 3	Valuations based on unobservable inputs reflecting the Company’s own assumptions, consistent with reasonably available assumptions made by other market participants. These valuations require significant judgment.

The carrying values of cash, accounts payable, and accrued expenses, approximate their respective fair value due to the short-term nature of these financial instruments at September 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016.

At September 30, 2017, the Series A Convertible Preferred Stock conversion option embedded derivative liability and the Series A Warrants liability were initially and are subsequently measured at fair value in accordance with FASB ASC 820, using a Monte Carlo simulation valuation model, using the Company’s common stock price and certain Level 3 inputs to take into account the probabilities of certain events occurring over the life of the respective financial instrument. At December 31, 2016 the Company did not have any assets or liabilities required to be measured at fair value on a recurring basis in accordance with ASC 820. See Note 3, Financial Instruments Fair Value Measurements, for further information regarding the estimated fair value of these financial instruments.

The non-recurring issue-date fair values of the Senior Secured Note and Series S Warrants issued in connection with the Note and Security Purchase Agreement between the Company and Scopia Holdings LLC and the Series A-1 Convertible Preferred Stock and Series A-1 Warrants issued in the Series A-1 Preferred Stock Units private placement, utilized the Company’s common stock price and certain Level 3 inputs in the development of discounted cash flow analyses and Black-Scholes valuation models. Further information regarding such non-recurring issue-date fair values is discussed in Note 12, Note and Securities Purchase Agreement, Senior Secured Note, and Series S Warrants; and, Note 13, Series A Convertible Preferred Stock, Stockholders’ Deficit, and Warrants.

Financial Instruments

The Company evaluates its financial instruments to determine if those instruments or any potential embedded components of those instruments qualify as derivatives that need to be separately accounted for in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 815, Derivatives and Hedging (ASC 815). Warrants are classified as either equity or a derivative liability depending on the specific terms of the respective warrant agreement. Generally, warrants with cash settlement or certain exercise price adjustment provisions, are accounted for as a derivative liability. A warrant classified as a liability, or a bifurcated embedded derivative classified as a liability, is initially measured at its issue-date fair value, with such fair value subsequently adjusted at each reporting period, with the resulting adjustment recognized as other income or expense. If upon the occurrence of an event resulting in the warrant liability or the embedded derivative liability being subsequently classified as equity, the fair value will be adjusted on such date-of-occurrence, with such date-of-occurrence fair value adjustment recognized as other income or expense, and then it will be classified as equity at such date-of-occurrence adjusted fair value.

Stock-Based Compensation

The Company issues stock-based awards to employees, members of its board of directors, and non-employees. Stock-based awards to employees and members of its board of directors are accounted for in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718, Stock Compensation, and stock-based awards to non-employees are accounted for in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 505-50, Equity-Based Payments to Non-Employees.

The Company measures the compensation expense of stock-based awards granted to employees and members of its board of directors using the grant-date fair value of the award and recognizes compensation expense for stock-based awards on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period, which is generally the vesting period of the respective stock option award.

The Company measures the expense of stock-based awards granted to non-employees on a vesting date basis, fixing the fair value of vested non-employee stock options as of the their respective vesting date. The fair value of vested non-employee stock options is not subject-to-change at subsequent reporting dates. The estimated fair value of the unvested non-employee stock options is remeasured to then current fair value at each subsequent reporting date. The expense of non-employee stock options is recognized on a straight-line basis over the service period, which is generally the vesting period of the respective non-employee stock option award.

In March 2016, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2016-09, Compensation — Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting, (“ASU 2016-09”) which simplified several aspects of the accounting for share-based payment transactions, including the income tax consequences, classification of awards as either equity or liabilities, and classification on the statement of cash flows. The guidance is effective for the Company beginning January 1, 2017, although early adoption is permitted. The Company elected to early adopt ASU 2016-09 effective as of April 1, 2016. As the Company did not have any stock options issued or outstanding prior to the closing of its IPO, the early adoption did not have an impact on the Company’s consolidated financial position, results of operations and cash flows.

Income Taxes

The Company accounts for income taxes using the asset and liability method, as required by FASB ASC Topic 740, Income Taxes, (ASC 740). Current tax liabilities or receivables are recognized for the amount of taxes estimated to be payable or refundable for the current year. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for estimated future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax basis, along with net operating loss and tax credit carryforwards. Deferred tax assets and liabilities 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. Changes in deferred tax assets and liabilities are recorded in the provision for income taxes.

The Company assesses the likelihood its deferred tax assets will be recovered from future taxable income, and to the extent it deems reasonable, based on available evidence, it is more-likely-than-not all or a portion of the deferred tax assets will not be realized, a valuation allowance reserve is established through a charge to income tax expense.

The Company recognizes the benefit of an uncertain tax position it has taken or expects to take on its income tax return if such a position is more-likely-than-not to be sustained upon examination by the taxing authorities, with the tax benefit recognized being the largest amount having a greater than 50% likelihood of being realized upon ultimate settlement.

The Company’s policy for recording interest and penalties associated with audits is to record such expense as a component of income tax expense. There were no amounts accrued for penalties or interest as of September 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016, or recognized during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017 and 2016. As of September 30, 2017, the Company does not have any unrecognized tax benefits resulting from uncertain tax positions. The Company is not aware of any issues under review to potentially result in significant payments, accruals, or material deviations from its position.

Net Loss Per Share

Basic net loss per share is calculated by dividing the net loss attributable to common stockholders by the weighted-average number of shares of common stock outstanding during the period. Diluted net loss per share is computed by dividing the net loss by the sum of the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding during the reporting period, and, if dilutive, the incremental shares resulting from common stock equivalents, computed using the treasury stock method. The Company’s common stock equivalents include: stock options, unit purchase options, convertible preferred stock, and warrants. Notwithstanding, as the Company’s consolidated financial results resulted in a net loss for all periods presented, diluted net loss per share is the same as basic net loss per share, due to the exclusion of incremental shares resulting from common stock equivalents as their inclusion would have been anti-dilutive.

Segment Data

The Company manages its operations as a single operating segment for the purposes of assessing performance and making operating decisions. No revenue has been generated since inception, and all tangible assets are held in the United States.

JOBS Act Accounting Election

The Company is an “emerging growth company,” as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the “JOBS Act”). Under the JOBS Act, emerging growth companies can delay adopting new or revised accounting standards issued subsequent to the enactment of the JOBS Act until such time as those standards apply to private companies. The Company has irrevocably elected to avail itself of this exemption from new or revised accounting standards, and, therefore, will not be subject to the same new or revised accounting standards as public companies that are not emerging growth companies.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

In July 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-11, Earnings Per Share (Topic 260), Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity (Topic 480), Derivatives and Hedging (Topic 815) - Part I - Accounting for Certain Financial Instruments with Down-Round Features, and Part II - Replacement of the Indefinite Deferral for Mandatorily Redeemable Financial Instruments of Certain Nonpublic Entities and Certain Mandatorily Redeemable Noncontrolling Interests with a Scope Exception. Principally, ASU 2017-11 amendments simplify the accounting for certain financial instruments with down-round features. The amendments require companies to disregard the down-round feature when assessing whether the instrument is indexed to its own stock, for purposes of determining liability or equity classification. Companies that provide earnings per share (EPS) data will adjust their basic EPS calculation for the effect of the down-round feature when triggered (i.e., when the exercise price of the related equity-linked financial instrument is adjusted downward because of the down-round feature) and will also recognize the effect of the trigger within equity. Additionally, ASU 2017-11 also addresses “navigational concerns” within the FASB ASC related to an indefinite deferral available to private companies with mandatorily redeemable financial instruments and certain noncontrolling interests, which has resulted in the existence of significant “pending content” in the ASC. The FASB decided to reclassify the indefinite deferral as a scope exception, which does not have an accounting effect. The guidance of ASU 2017-11 is effective for public business entities, as defined in the ASC Master Glossary, for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within those fiscal years, and for all other entities, the amendments are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, and interim periods within fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2020. Earlier adoption is permitted for all entities as of the beginning of an interim period for which financial statements (interim or annual) have not been issued or have not been made available for issuance. The Company is evaluating the impact of this guidance on its consolidated financial statements.

In May 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-09, Compensation-Stock Compensation (Topic 718) - Scope of Modification Accounting. In ASU 2017-09, the FASB provides guidance on determining which changes to the terms and conditions of stock-based compensation arrangements require the application of “modification accounting” under ASC 718. Generally, ASC 718 modification accounting is not applicable if the stock-based arrangement immediately before and after the modification has the same fair value, vesting conditions, and balance sheet classification. The guidance of ASU 2017-09 is effective for all entities for annual periods, and interim periods within those annual periods, beginning after December 15, 2017. Early adoption is permitted, including adoption in any interim period, for public business entities, as defined in the ASC Master Glossary, for periods for which financial statements have not yet been issued, and for all other entities for reporting periods for which financial statements have not yet been made available for issuance. The Company adopted this guidance as of April 1, 2017, and it did not have an effect on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-01, Business Combinations (Topic 805): Clarifying the Definition of a Business, which amends the guidance of FASB ASC Topic 805, Business Combinations (ASC 805) adding guidance to assist entities with evaluating whether transactions should be accounted for as acquisitions (disposals) of assets or businesses. The objective of ASU 2017-01 is to narrow the definition of what qualifies as a business under Topic 805 and to provide guidance for streamlining the analysis required to assess whether a transaction involves the acquisition (disposal) of a business. ASU 2017-01 provides a screen to assess when a set of assets and processes do not qualify as a business under Topic 805, reducing the number of transactions that need to be considered as possible business acquisitions. ASU 2017-01 also narrows the definition of output under Topic 805 to make it consistent with the description of outputs under Topic 606. The guidance of ASU 2017-01 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within those fiscal years and early adoption is permitted under certain circumstances. The Company is evaluating the impact of this guidance on its consolidated financial statements.

In August 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-15, which amended the guidance of FASB ASC Topic 230, Statement of Cash Flows (ASC 230) on the classification of certain cash receipts and payments. The primary purpose of ASU 2016-15 is to reduce the diversity in practice which has resulted from a lack of consistent principles on this topic. The amendments of ASU 2016-15 add or clarify guidance on eight specific cash flow issues, including debt prepayment or debt extinguishment costs, settlement of zero-coupon debt instruments, contingent consideration payments made after a business combination, proceeds from the settlement of insurance claims, proceeds from the settlement of corporate-owned life insurance policies, distributions received from equity method investees, beneficial interests in securitization transactions, and separately identifiable cash flows and application of the predominance principle. The guidance of ASU 2016-15 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within those fiscal years. The Company is evaluating the impact of this guidance on its consolidated financial statements.

In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606) and subsequently issued additional updates amending the guidance contained in Topic 606 (ASC 606), thereby affecting the guidance contained in ASU 2014-09. ASU 2014-09 and the subsequent ASC 606 updates will supersede and replace nearly all existing U.S. GAAP revenue recognition guidance. The core principle of ASU 2014-09 is to recognize revenue when promised goods or services are transferred to customers in an amount equal to the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled for those goods and services. ASU 2014-09 defines a five step process to achieve this core principle, and in doing so, more judgment and estimates may be required within the revenue recognition process than are required under existing U.S. GAAP. The standard is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods therein, using either of the following transition methods: (i) a full retrospective approach reflecting the application of the standard in each prior reporting period with the option to elect certain practical expedients, or (ii) a retrospective approach with the cumulative effect of initially adopting the standard recognized at the date of adoption (which includes additional footnote disclosures). To date, since its inception, the Company has not generated any revenue, as such, the provisions of ASC 606 have not impacted the Company’s consolidated results of operations or financial condition.

In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-08, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Principal versus Agent Considerations (“ASU 2016-08”). The amendments are intended to improve the operability and understandability of the implementation guidance on principal versus agent considerations by amending certain existing illustrative examples and adding additional illustrative examples to assist in the application of the guidance. The effective date and transition requirements for the amendments are the same as the effective date and transition requirements in Topic 606. The guidance is effective for the Company beginning January 1, 2018, although early adoption is permitted beginning January 1, 2017. To date, since its inception, the Company has not generated any revenue, as such, the provisions of ASC 606 have not impacted the Company’s consolidated results of operations or financial condition.

In April 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-10, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Identifying Performance Obligations and Licensing (“ASU 2016-10”). The amendments in ASU 2016-10 clarify the following two aspects of Topic 606: (a) identifying performance obligations; and (b) the licensing implementation guidance. The amendments do not change the core principle of the guidance in Topic 606. The effective date and transition requirements for the amendments are the same as the effective date and transition requirements in Topic 606. The guidance is effective for the Company beginning January 1, 2018, although early adoption is permitted beginning January 1, 2017. To date, since its inception, the Company has not generated any revenue, as such, the provisions of ASC 606 have not impacted the Company’s consolidated results of operations or financial condition.

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842) (“ASU 2016-02”), which establishes a right-of-use (“ROU”) model requiring a lessee to recognize a ROU asset and a lease liability for all leases with terms greater-than 12 months. Leases will be classified as either finance or operating, with classification affecting the pattern of expense recognition in the income statement. The new standard is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods with those fiscal years. A modified retrospective transition approach is required for leases existing at, or entered into after, the beginning of the earliest comparative period presented in the financial statements, with certain practical expedients available. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this guidance on its consolidated financial position, results of operations, and cash flows.