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Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2024
Accounting Policies [Abstract]  
Basis of Presentation
Basis of Presentation
The unaudited condensed financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (U.S. GAAP) and applicable rules and regulations of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for interim reporting. As permitted under those rules and regulations, certain footnotes or other financial information normally included in financial statements prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP have been condensed or omitted. These condensed financial statements have been prepared on the same basis as the annual financial statements and, in the opinion of management, reflect all adjustments, consisting only of normal recurring adjustments, which are necessary for a fair presentation of the Company’s financial information. These unaudited condensed financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited financial statements and related notes in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023.
Any reference in these notes to applicable guidance is meant to refer to the authoritative U.S. GAAP as found in the Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) and Accounting Standards Updates of the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB).
Segment Information
Segment Information
The Company operates in one operating segment for the purposes of assessing performance and making operating decisions and, accordingly, no segment disclosures have been presented herein. All assets are held in the United States.
Use of Estimates
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 income and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Estimates have been used in the following areas, among others: research and development accruals, fair value of the Company’s common stock prior to the closing of the Company’s IPO, and income taxes.
Cash and Cash Equivalents
Cash and Cash Equivalents
All highly liquid investments that have maturities of 90 days or less at the date of purchase are classified as cash equivalents.
Concentration of Credit Risk
Concentration of Credit Risk
The Company has no significant off-balance sheet concentrations of credit risk, such as foreign currency exchange contracts, option contracts, or other hedging arrangements. Financial instruments that
potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk primarily consist of cash balances in several accounts with three financial institutions which, from time to time, are in excess of federally insured limits.
Fair Value Measurements
Fair Value Measurements
The Company is required to disclose information on all assets and liabilities reported at fair value that enables an assessment of the inputs used in determining the reported fair values. ASC Topic 820, Fair Value Measurement, establishes a hierarchy of inputs used in measuring fair value that maximizes the use of observable inputs and minimizes the use of unobservable inputs by requiring that the observable inputs be used when available.
Observable inputs are inputs that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability based on market data obtained from sources independent of the Company. Unobservable inputs are inputs that reflect the Company’s assumptions about the inputs that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability and are developed based on the best information available in the circumstances. The fair value hierarchy applies only to the valuation inputs used in determining the reported fair value and is not a measure of the investment credit quality. The three levels of the fair value hierarchy are described below:
Level 1 – quoted prices in active markets for identical assets and liabilities
Level 2 – other significant observable inputs (including quoted prices for similar assets and liabilities, interest rates, credit risk, etc.)
Level 3 – significant unobservable inputs (including the Company’s own assumptions in determining the fair value of assets and liabilities)
For certain financial instruments, including cash and cash equivalents, prepaid expenses, accounts payable, and certain accrued liabilities, the recorded amount approximates estimated fair value due to their relatively short maturity period. Refer to Note 3. “Fair Value of Financial Instruments for additional details of the Company’s financial instruments.
Investments
Investments
The Company generally invests its excess cash in money market funds and investment-grade short- and long-term fixed-income debt securities, such as U.S. Treasury bills. Such investments are included in cash and cash equivalents, current investments, and investments - noncurrent in the condensed balance sheets.
The Company determines the appropriate classification of short-term and long-term securities at the time of purchase and re-evaluates such designation as of each balance sheet date. Securities are classified as held-to-maturity when the Company has the positive intent and ability to hold the securities to maturity. Held-to-maturity securities are carried at amortized cost, adjusted for the accretion of discounts using the interest method.
The Company invested in marketable securities during the three months ended March 31, 2024 and 2023, and no impairment charges were recorded. For held-to-maturity investments, the Company periodically reviews each individual security position that has an unrealized loss, or impairment, to determine if that impairment is other-than-temporary. If the Company believes an impairment of a security position is other than temporary, based on available quantitative and qualitative information as of the report date, the loss will be recognized within other income, net in the Company’s condensed statements of operations and a new cost basis in the investment is established.
Deferred Offering Costs
Deferred Offering Costs
The Company capitalizes certain legal, professional, accounting, and other third-party fees that are directly associated with in-process equity issuances as deferred offering costs until such equity issuances are
consummated. After consummation of the equity issuance, these costs are recorded as a reduction in the capitalized amount associated with the equity issuance. Should the equity issuance be abandoned, the deferred offering costs are expensed immediately as a charge to operating expenses in the statement of operations.
Stock-Based Compensation
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 stock-based payments to employees, including grants of employee stock options, to be recognized in the statements of operations based on their fair values. The Company’s stock-based awards are subject only to service-based vesting conditions. The Company measures restricted common stock awards using the difference, if any, between the purchase price per share of the award and the fair value of the Company’s common stock at the date of the grant or modification. The Company estimates the fair value of its stock option awards using the Black-Scholes option pricing model, which requires the input of assumptions, including (i) the expected stock price volatility, (ii) the calculation of expected term of the award, (iii) the risk-free interest rate, and (iv) expected dividends.
Volatility — Due to the Company’s limited operating history and a lack of company-specific historical and implied volatility data, the Company has based its estimate of expected volatility on the historical volatility of a group of similar publicly-traded companies. The Company believes that the companies in the group were most representative of the Company and had characteristics similar to its own, including stage of product development, a focus on the life sciences industry, and other economic and industry characteristics.
Expected Term — The Company uses the simplified method to calculate the expected term, as it does not have sufficient historical exercise data to provide a reasonable basis upon which to estimate the expected term for options granted, and utilizes the contractual term for options granted.
Risk-Free Interest Rate — The risk-free interest rate is based on a treasury instrument whose term is consistent with the expected life of the stock options.
Expected Dividends — To date, the Company has not issued any dividends and does not expect to issue dividends over the life of the options and therefore has estimated the dividend yield to be zero.
Subsequent to the closing of the Company’s IPO, the Company determines the fair market value of its common stock using the closing price of its common stock as reported on the Nasdaq Global Select Market. Prior to the closing of the Company’s IPO, there was no public market for the Company’s common stock, and the Company determined the fair value of the shares of its common stock underlying its share-based awards by considering a number of objective and subjective factors, including third-party valuations of the Company’s common stock, the valuation of comparable companies, the Company’s operating and financial performance, and general and industry-specific economic outlook, among other factors. The assumptions underlying these valuations represented management’s best estimate, with the assistance of a third-party valuation specialist, which involved inherent uncertainties and the application of management’s judgment. As a result, if the Company had used different assumptions or estimates, the fair value of the Company’s common stock and its stock-based compensation expense could have been materially different.
Compensation expense related to awards is recognized on a straight-line basis by recognizing the grant date fair value over the associated service period of the award, which is generally the vesting term. Management evaluates its award grants and modifications and will adjust the fair value if any are determined to be spring-loaded. The Company accounts for forfeitures as they occur.
Net Loss Per Share
Net Loss Per Share
The Company’s basic net loss per share attributable to common stockholders is calculated by dividing the net loss attributable to common stockholders by the weighted-average number of shares of common stock
outstanding for the period. The diluted net loss per share attributable to common stockholders is computed by giving effect to all potential common stock equivalents outstanding for the period determined using the treasury stock method. For purposes of this calculation, convertible preferred stock and stock options to purchase common stock are considered to be common stock equivalents but have been excluded from the calculation of diluted net loss per share attributable to common stockholders as their effect is anti-dilutive. The weighted-average number of common shares used in the basic and diluted net loss per common shareholders calculations includes the weighted-average pre-funded warrants outstanding during the period as they are exercisable at any time for nominal cash consideration.
Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements
Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements
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 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.