SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

12 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2021

SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

3. SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

3.	SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
	Cash and Cash Equivalents – Cash and cash equivalents consist principally of unrestricted cash on deposit and short-term money market funds. The Company considers all highly liquid investments with a maturity when purchased of less than three months as cash and cash equivalents.
	U.S. Treasury Bills – U.S. Treasury Bills (“T-bills”) are highly liquid short-term investments with maturity dates of greater than 3 months, but less than one year. These investments are recorded at fair value.
	Supplies used for R&D and manufacturing – Supplies are consumable items kept on hand to support the Company’s R&D and manufacturing operations. Supplies are recorded at cost and are charged to expense as they are used in operations.
	Property and Equipment – Property and equipment is recorded at cost and depreciated using the straight-line method over estimated useful lives of five to seven years. Leasehold improvements are depreciated over the shorter of the estimated useful life of the asset or the term of the lease. Repairs and maintenance which do not extend the life of the asset are expensed when incurred. Property and equipment is reviewed on a quarterly basis to determine if any of the assets are impaired.
	Patents – Patent expenditures are capitalized and amortized using the straight-line method over the shorter of the expected useful life or the legal life of the patent (17 years). In the event changes in technology or other circumstances impair the value or life of the patent, appropriate adjustment to the asset value and period of amortization is made. An impairment loss is recognized when estimated future undiscounted cash flows expected to result from the use of the asset, and from disposition, are less than the carrying value of the asset. The amount of the impairment loss would be the difference between the estimated fair value of the asset and its carrying value.
	Leases – On October 1, 2019, the Company adopted Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2016-02, Leases and its related amendments (collectively referred to as Topic 842 and codified as “ASC 842”). ASC 842 requires that lessees recognize right-of-use assets and lease liabilities measured at the present value of the future lease payments at the lease commencement date. The Company adopted the new leases standard utilizing the modified retrospective transition method, under which amounts in prior periods presented were not restated. The impact of adopting ASC 842 was to record a cumulative effect adjustment of approximately $2.1 million to the opening accumulated deficit balance. The adoption of ASC 842 did not have a significant impact on the Company’s statements of operations or cash flows.

The Company accounts for contracts that convey the right to control the use of identified property, plant or equipment over a period of time in exchange for consideration, as leases upon inception. The Company leases certain real estate, machinery, laboratory equipment and office equipment over varying periods. Many of these leases include an option to either renew or terminate the lease. For purposes of calculating lease liabilities, these options are included in the lease term when it is reasonably certain that the Company will exercise such options. The incremental borrowing rate utilized to calculate the lease liabilities is based on the information available at the commencement date, as most of the leases do not provide an implicit borrowing rate. Short-term leases, defined as leases with initial terms of 12 months or less, are not reflected on the balance sheet. Lease expense for such short-term leases is not material.

Derivative Instruments – The Company has financing arrangements that consist of freestanding derivative instruments that contain embedded derivative features. The Company accounts for these arrangements in accordance with ASC 815, “Accounting for Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities.” In accordance with ASC 815, derivative instruments and hybrid instruments are recognized as either assets or liabilities in the balance sheet and are measured at fair value with gains or losses recognized in earnings or other comprehensive income depending on the nature of the derivative or hybrid instruments. The Company determines the fair value of derivative instruments and hybrid instruments based on available market data using appropriate valuation models considering all the rights and obligations of each instrument. The derivative liabilities are re-measured at fair value at the end of each interim period.

In August 2020, the FASB issued ASU No. 2020-06 (“ASU 2020-06”) Debt—Debt with Conversion and Other Options (Subtopic 470-20) and Derivatives and Hedging—Contracts in Entity’s Own Equity (Subtopic 815-40): Accounting for Convertible Instruments and Contracts in an Entity’s Own Equity. The amendments in this Update simplify and clarify the guidance in Subtopic 815-40 and are effective for the Company for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2025, including interim periods within that fiscal year. Early adoption is permitted, but only as of the beginning of the annual fiscal year of adoption. The Company will adopt ASU 2020-06 effective October 1, 2021. No financial impact is expected as of that date or on the annual and interim periods in the period of adoption.

Stock-Based Compensation – Compensation cost for all stock-based awards is measured at fair value as of the grant date in accordance with the provisions of ASC 718 “Compensation – Stock Compensation.” The fair value of stock options is calculated using the Black-Scholes option pricing model. The Black-Scholes model requires various judgmental assumptions including volatility and expected option life. The stock-based compensation cost is recognized on the straight-line allocation method as expense over the requisite service or vesting period.

In June 2018, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued ASU 2018-07, Compensation — Stock Compensation (Topic 718), which expands the scope of Topic 718 to include share-based payment transactions for acquiring goods and services from nonemployees, and thus, the accounting for share-based payments to non-employees will be substantially aligned. The Company adopted ASU 2018-07 as of October 1, 2019 with no impact on its financial statements and related disclosures.

The Company has Incentive Stock Option Plans, Non-Qualified Stock Option Plans, Stock Compensation Plans, Stock Bonus Plans and an Incentive Stock Bonus Plan. In some cases, these Plans are collectively referred to as the "Plans". All Plans have been approved by the Company’s stockholders.

The Company’s stock options are not transferable, and the actual value of the stock options that an employee may realize, if any, will depend on the excess of the market price on the date of exercise over the exercise price. For options issued with service conditions only, the Company has based its assumption for stock price volatility on the variance of daily closing prices of the Company’s stock. The risk-free interest rate assumption was based on the U.S. Treasury rate at date of the grant with the term equal to the expected life of the option. Forfeitures are accounted for when they occur. The expected term of options represents the period that options granted are expected to be outstanding and has been determined based on an analysis of historical exercise behavior. If any of the assumptions used in the Black-Scholes model change significantly, stock-based compensation expense for new awards may differ materially in the future from that recorded in the current period.

Restricted stock granted under the Incentive Stock Bonus Plan and options granted under the 2021 and 2020 Non-Qualified Stock Option Plan are subject to service, performance and market conditions and meet the classification of equity awards. These awards were measured at fair value on the grant-dates using a Monte Carlo simulation for issuances where the attainment of performance criteria is uncertain. The total compensation cost will be expensed over the estimated requisite service period.

Research and Development Costs - Research and development costs are expensed as incurred. Management accrues Clinical Research Organization (“CRO”) expenses and clinical trial study expenses based on services performed and relies on the CROs to provide estimates of those costs applicable to the completion stage of a study. Estimated accrued CRO costs are subject to revisions as such studies progress to completion. The Company records revisions to estimated expense in the period in which the facts that give rise to the revision become known.

Grant Income – The Company's grant arrangements are handled on a reimbursement basis. Grant income under the arrangements is recognized when costs are incurred.

Net Loss Per Common Share – The Company calculates net loss per common share in accordance with ASC 260 “Earnings Per Share” (ASC 260). Basic and diluted net loss per common share was determined by dividing net loss applicable to common shareholders by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period. The Company’s potentially dilutive shares, which include outstanding common stock options, unvested restricted stock and common stock warrants, have not been included in the computation of diluted net loss per share for all periods as the result would be anti-dilutive.

Concentration of Credit Risk – Financial instruments, which potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk, consist of cash and cash equivalents. The Company maintains its cash and cash equivalents with high quality financial institutions. At times, these accounts may exceed federally insured limits. The Company has not experienced any losses in such bank accounts. The Company believes it is not exposed to significant credit risk related to cash and cash equivalents. All non-interest bearing cash balances were fully insured up to $250,000 at September 30, 2021.

Income Taxes – The Company uses the asset and liability method of accounting for income taxes. Under the asset and liability method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases and operating and tax loss 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. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period that includes the enactment date. The Company records a valuation allowance to reduce the deferred tax assets to the amount that is more likely than not to be recognized. A full valuation allowance was recorded against the deferred tax assets as of September 30, 2021 and 2020.

In December 2019, the FASB issued ASU No. 2019-12, Income Taxes (Topic 740): Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes. The new standard includes several provisions that simplify accounting for income taxes by removing certain exceptions to the general principles in Topic 740 and increasing consistency and clarity for the users of financial statements. This standard will be effective for the Company on October 1, 2021. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact this ASU will have on the financial statements.

Use of Estimates – The preparation of financial statements in conformity U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the financial statements and the accompanying disclosures. These estimates are based on management’s best knowledge of current events and actions the Company may undertake in the future. Estimates are used in accounting for, among other items, inventory obsolescence, accruals, stock options, useful lives for depreciation and amortization of long-lived assets, right of use assets and lease liabilities, deferred tax assets and the related valuation allowance, and the valuation of derivative liabilities. Actual results could differ from estimates, although management does not generally believe such differences would materially affect the financial statements in any given year. However, in regard to the valuation of derivative liabilities determined using the Black-Scholes pricing model, significant fluctuations may materially affect the financial statements in a given year. Additionally, in calculating the right of use assets and lease liabilities, estimates and assumptions were used to determine the incremental borrowing rates and the expected lease terms. The Company considers the estimates used in valuing the derivative liabilities, stock options and the lease assets and liabilities to be significant.

New Accounting Pronouncements

The Company has considered all recently issued accounting pronouncements and does not believe the adoption of such pronouncements will have a material impact on its financial statements.