2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles requires management to make estimates, assumptions and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements, and the reported amounts of expenses during the reporting periods. Significant estimates, assumptions and judgments reflected in these consolidated financial statements include, but are not limited to, the accrual of research and development expenses and the valuation of stock-based awards. Estimates are periodically reviewed in light of changes in circumstances, facts and experience. Actual results could differ from the Company’s estimates.

Cash Equivalents

The Company considers all short-term, highly liquid investments with original maturities of ninety days or less at date of purchase to be cash equivalents. Cash equivalents, which consist of money market accounts, are stated at fair value.

Marketable Securities

The Company’s marketable securities are classified as available-for-sale and are carried at fair value with the unrealized gains and losses reported as a component of accumulated other comprehensive loss in stockholders’ equity (deficit). Realized gains and losses and declines in value judged to be other than temporary are included as a component of interest and other income (expense), net based on the specific identification method. The Company has classified its marketable securities with maturities beyond one year as short-term, based on their highly liquid nature and because such marketable securities are available for current operations.

Concentration of Risk

Financial instruments that potentially expose the Company to concentrations of credit risk consist primarily of cash and cash equivalents and marketable securities. The Company has all cash and cash equivalents and marketable securities’ balances at two accredited financial institutions, in amounts that exceed federally insured limits. The Company does not believe that it is subject to unusual credit risk beyond the normal credit risk associated with commercial banking relationships.

The Company is dependent on third-party manufacturers to supply products for research and development activities in its programs. In particular, the Company relies and expects to continue to rely on a small number of manufacturers to supply it with its requirements for the active pharmaceutical ingredients and formulated drugs related to these programs. These programs could be adversely affected by a significant interruption in the supply of active pharmaceutical ingredients and formulated drugs.

The Company is dependent on Qiagen Manchester Limited (“Qiagen”) to develop and commercialize a companion diagnostic test for use with galeterone to identify mCRPC patients with the AR-V7 splice variant. If Qiagen is unable to successfully develop and commercialize the companion diagnostic test, the development, approval and commercialization of galeterone could be adversely affected.

Fair Value Measurements

Certain assets and liabilities are carried at fair value. Fair value is defined as the exchange price that would be received for an asset or paid to transfer a liability (an exit price) in the principal or most advantageous market for the asset or liability in an orderly transaction between market participants on the measurement date. Valuation techniques used to measure fair value must maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs. Financial assets and liabilities carried at fair value are to be classified and disclosed in one of the following three levels of the fair value hierarchy, of which the first two are considered observable and the last is considered unobservable:

 

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Level 1—Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.

 

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Level 2—Observable inputs (other than Level 1 quoted prices) such as quoted prices in active markets for similar assets or liabilities, quoted prices in markets that are not active for identical or similar assets or liabilities, or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data.

 

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Level 3—Unobservable inputs that are supported by little or no market activity and that are significant to determining the fair value of the assets or liabilities, including pricing models, discounted cash flow methodologies and similar techniques.

Property and Equipment

Property and equipment are stated at cost less accumulated depreciation. Depreciation expense is recognized using the straight-line method based upon estimated useful life as follows:

 

		Years
Lab equipment		3
Computer equipment		3
Furniture and fixtures		5
Leasehold improvements		Shorter of life of lease or estimated useful life

Upon retirement or sale of property and equipment, the cost and related accumulated depreciation of such property and equipment disposed of are removed from the accounts and any resulting gain or loss is included in loss from operations.

Impairment of Long-Lived Assets

Long-lived assets consist of property and equipment. Long-lived assets to be held and used are tested for recoverability 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. To date, the Company has not recorded any impairment losses on long-lived assets.

Research and Development Costs

Research and development costs are expensed as incurred. Included in research and development expenses are salaries, stock-based compensation and benefits of employees, third-party license fees and other operational costs related to the Company’s research and development activities, including manufacturing expenses and external costs of outside vendors engaged to conduct both preclinical studies and clinical trials. The Company expenses raw materials used to manufacture its drug substance when received.

As part of the process of preparing consolidated financial statements, the Company is required to estimate its accrued research and development expenses. This process involves reviewing open contracts and purchase orders, communicating with company personnel and outside vendors to identify services that have been performed on the Company’s behalf and estimating the level of service performed and the associated costs incurred for the services when the Company has not yet been invoiced or otherwise notified of the actual costs. The majority of the Company’s service providers invoice in arrears for services performed, on a pre-determined schedule or when contractual milestones are met; however, some require advanced payments. The Company makes estimates of its accrued expenses as of each balance sheet date in its consolidated financial statements based on facts and circumstances known to the Company at that time. Examples of estimated accrued research and development expenses include fees paid to:

 

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clinical research organizations in connection with clinical trials;

 

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investigative sites or other providers in connection with clinical trials;

 

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Qiagen in connection with the development of the AR-V7 clinical trial assay and companion diagnostic test;

 

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vendors in connection with preclinical development activities; and

 

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vendors related to product manufacturing, development and distribution of clinical supplies.

The Company bases its expenses related to clinical trials on its estimates of the services received and efforts expended pursuant to contracts with multiple clinical research organizations and investigative sites that manage and conduct clinical trials on the Company’s behalf. The financial terms of these agreements are subject to negotiation, vary from contract to contract and may result in uneven payment flows. There may be instances in which payments made to vendors will exceed the level of services provided and result in a prepayment of the clinical expense. Payments under some of these contracts depend on factors such as the successful enrollment of patients and the completion of clinical trial milestones. In accruing service fees, the Company estimates the time period over which services will be performed, enrollment of patients, number of sites activated and the level of effort to be expended in each period. If the actual timing of the performance of services or the level of effort varies from its estimate, the Company adjusts the accrual or amount of prepaid expense accordingly. Although the Company does not expect its estimates to be materially different from amounts actually incurred, its understanding of the status and timing of services performed relative to the actual status and timing of services performed may vary and may result in the Company reporting amounts that are too high or too low in any particular period. For the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013, the Company has not made any material adjustments to its prior estimates of accrued research and development expenses.

Patent Costs

All patent-related costs incurred in connection with filing and prosecuting patent applications are recorded as general and administrative expenses as incurred, as recoverability of such expenditures is uncertain.

 

Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation

The Company measures all stock options and other stock-based awards granted to employees and directors at the fair value on the date of the grant using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model. The fair value of the awards is recognized as expense, net of estimated forfeitures, over the requisite service period, which is generally the vesting period of the respective award. The straight-line method of expense recognition is applied to all awards with service-only conditions, while the graded vesting method is applied to all grants with both service and performance conditions. For stock-based awards granted to non-employees, compensation expense is recognized over the period during which services are rendered by such non-employees until completed. At the end of each financial reporting period prior to completion of the service, the fair value of the unvested portion of the awards is re-measured using the then-current fair value of the Company’s common stock and updated assumption inputs in the Black-Scholes option-pricing model.

The Company classifies stock-based compensation expense in its consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive loss in the same manner in which the award recipient’s payroll costs are classified or in which the award recipient’s service payments are classified.

The Company recognizes compensation expense for only the portion of awards that are expected to vest. In developing a forfeiture rate estimate, the Company has considered its historical experience to estimate pre-vesting forfeitures for service-based awards. The impact of a forfeiture rate adjustment will be recognized in full in the period of adjustment, and if the actual forfeiture rate is materially different from the Company’s estimate, the Company may be required to record adjustments to stock-based compensation expense in future periods.

Income Taxes

The Company accounts for income taxes using the asset and liability method, which requires the recognition of deferred tax assets and liabilities for the expected future tax consequences of events that have been recognized in the consolidated financial statements or in the Company’s tax returns. Deferred taxes are determined based on the difference between the financial statement and tax basis of assets and liabilities using enacted tax rates in effect in the years in which the differences are expected to reverse. Changes in deferred tax assets and liabilities are recorded in the provision for income taxes. The Company assesses the likelihood that its deferred tax assets will be recovered from future taxable income and, to the extent it believes, based upon the weight of available evidence, that it is more likely than not that all or a portion of deferred tax assets will not be realized, a valuation allowance is established through a charge to income tax expense. Potential for recovery of deferred tax assets is evaluated by estimating the future taxable profits expected and considering prudent and feasible tax planning strategies.

The Company accounts for uncertainty in income taxes recognized in its consolidated financial statements by applying a two-step process to determine the amount of tax benefit to be recognized. First, the tax position must be evaluated to determine the likelihood that it will be sustained upon external examination by the taxing authorities. If the tax position is deemed more-likely-than- not to be sustained, the tax position is then assessed to determine the amount of benefit to recognize in the consolidated financial statements. The amount of the benefit that may be recognized is the largest amount that has a greater than 50% likelihood of being realized upon ultimate settlement. The provision for income taxes includes the effects of any resulting tax reserves, or unrecognized tax benefits, that are considered appropriate as well as the related net interest and penalties.

As of December 31, 2015, the Company has early adopted Accounting Standards Update 2015-17, Balance Sheet Classification of Deferred Taxes, issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (the “FASB”) in November 2015, which simplifies the presentation of deferred income taxes by eliminating the need for entities to separate deferred income tax liabilities and assets into current and noncurrent amounts in a classified statement of financial position. The Company adopted this guidance retrospectively to all periods presented. As the Company had no current deferred tax assets or current tax liabilities on its consolidated balance sheet, the adoption of this guidance had no impact on the Company’s financial statements.

 

Segment Data

The Company manages its operations as a single segment for the purposes of assessing performance and making operating decisions. The Company’s singular focus is on developing novel proprietary therapies for the treatment of prostate cancer and other hormonally-driven diseases. No revenue has been generated since inception. The Company holds tangible assets with a net book value of $175 in laboratories located outside of the United States.

Comprehensive Loss

Comprehensive loss includes net loss as well as other changes in stockholders’ equity (deficit) that result from transactions and economic events other than those with stockholders. For the year ended December 31, 2015, the Company’s only element of other comprehensive loss was unrealized loss on marketable securities. For the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013, there was no difference between net loss and comprehensive loss.

Net Income (Loss) Per Share

In September 2014, upon the closing of the IPO, all of the outstanding shares of the Company’s redeemable convertible preferred stock automatically converted into 14,860,173 shares of the Company’s common stock. Prior to this conversion, the Company followed the two-class method when computing net income (loss) per share as the Company had issued shares that met the definition of participating securities. The two-class method determines net income (loss) per share for each class of common and participating securities according to dividends declared or accumulated and participation rights in undistributed earnings. The two-class method requires income available to common stockholders for the period to be allocated between common and participating securities based upon their respective rights to receive dividends as if all income for the period had been distributed. The Company’s redeemable convertible preferred stock contractually entitled the holders of such shares to participate in dividends, but did not contractually require the holders of such shares to participate in losses of the Company. Accordingly, the two-class method did not apply for periods in which the Company reported a net loss or a net loss attributable to common stockholders resulting from dividends or accretion related to its redeemable convertible preferred stock.

Basic net income (loss) per share attributable to common stockholders is computed by dividing the net income (loss) attributable to common stockholders by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding for the period. Diluted net income (loss) per share attributable to common stockholders is computed by dividing the diluted net income (loss) attributable to common stockholders by the weighted average number of common shares, including potential dilutive common shares assuming the dilutive effect of outstanding stock options and unvested restricted common shares, as determined using the treasury stock method. For periods in which the Company has reported net losses, diluted net loss per common share attributable to common stockholders is the same as basic net loss per common share attributable to common stockholders, since dilutive common shares are not assumed to have been issued if their effect is anti-dilutive.

The following common stock equivalents outstanding as of December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013 were excluded from the computation of diluted net loss per share for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013, because they had an anti-dilutive impact:

 

		December 31,
		2015				2014				2013
Stock options to purchase common stock			2,861,011				2,146,927				1,124,116
Restricted common stock units			40,953				54,604				—
Redeemable convertible preferred stock (as converted to common stock)			—				—				14,860,173
			2,901,964				2,201,531				15,984,289

 

Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements

In August 2014, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update 2014-15, Presentation of Financial Statements  —  Going Concern (Subtopic 205-40). The new guidance addresses management’s responsibility to evaluate whether there is substantial doubt about an entity’s ability to continue as a going concern and to provide related footnote disclosures. Management’s evaluation should be based on relevant conditions and events that are known and reasonably knowable at the date that the financial statements are issued. The standard will be effective for the first interim period within annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016. Early adoption is permitted. This guidance relates to footnote disclosure only and the adoption will not impact the Company’s financial position, results of operations or liquidity.