Annual report pursuant to Section 13 and 15(d)

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

v2.4.0.8
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2013
Accounting Policies [Abstract]  
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
 
Basis of Presentation and Principles of Consolidation
 
The Company’s consolidated financial statements have been prepared in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”). The Company’s consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its 100% owned subsidiaries, Innmune Limited and TSO Development Corporation, Inc. All intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated.
 
Use of Estimates
 
The Company’s consolidated financial statements include certain amounts that are based on management’s best estimates and judgments. The Company’s significant estimates include, but are not limited to, useful lives assigned to long-lived assets, the valuation of its common stock (“Common stock”) prior to the Company becoming public and Common stock warrants, stock options, accrued expenses, provisions for income taxes and contingencies. Due to the uncertainty inherent in such estimates, actual results may differ from our estimates.
 
Segment Reporting
 
The Company operates as one segment, in which management uses one measure of profitability, and all of the Company’s assets are located in the United States of America. The Company is managed and operated as one business. The Company does not operate separate lines of business or separate business entities with respect to any of its product candidates. Accordingly, the Company does not have separately reportable segments.
 
Concentration of Risk
 
The Company is currently completely dependent on third party manufacturers for product supply. In particular, the Company currently relies exclusively on Ovamed GmbH (“Ovamed”) to supply it with its requirements of Trichuris suis ova (“TSO”). Ovamed is the sole supplier of this product, which it is currently producing at only one facility in Germany, where it is also producing product for third parties, including Dr. Falk Pharma GmbH (“Falk”). Ovamed also relies on certain other suppliers for materials and services. Similarly, the Company currently relies on BioReliance Corporation, Progenitor Cell Therapy LLC and other third parties for its CNDO–109 product requirements. The Company’s clinical development programs would be adversely affected by a significant interruption in obtaining clinical trial supplies.
 
Cash and Concentration of Credit Risk
 
The Company currently maintains all cash in one institution in the United States. Balances at this institution may exceed Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation insured limits.
 
Property and Equipment
 
Office equipment is recorded at cost and depreciated using the straight-line method over the estimated useful life of each asset. Leasehold improvements are amortized over the shorter of the estimated useful lives or the term of the respective leases.
 
Deferred Financing Costs
 
Financing costs incurred in connection with the Hercules Technology Growth Capital, Inc. (“Hercules”) note payable were deferred and are being amortized over the appropriate expected life based on the term of the note using the effective interest rate method. As of December 31, 2013 and 2012 the Company recorded deferred financing costs of $43,000 and $63,000, respectively, in other assets in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets.
 
Impairment of Long-Lived Assets
 
The Company reviews long-lived assets, including property and equipment, for impairment whenever events or changes in business circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of the assets may not be fully recoverable. Factors that the Company considers in deciding when to perform an impairment review include significant underperformance of the business in relation to expectations, significant negative industry or economic trends, and significant changes or planned changes in the use of the assets. If an impairment review is performed to evaluate a long-lived asset for recoverability, the Company compares forecasts of undiscounted cash flows expected to result from the use and eventual disposition of the long-lived asset to its carrying value. An impairment loss would be recognized when estimated undiscounted future cash flows expected to result from the use of an asset are less than its carrying amount. The impairment loss would be based on the excess of the carrying value of the impaired asset over its fair value, determined based on discounted cash flows. The Company is currently evaluating its plans for its manufacturing facility in Woburn, MA for which related long-lived assets are $373,000. To date, the Company has not recorded any impairment losses on long-lived assets.
 
Research and Development
 
Research and development costs are expensed as incurred. Advance payments for goods and services that will be used in future research and development activities are expensed when the activity has been performed or when the goods have been received rather than when the payment is made. Upfront and milestone payments due to third parties that perform research and development services on the Company’s behalf will be expensed as services are rendered or when the milestone is achieved. Costs incurred in obtaining technology licenses are charged to research and development expense if the technology licensed has not reached technological feasibility and has no alternative future use.
 
Research and development costs primarily consist of personnel related expenses, including salaries, benefits, travel, and other related expenses, stock-based compensation, payments made to third parties for license and milestone costs related to in-licensed products and technology, payments made to third party contract research organizations for preclinical and clinical studies, investigative sites for clinical trials, consultants, the cost of acquiring and manufacturing clinical trial materials, costs associated with regulatory filings and patents, laboratory costs and other supplies.
 
Contingencies
 
The Company records accruals for contingencies and legal proceedings expected to be incurred in connection with a loss contingency when it is probable that a liability has been incurred and the amount can be reasonably estimated.
 
If a loss contingency is not probable but is reasonably possible, or is probable but cannot be estimated, the nature of the contingent liability, together with an estimate of the range of possible loss if determinable and material, would be disclosed.
 
Stock-Based Compensation
 
The Company expenses stock-based compensation to employees over the requisite service period based on the estimated grant-date fair value of the awards and forfeiture rates. For stock-based compensation awards to non-employees, the Company remeasures the fair value of the non-employee awards at each reporting period prior to vesting and finally at the vesting date of the award. Changes in the estimated fair value of these non-employee awards are recognized as compensation expense in the period of change.
 
The assumptions used in calculating the fair value of stock-based awards represent management’s best estimates and involve inherent uncertainties and the application of management’s judgment.
 
Income Taxes
 
The Company records income taxes using the asset and liability method. Deferred income tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the future tax effects attributable to temporary differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective income tax bases, and operating loss and tax credit carryforwards. The Company establishes a valuation allowance if it is more likely than not that the deferred tax assets will not be recovered based on an evaluation of objective verifiable evidence. For tax positions that are more likely than not of being sustained upon audit, the Company recognizes the largest amount of the benefit that is greater than 50% likely of being realized. For tax positions that are not more likely than not of being sustained upon audit, the Company does not recognize any portion of the benefit.
 
Comprehensive Loss
 
The Company’s comprehensive loss is equal to its net loss for all periods presented.
 
Recently Issued Accounting Standards
 
In December 2011, the FASB issued Accounting Standard Update No. 2011-11, Disclosures about Offsetting Assets and Liabilities. The amendments in this update require an entity to disclose information about offsetting and related arrangements to enable users of its financial statements to understand the effect of those arrangements on its financial position. An entity is required to apply the amendments for annual reporting periods beginning on or after January 1, 2013, and interim periods within those annual periods. An entity should provide the disclosures required by those amendments retrospectively for all comparative periods presented. This guidance became effective for the Company in 2013. Adoption of this standard did not have a material impact on the Company’s financial position, statement of operations, or statement of cash flows.