Adaptimmune Therapeutics PLC - Quarter Report: 2021 March (Form 10-Q)

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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-Q

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For the transition period from to

Commission File Number  001-37368

ADAPTIMMUNE THERAPEUTICS PLC

(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)

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60 Jubilee Avenue, Milton Park

Abingdon, Oxfordshire OX14 4RX

United Kingdom

(Address of principal executive offices)

(44) 1235 430000

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

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Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. ⌧ Yes    ◻ No

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). ⌧ Yes    ◻ No

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

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If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standard provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ◻

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). ☐ Yes    ⌧ No

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As of May 4, 2021, the number of outstanding ordinary shares par value £0.001 per share of the Registrant is 932,984,520.

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General information

In this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q (“Quarterly Report”), “Adaptimmune,” the “Group,” the “Company,” “we,” “us” and “our” refer to Adaptimmune Therapeutics plc and its consolidated subsidiaries, except where the context otherwise requires.

Information Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This Quarterly Report contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, as well as assumptions that, if they never materialize or prove incorrect, could cause our results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. We make such forward-looking statements pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and other federal securities laws. All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this Quarterly Report are forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by words such as “believe,” “may,” “will,” “estimate,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “expect” or the negative of these words or other comparable terminology.

Any forward-looking statements in this Quarterly Report reflect our current views with respect to future events or to our future financial performance and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations include, among other things, those listed under Part II, Item 1A. Risk Factors of this Quarterly Report and under Part I, Item 1A. Risk Factors of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020. Given these uncertainties, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Except as required by law, we assume no obligation to update or revise these forward-looking statements for any reason, even if new information becomes available in the future.

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This Quarterly Report also contains estimates, projections and other information concerning our industry, our business, and the markets for certain diseases, including data regarding the estimated size of those markets, and the incidence and prevalence of certain medical conditions. Information that is based on estimates, forecasts, projections, market research or similar methodologies is inherently subject to uncertainties and actual events or circumstances may differ materially from events and circumstances reflected in this information. Unless otherwise expressly stated, we obtained this industry, business, market and other data from reports, research surveys, studies and similar data prepared by third parties, industry, medical and general publications, government data and similar sources.

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PART I — FINANCIAL INFORMATION

Item 1. Financial Statements.

ADAPTIMMUNE THERAPEUTICS PLC

UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(In thousands, except share data)

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See accompanying notes to unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.

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ADAPTIMMUNE THERAPEUTICS PLC

UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

(In thousands, except share and per share data)

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See accompanying notes to unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.

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ADAPTIMMUNE THERAPEUTICS PLC

UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE LOSS

(In thousands)

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See accompanying notes to unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.

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ADAPTIMMUNE THERAPEUTICS PLC

UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CHANGE IN EQUITY

(In thousands, except share data)

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See accompanying notes to unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.

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ADAPTIMMUNE THERAPEUTICS PLC

UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CHANGE IN EQUITY

(In thousands, except share data)

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See accompanying notes to unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.

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ADAPTIMMUNE THERAPEUTICS PLC

UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(In thousands)

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See accompanying notes to unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.

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ADAPTIMMUNE THERAPEUTICS PLC

NOTES TO UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Note 1 — General

Adaptimmune Therapeutics plc is registered in England and Wales. Its registered office is 60 Jubilee Avenue, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, OX14 4RX, United Kingdom. Adaptimmune Therapeutics plc and its subsidiaries (collectively “Adaptimmune” or the “Company”) is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company primarily focused on providing novel cell therapies to people with cancer. We are a leader in the development of T-cell therapies for solid tumors. The Company’s proprietary platform enables it to identify cancer targets, find and develop cell therapy candidates active against those targets and produce therapeutic candidates for administration to patients.

The Company is subject to a number of risks similar to other biopharmaceutical companies in the early stage of clinical development including, but not limited to, the need to obtain adequate additional funding, possible failure of preclinical programs or clinical programs, the need to obtain marketing approval for its cell therapies, competitors developing new technological innovations, the need to successfully commercialize and gain market acceptance of its cell therapies, the need to develop a reliable commercial manufacturing process, the need to commercialize any cell therapies that may be approved for marketing, and protection of proprietary technology. If the Company does not successfully commercialize any of its cell therapies, it will be unable to generate product revenue or achieve profitability. The Company had an accumulated deficit of $623,519,000 as of March 31, 2021.

Note 2 — Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

(a)          Basis of presentation

The condensed consolidated financial statements of Adaptimmune Therapeutics plc and its subsidiaries and other financial information included in this Quarterly Report are unaudited and have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”) and are presented in U.S. dollars. All significant intercompany accounts and transactions between the Company and its subsidiaries have been eliminated on consolidation.

The unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements presented in this Quarterly Report should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on February 25, 2021 (the “Annual Report”). The balance sheet as of December 31, 2020 was derived from audited consolidated financial statements included in the Company’s Annual Report but does not include all disclosures required by U.S. GAAP. The Company’s significant accounting policies are described in Note 2 to those consolidated financial statements.

Certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in financial statements prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP have been condensed or omitted from these interim financial statements. However, these interim financial statements include all adjustments, consisting only of normal recurring adjustments, which are, in the opinion of management, necessary to fairly state the results of the interim period. The interim results are not necessarily indicative of results to be expected for the full year.

(b)          Use of estimates in interim financial statements

The preparation of interim financial statements, in conformity with U.S. GAAP and SEC regulations, requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the interim financial statements and reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Estimates and assumptions are primarily made in relation to valuation allowances relating to deferred tax assets, revenue recognition, and estimation of the incremental borrowing rate for operating leases. If actual results differ from the Company’s estimates, or to the extent these estimates are adjusted in future periods, the Company’s results of operations could either benefit from, or be adversely affected by, any such change in estimate.

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(c)          Fair value measurements

The Company is required to disclose information on all assets and liabilities reported at fair value that enables an assessment of the inputs used in determining the reported fair values. The fair value hierarchy prioritizes valuation inputs based on the observable nature of those inputs. The hierarchy defines three levels of valuation inputs:

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

Level 2 - Inputs other than quoted prices included within Level 1 that are observable for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly

Level 3 - Unobservable inputs that reflect the Company's own assumptions about the assumptions market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability

The carrying amounts of the Company’s cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash, accounts receivable, accounts payable and accrued expenses approximate fair value because of the short-term nature of these instruments. The fair value of marketable securities, which are measured at fair value on a recurring basis is detailed in Note 6, Fair value measurements.

(d)          New accounting pronouncements

Adopted in the period

Convertible instruments and contracts in an entity’s own stock

On January 1, 2021, the Company adopted ASU 2020-06 - Debt—Debt with Conversion and Other Options (Subtopic 470-20) and Derivatives and Hedging—Contracts in Entity's Own Equity (Subtopic 815-40)—Accounting for Convertible Instruments and Contracts in an Entity's Own Equity, which simplifies the accounting for convertible instruments and contracts in an entity’s own stock. The guidance was adopted on a modified retrospective basis, whereby the guidance is applied to transactions outstanding as of the beginning of the fiscal year in which the guidance is adopted. The guidance has not had a material impact on the Company’s condensed consolidated financial statements.

To be adopted in future periods

Measurement of credit losses on financial instruments

In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-13 - Financial Instruments - Credit losses, which replaces the incurred loss impairment methodology for financial instruments in current GAAP with a methodology that reflects expected credit losses and requires consideration of a broader range of reasonable and supportable information to inform credit loss estimates. The guidance is effective for the fiscal year beginning January 1, 2020, including interim periods within that fiscal year. In November 2019, the FASB issued ASU 2019-10 which resulted in the postponement of the effective date of the new guidance for eligible smaller reporting companies (as defined by the SEC), including the Company, at that time to the fiscal year beginning January 1, 2023; however, earlier adoption is permitted, and the Company may choose to implement the guidance in an earlier fiscal year. The guidance must be adopted using a modified-retrospective approach and a prospective transition approach is required for debt securities for which an other-than-temporary impairment had been recognized before the effective date. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of the guidance on its condensed consolidated financial statements.

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Note 3 — Revenue

The Company has two contracts with customers: a collaboration and license agreement with GSK and a collaboration agreement with Astellas.

Revenue comprises the following categories (in thousands):

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The amount of the transaction price that is allocated to performance obligations that are unsatisfied or partially satisfied under the agreement as of March 31, 2021 was $64,137,000. Of this, $15,300,000 is allocated to the rights granted for each of the two independent Astellas targets, $7,400,000 is allocated to research services and rights under the co-exclusive license for each of the second and third co-development targets under the collaboration agreement with Astellas, $18,500,000 is allocated to research services and rights granted under the co-exclusive license for the first Astellas co-development target, and $237,000 is allocated to research services for the third target under the agreement with GSK.

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Future development, regulatory and sales milestones under both agreements are not considered probable as of March 31, 2021 and have not been included in the transaction price. Reimbursement of the research funding over the co-development period under the Astellas agreement is variable consideration and included in the transaction price as of March 31, 2021 to the extent that a significant reversal of revenue is not probable.

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The Company expects to recognize revenue for the two independent Astellas targets at a point-in-time upon commencement of the licenses in the event of nomination of the targets, while revenue for the remaining performance obligations will be recognized as development progresses.

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Note 4 — Loss per share

The dilutive effect of 113,556,283 and 93,106,607 stock options outstanding as of March 31, 2021 and 2020 respectively have been excluded from the diluted loss per share calculation for the three months ended March 31, 2021 and 2020, because they would have an antidilutive effect on the loss per share for the period.

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Note 5 — Accumulated other comprehensive loss

The Company reports foreign currency translation adjustments and the foreign exchange gain or losses arising on the revaluation of intercompany loans of a long-term investment nature within Other comprehensive (loss) income. Unrealized gains and losses on available-for-sale debt securities are also reported within Other comprehensive (loss) income until a gain or loss is realized, at which point they are reclassified to Other (expense) income, net in the Condensed Consolidated Statement of Operations.

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The following table shows the changes in Accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income (in thousands):

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Note 6 — Fair value measurements

Assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis based on Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3 fair value measurement criteria as of March 31, 2021 are as follows (in thousands):

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The Company estimates the fair value of available-for-sale debt securities with the aid of a third party valuation service, which uses actual trade and indicative prices sourced from third-party providers on a daily basis to estimate the fair value. If observed market prices are not available (for example securities with short maturities and infrequent secondary market trades), the securities are priced using a valuation model maximizing observable inputs, including market interest rates.

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Note 7 — Marketable securities – available-for-sale debt securities

As of March 31, 2021, the Company has the following investments in marketable securities (in thousands):

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The aggregate fair value (in thousands) and number of securities held by the Company (including those classified as cash equivalents) in an unrealized loss position as of March 31, 2021 and 31 December, 2020 are as follows:

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As of March 31, 2021, the securities in an unrealized loss position are not considered to be other than temporarily impaired because the impairments are not severe and have been for a short duration. No securities have been in an unrealized loss position for more than one year. The Company does not intend to sell the debt securities in an unrealized loss position and believes that it has the ability to hold the debt securities to maturity.

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Note 8 — Other current assets

Other current assets consisted of the following (in thousands):

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Note 9 — Accrued expenses and other current liabilities

Accrued expenses and other current liabilities consisted of the following (in thousands):

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Note 10 — Contingencies and commitments

On January 7, 2021, the Company entered into an agreement with a third party, whereby the third party is responsible for the development, manufacture, submission of regulatory filings and commercialization of a companion diagnostic for the detection of the MAGE-A4 biomarker. The Company shall compensate the third party for its performance of activities under the agreement based on milestone payments and reimbursement of direct expenses.  The agreement is non-exclusive and the third party can sell the companion diagnostic to other parties.  Once the companion diagnostic is approved and launched, the Company guarantees a minimum revenue to the third party.  The agreement can be terminated by the Company and the third party upon 60 days’ notice, if certain conditions are met.

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Note 11 — Share-based compensation

The following table shows the total share-based compensation expense included in the unaudited consolidated statements of operations (in thousands):

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The following table shows information about share options and options which have a nominal exercise price (similar to restricted stock units (RSUs)) granted:

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Item 2. 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 our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements and related notes included in this Quarterly Report. The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and related notes appearing elsewhere in this Quarterly Report and the audited consolidated financial statements and notes thereto and management’s discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations for the year ended December 31, 2020, included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K that was filed with the SEC on February 25, 2021. Some of the information contained in this discussion and analysis or set forth elsewhere in this Quarterly Report, including information with respect to our plans and strategy for our business, includes forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. As a result of many factors, including those factors set forth in the “Risk Factors” section of this Quarterly Report and our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020, our actual results could differ materially from the results described in, or implied by, these forward-looking statements.

Overview

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We are a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on providing novel cell therapies to people with cancer. We are a leader in the development of T-cell therapies for solid tumors and have seen responses in six solid tumors in clinical trials.

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Our proprietary platform enables us to identify cancer targets, find and develop cell therapy candidates active against those targets and produce therapeutic candidates for administration to patients. Our cell therapy candidates include Specific Peptide Enhanced Affinity Receptor (“SPEAR”) T-cells, which use genetically engineered T-cell receptors; next generation T-cell Infiltrating Lymphocytes (“TiLs”) where a patient’s own T-cells are co-administered with our next generation technology, and HLA-independent TCRs (“HiTs”) where surface proteins are targeted independently of the peptide-HLA complex.

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As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, we remain focused on ensuring the safety of our workforce and continuing, where possible, to safely treat patients with our cell therapies. We continue to work with our clinical sites to ensure that patients are treated as soon as clinical sites are able to do so . Our facilities in the United States (“U.S.”) and the United Kingdom (“U.K.”) remain open to support manufacturing and delivery of our existing cell therapies as well as research and development of new cell therapies. Further information on risks related to COVID-19 is provided in the “Risk Factors” section of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020.

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We have multiple clinical trials ongoing:

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We have an active preclinical pipeline of cell therapy candidates with the aim of delivering five new cell therapies to the clinic in the next five years. The pipeline includes new autologous SPEAR T-cells, SPEAR T-cells addressing alternative HLA-types, next generation SPEAR T-cells, next-generation TILs and HiTs. Data from the Company’s HiT mesothelin program will be presented at the American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy (ASGCT) in May 2021. We are also developing allogeneic or “off-the-shelf” cell therapies utilizing a proprietary allogeneic platform.

We have a strategic collaboration program ongoing with Astellas (through its wholly owned subsidiary Universal Cells) in relation to up to three targets with the aim of co-developing T-cell therapy candidates directed to those targets and utilizing our allogeneic platform for “off-the-shelf” cell therapies. The first target subject to the collaboration is the mesothelin target to which a HiT cell therapy is being developed and a second target has now been nominated by Astellas. We also have a number of development and research collaborations including our collaboration with GSK for the development, manufacture and commercialization of TCR therapeutic candidates for up to five programs, a clinical and pre-clinical alliance agreement with MD Anderson Cancer Center and research collaborations with Alpine, Noile-Immune and CCIT.

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Financial Operations Overview

Revenue

The Company has two contracts with customers: the GSK Collaboration and License Agreement and the Astellas Collaboration Agreement.

The GSK Collaboration Agreement

The GSK Collaboration and License Agreement consists of multiple performance obligations. GSK nominated its third target under the Collaboration and License Agreement in 2019, and the Company received $3.2 million following the nomination of the target, which is being recognized as revenue as development progresses.

The Astellas Collaboration Agreement

In January 2020, the Company entered into a collaboration agreement with Astellas. The Company received $50.0 million as an upfront payment after entering into the agreement. Under the agreement the parties will agree on up to three targets and will co-develop T-cell therapies directed to those targets pursuant to an agreed research plan. For each target, Astellas will fund co-development up until completion of a Phase 1 trial for products directed to such target. In addition, Astellas was also granted the right to develop, independently of Adaptimmune, allogeneic T-cell therapy candidates directed to two targets selected by Astellas. Astellas will have sole rights to develop and commercialize products resulting from these two targets.

The agreement consists of the following performance obligations: (i) research services and rights granted under the co-exclusive license for each of the three co-development targets and (ii) the rights granted for each of the two independent Astellas targets. The revenue allocated to the co-development targets is recognized as the development of products directed to the targets progresses up until completion of a Phase 1 trial. The revenue allocated to each of the research licenses for the targets being independently developed by Astellas will be recognized when the associated license commences, which is upon designation of a target by Astellas.

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Research and Development Expenses

Research and development expenditures are expensed as incurred. Research and development expenses consist principally of the following:

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These expenses are partially offset by:

As a company that carries out extensive research and development activities, we benefit from the U.K. research and development tax credit regime for small and medium sized companies (“SME R&D Tax Credit Scheme”), whereby our principal research subsidiary company, Adaptimmune Limited, is able to surrender the trading losses that arise from its research and development activities for a payable tax credit of up to approximately 33.4% of eligible research and development expenditures. Qualifying expenditures largely comprise employment costs for research staff, consumables and certain internal overhead costs incurred as part of research projects for which we do not receive income. Subcontracted research expenditures are eligible for a cash rebate of up to approximately 21.7%. A large proportion of costs in relation to our pipeline research, clinical trials management and manufacturing development activities, all of which are being carried out by Adaptimmune Limited, are eligible for inclusion within these tax credit cash rebate claims.

Expenditures incurred in conjunction with our collaboration agreements are not qualifying expenditures under the SME R&D Tax Credit Scheme but certain of these expenditures can be reimbursed through the U.K. research and development expenditure credit scheme (the “RDEC Scheme”). Under the RDEC Scheme tax relief is given at 13% of allowable R&D costs, which may result in a payable tax credit at an effective rate of approximately 10.5% for the year ended December 31, 2021.

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Our research and development expenses may vary substantially from period to period based on the timing of our research and development activities, which depends upon the timing of initiation of clinical trials and the rate of enrollment of patients in clinical trials. The duration, costs, and timing of clinical trials and development of our cell therapies will depend on a variety of factors, including:

A change in the outcome of any of these variables may significantly change the costs and timing associated with the development of that SPEAR T-cell. For example, if the FDA, or another regulatory authority, requires us to conduct clinical trials beyond those that we currently anticipate will be required for regulatory approval, or if we experience significant delays in enrollment in any of our clinical trials, we could be required to expend significant additional financial resources and time on the completion of clinical development.

General and Administrative Expenses

Our general and administrative expenses consist principally of:

Other (Expense) Income, Net

Other (expense) income, net primarily comprises foreign exchange (losses) gains. We are exposed to foreign exchange rate risk because we currently operate in the United Kingdom and United States. Our expenses are generally denominated in the currency in which our operations are located, which are the United Kingdom and United States. However, our U.K.-based subsidiary incurs significant research and development costs in U.S. dollars and, to a lesser extent, Euros. Our U.K. subsidiary has an intercompany loan balance in U.S. dollars payable to the ultimate parent company, Adaptimmune Therapeutics plc, which is considered of a long-term investment nature as repayment is not planned or anticipated in the foreseeable future. It is Adaptimmune Therapeutics plc’s intent not to request payment of the intercompany loan for the foreseeable future. The foreign exchange gains or losses arising on the revaluation of intercompany loans of a long-term investment nature are reported within other comprehensive (loss) income, net of tax.