U.S.
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington,
D.C. 20549
FORM
10-QSB
(Mark
one)
x
|
Quarterly
Report Under Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934
|
For
the Quarterly Period Ended March 31, 2007
or
¨
|
Transition
Report Under Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934
|
Commission
File Number 000-1357459
Neuralstem,
Inc.
(Name
of small business issuer in its charter)
Delaware
|
52-2007292
|
|
(State
or other jurisdiction
of
incorporation or organization)
|
(I.R.S.
Employer
Identification
No.)
|
|
|
|
9700
Great Seneca Highway,
Rockville,
Maryland
|
20850
|
|
(Address
of principal executive offices)
|
(Zip
Code)
|
|
Issuer's
telephone number: (301) 366-4841
Check
whether the issuer (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by
Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act during the past 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 x No ¨
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant is an accelerated filer (as defined in
Rule
12b-2 of the Act). Yes ¨ No x
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule
12b-2 of the Exchange Act) Yes ¨
No
x
As
of May 8, 2007 there were 29,132,105 shares of common stock, $.001 par value,
issued and outstanding.
Neuralstem,
Inc.
Table
of Contents
|
|
|
Page
|
PART
I -
|
|
FINANCIAL
INFORMATION
|
|
|
|
|
|
Item
1.
|
|
Financial
Statements (Unaudited):
|
2
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Consolidated
Balance Sheet as of March 31, 2007
|
2
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Consolidated
Statements of Operations
|
3
|
|
|
Three
months ended March 31, 2007 and 2006
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Consolidated
Statements of Changes in Stockholders' Equity
(Deficit)
|
4
|
|
|
For
the period from December 31, 2006 through March 31,
2007
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Consolidated
Statements of Cash Flows
|
5 |
|
|
Three
months ended March 31, 2007 and 2006
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Notes
to Financial Statements (Unaudited)
|
6 |
|
|
|
|
Item
2.
|
|
Management's
Discussion and Analysis or Plan of Operation
|
7 |
|
|
|
|
Item
3.
|
|
Controls
and Procedures
|
20 |
|
|
|
|
PART
II -
|
|
OTHER
INFORMATION
|
|
|
|
|
|
Item
1.
|
|
Legal
Proceedings
|
21 |
|
|
|
|
Item
2.
|
|
Unregistered
Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds
|
21 |
|
|
|
|
Item
3.
|
|
Defaults
Upon Senior Securities
|
21 |
|
|
|
|
Item
4.
|
|
Submission
of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders.
|
21 |
|
|
|
|
Item
5.
|
|
Other
Information
|
22 |
|
|
|
|
Item
6.
|
|
Exhibits
and Reports on Form 8-K
|
22 |
ADVISEMENT
Unless
the context requires otherwise, “Neuralstem”,
“the
company”,
“we”,
“us”,
“our”
and similar terms refer to Neuralstem, Inc. Our common stock, par
value $.001 per share is commonly referred to in this quarterly report as
our “common
shares”.
The information in this quarterly report is current as of the date of this
quarterly report (March 31, 2007), unless another date is specified.
We
prepare our interim financial statements in accordance with United States
generally accepted accounting principles. Our financial condition and
results of operations for the three-month interim period ended March
31, 2007 are not necessarily indicative of our prospective financial
condition and results of operations for the pending full fiscal year ended
December 31, 2007. The interim financial statements presented in this
quarterly report as well as other information relating to our company contained
in this quarterly report should be read in conjunction and together with any
reports, statements and information filed with the SEC.
FORWARD
LOOKING STATEMENTS
In
this quarterly report we make a number of statements, referred to as
“forward-looking statements”, within the meaning of Section 27A of the
Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
(the "Exchange Act"), which are intended to convey our expectations or
predictions regarding the occurrence of possible future events or the existence
of trends and factors that may impact our future plans and operating results.
These forward-looking statements are derived, in part, from various assumptions
and analyses we have made in the context of our current business plan and
information currently available to use and in light of our experience and
perceptions of historical trends, current conditions and expected future
developments and other factors we believe are appropriate in the circumstances.
You can generally identify forward looking statements through words and phrases
such as“believe”,
“expect”, “seek”, “estimate”, “anticipate”, “intend”, “plan”, “budget”,
“project”, “may likely result”, “may be”, “may continue”
and other similar expressions.
When
reading any forward-looking statement you should remain mindful that actual
results or developments may vary substantially from those expected as expressed
in or implied by that statement for a number of reasons or factors, including
but not limited to:
·
|
the
success of our research and development activities, the development
of a
viable commercial production model, and the speed with which regulatory
authorizations and product launches may be
achieved;
|
·
|
whether
or not a market for our product develops and, if a market develops,
the
rate at which it develops;
|
·
|
our
ability to successfully sell our products if a market
develops;
|
·
|
our
ability to attract and retain qualified personnel to implement our
growth
strategies;
|
·
|
our
ability to develop sales marketing and distribution
capabilities;
|
·
|
our
ability to obtain reimbursement from third party payers for the products
that we sell;
|
·
|
the
accuracy of our estimates and
projections;
|
·
|
our
ability to fund our short-term and long-term financing
needs;
|
·
|
changes
in our business plan and corporate strategies;
and
|
·
|
other
risks and uncertainties discussed in greater detail in the section
captioned “Risk Factors”
|
Each
forward-looking statement should be read in context with and in understanding
of
the various other disclosures concerning our company and our business made
elsewhere in this report as well as our public filings with the Securities
and
Exchange Commission. You should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking
statement as a prediction of actual results or developments. We are not
obligated to update or revise any forward-looking statements contained in
this report or any other filing to reflect new events or circumstances unless
and to the extent required by applicable law.
FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS.
NEURALSTEM,
INC.
BALANCE
SHEET
(Unaudited)
|
|
March
31, 2007
|
|
ASSETS
|
|
|
|
CURRENT
ASSETS
|
|
|
|
Cash
|
|
$
|
6,638,156
|
|
Accounts
receivable
|
|
|
79,359
|
|
Prepaid
expenses
|
|
|
21,175
|
|
Other
assets
|
|
|
5,978
|
|
Total
current assets
|
|
|
6,744,668
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Property
and equipment, net
|
|
|
24,221
|
|
Other
assets
|
|
|
35,940
|
|
Intangible
assets, net
|
|
|
21,776
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
assets
|
|
$
|
6,826,605
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
LIABILITIES
AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
|
|
|
|
|
CURRENT
LIABILITIES
|
|
|
|
|
Note
payable, current portion
|
|
$
|
5,631
|
|
Accounts
payable and accrued expenses
|
|
|
478,569
|
|
Total
current liabilities
|
|
|
484,200
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Note
payable, long-term portion
|
|
|
20,846
|
|
Total
liabilities
|
|
|
505,046
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
STOCKHOLDERS’
EQUITY
|
|
|
|
|
Preferred
stock: $0.01 par value; authorized 7,000,000 shares; no shares issued
and
outstanding
|
|
$ |
-
|
|
Common
stock: $0.01 par value; authorized 75,000,000 shares; 28,884,605
shares
issued and outstanding
|
|
|
288,846
|
|
Additional
paid-in capital
|
|
|
45,574,680
|
|
Accumulated
deficit
|
|
|
(39,541,967
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
stockholders’ equity
|
|
|
6,321,559
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
liabilities and stockholders’ equity
|
|
$
|
6,826,605
|
|
See
Accompanying Notes to Financial Statements.
NEURALSTEM,
INC.
STATEMENTS
OF OPERATIONS
(Unaudited)
|
|
Three
months ended March 31,
|
|
|
|
2007
|
|
2006
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Revenues
|
|
$
|
181,825
|
|
$
|
34,487
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating
expenses
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Research
and development costs
|
|
|
845,589
|
|
|
349,999
|
|
General,
selling and administrative expenses
|
|
|
291,053
|
|
|
148,151
|
|
Depreciation
and amortization
|
|
|
12,981
|
|
|
13,394
|
|
|
|
|
1,149,623
|
|
|
511,544
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating
loss
|
|
|
(967,798
|
)
|
|
(477,057
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Nonoperating
income (expense)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Interest
|
|
|
18,903
|
|
|
10,490
|
|
Interest
expense
|
|
|
(347
|
)
|
|
(8,279
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net
loss
|
|
$
|
(949,242
|
)
|
$
|
(474,846
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net
loss per share, basic
|
|
$
|
(0.04
|
)
|
$
|
(0.02
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Average
number of shares of common stock outstanding
|
|
|
26,585,549
|
|
|
22,765,950
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
See
Accompanying Notes to Financial Statements.
NEURALSTEM,
INC.
STATEMENT
OF STOCKHOLDERS’ DEFICIT
(Unaudited)
|
|
Preferred
Stock
|
|
Common
Stock
|
|
Common
Stock
|
|
Additional
Paid-In
|
|
Accumulated
|
|
|
|
|
|
Shares
|
|
Amount
|
|
Shares
|
|
Amount
|
|
Payable
|
|
Capital
|
|
Deficit
|
|
Total
|
|
Balance,
December 31, 2006
|
|
|
-
|
|
$
|
-
|
|
|
26,011,605
|
|
$
|
260,116
|
|
$
|
150,000
|
|
$
|
39,734,878
|
|
$
|
(38,592,725
|
)
|
$
|
1,552,269
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Issuance
of common stock for cash proceeds of $5,614,600 (net of offering
expense
of $520,400), $2.50 per share
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
2,454,000
|
|
|
24,540
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
5,590,060
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
5,614,600
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Issuance
of common stock related to exercise of stock warrants, $0.05 per
share
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
69,000
|
|
|
690
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
2,760
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
3,450
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Issuance
of common stock related to exercise of stock warrants, $0.50 per
share
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
50,000
|
|
|
500
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
24,500
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
25,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Issuance
of common stock related to satisfaction of common stock
payable
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
300,000
|
|
|
3,000
|
|
|
(150,000
|
)
|
|
147,000
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Vesting
of warrants for 4,000 shares of common stock related to
consultant
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
1,680
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
1,680
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Vesting
of warrants for 150,000 shares of common stock related to
officer
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
73,802
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
73,802
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net
loss
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
(949,242
|
)
|
|
(949,242
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Balance,
March 31, 2007
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
28,884,605
|
|
$
|
288,846
|
|
$
|
-
|
|
$
|
45,574,680
|
|
$
|
(39,541,967
|
)
|
$
|
(6,321,559
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
See
Accompanying Notes to Financial Statements.
NEURALSTEM,
INC.
STATEMENTS
OF CASH FLOWS
(Unaudited)
|
|
Three
months ended March 31,
|
|
|
|
2007
|
|
2006
|
|
Cash
Flows From Operating Activities
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net
loss
|
|
$
|
(949,242
|
)
|
$
|
(474,846
|
)
|
Adjustments
to reconcile net loss to cash used in
operating
activities:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Depreciation
and amortization
|
|
|
12,981
|
|
|
12,568
|
|
Stock
based expenses
|
|
|
75,482
|
|
|
-
|
|
Changes
in assets and liabilities
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Accounts
receivable
|
|
|
(79359
|
)
|
|
-
|
|
Prepaid
expenses
|
|
|
11,673
|
|
|
(14,186
|
)
|
Other
assets
|
|
|
65
|
|
|
(5,866
|
)
|
Accounts
payable and accrued expenses
|
|
|
126,607
|
|
|
(377,309
|
)
|
Deferred
compensation
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
(10,000
|
)
|
Net
cash used in operating activities
|
|
|
(801,793
|
)
|
|
(869,639
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash
Flows From Investing Activities
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Capital
outlay for intangible assets
|
|
|
(3,950
|
)
|
|
-
|
|
Purchase
of property and equipment
|
|
|
(4,274
|
)
|
|
(12,547
|
)
|
Net
cash used in investing activities
|
|
|
(8,224
|
)
|
|
(12,547
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash
Flows From Financing Activities
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Issuance
of common stock
|
|
|
5,643,050
|
|
|
4,550,000
|
|
Payments
on notes payable
|
|
|
(1,918
|
)
|
|
(119,590
|
)
|
Net
cash provided by financing activities
|
|
|
5,641,132
|
|
|
4,430,410
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net
increase in cash
|
|
|
4,831,115
|
|
|
3,548,224
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash,
beginning of period
|
|
|
4,074,605
|
|
|
526,381
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash,
end of period
|
|
$
|
8,905,720
|
|
$
|
4,074,605
|
|
See
Accompanying Notes to Financial Statements.
Note
1. Summary
of Significant Accounting Policies
Basis
of Presentation:
The
accompanying unaudited financial statements have been prepared in accordance
with Securities and Exchange Commission requirements for interim financial
statements. Therefore, they do not include all of the information and footnotes
required by accounting principles generally accepted in the United States for
complete financial statements. The financial statements should be read in
conjunction with Neuralstem, Inc.’s (the “Company”) annual financial statements
for the year ended December 31, 2006.
The
interim financial statements present the balance sheet, statements of
operations, stockholders' equity and cash flows of the Company. The financial
statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally
accepted in the United States.
The
interim financial information is unaudited. In the opinion of management, all
adjustments necessary to present fairly the financial position as of March
31,
2007 and the results of operations and cash flows presented herein have been
included in the financial statements. All such adjustments are the recurring
and
normal nature. Interim results are not necessarily indicative of results of
operations for the full year.
Estimates
The
preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted
accounting principles requires management to make estimates and assumptions
that
affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of
contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and
the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period.
Because of the use of estimates inherent in the financial reporting process,
actual results could differ significantly from those estimates.
|
Note
2.
|
Stockholders’
Equity
|
During
March 2007, the Company raised $5,614,600 (net of offering expenses of $520,400)
through a Private Placement Memorandum (“PPM1”) at $2.50 per unit. Each unit
sold consisted of one share of common stock and a warrant to purchase 1/2 share
of common stock at $3.00 per share. These warrants have a life of 10 years.
In
connection with this PPM1, the Company paid fees and expense totaling $520,400
and issued to its placement agent a warrant to purchase 294,480 shares of common
stock at $3.00 per share.
|
Note
3.
|
Employment
Agreement
|
On
April
12, 2007, we entered into a one year part-time employment agreement with Mr.
Conron.
The
agreement provides for a monthly compensation in the amount of $10,000.
As part of the agreement, we granted Mr. Conron options to purchase
100,000 common shares. The options vest as follows: (i) 25,000
immediately; and (ii) 75,000 vest quarterly over the year. The agreement
also provides for acceleration of the options in the event Mr. Conron is
terminated without cause or in the event of a change in control. The
agreement also contains non-solicitation, confidentiality and non-competition
covenants.
Note
4. Subsequent
Events
In
April
2007, the Company granted stock options for 40,000 shares of common stock to
two
of its directors (20,000 options each) with an exercise price of $3.30 per
share
and seven year life. The options vest as follows: (i) 20,000 vests after the
one
month anniversary of joining the Board of Directors; and (ii) 20,000 vests
quarterly over a one year period.
MANAGEMENT’S
DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF
FINANCIAL
CONDITION, RESULTS OF OPERATIONS AND PLAN OF OPERATION
General
The
following discussion of our financial condition and results of operations should
be read in conjunction with (1) our unaudited interim financial statements
and their explanatory notes included as part of this quarterly report, and
(2) our audited annual financial statements and explanatory notes for the
year ended December 31, 2006 as filed with the SEC, as it may be
amended.
This
quarterly report contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and
uncertainties. See
"Risk
Factors"
set forth on page 13
of this report for a more complete discussion of these factors. Readers are
cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements,
which
speak only as of the date that they are made. We undertake no obligation to
publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result
of
new information, future events or otherwise.
Overview
Neuralstem
is focused on the development and commercialization of treatments based on
transplanting human neural stem cells.
We
have developed and maintain a portfolio of patents and patent applications
that
form the proprietary base for our research and development efforts in the area
of neural stem cell research, and have ownership or exclusive licensing of
four
issued patents and 12 patent pending applications in the field of regenerative
medicine and related technologies. We believe our technology base, in
combination with our know-how, and collaborative projects with major research
institutions provides a competitive advantage and will facilitate the successful
development and commercialization of products for use in treatment of a wide
array of neurodegenerative conditions and in regenerative repair of acute
disease.
This
is a young and emerging field. There can be no assurances that our intellectual
property portfolio will ultimately produce viable commercialized products and
processes. Even if we are able to produce a commercially viable product, there
are strong competitors in this field and our product may not be able to
successfully compete against them.
All
of our research efforts to date are at the level of basic research or in the
pre-clinical stage of development. We are focused on leveraging our key assets,
including our intellectual property, our scientific team, our facilities and
our
capital, to accelerate the advancement of our stem cell technologies. In
addition, we are pursuing strategic collaborations with members of academia.
We
are currently headquartered in Rockville, Maryland.
Technology
Our
technology is the ability to isolate human neural stem cells from most areas
of
the developing human brain and spinal cord and our technology includes the
ability to grow them into physiologically relevant human neurons of all types.
Our two issued core patents entitled
Isolation, Propagation, and Directed Differentiation of Stem Cell from Embryonic
and Adult Central Nervous System of Mammals
and
In Vitro Generation of Differentiated Neurons from Cultures of Mammalian
Multi-potential CNS Stem Cell
contain claims which cover the process of deriving the cells and the cells
created from such process.
What
differentiates our stem cell technology from others is that our patented
processes do not require us to “push” the cells towards a certain fate by adding
specific growth factors. Our cells actually “become” the type of cell they are
fated to be. We believe this process and the resulting cells create a technology
platform that allows for the efficient isolation and ability to produce, in
commercially reasonable quantities, neural stem cells from the human brain
and
spinal cord.
Our
technology allows for cells to grow in cultured dishes, also known
as
in vitro
growth, without mutations or other adverse events that would compromise their
usefulness.
Research
We
have devoted substantial resources to our research programs to isolate and
develop a series of neural stem cell banks that we believe can serve as a basis
for therapeutic products. Our efforts to date have been directed at methods
to
identify, isolate and culture large varieties of stem cells of the human nervous
system, and to develop therapies utilizing these stem cells. This research
is
conducted both internally and through the use of third party laboratory
consulting companies under our direct supervision.
As
of May 11, 2007, we had 3 full-time and 2 part time employees. Of these
employees, one is directly involved in research and development activities
and
three are engaged in business development and administration. We also use the
services of numerous outside consultants in business and scientific matters.
We
believe that we have good relations with our employees and
consultants.
Trends
& Outlook
Revenue;
Our
revenue is currently derived from grant reimbursements and licensing fees.
As
our focus is now on pre-clinical work in anticipation of entering clinical
trials in 2007, we are not concentrated on increasing revenue. Additionally,
as
our current grants wind down, revenue can be expected to continue decreasing.
Finally, as most grants use a fiscal year of October 31, revenue attributed
to
grants tends to be lower in the initial quarters of the year and increases
in
subsequent quarters.
Long-term,
we anticipate that grant revenue as a percentage of revenue will decrease and
our revenue will be derived primarily from licensing fees and the sale of our
cell therapy products. At present we are in our pre-clinical stage of
development and as a result, we can not accurately predict when or if we will
be
able to produce a product for commercialization. Accordingly, we cannot
accurately estimate when such a change in revenue composition will occur or
if
it will ever occur.
Research
& Development Expense;
Our
research and development expenses consist primarily of costs associated with
basic and pre-clinical research exclusively in the field of human neural stem
cell therapies and regenerative medicine, related to our clinical cell therapy
candidates. These expenses represent both pre-clinical development costs and
costs associated with non-clinical support activities such as quality control
and regulatory processes. The cost of our research and development personnel
is
the most significant category of expense; however, we also incur expenses with
third parties, including license agreements, third party contract services,
sponsored research programs and consulting expenses.
We
do not
segregate research and development costs by project because our research is
focused exclusively on human stem cell therapies as a unitary field of study.
Although we have different areas of focus for our research, these areas are
completely intertwined and have not yet matured to the point where they are
separate and distinct projects. The intellectual property, scientists and other
resources dedicated to these efforts are not separately allocated to individual
projects, but rather are conducting our research on an integrated
basis.
We
expect
that research and development expenses will continue to increase in the
foreseeable future as we add personnel, expand our pre-clinical research (animal
surgeries, manufacturing of cells, and in vitro characterization of cells which
includes testing and cell quality control), begin clinical trial activities,
increase our regulatory compliance capabilities, and ultimately begin
manufacturing.
In
the
third Quarter of 2006 we retained Qunitiles, Inc. to assist with regulatory
compliance, preparation of our first IND application, and patient enrollment
for
our first Human Trial. While recruitment for the trial cannot commence until
we
have received an FDA approved protocol, much of the infrastructure required
must
be done well in advance. For instance, we can begin the identification, contact
and education of prospective patients and the treatment communities. The
expenses associated with their services are estimated to be $200,000 to $250,000
over a twelve month period.
Additionally,
we anticipate hiring 2 additional technicians to assist in the in-house lab
work
associated with various grant and collaborative work. With regard to material
and personnel costs, as the industry continues to mature and grow, we have
seen
increased demand for qualified personnel and suitable materials.
Notwithstanding, we feel that our outsource model will provide us with some
protection regarding fluctuating pricing.
Although
we feel the above increase in personnel will be sufficient for our short term
needs, the amount of the monetary increases stemming from increased personnel
and expenses as we move from pre-clinical to clinical state is difficult to
predict due to the uncertainty inherent in the timing and extent of progress
in
our research programs, and initiation of clinical trials. In addition, the
results from our basic research and pre-clinical trials, as well as the results
of trials of similar therapeutics under development by others, will influence
the number, size and duration of planned and unplanned trials. As our research
efforts mature, we will continue to review the direction of our research based
on an assessment of the value of possible commercial applications emerging
from
these efforts. Based on this continuing review, we expect to establish discrete
research programs and evaluate the cost and potential for cash inflows from
commercializing products, partnering with others in the biotechnology industry,
or licensing the technologies associated with these programs to third
parties.
We
believe that it is not possible at this stage to provide a meaningful estimate
of the total cost to complete our ongoing projects and bring any proposed
products to market. The use of human stem cells as a therapy is an emerging
area
of medicine, and it is not known what clinical trials will be required by the
FDA in order to gain marketing approval. The costs to complete such clinical
trials could vary substantially depending upon the projects selected for
development, the number of clinical trials required and the number of patients
needed for each study. At a minimum, we feel that any trials will require at
least 10 patients at an estimated cost of $100,000 per patient. It is possible
that the completion of these studies could be delayed for a variety of reasons,
including difficulties in enrolling patients, delays in manufacturing,
incomplete or inconsistent data from the pre-clinical or clinical trials, and
difficulties evaluating the trial results. Any delay in completion of a trial
would increase the cost of that trial, which would harm our results of
operations. Due to these uncertainties, we cannot reasonably estimate the size,
nature nor timing of the costs to complete, or the amount or timing of the
net
cash inflows from our current activities. Until we obtain further relevant
pre-clinical and clinical data, we will not be able to estimate our future
expenses related to these programs or when, if ever, and to what extent we
will
receive cash inflows from resulting products.
General
and Administrative Expenses;
Our
general and administrative expenses consist of the general costs, expenses
and
salaries for the operation and maintenance of our business. We anticipate that
general and administrative expenses will increase as we progress from
pre-clinical to a clinical phase. Additionally, we also anticipate submitting
an
application to become listed on a national exchanges such as the AMEX or NASDAQ.
In anticipation, we are adding in-house accounting and finance capabilities
which will also enable us to conform to the various requirements imposed by
Sarbanes Oxley. As a result, we foresee an increase in general and
administrative expenses relating to professional services (legal, accounting,
audit) and estimate such fees to be $20,000 per month.
Moreover,
in August of 2006 we became the subject of patent litigation with one of our
competitors, StemCells, Inc.. The litigation is in its initial stages and it
is
hard to estimate what the actual costs stemming there from will be. We have
currently budgeted an additional $20,000 per month but this amount could
significantly increase. Notwithstanding, we anticipate that General and
Administrative Expense related to our core business will increase at a slower
rate than that of similar companies making such transition do in large part
to
our outsourcing model.
Significant
Accounting Policies
Our
financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles
generally accepted in the United States of America. The preparation of these
financial statements requires management to make estimates and assumptions
that
affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses.
Note 1 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements describes the
significant accounting policies used in the preparation of the consolidated
financial statements. Certain of these significant accounting policies are
considered to be critical accounting policies, as defined below.
A
critical accounting policy is defined as one that is both material to the
presentation of our financial statements and requires management to make
difficult, subjective or complex judgments that could have a material effect
on
our financial condition and results of operations. Specifically, critical
accounting estimates have the following attributes: 1) we are required to
make assumptions about matters that are highly uncertain at the time of the
estimate; and 2) different estimates we could reasonably have used, or
changes in the estimate that are reasonably likely to occur, would have a
material effect on our financial condition or results of
operations.
Estimates
and assumptions about future events and their effects cannot be determined
with
certainty. We base our estimates on historical experience and on various other
assumptions believed to be applicable and reasonable under the circumstances.
These estimates may change as new events occur, as additional information is
obtained and as our operating environment changes. These changes have
historically been minor and have been included in the consolidated financial
statements as soon as they became known. Based on a critical assessment of
our
accounting policies and the underlying judgments and uncertainties affecting
the
application of those policies, management believes that our consolidated
financial statements are fairly stated in accordance with accounting principles
generally accepted in the United States, and present a meaningful presentation
of our financial condition and results of operations. We believe the following
critical accounting policies reflect our more significant estimates and
assumptions used in the preparation of our consolidated financial
statements:
Use
of Estimates
--These
financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles
generally accepted in the United States and, accordingly, require management
to
make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and
liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts
of
revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Specifically, our management
has estimated the expected economic life and value of our licensed technology,
our net operating loss for tax purposes and our stock, option and warrant
expenses related to compensation to employees and directors, consultants and
investment banks. Actual results could differ from those estimates.
Cash
and Equivalents
--Cash
equivalents are comprised of certain highly liquid investments with maturity
of
three months or less when purchased. We maintain our cash in bank deposit
accounts, which at times, may exceed federally insured limits. We have not
experienced any losses in such account.
Revenue
Recognition
--Our
revenues, to date, revenue has been derived primarily from providing treated
samples for gene expression data from stem cell experiments and from providing
services as a subcontractor under federal grant programs. Revenue is recognized
when there is persuasive evidence that an arrangement exists, delivery of goods
and services has occurred, the price is fixed and determinable, and collection
is reasonably assured.
Intangible
and Long-Lived Assets
--We
follow SFAS No. 144, "Accounting for Impairment of Disposal of Long-Lived
Assets," which established a "primary asset" approach to determine the cash
flow
estimation period for a group of assets and liabilities that represents the
unit
of accounting for a long lived asset to be held and used. Long-lived assets
to
be held and used are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in
circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be
recoverable. The carrying amount of a long-lived asset is not recoverable if
it
exceeds the sum of the undiscounted cash flows expected to result from the
use
and eventual disposition of the asset. Long-lived assets to be disposed of
are
reported at the lower of carrying amount or fair value less cost to sell. During
the period ended December 31, 2005 no impairment losses were
recognized.
Research
and Development Costs
--Research and development costs consist of expenditures for the research and
development of patents and technology, which are not capitalizable and charged
to operations when incurred. Our research and development costs consist mainly
of payroll and payroll related expenses, research supplies and costs incurred
in
connection with specific research grants.
Stock
Based Compensation
--We
recognize expenses for stock-based compensation arrangements in accordance
with
provisions of Accounting Principles Board (APB) Opinion No. 25, “ Accounting
for Stock Issued to Employees,”
and
related Interpretations. Accordingly, compensation cost is recognized for the
excess of the estimated fair value of the stock at the grant date over the
exercise price, if any. The Company accounts for equity instruments issued
to
non-employees in accordance with EITF 96-18, “Accounting
for Equity Instruments that are Issued to Other Than Employees for Acquiring,
or
in Conjunction with Selling Good or Services.”
Accordingly, the estimated fair value of the equity instrument is recorded
on
the earlier of the performance commitment date or the date the services required
are completed.
Beginning
in 2006, we adopted SFAS No. 123R “Share Based Payment” which superseded APB
Opinion No. 25. SFAS No. 123R requires compensation costs related to share-based
payment transactions to be recognized in the financial statements. We do not
believe the adoption of SFAS No. 123R will have a material impact on our
financial statements.
RESULTS
OF OPERATIONS
Summary
Income Statement for the Three Months Ended March 31, 2007 &
2006
|
|
Three
Months Ended March 31,
|
|
|
|
2007
|
|
2006
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Revenues
|
|
$
|
181,825
|
|
$
|
34,487
|
|
Operating
Expenses
|
|
|
1,149,623
|
|
|
511,544
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating
Loss
|
|
|
(967,798
|
)
|
|
(477,057
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Nonoperating
income (expense)
|
|
|
18,556
|
|
|
2,211
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net
Loss
|
|
$
|
(949,242
|
)
|
$
|
(474,846
|
)
|
MANAGEMENT'S
DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS
AND
PLAN OF OPERATION
Overview
This
statement contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and
uncertainties. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these
forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date that they are made.
We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking
statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
The
following discussion should be read in conjunction with the consolidated
financial statements and notes thereto included in this statement.
We
are a biotechnology company focused on developing and commercializing human
stem
cell technology in the emerging fields of regenerative medicine and stem cell
therapy.
Trends
& Outlook
Revenue;
Our
revenue is currently derived from grant reimbursements and licensing fees.
As
our focus is now on pre-clinical work in anticipation of entering clinical
trials during 2007, we are not concentrated on increasing revenue. Additionally,
as our current grants wind down, revenue can be expected to continue decreasing.
Finally, as most grants use a fiscal year of October 31, revenue attributed
to
grants tends to be lower in the initial quarters of the year and increases
in
subsequent quarters.
Long-term,
we anticipate that grant revenue as a percentage of revenue will decrease and
our revenue will be derived primarily from licensing fees and the sale of our
cell therapy products. At present we are in our pre-clinical stage of
development and as a result, we can not accurately predict when or if we will
be
able to produce a product for commercialization. Accordingly, cannot accurately
estimate when such change in revenue composition will occur or if it will ever
occur.
Research
& Development Expense; Our
research and development expenses consist primarily of costs associated with
basic and pre-clinical research exclusively in the field of human neural stem
cell therapies and regenerative medicine, related to our clinical cell therapy
candidates. These expenses represent both pre-clinical development costs and
costs associated with non-clinical support activities such as quality control
and regulatory processes. The cost of our research and development personnel
is
the most significant category of expense; however, we also incur expenses with
third parties, including license agreements, third party contract services,
sponsored research programs and consulting expenses.
We
do not segregate research and development costs by project because our research
is focused exclusively on human stem cell therapies as a unitary field of study.
Although we have different areas of focus for our research, these areas are
completely intertwined and have not yet matured to the point where they are
separate and distinct projects. The intellectual property, scientists and other
resources dedicated to these efforts are not separately allocated to individual
projects, but rather are conducting our research on an integrated basis.
We
expect that research and development expenses will continue to increase in
the
foreseeable future as we add personnel, expand our pre-clinical research (animal
surgeries, manufacturing of cells, and in vitro characterization of cells which
includes testing and cell quality control), begin clinical trial activities,
increase our regulatory compliance capabilities, and ultimately begin
manufacturing. We do anticipate hiring Qunitiles, Inc. to assist with regulatory
compliance and patient enrollment as we moved from pre-clinical to clinical
stage. The expenses associated with this regulatory compliance and patient
enrollment is budgeted at $200,000 to $250,000 over a twelve month period.
Additionally, we anticipate hiring 2 additional technicians to assist in the
in-house growing of our cells for grant and collaborative work. With regard
to
material and personnel costs, as the industry continues to mature and grow,
we
have seen increased demand for qualified personnel and suitable materials.
Notwithstanding, we feel that our outsource model will provide us with some
protection regarding fluctuating pricing.
Although
we feel the above increase in personnel will be sufficient for our short term
needs, the amount of the monetary increases stemming from increased personnel
and expenses as we move from pre-clinical to clinical state is difficult to
predict due to the uncertainty inherent in the timing and extent of progress
in
our research programs, and initiation of clinical trials. In addition, the
results from our basic research and pre-clinical trials, as well as the results
of trials of similar therapeutics under development by others, will influence
the number, size and duration of planned and unplanned trials. As our research
efforts mature, we will continue to review the direction of our research based
on an assessment of the value of possible commercial applications emerging
from
these efforts. Based on this continuing review, we expect to establish discrete
research programs and evaluate the cost and potential for cash inflows from
commercializing products, partnering with others in the biotechnology industry,
or licensing the technologies associated with these programs to third parties.
We
believe that it is not possible at this stage to provide a meaningful estimate
of the total cost to complete our ongoing projects and bring any proposed
products to market. The use of human stem cells as a therapy is an emerging
area
of medicine, and it is not known what clinical trials will be required by the
FDA in order to gain marketing approval. The costs to complete such clinical
trials could vary substantially depending upon the projects selected for
development, the number of clinical trials required and the number of patients
needed for each study. At a minimum, we feel that any trials will require at
least 10 patients at an estimated cost of $100,000 per patient. It is possible
that the completion of these studies could be delayed for a variety of reasons,
including difficulties in enrolling patients, delays in manufacturing,
incomplete or inconsistent data from the pre-clinical or clinical trials, and
difficulties evaluating the trial results. Any delay in completion of a trial
would increase the cost of that trial, which would harm our results of
operations. Due to these uncertainties, we cannot reasonably estimate the size,
nature nor timing of the costs to complete, or the amount or timing of the
net
cash inflows from our current activities. Until we obtain further relevant
pre-clinical and clinical data, we will not be able to estimate our future
expenses related to these programs or when, if ever, and to what extent we
will
receive cash inflows from resulting products.
General
and Administrative Expenses; Our
general and administrative expenses consist of the general costs, expenses
and
salaries for the operation and maintenance of our business. We anticipate that
general and administrative expenses will increase as we progress from
pre-clinical to a clinical phase. Additionally, upon this registration statement
becoming effective, we will be subject to the periodic reporting
requirements of the Exchange Act . As a result, we foresee an increase in
general and administrative expenses relating to professional services (legal,
accounting, audit ) and estimate such fees to be $20,000 to $30,000 per month.
Moreover, in August of 2006 we became the subject of patent litigation with
one
of our competitors, StemCells, Inc.. The litigation is in its initial stages
and
it is hard to estimate what the actual costs stemming there from will be. We
have currently budgeted an additional $20,000 per month but this amount could
significantly increase. Notwithstanding, we anticipate that General and
Administrative Expense related to our core business will increase at a slower
rate than that of similar companies making such transition do in large part
to
our outsourcing model.
Significant
Accounting Policies
Our
financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles
generally accepted in the United States of America. The preparation of these
financial statements requires management to make estimates and assumptions
that
affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses.
Note 1 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements describes the
significant accounting policies used in the preparation of the consolidated
financial statements. Certain of these significant accounting policies are
considered to be critical accounting policies, as defined below.
A
critical accounting policy is defined as one that is both material to the
presentation of our financial statements and requires management to make
difficult, subjective or complex judgments that could have a material effect
on
our financial condition and results of operations. Specifically, critical
accounting estimates have the following attributes: 1) we are required to
make assumptions about matters that are highly uncertain at the time of the
estimate; and 2) different estimates we could reasonably have used, or
changes in the estimate that are reasonably likely to occur, would have a
material effect on our financial condition or results of operations.
Estimates
and assumptions about future events and their effects cannot be determined
with
certainty. We base our estimates on historical experience and on various other
assumptions believed to be applicable and reasonable under the circumstances.
These estimates may change as new events occur, as additional information is
obtained and as our operating environment changes. These changes have
historically been minor and have been included in the consolidated financial
statements as soon as they became known. Based on a critical assessment of
our
accounting policies and the underlying judgments and uncertainties affecting
the
application of those policies, management believes that our consolidated
financial statements are fairly stated in accordance with accounting principles
generally accepted in the United States, and present a meaningful presentation
of our financial condition and results of operations. We believe the following
critical accounting policies reflect our more significant estimates and
assumptions used in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements:
Use
of Estimates --These
financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles
generally accepted in the United States and, accordingly, require management
to
make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and
liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts
of
revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Specifically, our management
has estimated the expected economic life and value of our licensed technology,
our net operating loss for tax purposes and our stock, option and warrant
expenses related to compensation to employees and directors, consultants and
investment banks. Actual results could differ from those estimates.
Cash
and Equivalents --Cash
equivalents are comprised of certain highly liquid investments with maturity
of
three months or less when purchased. We maintain our cash in bank deposit
accounts, which at times, may exceed federally insured limits. We have not
experienced any losses in such account.
Revenue
Recognition --Our
revenues, to date, revenue has been derived primarily from providing treated
samples for gene expression data from stem cell experiments and from providing
services as a subcontractor under federal grant programs. Revenue is recognized
when there is persuasive evidence that an arrangement exists, delivery of goods
and services has occurred, the price is fixed and determinable, and collection
is reasonably assured.
Intangible
and Long-Lived Assets --We
follow SFAS No. 144, "Accounting for Impairment of Disposal of Long-Lived
Assets," which established a "primary asset" approach to determine the cash
flow
estimation period for a group of assets and liabilities that represents the
unit
of accounting for a long lived asset to be held and used. Long-lived assets
to
be held and used are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in
circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be
recoverable. The carrying amount of a long-lived asset is not recoverable if
it
exceeds the sum of the undiscounted cash flows expected to result from the
use
and eventual disposition of the asset. Long-lived assets to be disposed of
are
reported at the lower of carrying amount or fair value less cost to sell. During
the period ended December 31, 2005 no impairment losses were recognized.
Research
and Development Costs --Research
and development costs consist of expenditures for the research and development
of patents and technology, which are not capitalizable and charged to operations
when incurred. Our research and development costs consist mainly of payroll
and
payroll related expenses, research supplies and costs incurred in connection
with specific research grants.
Stock
Based Compensation --We
recognize expenses for stock-based compensation arrangements in accordance
with
provisions of SFAS No. 123R “Share Based Payment” which requires compensation
costs related to share-based payment transactions to be recognized in the
financial statements. Accordingly, compensation cost is recognized for the
excess of the estimated fair value of the stock at the grant date over the
exercise price, if any. The Company accounts for equity instruments issued
to
non-employees in accordance with EITF 96-18, “Accounting
for Equity Instruments that are Issued to Other Than Employees for Acquiring,
or
in Conjunction with Selling Good or Services.” Accordingly,
the estimated fair value of the equity instrument is recorded on the earlier
of
the performance commitment date or the date the services required are completed.
RESULTS
OF OPERATIONS
Result
of Operations for the three months ending March 31, 2006 and 2007
Revenues
for the three months period ending March 31, 2007 were approximately $ 182,000,
compared with the prior year same period of $34,000. The increase in revenue
in
current period was mostly due to winding down of a subcontracting engagement.
Research
and development expenses for the three months period ending March 31, 2007
and
2006 were approximately $ 846,000 and $ 350,000, respectively. The increase
in
expenses in current period , consists mainly of payroll and payroll related
expenses, research supplies and costs incurred in connection with our current
effort to produce preclinical data which results in animal surgeries,
manufacturing of cells, and in vitro characterization of cells which includes
testing and cell quality control.
General
and administrative expenses for the three months period ending March 31, 2007
and 2006 were approximately $ 291,000 and $ 149,000, respectively. The principal
increase in expenses in the current periods versus the same periods last year
is
a result of increases in professional fees and expenses related to accountants,
legal and business advisors.
Nonoperating
income (expense) for the three months period ending March 31, 2007 and 2006
were
approximately $ 19,000 and $2,000. The increase in 2007 relates to interest
income derived from our higher cash deposit balance compared to prior period.
Net
loss for the three months period ending March 31, 2007 and 2006 was
approximately $ 949,000 and $ 475,000, respectively. The increased loss in
the
current periods is the result of the foregoing factors discussed.
Recent
Accounting Pronouncements
In
June
2006, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued FASB Interpretation
No. 48, "Accounting for Uncertainty in Income Taxes - an interpretation of
FASB
Statement No. 109" (FIN 48), which clarifies the accounting for uncertainty
in
tax positions. This Interpretation requires that we recognize in our financial
statements the benefit of a tax position if that position is more likely than
not of being sustained on audit, based on the technical merits of the position.
The provisions of FIN 48 become effective as of the beginning of our 2008 fiscal
year, with the cumulative effect of the change in accounting principle recorded
as an adjustment to opening retained earnings. The adoption of the provisions
of
FIN 48 did not have an impact on its financial condition or results of
operations.
In
September 2006, the Securities and Exchange Commission issued Staff Accounting
Bulletin No. 108, "Considering the Effects of Prior Year Misstatements when
Quantifying Misstatements in Current Year Financial Statements" (SAB 108),
which
addresses how to quantify the effect of financial statement errors. The
provisions of SAB 108 become effective as of the end of our 2007 fiscal year.
The adoption of the provisions of SAB 108 did not have an impact on its
financial condition or results of operations.
We
are financing our operations primarily with the proceeds from our private
placement offerings. During the three months ended March 31, 2006, we raised
through a private placement offering total net proceeds of $5,614,600 which
are
described in Notes 2 to our Financial Statements. To a substantially lesser
degree, financing of our operations is provided through grant funding, payments
received under license agreements, and interest earned on cash and cash
equivalents.
We
have incurred substantial net losses each year since inception as a result
of
research and development and general and administrative expenses in support
of
our operations. We anticipate incurring substantial net losses in the future.
Cash,
cash equivalents, and cash held at March 31, 2006 approximated $6,638,000.
Cash, cash equivalents, and cash at December 31, 2006 was approximately $
1,807,000. The increase in the current period is the result of closing the
financing described above, net of amounts spent for payment of notes and
accounts payable, increased legal and accounting fees, fees paid to the
placement agent, and increases in other research and development and general
and
administrative expenses.
Our
cash and cash equivalents are limited. We expect to require substantial
additional funding. Our future cash requirements will depend on many factors,
including the pace and scope of our research and development programs, the
costs
involved in filing, prosecuting, maintaining and enforcing patents and other
costs associated with commercializing our potential products. We intend to
seek
additional funding primarily through public or private financing transactions,
and, to a lesser degree, new licensing or scientific collaborations, grants
from
governmental or other institutions, and other related transactions. If we are
unable to raise additional funds, we will be forced to either scale back our
business efforts or curtail our business activities entirely.
We
anticipate that our available cash and expected income will be sufficient to
finance most of our current activities for at least the next 12 months, although
certain of these activities and related personnel may need to be reduced.
Additionally, in the event we are able to file a successful Investigative New
Drug Application (“IND”) with the FDA, we anticipate we will enter clinical
trials during 2007. In the event of such trials, we would incur additional
expenses associated with such trials which are estimated to exceed $1,000,000.
Assuming our current monthly cash burn rate of $260,000, increased expense
from
regulatory compliance and personnel required for the pre-trial and clinical
trial work, as well as the estimated cost of the trial, our cash on hand is
sufficient to finance our current operations, pre-clinical and clinical work
for
at least 20 months from March 31, 2007. We cannot assure you that public or
private financing or grants will be available on acceptable terms, if at all.
Several factors will affect our ability to raise additional funding, including,
but not limited to, the volatility of our Common Stock.
UNCERTAINTIES
AND OTHER RISK FACTORS THAT
MAY
AFFECT OUR FUTURE RESULTS AND FINANCIAL CONDITION
We
have described below a number of uncertainties and risks which, in addition
to
uncertainties and risks presented elsewhere in this quarterly report, may
adversely affect our business, operating results and financial condition.
The uncertainties and risks enumerated below as well as those presented
elsewhere in this quarterly report should be considered carefully in evaluating
our company and our business and the value of our securities.
Risks
Relating to the Company's Stage of Development
Since
the Company has a limited operating history and has significantly shifted its
operations and strategies since inception, you cannot rely upon the Company's
limited historical performance to make an investment
decision.
Since
inception in 1996 and through March 31, 2007, the Company has raised in
aggregate, approximately $45,638,000 in capital and recorded accumulated losses
totaling $39,542,000 as of March 31, 2007. The Company had a working capital
surplus of $6,260,468 and stockholder's equity of $6,321,559. Our net losses
for
the two most recent fiscal years have been $3,147,488 and $1,651,507 for 2006
and 2005 respectively. Our net loss for the three month period ended March
31,
2007 was 949,242. During this period, we have generated only marginal revenue
from licensing and grants in the amount of $265,759 and $309,142 for the 2006
and 2005 fiscal years, respectively. Revenues for the three months ended March
31, 2007 were 181,825.
The
Company's ability to generate revenues and achieve profitability depends upon
its ability to complete the development of its stem cell products, obtain the
required regulatory approvals, manufacture, market and sell its products. In
part because of the Company's past operating results, no assurances can be
given
that the Company will be able to accomplish all or any these goals.
Although
the Company has generated some revenue to date, the Company has not generated
any revenue from the commercial sale of its proposed stem cell products. Since
inception, the Company has engaged in several related lines of business and
has
discontinued operations in certain areas. For example, in 2002, the Company
lost
a material contract with the Department of Defense and was forced to close
its
principal facility and lay off almost all of its employees in an attempt to
focus the Company's strategy on its stem cell technology. This limited and
changing history may not be adequate to enable you to fully assess the Company's
current ability to develop and commercialize its technologies and proposed
products, obtain approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”),
achieve market acceptance of its proposed products and respond to competition.
No assurances can be given as to exactly when, if at all, the Company will
be
able to fully develop, commercialize market, sell and derive material revenues
from its proposed products in development.
The
Company will
need to raise additional capital to continue operations, and failure to do
so
will impair the Company's ability to fund operations, develop its technologies
or promote its products.
The
Company has relied almost entirely on external financing to fund operations.
Such financing has historically come primarily from the sale of common and
preferred stock and convertible debt to third parties and to a lesser degree
from grants, loans and revenue from license and royalty fees. The Company
anticipates, based on current proposed plans and assumptions relating to its
operations (including the timetable of, and costs associated with, new product
development) and financings the Company has undertaken prior to the date of
this
quarterly report, that its current working capital will be sufficient to satisfy
contemplated cash requirements for approximately 20 months, assuming that the
Company does not engage in an extraordinary transaction or otherwise face
unexpected events or contingencies, any of which could effect cash requirements.
As of March 31, 2007, the Company has cash and cash equivalents on hand of
approximately $6,400,000. Presently, the Company has a monthly cash burn rate
of
$260,000. Accordingly, the Company will need to raise additional capital to
fund
anticipated operating expenses and future expansion after such 20 month period.
Among other things, external financing will be required to cover the further
development of the Company's technologies and products and other operating
costs. The Company cannot assure you that financing whether from external
sources or related parties will be available if needed or on favorable terms.
If
additional financing is not available when required or is not available on
acceptable terms, the Company may be unable to fund operations and planned
growth, develop or enhance its technologies, take advantage of business
opportunities or respond to competitive market pressures. Any negative impact
on
the Company's operations may make capital raising more difficult and may also
result in a lower price for the Company's securities.
The
Company may have difficulty raising needed capital in the future as a result
of,
among other factors, the Company's limited operating history and business risks
associated with the Company.
The
Company's business currently generates limited amounts of cash which will not
be
sufficient to meet its future capital requirements. The Company's management
does not know when this will change. The Company has expended and will continue
to expend substantial funds in the research, development and clinical and
pre-clinical testing of the Company's stem cell technologies and products.
The
Company will require additional funds to conduct research and development,
establish and conduct clinical and pre-clinical trials, commercial-scale
manufacturing arrangements and to provide for the marketing and distribution.
Additional funds may not be available on acceptable terms, if at all. If
adequate funds are unavailable from any available source, the Company may have
to delay, reduce the scope of or eliminate one or more of its research,
development or commercialization programs or product launches or marketing
efforts which may materially harm the Company's business, financial condition
and results of operations.
The
Company's long term capital requirements are expected to depend on many factors,
including:
·
|
continued
progress and cost of its research and development
programs;
|
·
|
progress
with pre-clinical studies and clinical
trials;
|
·
|
time
and costs involved in obtaining regulatory
clearance;
|
·
|
costs
involved in preparing, filing, prosecuting, maintaining and enforcing
patent claims;
|
·
|
costs
of developing sales, marketing and distribution channels and its
ability
to sell the Company's stem cell
products;
|
·
|
costs
involved in establishing manufacturing capabilities for commercial
quantities of its products;
|
·
|
competing
technological and market
developments;
|
·
|
market
acceptance of its stem cell
products;
|
·
|
costs
for recruiting and retaining employees and consultants;
and
|
·
|
costs
for educating and training physicians about its stem cell
products.
|
The
Company may consume available resources more rapidly than currently anticipated,
resulting in the need for additional funding. The Company may seek to raise
any
necessary additional funds through the exercising of warrants, options, equity
or debt financings, collaborative arrangements with corporate partners or other
sources, which may be dilutive to existing stockholders or otherwise have a
material effect on the Company's current or future business prospects. If
adequate funds are not available, the Company may be required to significantly
reduce or refocus its development and commercialization efforts.
The
Company relies on stem cell technologies that it may not be able to commercially
develop, which will prevent the Company from generating revenues, operating
profitably or providing investors any return on their
investment.
The
Company has concentrated its research on its stem cell technologies, and the
Company's ability to generate revenue and operate profitably will depend on
it
being able to develop these technologies for human applications. These are
emerging technologies with, as yet, limited human applications. The Company
cannot guarantee that it will be able to develop its stem cell technologies
or
that such development will result in products or services with any significant
commercial utility. The Company anticipates that the commercial sale of such
products or services, and royalty/licensing fees related to its technology,
will
be the Company's primary sources of revenues. If the Company is unable to
develop its technologies, investors will likely lose their entire
investment.
Inability
to complete pre-clinical and clinical testing and trials will impair the
viability of the Company.
The
Company is in its development stage and has not yet applied for approval by
the
FDA to conduct clinical trials. Even if the Company successfully files an IND
and receives approval from the FDA to commence trials, the outcome of
pre-clinical, clinical and product testing of the Company's products is
uncertain, and if the Company is unable to satisfactorily complete such testing,
or if such testing yields unsatisfactory results, the Company will be unable
to
commercially produce its proposed products. Before obtaining regulatory
approvals for the commercial sale of any potential human products, the Company's
products will be subjected to extensive pre-clinical and clinical testing to
demonstrate their safety and efficacy in humans. No assurances can be given
that
the clinical trials of the Company's products, or those of licensees or
collaborators, will demonstrate the safety and efficacy of such products at
all,
or to the extent necessary to obtain appropriate regulatory approvals, or that
the testing of such products will be completed in a timely manner, if at all,
or
without significant increases in costs, program delays or both, all of which
could harm the Company's ability to generate revenues. In addition, the
Company's proposed products may not prove to be more effective for treating
disease or injury than current therapies. Accordingly, the Company may have
to
delay or abandon efforts to research, develop or obtain regulatory approval
to
market its proposed products. Many companies involved in biotechnology research
and development have suffered significant setbacks in advanced clinical trials,
even after promising results in earlier trials. The failure to adequately
demonstrate the safety and efficacy of a therapeutic product under development
could delay or prevent regulatory approval of the product and could harm the
Company's ability to generate revenues, operate profitably or produce any return
on an investment in the Company.
The
Company's additional financing requirements could result in dilution to existing
stockholders.
The
additional financings which the Company will require may in the future be
obtained through one or more transactions which will effectively dilute the
ownership interests of stockholders. The Company has the authority to issue
additional shares of common stock and preferred stock, as well as additional
classes or series of ownership interests or debt obligations which may be
convertible into any one or more classes or series of ownership interests.
The
Company is authorized to issue 75,000,000 shares of common stock and 7,000,000
shares of preferred stock. Such securities may be issued without the approval
or
other consent of the Company's stockholders.
Risks
Relating to Intellectual Property and Government
Regulation
The
Company may not be able to withstand challenges to its intellectual property
rights, such as patents, should contests be initiated in court or at the U.S
Patent and Trademark Office
.
The
Company relies on its intellectual property, including its issued and applied
for patents, as the foundation of its business. The intellectual property rights
of the Company may come under challenge, and no assurances can be given that,
even though issued, the Company's current and potential future patents will
survive claims commencing in the court system alleging invalidity or
infringement on other patents. For example, in 2005, the Company's neural stem
cell technology was challenged in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office by a
competitor. Although the Company prevailed in this particular matter upon
re-examination by the patent office, these cases are complex, lengthy and
expensive, and could potentially be adjudicated adversely to the Company,
removing the protection afforded by an issued patent. The viability of the
Company's business would suffer if such patent protection were limited or
eliminated. Moreover, the costs associated with defending or settling
intellectual property claims would likely have a material adverse effect on
the
Company.
The
Company may not be able to adequately protect against piracy of intellectual
property in foreign jurisdictions.
Considerable
research in the area of stem cell therapies is being performed in countries
outside of the United States, and a number of the Company's competitors are
located in those countries. The laws protecting intellectual property in
some of those countries may not provide protection for the Company's trade
secrets and intellectual property adequate to prevent its competitors from
misappropriating the Company's trade secrets or intellectual property. If
the Company's trade secrets or intellectual property are misappropriated in
those countries, the Company may be without adequate remedies to address the
issue.
The
Company's products may not receive FDA approval, which would prevent the Company
from commercially marketing its products and producing
revenues.
The
FDA
and comparable government agencies in foreign countries impose substantial
regulations on the manufacture and marketing of pharmaceutical products through
lengthy and detailed laboratory, pre-clinical and clinical testing procedures,
sampling activities and other costly and time-consuming procedures. Satisfaction
of these regulations typically takes several years or more and varies
substantially based upon the type, complexity and novelty of the proposed
product. The Company cannot yet accurately predict when it might first submit
any Investigational New Drug, or IND, application to the FDA, or whether any
such IND application would be granted on a timely basis, if at all, nor can
the
Company assure you that it will successfully complete any clinical trials in
connection with any such IND application. Further, the Company cannot yet
accurately predict when it might first submit any product license application
for FDA approval or whether any such product license application would be
granted on a timely basis, if at all. As a result, the Company cannot
assure you that FDA approvals for any products developed by it will be granted
on a timely basis, if at all. Any such delay in obtaining, or failure to obtain,
such approvals could have a material adverse effect on the marketing of the
Company's products and its ability to generate product revenue.
Because
the Company or its collaborators must obtain regulatory approval to market
its
products in the United States and other countries, the Company cannot predict
whether or when it will be permitted to commercialize its
products.
Federal,
state and local governments and agencies in the United States (including the
FDA) and governments in other countries have significant regulations in place
that govern many of the Company's activities. The Company is or may become
subject to various federal, state and local laws, regulations and
recommendations relating to safe working conditions, laboratory and
manufacturing practices, the experimental use of animals and the use and
disposal of hazardous or potentially hazardous substances used in connection
with its research and development work. The preclinical testing and clinical
trials of the products that the Company or its collaborators develop are subject
to extensive government regulation that may prevent the Company from creating
commercially viable products from its discoveries. In addition, the sale by
the
Company or its collaborators of any commercially viable product will be subject
to government regulation from several standpoints, including manufacturing,
advertising and promoting, selling and marketing, labeling, and distributing.
If, and to the extent that, the Company is unable to comply with these
regulations, its ability to earn revenues will be materially and negatively
impacted.
Risks
Relating to Competition
The
Company's competition includes both public and private organizations and
collaborations among academic institutions and large pharmaceutical companies,
most of which have significantly greater experience and financial resources
than
the Company does.
The
biotechnology industry is characterized by intense competition. The Company
competes against numerous companies, many of which have substantially greater
financial and other resources than it has. Several such enterprises have
initiated cell therapy research programs and/or efforts to treat the same
diseases targeted by the Company. Companies such as Geron Corporation, Genzyme
Corporation, StemCells, Inc., Advanced Cell Technology, Inc., Aastrom
Biosciences, Inc. and Viacell, Inc., as well as others, have substantially
greater resources and experience in the Company's fields than it does, and
are
well situated to compete with us effectively. Of course, any of the world's
largest pharmaceutical companies represent a significant actual or potential
competitor with vastly greater resources than the Company's.
Risks
Relating to the Company's Reliance on Third Parties
The
Company's outsource model depends on collaborators, non-employee consultants,
research institutions, and scientific contractors to help it develop and test
its proposed products. Our ability to develop such relationships could impair
or
delay our ability to develop products.
The
Company's strategy for the development, clinical testing and commercialization
of its proposed products is based on an outsource model. This model requires
that the Company enter into collaborations with corporate partners, research
institutions, scientific contractors and licensors, licensees and others in
order to further develop its technology and develop products. In the event
the
Company is not able to enter into such relationships in the future, our: ability
to develop products may be seriously hindered; or we would be required to expend
considerable money and research to bring such research and development functions
in house. Either outcome could result in our inability to develop a commercially
feasible product or in the need for substantially more working capital to
complete the research in-house. Also, we are currently dependent on
collaborators for a substantial portion of our research and development.
Although our collaborative agreements do not impose any duties or obligations
on
us other than the licensing of our technology, the failure of any of these
collaborations may hinder our ability to develop products in a timely fashion.
By way of example, our collaboration with John Hopkins University, School of
Medicine yielded findings that contributed to our patent application entitled
Transplantation of Human Cells for Treatment of Neurological Disorder. Had
the
collaboration not have existed, our ability to apply for such patent would
have
been greatly hindered. We currently have 4 key collaborations. They are
with:
|
·
|
The
University of California, San
Diego;
|
|
·
|
University
of South Florida;
|
|
·
|
University
of Central Florida; and
|
|
·
|
John
Hopkins University.
|
As
we are
under no financial obligation to provide additional funding under any of these
collaborations, our primary risk is that no results are derived from their
research. For further information relating to our collaborations.
We
intend to rely upon the third-party FDA-approved manufacturers for our stem
cells. Should these manufacturers fail to perform as expected, we will need
to
develop or procure other manufacturing sources, which would cause delays or
interruptions in our product supply and result in the loss of significant sales
and customers.
We
currently have no internal manufacturing capability, and will rely extensively
on FDA-approved licensees, strategic partners or third party contract
manufacturers or suppliers. We current have an agreement with Charles River
Laboratories for the manufacturing and storage of our cells. The agreement
is a
paid for services agreement and does not require us to purchase a minimum amount
of cells. In the event Charles River Laboratories fails to provide suitable
cells, we would be forced to either manufacture the cells ourselves or seek
other third party vendors. Should we be forced to manufacture our stem cells,
we
cannot give you any assurance that we will be able to develop an internal
manufacturing capability or procure third party suppliers. In the event we
must
seek alternative third party suppliers, they may require us to purchase a
minimum amount of cells, could be significantly more expensive than our current
supplier, or could require other unfavorable terms. Any such event would
materially impact our prospects and could delay our development. Moreover,
we
cannot give you any assurance that any contract manufacturers or suppliers
we
procure will be able to supply our product in a timely or cost effective manner
or in accordance with applicable regulatory requirements or our
specifications.
General
Risks Relating to the Company's Business
The
Company may be subject to litigation that will be costly to defend or pursue
and
uncertain in its outcome.
The
Company's business may bring it into conflict with its licensees, licensors,
or
others with whom it has contractual or other business relationships or with
its
competitors or others whose interests differ from the Company's. If the Company
is unable to resolve those conflicts on terms that are satisfactory to all
parties, the Company may become involved in litigation brought by or against
it.
That litigation is likely to be expensive and may require a significant amount
of management's time and attention, at the expense of other aspects of the
Company's business. The outcome of litigation is always uncertain, and in some
cases could include judgments against us that require the Company to pay
damages, enjoin it from certain activities, or otherwise affect its legal or
contractual rights, which could have a significant adverse effect on its
business.
The
Company may not be able to obtain third-party patient reimbursement or favorable
product pricing, which would reduce its ability to operate
profitably.
The
Company's ability to successfully commercialize certain of its proposed products
in the human therapeutic field may depend to a significant degree on patient
reimbursement of the costs of such products and related treatments at acceptable
levels from government authorities, private health insurers and other
organizations, such as health maintenance organizations. The Company cannot
assure you that reimbursement in the United States or foreign countries will
be
available for any products it may develop or, if available, will not be
decreased in the future, or that reimbursement amounts will not reduce the
demand for, or the price of, its products with a consequent harm to the
Company's business. The Company cannot predict what additional regulation or
legislation relating to the health care industry or third-party coverage and
reimbursement may be enacted in the future or what effect such regulation or
legislation may have on the Company's business. If additional regulations are
overly onerous or expensive or if health care related legislation makes its
business more expensive or burdensome than originally anticipated, the Company
may be forced to significantly downsize its business plans or completely abandon
its business model.
The
Company's products may be expensive to manufacture, and they may not be
profitable if the Company is unable to control the costs to manufacture
them.
The
Company's products may be significantly more expensive to manufacture than
most
other drugs currently on the market today due to a fewer number of potential
manufactures, greater level of needed expertise, and other general market
conditions affecting manufacturers of stem cell based products. The
Company would hope to substantially reduce manufacturing costs through process
improvements, development of new science, increases in manufacturing scale
and
outsourcing to experienced manufacturers. If the Company is not able to make
these, or other improvements, and depending on the pricing of the product,
its
profit margins may be significantly less than that of most drugs on the market
today. In addition, the Company may not be able to charge a high enough price
for any cell therapy product it develops, even if they are safe and effective,
to make a profit. If the Company is unable to realize significant profits from
its potential product candidates, its business would be materially
harmed.
In
order to secure market share and generate revenues, the Company's proposed
products must be accepted by the health care community, which can be very slow
to adopt or unreceptive to new technologies and
products.
The
Company's proposed products and those developed by its collaborative partners,
if approved for marketing, may not achieve market acceptance since hospitals,
physicians, patients or the medical community in general may decide not to
accept and utilize these products. The products that the Company is attempting
to develop represents substantial departures from established treatment methods
and will compete with a number of more conventional drugs and therapies
manufactured and marketed by major pharmaceutical companies. The degree of
market acceptance of any of the Company's developed products will depend on
a
number of factors, including:
·
|
the
Company's establishment and demonstration to the medical community
of the
clinical efficacy and safety of its proposed
products;
|
·
|
the
Company's ability to create products that are superior to alternatives
currently on the market;
|
·
|
the
Company's ability to establish in the medical community the potential
advantage of its treatments over alternative treatment methods;
and
|
·
|
reimbursement
policies of government and third-party
payors.
|
If
the
health care community does not accept the Company's products for any of the
foregoing reasons, or for any other reason, the Company's business would be
materially harmed.
We
depend on two key employees for our continued operations and future success.
A
loss of either employee could significantly hinder our ability to move forward
with our business plan.
The
loss
of either of our key executive officers, Richard Garr and Karl Johe, would
be
significantly detrimental to us.
|
·
|
We
currently do
not
maintain “key person” life insurance on the life of Mr. Garr. As a result,
the Company will not receive any compensation upon the death or incapacity
of this key individuals;
|
|
·
|
We
currently do
maintain “key person” line insurance on the life of Mr. Johe. As a result,
the Company will receive approximately $1,000,000 in the event of
his
death or incapacity.
|
In
addition, the Company's anticipated growth and expansion into areas and
activities requiring additional expertise, such as clinical testing, regulatory
compliance, manufacturing and marketing, will require the addition of new
management personnel and the development of additional expertise by existing
management personnel. There is intense competition for qualified personnel
in
the areas of the Company's present and planned activities, and there can be
no
assurance that the Company will be able to continue to attract and retain the
qualified personnel necessary for the development of its business. The failure
to attract and retain such personnel or to develop such expertise would
adversely affect the Company's business.
The
Company has entered into long-term contracts with key personnel and
stockholders, with significant anti-termination provisions, which could make
future changes in management difficult or expensive.
Messrs.
Garr and Johe have entered into seven (7) year employment agreements with the
Company which expire on November 1, 2012 and which include termination
provisions stating that if either employee is terminated for any reason other
than a voluntary resignation, then all compensation due to such employee under
the terms of the respective agreement shall become due and payable immediately.
These provisions will make the replacement of either of these employees very
costly to the Company, and could cause difficulty in effecting a change in
control of the Company. Termination prior to full term on the contracts would
cost the Company as much as $1,800,000 per contract, and immediate vesting
of
all outstanding options (1,200,000 shares each). “Executive
Compensation--Employment Agreements and Change in Control
Arrangements”.
The
Company has no product liability insurance, which may leave it vulnerable to
future claims that the Company will be unable to
satisfy.
The
testing, manufacturing, marketing and sale of human therapeutic products entails
an inherent risk of product liability claims, and the Company cannot assure
you
that substantial product liability claims will not be asserted against it.
The
Company has no product liability insurance. In the event the Company is forced
to expend significant funds on defending product liability actions, and in
the
event those funds come from operating capital, the Company will be required
to
reduce its business activities, which could lead to significant
losses.
The
Company cannot assure you that adequate insurance coverage will be available
in
the future on acceptable terms, if at all, or that, if available, the Company
will be able to maintain any such insurance at sufficient levels of coverage
or
that any such insurance will provide adequate protection against potential
liabilities.
The
Company has limited director and officer insurance and commercial insurance
policies. Any significant claim would have a material adverse effect on its
business, financial condition and results of operations. Insurance availability,
coverage terms and pricing continue to vary with market conditions. The Company
endeavors to obtain appropriate insurance coverage for insurable risks that
it
identifies, however, the Company may fail to correctly anticipate or quantify
insurable risks, may not be able to obtain appropriate insurance coverage,
and
insurers may not respond as the Company intends to cover insurable events that
may occur. The Company has observed rapidly changing conditions in the insurance
markets relating to nearly all areas of traditional corporate insurance. Such
conditions may result in higher premium costs, higher policy deductibles, and
lower coverage limits. For some risks, the Company may not have or maintain
insurance coverage because of cost or availability.
Risks
Relating to the Company's Common Stock
Our
common shares are sporadically or “thinly” traded, so you may be unable to sell
at or near ask prices or at all if you need to sell your shares to raise money
or otherwise desire to liquidate your shares
Our
common shares have historically been sporadically or “thinly” traded on the
OTCBB, meaning that the number of persons interested in purchasing our common
shares at or near ask prices at any given time may be relatively small or
non-existent. This situation is attributable to a number of factors, including
the fact that we are a small company which is relatively unknown to stock
analysts, stock brokers, institutional investors and others in the investment
community that generate or influence sales volume, and that even if we came
to
the attention of such persons, they tend to be risk-averse and would be
reluctant to follow an unproven development stage company such as ours or
purchase or recommend the purchase of our shares until such time as we became
more seasoned and viable. As a consequence, there may be periods of several
days
or more when trading activity in our shares is minimal or non-existent, as
compared to a seasoned issuer which has a large and steady volume of trading
activity that will generally support continuous sales without a material
reduction in share price. We cannot give you any assurance that a broader or
more active public trading market for our common shares will develop or be
sustained, or that current trading levels will be sustained. Due to these
conditions, we can give you no assurance that you will be able to sell your
shares at or near ask prices or at all if you need money or otherwise desire
to
liquidate your shares.
The
market price for our common shares is particularly volatile given our status
as
a relatively unknown development stage company with a small and thinly-traded
public float, limited operating history and lack of revenues or profits to
date
could lead to wide fluctuations in our share price. The price at which you
purchase our common shares may not be indicative of the price that will prevail
in the trading market. You may be unable to sell your common shares at or above
your purchase price, which may result in substantial losses to you. The
volatility in our common share price may subject us to securities
litigation.
The
market for our common shares is characterized by significant price volatility
when compared to seasoned issuers, and we expect that our share price will
continue to be more volatile than a seasoned issuer. The volatility in our
share
price is attributable to a number of factors. First, as noted above, our common
shares are sporadically or thinly traded. As a consequence of this lack of
liquidity, the trading of relatively small quantities of shares by our
shareholders may disproportionately influence the price of those shares in
either direction. The price for our shares could, for example, decline
precipitously in the event that a large number of our common shares are sold
on
the market without commensurate demand, as compared to a seasoned issuer which
could better absorb those sales without a material reduction in share price.
Secondly, we are a speculative or “risky” investment due to our limited
operating history and lack of significant revenues to date, and uncertainty
of
future market acceptance for our products if successfully developed. As a
consequence of this enhanced risk, more risk-adverse investors may, under the
fear of losing all or most of their investment in the event of negative news
or
lack of progress, be more inclined to sell their shares on the market more
quickly and at greater discounts than would be the case with the stock of a
seasoned issuer. Additionally, in the past, plaintiffs have often initiated
securities class action litigation against a company following periods of
volatility in the market price of its securities. We may in the future be the
target of similar litigation. Securities litigation could result in substantial
costs and liabilities and could divert management’s attention and
resources.
The
following factors may add to the volatility in the price of our common
shares: actual or anticipated variations in our quarterly or annual
operating results; government regulations, announcements of significant
acquisitions, strategic partnerships or joint ventures; our capital commitments;
and additions or departures of our key personnel. Many of these factors are
beyond our control and may decrease the market price of our common shares,
regardless of our operating performance. We cannot make any predictions or
projections as to what the prevailing market price for our common shares will
be
at any time, including as to whether our common shares will sustain their
current market prices, or as to what effect that the sale o f shares or the
availability of common shares for sale at any time will have on the prevailing
market price.
The
Company has identified significant weaknesses with regard to its financial
control procedures. These weaknesses, if not remedied, could result in a
significant misstatement of the Company's financials or its inability to provide
timely disclosure to the public should it become subject to such reporting
requirements.
As
a
result of its stage of development, lack of resources and changes that have
occurred in the Company's operations since 2002, there are currently
deficiencies in the operating effectiveness of the Company's internal controls
over financial reporting that the Company believes may collectively constitute
significant deficiencies and material weaknesses under standards established
by
the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, resulting in more than
a
remote likelihood that a material misstatement of the annual or interim
financial statements of the Company will not be prevented or detected.
Specifically, the Company has found deficiencies or weaknesses with the timely
reporting of transactions and the documentation thereof. By way of example,
in
the past, the company has failed to document capital transactions when they
occur, has failed to establish controls for document retention, and has failed
to account for transactions using GAAP.
The
Company faces risks related to compliance with corporate governance laws and
financial reporting standards.
The
Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as well as related new rules and regulations
implemented by the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Public Company
Accounting Oversight Board, require changes in the corporate governance
practices and financial reporting standards for public companies. These new
laws, rules and regulations, including compliance with Section 404 of the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 relating to internal control over financial reporting
(“Section 404”), will materially increase the Company's legal and financial
compliance costs and made some activities more time-consuming and more
burdensome. Starting in 2007, Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
will
require that the Company's management assess the Company's internal control
over
financial reporting annually and include a report on its assessment in its
filings with the SEC. The Company's independent registered public accounting
firm is required to audit both the design and operating effectiveness of its
internal controls and management's assessment of the design and the operating
effectiveness of its internal controls. There exist significant weaknesses
and
deficiencies at this time in the Company's internal controls. These weaknesses
and deficiencies could have an adverse effect on the Company's business and
operations.
The
Company does not intend to pay cash dividends on its common stock in the
foreseeable future.
Any
payment of cash dividends will depend upon the Company's financial condition,
results of operations, capital requirements and other factors and will be at
the
discretion of the Board of Directors. The Company does not anticipate paying
cash dividends on its common stock in the foreseeable future. Furthermore,
the
Company may incur additional indebtedness that may severely restrict or prohibit
the payment of dividends.
We
are
entitled under our certificate of incorporation to issue up to 75,000,000
common and 7,000,000 “blank check” preferred shares. As of March 31, 2007,
we have issued an outstanding 28,884,605 common shares, 11,153,832 common shares
reserved for issuance upon the exercise of current outstanding options and
warrants, 1,600,000 common shares reserved for issuances of additional grants
under our 2005 incentive stock plan, and an aggregate of 76,666 common shares
reserved for issuance in the event we incur additional penalties pursuant to
the
registration rights granted our investors in the March 2006 private placement.
Accordingly, we will be entitled to issue up to 33,284,897 additional
common shares and 7,000,000 additional preferred shares. Our board may
generally issue those common and preferred shares, or options or warrants to
purchase those shares, without further approval by our shareholders based upon
such factors as our board of directors may deem relevant at that time. Any
preferred shares we may issue shall have such rights, preferences, privileges
and restrictions as may be designated from time-to-time by our board, including
preferential dividend rights, voting rights, conversion rights, redemption
rights and liquidation provisions. It is likely that we will be required to
issue a large amount of additional securities to raise capital to further our
development and marketing plans. It is also likely that we will be required
to
issue a large amount of additional securities to directors, officers, employees
and consultants as compensatory grants in connection with their services, both
in the form of stand-alone grants or under our various stock plans. We cannot
give you any assurance that we will not issue additional common or preferred
shares, or options or warrants to purchase those shares, under circumstances
we
may deem appropriate at the time.
CONTROLS
AND PROCEDURES
Disclosure
controls and procedures are designed to ensure that information required to
be
disclosed in the quarterly reports filed or submitted under the Exchange Act
is
recorded, processed, summarized and reported, within the time period specified
in the SEC’s rules and forms. Disclosure controls and procedures include,
without limitation, controls and procedures designed to ensure that information
required to be disclosed in the reports filed under the Exchange Act is
accumulated and communicated to management, including our President and Chief
Financial Officer, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required
disclosure.
Our
Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, in consultation with our
other members of management and advisors as appropriate, carried out an
evaluation of the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures as
of
the end of the period covered by this quarterly report pursuant to
Rule 15d-15(b) promulgated under the Exchange Act. Based upon that
evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and our Chief Financial Officer
concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures are effective in alerting
them in a timely fashion to all material information required to be included
in
our periodic filings with the SEC.
Changes
in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
The
term internal control over financial reporting is defined as a process designed
by, or under the supervision of, our President and Principal Financial Officer,
and effected by our board of directors, management and other personnel, to
provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting
and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance
with generally accepted accounting principles. There were no changes in
our internal control over financial reporting identified in connection with
our
evaluation of these controls as of the end of the period covered by this
quarterly report that could have significantly affected those controls
subsequent to the date of the evaluation referred to in the previous paragraph,
including any correction action with regard to significant deficiencies and
material weakness.
Observations
In
connection with the audit of our financial statements for the years ended
December 31, 2004 and 2005, our independent auditor made several
observations relating to our disclosure controls and procedures or internal
controls. As a result of our stage of development, lack of resources and changes
that have occurred in the Company's operations since 2002, there are currently
deficiencies in the operating effectiveness of the Company's internal controls
over financial reporting that the Company believes would collectively constitute
significant deficiencies and material weaknesses under standards established
by
the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, resulting in more than
a
remote likelihood that a material misstatement of the annual or interim
financial statements of the Company will not be prevented or detected.
Specifically,
our Auditor found deficiencies or weaknesses with the timely reporting of
transactions and the documentation thereof. By way of example, in the past,
the
company has failed to document capital transactions when they occur, has failed
to establish controls for document retention, and has failed to account for
transactions using GAAP. Management acknowledges the existence of this problem,
and is developing procedures to address them to the extent possible given the
acknowledged limitations.
As
part of managements attempts to address our auditor’s concerns, we have recently
retained a part-time chief financial officer.
PART
II - OTHER INFORMATION
Item
1. Legal
Proceedings
On
July
28, 2006, StemCells, Inc. and StemCells California, Inc. (collectively
“Stemcells”) of Palo Alto, California, filed suit against Neuralstem, Inc. in
U.S. District Court in Maryland, alleging that Neuralstem has been infringing,
contributing to the infringement of, and or inducing the infringement of four
patents owned by or exclusively licensed to StemCells relating to stem cell
culture compositions, genetically modified stem cell cultures, and methods
of
using such cultures.
In
October 2006, Neuralstem filed a motion to dismiss, or in the alternative for
summary judgment, arguing that its preclinical research activities are covered
under the “safe harbor” provision of 35 U.S.C. § 271(e)(1). On October 30, 2006,
Neuralstem also filed an Answer denying that its stem cell technology infringed
the StemCell patents, and asked the Court to declare those patents invalid
and/or unenforceable for failing to meet the patent law requirements. Neuralstem
also filed a Counterclaim alleging that StemCells has violated Section 2 of
the
Sherman Antitrust Act by engaging in sham litigation.
Discovery
on all substantive patent issues except Neuralstem’s safe harbor defense has
been stayed pending resolution of Neuralstem’s Motion to Dismiss. It is not
known when nor on what basis this matter will be concluded.
Item
2. Unregistered
Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds
Item
3. Defaults
Upon Senior Securities
None
Item
4. Submission
of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders.
None
Item
5. Other
Information.
None
Item
6. Exhibits.
The
following exhibits are hereby filed as part of this Quarterly Report on Form
10-QSB or incorporated by reference.
Exhibit
Number:
|
|
Description
|
|
|
|
31.1
|
|
Certification
of the Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) and Rule
15d-14(a) of the Securities Exchange Act, as amended
|
|
|
31.2
|
|
Certification
of the Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) and Rule
15d-14(a) of the Securities Exchange Act, as amended
|
|
|
32.1
|
|
Certification
of the Chief Executive Officer Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. 1350, as adopted
pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of
2002
|
|
|
|
32.2
|
|
Certification
of the Chief Financial Officer Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. 1350, as adopted
pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of
2002
|
In
accordance with the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the
Registrant has caused this report to be signed by the undersigned hereunto
duly
authorized.
Dated: May
15, 2007
|
|
|
/s/
I. Richard Garr
|
|
Chief
Executive Officer and
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
/s/
John Conron
|
|
Chief
Financial Officer
|
|
(Principal
Accounting Officer)
|