The accompanying notes are an integral part of
these unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.
NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(Unaudited)
Background
Xenetic Biosciences, Inc. (“Xenetic”
or the “Company”), incorporated in the state of Nevada and based in Framingham, Massachusetts, is a biopharmaceutical company
focused on advancing innovative immune-oncology technologies addressing hard to treat cancers. The Company’s proprietary Deoxyribonuclease
(“DNase”) platform is designed to improve outcomes of existing treatments, including immunotherapies, by targeting neutrophil
extracellular traps (“NETs”), which have been implicated in cancer progression and resistance to cancer treatments. Xenetic
is currently focused on advancing its systemic DNase program into the clinic as an adjunctive therapy for pancreatic carcinoma and locally
advanced or metastatic solid tumors. XCART™ is the Company’s personalized Chimeric Antigen Receptor (“CAR”)
T platform technology engineered to target patient specific tumor neoantigens with a demonstrated proof of mechanism in B-cell lymphomas.
Additionally, Xenetic has partnered with biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies to develop its proprietary drug delivery platform,
PolyXen®, and receives royalty payments under an exclusive license arrangement in the field of blood coagulation disorders.
As used in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q
(“Quarterly Report”), unless otherwise indicated, all references herein to “Xenetic,” the “Company,”
“we” or “us” refer to Xenetic Biosciences, Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiaries.
The Company, directly or indirectly, through its
wholly-owned subsidiaries, Hesperix S.A. (“Hesperix”) and Xenetic Biosciences (U.K.) Limited (“Xenetic UK”), and
the wholly-owned subsidiaries of Xenetic UK, Lipoxen Technologies Limited (“Lipoxen”), Xenetic Bioscience, Incorporated and
SymbioTec, GmbH (“SymbioTec”), own various United States (“U.S.”) federal trademark registrations and applications
along with unregistered trademarks and service marks, including but not limited to XCART, OncoHist™, PolyXen, ErepoXen™, and
ImuXen™, which are used throughout this Quarterly Report. All other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective
companies with which they are associated.
Going Concern and Management’s Plan
Management evaluates whether there are conditions
or events, considered in the aggregate that raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern within
one year after the date that the financial statements are issued. The Company has incurred substantial losses since its inception and
expects to continue to incur operating losses in the near-term. These factors raise substantial doubt about its ability to continue as
a going concern. The Company believes that it has access to capital resources through possible public or private equity offerings, debt
financings, corporate collaborations, related party funding, or other means to continue as a going concern. The Company believes that
its existing resources will be adequate to fund the Company’s operations for a period of at least twelve months from the date of
these financial statements. However, the Company anticipates it may need additional capital in the long-term to pursue its business initiatives.
The terms, timing and extent of any future financing will depend upon several factors, including the achievement of progress in its product
development programs, its ability to identify and enter into licensing or other strategic arrangements, its continued listing on the Nasdaq
Stock Market (“Nasdaq”), and factors related to financial, economic, geo-political, industry and market conditions, many of
which are beyond its control. The capital markets for the biotech industry can be highly volatile, which make the terms, timing and extent
of any future financing uncertain. On June 3, 2022, the Company received a written notification (the “Notice”) from the Listing
Qualifications Department of Nasdaq notifying the Company that the closing bid price for its common stock had been below $1.00 for 30
consecutive business days and that the Company therefore was not in compliance with the minimum bid price requirement for continued inclusion
on the Nasdaq Capital Market under Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(a)(2) (the “Bid Price Requirement”). The Notice has no immediate
effect on the listing of the Company’s common stock on the Nasdaq Capital Market. Under the Nasdaq Listing Rules, the Company had
a period of 180 calendar days from the date of the Notice to regain compliance with the Bid Price Requirement. Accordingly, the Company
had until November 30, 2022 to regain compliance with the Bid Price Requirement and was eligible for an additional 180 calendar day compliance
period if certain other criteria were met. On December 1, 2022, the Company received a letter from Nasdaq informing it that although the
Company’s common stock had not regained compliance with the minimum $1.00 bid price per share requirement, Nasdaq had determined
that the Company was eligible for an additional 180 calendar day period, or until May 29, 2023, to regain compliance. Nasdaq’s determination
was based on the Company meeting the continued listing requirement for market value of publicly held shares and all other applicable requirements
for initial listing on the Nasdaq Capital Market with the exception of the bid price requirement, and the Company’s written notice
of its intention to cure the deficiency during the second compliance period by effecting a reverse stock split, if necessary.
2. |
Risks and Uncertainties |
Effects of the
COVID-19 Pandemic
During March 2020, a
global pandemic was declared by the World Health Organization related to the outbreak of a novel strain of coronavirus, or COVID-19. The
pandemic significantly affected economic conditions in the U.S., accelerating during the first half of March 2020 and continuing throughout
2021 and 2022 and into 2023, as federal, state and local governments reacted to the public health crisis with mitigation measures, creating
significant uncertainties in the U.S. economy. The Company continues to evaluate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on its business
and while there has been no significant impact to the Company’s operations to date, the Company at this time remains uncertain of
the impact this event may have on the Company’s future operations. The extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic affects our business,
operations and financial results will depend on numerous evolving factors that we may not be able to accurately predict, and such uncertainty
is expected to continue for some time.
Impact of the conflict
in Ukraine on Operations
The short and long-term implications of Russia’s
invasion of Ukraine are difficult to predict at this time. The imposition of sanctions and counter sanctions may have an adverse effect
on the economic markets generally and could impact our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
3. |
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies |
Preparation of Interim Financial Statements
The accompanying condensed consolidated interim
financial statements were prepared by the Company pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”)
and, in the opinion of management, include all normal and recurring adjustments necessary to present fairly the results of the interim
periods shown. Certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in financial statements prepared in accordance with U.S.
generally accepted accounting principles have been condensed or omitted pursuant to such SEC rules and regulations. Management believes
that the disclosures made are adequate to make the information presented not misleading. The results for the interim periods are not necessarily
indicative of results for the full year. The condensed consolidated financial statements contained herein should be read in conjunction
with the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended
December 31, 2022 filed with the SEC on March 22, 2023, and amended on April 28, 2023.
Principles of Consolidation
The condensed consolidated financial statements
of the Company include the accounts of Hesperix, Xenetic UK and Xenetic UK’s wholly owned subsidiaries: Lipoxen, Xenetic Bioscience,
Incorporated, and SymbioTec. All intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.
Cash and concentrations of credit risk
The Company considers all highly liquid investments
with an original maturity of 90 days or less from the date of purchase to be cash equivalents. Investments with original maturities of
greater than 90 days from the date of purchase but less than one year from the balance sheet date are classified as short-term investments,
while investments with maturities of one year or beyond from the balance sheet date are classified as long-term investments. Management
determines the appropriate classification of its cash equivalents and investment securities at the time of purchase and re-evaluates such
determination as of each balance sheet date. The carrying amount of cash equivalents approximate their fair value due to the short-term
nature of these instruments.
Financial instruments that potentially subject
the Company to credit risk consist primarily of cash on deposit with financial institutions, the balances of which frequently exceed federally
insured limits. On March 10, 2023, Silicon Valley Bank (“SVB”) was closed by the California Department of Financial Protection
and Innovation, which appointed the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) as receiver. The Company’s cash consisted
primarily of money market funds held at SVB. On March 12, 2023, the U.S. Treasury, Federal Reserve and FDIC rolled out emergency measures
to fully protect all depositors of SVB and on March 13, 2023, we had full access to our cash on deposit with SVB. As of March 31, 2023,
the Company had transferred its primary banking relationship to a large financial institution and all cash on deposit is covered under
federally insured limits.
Basic and Diluted Net Loss per Share
The Company computes basic net loss per share
by dividing net loss applicable to common stockholders by the weighted-average number of shares of the Company’s common stock outstanding
during the period. The Company computes diluted net loss per share after giving consideration to the dilutive effect of stock options
that are outstanding during the period, except where such non-participating securities would be anti-dilutive.
For the three months ended March 31, 2023 and
2022, basic and diluted net loss per share are the same for each respective period due to the Company’s net loss position. Potentially
dilutive, non-participating securities have not been included in the calculations of diluted net loss per share, as their inclusion would
be anti-dilutive.
Recently Adopted Accounting Standards
In June 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards
Board issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2016-13, Financial Instruments - Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement
of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments. The guidance modified the measurement and recognition of credit losses for most financial
assets and certain other instruments. The amendment updated the guidance for measuring and recording credit losses on financial assets
measured at amortized cost by replacing the “incurred loss” model with an “expected loss” model. This may result
in earlier recognition of allowance for losses. The Company adopted ASU 2016-13 as of January 1, 2023 and the adoption did not have a
material effect on our consolidated financial statements.
4. |
Significant Strategic Collaborations |
Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. ( together
with its wholly-owned subsidiaries, “Takeda”)
In October 2017, the Company granted to Takeda
the right to grant a non-exclusive sublicense to certain patents related to the Company’s PolyXen technology that were previously
exclusively licensed to Takeda in connection with products related to the treatment of blood and bleeding disorders. Royalty payments
of approximately $0.6 million and $0.4 million were recorded as revenue by the Company during the three months ended March 31, 2023 and
2022, respectively, and are based on single digit royalties on net sales of certain covered products. The Company’s policy is to
recognize royalty payments as revenue when they are reliably measurable, which is upon receipt of reports from Takeda. The Company receives
these reports in the quarter subsequent to the actual sublicensee sales. At the time the revenue was received, there were no remaining
performance obligations and all other revenue recognition criteria were met.
CLS Therapeutics Ltd. (“CLS”)
On April 26, 2022, the Company entered into an
Exclusive Sublicense Agreement (the “Sublicense Agreement”) with CLS pursuant to which the Company received an exclusive license,
under certain patent rights and know-how owned or controlled by CLS, to develop and commercialize pharmaceutical products and methods
incorporating DNase enzyme for use in treatment of cancer (the “Sublicensed Products”). Under the terms of the Sublicense
Agreement, the Company will have sole responsibility for, and shall use commercially reasonable efforts to, among other things, research,
develop and obtain marketing approval for the Sublicensed Products in the U.S. and certain European markets, and to commercialize such
Sublicensed Products in the relevant market once marketing approval is obtained.
Concurrent with the Sublicense Agreement, the
Company entered into an Exclusive License Agreement (the “License Agreement”) with CLS, pursuant to which the Company received
an exclusive license under certain patent rights and know-how owned or controlled by CLS to develop and commercialize pharmaceutical products
and methods incorporating DNase in conjunction with CAR T therapies (the “Licensed Products”). Under the terms of the License
Agreement, the Company will have sole responsibility for, and shall use commercially reasonable efforts to, among other things, research,
develop and obtain marketing approval for the Licensed Products in the U.S. and certain European markets, and to commercialize such Licensed
Products in the relevant market once marketing approval is obtained.
Volition Collaboration
On August 2, 2022, the Company announced a research
and development collaboration with Volition to develop NETs-targeted adoptive cell therapies for the treatment of cancer. The collaboration
is an early exploratory program to evaluate the potential combination of Volition’s Nu.Q® technology Test and the
Company’s DNase-Armored CAR T platform to develop proprietary adoptive cell therapies potentially targeting multiple types of solid
cancers. Under the terms of the collaboration agreement, Volition will fund a research program and the two parties will share proceeds
from commercialization or licensing of any products arising from the collaboration.
Catalent Pharma Solutions LLC (“Catalent”)
On June 30, 2022, the Company entered into a
Statement of Work (the “SOW”) with Catalent to outline the general scope of work, timeline, and pricing pursuant to
which Catalent will provide certain services to the Company to perform cGMP manufacturing of the Company’s recombinant
protein, Human DNase I. The parties agreed to enter into a Master Services Agreement (“MSA”) that will contain terms and
conditions to govern the project contemplated by the SOW and that will supersede the addendum to the SOW containing Catalent's
standard terms and conditions. In addition, in the event of any conflict between the project-specific terms and conditions set forth
in the SOW and the MSA, the MSA terms and conditions shall govern. The estimated total cost of the project contemplated by the SOW
is expected to be up to approximately $5 million (exclusive of certain fees and potential alternatives) for the manufacturing
services over the course of the term of the project with each phase of the project invoiced separately in connection with the
commencement of such phase. Unless earlier amended or terminated, the manufacturing services contemplated by the SOW are currently
targeted to be completed by the first half of 2024. The SOW is terminable by the Company at any time with 30 days' prior written
notice to Catalent. The SOW also contains customary provisions related to, among other things, confidentiality, warranties,
intellectual property and indemnification. The Company has paid Catalent approximately $1.0 million through March 31, 2023, of which $0.4
million and $0.3
million has been recognized as an advance payment and is included in prepaid expenses and other as of March 31, 2023 and
December 31, 2022, respectively.
Scripps Research
On March 17, 2023, the Company and Scripps Research
entered into a Research Funding and Option Agreement (the “Agreement”), pursuant to which the Company has agreed to provide
Scripps Research an aggregate of up to $938,000 to fund research relating to advancing the pre-clinical development of the Company’s
DNase oncology platform technology. The research funding is payable by the Company to Scripps Research on a monthly basis in accordance
with a negotiated budget, which provides for an initial payment of approximately $78,000 on the date of the Agreement and subsequent monthly
payments of approximately $78,000 over a 12-month period. Under the Agreement, the Company has the option to acquire a worldwide exclusive
license to Scripps Research’s rights in the Technology or Patent Rights (as defined in the Agreement), as well as a non-exclusive,
royalty-free, non-transferrable license to make and use TSRI Technology (as defined in the Agreement) solely for the Company’s internal
research purposes during the performance of the research program contemplated by the Agreement.
Unless earlier terminated, the term of the Agreement
continues from the date of the Agreement for fifteen (15) months. The Agreement may be terminated by the Company with 30 days advance
written notice to Scripps Research beginning six (6) months after the Effective Date (as defined in the Agreement) or by Scripps Research
if the Company fails to make timely payments due under the Agreement, subject to 30 days’ written notice to cure such nonpayment.
The Agreement may further be terminated by either party in the event of the other party’s uncured failure to perform any obligations
under the Agreement or the bankruptcy of the other party.
No payments were made to Scripps Research under
this agreement through March 31, 2023. As of March 31, 2023, the Company has recorded accrued program expense of approximately $40,000
in connection with this agreement as a component of accrued expenses and other current liabilities.
Other Agreements
The Company has also entered into various research,
development, license and supply agreements with Serum Institute of India (“Serum Institute”), PJSC Pharmsynthez (“Pharmsynthez”)
and SynBio LLC (“SynBio”), a wholly owned subsidiary of Pharmsynthez. The Company and its collaborative partners continue
to engage in research and development activities with no resultant commercial products through March 31, 2023. No amounts were recognized
as revenue related to the Serum Institute, Pharmsynthez or SynBio agreements during the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively.
5. |
Fair Value Measurements |
Accounting Standards Codification Topic 820, Fair
Value Measurement, defines fair value as the price that would be received to sell an asset or be paid to transfer a liability in an
orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. The Company applies the following fair value hierarchy, which
prioritizes the inputs used to measure fair value into three levels and bases the categorization within the hierarchy upon the lowest
level of input that is available and significant to the fair value measurement. Level 1 inputs are quoted prices in active markets for
identical assets or liabilities that the reporting entity has the ability to access at the measurement date. Level 2 utilizes quoted market
prices in markets that are not active, broker or dealer quotations, or alternative pricing sources with reasonable levels of price transparency.
Level 3 inputs are unobservable inputs for the asset or liability in which there is little, if any, market activity for the asset or liability
at the measurement date. As of March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, the carrying amounts of the Company’s financial instruments
approximates fair value due to their short maturities. There were no financial instruments classified as Level 3 in the fair value hierarchy
during the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022.
Warrants
In connection
with its July 2021 private placement, the Company issued warrants to purchase an aggregate of 4,629,630 shares of the Company’s
common stock (the “Series A Warrants”). The Series A Warrants are immediately exercisable at a price of $3.30 per share of
common stock and expire on February 23, 2025. No Series A Warrants were exercised or forfeited during the three months ended March 31,
2023 and 2022.
In addition, the Company has publicly traded warrants
to purchase approximately 21,000 shares of common stock outstanding as of both March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022. These warrants have
an exercise price of $13.00 per share and expire on July 17, 2024. The warrants trade on Nasdaq under the symbol “XBIOW.”
The warrants also provide that if the weighted-average price of common stock on any trading day on or after 30 days after issuance is
lower than the then-applicable exercise price per share, each warrant may be exercised, at the option of the holder, on a cashless basis
for one share of common stock. None of these warrants were exercised during the three months ended March 31, 2023. Warrants to purchase
1,684 shares of common stock were exercised on a cashless, one-for-one basis during the three months ended March 31, 2022. None of these
warrants were forfeited during the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022.
The Company also has outstanding warrants to purchase
approximately 8,000 shares of the Company’s common stock as of March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022. These warrants have an exercise
price of $2.91 per share and expire on July 3, 2026. None of these warrants were exercised or forfeited during the three months ended
March 31, 2023 and 2022.
Total share-based expense related to stock options
and restricted stock units (“RSUs”) was approximately $0.1 million during each of the three months ended March 31, 2023 and
2022.
Share-based expense is classified in the condensed
consolidated statements of operations as follows:
Schedule of Share-Based Compensation Expense | |
| | | |
| | |
| |
Three Months Ended March 31, | |
| |
2023 | | |
2022 | |
Research and development expenses | |
$ | 13,688 | | |
$ | 19,178 | |
General and administrative expenses | |
| 55,164 | | |
| 100,417 | |
| |
$ | 68,852 | | |
$ | 119,595 | |
Employee Stock Options
No stock option awards to purchase shares of common
stock were granted during the three months ended March 31, 2023. During the three months
ended March 31, 2022, the Company granted 200,000 stock option awards to purchase shares of common stock. The Company recognized a total
of approximately $0.1 million of compensation expense related to employee stock options during each of the three months ended March 31,
2023 and 2022. No employee stock options or RSUs were exercised and none expired during the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022.
Non-Employee Stock Options
There were no non-employee stock options granted
or exercised during the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. During the three months ended March 31, 2023, non-employee
stock option grants to purchase approximately 1,000 shares of common stock expired. No non-employee stock option grants expired during
the three months ended March 31, 2022. The Company did not recognize any expense related to non-employee stock options during the three
months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively.
During the three months ended March 31, 2023 and
2022, there was no provision for income taxes as the Company incurred losses during both periods. Deferred tax assets and liabilities
reflect the net tax effect of temporary differences between the carrying amount of assets and liabilities for financial reporting purposes
and the amounts used for income tax purposes. The Company records a valuation allowance against its deferred tax assets as the Company
believes it is more likely than not the deferred tax assets will not be realized. The valuation allowance against deferred tax assets
was approximately $38.7 million and $38.6 million as of March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively.
As of March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022,
the Company did not record any unrecognized tax positions.
9. |
Commitments and contingencies |
Supplemental cash flow information and non-cash
activity related to our operating leases are as follows:
Cash flow information regarding leases | |
| | | |
| | |
| |
Three Months Ended March 31, | | |
Three Months Ended March 31, | |
| |
2023 | | |
2022 | |
Operating cash flow information: | |
| | | |
| | |
Cash paid for amounts included in the measurement of lease liabilities | |
$ | – | | |
$ | 9,475 | |
Supplemental balance sheet information related
to our operating leases is as follows:
Supplemental information related to operating leases | |
| |
| | |
| |
| |
Balance Sheet Classification | |
March 31, 2023 | | |
March 31, 2022 | |
Right-of-use assets - ST | |
Prepaid expenses and other | |
$ | – | | |
$ | 17,568 | |
Current lease liabilities | |
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities | |
$ | – | | |
$ | 17,568 | |
10. |
Related Party Transactions |
The Company has entered into various research,
development, license and supply agreements with Serum Institute and Pharmsynthez, each a related party whose relationship has not materially
changed from that disclosed in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022 filed with the SEC
on March 22, 2023, as amended on April 28, 2023.
During the fourth quarter
of 2019, the Company entered into a loan agreement with Pharmsynthez (the “Pharmsynthez Loan”), pursuant to which the Company
advanced Pharmsynthez an aggregate principal amount of up to $500,000 to be used for the development of a specific product under the Company’s
Co-Development Agreement with Pharmsynthez. The Pharmsynthez Loan had an initial term of 15-months and accrued interest at a rate of 10%
per annum. The Pharmsynthez Loan is guaranteed by all of the operating subsidiaries of Pharmsynthez, including SynBio and AS Kevelt, and
is secured by all of the common and preferred stock of the Company owned by Pharmsynthez and SynBio.
The Pharmsynthez Loan has been amended at various
times primarily to extend the principal repayment schedule and maturity date. The Pharmsynthez Loan, as amended, currently has a maturity
date of May 31, 2023 and requires the repayment of the remaining principal amount, plus interest, in seven (7) monthly installments from
November 30, 2022 through May 31, 2023 as well as certain other terms and conditions. While Pharmsynthez has made certain payments in
accordance with the repayment schedule, all principal and interest payments required to date under the Pharmsynthez Loan, as amended,
have not been made. As a result, the Company has classified the loan receivable as long-term as of March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022.
The Company assessed the collectability of the loan and determined that the U.S.-based collateral held by the Company, consisting of all
of the common and preferred stock of the Company owned by Pharmsynthez and SynBio, was adequate to support the repayment of the outstanding
principal balance. As of March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, approximately $ and $, respectively, was included
in other assets on the condensed consolidated balance sheet. The Company did not recognize any interest income related to this loan during
the three months ended March 31, 2023. The Company recognized approximately $9,000 of interest income related to this loan during the
three months ended March 31, 2022.
The Company performed a review of events subsequent
to the balance sheet date through the date the financial statements were issued and determined that there were no such events requiring
recognition or disclosure in the financial statements.