Real-time Form 4 intelligence. Smarter insider tracking.
YoY shift: Unscored
Year-over-year tone shift - average net-tone change across Risk Factors and MD&A vs the prior 10-K.
Why YoY instead of absolute: the LM lexicon has ~6.6× more negative words than positive (legal/risk-disclosure language is heavy on hedging), so every 10-K reads bearish on raw tone. Year-over-year change strips that bias and surfaces the actual shift in management's framing.
Per-snippet highlights
Sentence-level sentiment highlighting with category and subcategory filters is coming once the snippet-scoring pipeline lands. For now, dig into the actual section text on the Sections tab.
Risk Factors (Item 1A)
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Item 1A. RISK FACTORS
Our business is subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, including those highlighted in this section, which represent challenges we face in our efforts to implement our strategy. You should carefully consider the risks described below in addition to other information set forth in this Form 10-K, including Part II, Item 7, Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations and the consolidated financial statements and related notes in Part II, Item 8. These risks, some of which have occurred and any of which may occur, alone or in combination with other events or circumstances in the future, may have a material effect on our business, financial condition, cash flows, results of operations, or the trading price of our common stock. The risks described below are not the only risks we face. Additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to us, or that we currently deem to be immaterial, may occur or become material in the future. Therefore, historical financial and business performance, events and trends are often not a reliable indicator of future operating results, financial and business performance, events or trends.
successfully
adverse
Summary of Risk Factors
Risks Related to Our Financial Position and Need for Additional Capital
Our cash reserves are low and we do not expect to receive substantial, if any, revenues for the foreseeable future such that we will need to raise substantial additional financing to fund our ongoing operations and manage our payment obligations, which financing continues to be extremely difficult to secure in light of the low trading price of our common stock.
We are a clinical stage biotechnology company with a history of significant operating losses; we expect to continue to incur operating losses, and we may never achieveprofitability.
The amount of financing we require will depend on various factors, many of which are beyond our control. The results of our operations, financial condition, and stock price are likely to be adversely affected if we are unable to obtain additional funding on improved terms compared to previous financings.
Our future cash requirements may differ significantly from our current estimates.
Our auditors have issued a going concern opinion, and we will not be able to achieve our objectives and will have to cease operations if we cannot find adequate financing.
We have written off the value of our pre-launch inventories of leronlimab and related raw materials, the costs of which were previously capitalized, and may be unable to use all or a portion of those inventories in the development of our product candidate.
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Risks Related to Our Ability to Maintain an Effective Operational and Internal Controls Environment
The recruitment and retention of skilled directors, executives, employees and consultants may be difficult and expensive, may result in dilution to our stockholders, and any failure to attract and retain such individuals may adversely affect our drug development and commercialization activities.
The loss, temporary loss, or transition of members of our senior management team or any other key employees may adversely affect our business.
If we are unable to maintain an effective system of internal control over financial reporting, we may not be able to accurately or timely report our financial results and our stock price could be adversely affected.
Our information technology systems could fail to perform adequately or experience data corruption, cyber-based attacks, or network security breaches.
Risks Related to Legal Proceedings
Our business, operating results, and financial condition could be negatively affected as a result of litigation and other demands made by stockholders.
The class-action litigation filed against us could harm our business, and insurance coverage may not be sufficient to cover all related costs and damages.
We are subject to oversight by the SEC, FDA, and other regulatory agencies. Investigations and proceedings by those agencies may divert management’s focus and have a material adverse effect on our reputation and financial condition.
We face risks and uncertainties related to litigation and other claims.
Risks Related to Development and Commercialization of Our Drug Candidate
Certain agreements and related license agreements require us to make significant milestone, royalty, and other payments, which will require additional financing and, in the event we do commercialize leronlimab, will decrease the revenues we may ultimately receive on sales. To the extent that such milestone, royalty and other payments are not timely made, the counterparties to such agreements in certain cases have repurchase and termination rights thereunder with respect to leronlimab.
If we are unable to obtain all required regulatory approvals for leronlimab, we will not be able to commercialize our primary product candidate, which would materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, and stock price.
Disruptions at the FDA and other government agencies caused by funding shortages, Executive Orders, or global health concerns could hinder their ability to hire, retain, or deploy key leadership and other personnel, or otherwise prevent new or modified products from being developed, approved, or commercialized in a timely manner or at all, which could negatively impact our business.
We are dependent on the success of leronlimab. If we, either alone or with collaborators, are unable to complete the clinical development of, obtain and maintain marketing approval for, or successfully commercialize leronlimab, including with respect to adequate coverage and reimbursement, or if we continue to experience significant delays in doing so, our business will be harmed.
Our competitors may develop drugs that are more effective, safer, and less expensive than ours.
We may not be able to identify, negotiate, and maintain the strategic alliances necessary to develop and commercialize our products and technologies, and we will be dependent on our corporate partners if we do.
Known third-party patent rights could delay or otherwise adversely affect our planned development and sale of leronlimab. We have identified but not exhaustively analyzed other patents that could relate to our proposed products.
Risks Related to Our Dependence on Third Parties
We have a limited number of internal research and development personnel, making us dependent on consulting relationships and strategic alliances with industry partners.
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We may continue to rely on third parties, such as CROs and third-party manufacturers, to conduct clinical trials for our product candidate, leronlimab, and to produce our pre-clinical and clinical product candidate supplies. Such third parties are subject to significant regulation. A failure by such third parties to perform their obligations properly and successfully to us, or failure of manufacturers on which we rely to meet regulatory requirements, may result in our inability to obtain regulatory approvals for or commercialize our product candidate.
Risks Related to Our Intellectual Property Rights
Our success depends upon our ability to obtain and maintain intellectual property protection relating to our product candidate and future product candidates.
If we are sued for infringing on third-party intellectual property rights, it will be costly and time-consuming, and an unfavorable outcome would have a significant adverse effect on our business. We may also undertake infringement or other legal proceedings against third parties, causing us to spend resources on litigation and exposing our own intellectual property portfolio to challenge.
We may become involved in disputes with our present or future contract partners over intellectual property ownership or other matters, which could have a significant adverse effect on our business.
Risks Related to Ownership of Our Common Stock
Our common stock is classified as “penny stock” and trading of our shares may be restricted by the SEC’s penny stock regulations.
The trading price of our common stock has been and could remain volatile, and the market price of our common stock may decrease.
Since our inception, we have been insolvent and have required debt and equity financing to maintain operations. We expect our debt service obligations and our need for additional funding to finance operations will cause additional dilution to our existing stockholders and could adversely affect the trading price of our common stock.
Our certificate of incorporation permits our Board of Directors (the “Board”) to create new series of preferred stock without further approval by our stockholders, which could adversely affect the rights of the holders of our common stock.
Anti-takeover provisions of our certificate of incorporation, our bylaws, and Delaware law could make an acquisition of us, which may be beneficial to our stockholders, more difficult, and may prevent attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove the current members of our Board and management.
We do not expect to pay cash dividends on our common shares in the foreseeable future.
Risks Related to Our Financial Position and Need for Additional Capital
Our cash reserves are low and we do not expect to receive substantial, if any, revenues for the foreseeable future such that we will need to raise substantial additional financing to fund our ongoing operations and manage our payment obligations, which financing continues to be extremely difficult to secure in light of the low trading price of our common stock.
As of June 30, 2025, we had an unrestricted cash balance of approximately $12.1 million and no reserved cash balance. We must continue to raise additional funds in the near term to meet our payment obligations and fund our operations. Additional funding may not be available on acceptable terms or at all. In addition, as of June 30, 2025, we had approximately 172.8 million shares of common stock unreserved for other purposes and available for issuance in new financing transactions. Our outstanding accounts payable and accrued liabilities totaled approximately $16.1 million on June 30, 2025. If we are not able to raise additional funds on a timely basis, we may be forced to delay, reduce the scope of, or eliminate one or more of our planned operating activities, including: conducting a study of leronlimab in patients with relapsed/refractory microsatellite stable colorectal cancer; conducting a study of leronlimab in patients with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer; pursuing research and development of longer-acting molecules; and evaluating
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other opportunities for pre-clinical studies and publishing data from previously conducted studies. Any delay or inability to pursue our planned activities likely will adversely affect our business, financial condition, and stock price. The continued low trading price of our common stock (with a closing price of $0.27 per share on June 30, 2025) presents a significant challenge to our ability to raise additional funds. If we deplete our cash reserves, we may have to discontinue our operations and liquidate our assets.
We are a clinical stage biotechnology company with a history of significant operating losses; we expect to continue to incur operating losses, and we may never achieveprofitability.
We have not generated revenue from product sales, licensing, or other income opportunities to date. Since our inception, we have incurred operating losses each year due to costs incurred for research and development activities and general and administrative expenses related to our operations. We expect to incur losses for the foreseeable future, with no or only minimal revenues as we continue to pursue development of, and seek regulatory approvals for, leronlimab. If leronlimab fails to gain regulatory approval, or if it or other drug or biologic candidates we may acquire or license in the future do not achieve approval or market acceptance, we will not be able to generate revenue or explore other opportunities to enhance stockholder value, such as through a sale. If we fail to generate revenue or if we are unable to fund our continuing operations, our stockholders could lose a portion or all of their investments.
The amount of financing we require will depend on various factors, many of which are beyond our control. The results of our operations, financial condition, and stock price are likely to be adversely affected if we are unable to obtain additional funding on improved terms compared to previous financings.
Our future funding requirements will depend on many factors, including, but not limited to:
the costs of preparing required regulatory submissions, as well as any clinical trial programs and pre-clinical studies we may pursue and other development activities conducted by us directly,
the costs involved with our chemistry, manufacturing and controls (“CMC”) activities,
the satisfaction of payment obligations we have already incurred,
the costs and timing of obtaining regulatory approvals and making related milestone payments due to third parties with whom we have licensing or similar agreements,
the costs of filing, prosecuting, maintaining, and enforcing patents and other intellectual property rights and defendingagainst potential claims of infringement,
the costs associated with hiring and retaining needed scientific and administrative employees, advisors, and consultants,
the cost of legal and other professional advisors needed to support our development efforts, responsibilities as a public reporting company, regulatory compliance and investigations, and legal proceedings,
the costs of compliance with laws, regulations, or judicial decisions applicable to us, and
the costs of general and administrative infrastructure required to manage our business and protect corporate assets and stockholder interests.
If any of these factors cause our funding needs to be greater than expected, our ability to continue operations, financial condition, and stock price may be adversely affected.
Our future cash requirements may differ significantly from our current estimates.
Our cash requirements may differ significantly from our estimates from time to time, depending on a number of factors, including:
our ability to attract strategic partners to pay for or share costs related to our product development efforts,
whether our outstanding convertible notes are converted into equity,
whether we receive additional cash upon the exercise of our outstanding warrants and stock options for common stock, and
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our ability to obtain funding under future licensing agreements or other collaborative relationships.
If we deplete our cash reserves and are unable to obtain additional funding, we may be forced to discontinue our operations and liquidate our assets.
Our auditors have issued a going concern opinion, and we will not be able to achieve our objectives and will have to cease operations if we cannot find adequate financing.
Our auditors issued an opinion, which includes a going concern explanatory paragraph, in connection with the audit of our annual consolidated financial statements for the fiscal year ended May 31, 2025. A going concern paragraph in an audit opinion means that there is substantial doubt that we can continue as an ongoing business for the 12 months from the date the consolidated financial statements are issued. If we are unable to continue as an ongoing business, we might have to liquidate our assets and the values we receive for our assets in liquidation or dissolution could be significantly lower than the values reflected in our financial statements. In addition, the inclusion of an explanatory paragraph regarding substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern and our lack of cash resources may materially adversely affect our share price and our ability to raise new capital or to enter into critical contractual relations with third parties. There is no assurance that we will be able to adequately fund our operations in the future.
We have written off the value of our pre-launch inventories of leronlimab and related raw materials, the costs of which were previously capitalized, and may be unable to use all or a portion of those inventories in the development of our product candidate.
Pre-launch inventories consist of costs of raw materials and work-in-progress related to our product candidate leronlimab. As of May 31, 2023, our inventories had been written off in full for accounting purposes. Although a portion of the inventories that were written off continue to be physically maintained and currently may be eligible for use in certain clinical contexts, we may be unable to use all or a portion of these inventories in the development of our product candidate, which may require us to engage a third party to produce additional clinical supplies of leronlimab to pursue our planned studies and clinical trials.
Risks Related to Our Ability to Maintain an Effective Operational and Internal Controls Environment
The recruitment and retention of skilled directors, executives, employees, and consultants may be difficult and expensive, may result in dilution to our stockholders, and any failure to attract and retain such individuals may adversely affect our drug development and commercialization activities.
Our business depends on the skills, performance, and dedication of our officers and key scientific and technical advisors, as well as our directors. All of our current scientific advisors are independent contractors and are either self-employed or employed by other organizations. As a result, they may have conflicts of interest or other commitments, such as consulting or advisory contracts with other organizations, that may affect their ability to provide services to us in a timely manner. We likely will need to recruit additional directors, executive management, employees, and advisors, particularly scientific and technical personnel. In addition, there is currently intense competition for skilled directors, executives, and employees with relevant scientific and technical expertise, and this competition is likely to continue. We compete for these qualified personnel against companies with greater financial resources than ours. These recruitment and retention efforts likely will require additional financial resources. To successfully recruit and retain qualified employees, we will need to offer a combination of salary, cash incentives, and equity compensation. Future issuances of our equity securities for compensatory purposes will dilute existing stockholders’ ownership interests and reduce the shares available for future funding transactions. If we are unable to attract and retain individuals with relevant scientific, technical, and managerial experience, we may be forced to limit or delay our product development activities or may experience difficulties in successfully conducting our business, which would adversely affect our operations and financial condition.
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The loss, temporary loss, or transition of members of our senior management team or any other key employees may adversely affect our business.
We currently have only three executive officers. Jacob Lalezari, M.D., our current Chief Executive Officer, entered into an employment agreement with us in January 2024 that can be terminated by either party at any time. Our current Chief Financial Officer, Robert E. Hoffman, joined the Company on May 15, 2025. The complexity inherent in integrating additional key members of the senior management team with existing senior management may limit the effectiveness of any such successor or otherwise adversely affect our business. Leadership transitions and any disruptions that result are inherently difficult to manage and may cause uncertainty or a disruption to our business or increase the likelihood of turnover of other key officers and employees. Further, we may incur significant expenses related to any executive transitions. Finding suitable replacements for senior management and other key employees can be difficult, and there is no assurance we will be successful in attracting or retaining qualified personnel.
Our success depends significantly on the individual and collective contributions of our senior management team and key employees as we continue our efforts to develop leronlimab. The loss of the services of a member of our current senior management team or the inability to hire and retain experienced management personnel may have a material adverse effect on our business and operations.
If we are unable to maintain an effective system of internal control over financial reporting, we may not be able to accurately or timely report our financial results and our stock price could be adversely affected.
Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and related regulations require us to evaluate the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of the end of each fiscal year, and to include a management report assessing the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting in our Form 10 - K for that fiscal year. Failure to maintain our controls or operation of these controls may harm our operations, decrease the reliability of our financial reporting, and cause us to fail to meet our financial reporting obligations, which could adversely affect our business and reduce our stock price.
Our information technology systems could fail to perform adequately or experience data corruption, cyber-based attacks, or network security breaches.
We rely on information technology networks and systems, including the internet, to process, transmit, and store electronic information. In particular, we depend on our information technology infrastructure to effectively manage our business data, finance, and other business processes and electronic communications between our personnel and corporate partners. If we do not allocate and effectively manage the resources necessary to build and sustain an appropriate technology infrastructure, security breaches or system failures of this infrastructure may result in system disruptions, shutdowns, or unauthorized disclosure of confidential information, including patient information in violation of HIPAA requirements. In addition, our employees, contractors, and other corporate partners increasingly are working from remote locations. As a result, we rely on information technology systems that are outside our direct control. These systems are potentially vulnerable to cyber-based attacks and security breaches. In addition, cyber criminals are increasing their attacks on individual employees, including scams designed to trick victims into transferring sensitive data or funds or stealing credentials that compromise information systems. If one of our employees falls victim to these attacks, or our information technology systems or those of our partners are compromised, our operations could be disrupted, or we may suffer financial loss, loss or misappropriation of intellectual property or other critical assets, reputational harm, and regulatory fines and intervention, and our business and financial condition may be adversely affected.
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Risks Related to Legal Proceedings
Our business, operating results, and financial condition could be negatively affected as a result of litigation and other demands made by stockholders.
We are and have been involved in legal proceedings and other claims brought by stockholders, including class actions alleging securities law violations, derivative actions alleging waste of corporate assets, unjust enrichment, other breaches of fiduciary duties by former directors and current and former executive officers, and demands by activist investors. Similar actions may occur in the future. While the Company welcomes opinions of all stockholders, responding to demands, litigation, proxy contests, or other initiatives by stockholders or activist investors may divert the attention of our Board, management team, and employees from their regular duties in the pursuit of business opportunities to enhance stockholder value. Such actions may also cause our existing or potential employees, strategic partners, and stockholders to have questions or doubts about the future direction of the Company and may provide our competitors with an opportunity to exploit these concerns. Such circumstances could cause significant fluctuations in our stock price based on temporary or speculative market perceptions or other factors that do not necessarily reflect the underlying fundamentals and prospects of our business. Refer to Part II, Item 8, Note 9, Commitments and Contingencies – Legal Proceedings in this Form 10-K for additional information.
The class-action litigation filed against us could harm our business, and insurance coverage may not be sufficient to cover all related costs and damages.
The securities class action lawsuits filed against the Company in March 2021 have exhausted certain coverage allowances under the Company’s D&O insurance applicable to the relevant time period. This litigation, whether or not successful, may require us to incur substantial costs, which could harm our business and financial condition. During the course of litigation, negative public announcements regarding the results of hearings, motions, or other interim proceedings or developments may occur, which could have a further negative effect on the market price of our common stock. Refer to Part II, Item 8, Note 9, Commitments and Contingencies – Securities Class Action Lawsuits in this Form 10-K for further information.
We are subject to oversight by the SEC, FDA, and other regulatory agencies. Investigations and proceedings by those agencies may divert management’s focus and have a material adverse effect on our reputation and financial condition.
We are subject to the regulation and oversight by the SEC and state regulatory agencies, in addition to the FDA and other federal regulatory agencies. As a result, we may face legal or administrative proceedings by these agencies. We have received subpoenas from the SEC and the U.S Department of Justice (the “DOJ”) requesting documents and information concerning, among other matters, leronlimab, our public statements regarding the use of leronlimab as a potential treatment for COVID-19, HIV, and triple-negative breast cancer, related communications with the FDA, investors, and others, litigation involving former employees, our retention of investor relations consultants, and trading in our securities. On December 20, 2022, the DOJ announced the unsealing of a criminalindictment charging both our former CEO, Nader Z. Pourhassan, and Kazem Kazempour, CEO of Amarex, our former CRO. That same day, the SEC announced charges against both Mr. Pourhassan and Mr. Kazempour for allegedviolations of federal securities laws. In December 2024, a federal jury convicted Mr. Pourhassan and Mr. Kazempour on a number of counts. Mr. Pourhassan and Mr. Kazempour are currently scheduled to be sentenced in September 2025. The Company is cooperating fully with the DOJ and SEC investigations. We are unable to predict the effect of any governmental investigations on our business, financial condition, or reputation. In addition, publicity surrounding any investigation, even if ultimately resolved favorably, could have a material adverse effect on our business. Refer to Part II, Item 8, Note 9, Commitments and Contingencies – Legal Proceedings in this Form 10-K for further information.
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We face risks and uncertainties related to litigation and other claims.
We are parties to a variety of litigation and other claims, in addition to the regulatory investigations and related proceedings described above. For example, two putative class action lawsuits have been filed against us and certain former officers and directors, asserting violations of federal securities laws under Section 10(b) and Section 20(a) of the Exchange Act, and alleging that the Company and certain former officers and directors made purportedlyfalse or misleading statements and that some of the individual defendantsviolated Section 20A of the Exchange Act by selling shares of the Company’s common stock, purportedly while in possession of material nonpublic information. Separately, three purported stockholder derivative actions have been filed against certain former officers and directors; the Company was named as a nominal defendant. Refer to Part II, Item 8, Note 9, Commitments and Contingencies – Legal Proceedings in this Form 10-K for further information.
In addition, from time to time, we may also be involved in legal proceedings and investigations arising in the ordinary course of business, including those relating to employment matters, relationships with partners, intellectual property disputes, and other business matters. Any such claims or investigations may be time-consuming, costly, divert management resources, or otherwise have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, or results of operations. Any claims or litigation, even if fully indemnified or insured, could damage our reputation and make it more difficult to compete effectively or obtain adequate insurance in the future.
Risks Related to Development and Commercialization of Our Drug Candidate
Certain agreements and related license agreements require us to make significant milestone, royalty, and other payments, which will require additional financing and, in the event we do commercialize leronlimab, decrease the revenues we may ultimately receive on sales. To the extent that such milestone, royalty, and other payments are not timely made, the counterparties to such agreements in certain cases have repurchase and termination rights thereunder with respect to leronlimab.
Under agreements we have with Progenics Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (“Progenics”) and Lonza Sales AG (“Lonza”), as well as a Development and License Agreement (the “PDL License”) between Protein Design Labs (now AbbVie Inc. (“AbbVie”)) and Progenics, we are required to pay significant milestone payments, license fees for “system know-how” technology, and royalties related to leronlimab upon the occurrence of specified events. To make these milestone and license payments, we will need to raise additional funds. In addition, our royalty obligations will reduce the economic benefits to us of future sales, if any. To the extent that such milestone payments and royalties are not timely made, under their respective agreements, Progenics has certain repurchase rights relating to the assets sold to us, and AbbVie has certain termination rights relating to our license of leronlimab under the PDL License. Refer to Part II, Item 8, Note 9, Commitments and Contingencies – PRO 140 Acquisition and Licensing Arrangements in this Form 10-K for further information.
If we are unable to obtain all required regulatory approvals for leronlimab, we will not be able to commercialize our primary product candidate, which would materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, and stock price.
Clinical testing is expensive, difficult to design and implement, may take many years to complete, and its outcome is uncertain. The research, testing, manufacturing, labeling, packaging, storage, approval, sale, marketing, advertising and promotion, pricing, export, import, and distribution of drug products are subject to extensive regulation by the FDA and other regulatory authorities in the United States and other countries, with regulations differing from country to country. We are not permitted to market a drug candidate as prescription pharmaceutical products in the United States until we receive approval from the FDA, or in foreign markets until we receive the requisite approval from comparable regulatory authorities in foreign countries. In the United States, the FDA generally requires the completion of clinical trials of each drug to establish its safety and efficacy, and extensive pharmaceutical development to ensure its quality before approval. Regulatory authorities in other jurisdictions impose similar requirements. Of the substantial number of drugs in development, only a small percentage are approved for commercialization. Receipt of necessary regulatory
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approval for the use of leronlimab for one or more indications is subject to a number of risks which include, among others:
the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities or IRBs may disagree with the future design or implementation of our clinical trials,
we may not be able to provide acceptable evidence of the safety and efficacy of our drug candidate,
the results of our clinical trials may not be satisfactory or may not meet the level of statistical or clinical significance required by the FDA or foreign regulatory authorities for marketing approval,
patients in our clinical trials may sufferadverse effects for reasons that may or may not be related to our drug candidate,
the data collected from clinical trials may not be sufficient to support the submission of an application for marketing approval in the United States or elsewhere,
the FDA or foreign regulatory authorities may not approve the manufacturing processes or facilities of third-party manufacturers with which we contract for clinical and commercial supplies, and
the approval policies or regulations of the FDA or foreign regulatory authorities may significantly change in a manner rendering our clinical data insufficient for approval.
We cannot guarantee that regulators will agree with our assessment of the results of our past or future clinical trials or that such trials will be considered by regulators to have shown safety or efficacy of our product candidate. The FDA has substantial discretion in the approval process and may refuse to accept any application or may require additional clinical trials or pre-clinical or other studies. Additionally, we have limited experience in filing the applications necessary to gain regulatory approvals and expect to continue to rely on consultants and our CROs to assist us in this process. Securing FDA approval requires the submission of pre-clinical, clinical, and/or pharmacokinetic data, information about product manufacturing processes and inspection of facilities, and supporting information for each therapeutic indication to establish a product candidate’s safety and efficacy for each indication. Our drug candidate may prove to have undesirable or unintended side effects, toxicities, or other characteristics that may preclude us from obtaining regulatory approval or prevent or limit commercial use with respect to one or all intended indications. Failure to obtain regulatory approval for leronlimab will prevent us from commercializing it as a prescription product, and our ability to generate revenue will be seriouslyimpaired.
Disruptions at the FDA and other government agencies caused by funding shortages, Executive Orders, or global health concerns could hinder their ability to hire, retain, or deploy key leadership and other personnel, or otherwise prevent new or modified products from being developed, approved, or commercialized in a timely manner or at all, which could negatively impact our business.
The ability of the FDA to review and approve new products can be affected by a variety of factors, including government budget and funding levels, statutory, regulatory, and policy changes, the FDA’s ability to hire and retain key personnel and accept the payment of user fees, and other events that may otherwise affect the FDA’s ability to perform routine functions. In addition, government funding of other government agencies that fund research and development activities is subject to the political process, which is inherently fluid and unpredictable. President Trump has issued Executive Orders that may significantly reduce the federal workforce and could adversely affect the FDA’s ability to attract and retain qualified scientific reviewers, which could result in longer review times for our applications. Additionally, the Trump Administration is seeking to reduce research funding by the NIH for medical research. If the funding is reduced for studies related to the medical indications on which we are focused or on which researchers were or may have been considering applying for federal grants, our research and development initiatives could be delayed or otherwise affected.
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We are dependent on the success of leronlimab. If we, either alone or with collaborators, are unable to complete the clinical development of, obtain and maintain marketing approval for, or successfully commercialize leronlimab, including with respect to adequate coverage and reimbursement, or if we continue to experience significant delays in doing so, our business will be harmed.
We currently have no products approved for sale and are investing a significant portion of our resources in the development of leronlimab for marketing approval in the United States and potentially other countries. Our prospects are substantially dependent on our ability to develop, obtain marketing approval for, and successfully commercialize leronlimab in the United States in one or more disease indications. The success of our Company will depend on a number of factors, including the following:
a safety, tolerability, and efficacy profile for leronlimab that is satisfactory to the FDA and potential foreign regulatory authorities,
timely receipt of marketing approvals for leronlimab from applicable regulatory authorities, including the FDA,
the performance of third-party contractors that we engage to manage our clinical studies and the resulting data,
obtaining and maintaining patent, trade secret protection, and regulatory exclusivity, both in the United States and internationally, including our ability to maintain our license agreement with AbbVie, as successor to Progenics,
protection of our rights in our intellectual property portfolio, including our ability to maintain our license agreement with AbbVie,
a continued acceptable safety profile for leronlimab following marketing approval, if any,
commercial acceptance of leronlimab by patients, the medical community, and third-party payors, and
our ability to position leronlimab to compete with other therapies.
Many of these factors are beyond our control. If we are unable to develop, receive marketing approval for, and successfully provide for commercialization of leronlimab on our own or through third parties, or if we continue to experience delays as a result of any of these factors or otherwise, our business will be substantially harmed.
Our competitors may develop drugs that are more effective, safer, and less expensive than ours.
The biopharmaceutical industry is competitive, and our future success depends on our ability to demonstrate and maintain a competitive advantage with respect to the design, development, and commercialization of product candidates. For example, new or improved therapies in the oncology and immunology arenas are the subject of frequent announcements. If approved for marketing by the FDA, depending on the approved clinical indication, leronlimab may be competing with existing and future treatments. Our competitors may:
develop drug candidates and market drugs that increase the levels of safety or efficacy that our product candidate will need to show to obtain regulatory approval,
develop drug candidates and market drugs that are less expensive or more effective than ours,
commercialize competing drugs before we or our partners can launch any products we are working to develop,
hold or obtain proprietary rights that could prevent us from commercializing our products, and
introduce therapies or market drugs that render our product candidate obsolete.
We expect to compete against large pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies and smaller companies that are collaborating with larger pharmaceutical companies, new companies, academic institutions, government agencies, and other public and private research organizations. These competitors, in nearly all cases, operate research and development programs that have greater financial resources than we do. Our competitors also have significantly greater experience in:
developing drug and other product candidates,
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undertaking pre-clinical testing and clinical trials,
building relationships with key customers and opinion-leading physicians,
obtaining and maintaining FDA and other regulatory approvals,
formulating and manufacturing drugs,
launching, marketing, and selling drugs, and
providing management oversight for all of the above-listed operational functions.
If we fail to achieve superiority over other existing or newly developed treatments, we may be unable to obtain regulatory approval. If our competitors market drugs that are less expensive, safer, or more effective than our product candidate, or which gain or maintain greater market acceptance, we may not be able to compete effectively.
We may not be able to identify, negotiate, and maintain the strategic alliances necessary to develop and commercialize our products and technologies, and we will be dependent on our corporate partners if we do.
We may seek to enter into a strategic alliance with a pharmaceutical company for further development and approval of our product candidate in one or more indications. Strategic alliances could potentially provide us with additional funds, expertise, access, and other resources in exchange for exclusive or non-exclusive licenses or other rights to the technologies and products that we are currently developing or may explore in the future. We cannot give any assurance we will be able to enter into strategic relationships with a pharmaceutical company or other strategic partner in the near future or at all or maintain our current relationships. In addition, we cannot assure that any agreements we may reach will achieve our goals or be on terms that prove to be economically beneficial to us. We anticipate that if we were to enter into strategic or contractual relationships, we may become dependent on the successful performance of our partners or counterparties. If they fail to perform as expected, such failure could adversely affect our financial condition, lead to increases in our capital needs, or hinder or delay our development efforts.
Known third-party patent rights could delay or otherwise adversely affect our planned development and sale of leronlimab. We have identified but not exhaustively analyzed other patents that could relate to our proposed products.
We are aware of patent rights held by a third party that may cover certain compositions within our leronlimab candidate. The patent holder has the right to prevent others from making, using, or selling a drug that incorporates the patented compositions, while the patent remains in force. While we believe that the third party’s patent rights will not affect our planned development, regulatory clearance, and eventual commercial production, marketing, and sale of leronlimab, there can be no assurance that this will be the case. We believe the relevant patent expires before we expect to commercially introduce leronlimab. In addition, the Hatch-Waxman exemption to U.S. patent law permits all uses of compounds in clinical trials and for other purposes reasonably related to obtaining the FDA clearance of drugs that will be sold only after patent expiration; we believe our use of leronlimab in those FDA-related activities would not infringe the patent holder’s rights. However, were the patent holder to assert its rights against us before expiration of the patent for activities unrelated to the FDA clearance, the development and ultimate sale of a leronlimab product could be significantly delayed, and we could incur expenses for defending a patent infringement suit and for damages that may relate to periods prior to the patent’s expiration. In connection with our acquisition of rights to leronlimab, our patent counsel conducted a freedom-to-operate search that identified other patents that could relate to our proposed leronlimab candidate. Based upon research and analysis to date, we believe leronlimab likely does not infringe those patent rights. If any of the holders of the identified patents were to assert patent rights against us, the development and sale of leronlimab could be delayed, we could be required to spend time and money defending patent litigation, and we could incur liability for infringement or be enjoined from producing our products if the patent holders prevailed in an infringement suit.
Risks Related to Our Dependence on Third Parties
We have a limited number of internal research and development personnel, making us dependent on consulting relationships and strategic alliances with industry partners.
We have few employees dedicated to quality control and CMC activities. We rely and intend to continue to rely on third parties to supplement many of these critical functions. If we commence additional clinical trials, we will contract
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with third-party, full-service CROs to manage our trials. As a result, we are likely to be dependent on consultants and strategic partners in our development activities, and it may be administratively challenging for us to monitor and coordinate these relationships. If we do not appropriately manage our relationships with third parties, we may not be able to successfully manage development, testing, and preparation of regulatory filings for our product or commercialize any approved product, which would have a material and adverse effect on our business, financial condition and stock price.
We may continue to rely on third parties, such as CROs and third-party manufacturers, to conduct clinical trials for our product candidate, leronlimab, and to produce our pre-clinical and clinical product candidate supplies. Such third parties are subject to significant regulation. A failure by such third parties to perform their obligations properly and successfully to us, or failure of manufacturers on which we rely to meet regulatory requirements, may result in our inability to obtain regulatory approvals for or commercialize our product candidate.
We are dependent on third parties for important aspects of our product development strategy. We do not have the required financial and human resources to independently conduct the pre-clinical and clinical development of our current product candidate. We also do not have the capability or resources to manufacture, store, market or sell our current product candidate. As a result, we contract with and rely on third parties to perform such essential functions. We compete with larger companies for the resources of these third parties. Although we plan to continue to rely on these third parties to conduct any future clinical trials and manufacturing, we are responsible for ensuring that each of our clinical trials is conducted in accordance with its general investigational plan and protocol and adheres to the FDA’s regulations regarding Good Laboratory Practice and that the manufacturing of our product complies with the FDA’s current good manufacturing practices (“cGMP”) enforced through its facilities inspection program. Moreover, we are required to comply with regulations and standards, including good clinical practices, for designing, conducting, monitoring, recording, analyzing, and reporting the results of clinical trials to assure that the data and results are credible and accurate and that the rights, integrity, and confidentiality of trial participants are protected. Our reliance on third parties that we do not control does not relieve us of these responsibilities and requirements. The third parties on whom we rely generally may terminate their engagements with us at any time. If these third parties do not successfully carry out their duties under their agreements with us, if the quality or accuracy of the data they obtain, process, and analyze is compromised for any reason, or if they otherwise fail to comply with clinical trial protocols or meet expected deadlines, future clinical trials that we may undertake may experience delays or may fail to meet regulatory requirements. If our clinical trials do not meet regulatory requirements or if these third parties need to be replaced, our pre-clinical development activities or clinical trials may be extended, delayed, suspended, or terminated. If any of these events occur, or if problems develop in our relationships with third parties, or if such parties fail to perform as expected, we may experience delays or lack of progress, significant cost increases, changes in our strategies, and even failure of our product initiatives, potentially resulting in our inability to obtain regulatory approval of our product candidate and harming our reputation.
Risks Related to Our Intellectual Property Rights
Our success depends upon our ability to obtain and maintain intellectual property protection relating to our product candidate and future product candidates.
Due to evolving legal standards relating to the patentability, validity, and enforceability of patents covering pharmaceutical inventions and the claim scope of patents, our ability to enforce our existing patents and to obtain and enforce patents that may issue from any pending or future patent applications is uncertain and involves complex legal, scientific, and factual questions. To date, no consistent policy has emerged regarding the breadth of claims allowed in biotechnology and pharmaceutical patents. We have pending patents for certain indications for our core product candidate and continue to seek patent coverage for various potential therapeutic applications for leronlimab. However, we cannot be sure that any patents will issue from any pending or future patent applications owned by or licensed to us. Even if patents do issue, we cannot be sure that the claims of these patents will be held valid or enforceable by a court of law, will provide us with any significant protection against competing products, or will afford us a commercial advantage over competitive products. If one or more products resulting from our product candidate is approved for sale by the FDA and we do not have adequate intellectual property protection for those products, competitors could duplicate
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them for approval and sale in the United States without repeating the extensive testing required of us or our partners to obtain FDA approval, once our data exclusivity period has expired.
If we are sued for infringing on third-party intellectual property rights, it will be costly and time-consuming, and an unfavorable outcome would have a significant adverse effect on our business. We may also undertake infringement or other legal proceedings against third parties, causing us to spend resources on litigation and exposing our own intellectual property portfolio to challenge.
Our ability to commercialize our product candidate depends on our ability to use, manufacture, and sell that product without infringing on the patents or other proprietary rights of third parties. Numerous U.S. and foreign issued patents and pending patent applications owned by third parties exist in the monoclonal antibody therapeutic area in which we are developing our product candidate and seeking new potential product candidates. There may be existing patents, unknown to us, on which our activities with our product candidate could infringe.
If a third party claims our actions or products or technologies infringe on its patents or other proprietary rights, we could face a number of issues that could harm our competitive position, including, but not limited to:
infringement and other intellectual property claims that, even if meritless, can be costly and time-consuming, delay the regulatory approval process, and divert management’s attention from our core business operations,
substantial damages for infringement if a court determines that our products or technologies infringe a third party’s patent or other proprietary rights,
a court prohibiting us from selling or licensing our products or technologies unless the holder licenses the patent or other proprietary rights to us, which it is not required to do, and
even if a license is available from a holder, we may have to pay substantial royalties or grant cross-licenses to our patents or other proprietary rights.
If any of these events occur, it could significantly harm our operations and financial condition and negatively affect our stock price. Additionally, although no third party asserted a claim of infringementagainst us, others may hold proprietary rights that could prevent our product candidate from being marketed. Any patent-related legal action against us claimingdamages and seeking to enjoin commercial activities relating to our product candidate or our processes could subject us to potential liability for damages and require us to obtain a license to continue to manufacture or market leronlimab or any other product candidates. We cannot predict whether we would prevail in any such actions or that any license required under any of these patents would be made available on commercially acceptable terms, if at all. Further, we cannot be sure that we could redesign leronlimab or any other product candidates or processes to avoid infringement, if necessary. Accordingly, an adverse determination in a judicial or administrative proceeding, or the failure to obtain necessary licenses, could prevent us from developing and commercializing leronlimab or another product candidate, which could harm our business, financial condition, and operating results.
We may come to believe that third parties are infringing on our patents or other proprietary rights. To prevent infringement or unauthorized use, we may need to file infringement and/or misappropriation suits, which are extremely expensive and time-consuming and would distract management’s attention. Also, in an infringement or misappropriation proceeding, a court may decide that one or more of our patents is invalid, unenforceable, or both, in which case third parties may be able to use our technology without paying license fees or royalties. Even if the validity of our patents is upheld, a court may refuse to stop the other party from using the technology at issue on the ground that the other party’s activities are not covered by our patents.
We may become involved in disputes with our present or future contract partners over intellectual property ownership or other matters, which could have a significant adverse effect on our business.
Inventions discovered in the course of performance of contracts with third parties may become jointly owned by our strategic partners and us, in some cases, and the exclusive property of one of us, in other cases. Under some circumstances, it may be difficult to determine who owns a particular invention or whether it is jointly owned, and
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disputes could arise regarding ownership or use of those inventions. Other disputes may also arise relating to the performance or allegedbreach of our agreements with third parties. Any disputes could be costly and time-consuming, and an unfavorable outcome could have a significant adverse effect on our business.
Risks Related to Ownership of Our Common Stock
Our common stock is classified as “penny stock” and trading of our shares may be restricted by the SEC’s penny stock regulations.
Rules 15g-1 through 15g-9 promulgated under the Exchange Act impose sales practice and disclosure requirements on certain brokers-dealers who engage in transactions involving a “penny stock.” The SEC has adopted regulations which generally define “penny stock” to be any equity security that has a market price of less than $5.00 per share or an exercise price of less than $5.00 per share, subject to certain exceptions. Our common stock is covered by the penny stock rules, which impose additional sales practice requirements on broker-dealers who sell to persons other than established customers and “accredited investors.” The penny stock rules require a broker-dealer, prior to a transaction in a penny stock not otherwise exempt from the rules, to deliver a standardized risk disclosure document in a form prepared by the SEC that provides information about penny stocks and the nature and level of risks in the penny stock market. The broker-dealer also must provide the prospective investor with current bid and offer quotations for the penny stock, the compensation of the broker-dealer and its salesperson in the transaction, and monthly account statements showing the market value of each penny stock held in the investor’s account. In addition, the penny stock rules require that, prior to a transaction in a penny stock that is not otherwise exempt, the broker-dealer must make a special written determination that the penny stock is a suitable investment for the purchaser and receive the purchaser’s written agreement to the transaction. These disclosure requirements may have the effect of reducing the level of trading activity in the secondary market for stock that is subject to these penny stock rules. Consequently, these penny stock rules may affect the ability of broker-dealers to trade our securities. We believe that the penny stock rules may discourage investor interest in and limit the marketability of our common stock.
The trading price of our common stock has been and could remain volatile, and the market price of our common stock may decrease.
The market price of our common stock has historically experienced and may continue to experience significant volatility. From June 1, 2024, through June 30, 2025, the market price of our common stock has fluctuated from a high of $0.49 per share to a low of $0.10 per share. The volatile nature of our common share price may cause investment losses for our stockholders. In addition, the market price of stock in small capitalization biotech companies is often driven by investor sentiment, expectation, and perception, all of which may be independent of fundamental, objective, and intrinsic valuation metrics or traditional financial performance metrics, thereby exacerbatingvolatility. In addition, our common stock is quoted on the OTCQB of the OTC Markets marketplace, which may increase price quotation volatility and could limit liquidity, all of which may adversely affect the market price of our shares.
Since our inception, we have been insolvent and have required debt and equity financing to maintain operations. We expect our debt service obligations and our need for additional funding to finance operations will cause additional dilution to our existing stockholders and could adversely affect the trading price of our common stock.
Since our inception, we have not achieved cash flows from revenues sufficient to cover basic operating costs. As a result, we have relied heavily on debt and equity financing. Equity financing, including securities convertible into equity, in particular has had a dilutive effect on our common stock, which has hampered our ability to attract reasonable financing terms.
The terms of our convertible note financings require us to make periodic debt repayments to reduce the outstanding balance of our debt. As a result, we likely will be required to use a significant portion of our available cash to satisfy our payment obligations, which will reduce the amount of capital available to finance our operations and other business activities. We expect to continue to seek to exchange all or part of our outstanding debt for shares of common stock. If the Company enters into any future exchange offers, they will likely be negotiated at a discount to the market price of
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our common stock and will cause additional dilution to our existing stockholders. If the convertible noteholders sell the common stock they receive in exchange for outstanding debt, this could result in downward pressure on our stock price. In addition, the exercise of our outstanding warrants and stock options for shares of our common stock, which we have encouraged from time to time through public or private warrant exchange offers, including in July 2024, will result in further dilution of our existing common stockholders.
Issuances of additional equity or convertible debt securities will continue to reduce the percentage ownership of our then-existing stockholders. We may also be required to grant potential investors new securities rights, preferences, or privileges senior to those possessed by our then-existing stockholders to induce them to invest in our company. The issuance of these senior securities may adversely affect the holders of our common stock as a result of preferential dividend and liquidation rights over the common stock and dilution of the voting power of the common stock.
As the result of these and other factors, the issuance of additional equity or convertible debt securities may have an adverse impact on the market price of our common stock. For the foreseeable future, we will be required to continue to rely on debt and equity financing to maintain our operations.
Our certificate of incorporation permits our Board to create new series of preferred stock without further approval by our stockholders, which could adversely affect the rights of the holders of our common stock.
Our Board has the authority to fix and determine the relative rights and preferences of preferred stock. Currently, our Board has the authority to designate and issue approximately 4.9 million additional shares of our preferred stock without further stockholder approval. As a result, our Board could authorize the issuance of another series of preferred stock that would grant to holders the preferred right to our assets upon liquidation, the right to receive dividend payments before dividends are distributed to the holders of common stock, and the right to redemption of the shares, together with a premium, prior to the redemption of our common stock. In addition, our Board could authorize the issuance of a series of preferred stock that has greater voting power than our common stock or that is convertible into our common stock, which could decrease the relative voting power of our common stock or result in dilution to our existing stockholders.
Anti-takeover provisions of our certificate of incorporation, our bylaws, and Delaware law could make an acquisition of us, which may be beneficial to our stockholders, more difficult, and may prevent attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove the current members of our Board and management.
Certain provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and bylaws could discourage, delay or prevent a merger, acquisition, or other change of control that stockholders may consider favorable, including transactions in which stockholders might otherwise receive a premium for shares of common stock. Furthermore, these provisions could frustrate attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove members of our Board. These provisions also could limit the price that investors might be willing to pay in the future for our common stock, thereby depressing the market price of our common stock. Stockholders who wish to participate in these transactions may not have the opportunity to do so. Among other things, these provisions:
allow us to designate and issue shares of preferred stock, without stockholder approval, which could adversely affect the rights, preferences, and privileges of the holders of our common stock and could make it more difficult or less economically beneficial to acquire or seek to acquire us,
provide that special meetings of stockholders may be called only by the Board acting pursuant to a resolution approved by the affirmative majority of the entire Board, and
do not include a provision for cumulative voting in the election of directors. Under cumulative voting, a minority stockholder holding a sufficient number of shares may be able to ensure the election of one or more directors. The absence of cumulative voting may have the effect of limiting the ability of minority stockholders to effect changes in the composition of our Board.
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In addition, we are governed by the provisions of Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law (the “DGCL”), which may, unless certain criteria are met, prohibit large stockholders, particularly those owning 15% or more of our voting stock, from merging or combining with us for a prescribed period.
We do not expect to pay cash dividends on our common shares in the foreseeable future.
We have never declared or paid a cash dividend on our common shares, and we do not anticipate declaring or paying dividends on our common shares for the foreseeable future. We expect to use future financing proceeds and earnings, if any, to fund operating expenses. Consequently, common stockholders’ only opportunity to achieve a return on their investment is if the price of our stock appreciates and they sell their shares at a profit. We cannot assure common stockholders of a positive return on their investment when they sell their shares or that stockholders will not lose the entire amount of their investment.
MD&A (Item 7)
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Item 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with the other sections of this Form 10-K, including our consolidated financial statements and related notes set forth in Part II, Item 8. This discussion and analysis contains forward-looking statements, including information about possible or assumed results of our operations, our performance, financial condition, plans, and objectives, that
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involve risks, uncertainties, and assumptions. The actual results may differ materially from those anticipated and set forth in such forward-looking statements. See Forward-Looking Statements preceding Part I and Item 1A, Risk Factors in this Form 10-K.
Overview
The Company is a clinical stage biotechnology company focused on the clinical development and potential commercialization of its product candidate, leronlimab, which is being studied for its potential in solid-tumor oncology.
Our current business strategy is the clinical development of leronlimab, which may include the following:
Continue the Phase II trial of leronlimab in patients with relapsed/refractory micro-satellite stable colorectal cancer ;
Conduct additional studies exploring leronlimab and its therapeutic potential in other solid-tumor oncology indications, including but not limited to metastatic triple-negative breast cancer; and
Continuing our work researching and developing a new or modified long-acting version of leronlimab .
We may need significant additional funding to execute the above business strategy in full, which may include conducting a variety of additional pre-clinical studies and clinical trials, in furtherance of our efforts to obtain FDA approval to commercialize leronlimab. In addition to traditional fundraising, the Company will pursue non-dilutive financing opportunities, such as license agreements and co-development or strategic partnerships, to help implement its strategy.
Fiscal 2025 Overview
Actions taken by the Company during fiscal 2025 included:
Revamping our clinical strategy to focus on solid-tumor oncology;
Entering into several strategic partnerships with academic institutions to further the development of leronlimab on a cost-effective basis;
Entering into several strategic partnerships with private foundations and/or organizations that are and will continue to help fund leronlimab on a cost-effective basis;
Hiring of Robert E. Hoffman as Chief Financial Officer;
Resolution of our dispute with Amarex Clinical Research LLC on terms favorable to the Company;
Furthering the development of a long-acting modified therapeutic; and
Closing multiple financing transactions to provide funding for the Company’s business operations and initiatives.
Leronlimab and Colorectal Cancer (“CRC”)
In August 2024, the Company completed a meeting with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to gain alignment on the rationale and proposed dosing for a Phase II study investigating the preliminary safety and activity of leronlimab in combination with trifluridine plus tipiracil (TAS-102) and bevacizumab in participants with CCR5+, microsatellite stable (“MSS”), relapsed or refractory metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC).
In October 2024, the Company engaged Syneos Health as the contract research organization (“CRO”) for its Phase II trial, which will evaluate the efficacy of leronlimab in patients with relapsed/refractory micro-satellite stable colorectal cancer (“CRC”). Syneos Health is a leading fully integrated biopharmaceutical solutions organization that supports customers in accelerating the delivery of life-saving therapies to market. Syneos Health leverages advanced data analytics and AI/ML capabilities to improve outcomes at every stage of the asset lifecycle, from clinical development to commercialization.
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In November 2024, the Company received clearance from the US Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) to commence its Phase II CRC trial, evaluating the efficacy of leronlimab in patients with relapsed/refractory microsatellite stable colorectal cancer. This milestone reflected the continued positive development of the Company’s improved relationship with the FDA.
In December 2024, the Company announced that Dr. Ben Weinberg from Georgetown University and the MedStar Health Alliance had agreed to be the lead Principal Investigator for the CRC study. As requested by FDA, the first five patients enrolled in this study will receive 350 mg of leronlimab SQ once/week in combination with TAS-102 and Bevacizumab. After a preliminary safety review, subsequent patients will then be randomized to 350 or 700 mg of weekly leronlimab with the same background regimen. The Data and Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB) will perform a second safety review after the first 20 patients have completed at least 1 cycle of therapy. The DSMB could then recommend restricting further enrollment to a single dose level, should they identify a signal of superior activity in either one of the treatment arms.
In June 2025, the Company announced that the first patient has been dosed in its Phase II trial evaluating the efficacy of leronlimab in patients with relapsed/refractory microsatellite stable colorectal cancer (“CRC”), and that patient enrollment and opening additional clinical sites was underway through Syneos Health.
In July 2025, the Company announced encouraging historical clinical findings among patients with advanced mCRC, previously treated with leronlimab. The final results indicated that three of five patients treated with leronlimab had at least a partial response, as measured by radiologic criteria, including one patient with a complete response who remains alive five years later. The results, from patients treated under a prior compassionate use protocol, reiterate a favorable safety profile of leronlimab as well as its potential for clinical benefit in patients with mCRC. The results also support the rationale for the design and therapeutic potential of the Phase II CRC trial.
As of July 25, 2025, nine clinical sites had been approved to participate in the Phase II CRC trial, and two patients had received at least one dose in the trial. For additional information, the CRC trial protocol is posted on the NCI Clinical Trials website, and can be viewed here: https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06699836?cond=colorectal%20cancer&intr=leronlimab&rank=1
Leronlimab and Metastatic Triple-Negative Breast Cancer (“mTNBC”)
In February and March 2025, the Company announced encouraging survival outcomes among a group of patients with mTNBC treated with leronlimab in the Company’s 2019 trial(s). Although mTNBC patients typically have a poor prognosis, observed survival rates at 12, 24, 36, and 48 months after treatment with leronlimab compare favorably with reported life expectancy after treatment with currently approved therapies. In addition, the Company confirmed that a small group of patients who failed treatment after developing metastatic disease survived more than 48 months after receiving leronlimab, are alive today, and currently identify as having no evidence of ongoing disease.
In May 2025, the Company announced new data suggesting a novel mechanism of action of leronlimab for the treatment of solid tumors. The Company analyzed data from its prior clinical trials of patients with mTNBC and found that leronlimab treatment correlated with increased expression of an immune cell protein or “checkpoint inhibitor” known as programmed death-ligand 1 (“PD-L1”) on patient’s circulating tumor cells (“CTCs”). The results indicated that 15 of 17 (88%) of patients who received a weekly dose of 525 mg or higher experienced a significant increase in PD-L1 expression on their CTCs over a 30-to-90-day period after starting leronlimab. Increasing expression of PD-L1 can be likened to turning “cold” tumors “hot”, elevating PD-L1 levels to the level necessary for patients to potentially derive benefit from further treatment with a class of drugs known as immune checkpoint inhibitors (“ICIs”). The Company also confirmed that all five patients (100%) who demonstrated a significant increase in PD-L1 expression after receiving leronlimab and received treatment with any ICI remain alive today.
The Company is currently in the process of resuming its clinical development in mTNBC, with the intention to prospectively confirm the retrospective observations in mTNBC outlined above. In early 2025, the Company announced several preclinical studies in TNBC intended to identify treatment strategies to optimize the design of a future Phase II
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study, and to further examine the apparent mechanism behind the observed increase in survival as compared to existing treatment paths. In the interim, ongoing discussions with KOLs are being conducted towards initiating a study in patients with mTNBC on an abbreviated timeline.
Pre-Clinical Development of Long-Acting CCR5 Antagonist
The Company has an active and ongoing joint development agreement with a third-party company with generative AI drug discovery and development tools in an effort to develop one or more longer-acting molecules. The Company believes this collaboration will result in the expedited development of a modified, longer-acting therapeutic, and could lead to greater acceptance by patients due to the requirement for less frequent injections. The services provided by the third party may yield extended intellectual property protection, thereby increasing the value of the Company’s patent portfolio.
If successful, such a modified therapeutic would require less frequent injections for patients on drug, furthering the convenience and overall marketability of the product. Working with a company with established AI-capabilities allows for a robust development path for this modified, longer-acting therapeutic for the Company. This joint development initiative remains in progress at this time and the Company will provide further updates when appropriate.
Additional information regarding corporate and clinical developments is included in Part I, Item 1, Business in this Form 10-K.
Results of operations for the fiscal years ended May 31, 2025, and 2024
Fluctuations in Operating Results
The Company’s operating results may fluctuate significantly depending on the outcomes, number and timing of pre-clinical and clinical studies, patient enrollment and/or completion rates in the studies, and their related effect on research and development expenses, regulatory and compliance activities, activities related to seeking FDA approval of our drug product, general and administrative expenses, professional fees, and legal and regulatory proceedings and related consequences. We require a significant amount of capital to continue to operate; therefore, we regularly conduct financing offerings to raise capital, which may result in various forms of non-cash interest expense or other expenses. Additionally, we periodically seek to negotiate settlement of debt payment obligations in exchange for equity securities of the Company and enter into warrant exchanges or modifications that may result in non-cash charges. Our ability to continue to fund operations will depend on our ability to raise additional funds. Refer to Risk Factors , Liquidity and Capital Resources , and Going Concern sections included in this report.
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The results of operations were as follows for the periods presented:
Years ended, May 31
Change
(in thousands, except for per share data)
Operating expenses:
General and administrative
Research and development
Total operating expenses
Operating gain (loss)
Interest and other income (expense):
Interest income
Interest on convertible notes
Amortization of discount on convertible notes
Amortization of debt issuance costs
Issuance costs for private placement of shares and warrants through placement agent
Loss on induced conversion
Finance charges
Loss on note extinguishment
Gain on restructuring of payables
Loss on derivatives
Total interest and other income (expense)
Gain (loss) before income taxes
Income tax benefit
Net income (loss)
Income (loss) per share:
Basic
Diluted
Weighted average common shares used in calculation of income (loss) per share:
Basic
Diluted
General and administrative expenses
G&A expenses consisted of the following:
Years ended, May 31
Change
(in thousands)
Salaries, benefits, and other compensation
Stock-based compensation
Legal fees
Insurance
Other
Total general and administrative
The decrease in G&A expenses for the fiscal year ended May 31, 2025, compared to the prior fiscal year, was primarily due to a reduction in stock-based compensation and salaries, benefits and other compensation due to classifying clinical employees’ compensation as a research and development expense in the current fiscal year.
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Research and development expenses
R&D expenses consisted of the following:
Years ended, May 31
Change
(in thousands)
Clinical
Non-clinical
CMC
License and patent fees
Return of clinical expenses
Total research and development
The decrease in R&D expenses in the fiscal year ended May 31, 2025, compared to the prior fiscal year, was primarily due to a return of clinical expenses related to the settlement of the Company’s litigation with Amarex in July 2024. Refer to Note 9, Commitments and Contingencies – Legal Proceedings – Settlement of Amarex Dispute for further information.
The future trend of our R&D expenses is dependent on the costs of any future clinical trials and our decisions regarding which indications on which to focus our future efforts toward the development and study of leronlimab, which may include pre-clinical and clinical studies for oncology and inflammation, as well as efforts to develop a long-acting new or modified therapeutic, the timing and outcomes of such efforts, and the timing of the final close-out of closed studies.
Interest and other expense
Interest and other expenses consisted of the following:
Years ended, May 31
Change
(in thousands)
Interest income
Interest on convertible notes
Amortization of discount on convertible notes
Amortization of debt issuance costs
Issuance costs for private placement of shares and warrants through placement agent
Loss on induced conversion
Finance charges
Loss on note extinguishment
Gain on restructuring of payables
Loss on derivatives
Total interest and other income (expense)
The decrease in interest and other expenses for the fiscal year ended May 31, 2025, compared with the prior fiscal year, was primarily due to the decreases in loss on induced conversion, loss on note extinguishment and finance charges. The decrease in loss on induced conversion is due to recent note payments classified as gains on restructuring of payables. The decrease in loss on note extinguishment is due to note extinguishments occurring in the prior period. The decrease in finance charges is due to restructuring the balance due to Samsung, which removed any future interest.
Refer to Part II, Item 8, Note 4, Convertible Instruments and Accrued Interest and Note 13, Subsequent Events in this report for additional information.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
As of May 31, 2025, we had a total of approximately $11.9 million in cash and cash equivalents, and approximately $70.5 million in short-term liabilities consisting primarily of approximately $45.4 million representing the principal of and accrued interest on convertible notes payable, net of unamortized debt discount, and approximately $16.9 million in accounts payable and accrued liabilities and compensation. We will continue to incur operating losses and the Company
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will require a significant amount of additional capital in the future as we continue to seek approval to commercialize leronlimab. Despite the Company’s negative working capital position, vendor relations remain relatively accommodative given liquidity constraints. We cannot be certain, however, that future funding will be available to us when needed on terms that are acceptable to us, or at all. We sell securities and incur debt when the terms of such agreements are deemed favorable to both parties under then current circumstances and as necessary to fund our current and projected cash needs.
Cash and Cash equivalents
The Company’s cash and cash equivalents position of approximately $11.9 million and zero restricted cash, respectively, on May 31, 2025, increased by approximately $8.8 million and decreased by $6.7 million, respectively, compared to the cash balance of approximately $3.1 million and restricted cash balance of approximately $6.7 million on May 31, 2024.
Summary of cash flows and changes between the periods presented is as follows:
Years ended, May 31
Change
(in thousands)
Net cash provided by (used in):
Net cash used in operating activities
Net cash provided by financing activities
Cash used in operating activities
Net cash used in operating activities totaled approximately $8.8 million during the fiscal year ended May 31, 2025, representing an improvement of approximately $2.2 million compared to the prior year. The increase in the net amount of cash provided by operating activities was due primarily to a legal settlement of approximately $10.0 million, offset by additional clinical research payments. Refer to Note 9, Commitments and Contingencies – Legal Proceedings – Settlement of Amarex Dispute for further information.
Cash provided by financing activities
Net cash provided by financing activities totaled approximately $10.9 million, a decrease of approximately $0.9 million compared to the prior year. The decrease in net cash provided was primarily the result of raising less funds from private placements of common stock and warrants, offset by an increase in funds raised from warrant exchange transactions.
Convertible debt
April 2, 2021 Convertible Note
On April 2, 2021, we issued a convertible note with a principal amount of $28.5 million resulting in net cash proceeds of $25.0 million, after $3.4 million of debt discount and $0.1 million of offering costs. The note as amended in April 2025 accrues interest daily at a rate of 6% per annum, has a stated conversion price of $10.00 per share, and matures in April 2026. As of May 31, 2025, the outstanding balance of the April 2, 2021 Note, including accrued interest, was approximately $8.2 million.
April 23, 2021 Convertible Note
On April 23, 2021, we issued a convertible note with a principal amount of $28.5 million resulting in net cash proceeds of $25.0 million, after $3.4 million of debt discount and $0.1 million of offering costs. The note as amended in April 2025 accrues interest daily at a rate of 6% per annum, has a stated conversion price of $10.00 per share, and matures in April 2026. As of May 31, 2025, the outstanding balance of the April 23, 2021 Note, including accrued interest, was approximately $37.1 million.
Refer to Part II, Item 8, Note 4, Convertible Instruments and Accrued Interest and Note 13, Subsequent Events in this report for additional information.
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Common stock
We have 1,750.0 million authorized shares of common stock. The table below summarizes intended uses of common stock.
(in millions)
May 31, 2025
Issuable upon:
Warrant exercises
Convertible preferred stock and undeclared dividends conversion
Outstanding stock option exercises or vesting of outstanding RSUs
Reserved for issuance pursuant to future stock-based awards under equity incentive plan
Reserved and issuable upon conversion of outstanding convertible notes
Total shares reserved for future uses
Common stock outstanding
As a result, as of May 31, 2025, we had approximately 187.7 million unreserved authorized shares of common stock available for issuance. Our ability to continue to fund our operations depends on our ability to raise capital. The funding necessary for our operations may not be available on acceptable terms, or at all. If we deplete our cash reserves, we may have to discontinue our operations and liquidate our assets. In extreme cases, we could be forced to file for bankruptcy protection, discontinue operations or liquidate assets.
Refer to Part II, Item 8, Note 13, Subsequent Events in this report for additional information.
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
As of May 31, 2025, we did not have any off-balance sheet arrangements that have, or are reasonably likely to have, a material effect on our current or future financial condition, results of operations, liquidity, capital expenditures, or capital resources.
Contractual Obligations
Refer to Note 4, Convertible Instruments and Accrued Interest, Note 9, Commitments and Contingencies and Note 13, Subsequent Events included in Part II, Item 8 of this Form 10-K.
Legal Proceedings
The Company is a party to various legal proceedings described in Part II, Item 8, Note 9, Commitments and Contingencies - Legal Proceedings of this Form 10-K. The Company recognizes accruals for such proceedings to the extent a loss is determined to be both probable and reasonably estimable. The best estimate of a loss within a possible range is accrued; however, if no estimate in the range is more probable than another, then the minimum amount in the range is accrued. If it is determined that a material loss is not probable but reasonably possible and the loss or range of loss can be estimated, the possible loss is disclosed.
It is not possible to determine the outcome of these proceedings, including the defense and other litigation-related costs and expenses that may be incurred by the Company, as the outcomes of legal proceedings are inherently uncertain, and the outcomes could differ significantly from recognized accruals. Therefore, it is possible that the ultimate outcome of any proceeding, if in excess of a recognized accrual, or if no accrual has been made, could be material to the Company’s consolidated financial statements. Refer to Note 9, Commitments and Contingencies – Legal Proceedings for further discussion of legal proceedings.
Going Concern
The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared on a going concern basis, which contemplates the realization of assets and the satisfaction of liabilities in the normal course of business. Net income of $3.7 million for the fiscal year ended May 31, 2025 resulted from the recovery of approximately $25.0 million in clinical expenses due to the settlement of the Company’s litigation with Amarex, which is a non-recurring event. The Company had an accumulated deficit of $887.8 million as of May 31, 2025. These factors, among several others, raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. The consolidated financial statements do not include any
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adjustments relating to the recoverability and classification of assets and liabilities that might be necessary should the Company be unable to continue as a going concern.
The Company had no activities that produced revenue in the periods presented and had operating losses since inception. The Company’s continuation as a going concern is dependent upon its ability to obtain a significant amount of additional operating capital to continue to fund operations and pay its liabilities and commitments, to pursue its research into multiple indications for and development of its product candidate, to obtain FDA approval of its product candidate for use in treating one or more indications, to outsource manufacturing of its product, and ultimately to attainprofitability. We intend to seek additional funding through equity or debt offerings, licensing agreements, supply and distribution agreements, and strategic alliances to implement our business strategies. There are no assurances, however, that we will be successful in these endeavors. If we are not able to raise capital on a timely basis on favorable terms, if at all, we may need to significantly change or scale back operations, including pursuing other development and commercialization initiatives and obtaining adequate funding to cover the costs of the legal proceedings in which we are involved, all of which individually or in combination could materially our ability to . The Company’s to raise additional capital could also affect our relationships with key vendors and our ability to timely execute our business plan. In extreme cases, the Company could be to file for protection, operations, or assets.
Since inception, the Company has financed its activities principally from the public and private sale of equity securities, as well as with proceeds from issuance of convertible notes and related party notes payable. The Company intends to finance its future development activities and its working capital needs primarily from the sale of equity and debt securities. As of June 30, 2025, the Company had approximately 172.8 million shares of common stock authorized for issuance under its certificate of incorporation, as amended, and available for future uses. The sale of equity and convertible debt securities to raise additional capital is likely to result in dilution to stockholders and those securities may have rights senior to the common stock. If the Company raises funds through the issuance of additional preferred stock, convertible debt securities, or other debt or equity financing, the related transaction documents could contain covenants restricting its operations.
In April 2021, the Company entered into long-term convertible notes that are secured by all of our assets (excluding our intellectual property), and include certain restrictive provisions, including limitations on incurring additional indebtedness and future dilutive issuances of securities, any of which could impair our ability to raise additional capital on acceptable terms. Future third-party funding arrangements may also require the Company to relinquishvaluable rights. Additional capital, if available, may not be available on reasonable or non-dilutive terms.
Refer to Part I, Item 1A, Risk Factors of this Form 10-K for additional information.
New Accounting Pronouncements
Refer to Part II, Item 8, Note 2, Summary of Significant Accounting Policies – Recent Accounting Pronouncements in this Form 10-K.
Critical Accounting Estimates
We prepare our consolidated financial statements in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, which require our management to make estimates that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the balance sheet dates, as well as the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting periods. To the extent that there are material differences between these estimates and actual results, our financial condition or results of operations would be affected. We base our estimates on our own historical experience and other assumptions that we believe are reasonable after taking account of our circumstances and expectations for the future based on available information. We evaluate these estimates on an ongoing basis.
We consider an accounting estimate to be critical if: (i) the accounting estimate requires us to make assumptions about matters that were highly uncertain at the time the accounting estimate was made, and (ii) changes in the estimate that are reasonably likely to occur from period to period or use of different estimates that we reasonably could have used in the current period, would have a material impact on our financial condition or results of operations. There are items within our financial statements that require estimation but are not deemed critical, as defined above.
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For a detailed discussion of our significant accounting policies and related judgments and estimates used in preparation of the consolidated financial statements, accounting policies and related judgments, see Part II, Item 8, Note 2, Summary of Significant Accounting Policies, in this Form 10-K.
