v3.25.0.1
Collaboration and License Agreements
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2024
Collaboration And License Agreements Disclosure [Abstract]  
Collaboration and License Agreements

2. Collaboration and License Agreements

Ono Collaboration and Option Agreement

On September 14, 2018, the Company entered into a Collaboration and Option Agreement (the Ono Agreement) with Ono Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (Ono) for the joint development and commercialization of two off-the-shelf, iPSC-derived CAR T-cell product candidates (Candidate 1 and Candidate 2). Pursuant to the terms of the Ono Agreement, the Company received an upfront, non-refundable and non-creditable payment of $10.0 million. Additionally, the Company was entitled to receive funding for the conduct of research and preclinical development under a joint research plan, which fees were estimated to be $20.0 million in aggregate.

In December 2020, the Company entered into a letter agreement with Ono (the Ono Letter Agreement) pursuant to which Ono delivered proprietary antigen binding domains targeting an antigen expressed on certain solid tumors for incorporation into Candidate 2 and paid the Company a milestone fee of $10.0 million for further research and preclinical development of Candidate 2. In addition, Ono terminated all further research and preclinical development with respect to Candidate 1, and the Company retained all rights to research, develop and commercialize Candidate 1 throughout the world without any obligation to Ono.

In June 2022, the Company entered into an amendment with Ono to the Ono Agreement (the 2022 Ono Amendment). Pursuant to the 2022 Ono Amendment, the companies agreed to designate an additional antigen expressed on certain solid tumors for research and preclinical development, and Ono agreed to contribute proprietary antigen binding domains targeting such additional solid tumor antigen (Candidate 3). In addition, for both Candidate 2 and Candidate 3, Ono and the Company expanded the scope of the collaboration to include the research and preclinical development of iPSC-derived CAR NK cell product candidates (in addition to iPSC-derived CAR T-cell product candidates) targeting the designated solid tumor antigens. Similar to Candidate 2, the Company granted to Ono, during a specified period of time, a preclinical option (Candidate 3 Development Option) to obtain an exclusive license under certain intellectual property rights, subject to payment of an option exercise fee to the Company by Ono, to further develop and commercialize Candidate 3 in all territories of the world, where the Company retains rights to co-develop and co-commercialize Candidate 3 in the United States and Europe under a joint arrangement with Ono pursuant to which the Company is eligible to share at least 50% of the profits and losses. The Candidate 3 Development Option represents an option with no material right. Under the 2022 Ono Amendment, aggregate estimated research and preclinical development fees have been increased by approximately $9.3 million, for a total estimated $29.3 million in aggregate research and preclinical development fees over the course of the joint research plan.

In November 2022, Ono exercised its option to obtain a license to develop and commercialize Candidate 2 (the Candidate 2 Development Option). The Company exercised its option (the CDCC Option) to co-develop and co-commercialize Candidate 2 in the United States and Europe. As a result, the Company received an Option Exercise Payment (as defined under the Ono Agreement) of

$12.5 million. The Company and Ono are proceeding under a joint development plan for the ongoing development of Candidate 2. At the inception of the Ono Agreement, the Company determined the Candidate 2 Development Option represented an option with no material right that is distinct and separable from the ongoing development of Candidate 2 being performed by the parties. As such, the option exercise was treated as a separate contract with a single performance obligation of granting and delivering Ono a license to further develop and commercialize Candidate 2. The Company has completed its performance obligation with respect to the Candidate 2 Development Option and accordingly, recognized the Option Exercise Payment as revenue for the year ended December 31, 2022. The costs of this joint development plan are accounted for in accordance with ASC 808, and cost sharing payments to the Company from Ono are recorded net into research and development expenses. In addition, in connection with the ongoing joint development of Candidate 2, the Company is eligible to receive additional payments upon the achievement of certain clinical, regulatory, and commercial milestones (as further described below).

In November 2023, the Company entered into an amendment with Ono to the Ono Agreement (the 2023 Ono Amendment). Under the 2023 Ono Amendment, aggregate estimated research and preclinical development fees payable by Ono to the Company for Candidate 3 have been increased by approximately $1.4 million, for a total estimated $30.7 million in aggregate research and preclinical development fees over the course of the joint research plan.

In May 2024, following Ono’s exercise of the Candidate 2 Development Option and grant of the development and commercialization license, the Company achieved a $5.0 million clinical development milestone for Candidate 2 and the Company recognized such amount as revenue during the period.

In August 2024, the Company entered into an amendment with Ono to the Ono Agreement (the 2024 Ono Amendment and collectively with the 2023 Ono Amendment and 2022 Ono Amendment, the Ono Amendments). Under the 2024 Ono Amendment, aggregate estimated research and preclinical development fees payable by Ono to the Company for Candidate 3 have been increased by approximately $7.3 million, for a total estimated $38.0 million in aggregate research and preclinical development fees over the course of the joint research plan. The Company will continue to receive committed funding under the joint research plan from Ono through June 2025. The Candidate 3 Development Option expires upon the earlier of: (a) June 30, 2025 or (b) the achievement of the pre-defined preclinical milestone under the joint research plan for Candidate 3. Subject to payment of an extension fee by Ono, Ono may choose to defer its decision to exercise the Candidate 3 Development Option until no later than June 2026.

Under the terms of the Ono Agreement (as amended by the Ono Amendments), for Candidate 2 and for Candidate 3 (subject to exercise by Ono of its Candidate 3 Development Option), the Company is eligible to receive additional payments upon the achievement of certain clinical, regulatory and commercial milestones (the Ono Milestones) with respect to each Candidate in an amount up to $843.0 million in aggregate, with the applicable milestone payments for the United States and Europe subject to reduction by 50% if the Company elects to co-develop and co-commercialize the Candidate in the United States and Europe as described above. In addition, in those territories where Ono has exclusive rights of commercialization, the Company is eligible to receive tiered royalties (Royalties) ranging from the mid-single digits to the low-double digits based on annual net sales by Ono for each Candidate in such territories, with the Royalties subject to certain reductions.

The Ono Agreement will terminate with respect to a Candidate if Ono does not exercise its development option for a candidate within the option period, or in its entirety if Ono does not exercise any of its development options for the candidates within their respective option periods. In addition, either party may terminate the Ono Agreement in the event of breach, insolvency or patent challenges by the other party; provided, that Ono may terminate the Ono Agreement in its sole discretion (x) on a Candidate-by-Candidate basis at any time after the second anniversary of the effective date of the Ono Agreement or (y) on a Candidate-by-Candidate or country-by-country basis at any time after the expiration of the development option period, subject to certain limitations. The Ono Agreement will expire on a Candidate-by-Candidate and country-by-country basis upon the expiration of the applicable royalty term, or in its entirety upon the expiration of all applicable payment obligations under the agreement.

The Company determined that the Ono Agreement, Ono Letter Agreement, and Ono Amendments (collectively, the Ono Arrangement) were within the scope of ASC 808 and applicable to such guidance. The Company concluded that certain units of account, specifically the grant of a research license to certain intellectual property and the performance of research and preclinical development, within the Ono Arrangement represented a customer relationship and applied relevant guidance from ASC 606 to evaluate the appropriate accounting for those units of account. In accordance with this guidance, the Company identified its promised goods and services, including its grant of a research license to Ono to certain of its intellectual property subject to certain conditions, its conduct of research and preclinical development services, and its participation in a joint steering committee. The Company determined that its grant of a research license to Ono to certain of its intellectual property was not distinct from its conduct of research and preclinical development services and participation in a joint steering committee. Accordingly, the Company determined that the research license, the research and preclinical development services, and the participation in a joint steering committee during the development option period, should be accounted for as one combined performance obligation, and that the combined performance obligation is transferred over the expected term of the conduct of the research and preclinical development services. The Company also determined that, subject to the guidance of ASC 606, the license to develop and commercialize Candidate 2 upon exercise of the Candidate 2 Development Option was distinct and separable from the development and commercialization activities, which are accounted for under ASC 808. The termination of the Ono Agreement with respect to Candidate 1 did not impact this assessment.

In accordance with ASC 606, the Company determined that the initial transaction price for research and preclinical development under the Ono Arrangement equaled $48.0 million, consisting of the upfront, non-refundable and non-creditable payment of $10.0 million and the aggregate estimated research and preclinical development fees of $38.0 million. The Company also concluded that the milestone fee of $10.0 million paid by Ono to the Company for further research and preclinical development of Candidate 2 represented a variable consideration that was previously constrained. Both the upfront payment of $10.0 million and the Candidate 2 milestone fee of $10.0 million were recorded as deferred revenue and were recognized as revenue over time in conjunction with the Company’s conduct of research and preclinical development services based on actual costs incurred as a percentage of the estimated total costs expected to be incurred over the expected term of conduct of the research and preclinical development services. The Company recorded the $5.0 million prepayment of the first-year research and preclinical development fees as deferred revenue, and such fees were recognized as revenue as the research and preclinical development services were delivered.

The Company recognized revenue of $13.6 million and $11.2 million under the Ono Arrangement during the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. Such revenue consisted of $8.6 million associated with research and preclinical development services, and $5.0 million associated with the achievement of a clinical development milestone for the year ended December 31, 2024. During the year ended December 31, 2023, such revenue comprised $11.2 million associated with research and preclinical development services.

The Company recognized contra-research and development expense of $5.1 million associated with the joint development of Candidate 2 under the Ono Arrangement for the year ended December 31, 2024. During the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company recognized contra-research and development expense of $8.0 million.

As a direct result of the Company’s entry into the Ono Arrangement, the Company incurred an aggregate of $9.0 million in sublicense consideration to existing licensors. The Company recognized $1.2 million of such expense during the year ended December 31, 2024. The Company recognized no such expense during the year ended December 31, 2023.

Janssen Collaboration and Option Agreement

On April 2, 2020 (the Janssen Agreement Effective Date), the Company entered into a Collaboration and Option Agreement (the Janssen Agreement) with Janssen Biotech, Inc. (Janssen), part of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson. Additionally, on the Janssen Agreement Effective Date, the Company entered into a Stock Purchase Agreement (the Stock Purchase Agreement) with Johnson & Johnson Innovation - JJDC, Inc. (JJDC). On January 3, 2023, the Company received notice of termination from Janssen of the Janssen Agreement. The termination took effect on April 3, 2023, and during the three months ended March 31, 2023, the Company performed wind-down activities including discontinuing development of all collaboration product candidates under the Janssen Agreement. The Company was reimbursed for all wind-down activities.

Under the terms of the Janssen Agreement and the Stock Purchase Agreement taken together, the Company received $100.0 million, of which $50.0 million was an upfront cash payment and $50.0 million was in the form of an equity investment by JJDC. The Company determined the common stock purchase by JJDC represented a premium of $9.93 per share, or $16.0 million in aggregate (the Equity Premium), and the remaining $34.0 million was recorded as issuance of common stock in shareholders’ equity. In addition, under the Stock Purchase Agreement, the Company exercised the right to require JJDC to purchase an aggregate of $50.0 million in shares in a private placement at the same price per share as paid by investors in a public offering. In June 2020, JJDC purchased 1.8 million shares of the Company’s common stock at a price of $28.31 per share. Additionally, the Company received full funding for the conduct of all research, preclinical development and Investigational New Drug Application (IND)-enabling activities performed by the Company under the Janssen Agreement.

The Company recognized revenue of $52.3 million under the Janssen Agreement for the year ended December 31, 2023, of which $41.2 million was deferred as of December 31, 2022. Such revenue consisted of $11.1 million associated with research and development services, $31.2 million associated with the upfront fee and Equity Premium, and $10.0 million associated with a commercial option exercise.

In connection with the Janssen Agreement, the Company incurred $17.1 million in sublicense fees to certain of its existing licensors. The $17.1 million in sublicense consideration represents an asset under ASC 340, and was amortized to research and development expense ratably with the Company’s revenue recognition under the Janssen Agreement. During the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company recognized $7.2 million of such expense. As of December 31, 2024, there was no remaining balance on the Janssen Agreement.

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center License Agreement

On May 15, 2018, the Company entered into an Amended and Restated Exclusive License Agreement (the Amended MSKCC License) with MSKCC. The Amended MSKCC License amends and restates the Exclusive License Agreement entered into between the Company and MSKCC on August 19, 2016 (the Original MSKCC License), pursuant to which the Company entered into an exclusive license agreement with MSKCC for rights relating to compositions and methods covering iPSC-derived cellular immunotherapy, including T-cells and NK-cells derived from iPSCs engineered with CARs.

Pursuant to the Amended MSKCC License, MSKCC granted to the Company additional licenses to certain patents and patent applications relating to new CAR constructs and off-the-shelf CAR T-cells, including the use of clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR) and other innovative technologies for their production, in each case to research, develop, and commercialize licensed products in the field of all human therapeutic uses worldwide. The Company has the right to grant sublicenses to certain licensed rights in accordance with the terms of the Amended MSKCC License, in which case it is obligated to pay MSKCC a percentage of certain sublicense income received by the Company.

The Company is obligated to pay to MSKCC an annual license maintenance fee during the term of the agreement, and milestone payments upon the achievement of specified clinical, regulatory and commercial milestones for licensed products as well as royalty payments on net sales of licensed products.

In the event a licensed product achieves a specified clinical milestone, MSKCC is then eligible to receive certain milestone payments totaling up to $75.0 million based on the price of the Company’s common stock, where the amount of such payments owed to MSKCC is contingent upon certain increases in the price of the Company’s common stock following the date of achievement of such clinical milestone. These payments are based on common stock price multiples, with the numerator being the fair value of the ten-trading day trailing average closing price of the Company’s common stock and the denominator being the ten-trading day trailing average closing price of the Company’s common stock as of the effective date of the Amended MSKCC License, adjusted for any stock splits, cash dividends, stock dividends, other distributions, combinations, recapitalizations, or similar events. Under the terms of the Amended MSKCC License, upon a change of control of the Company, in certain circumstances, the Company may be required to pay a portion of these payments to MSKCC based on the price of the Company’s common stock in connection with such change of control.

The following table summarizes the common stock multiples and the stock price appreciation milestone payments under the terms of the agreement:

 

Common stock multiple

 

5.0x

 

 

10.0x

 

 

15.0x

 

Ten-trading day trailing average common stock price

 

$

50.18

 

 

$

100.36

 

 

$

150.54

 

Stock price appreciation milestone payment (in millions)

 

$

20.0

 

 

$

30.0

 

 

$

25.0

 

 

In July 2021, the Company achieved the specified clinical milestone for a licensed product under the Amended MSKCC License and the Company’s ten-trading day trailing average common stock price exceeded the first, pre-specified threshold. As a result, the Company remitted the first milestone payment of $20.0 million to MSKCC during the year ended December 31, 2021.

To determine the estimated fair value of the remaining stock price appreciation milestones, the Company uses a Monte Carlo simulation methodology which models future Company common stock prices based on the current stock price and several key variables. The following variables were incorporated in the calculation of the estimated fair value of the stock price appreciation milestones as of December 31, 2024:

 

 

Year Ended
December 31,

 

 

Year Ended
December 31,

 

 

 

2024

 

 

2023

 

Risk-free interest rate

 

 

4.8

%

 

 

4.0

%

Expected volatility

 

 

85.3

%

 

 

84.0

%

Estimated term (in years)

 

 

14.0

 

 

 

15.0

 

Closing stock price as of measurement date

 

$

1.65

 

 

$

3.74

 

 

The key inputs to the Monte Carlo simulation to determine the fair value of the stock price appreciation milestones include the Company’s stock price as of the measurement date; the estimated term which is based in part on the last valid patent claim date; the expected volatility of the Company’s common stock, estimated using the Company’s historical common stock volatility as of the remeasurement date; and the risk-free rate based on the U.S. Treasury yield for the estimated term determined. Fair value measurements are highly sensitive to changes in these inputs and significant changes could result in a significantly higher or lower fair value and resulting expense or gain.

At each balance sheet date, the Company remeasures the fair value of the stock price appreciation milestones, with changes in fair value recognized as a component of other income (expense) in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss. Amounts are included in current or non-current liabilities based on the estimated timeline associated with the individual potential payments. During the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, the Company recorded $0.8 million and $2.5 million of income, respectively, associated with the change in fair value of the stock price appreciation milestones. As of December 31, 2024 and 2023, the Company recorded a liability of $0.5 million and $1.3 million, respectively, associated with the stock price appreciation milestones for the Amended MSKCC License.