6. Leases

Operating Lease Right-of-Use Asset

In January 2022, the Company entered into a lease agreement for an office facility and laboratory space in New York, New York that commenced in April 2022 and ends in July 2029 with an additional five-year option to extend the lease beyond July 2029 at the then-prevailing effective market rental rate. Upon commencement of this lease, the Company recorded operating lease right-of-use assets and operating lease liabilities of $11.6 million based on the present value of payments over the lease term using an estimated incremental borrowing rate of 8.53% in accordance with the provisions of ASC Topic 842, Leases (“ASC 842”). In connection with the Company’s lease of office space and laboratory space, the Company provided a security deposit to the landlord in the form of a letter of credit totaling $1.2 million. The cash collateralizing the letter of credit was included in long-term restricted cash in the Company’s condensed balance sheets as of September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023. This lease was classified as an operating lease in accordance with the provisions of ASC 842. The Company did not recognize any right-of-use assets and lease liabilities associated with the potential option to renew or extend. The Company’s operating lease agreement does not contain any significant residual value guarantees or restrictive covenants.

The remaining lease terms and payment terms as of September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023 were 4.8 years and 5.6 years, respectively. The components of this operating lease were as follows:

Equipment Finance Leases

Commencing in April 2022, the Company leases certain laboratory equipment under financing arrangements accounted for as finance leases in accordance with the provision of ASC 842 that are classified in the Company’s condensed balance sheet as finance lease liabilities with related right-of-use assets recorded and depreciated on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful life of 7 years. The total gross, accumulated amortization, and net book values of equipment finance lease right-of-use assets capitalized under such finance lease arrangements at September 30, 2024 were $2.2 million, $0.7 million and $1.5 million, respectively. Under the terms of the equipment finance lease agreements executed through the issuance of these unaudited condensed financial statements, the principal balances plus interest for the equipment are to be repaid in full after 60 monthly installments following lease commencement, with lease commencement dates ranging from April 1, 2022 to April 1, 2023, annual imputed interest rates ranging from 7.90% to 9.30%, and monthly installment payment amounts ranging from approximately $4,000 to $18,000. As of September 30, 2024, the total aggregate monthly installment payment amount was approximately $49,000 for equipment finance lease agreements executed through the issuance date of these unaudited condensed financial statements.

The weighted-average remaining lease payment term, weighted-average remaining amortization term, and weighted-average effective interest rate for the Company's equipment finance lease agreements as of September 30, 2024 were 2.9 years, 5.1 years, and 8.58%, respectively. The weighted-average remaining lease payment term, weighted-average remaining amortization term, and weighted-average effective interest rate for the Company's equipment finance lease agreements as of December 31, 2023 were 3.7 years, 5.7 years, and 8.59%, respectively. The components of the equipment finance leases were as follows:

The following table presents information about the Company’s financial assets measured at fair value on a recurring basis and indicates the level of the fair value hierarchy utilized to determine such fair values:

12. License, Acquisition, Research and Collaboration and Sponsored Research Agreements

Adverum Biotechnologies—On January 25, 2021, the Company entered into an exclusive license agreement with Adverum Biotechnologies Inc. (“Adverum”) to in-license materials and technology related to the treatment of cardiomyopathy due to Friedreich ataxia ("FA") (the “Adverum Agreement”). In connection with the Adverum Agreement, the Company gained access to a portfolio of inventions, patent rights, technology, and licensed methods that the Company continues to develop, and the Company will assume all development and commercialization activities worldwide. Pursuant to the Adverum Agreement, the Company paid a one-time up-front non-refundable fee of $7.5 million, and is obligated to pay aggregate development and regulatory milestones of up to $17.5 million including a $3.5 million development milestone that was achieved and paid in the first quarter of 2023, and aggregate sales event and commercialization milestones of up to $49.0 million. The Company is obligated to pay Adverum tiered royalties ranging from high single-digits to sub teens based on annual aggregate worldwide net sales of Products (as defined in the Adverum Agreement). As of September 30, 2024, there were no research and development expenses recorded by the Company or payments made to Adverum under the terms of the Adverum Agreement other than the one-time up-front non-refundable fee of $7.5 million and the $3.5 million development milestone that was achieved and paid in the first quarter of 2023.

The Adverum Agreement remains in effect until termination at the date of the last royalty term to expire. The Company can terminate the Adverum Agreement with 120 days’ written notice. The Adverum Agreement can also be terminated as a result of a patent challenge, material breach of contractual terms, or insolvency by either party.

Cornell University—On May 27, 2020, the Company entered into two exclusive license agreements with Cornell University (“Cornell”) (the “First Cornell License Agreement” and the “Second Cornell License Agreement,” collectively the “May 2020 Cornell License Agreements”). The First Cornell License Agreement is for the in-license of technology related to portfolios for APOE-associated Alzheimer’s disease and Anti-Tau, although the Company’s license is not restricted by such indications and it includes assignment to the Company of Cornell’s IND for the use of AAVrh10.hAPOE2 vector to treat APOE4 homozygous patients who are at risk for or have Alzheimer’s disease to support development of the Company’s LX1001 program. The Second Cornell License Agreement is for the in-license of technology related to a portfolio for FA although the Company’s license is not restricted by such indications, and it includes assignment to the Company of Cornell’s IND for the use of AAVrh.10cUhCLN2 to treat children with CLN2 Batten disease to support development of the Company’s LX1004 program. Through the May 2020 Cornell License Agreements, the Company gains access to a portfolio of inventions, patent rights, technology, and licensed methods that the Company continues to develop. Under the terms of the May 2020 Cornell License Agreements, the Company has assumed all development and commercialization activities worldwide with respect to the licensed technology.

As initial consideration for the May 2020 Cornell License Agreements, the Company paid Cornell an upfront payment in cash of $0.3 million and issued $1.3 million of notes (“Notes”). In November 2020, Notes with outstanding principal of $1.3 million were cancelled in exchange for 1,337,610 shares of series A convertible preferred stock, which converted into 126,258 shares of common stock upon the closing of the Company's IPO on November 7, 2023. As additional consideration, the Company is required to pay Cornell up to $8.4 million upon the achievement of specific clinical and regulatory milestones under the First Cornell License Agreement and up to $4.3 million in two portfolios and up to $0.6 million for a third portfolio upon the achievement of specific clinical and regulatory milestones under the Second Cornell License Agreement. In the second quarter of 2022, a clinical and regulatory milestone of $0.1 million was recognized and paid to Cornell in connection with the Second Cornell License Agreement. The Company is also required to pay Cornell a flat royalty in the mid-single-digits based on net sales of the products covered by the licenses, subject to certain adjustments.

Upon expiration of the royalty term of a given licensed product in a country, the respective license becomes non-exclusive and royalty-free. In addition, each of the May 2020 Cornell License Agreements may be terminated by the Company for any reason upon ninety (90) days’ advance notice to Cornell and by Cornell upon the Company’s material uncured breach, and all licenses and rights granted by either party under such agreement will concurrently terminate.

On April 21, 2024, the Company entered into the Third License Agreement (the “Third Cornell License Agreement,” together with the May 2020 Cornell License Agreements, the “Cornell License Agreements”) with Cornell. Pursuant to the Third Cornell License Agreement, Cornell has granted the Company an exclusive license to practice under certain patent rights generated in animal studies conducted by Cornell on behalf of the Company and a non-exclusive license to know-how concerning a gene therapy for FA cardiomyopathy and current and future data generated in an ongoing investigator-initiated Phase 1A trial of AAVrh.10hFXN to treat FA cardiomyopathy. Both licenses are worldwide and cover products with human and non-human prophylactic and therapeutic uses. Cornell has also granted the Company a right of reference to Cornell’s Investigation New Drug application for a gene therapy for FA cardiomyopathy.

Under the Third Cornell License Agreement, the Company paid a license issue fee and an initial data transfer fee to Cornell totaling $0.6 million. Additionally, the Company will be paying an annual data transfer fee of $50,000 until data is no longer being gathered. The Company has agreed to pay annual license maintenance fees ranging from $2,500 to $25,000 until such time the Company commercializes a licensed product. In addition, the Company will pay Cornell up to an aggregate of $2.1 million in regulatory milestones and up to an aggregate of $100 million in commercial milestones, plus low single digit royalties on net sales.

The Third Cornell License Agreement contains other customary license terms including terms related to sublicensing, development, commercialization, milestones, royalties, intellectual property, and termination. Upon expiration of the applicable royalty term for a product in a given country, the Company shall retain a non-exclusive, royalty free license to the data and know-how, including to continue selling such product in that country.

Cornell may terminate the Third Cornell License Agreement if the Company (i) breaches the Third Cornell License Agreement (subject to a cure period), (ii) participates in any proceeding challenging the validity of the licensed patents, (iii) publishes the licensed data without Cornell’s prior written consent, or (iv) does not reach certain milestones. Cornell may also terminate the Third Cornell License Agreement in part on product-by-product basis if the Company does not diligently develop and sale a product. The Company may terminate the Third Cornell License Agreement, in whole or in part with respect to the right of reference, or the licensed data, know-how, or patent rights, with 90 days’ prior written notice to Cornell.

During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023, the Company incurred and paid $5,000 and $10,000, respectively in connection with the Cornell License Agreements. During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024, the Company incurred and paid $0 and $0.7 million, respectively in connection with the Cornell License Agreements.

Stelios Therapeutics, Inc.—Stelios Therapeutics, Inc. (“Stelios”) was an early-stage company developing novel adeno-associated AAV-based gene therapies for rare cardiac conditions including arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy and TNNI3-associated hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. On July 16, 2021, the Company acquired 100% of the outstanding stock of Stelios that was accounted for as an asset acquisition pursuant FASB ASC 805, Business Combinations. The Company is required to pay up to a remaining aggregate of $12.5 million to the selling shareholders of Stelios upon the achievement of certain development milestones, excluding a $6.0 million development milestone that was achieved in the third quarter of 2024 and paid in the fourth quarter of 2024. Dr. Eric Adler, the Company's Chief Medical Officer and Head of Research, was a co-founder of Stelios and a selling shareholder. Of the $6.0 million development milestone payment, Dr. Adler received approximately $1.3 million.

Regents of the University of California, San Diego—Stelios entered into exclusive worldwide license agreements on April 23, 2020, and August 6, 2020 (the “First UCSD Agreement” and the “Second UCSD Agreement”, respectively) with the Regents of UCSD to in-license materials and intellectual property related to gene therapies for arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, respectively. The First UCSD Agreement and the Second UCSD Agreement relate to the Company’s development efforts for its LX2021 and LX2022 programs, respectively. In connection with the First UCSD Agreement and the Second UCSD Agreement, the Company gained access to inventions, patent rights, technology, and licensed methods that it continues to develop, and it has assumed all worldwide development and commercialization activities with respect to the licensed technologies. The First UCSD Agreement and Second UCSD Agreement required Stelios to pay one-time up-front non-refundable cash fees of $20,000 for each agreement and requires the Company to pay aggregate development and commercialization milestones of up to $4.8 million and $2.4 million, respectively, and low- to mid-single digit royalties and low-single digit royalties, respectively, based on aggregate net sales. The only research and development expenses incurred by Stelios or the Company and payments made to the Regents of UCSD through September 30, 2024 under the terms of the First UCSD Agreement and the Second UCSD Agreement were the one-time up-front non-refundable cash fees of $20,000 for each agreement. The Company has the right to terminate the First UCSD Agreement and the Second UCSD Agreement at any time upon sixty (60)-days’ written notice to the Regents of UCSD.

On October 4, 2021, the Company entered into an exclusive worldwide license agreement (the “Third UCSD Agreement” and collectively with the First UCSD Agreement and the Second UCSD Agreement, the “UCSD Agreements”) with the Regents of UCSD to in-license materials and intellectual property related to LX2020, a gene therapy for arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy. The Third UCSD Agreement relates to the Company’s development efforts for its LX2020 program. In connection with the Third UCSD Agreement, the Company gained access to inventions, patent rights, technology, and licensed methods that it continues to develop, and it has assumed all worldwide development and commercialization activities with respect to the licensed technology. The Third UCSD Agreement required the Company to pay a one-time up-front non-refundable cash fee of $20,000 and requires the Company to pay aggregate development and commercialization milestones of up to $4.0 million, and low- to mid-single digit royalties based on aggregate net sales. Research and development expenses incurred by the Company and payments made to the Regents of UCSD under the terms of the Third UCSD Agreement were the one-time up-front non-refundable cash fee of $20,000 as well as a $0.1 million development milestone that was achieved during the third quarter of 2024. The Company has the right to terminate the Third UCSD Agreement at any time upon sixty (60)-days’ written notice to the Regents of UCSD.

On December 3, 2021, the Company entered into two sponsored research agreements with the Regents of UCSD (the "First UCSD SRA", the "Second UCSD SRA", and collectively, the “UCSD SRAs”) for the Company’s LX2020, LX2021 and LX2022 programs in connection with the UCSD Agreements. Under the terms of the UCSD SRAs, the Company has the first rights to obtain non-exclusive or exclusive, sublicensable, royalty-bearing, perpetual and transferable worldwide licenses in any resulting inventions owned by the Regents of UCSD or resulting inventions jointly owned between the Company and the Regents of UCSD, and the Company retains the rights to any resulting inventions owned by the Company. The UCSD SRAs each have a two-year term and may be terminated early by the Company at any time upon the giving of thirty (30) days’ written notice to the Regents of UCSD. The total costs to be invoiced to the Company over the terms of the UCSD SRAs are $5.6 million, of which the Company incurred $0.2 million and $1.3 million of research and development expenses during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023, respectively. The Company paid $0 and $0.2 million to the Regents of UCSD in connection with the UCSD SRAs during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023, respectively. The Company did not incur any research and development expenses in connection with the UCSD SRAs during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024. The Company paid $0 and $0.7 million to the Regents of UCSD in connection with the UCSD SRAs during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024, respectively. The Company has paid a cumulative total of $4.0 million to the Regents of UCSD as of September 30, 2024, in connection with the UCSD SRAs.

On April 13, 2024, the Company entered into a third sponsored research agreement with the Regents of UCSD (the “Third UCSD SRA”) for the Company’s LX2022 program in connection with the Second UCSD Agreement. Under the terms of the Third UCSD SRA, the Company has the first rights to obtain non-exclusive or exclusive, sublicensable, royalty-bearing, perpetual and transferable worldwide licenses in any resulting inventions owned by the Regents of UCSD or resulting inventions jointly owned between the Company and the Regents of UCSD, and the Company retains the rights to any resulting inventions owned by the Company. The Third UCSD SRA has a two-year term and may be terminated early by the Company at any time upon the giving of thirty (30) days’ written notice to the Regents of UCSD. The costs to be invoiced to the Company over the term of the Third UCSD SRA are $0.7 million, and the Company may incur additional costs of $0.6 million under the Third UCSD SRA if certain study objectives are met. The Company also entered into an amendment to the Second UCSD SRA for the Company’s LX2022 program that extended the term of the Second UCSD SRA to December 2024. The Company incurred $0.1 million and $0.5 million of research and development costs during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024, respectively, and paid $0.3 million and $0.6 million during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024, respectively, to the Regents of UCSD in connection with the Third UCSD SRA.

On April 19, 2024, the Company entered into an amendment to the First UCSD SRA (as amended, the "Amended First UCSD SRA") for the Company’s LX2021 program in connection with the First UCSD Agreement. The Amended First UCSD SRA extends the term of the First UCSD SRA to December 2026 and provides for additional research and development studies and expenses. The total costs to be invoiced to the Company under the Amended First UCSD SRA are $0.8 million. The Company incurred $0.1 million and $0.5 million of research and development costs during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024, respectively, and paid $0.3 million during each of the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024 to the Regents of UCSD in connection with the Amended First UCSD SRA.

Weill Cornell Medical College—On February 2, 2021, the Company entered into a Research Collaboration Agreement with Weill Cornell Medical College (“WCM” and the “WCM Agreement”) in connection with the Cornell License Agreements entered on May 27, 2020. The Company committed to fund scientific research at WCM to investigate further and potentially enhance the technology licensed to the Company pursuant to the License Agreements.

Under the terms of the WCM Agreement, each WCM invention, joint invention, and related joint results for which an Improvement, as defined in the WCM Agreement, applies and the Company has made an election to amend the Cornell License Agreements, the Company has the first option to negotiate in good faith with WCM for royalty- bearing, worldwide license, under Cornell patent rights, Cornell rights, and Cornell’s interest in joint patent rights, to develop, make, have made, use, offer for sale, sell, have sold, and import derived products in the field. During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023 the Company incurred $0.1 million and $1.0 million, respectively, of research and development costs and paid $0 and $1.8 million, respectively, to Cornell in connection with the WCM Agreement. During each of the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024 the Company incurred and paid $0.3 million of research and development costs to Cornell in connection with the WCM Agreement.

The WCM Agreement expired in accordance with its terms in February 2024.

9. Stock-based Compensation

In February 2021, the Company adopted the 2021 Equity Incentive Plan (the “2021 Plan”) for the issuance of stock options to the Company’s key directors, officers, employees and consultants, as a means to secure the benefits arising from capital stock ownership. In connection with the Company’s IPO in November 2023, the Company adopted the 2023 Equity Incentive Plan (the “2023 Plan”) and the 2023 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (the "2023 ESPP" and collectively with the 2021 Plan and 2023 Plan, the “Plans”). The purposes of the Plans are to promote the alignment of the interests of key directors, officers, employees, and consultants with the success of the Company and to provide compensation opportunities to attract, retain and motivate directors, officers, employees, and consultants of the Company.

Upon adoption, the maximum number of shares of common stock that may be issued under the 2023 Plan was initially 4,737,000 shares, which was approximately the sum of (i) 1,803,980 new shares, plus (ii) the 2021 Plan’s available reserve, plus (iii) the number of returning shares, if any, upon the cancellation or forfeiture of equity awards that are outstanding under the 2021 Plan. In addition, the number of shares of common stock reserved for issuance under the 2023 Plan will automatically increase on January 1 of each year, beginning on January 1, 2024, and continuing through and including January 1, 2033, by 5% of the total number of shares of common stock outstanding on December 31 of the immediately preceding calendar year, or a lesser number of shares determined by the Company’s Board of Directors prior to the applicable January 1. Upon adoption, the maximum number of shares of common stock that may be issued under the 2023 ESPP was initially 238,600 shares. The number of shares of common stock reserved for issuance under the 2023 ESPP will automatically increase on January 1 of each calendar year, beginning on January 1, 2024 and continuing through and including January 1, 2033, by the lesser of (i) 1% of the total number of shares of capital stock outstanding on December 31 of the preceding calendar year, (ii) 477,200 shares and (iii) a number of shares determined by the Company’s Board of Directors. Shares subject to purchase rights granted under the 2023 ESPP that terminate without having been exercised in full will not reduce the number of shares available for issuance under the 2023 ESPP.

On January 1, 2024, the number of shares of common stock reserved for issuance under the 2023 Plan and the 2023 ESPP automatically increased by 1,333,424 shares and 266,684 shares, respectively, to totals of 6,070,424 shares and 505,284 shares, respectively. As of September 30, 2024, 2,175,005 shares and 505,284 shares were available for future issuance under the 2023 Plan and 2023 ESPP, respectively. No shares have been issued under the 2023 ESPP through September 30, 2024.

Stock option activity

Stock options granted under the 2021 Plan generally (i) are subject to requisite service requirements, (ii) vest over a four-year period with 25% of the options granted vesting after one year and the remainder vesting in equal monthly installments over the following 36 months, and (iii) allow for early exercise subject to repurchase. Stock options granted under the 2021 Plan to certain of the Company’s non-employees vest in equal monthly installments over a four-year period or vested upon the achievement of a certain milestone event. The Company did not repurchase any shares of common stock during the three months ended September 30, 2024, and repurchased a total of 2,991 shares of common stock issued pursuant to the early exercise of stock options granted under the 2021 Plan for a total of approximately $13,000 during the nine months ended September 30, 2024, which was recorded to treasury stock in the Company's condensed balance sheet (see Note 8).

Stock options granted under the 2023 Plan generally (i) are subject to requisite service requirements, and (ii) vest over a four-year period with 25% of the options granted vesting after one year and the remainder vesting in equal monthly installments over the following 36 months. Stock options granted under the 2023 Plan to certain of the Company's non-employees vest in equal annual installments over a three-year period or over a one-year period.

The weighted-average grant date fair value of stock options granted during the nine months ended September 30, 2023 was $13.71 per share. The aggregate intrinsic value of stock options is calculated as the difference between the exercise price of the stock options and the fair value of the Company’s common stock for those stock options that had exercise prices lower than the fair value of the Company’s common stock. The total intrinsic value of stock options exercised during the nine months ended September 30, 2023 was $39,000.

The total grant date fair values of stock options vested during the three months ended September 30, 2024 and September 30, 2023 were $1.3 million and $1.0 million, respectively. The total grant date fair values of stock options vested during the nine months ended September 30, 2024 and September 30, 2023 were $2.9 million and $1.8 million, respectively.

The expected dividend yield is 0.00% as the Company has never paid cash dividends and does not expect to pay any cash dividends in the foreseeable future.

RSU activity

RSUs granted under the 2023 Plan generally (i) are subject to requisite service requirements, and (ii) vest over a four-year period with 25% of the RSUs granted vesting after approximately one year and the remainder vesting in equal quarterly installments over the following 12 quarters.

Stock-based compensation expense

As of September 30, 2024, there was $20.8 million of unrecognized stock-based compensation expense related to unvested stock options and RSUs estimated to be recognized over a weighted-average period of 1.37 years.

5. Accrued Expenses and Other Current Liabilities

Basic and diluted net loss per common share attributable to common stockholders was calculated as follows:

Accrued expenses and other current liabilities consisted of the following:

During our last fiscal quarter, the following officer, as defined in Rule 16a-1(f), adopted a “Rule 10b5-1 trading arrangement” as defined in Regulation S-K Item 408, as follows:

On August 30, 2024, R. Nolan Townsend, our Chief Executive Officer and a member of our board of directors, adopted a Rule 10b5-1 trading arrangement providing for the sale from time to time of an aggregate of up to 115,000 shares of common stock, commencing on January 2, 2025. The trading arrangement is intended to satisfy the affirmative defense in Rule 10b5-1(c). The duration of the trading arrangement is until August 15, 2025, or earlier if all transactions under the trading arrangement are completed.

No other officers, as defined in Rule 16a-1(f), or directors adopted or terminated a “Rule 10b5-1 trading arrangement” or a “non-Rule 10b5-1 trading arrangement,” as defined in Regulation S-K Item 408, during the last fiscal quarter.