Dyne Therapeutics, Inc. - Quarter Report: 2021 March (Form 10-Q)

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, DC 20549

FORM 10-Q

(Mark One)

For the quarterly period ended March 31, 2021

OR

For the transition period from ________________ to ________________

Commission File Number: 001-39509

Dyne Therapeutics, Inc.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)

(781) 786-8230

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

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

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, smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

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 standards 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  ☐

As of April 30, 2021, the registrant had 51,205,932 shares of common stock, $0.0001 par value per share, outstanding.

Table of Contents

We own or have rights to trademarks, service marks and trade names that we use in connection with the operation of our business, including our corporate name, logos and website names. The service marks and trademarks that we own include the marks Dyne Therapeutics™ and FORCE™. Other trademarks, service marks and trade names appearing in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q are the property of their respective owners. Solely for convenience, some of the trademarks, service marks and trade names referred to in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q are listed without the ® and ™ symbols, but we will assert, to the fullest extent under applicable law, our rights to our trademarks, service marks and trade names.

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CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, or this Quarterly Report, contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, that involve substantial risk and uncertainties. All statements other than statements of historical fact, contained in this Quarterly Report, including statements regarding our strategy, future operations, future financial position, future revenue, projected costs, prospects, plans and objectives of management, are forward-looking statements. The words “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “target,” “would,” or the negative of these words or other similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words.

The forward-looking statements in this Quarterly Report include, among other things, statements about:

We may not actually achieve the plans, intentions or expectations disclosed in our forward-looking statements, and you should not place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements. Actual results or events could differ materially from the plans, intentions and expectations disclosed in the forward-looking statements we make. We have included important factors in the cautionary statements included in this Quarterly Report, particularly in Item 1A. “Risk Factors” in this Quarterly Report, that we believe could cause actual results or events to differ materially from the forward-looking statements that we make. Moreover, we operate in a competitive and rapidly changing environment. New risk factors and uncertainties may emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for management to predict all risk factors and uncertainties, nor can we assess the impact of all factors on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements we may make. Our forward-looking statements do not reflect the potential impact of any future acquisitions, mergers, dispositions, collaborations, joint ventures or investments we may make or enter into.

You should read this Quarterly Report and the documents that we have filed or incorporated by reference as exhibits to this Quarterly Report with the understanding that our actual future results may be materially different from what we expect. The forward-looking statements contained in this Quarterly Report are made as of the date of this Quarterly Report, and we do not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law.

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RISK FACTOR SUMMARY

Our business is subject to a number of risks that, if realized, could materially affect our business, prospects, operating results and financial condition. These risks are discussed more fully in the “Risk Factors” section of this Quarterly Report. These risks include, but are not limited to, the following:

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PART I—FINANCIAL INFORMATION

Item 1. Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited)

Dyne Therapeutics, Inc.

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (Unaudited)

(in thousands, except share and per share data)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.

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Dyne Therapeutics, Inc.

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss (Unaudited)

(in thousands, except share and per share data)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.

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Dyne Therapeutics, Inc.

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Stockholders’ Equity (Deficit) (Unaudited)

(in thousands, except share data and issuance costs)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.

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Dyne Therapeutics, Inc.

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (Unaudited)

(in thousands)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.

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Dyne Therapeutics, Inc.

Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited)

1. Nature of the Business and Basis of Presentation

Dyne Therapeutics, Inc. (the “Company”) is building a leading muscle disease company focused on advancing innovative life-transforming therapeutics for people living with genetically driven diseases that was incorporated in Delaware on December 1, 2017 and has a principal place of business in Waltham, Massachusetts.

The Company is subject to risks and uncertainties common to early-stage companies in the biotechnology industry, including, but not limited to, development by competitors of new technological innovations, dependence on key personnel, protection of proprietary technology, risks of failure of preclinical studies and clinical trials, the need to obtain marketing approval for its product candidates, fluctuations in operating results, compliance with government regulations, the ability to establish clinical- and commercial-scale manufacturing processes, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the ability to secure additional capital to fund operations. Programs currently under development will require significant additional research and development efforts, including extensive preclinical and clinical testing and regulatory approval prior to commercialization of a product. These efforts require significant amounts of additional capital, adequate personnel and infrastructure and extensive compliance-reporting capabilities. Even if the Company’s development efforts are successful, it is uncertain when, if ever, the Company will realize significant revenue from product sales.

On September 21, 2020, the Company completed its initial public offering (“IPO”) pursuant to which it issued and sold 14,089,314 shares of its common stock, including 1,837,736 shares pursuant to the full exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional shares, at a public offering price of $19.00 per share, resulting in net proceeds of $246.4 million, after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and offering expenses. Upon the closing of the IPO, all of the Company’s then outstanding convertible preferred stock automatically converted into shares of common stock.

On January 25, 2021, the Company completed a follow-on public offering of common stock pursuant to which it issued and sold 6,000,000 shares of its common stock at a public offering price of $28.00 per share, resulting in net proceeds of $157.2 million, after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and offering expenses.

The accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared on the basis of continuity of operations, realization of assets and the satisfaction of liabilities and commitments in the ordinary course of business. Since inception, the Company has funded its operations with proceeds from the sales of preferred stock and common stock, including the IPO completed in September 2020 and the follow-on offering completed in January 2021. The Company expects to continue to generate operating losses for the foreseeable future. The Company expects that its cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities will be sufficient to fund its operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements for at least 12 months from the issuance of these condensed consolidated financial statements.

To continue its development efforts, the Company will need to obtain substantial additional funding through public or private equity offerings, debt financings, collaborations, strategic alliances and/or licensing arrangements in order to fund its research and development and ongoing operating expenses. The Company may not be able to obtain financing on acceptable terms, when needed or at all, and the Company may not be able to enter into collaborations, strategic alliances or licensing arrangements. The terms of any financing may adversely affect the holdings or the rights of the Company’s stockholders. Any collaborations, strategic alliances or licensing arrangements may require the Company to relinquish rights to certain of its technologies, future revenue streams, research programs or product candidates or grant licenses on terms that may not be favorable to the Company. If the Company is unable to obtain funding, the Company could be forced to delay, limit, reduce or eliminate some or all of its research and development programs, pipeline expansion or future commercialization efforts or grant rights to develop and market product candidates, which could adversely affect its business prospects. Although management will continue to pursue these plans, there is no assurance that the Company will be successful in obtaining sufficient funding on terms acceptable to the Company to fund continuing operations when needed or at all.

To date, the Company has not experienced material business disruptions, including with its vendors, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. In March 2020, the Company implemented a remote working policy for many of its employees and began restricting non-essential travel, and in May 2020, when Massachusetts began its staged reopening plan, the Company began implementing a return-to-work plan, in accordance with the guidance and requirements of federal and state authorities. The Company expects to continue to take actions as may be required or recommended by government authorities or as it determines are in the best interests of its employees and other business partners. The Company is continuing to monitor the potential impact of the pandemic, but cannot be certain what the overall impact will be on its business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

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2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

The accompanying financial statements have been prepared in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) in the United States of America. Any reference in these notes to applicable guidance is meant to refer to the authoritative GAAP as found in the Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) and Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) of the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”).

The financial statements of the Company included herein have been prepared, without audit, pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). The unaudited interim financial statements have been prepared on the same basis as audited annual financial statements, except certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP have been condensed or omitted from this report, as is permitted by such rules and regulations. In the opinion of management, the interim financial information reflects all adjustments, all of which are of a normal and recurring nature, necessary for a fair representation of the results for the reported periods. Accordingly, these financial statements should be read in conjunction with the financial statements and notes thereto included in the Company’s annual report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on March 4, 2021. The results for the three months ended March 31, 2021 are not necessarily indicative of results to be expected for the year ending December 31, 2021, any other interim periods, or any future year or period.

Marketable securities

The Company’s marketable securities as of March 31, 2021 consisted of commercial paper, certificates of deposit, corporate debt securities and US treasury securities and are classified as available-for-sale and are reported at fair value. Unrealized losses on available-for-sale debt securities are reported as a component of accumulated other comprehensive loss in stockholders’ equity. Realized gains and losses are based on the specific identification method and are included as a component of other income (expense), net in the condensed consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss.

The Company evaluates its marketable securities with unrealized losses for other-than-temporary impairment. When assessing marketable securities for other-than-temporary declines in value, the Company considers such factors as, among other things, how significant the decline in value is as a percentage of the original cost, how long the market value of the investment has been less than its original cost, the Company’s ability and intent to retain the investment for a period of time sufficient to allow for any anticipated recovery in fair value and market conditions in general. If any adjustment to fair value reflects a decline in the value of the investment that the Company considers to be “other than temporary,” the Company reduces the investment to fair value through a charge to the statement of operations and comprehensive loss. No such adjustments were necessary during the periods presented.

Property and equipment

Property and equipment are stated at cost less accumulated depreciation and amortization. Depreciation and amortization expense is recognized using the straight-line method over the estimated useful life of each asset as follows:

Costs for capital assets not yet placed into service are capitalized as construction-in-progress and depreciated once placed into service. Upon retirement or sale, the cost of assets disposed of and the related accumulated depreciation and amortization are removed from the accounts and any resulting gain or loss is included in loss from operations. Expenditures for repairs and maintenance which do not improve or extend the life of the respective assets are charged to expense as incurred.

Leases

Prior to January 1, 2021, the Company accounted for leases under ASC 840, Leases (“ASC 840”). The Company recorded monthly rent expense on a straight-line basis, equal to the total of the payments due over the lease term, divided by the number of months of the lease term. The difference between rent expense recorded and the amount paid was charged to deferred rent.

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Effective January 1, 2021, the Company adopted ASU 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842) (“ASC 842”), using the modified retrospective approach transition method as of the date of adoption. Under this method, financial statements for reporting periods after adoption are presented in accordance with ASC 842 and prior-period financial statements continue to be presented in accordance with ASC 840. Upon adoption, the Company recognized lease liabilities totaling $0.8 million and right-of-use assets totaling $0.7 million.

Under ASC 842, at the inception of an arrangement, the Company determines whether the arrangement is or contains a lease based on the unique facts and circumstances presented in the arrangement, including whether the Company controls the use of identified assets. The Company classifies leases with a term greater than one year as either operating or finance leases at the lease commencement date and records a right-of-use assets and current and non-current lease liabilities, as applicable on the balance sheet. The Company has elected not to recognize on the balance sheet leases with terms of one year or less, but payments are recognized as expense on a straight-line basis over the lease term. If a lease includes options to extend the lease term, the Company does not assume the option will be exercised in its initial lease term assessment unless there is reasonable certainty that the Company will renew based on an assessment of economic factors present as of the lease commencement date. The Company monitors its plans to renew its material leases each reporting period.

Lease liabilities and the corresponding right-of-use assets are recorded based on the present value of lease payments over the remaining lease term. The present value of future lease payments are discounted using the interest rate implicit in lease contracts if that rate is readily determinable; otherwise the Company utilizes its incremental borrowing rate (“IBR”), which reflects the fixed rate at which the Company could borrow on a collateralized basis over a similar term, the amount of the lease payments in a similar economic environment. After lease commencement and the establishment of a right-to-use asset and operating lease liability, lease expense is recorded on a straight-line basis over the lease term.

The Company enters into contracts that contain both lease and non-lease components. Non-lease components include costs that do not provide a right-to-use a leased asset but instead provide a service, such as maintenance costs. The Company has elected to account for the lease and non-lease components together as a single component for all classes of underlying assets. Variable costs associated with the lease, such as maintenance and utilities, are not included in the measurement of right-to-use assets and lease liabilities but rather are expensed when the events determining the amount of variable consideration to be paid have occurred.

Segment information

Operating segments are identified as components of an enterprise about which separate discrete financial information is available for evaluation by the chief operating decision maker, or decision-making group, in making decisions on how to allocate resources and assess performance. The Company’s chief operating decision maker is the chief executive officer (“CEO”). The CEO views the Company’s operations and manages the business as one operating segment.

Fair value measurements

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

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Net loss per share

In the periods prior to the IPO, the Company followed the two-class method when computing net loss per share as the Company had issued shares that met the definition of participating securities. The two-class method determines net income (loss) per share for each class of common and participating securities according to dividends declared or accumulated and participation rights in undistributed earnings. The two-class method requires income available to common stockholders for the period to be allocated between common and participating securities based upon their respective rights to receive dividends as if all income for the period had been distributed. During periods of loss, the Company does not allocate loss to participating securities because they have no contractual obligation to share in the losses of the Company. Following the IPO, there were no participating securities outstanding.

Basic net loss per share is computed by dividing the net loss by the weighted average number of shares of common stock outstanding for the period. Diluted net loss is computed by adjusting net loss to reallocate undistributed earnings based on the potential impact of dilutive securities. Diluted net loss per share is computed by dividing the diluted net loss by the weighted average number of shares of common stock outstanding for the period, including potential dilutive common shares assuming the dilutive effect of common stock equivalents.

3. Cash, Cash Equivalents and Restricted Cash

Cash includes cash in readily available checking accounts and cash equivalents include all highly liquid investments maturing within 90 days from the date of purchase.

Amounts included in restricted cash represent amounts pledged as collateral for letters of credit required for security deposits on the Company’s leased facilities. Restricted cash totaled $2.7 million and $2.3 million at March 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020, respectively. These amounts are classified as a component of other current assets and as restricted cash on the Company’s condensed consolidated balance sheets.

Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash consisted of the following:

4. Fair Value Measurements

The following tables set forth by security type, marketable securities for the periods presented:

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The following tables set forth by level, within the fair value hierarchy, the assets carried at fair value on a recurring basis for the periods presented:

The fair value of money market funds, commercial paper and US treasury notes were determined by the Company based on quoted market prices, which represent a Level 1 measurement within the fair value hierarchy. Certificates of deposit and corporate debt securities notes were valued by the Company using quoted prices in active markets for similar securities, which represent a Level 2 measurement within the fair value hierarchy.

There were no transfers between Level 1, Level 2, or Level 3 during the periods presented.

The following table summarizes the scheduled maturity for the Company’s marketable securities at March 31, 2021:

Financial instruments not recorded at fair value

The carrying values of cash, accounts payable and accrued expenses that are reported on the balance sheets approximate their fair value due to the short-term nature of these assets and liabilities.

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5. Property and Equipment

Property and equipment consisted of the following:

Depreciation and amortization expense for the three months ended March 31, 2021 and 2020 was $0.2 million and $0.2 million, respectively.  

6. Accrued Expenses and Other Current Liabilities

Accrued expenses and other current liabilities consisted of the following:

7. Stock-Based Awards

2018 Stock Incentive Plan

The Company’s 2018 Stock Incentive Plan (the “2018 Plan”) provided for the Company to sell or issue incentive stock options or nonqualified stock options, restricted stock, and other equity awards to employees, directors and consultants of the Company. The 2018 Plan was administered by the board of directors or, at the discretion of the board of directors, by a committee of the board of directors. The exercise prices, vesting and other restrictions were determined at the discretion of the board of directors.

The total number of shares of common stock authorized under the 2018 Plan was 8,267,252 shares. Upon the effectiveness of the 2020 Stock Incentive Plan (the “2020 Plan”), the Company ceased granting awards under the 2018 Plan, and the 1,928,487 shares of common stock remaining under the 2018 Plan became available for future issuance under the 2020 Plan.

2020 Stock Incentive Plan

In August 2020 the Company’s board of directors adopted and the Company’s stockholders approved the 2020 Plan, which became effective on September 16, 2020. The 2020 Plan provides for the grant of incentive stock options, nonstatutory stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock awards, restricted stock units and other stock-based awards to employees, directors, consultants and advisors of the Company. The 2020 Plan is administered by the Company’s board of directors or by a committee appointed by the board of directors. Upon the effectiveness of the 2020 Plan, the Company ceased granting awards under the 2018 Plan. The number of shares initially reserved for issuance under the 2020 Plan was 4,884,233. The number of shares of common stock reserved for issuance under the 2020 Plan will automatically increase on the first day of each fiscal year, beginning with the fiscal year commencing on January 1, 2021 and continuing for each fiscal year until, and including the fiscal year commencing on, January 1, 2030, in an amount equal to the lower of (1) 5% of the shares of common stock outstanding on such date and (2) an amount determined by the Company’s board of directors. On January 1, 2021, 2,272,345 shares were added to the shares reserved for issuance under the 2020 Plan in the first of these annual increases.

As of March 31, 2021, 5,062,689 shares remain available for future issuance under the 2020 Plan.

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2020 Employee Stock Purchase Plan

In August 2020 the Company’s board of directors adopted and the Company’s stockholders approved the 2020 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (the “2020 ESPP”), which became effective September 16, 2020. The 2020 ESPP is administered by the Company’s board of directors or by a committee appointed by the board of directors. The 2020 ESPP initially provides participating employees with the opportunity to purchase up to an aggregate of 488,414 shares of common stock. The number of shares of common stock reserved for issuance under the 2020 ESPP will automatically increase on the first day of each fiscal year, beginning with the fiscal year commencing on January 1, 2021 and continuing for each fiscal year until, and including the fiscal year commencing on, January 1, 2030, in an amount equal to the lowest of (1) 1,953,656 shares of common stock, (2) 1% of the shares of common stock outstanding on such date, and (3) an amount determined by the board of directors. As of March 31, 2021, no offering periods have commenced under the 2020 ESPP and 488,414 shares remain available for issuance.

Stock option valuation

The Company typically grants stock options at exercise prices deemed by the Board to be equal to the fair value of the common stock at the time of grant. In the periods prior to the IPO, the fair value of the common stock was determined by the Board at each measurement date based on a variety of different factors, including the results obtained from independent third-party appraisals, the Company’s financial position and historical financial performance, the status of development of the Company’s programs, the current climate in the marketplace, the illiquid nature of the common stock, the effect of the rights and preferences of the preferred stockholders, and the prospects of a liquidity event, among others.  In the periods following the IPO, the fair value is determined based upon the quoted price of the Company’s common stock on Nasdaq.

The fair value of stock option grants is estimated using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model. The Company historically has been a private company and lacks company-specific historical and implied volatility information. Therefore, it estimates its expected stock volatility based on the historical volatility of a publicly traded set of peer companies and expects to continue to do so until such time as it has adequate historical data regarding the volatility of its own traded stock price. For options with service-based vesting conditions, the expected term of the Company’s stock options has been determined utilizing the “simplified” method for awards that qualify as “plain-vanilla” options. The risk-free interest rate is determined by reference to the U.S. Treasury yield curve in effect at the time of grant of the award for time periods approximately equal to the expected term of the award. Expected dividend yield is based on the fact that the Company has never paid cash dividends and does not expect to pay any cash dividends in the foreseeable future.

The assumptions that the Company used to determine the grant-date fair value of options granted were as follows:

Stock option activity

A summary of the Company’s stock option activity and related information for the three months ended March 31, 2021 is as follows:

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The weighted-average grant date fair value of the options granted during the three months ended March 31, 2021 and 2020 was $11.44 and $0.68 per share, respectively. As of March 31, 2021 there was $21.8 million of unrecognized compensation expense, which the Company expects to recognize over a weighted-average period of 2.6 years. Additionally, as of March 31, 2021, the Company has unrecognized compensation cost related to unvested stock-based awards with performance-based vesting conditions for which performance has not been deemed probable of $2.6 million.

Restricted stock units

A restricted stock unit (“RSU”) represents the right to receive one share of common stock upon vesting of the RSU. The Company grants RSUs with service conditions that vest in four equal annual installments provided that the employee remains employed with the Company. The Company also grants RSUs with performance-based vesting conditions for which performance was not deemed probable at March 31, 2021. The fair value of each RSU is based on the closing price of the Company’s common stock on the date of grant. A summary of the Company’s RSU activity and related information for the 2020 Plan for the three months ended March 31, 2021:

As of March 31, 2021, there was $8.3 million of unrecognized compensation costs ​​​​​​​related to unvested RSUs, which are expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of 2.8 years.

Restricted common stock

During the year ended December 31, 2018, the Company granted restricted common stock with service-based vesting conditions. Shares of unvested restricted common stock may not be sold or transferred by the holder. These restrictions lapse according to the time-based vesting conditions of each award. The aggregate grant date fair value of these awards was immaterial. The following table summarizes the Company’s restricted common stock award activity for the three months ended March 31, 2021:

The Company recorded stock-based compensation expense in the following expense categories of its statements of operations:

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8. Net Loss per Share

Basic and diluted net loss per share was calculated as follows:

The following potentially dilutive common stock equivalents, presented based on amounts outstanding at each period end, were excluded from the computation of diluted net loss per share for the periods indicated because including them would have had an anti-dilutive effect:

9. Commitments and Contingencies

Operating leases

In May 2019, the Company entered into a sublease agreement for laboratory and office space in Waltham, Massachusetts. The term of the sublease commenced on July 1, 2019 and expires on December 31, 2021.

In December 2020, the Company entered into a lease agreement, which was amended in January 2021 and March 2021 (the “Lease”), pursuant to which the Company has agreed to lease approximately 68,187 square feet of additional office and laboratory space located in Waltham, Massachusetts (the “Premises”). The Lease will have a term of eight years and seven months that will commence when the Premises are ready for occupancy. The Company’s obligation for the payment of base rent for the Premises begins seven months after the commencement date and will be $0.4 million per month, increasing up to $0.5 million during the term of the Lease. The Company has two options to extend the term of the Lease, each for a period of an additional five years. The term of this lease will commence on the earlier of the date the Company commences its business operations on the Premises or the date the agreed upon improvements to the Premises are substantially completed and necessary occupancy permits are obtained. The Company expects the Premises to be ready for occupancy in the second half of 2021.

Rent expense for the three months ended March 31, 2021 and 2020 totaled $0.2 million and $0.2 million, respectively.  

Summary of lease costs

The Company does not have any material finance leases as of March 31, 2021.

The components of lease cost under ASC 842 for the sublease were as follows:

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Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information related to leases under ASC 842 for the sublease was as follows:

The weighted-average remaining lease term and discount rate for the sublease were as follows:

Future minimum lease payments under non-cancelable operating leases under ASC 842 for the sublease consisted of the following as of March 31, 2021:

Not included in the table above are the lease payments owing under the Lease the Company entered into in December 2020, pursuant to which the Company has agreed to lease approximately 68,187 square feet of additional office and laboratory space located in Waltham, Massachusetts. The Lease was executed, but not yet commenced as of March 31, 2021. The total expected commitment for this lease will be $40.9 million.

Future minimum lease payments under non-cancelable operating leases under ASC 840 for the sublease and Lease consisted of the following as of December 31, 2020:

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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 condensed consolidated financial statements and related notes appearing elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, or this Quarterly Report, and our audited condensed consolidated financial statements and related notes for the year ended December 31, 2020, including in our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, on March 4, 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, our actual results could differ materially from the results described in, or implied by, the forward-looking statements contained in the following discussion and analysis.

Overview

We are building a leading muscle disease company focused on advancing innovative life-transforming therapeutics for patients with genetically driven diseases. We are utilizing our proprietary FORCE platform to overcome the current limitations of muscle tissue delivery and advance modern oligonucleotide therapeutics for muscle diseases. Our proprietary FORCE platform therapeutics consist of an oligonucleotide payload that we rationally design to target the genetic basis of the disease we are seeking to treat, a clinically validated linker and an antigen-binding fragment, or Fab, that we attach to the payload using the linker. With our FORCE platform, we have the flexibility to deploy different types of oligonucleotide payloads with specific mechanisms of action that modify target functions. We leverage this modularity to focus on muscle diseases with high unmet need, with etiologic targets and with clear translational potential from preclinical disease models to well-defined clinical development and regulatory pathways. Using our FORCE platform, we are assembling a broad portfolio of muscle disease therapeutics, including our lead programs in myotonic dystrophy type 1, or DM1, Duchenne muscular dystrophy, or DMD, and facioscapulohumeral dystrophy, or FSHD. In addition, we plan to expand our portfolio through development efforts focused on rare skeletal muscle diseases, as well as cardiac and metabolic muscle diseases, including some with larger patient populations. Our programs are currently all in the preclinical stage. We expect to submit investigational new drug, or IND, applications to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, for product candidates in each of our DM1, DMD and FSHD programs between the fourth quarter of 2021 and the fourth quarter of 2022.

We were incorporated and commenced operations in 2017. Since our incorporation, we have devoted substantially all of our financial resources and efforts to organizing and staffing our company, business planning, raising capital, conducting research activities and filing and prosecuting patent applications. We do not have any products for sale and have not generated any revenue from product sales or otherwise. To date, we have principally raised capital through sales of equity securities and borrowings under a loan and security agreement, or our loan agreement, with a commercial bank. On September 21, 2020, we completed our initial public offering, or IPO, pursuant to which we issued and sold 14,089,314 shares of our common stock, including 1,837,736 shares pursuant to the full exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional shares. We received net proceeds of $246.4 million, after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and offering expenses payable by us. On January 25, 2021, we completed a follow-on public offering, which we refer to as the January 2021 offering, pursuant to which we issued and sold 6,000,000 shares of our common stock. We received net proceeds of $157.2 million, after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and offering expenses payable by us.

Since our inception, we have incurred significant operating losses. Our ability to generate any product revenue or product revenue sufficient to achieve profitability will depend on the successful development and eventual commercialization of one or more product candidates. For the three months ended March 31, 2021 and 2020, we reported net losses of $25.0 million and $7.9 million, respectively. As of March 31, 2021, we had an accumulated deficit of $104.2 million.

We expect to continue to incur significant expenses and increasing operating losses for the foreseeable future. We expect that our expenses and capital expenditure requirements will increase substantially in connection with our ongoing activities, particularly if and as we:

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We will not generate revenue from product sales unless and until we successfully complete clinical development and obtain regulatory approval for any product candidates we may develop. If we obtain regulatory approval for or otherwise commercialize any product candidates we may develop, we expect to incur significant expenses related to developing our commercialization capabilities to support product sales, marketing and distribution. Further, we expect to continue to incur additional costs associated with operating as a public company.

As a result, we will need substantial additional funding to support our continuing operations and pursue our growth strategy. Until such time as we can generate significant revenue from product sales, if ever, we expect to finance our operations through a combination of equity offerings, debt financings, collaborations, strategic alliances and licensing arrangements. We may be unable to raise additional funds or enter into such other agreements or arrangements when needed, on favorable terms, or at all. If we fail to raise capital or enter into such agreements or arrangements as and when needed, we may have to significantly delay, reduce or eliminate the development or future commercialization of one or more product candidates we may develop.

Because of the numerous risks and uncertainties associated with product development, we are unable to accurately predict the timing or amount of increased expenses or when, or if, we will be able to achieve profitability. Even if we do achieve profitability, we may not be able to sustain or increase profitability on a quarterly or annual basis. If we fail to become profitable or are unable to sustain profitability on a continuing basis, then we may be unable to raise capital, maintain our research and development efforts, expand our business or continue our operations at planned levels, and as a result we may be forced to substantially reduce or terminate our operations.

We believe that our existing cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities will enable us to fund our operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements into the second half of 2024. We have based our estimates as to how long we expect we will be able to fund our operations on assumptions that may prove to be wrong. We could use our available capital resources sooner than we currently expect, in which case we would be required to obtain additional financing, which may not be available to us on acceptable terms, or at all. Our failure to raise capital as and when needed would have a negative impact on our financial condition and our ability to pursue our business strategy. See “—Liquidity and capital resources” below.

Impact of COVID-19 on our business

The worldwide COVID-19 pandemic may affect our ability to initiate and complete preclinical studies, delay the initiation of our future clinical trials, disrupt regulatory activities or have other adverse effects on our business, results of operations, financial condition and prospects. In addition, the pandemic has caused substantial disruption in the financial markets and may adversely impact economies worldwide, both of which could adversely affect our business and operations.

To date, we have not experienced material business disruptions, including with our vendors, or impairments of any of our assets as a result of the pandemic. We are following, and plan to continue to follow, recommendations from federal, state and local governments regarding workplace policies, practices and procedures. In March 2020, we implemented a remote working policy for many of our employees and began restricting non-essential travel, and in May 2020, when Massachusetts began its staged reopening plan, we began implementing a return-to-work plan, in accordance with the guidance and requirements of federal and state authorities. We expect to continue to take actions as may be required or recommended by government authorities or as we determine are in the best interests of our employees and other business partners. We are continuing to monitor the potential impact of the pandemic, but we cannot be certain what the overall impact will be on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

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Components of our results of operations

Revenue

We have not generated any revenue since our inception and do not expect to generate any revenue from the sale of products in the near future, if at all. If our development efforts are successful and we commercialize products, or if we enter into collaboration or license agreements with third parties, we may generate revenue in the future from product sales, as well as upfront, milestone and royalty payments from such collaboration or license agreements, or a combination thereof.

Research and development expenses

Research and development expenses consist primarily of costs incurred for our research activities and development of our programs. These expenses include:

We expense research and development costs as incurred. Advance payments that we make for goods or services to be received in the future for use in research and development activities are recorded as prepaid expenses. The prepaid amounts are expensed as the related goods are delivered or the services are performed.

Our direct external research and development expenses consist of costs that include fees, reimbursed materials and other costs paid to consultants, contractors, CMOs and CROs in connection with our development and manufacturing activities. We do not allocate our research and development costs to specific programs because costs are deployed across multiple programs and our platform and, as such, are not separately classified.

Product candidates in later stages of clinical development generally have higher development costs than those in earlier stages of clinical development, primarily due to the increased size and duration of later-stage clinical trials. Accordingly, we expect that our research and development expenses will increase substantially in connection with our preclinical and clinical development activities in the future as we advance our program candidates into IND-enabling studies and clinical trials. At this time, we cannot accurately estimate or know the nature, timing and costs of the efforts that will be necessary to complete the preclinical and clinical development of any product candidates we may develop. The successful development of any product candidate is highly uncertain. This is due to the numerous risks and uncertainties associated with product development, including the following:

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A change in the outcome of any of these variables with respect to the development of any product candidate we may develop could significantly change the costs and timing associated with the development of that product candidate. We may never succeed in obtaining regulatory approval for any product candidate we may develop.

General and administrative expenses

General and administrative expenses consist primarily of employee-related expenses, including salaries, related benefits and stock-based compensation, for employees in executive, finance, corporate and business development and administrative functions. General and administrative expenses also include legal fees relating to patent and corporate matters; professional fees for accounting, auditing, tax and administrative consulting services; insurance costs; administrative travel expenses; and facility-related expenses, which include direct depreciation costs and allocated expenses for rent and maintenance of facilities and other operating costs.

We anticipate that our general and administrative expenses will increase in the future as we increase our headcount to support our growth strategy and move into our new facility in the second half of 2021. We also anticipate that we will incur increased accounting, audit, legal, regulatory, compliance and director and officer insurance costs as well as investor and public relations expenses associated with our operations as a public company. In addition, if we obtain regulatory approval for a product candidate and do not enter into a third-party commercialization collaboration, we expect to incur significant expenses related to building a sales and marketing team to support product sales, marketing and distribution activities.

Interest income

Interest income consists of interest earned on our cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities. We expect our interest income to increase during 2021 due to our increased cash resources.

Interest expense

We did not incur any interest expense in the three months ended March 31, 2021. For the three months ended March 31, 2020, interest expense consisted of interest on borrowings under our loan agreement as well as amortization of debt discount and debt issuance costs. In October 2020, all outstanding borrowings under our loan agreement were repaid.

Income taxes

Since our inception, we have not recorded any U.S. federal or state income tax benefits for the net losses we have incurred in any year or for our earned research and development tax credits, due to our uncertainty of realizing a benefit from those items. As of December 31, 2020, we had federal and state net operating loss carryforwards of $69.1 million and $68.9 million, respectively. The federal net operating loss carryforwards are indefinite lived and the state net operating loss carryforwards begin to expire in 2038. As of December 31, 2020, we also had federal and state research and development tax credit carryforwards $0.8 million and $0.4 million which begin to expire in 2039 and 2033, respectively.

Utilization of the net operating loss carryforwards and research and development tax credit carryforwards may be subject to a substantial annual limitation under Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 due to ownership changes that have occurred previously or that could occur in the future. These ownership changes may limit the amount of carryforwards that can be utilized annually to offset future taxable income. In general, an ownership change, as defined by Section 382, results from transactions increasing the ownership of certain stockholders or public groups in the stock of a corporation by more than 50% over a three-year period. We have not conducted a study to assess whether a change of control has occurred or whether there have been multiple changes of control since inception due to the significant complexity and cost associated with such a study. If we have experienced a change of control, as defined by Section 382, at any time since inception, utilization of the net operating loss carryforwards or research and development tax credit carryforwards would be subject to an annual limitation under Section 382, which is determined by first multiplying the value of our common stock at the time of the ownership change by the applicable long-term tax-exempt rate, and then could be subject to additional adjustments, as required. Any limitation may result in expiration of a portion of the net operating loss carryforwards or research and development tax credit carryforwards before utilization. Further, until a study is completed and any limitation is known, no amounts are being presented as an uncertain tax position.

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Results of operations

Comparison of the three months ended March 31, 2021 and 2020

The following table summarizes our results of operations for the three months ended March 31, 2021 and 2020:

Research and development expenses

The following table summarizes our research and development expenses for the three months ended March 31, 2021 and 2020:

The increase in personnel-related costs and stock-based compensation expense was primarily due to increased headcount in our research and development function. The increase in facility-related and other expenses was primarily due to the increased costs of supporting a larger group of research and development personnel and their research efforts. The increase in external manufacturing and research costs was primarily due to the development of our manufacturing process, increased research activity and the advancement of our programs.

General and administrative expenses

The following table summarizes our general and administrative expenses for the three months ended March 31, 2021 and 2020: