grepcent / static financial knowledge base

Disc Medicine, Inc. (IRON)

CIK: 0001816736. SIC: 2834 Pharmaceutical Preparations. Latest 10-K as of: 2026-02-26.

SIC breadcrumb: Manufacturing > Chemicals And Allied Products > SIC 2834 Pharmaceutical Preparations

SEC company page: https://www.sec.gov/edgar/browse/?CIK=1816736. Latest filing source: 0001193125-26-073602.

Informational only - descriptive public-record data, not investment advice.

Business

Read IRON's verbatim Item 1 Business section from its latest 10-K: Business.

Risk Factors

Read IRON's verbatim Item 1A Risk Factors from its latest 10-K: Risk Factors.

Selected Fundamentals

MetricValueUnitFYFiled
Net income-212,184,000USD20252026-02-26
Assets806,879,000USD20252026-02-26

Financials

Annual standardized facts from SEC companyfacts as of latest extracted filing date 2026-02-26. Source: https://data.sec.gov/api/xbrl/companyfacts/CIK0001816736.json. Derived margins, ratios, and free cash flow are computed from the extracted annual SEC facts.

Download these verified figures (annual + quarterly, with per-value filing provenance): JSON · CSV

Flow metrics use full-year FY periods from 10-K/10-K/A filings; balance-sheet metrics use FY-end instants. Free cash flow = operating cash flow - capital expenditures. Missing metrics are omitted rather than fabricated.

Metric2019202020212022202320242025
Net income-40,837,000-35,969,000-46,827,000-76,429,000-109,357,000-212,184,000
Operating income-34,040,000-30,933,000-47,475,000-91,125,000-129,720,000-236,022,000
Diluted EPS-40.95-45.05-3.42-3.96-6.01
Operating cash flow-32,708,000-27,534,000-42,252,000-73,462,000-93,926,000-180,393,000
Capital expenditures22,00068,000151,00089,000505,000933,000
Assets8,319,00092,411,000200,205,000367,996,000496,773,000806,879,000
Liabilities30,180,00014,758,00023,605,00022,875,00053,186,00067,053,000
Stockholders' equity-10,432,000-28,809,000-64,203,000176,600,000345,121,000443,587,000739,826,000
Cash and cash equivalents4,503,00088,036,000194,611,000360,382,000192,434,00091,145,000
Free cash flow-32,730,000-27,602,000-42,403,000-73,551,000-94,431,000-181,326,000

Ratios

ROE and ROA use period-end equity/assets. Liabilities / equity uses total liabilities divided by stockholders' equity. Current ratio uses current assets divided by current liabilities when both are reported.

Metric2019202020212022202320242025
Return on equity-26.52%-22.15%-24.65%-28.68%
Return on assets-38.92%-23.39%-20.77%-22.01%-26.30%
Liabilities / equity0.130.070.120.09
Current ratio0.206.748.7917.0621.1721.94

Industry Peer Context

Each number-line places IRON against the min, median, and max of latest reported values among companies in the same SIC industry when at least three peers report that ratio.

ROE peer context

IRON ROE versus SIC peer range. Source: grepcent computed from latest SEC companyfacts ratios for SIC industry 2834; peer count 170.IRON ROE versus SIC peer range. Source: grepcent computed from latest SEC companyfacts ratios for SIC industry 2834; peer count 170.170 SIC peersMin -441.6%Median -31.4%Max 128.7%IRON -28.7%

ROA peer context

IRON ROA versus SIC peer range. Source: grepcent computed from latest SEC companyfacts ratios for SIC industry 2834; peer count 186.IRON ROA versus SIC peer range. Source: grepcent computed from latest SEC companyfacts ratios for SIC industry 2834; peer count 186.186 SIC peersMin -163.7%Median -21.9%Max 71.5%IRON -26.3%

Financial Bridges

Waterfall figures reconcile reported SEC companyfacts components. Missing bridges are omitted when required components are not present for the same fiscal year.

Free cash flow = operating cash flow - capital expenditures

IRON FY2025 free cash flow bridge from reported figures.IRON FY2025 free cash flow bridge from reported figures.IRON free cash flow bridgeFY2025: operating cash flow less capital expendituresSource: SEC companyfacts FY2025.Free cash flow bridgeReported amount-$250.0M$0.0B$250.0M-$180.4MOperating cash flow-$933.0KCapex-$181.3MFree cash flow

Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts FY 2025. Operating cash flow: accession 0001193125-26-073602; concept NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities; source concepts us-gaap:NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities | Capital expenditures: accession 0001193125-26-073602; concept PaymentsToAcquirePropertyPlantAndEquipment; source concepts us-gaap:PaymentsToAcquirePropertyPlantAndEquipment | Free cash flow: accession 0001193125-26-073602; concept NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities - PaymentsToAcquirePropertyPlantAndEquipment; source concepts us-gaap:NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities; us-gaap:PaymentsToAcquirePropertyPlantAndEquipment

Financial Charts

IRON net income, last 5 periods. Source: SEC companyfacts FY2025.IRON net income, last 5 periods. Source: SEC companyfacts FY2025.IRON Net incomeLatest point: FY2025 = -$212.2MSource: SEC companyfacts FY2025.Fiscal yearNet income-$250.0M-$125.0M$0.0BFY2021FY2022FY2023FY2024FY2025

Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0001193125-26-073602; filed 2026-02-26. Concept: NetIncomeLoss. Source concepts: us-gaap:NetIncomeLoss.

IRON operating income, last 5 periods. Source: SEC companyfacts FY2025.IRON operating income, last 5 periods. Source: SEC companyfacts FY2025.IRON Operating incomeLatest point: FY2025 = -$236.0MSource: SEC companyfacts FY2025.Fiscal yearOperating income-$250.0M-$125.0M$0.0BFY2021FY2022FY2023FY2024FY2025

Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0001193125-26-073602; filed 2026-02-26. Concept: OperatingIncomeLoss. Source concepts: us-gaap:OperatingIncomeLoss.

IRON diluted eps, last 5 periods. Source: SEC companyfacts FY2025.IRON diluted eps, last 5 periods. Source: SEC companyfacts FY2025.IRON Diluted EPSLatest point: FY2025 = -$6.01/shareSource: SEC companyfacts FY2025.Fiscal yearDiluted EPS (USD/share)-$50.00/share-$25.00/share$0.00/shareFY2021FY2022FY2023FY2024FY2025

Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0001193125-26-073602; filed 2026-02-26. Concept: EarningsPerShareDiluted. Source concepts: us-gaap:EarningsPerShareDiluted.

IRON operating cash flow, last 5 periods. Source: SEC companyfacts FY2025.IRON operating cash flow, last 5 periods. Source: SEC companyfacts FY2025.IRON Operating cash flowLatest point: FY2025 = -$180.4MSource: SEC companyfacts FY2025.Fiscal yearOperating cash flow-$250.0M-$125.0M$0.0BFY2021FY2022FY2023FY2024FY2025

Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0001193125-26-073602; filed 2026-02-26. Concept: NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities. Source concepts: us-gaap:NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities.

IRON capital expenditures, last 5 periods. Source: SEC companyfacts FY2025.IRON capital expenditures, last 5 periods. Source: SEC companyfacts FY2025.IRON Capital expendituresLatest point: FY2025 = $933.0KSource: SEC companyfacts FY2025.Fiscal yearCapital expenditures$0.0B$125.0M$250.0MFY2021FY2022FY2023FY2024FY2025

Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0001193125-26-073602; filed 2026-02-26. Concept: PaymentsToAcquirePropertyPlantAndEquipment. Source concepts: us-gaap:PaymentsToAcquirePropertyPlantAndEquipment.

IRON assets, last 5 periods. Source: SEC companyfacts FY2025.IRON assets, last 5 periods. Source: SEC companyfacts FY2025.IRON AssetsLatest point: FY2025 = $806.9MSource: SEC companyfacts FY2025.Fiscal yearAssets$0.0B$500.0M$1.0BFY2021FY2022FY2023FY2024FY2025

Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0001193125-26-073602; filed 2026-02-26. Concept: Assets. Source concepts: us-gaap:Assets.

IRON liabilities, last 5 periods. Source: SEC companyfacts FY2025.IRON liabilities, last 5 periods. Source: SEC companyfacts FY2025.IRON LiabilitiesLatest point: FY2025 = $67.1MSource: SEC companyfacts FY2025.Fiscal yearLiabilities$0.0B$125.0M$250.0MFY2021FY2022FY2023FY2024FY2025

Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0001193125-26-073602; filed 2026-02-26. Concept: Liabilities. Source concepts: us-gaap:Liabilities.

IRON stockholders' equity, last 5 periods. Source: SEC companyfacts FY2025.IRON stockholders' equity, last 5 periods. Source: SEC companyfacts FY2025.IRON Stockholders' equityLatest point: FY2025 = $739.8MSource: SEC companyfacts FY2025.Fiscal yearStockholders' equity-$250.0M$0.0B$1.0BFY2021FY2022FY2023FY2024FY2025

Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0001193125-26-073602; filed 2026-02-26. Concept: StockholdersEquity. Source concepts: us-gaap:StockholdersEquity.

IRON cash and cash equivalents, last 5 periods. Source: SEC companyfacts FY2025.IRON cash and cash equivalents, last 5 periods. Source: SEC companyfacts FY2025.IRON Cash and cash equivalentsLatest point: FY2025 = $91.1MSource: SEC companyfacts FY2025.Fiscal yearCash and cash equivalents$0.0B$250.0M$500.0MFY2021FY2022FY2023FY2024FY2025

Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0001193125-26-073602; filed 2026-02-26. Concept: CashAndCashEquivalentsAtCarryingValue. Source concepts: us-gaap:CashAndCashEquivalentsAtCarryingValue.

IRON free cash flow, last 5 periods. Source: SEC companyfacts FY2025.IRON free cash flow, last 5 periods. Source: SEC companyfacts FY2025.IRON Free cash flowLatest point: FY2025 = -$181.3MSource: SEC companyfacts FY2025.Fiscal yearFree cash flow-$250.0M-$125.0M$0.0BFY2021FY2022FY2023FY2024FY2025

Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0001193125-26-073602; filed 2026-02-26. Concept: NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities - PaymentsToAcquirePropertyPlantAndEquipment. Source concepts: us-gaap:NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities; us-gaap:PaymentsToAcquirePropertyPlantAndEquipment.

Quarterly

Quarterly standardized facts from SEC companyfacts as of latest extracted filing date 2026-07-30. Source: https://data.sec.gov/api/xbrl/companyfacts/CIK0001816736.json.

Flow metrics use discrete quarter-length periods from 10-Q/10-Q/A filings. Q4 revenue and net income are derived only when annual FY and nine-month YTD facts exist for the same fiscal year; derived Q4 values are labeled. EPS Q4 is not derived.

QuarterEnd DateRevenueNet IncomeDiluted EPSMethod
2022-Q32022-09-30-0.08reported discrete quarter
2023-Q12023-03-31-1.20reported discrete quarter
2023-Q22023-06-30-0.74reported discrete quarter
2023-Q32023-06-30-15,947,000reported discrete quarter
2023-Q32023-09-30-0.58reported discrete quarter
2023-Q42023-12-31-23,579,000derived Q4 = FY annual - nine-month YTD
2024-Q12024-03-31-26,949,000-1.09reported discrete quarter
2024-Q22024-03-31-26,949,000reported discrete quarter
2024-Q22024-06-30-1.03reported discrete quarter
2024-Q32024-06-30-26,352,000reported discrete quarter
2024-Q32024-09-30-0.89reported discrete quarter
2024-Q42024-12-31-29,457,000derived Q4 = FY annual - nine-month YTD
2025-Q12025-03-31-34,085,000-1.02reported discrete quarter
2025-Q22025-03-31-34,085,000reported discrete quarter
2025-Q22025-06-30-1.58reported discrete quarter
2025-Q32025-06-30-55,247,000reported discrete quarter
2025-Q32025-09-30-1.77reported discrete quarter
2025-Q42025-12-31-60,531,000derived Q4 = FY annual - nine-month YTD
2026-Q12026-03-31-63,504,000-1.65reported discrete quarter
2026-Q22026-03-31-63,504,000reported discrete quarter
2026-Q22026-06-30-1.54reported discrete quarter

Quarterly Charts

IRON quarterly net income, last 12 periods. Source: SEC companyfacts 2026-Q2.IRON quarterly net income, last 12 periods. Source: SEC companyfacts 2026-Q2.IRON Quarterly Net incomeLatest point: 2026-Q2 = -$63.5MSource: SEC companyfacts 2026-Q2.Fiscal quarterQuarterly Net income-$250.0M-$125.0M$0.0B2023-Q32023-Q42024-Q12024-Q22024-Q32024-Q42025-Q12025-Q22025-Q32025-Q42026-Q12026-Q2

Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2026 ended 2026-03-31; accession 0001193125-26-205192; filed 2026-05-05. Concept: NetIncomeLoss. Source concepts: us-gaap:NetIncomeLoss.

IRON quarterly diluted eps, last 12 periods. Source: SEC companyfacts 2026-Q2.IRON quarterly diluted eps, last 12 periods. Source: SEC companyfacts 2026-Q2.IRON Quarterly Diluted EPSLatest point: 2026-Q2 = -$1.54/shareSource: SEC companyfacts 2026-Q2.Fiscal quarterQuarterly Diluted EPS (USD/share)-$2.00/share-$1.00/share$0.00/share2022-Q32023-Q12023-Q22023-Q32024-Q12024-Q22024-Q32025-Q12025-Q22025-Q32026-Q12026-Q2

Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2026 ended 2026-06-30; accession 0001193125-26-325034; filed 2026-07-30. Concept: EarningsPerShareDiluted. Source concepts: us-gaap:EarningsPerShareDiluted.

Macro Cross-References

Latest quarter (10-Q)

Latest 10-Q source: 0001193125-26-325034.

Extracted structurally from real Item 2 body heading to real Item 3/4 boundary. Confidence: high. Filing date: 2026-07-30. Report date: 2026-06-30.

ITEM 2. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements and related notes appearing at the beginning of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and our audited consolidated financial statements and related notes appearing at the end of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025. Some of the information contained in this discussion and analysis or set forth elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, including information with respect to our plans and strategy for our business, includes forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. As a result of many factors, including those factors set forth in the “Risk Factors” section of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, our actual results could differ materially from the results described in, or implied by, the forward-looking statements contained in the following discussion and analysis.

Overview

We are a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development, and commercialization of novel treatments for patients suffering from serious hematologic diseases. We have assembled a portfolio of clinical and preclinical product candidates that aim to modify fundamental biological pathways associated with the formation and function of red blood cells, specifically heme biosynthesis and iron homeostasis. Our current pipeline includes bitopertin for the treatment of erythropoietic porphyrias, or EPs, including erythropoietic protoporphyria, or EPP, and X-linked protoporphyria, or XLP; selcodebart (DISC-0974) for the treatment of anemia of myelofibrosis, or MF, and anemia of inflammatory bowel disease, or IBD; and DISC-3405 for the treatment of polycythemia vera, or PV, sickle cell disease, or SCD, and other hematologic disorders. In addition, our preclinical programs include DISC-0998 for the treatment of anemia associated with inflammatory diseases. Our approach to product candidate development leverages well-understood molecular mechanisms that have been validated in humans. We believe that each of our product candidates, if approved, has the potential to improve the lives of patients suffering from hematologic diseases.

Heme Biosynthesis: Bitopertin

Bitopertin is the lead product candidate in our heme biosynthesis modulation portfolio. Bitopertin was previously evaluated by F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd and Hoffmann-La Roche Inc., or collectively, Roche, in a comprehensive clinical program in over 4,000 individuals in other indications which demonstrated the activity of bitopertin as a glycine transporter 1, or GlyT1, inhibitor and its effect on heme biosynthesis. We are initially developing bitopertin for the treatment of EPs, including EPP and XLP, which are part of a group of severe diseases, known as porphyrias, caused by defects in the heme biosynthesis pathway that cause an accumulation of toxic metabolites referred to as porphyrins, resulting in skin hypersensitivity to sunlight and some types of artificial light.

We have completed two Phase 2 clinical trials of bitopertin: BEACON, an open-label, parallel-dose clinical trial in EPP and XLP patients conducted at sites in Australia, and AURORA, a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial in EPP patients conducted at sites in the United States. In both trials, bitopertin significantly reduced the toxic metabolite, protoporphyrin IX, or PPIX, and was associated with improvements in measures of time spent in sunlight and quality of life. In addition, bitopertin was generally well-tolerated. All participants in AURORA and BEACON were eligible to participate in HELIOS, an ongoing open-label, long-term extension study of bitopertin in EPP and XLP patients. Interim data from HELIOS, presented in June 2025 and June 2026, demonstrated that longer term treatment of bitopertin was associated with sustained reductions in PPIX, as well as improvements in quality of life and liver biomarkers. Bitopertin is also currently being studied in APOLLO, a Phase 3, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, clinical trial of bitopertin in EPP and XLP patients that we initiated in May 2025. In September 2025 we submitted a New Drug Application, or NDA, for accelerated approval of bitopertin in EPP and XLP in the United States based on our Phase 2 data. The FDA accepted our NDA for review in November 2025 and in February 2026 issued a complete response letter, or CRL. The FDA concluded that the AURORA and BEACON trials did not show evidence of association between percent change in PPIX and sunlight exposure-based endpoints as measured in the trials, resulting in uncertainty regarding whether bitopertin’s effect on PPIX is reasonably likely to predict clinical benefit, despite the strong mechanistic and biological plausibility supporting the use of the PPIX biomarker in protoporphyria. In our Type A meeting during the second quarter of 2026, the FDA indicated that results of the ongoing Phase 3 APOLLO trial, if successful, could serve as the basis for a response to the CRL and could potentially support a traditional approval. We completed enrollment in APOLLO (n=183) in the first quarter of 2026 and expect to report topline data in the fourth quarter of 2026. If successful, we plan to submit a response to the CRL and would then anticipate an FDA decision on our NDA by mid-2027.

Our APOLLO clinical trial is also intended to serve as a registrational trial with respect to any potential future marketing applications for bitopertin in EPP and XLP outside the United States. We continue to evaluate potential additional trials of bitopertin in other indications.

Iron Homeostasis: Selcodebart (DISC-0974) and DISC-3405

Selcodebart is the lead product candidate in our iron homeostasis portfolio and was licensed from AbbVie Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG, or AbbVie. Selcodebart is designed to suppress hepcidin production and increase serum iron levels. We completed a Phase 1 clinical trial in healthy volunteers in the United States in June 2022, with results showing an acceptable tolerability profile and

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evidence of target engagement, iron mobilization and augmented erythropoiesis. We initiated a Phase 1b/2 clinical trial in June 2022 in patients with anemia of MF, with results from the Phase 1b portion of this clinical trial showing substantial and sustained reductions in hepcidin levels and increases in iron alongside strong hematologic responses across patient types and an acceptable tolerability profile. We initiated RALLY-MF, the open-label Phase 2 portion of this clinical trial, in December 2024 and reported initial data in December 2025 and interim data in June 2026, with results demonstrating meaningful overall anemia responses across all patient subgroups, regardless of baseline transfusion status and independent of concomitant Janus Kinase, or JAK, inhibitor therapy use. We expect to share additional data in the fourth quarter of 2026. If positive, we expect to hold an end-of-Phase 2 meeting with the FDA for selcodebart in anemia of MF by the end of 2026. We also initiated RALLY-IBD, a Phase 2 clinical trial of selcodebart in patients with IBD and anemia in the first quarter of 2026, with initial data anticipated in 2027, and we are planning exploratory studies in additional patient populations with anemia of chronic disease. We are also developing a preclinical anti-hemojuvelin, or HJV, monoclonal antibody, DISC-0998, which also targets hepcidin suppression and was licensed from AbbVie. DISC-0998 is designed to increase serum iron levels and has an extended serum half-life as compared to selcodebart. We believe this profile may be desirable in certain subsets of patients with anemia associated with inflammatory diseases.

In addition, we are developing DISC-3405, a monoclonal antibody against Transmembrane Serine Protease 6, or TMPRSS6, that we licensed from Mabwell Therapeutics, Inc., or Mabwell. DISC-3405 is part of our iron homeostasis portfolio and is designed to induce hepcidin production and reduce serum iron levels. We initiated a Phase 1 clinical trial of DISC-3405 in healthy adult volunteers in October 2023 and presented interim data from the single-ascending dose, or SAD, portion of this clinical trial in June 2024. We presented data from the multiple ascending dose, or MAD, portion of this clinical trial in December 2024, and presented updated data from both the SAD and MAD portions of this clinical trial in June 2025, with results showing an acceptable tolerability profile and evidence of target engagement, including dose-related increases in serum hepcidin and corresponding reductions in serum iron across all dose levels. We are developing DISC-3405 for the treatment of PV, SCD, and other hematologic disorders. We initiated RESTORE-PV, an open-label Phase 2 clinical trial of DISC-3405 in patients with PV, in June 2025, with initial data expected in the third quarter of 2026. We also initiated a Phase 1b, open-label clinical trial of DISC-3405 in patients with SCD in October 2025, with initial data expected in the fourth quarter of 2026, and plan to explore the role of therapeutic iron restriction in other indications.

Funding

As of June 30, 2026, we had cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities of $717.7 million. We believe that our cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities will be sufficient to fund our current operating and capital expenditure plans and our debt service obligations into 2029, without taking into account any potential net cash inflows from bitopertin or any other marketed product, if approved during such period. We have based these estimates on assumptions that may prove to be wrong, and we could exhaust our available capital resources sooner than we expect. See "Liquidity and Capital Resources" for additional details.

Financial Operations Overview

Revenue

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

Operating Expenses

Research and Development Expenses

Research and development expenses consist primarily of costs incurred in connection with the research and development of our product candidates. These expenses include:


employee-related expenses, including salaries, benefits, and stock-based compensation expense, for personnel engaged in research and development functions;


expenses incurred in connection with our research and development activities, including under agreements with third parties such as consultants, contractors and contract research organizations, or CROs;


costs related to contract development and manufacturing organizations, or CDMOs, that are primarily engaged to provide drug substance and product for our preclinical studies, clinical trials and research and development programs, as well as investigative sites and consultants that conduct our clinical trials, preclinical studies and other scientific development services;


the costs of acquiring and manufacturing preclinical study and clinical trial materials, including manufacturing registration and validation batches;

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costs related to compliance with quality and regulatory requirements; and


payments made under third-party licensing agreements.

We expense research and development costs as incurred. Costs incurred for external development activities are recognized based on an evaluation of the progress to completion of specific tasks

[Excerpt truncated for page length; source filing is linked above.]

Latest 10-K MD&A

Extracted from a substantive MD&A body after the formal Item 7 span was a TOC or reference stub. Confidence: high. Filing date: 2026-02-26. Report date: 2025-12-31.

Overview

We are a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development, and commercialization of novel treatments for patients suffering from serious hematologic diseases. We have assembled a portfolio of clinical and preclinical product candidates that aim to modify fundamental biological pathways associated with the formation and function of red blood cells, specifically heme biosynthesis and iron homeostasis. Our current pipeline includes bitopertin for the treatment of erythropoietic porphyrias, or EPs, including erythropoietic protoporphyria, or EPP, and X-linked protoporphyria, or XLP; DISC-0974 for the treatment of anemia of myelofibrosis, or MF, and anemia of inflammatory bowel disease, or IBD; and DISC-3405 for the treatment of polycythemia vera, or PV, sickle cell disease, or SCD, and other hematologic disorders. In addition, our preclinical programs include DISC-0998 for the treatment of anemia associated with inflammatory diseases. Our approach to product candidate development leverages well-understood molecular mechanisms that have been validated in humans. We believe that each of our product candidates, if approved, has the potential to improve the lives of patients suffering from hematologic diseases.

Heme Biosynthesis: Bitopertin

Bitopertin is the lead product candidate in our heme biosynthesis modulation portfolio. Bitopertin was previously evaluated by F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd and Hoffmann-La Roche Inc., or collectively, Roche, in a comprehensive clinical program in over 4,000 individuals in other indications which demonstrated the activity of bitopertin as a glycine transporter 1, or GlyT1, inhibitor and its effect on heme biosynthesis. We are initially developing bitopertin for the treatment of EPs, including EPP and XLP, which are part of a group of severe diseases, known as porphyrias, caused by defects in the heme biosynthesis pathway that cause an accumulation of toxic metabolites referred to as porphyrins, resulting in skin hypersensitivity to sunlight and some types of artificial light.

We have completed two Phase 2 clinical trials of bitopertin: BEACON, an open-label, parallel-dose clinical trial in EPP and XLP patients conducted at sites in Australia, and AURORA, a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial in EPP patients conducted at sites in the United States. In both trials, bitopertin significantly reduced the toxic metabolite, protoporphyrin IX, or PPIX, and was associated with improvements in measures of time spent in sunlight and quality of life. In addition, bitopertin was generally well-tolerated. All participants in AURORA and BEACON were eligible to participate in HELIOS, an ongoing open-label, long-term extension study of bitopertin in EPP and XLP patients. Interim data from HELIOS, presented in June 2025, demonstrated that longer term treatment of bitopertin was associated with sustained reductions in PPIX, as well as improvements in quality of life and liver biomarkers. In our end-of-Phase 2 meeting in September 2024, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration, or the FDA, agreed with the potential for reduction of PPIX to serve as a surrogate endpoint to support a potential accelerated approval of bitopertin in EPP and XLP. In our Type C meeting in December 2024, we aligned with the FDA on the design of APOLLO, a Phase 3, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, clinical trial of bitopertin in EPP and XLP patients that in the setting of an accelerated approval would serve as a post-marketing confirmatory trial. We initiated the APOLLO trial in May 2025 and in September 2025 we submitted a New Drug Application, or NDA, for accelerated approval of bitopertin in EPP and XLP in the United States based on our existing data. In October 2025, we were awarded a Commissioner’s National Priority Voucher, or CNPV, from the FDA for bitopertin in EPP and XLP. The CNPV program, announced in June 2025, is designed to accelerate the development and review of certain drugs aligned with US national health priorities. The FDA accepted our NDA for review in November 2025 and in February 2026 issued a complete response letter, or CRL. Although the FDA agreed that clinical data from AURORA and BEACON provided sufficient evidence that bitopertin significantly lowers whole blood metal-free PPIX, the FDA concluded that the trials did not show evidence of association between percent change in PPIX and sunlight exposure-based endpoints as measured in the trials. As such, the FDA determined that there is uncertainty regarding whether bitopertin’s effect on PPIX is reasonably likely to predict clinical benefit, despite the strong mechanistic and biological plausibility supporting the use of the PPIX biomarker in protoporphyria. The FDA indicated that results of the ongoing APOLLO trial could serve as evidence to support a potential traditional approval, and we plan to request a Type A meeting to review our approach with the FDA. We expect to report topline data from APOLLO in the fourth quarter of 2026, following which we plan to submit a response to the CRL.

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Our APOLLO clinical trial is also intended to serve as a registrational trial with respect to any potential future marketing applications for bitopertin in EPP and XLP outside the United States. We continue to evaluate potential additional trials of bitopertin in other indications.

Iron Homeostasis: DISC-0974 and DISC-3405

DISC-0974 is the lead product candidate in our iron homeostasis portfolio and was licensed from AbbVie Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG, or AbbVie. DISC-0974 is designed to suppress hepcidin production and increase serum iron levels. We completed a Phase 1 clinical trial in healthy volunteers in the United States in June 2022, with results showing an acceptable tolerability profile and evidence of target engagement, iron mobilization and augmented erythropoiesis. We initiated a Phase 1b/2 clinical trial in June 2022 in patients with anemia of MF, with results from the Phase 1b portion of this clinical trial showing substantial and sustained reductions in hepcidin levels and increases in iron alongside strong hematologic responses across patient types and an acceptable tolerability profile. We initiated RALLY-MF, the open-label Phase 2 portion of this clinical trial, in December 2024 and reported initial data from this Phase 2 trial in December 2025, with results demonstrating meaningful overall anemia responses across all patient subgroups, regardless of baseline transfusion status and independent of concomitant Janus Kinase, or JAK, inhibitor therapy use. Topline data from this trial is expected in the second half of 2026, which, if positive, is expected to support discussions with regulatory agencies on the potential regulatory path for DISC-0974 in anemia of MF. We initiated a Phase 2 clinical trial of DISC-0974 in patients with IBD and anemia in the first quarter of 2026, and we are planning exploratory studies in additional patient populations with anemia of chronic disease. We are also developing a preclinical anti-hemojuvelin, or HJV, monoclonal antibody, DISC-0998, which also targets hepcidin suppression and was licensed from AbbVie. DISC-0998 is designed to increase serum iron levels and has an extended serum half-life as compared to DISC-0974. We believe this profile may be desirable in certain subsets of patients with anemia associated with inflammatory diseases.

In addition, we are developing DISC-3405, a monoclonal antibody against Transmembrane Serine Protease 6, or TMPRSS6, that we licensed from Mabwell Therapeutics, Inc., or Mabwell. DISC-3405 is part of our iron homeostasis portfolio and is designed to induce hepcidin production and reduce serum iron levels. We initiated a Phase 1 clinical trial of DISC-3405 in healthy adult volunteers in October 2023 and presented interim data from the single-ascending dose, or SAD, portion of this clinical trial in June 2024. We presented data from the multiple ascending dose, or MAD, portion of this clinical trial in December 2024, and presented updated data from both the SAD and MAD portions of this clinical trial in June 2025, with results showing an acceptable tolerability profile and evidence of target engagement, including dose-related increases in serum hepcidin and corresponding reductions in serum iron across all dose levels. We are developing DISC-3405 for the treatment of PV, SCD, and other hematologic disorders. We initiated RESTORE-PV, an open-label Phase 2 clinical trial of DISC-3405 in patients with PV, in the first half of 2025, with initial data expected in the second half of 2026. We also initiated a Phase 1b, open-label clinical trial of DISC-3405 in patients with SCD in October 2025, with initial data expected in the second half of 2026, and plan to explore the role of therapeutic iron restriction in other indications.

Funding

In October 2025 we completed an underwritten offering of shares of our common stock and pre-funded warrants for net proceeds of $211.0 million, after deducting offering expenses. As of December 31, 2025, we had cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities of $791.2 million. We believe that our cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities, will be sufficient to fund our current operating and capital expenditure plans and our debt service obligations into 2029, without taking into account any potential net cash inflows from bitopertin or any other marketed product, if approved during such period. We have based these estimates on assumptions that may prove to be wrong, and we could exhaust our available capital resources sooner than we expect. See "Liquidity and Capital Resources" for additional details.

Financial Operations Overview

Revenue

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

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Operating Expenses

Research and Development Expenses

Research and development expenses consist primarily of costs incurred in connection with the research and development of our product candidates. These expenses include:


employee-related expenses, including salaries, benefits, and stock-based compensation expense, for personnel engaged in research and development functions;


expenses incurred in connection with our research and development activities, including under agreements with third parties such as consultants, contractors and contract research organizations, or CROs;


costs related to contract development and manufacturing organizations, or CDMOs, that are primarily engaged to provide drug substance and product for our preclinical studies, clinical trials and research and development programs, as well as investigative sites and consultants that conduct our clinical trials, preclinical studies and other scientific development services;


the costs of acquiring and manufacturing preclinical study and clinical trial materials, including manufacturing registration and validation batches;


costs related to compliance with quality and regulatory requirements; and


payments made under third-party licensing agreements.

We expense research and development costs as incurred. Costs incurred for external development activities are recognized based on an evaluation of the progress to completion of specific tasks using information provided to us by our vendors. Payments for these activities are based on the terms of the individual agreements, which may differ from the pattern of costs incurred, and may be reflected in our consolidated financial statements as prepaid or accrued expenses. Nonrefundable advance payments for goods or services to be received in the future for use in research and development activities are recorded as prepaid expenses and expensed as the related goods are delivered or the services are performed or when it is no longer expected that the goods will be delivered or the services rendered.

We typically use our employee and infrastructure resources across product candidates and development programs. We track external development costs by product candidate or development program, but we do not allocate personnel costs or other internal costs to specific product candidates or development programs.

We expect that our research and development expenses will increase substantially as we advance our programs into and through clinical development. At this time, we cannot accurately estimate or know the nature, timing or costs of the efforts that will be necessary to complete their preclinical and clinical development. Changes in the outcome of any number of variables with respect to these programs could significantly affect the costs and timing associated with their development. We may never succeed in obtaining regulatory approval for any product candidates that have not yet been approved. The successful development of any product candidate is highly uncertain due to the numerous risks and uncertainties inherent in product development, including the following:


the timing and progress of preclinical and clinical development activities;


the number and scope of preclinical and clinical programs we decide to pursue;


our ability to raise additional funds to the extent necessary to complete clinical development of and commercialize our product candidates;


our ability to establish new licensing or collaboration arrangements and the progress of the development efforts of third parties with whom we may enter into such arrangements;


our ability to maintain our current research and development programs and to establish new programs;


the successful initiation, enrollment and completion of clinical trials with safety, tolerability and efficacy profiles that are satisfactory to the FDA or any comparable foreign regulatory authority;


the receipt and related terms of regulatory approvals from applicable regulatory authorities for any product candidates;


the availability of raw materials for use in production of our product candidates;


our ability to establish agreements with third-party manufacturers for supply of product candidate components for our clinical trials;

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our ability to obtain and maintain patents, trade secret protection and regulatory exclusivity, both in the United States and internationally;


our ability to protect our other rights in our intellectual property portfolio;


our ability to commercialize product candidates, if and when approved, whether alone or in collaboration with others; and


our ability to obtain and maintain third-party insurance coverage and adequate reimbursement for any approved products.

Selling, General and Administrative Expenses

Selling, general and administrative expenses consist primarily of salaries and related costs for personnel in executive, finance, commercial, corporate and business development, and administrative functions. Selling, general and administrative expenses also include legal fees relating to patent and corporate matters, including noncapitalizable transaction costs; professional fees for accounting, auditing, tax compliance and administrative consulting services; investor and public relations expenses; commercial planning and market research; director and officer insurance costs and other insurance costs; and facility related expenses including maintenance and allocated expenses for rent and other operating costs.

We anticipate that our selling, general and administrative expenses will increase substantially in the future as we increase our headcount to support our continued research and development and potential commercialization activities, including establishing the infrastructure to commercialize any product candidates for which we may obtain marketing approval.

Other Income (Expense), Net

Interest Income

Interest income primarily consists of interest earned on cash equivalents, consisting of money market funds, U.S. treasury securities and corporate debt securities, as well as marketable securities, consisting of U.S treasury securities, U.S. government agency securities and corporate debt securities.

Interest Expense

Interest expense primarily consists of amortization of debt issuance costs and discount and interest expense under the Hercules Loan Agreement.

Results of Operations

Comparison of the Years Ended December 31, 2025 and 2024

The following table summarizes our results of operations for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024 (in thousands):

Year Ended December 31,
20252024Change
Operating expenses:
Research and development$170,640$96,671$73,969
Selling, general and administrative65,38233,04932,333
Total operating expenses236,022129,720106,302
Loss from operations(236,022)(129,720)(106,302)
Other income (expense), net:
Interest income27,76121,2926,469
Interest expense(3,607)(572)(3,035)
Other income (expense)45(2)47
Total other income (expense), net24,19920,7183,481
Loss before income taxes(211,823)(109,002)(102,821)
Income tax expense(361)(355)(6)
Net loss$(212,184)$(109,357)$(102,827)

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Research and Development Expenses

The following table summarizes our research and development expenses for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024 (in thousands):

Year Ended December 31,
20252024Change
Bitopertin$58,827$28,105$30,722
DISC-097427,58616,94310,643
DISC-340517,69313,9343,759
Other research programs and expenses19,37410,1509,224
Personnel-related (including equity-based compensation)47,16027,53919,621
Total research and development expenses$170,640$96,671$73,969

Research and development expenses were $170.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2025, compared to $96.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2024. The increase of $74.0 million was primarily due to an increase of $30.7 million in bitopertin development expense consisting of a $10.0 million milestone payment triggered by the initiation of our APOLLO trial and a $20.7 million increase in ongoing costs associated with both the APOLLO study and the HELIOS long-term extension trial. Personnel-related costs increased $19.6 million related to higher research and development headcount, including an increase of $9.0 million in stock-based compensation driven by awards granted under our equity compensation plans. DISC-0974 development expenses increased $10.6 million primarily due to clinical trial advancement and drug manufacturing activities. Other research programs and expenses increased $9.2 million related to expanded research initiatives and ongoing program support. Additionally, DISC-3405 development expenses increased $3.8 million driven by a $10.0 million milestone payment triggered by the first administration to a patient in a Phase 2 clinical trial, partially offset by a decrease of $6.2 million related to manufacturing costs incurred in the year ended December 31, 2024 that did not recur in the year ended December 31, 2025.

Selling, General and Administrative Expenses

The following table summarizes our selling, general and administrative expenses for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024 (in thousands):

Year Ended December 31,
20252024Change
Personnel-related (including equity-based compensation)$36,838$19,367$17,471
Legal, consulting and professional fees22,6999,64513,054
Other expenses5,8454,0371,808
Total selling, general and administrative expenses$65,382$33,049$32,333

Selling, general and administrative expenses were $65.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2025, compared to $33.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2024. The increase of $32.3 million was primarily due to an increase of $17.5 million in personnel-related costs due to higher selling, general and administrative headcount, including an increase of $8.6 million in stock-based compensation driven by awards granted under our equity compensation plans. There was also a $13.1 million increase in legal, consulting, and professional fees primarily related to developing our commercialization capabilities.

Other Income (Expense), Net

Other income (expense), net was $24.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2025, compared to $20.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2024. The increase of $3.5 million was primarily due to higher interest income driven by larger cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities balances, partially offset by an increase in interest expense associated with our term loan.

Income Tax Expense

Income tax expense was $0.4 million for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively. This expense primarily relates to state income tax resulting from an increase in interest income.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Sources of Liquidity

Since our inception, we have not generated any revenue from product sales and have incurred significant operating losses. We expect to continue to incur significant expenses and operating losses in the foreseeable future as we advance the clinical development of our product candidates. We expect that our research and development and selling, general and administrative costs will continue to increase significantly, including in connection with conducting clinical trials and manufacturing for our product candidates to

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support commercialization and providing selling, general and administrative support for our operations, including the costs associated with operating as a public company. As a result, we may need additional capital to fund our operations, which we may obtain from additional equity or debt financings, collaborations, licensing arrangements or other sources. See “Risk Factors” included within Item 1A of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for additional risks associated with our substantial capital requirements.

To date, we have funded our operations primarily with proceeds from the sale of our convertible preferred stock and common stock, the proceeds from the merger with Gemini, proceeds from various private and public sales of our equity securities, and proceeds from borrowings under the Hercules Loan Agreement. Through December 31, 2025, we have received net proceeds of $144.5 million from sales of our Series Seed, Series A and Series B convertible preferred stock, $89.5 million from the merger with Gemini, $941.8 million from various private and public sales of our equity securities, and $27.6 million from borrowings under the Hercules Loan Agreement. As of December 31, 2025, we had cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities of $791.2 million.

We have incurred significant operating losses since inception and, as of December 31, 2025, had an accumulated deficit of $510.2 million. In addition, we expect to continue to incur significant and increasing expenses and operating losses for the foreseeable future. We believe that our cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities will be sufficient to fund our current operating and capital expenditure plans and our debt service obligations into 2029, without taking into account any potential net cash inflows from bitopertin or any other marketed product, if approved during such period. We have based these estimates on assumptions that may prove to be wrong, and we could exhaust our available capital resources sooner than we expect. We may also pursue additional cash resources through public or private equity offerings, collaborations or additional debt financing.

Cash Flows

The following table provides information regarding our cash flows for each period presented (in thousands):

Year Ended December 31,
20252024
Net cash (used in) provided by:
Operating activities$(180,393)$(93,926)
Investing activities(394,299)(292,332)
Financing activities473,407218,314
Net decrease in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash$(101,285)$(167,944)

Operating Activities

Our cash flows from operating activities are greatly influenced by our use of cash for operating expenses and working capital requirements to support our business. We have historically experienced negative cash flows from operating activities as we invested in developing our portfolio, drug discovery efforts, conducting clinical trials and manufacturing, and related infrastructure. The cash used in operating activities resulted primarily from our net losses adjusted for non-cash charges and changes in components of operating assets and liabilities, which are primarily the result of increased expenses and timing of vendor payments.

During the year ended December 31, 2025, net cash used in operating activities of $180.4 million was primarily due to our net loss of $212.2 million, offset by changes in operating assets and liabilities of $3.5 million and non-cash expenses of $28.3 million which primarily related to stock-based compensation expense of $34.3 million, reduced by $8.5 million from amortization and accretion of investment securities.

During the year ended December 31, 2024, net cash used in operating activities of $93.9 million was primarily due to our net loss of $109.4 million, offset by changes in operating assets and liabilities of $3.2 million and non-cash expenses of $12.2 million which primarily related to stock-based compensation expense of $16.8 million, reduced by $5.3 million from amortization and accretion of investment securities.

Investing Activities

During the year ended December 31, 2025, net cash used in investing activities was primarily due to purchases of marketable securities of $849.6 million, partially offset by maturities of marketable securities of $456.2 million.

During the year ended December 31, 2024, net cash used in investing activities was primarily due to purchases of marketable securities of $386.6 million, partially offset by maturities of marketable securities of $94.8 million.

Financing Activities

During the year ended December 31, 2025, net cash provided by financing activities of $473.4 million consisted primarily of aggregate net proceeds from sales of common stock and pre-funded warrants of $454.4 million from our underwritten offerings in January and October 2025, aggregate net proceeds of $9.8 million from at-the-market offerings and proceeds from the exercise of stock options of $8.6 million.

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During the year ended December 31, 2024, net cash provided by financing activities of $218.3 million consisted primarily of net proceeds of $172.5 million from the June 2024 underwritten offering, net proceeds from the issuance of long-term debt of $27.6 million, aggregate net proceeds of $14.8 million from at-the-market offerings, and proceeds from the exercise of stock options of $3.0 million.

Future Funding Requirements

We expect our expenses to continue to increase in connection with our ongoing activities, particularly as we continue the research and development of, initiate and complete clinical trials of, and seek regulatory approval for, our product candidates. In addition, depending on the status of regulatory approval, or if we obtain regulatory approval for any of our product candidates, we expect to incur significant commercialization expenses related to product sales, marketing, manufacturing and distribution. We may also need to raise additional funds sooner if we choose to pursue additional indications and/or geographies for our current or future product candidates or otherwise expand more rapidly than presently anticipated. Furthermore, we expect to continue to incur costs associated with operating as a public company. Our future capital requirements will depend on and could increase significantly as a result of many factors, including:


the timing and progress of preclinical and clinical development activities;


the number and scope of preclinical and clinical programs we decide to pursue;


our ability to raise additional funds to the extent necessary to complete clinical development of and commercialize our product candidates;


our ability to establish new and maintain existing licensing or collaboration arrangements and the progress of the development efforts of third parties with whom we may enter into such arrangements;


our ability to maintain our current research and development programs and to establish new programs;


the successful initiation, enrollment and completion of clinical trials with safety, tolerability and efficacy profiles that are satisfactory to the FDA or any comparable foreign regulatory authority;


the receipt and related terms of regulatory approvals from applicable regulatory authorities for any product candidates;


the availability of raw materials for use in production of our product candidates;


the terms of agreements with third-party manufacturers for supply of product candidate components for our clinical trials;


our ability to obtain and maintain patents, trade secret protection and regulatory exclusivity, both in the United States and internationally;


our ability to protect our other rights in our intellectual property portfolio;


commercializing product candidates, if and when approved, whether alone or in collaboration with others; and


obtaining and maintaining third-party insurance coverage and adequate reimbursement for any approved products.

Identifying potential product candidates and conducting preclinical studies and clinical trials is a time consuming, expensive and uncertain process that takes years to complete, and we may never generate the necessary data or results required to obtain marketing approval and achieve product sales. In addition, our product candidates, if approved, may not achieve commercial success. Our commercial revenues, if any, will be derived from sales of products that may take longer than we anticipate to become commercially available, if they become commercially available at all. Accordingly, we may need to obtain substantial additional funds to achieve our business objectives.

Until such time, if ever, as we can generate substantial product revenue, we expect to finance our cash needs through a combination of equity offerings, debt financings, collaborations, strategic alliances, and marketing, distribution or licensing arrangements with third parties. However, we may be unable to raise additional funds or enter into such other arrangements when needed on favorable terms or at all. To the extent that we raise additional capital through the sale of equity or convertible debt securities, the ownership interest of our existing stockholders may be materially diluted, and the terms of such securities could include liquidation or other preferences that adversely affect the rights of our common stockholders. Debt financing and preferred equity financing, if available, may involve agreements that include restrictive covenants that limit our ability to take specified actions, such as incurring additional debt, making capital expenditures or declaring dividends. If we raise funds through collaborations, strategic alliances or marketing, distribution or licensing arrangements with third parties, we may have to relinquish valuable rights to our technologies, future revenue streams, research programs or product candidates or grant licenses on terms that may not be favorable to us. If we are unable to raise additional funds through equity or debt financings or other arrangements when needed, we may be required to delay, reduce or eliminate our product development or future commercialization efforts, or grant rights to develop and market product candidates that we would otherwise prefer to develop and market ourselves.

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Contractual Obligations and Other Commitments

The following table summarizes our contractual obligations as of December 31, 2025 and the effects that such obligations are expected to have on our liquidity and cash flows in future periods (in thousands):

Payments Due by Period
TotalLess Than 1 Year1 to 3 Years3 to 5 YearsMore Than 5 Years
Operating lease commitments(1)$3,130$738$1,500$892$
Total$3,130$738$1,500$892$

(1) Amounts reflect contractual rent payments due for our leased and subleased office spaces in Watertown, Massachusetts as of December 31, 2025 and include contractual payments due under our forward-starting lease which is expected to commence in December 2026. The term date for our existing lease is December 31, 2029 and the term date for our existing sublease is November 30, 2026.

We enter into contracts in the normal course of business with CROs, CDMOs and other third parties for preclinical studies, clinical trials and manufacturing services. These contracts typically do not contain minimum purchase commitments and are generally cancelable by us upon written notice. Payments due upon cancellation consist of payments for services provided or expenses incurred, including noncancelable obligations of our service providers, up to the date of cancellation and, in the case of certain arrangements with CROs and CDMOs, may include non-cancelable fees. These payments are not included in the table above as the amount and timing of such payments are not fixed and estimable.

We have also entered into license agreements under which we are obligated to make specified milestone and royalty payments. We have not included future payments under these agreements in the table of contractual obligations above since the payment obligations under these agreements are contingent upon future events such as regulatory milestones or generating product sales. We are unable to estimate the timing or likelihood of achieving these milestones or generating future product sales. For additional information about our license agreements and amounts that could become payable in the future under such agreements, see our consolidated financial statements.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

Our management’s discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations is based on our consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, or GAAP. The preparation of our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures requires us to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, and costs and expenses in our consolidated financial statements. We base our estimates on historical experience, known trends and events and various other factors that we believe are reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. We evaluate our estimates and assumptions on an ongoing basis. Our actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions.

While our significant accounting policies are described in more detail in Note 2 - Summary of Significant Accounting Policies to our consolidated financial statements, we believe that the following accounting policies are those most critical to the judgments and estimates used in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements.

Research and Development Contract Costs and Accruals

As part of the process of preparing our consolidated financial statements, we are required to estimate our accrued and prepaid research and development expenses. This process involves reviewing open contracts and purchase orders, communicating with applicable personnel to identify services that have been performed on our behalf and estimating the level of service performed and the associated cost incurred for the service when we have not yet been invoiced or otherwise notified of actual costs. The majority of our service providers invoice us in arrears for services performed, on a pre-determined schedule or when contractual milestones are met; however, some require advance payments. We make estimates of our accrued expenses as of each balance sheet date in the consolidated financial statements based on facts and circumstances known to us at that time. We periodically confirm the accuracy of these estimates with the service providers and makes adjustments, if necessary. Examples of estimated accrued research and development expenses include fees paid to:


vendors in connection with preclinical development activities;


CROs and investigative sites in connection with preclinical studies and clinical trials; and


CDMOs in connection with the production of preclinical study and clinical trial materials.

The financial terms of these agreements are subject to negotiation, vary from contract to contract and may result in uneven payment flows. There may be instances in which payments made to our vendors will exceed the level of services provided and result in a prepayment of the expense. In accruing service fees, we estimate the time period over which services will be performed and the level of effort to be expended in each period. If the actual timing of the performance of services or the level of effort varies from

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the estimate, we adjust the accrual or the amount of prepaid expenses accordingly. Although we do not expect our estimates to be materially different from amounts actually incurred, our understanding of the status and timing of services performed relative to the actual status and timing of services performed may vary and may result in reporting amounts that are too high or too low in any particular period.

Stock-Based Compensation Expense

We measure stock-based awards granted to employees, directors, and nonemployees based on their fair value on the date of the grant and recognize compensation expense for those awards over the requisite service period, which is generally the vesting period of the respective award. For stock-based awards with service-based vesting conditions, we recognize compensation expense using the straight-line method. For stock-based awards with performance-based vesting conditions, we use the accelerated attribution method to expense the awards over the implicit service period based on the probability of achieving the performance conditions.

The fair value of each stock option grant is estimated on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model, which requires inputs based on certain subjective assumptions, including:


Fair value of our common stock: Prior to the merger with Gemini closing, we determined the estimated fair value of our common-stock based on third-party valuations and certain other relevant objective and subjective factors. See Determination of the Fair Value of Common Stock below for additional details. After the close of the merger, the fair value of our common stock is determined based on the quoted market price of our common stock.


Expected stock price volatility: Due to the lack of company-specific historical and implied volatility data, we determine the volatility for awards granted based on an analysis of reported data for a group of guideline companies that issued options with substantially similar terms. The expected volatility has been determined using a weighted average of the historical volatility measures of this group of guideline companies. We expect to continue to do so until such time that we have adequate historical data regarding the volatility of our own traded stock price.


Expected term of the option. The expected term of our stock options granted to employees has been determined utilizing the “simplified” method for awards that qualify as “plain-vanilla” options, using the average between the vesting date and the contractual term.


Risk-free interest rate. The risk-free interest rate is determined by reference to the U.S. Treasury yield curve in effect at the time of grant of the award for time periods approximately equal to the expected term of the award.


Expected dividend yield: We have not paid, and do not anticipate paying, cash dividends on our common stock; therefore, the expected dividend yield is assumed to be zero.

If any assumptions used in the Black-Scholes option pricing model changed significantly, stock-based compensation expense for future awards may differ materially compared with the expense for awards granted previously. We will continue to use judgment in evaluating the assumptions related to our stock-based compensation on a prospective basis. As we continue to accumulate additional data related to our common stock, we may refine our estimates, which could materially impact our future stock-based compensation expense.

Determination of the Fair Value of Common Stock

Prior to the merger with Gemini closing, the estimated fair value of our common stock had been determined by our board of directors as of the date of each option grant with input from management, considering our most recently available third-party valuation of common stock, and our board of directors’ assessment of additional objective and subjective factors that we believed were relevant and which may have changed from the date of the most recent valuation through the date of the grant. These third-party valuations were performed in accordance with the guidance outlined in the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants’ Accounting and Valuation Guide, Valuation of Privately-Held-Company Equity Securities Issued as Compensation.

Our common stock valuations were prepared using either an option pricing method, or OPM, or a hybrid method, both of which used market approaches to estimate our enterprise value. The OPM treats common stock and convertible preferred stock as call options on the total equity value of a company, with exercise prices based on the value thresholds at which the allocation among the various holders of a company’s securities changes. Under this method, the common stock has value only if the funds available for distribution to stockholders exceeded the value of the convertible preferred stock liquidation preferences at the time of the liquidity event, such as a strategic sale or a merger. A discount for lack of marketability of the common stock is then applied to arrive at an indication of value for the common stock.

The hybrid method is a probability-weighted expected return method, or PWERM, by which the equity value in one or more scenarios is calculated using an OPM. The PWERM is a scenario-based methodology that estimates the fair value of common stock based upon an analysis of future values for the company, assuming various outcomes. The common stock value is based on the probability-weighted present value of expected future investment returns considering each of the possible outcomes available as well as the rights of each class of stock. The future value of the common stock under each outcome is discounted back to the

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valuation date at an appropriate risk-adjusted discount rate and probability weighted to arrive at an indication of value for the common stock.

The assumptions underlying these valuations were highly complex and subjective and represented management’s best estimates, which involved inherent uncertainties and the application of management’s judgment. As a result, if we had used significantly different assumptions or estimates, the fair value of our common stock and stock-based compensation expense could be materially different.

Upon closing of the merger, a public trading market for our common stock has been established and it is no longer necessary for our board of directors to estimate the fair value of our common stock in connection with our accounting for granted stock options and other such awards we may grant, as the fair value of our common stock is now determined based on the quoted market price of our common stock

Recently Issued and Adopted Accounting Pronouncements

A description of recently issued and certain recently adopted accounting pronouncements that have or may potentially impact our financial position and results of operations is included in Note 2 - Summary of Significant Accounting Policies to our consolidated financial statements.

MD&A history

Prior-year 10-K MD&A spans are extracted from SEC filings with the same bounded parser used for the latest filing. The latest 10-K appears above; prior years are below.

FY 2024 10-K MD&A

SEC filing source: 0000950170-25-028390.

Extracted from a substantive MD&A body after the formal Item 7 span was a TOC or reference stub. Confidence: high. Filing date: 2025-02-27. Report date: 2024-12-31.

Overview

We are a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development, and commercialization of novel treatments for patients suffering from serious hematologic diseases. We have assembled a portfolio of clinical and preclinical product candidates that aim to modify fundamental biological pathways associated with the formation and function of red blood cells, specifically heme biosynthesis and iron homeostasis. Our current pipeline includes bitopertin for the treatment of erythropoietic porphyrias, or EPs, including erythropoietic protoporphyria, or EPP, and X-linked protoporphyria, or XLP, and Diamond-Blackfan Anemia, or DBA; DISC-0974 for the treatment of anemia of myelofibrosis, or MF, and anemia of chronic kidney disease, or CKD; and DISC-3405 (formerly MWTX-003) for the treatment of polycythemia vera, or PV, and other hematologic disorders. In addition, our preclinical programs also include DISC-0998 for the treatment of anemia associated with inflammatory diseases. Our approach to product candidate development leverages well-understood molecular mechanisms that have been validated in humans. We believe that each of our product candidates, if approved, has the potential to improve the lives of patients suffering from hematologic diseases.

Bitopertin is the lead product candidate in our heme biosynthesis modulation portfolio. Bitopertin was previously evaluated by F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd and Hoffmann-La Roche Inc., or collectively, Roche, in a comprehensive clinical program in over 4,000 individuals in other indications which demonstrated the activity of bitopertin as a glycine transporter 1, or GlyT1, inhibitor and its effect on heme biosynthesis. We are initially developing bitopertin for the treatment of EPs, including EPP and XLP, which are part of a group of severe diseases, known as porphyrias, caused by defects in the heme biosynthesis pathway that cause an accumulation of toxic metabolites referred to as porphyrins, resulting in skin hypersensitivity to sunlight and some types of artificial light. In June and December 2023, we presented interim data from BEACON, a Phase 2 open-label, parallel-dose clinical trial of bitopertin in EPP and XLP patients conducted at sites in Australia. In April 2024, we presented topline data from AURORA, a Phase 2, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial of bitopertin in EPP patients conducted at sites in the United States. Additional analyses of the BEACON and AURORA trials were presented in June 2024 and in December 2024. In both trials, bitopertin significantly reduced the toxic metabolite, protoporphyrin IX, or PPIX, and was associated with improvements in measures of time spent in sunlight and quality of life, demonstrating a clear association between PPIX reduction and clinical endpoints. In addition, bitopertin was generally well-tolerated. All participants in AURORA and BEACON are eligible to participate in HELIOS, an ongoing open-label, long-term extension study of bitopertin in EPP and XLP. We are also planning APOLLO, a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial of bitopertin in EPP and XLP patients. In our end-of-Phase 2 meeting, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration, or the FDA, agreed with the potential for reduction of PPIX to serve as a surrogate endpoint to support a potential accelerated approval of bitopertin in EPP and XLP. Under the FDA’s Accelerated Approval Program, we would have the potential to submit a New Drug Application, or NDA, for bitopertin in EPP and XLP based on our existing data, and we would be required to conduct a post-marketing confirmatory clinical trial. In our Type C meeting with the FDA in December 2024, we aligned with the FDA on the design of our APOLLO post-marketing confirmatory trial. We plan to initiate the APOLLO trial by mid-2025 and anticipate submitting an NDA for accelerated approval of bitopertin in EPP and XLP in the second half of 2025. We have also entered into a collaborative research and development agreement with the National Institutes of Health, or NIH, to conduct a clinical trial of bitopertin in DBA, which began in July 2023. We are planning additional trials of bitopertin in other indications.

DISC-0974 is the lead product candidate in our iron homeostasis portfolio and was licensed from AbbVie Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG, or AbbVie. DISC-0974 is designed to suppress hepcidin production and increase serum iron levels. We completed a Phase 1 clinical trial in healthy volunteers in the U.S. in June 2022 with results showing an acceptable tolerability profile and evidence of target engagement, iron mobilization and augmented erythropoiesis. We initiated a Phase 1b/2 clinical trial in June 2022 in patients with anemia of MF, and initiated a separate Phase 1b/2 clinical trial in February 2023 in patients with non-dialysis dependent CKD and anemia. We presented interim data from both of these trials in December 2023 as well as additional interim data for anemia of MF in June 2024 and non-dialysis dependent CKD and anemia in October 2024, which additional interim data included safety data and changes in hepcidin, iron, and hemoglobin levels for additional patients, as well as longer follow-up. In December 2024, we presented additional analyses of the Phase 1b study in anemia of MF and initiated the open-label Phase 2 portion of this clinical trial in patients with anemia of MF. We expect to report initial data from this Phase 2 trial in the second half of 2025. We also expect to report data from the multiple-ascending dose, or MAD, portion of the Phase 1b trial in patients with

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non-dialysis dependent CKD and anemia in the second half of 2025. We are also planning additional trials of DISC-0974 in other anemias of inflammation. In addition, we are developing a preclinical anti-hemojuvelin, or HJV, monoclonal antibody, DISC-0998, which also targets hepcidin suppression and was licensed from AbbVie. DISC-0998 is designed to increase serum iron levels and has an extended serum half-life as compared to DISC-0974. We believe this profile may be desirable in certain subsets of patients with anemia associated with inflammatory diseases.

Lastly, we are developing DISC-3405, a monoclonal antibody against Transmembrane Serine Protease 6, or TMPRSS6, that we licensed from Mabwell Therapeutics, Inc., or Mabwell. DISC-3405 is part of our iron homeostasis portfolio and is designed to induce hepcidin production and reduce serum iron levels. An IND for DISC-3405 was cleared by the FDA, and a Phase 1 clinical trial in healthy adult volunteers was initiated in October 2023. Interim data was presented from the single-ascending dose, or SAD, portion of the Phase 1 clinical trial of DISC-3405 in healthy volunteers in June 2024. We presented data from the MAD portion of the Phase 1 healthy volunteer study of DISC-3405 in December 2024. We expect to develop DISC-3405 for the treatment of PV and other hematologic disorders, and plan to initiate a Phase 2 clinical trial of DISC-3405 in PV in the first half of 2025.

As of December 31, 2024, we had cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities of $489.9 million. In January 2025 we completed an underwritten offering of shares of our common stock and pre-funded warrants for net proceeds of approximately $243.3 million, after deducting estimated offering expenses payable by us. We believe that our cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities, including the net proceeds of our January 2025 underwritten public offering, will be sufficient to fund our current operating and capital expenditure plans and our debt service obligations into 2028, without taking into account any potential net cash inflows from bitopertin or any other marketed product, if approved during such period. We have based these estimates on assumptions that may prove to be wrong, and we could exhaust our available capital resources sooner than we expect. See Liquidity and Capital Resources for additional details.

Financial Operations Overview

Revenue

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

Operating Expenses

Research and Development Expenses

Research and development expenses consist primarily of costs incurred in connection with the research and development of our product candidates. These expenses include:


employee-related expenses, including salaries, benefits, and stock-based compensation expense, for personnel engaged in research and development functions;


expenses incurred in connection with our research and development activities, including under agreements with third parties such as consultants, contractors and contract research organizations, or CROs;


costs related to contract development and manufacturing organizations, or CDMOs, that are primarily engaged to provide drug substance and product for our preclinical studies, clinical trials and research and development programs, as well as investigative sites and consultants that conduct our clinical trials, preclinical studies and other scientific development services;


the costs of acquiring and manufacturing preclinical study and clinical trial materials, including manufacturing registration and validation batches;


costs related to compliance with quality and regulatory requirements; and


payments made under third-party licensing agreements.

We expense research and development costs as incurred. Costs incurred for external development activities are recognized based on an evaluation of the progress to completion of specific tasks using information provided to us by our vendors. Payments for these activities are based on the terms of the individual agreements, which may differ from the pattern of costs incurred, and may be reflected in our consolidated financial statements as prepaid or accrued expenses. Nonrefundable advance payments for goods or services to be received in the future for use in research and development activities are recorded as prepaid expenses and expensed as the related goods are delivered or the services are performed or when it is no longer expected that the goods will be delivered or the services rendered.

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We typically use our employee and infrastructure resources across product candidates and development programs. We track external development costs by product candidate or development program, but we do not allocate personnel costs or other internal costs to specific product candidates or development programs.

We expect that our research and development expenses will increase substantially as we advance our programs into and through clinical development. At this time, we cannot accurately estimate or know the nature, timing and costs of the efforts that will be necessary to complete the preclinical and clinical development of any product candidates we may develop. A change in the outcome of any number of variables with respect to product candidates we may develop could significantly change the costs and timing associated with the development of that product candidate. We may never succeed in obtaining regulatory approval for any product candidates we may develop. The successful development of any product candidate is highly uncertain. This is due to the numerous risks and uncertainties associated with product development, including the following:


the timing and progress of preclinical and clinical development activities;


the number and scope of preclinical and clinical programs we decide to pursue;


our ability to raise additional funds to the extent necessary to complete clinical development of and commercialize our product candidates;


our ability to establish new licensing or collaboration arrangements and the progress of the development efforts of third parties with whom we may enter into such arrangements;


our ability to maintain our current research and development programs and to establish new programs;


the successful initiation, enrollment and completion of clinical trials with safety, tolerability and efficacy profiles that are satisfactory to the FDA or any comparable foreign regulatory authority;


the receipt and related terms of regulatory approvals from applicable regulatory authorities for any product candidates;


the availability of raw materials for use in production of our product candidates;


our ability to establish agreements with third-party manufacturers for supply of product candidate components for our clinical trials;


our ability to obtain and maintain patents, trade secret protection and regulatory exclusivity, both in the United States and internationally;


our ability to protect our other rights in our intellectual property portfolio;


our ability to commercialize product candidates, if and when approved, whether alone or in collaboration with others; and


our ability to obtain and maintain third-party insurance coverage and adequate reimbursement for any approved products.

Selling, General and Administrative Expenses

Selling, general and administrative expenses consist primarily of salaries and related costs for personnel in executive, finance, commercial, corporate and business development, and administrative functions. Selling, general and administrative expenses also include legal fees relating to patent and corporate matters, including noncapitalizable transaction costs; professional fees for accounting, auditing, tax compliance and administrative consulting services; investor and public relations expenses; commercial planning and market research; director and officer insurance costs and other insurance costs; and facility related expenses including maintenance and allocated expenses for rent and other operating costs.

We anticipate that our selling, general and administrative expenses will increase substantially in the future as we increase our headcount to support our continued research and development and potential commercialization activities including establishing a sales, marketing and distribution infrastructure to commercialize any product candidates for which we may obtain marketing approval.

Other Income (Expense), Net

Interest Income

Interest income primarily consists of interest earned on cash equivalents, consisting of money market funds, U.S. treasury securities and certificates of deposit, as well as marketable securities, consisting of U.S treasury securities and U.S. government agency securities.

Interest Expense

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Interest expense primarily consists of amortization of debt issuance costs and discount and interest expense under the Hercules Loan Agreement.

Results of Operations

Comparison of the Years Ended December 31, 2024 and 2023

The following table summarizes our results of operations for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 (in thousands):

Year Ended December 31,
20242023Change
Operating expenses:
Research and development$96,671$69,264$27,407
Selling, general and administrative33,04921,86111,188
Total operating expenses129,72091,12538,595
Loss from operations(129,720)(91,125)(38,595)
Other income (expense), net:
Interest income21,29214,7976,495
Interest expense(572)(572)
Other expense(2)(2)
Total other income (expense), net20,71814,7955,923
Loss before income taxes(109,002)(76,330)(32,672)
Income tax expense(355)(99)(256)
Net loss$(109,357)$(76,429)$(32,928)

Research and Development Expenses

The following table summarizes our research and development expenses for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 (in thousands):

Year Ended December 31,
20242023Change
Bitopertin$28,105$17,271$10,834
DISC-097416,9439,1367,807
DISC-340513,93420,168(6,234)
Other research programs and expenses10,1507,0663,084
Personnel-related (including equity-based compensation)27,53915,62311,916
Total research and development expenses$96,671$69,264$27,407

Research and development expenses were $96.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, compared to $69.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2023. The increase of $27.4 million was primarily due to an $11.9 million increase in personnel-related costs related to higher research and development headcount, including an increase of $5.3 million in stock-based compensation driven by awards granted under our equity compensation plans. Further, external development expenses increased $10.8 million and $7.8 million related to advancing the clinical trials and drug manufacturing activity for bitopertin and DISC-0974, respectively.

These increases were partially offset by a $6.2 million decrease related to the DISC-3405 program which incurred $15.0 million in upfront and milestone license fees in 2023 related to our license agreement with Mabwell which did not recur in 2024. The decrease related to prior year license fees was offset by an increase in external development expense related to increased clinical study and drug manufacturing activity for DISC-3405 in the year ended December 31, 2024.

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Selling, General and Administrative Expenses

The following table summarizes our selling, general and administrative expenses for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 (in thousands):

Year Ended December 31,
20242023Change
Personnel-related (including equity-based compensation)$19,367$10,481$8,886
Legal, consulting and professional fees9,6457,4482,197
Other expenses4,0373,932105
Total selling, general and administrative expenses$33,049$21,861$11,188

Selling, general and administrative expenses were $33.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, compared to $21.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2023. The increase of $11.2 million was primarily due to an increase of $8.9 million in personnel-related costs due to higher selling, general and administrative headcount, including an increase of $6.0 million in stock-based compensation driven by awards granted under our equity compensation plans.

Other Income (Expense), Net

Other income (expense), net was $20.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, compared to $14.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2023. The change of $5.9 million was primarily due to an increase in interest income based on increases in our cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities balances.

Income Tax Expense

Income tax expense was $0.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, compared to $0.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2023. The expense relates to state income tax resulting from an increase in interest income.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Sources of Liquidity

Since our inception, we have not generated any revenue from product sales and have incurred significant operating losses. We expect to continue to incur significant expenses and operating losses in the foreseeable future as we advance the clinical development of our product candidates. We expect that our research and development and selling, general and administrative costs will continue to increase significantly, including in connection with conducting clinical trials and manufacturing for our product candidates to support commercialization and providing selling, general and administrative support for our operations, including the costs associated with operating as a public company. As a result, we may need additional capital to fund our operations, which we may obtain from additional equity or debt financings, collaborations, licensing arrangements or other sources. See “Risk Factors” included within Item 1A of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for additional risks associated with our substantial capital requirements.

To date, we have funded our operations primarily with proceeds from the sale of our convertible preferred stock and common stock, the proceeds from the merger with Gemini, proceeds from various private and public sales of our equity securities, and proceeds from borrowings under the Hercules Loan Agreement. Through December 31, 2024, we have received net proceeds of $144.5 million from sales of our Series Seed, Series A and Series B convertible preferred stock, $89.5 million from the merger with Gemini, $477.6 million from various private and public sales of our equity securities, and $27.6 million from borrowings under the Hercules Loan Agreement. As of December 31, 2024, we had cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities of $489.9 million.

In addition, in January 2025 we completed an underwritten offering of shares of our common stock and pre-funded warrants. The net proceeds from the offering are expected to be approximately $243.3 million, after deducting the underwriting discount and estimated offering expenses. The underwritten offering is described in more detail in Note 18 - Subsequent Events to our consolidated financial statements.

We have incurred significant operating losses since inception and, as of December 31, 2024, had an accumulated deficit of $298.0 million. In addition, we expect to continue to incur significant and increasing expenses and operating losses for the foreseeable future. We believe that our cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities, including the net proceeds of our January 2025 underwritten public offering, will be sufficient to fund our current operating and capital expenditure plans and our debt service obligations into 2028, without taking into account any potential net cash inflows from bitopertin or any other marketed product, if approved during such period. We have based these estimates on assumptions that may prove to be wrong, and we could exhaust our available capital resources sooner than we expect. We may also pursue additional cash resources through public or private equity offerings, collaborations or additional debt financings.

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Cash Flows

The following table provides information regarding our cash flows for each period presented (in thousands):

Year Ended December 31,
20242023
Net cash (used in) provided by:
Operating activities$(93,926)$(73,462)
Investing activities(292,332)(89)
Financing activities218,314239,379
Net (decrease) increase in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash$(167,944)$165,828

Operating Activities

Our cash flows from operating activities are greatly influenced by our use of cash for operating expenses and working capital requirements to support our business. We have historically experienced negative cash flows from operating activities as we invested in developing our portfolio, drug discovery efforts, conducting clinical trials and manufacturing, and related infrastructure. The cash used in operating activities resulted primarily from our net losses adjusted for non-cash charges and changes in components of operating assets and liabilities, which are primarily the result of increased expenses and timing of vendor payments.

During the year ended December 31, 2024, net cash used in operating activities of $93.9 million was primarily due to our net loss of $109.4 million, offset by changes in operating assets and liabilities of $3.2 million and non-cash expenses of $12.2 million which primarily related to stock-based compensation expense of $16.8 million, offset by amortization and accretion of investment securities of $5.3 million.

During the year ended December 31, 2023, net cash used in operating activities of $73.5 million was primarily due to our net loss of $76.4 million and changes in operating assets and liabilities of $3.0 million, offset by non-cash expenses of $5.9 million primarily related to stock-based compensation expense of $5.5 million.

Investing Activities

During the year ended December 31, 2024, net cash used in investing activities was primarily due to purchases of marketable securities of $386.6 million, partially offset by maturities of marketable securities of $94.8 million.

During the year ended December 31, 2023 net cash used in investing activities was due to purchases of property and equipment.

Financing Activities

During the year ended December 31, 2024, net cash provided by financing activities of $218.3 million consisted primarily of net proceeds of $172.5 million from the June 2024 underwritten offering, net proceeds from the issuance of long-term debt of $27.6 million, aggregate net proceeds of $14.8 million from at-the-market offerings, and proceeds from the exercise of stock options of $3.0 million.

During the year ended December 31, 2023, net cash provided by financing activities of $239.4 million consisted primarily of net proceeds of $147.9 million from sales of common stock and pre-funded warrants in a public follow-on offering, net proceeds of $62.4 million from sales of common stock and pre-funded warrants in a registered direct offering and aggregate net proceeds of $26.4 million from the at-the-market offerings.

Future Funding Requirements

We expect our expenses to increase substantially in connection with our ongoing activities, particularly as we advance our product candidates into and through clinical development and operate as a public company. Our funding requirements and the timing and amount of our operating expenditures will depend largely on:


the initiation, progress, timing, costs and results of preclinical studies and clinical trials for our product candidates or any future product candidates we may develop;


the costs, timing and outcome of regulatory review of our product candidates;


changes in laws or regulations applicable to any product candidates we may develop, including but not limited to clinical trial requirements for approvals;


the cost and timing of obtaining materials to produce adequate product supply for any preclinical or clinical development of any product candidate we may develop;

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the effect of competing technological and market developments;


our ability to establish and maintain strategic collaborations, licensing or other arrangements and the financial terms of such arrangements;


the payment or receipt of milestones, royalties and other collaboration-based revenues, if any;


the costs and timing of future commercialization activities, including product manufacturing, marketing, sales and distribution, for any product candidate we may develop for which we obtain marketing approval;


the amount and timing of revenue, if any, received from commercial sales of our product candidates for which we receive marketing approval; and


the legal costs involved in prosecuting patent applications and enforcing patent claims and other intellectual property claims.

Identifying potential product candidates and conducting preclinical studies and clinical trials is a time consuming, expensive and uncertain process that takes years to complete, and we may never generate the necessary data or results required to obtain marketing approval and achieve product sales. In addition, our product candidates, if approved, may not achieve commercial success. Our commercial revenues, if any, will be derived from sales of products that may take longer than we anticipate to become commercially available, if they become commercially available at all. Accordingly, we may need to obtain substantial additional funds to achieve our business objectives.

Until such time, if ever, as we can generate substantial revenue from product sales, we expect to finance our cash needs through a combination of equity offerings, debt financings, collaborations, strategic alliances, and marketing, distribution or licensing arrangements with third parties. However, we may be unable to raise additional funds or enter into such other arrangements when needed on favorable terms or at all. To the extent that we raise additional capital through the sale of equity or convertible debt securities, the ownership interest of our existing stockholders may be materially diluted, and the terms of such securities could include liquidation or other preferences that adversely affect the rights of our common stockholders. Debt financing and preferred equity financing, if available, may involve agreements that include restrictive covenants that limit our ability to take specified actions, such as incurring additional debt, making capital expenditures or declaring dividends. If we raise funds through collaborations, strategic alliances or marketing, distribution or licensing arrangements with third parties, we may have to relinquish valuable rights to our technologies, future revenue streams, research programs or product candidates or grant licenses on terms that may not be favorable to us. If we are unable to raise additional funds through equity or debt financings or other arrangements when needed, we may be required to delay, reduce or eliminate our product development or future commercialization efforts, or grant rights to develop and market product candidates that we would otherwise prefer to develop and market ourselves.

Contractual Obligations and Other Commitments

The following table summarizes our contractual obligations as of December 31, 2024 and the effects that such obligations are expected to have on our liquidity and cash flows in future periods (in thousands):

Payments Due by Period
TotalLess Than 1 Year1 to 3 Years3 to 5 YearsMore Than 5 Years
Operating lease commitments(1)(2)$3,981$821$1,402$1,758$
Total$3,981$821$1,402$1,758$

(1) Amounts reflect contractual rent payments due for our leased and subleased office spaces in Watertown, Massachusetts as of December 31, 2024 and include contractual payments due under our forward-starting lease which is expected to commence in December 2026. The term date for our existing lease is December 31, 2029 and the term date for our existing sublease is November 30, 2026.

(2) Table excludes the impact of tenant improvement allowance reimbursements of $0.8 million which are expected to be received in less than one year. Of this total, $0.5 million relates to our existing leased office space and $0.3 million relates to our forward-starting lease.

We enter into contracts in the normal course of business with CROs, CDMOs and other third parties for preclinical studies, clinical trials and manufacturing services. These contracts typically do not contain minimum purchase commitments and are generally cancelable by us upon written notice. Payments due upon cancellation consist of payments for services provided or expenses incurred, including noncancelable obligations of our service providers, up to the date of cancellation and, in the case of certain arrangements with CROs and CDMOs, may include non-cancelable fees. These payments are not included in the table above as the amount and timing of such payments are not fixed and estimable.

We have also entered into license agreements under which we are obligated to make specified milestone and royalty payments. We have not included future payments under these agreements in the table of contractual obligations above since the payment obligations under these agreements are contingent upon future events such as regulatory milestones or generating product sales. We are unable to estimate the timing or likelihood of achieving these milestones or generating future product sales. For additional

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information about our license agreements and amounts that could become payable in the future under such agreements, see our consolidated financial statements.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

Our management’s discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations is based on our consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, or GAAP. The preparation of our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures requires us to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, and costs and expenses in our consolidated financial statements. We base our estimates on historical experience, known trends and events and various other factors that we believe are reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. We evaluate our estimates and assumptions on an ongoing basis. Our actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions.

While our significant accounting policies are described in more detail in Note 2 - Summary of Significant Accounting Policies to our consolidated financial statements, we believe that the following accounting policies are those most critical to the judgments and estimates used in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements.

Research and Development Contract Costs and Accruals

As part of the process of preparing our consolidated financial statements, we are required to estimate our accrued and prepaid research and development expenses. This process involves reviewing open contracts and purchase orders, communicating with applicable personnel to identify services that have been performed on our behalf and estimating the level of service performed and the associated cost incurred for the service when we have not yet been invoiced or otherwise notified of actual costs. The majority of our service providers invoice us in arrears for services performed, on a pre-determined schedule or when contractual milestones are met; however, some require advance payments. We make estimates of our accrued expenses as of each balance sheet date in the consolidated financial statements based on facts and circumstances known to us at that time. We periodically confirm the accuracy of these estimates with the service providers and makes adjustments, if necessary. Examples of estimated accrued research and development expenses include fees paid to:


vendors in connection with preclinical development activities;


CROs and investigative sites in connection with preclinical studies and clinical trials; and


CDMOs in connection with the production of preclinical study and clinical trial materials.

The financial terms of these agreements are subject to negotiation, vary from contract to contract and may result in uneven payment flows. There may be instances in which payments made to our vendors will exceed the level of services provided and result in a prepayment of the expense. In accruing service fees, we estimate the time period over which services will be performed and the level of effort to be expended in each period. If the actual timing of the performance of services or the level of effort varies from the estimate, we adjust the accrual or the amount of prepaid expenses accordingly. Although we do not expect our estimates to be materially different from amounts actually incurred, our understanding of the status and timing of services performed relative to the actual status and timing of services performed may vary and may result in reporting amounts that are too high or too low in any particular period.

Stock-Based Compensation Expense

We measure stock-based awards granted to employees, directors, and nonemployees based on their fair value on the date of the grant and recognize compensation expense for those awards over the requisite service period, which is generally the vesting period of the respective award. For stock-based awards with service-based vesting conditions, we recognize compensation expense using the straight-line method. For stock-based awards with performance-based vesting conditions, we use the accelerated attribution method to expense the awards over the implicit service period based on the probability of achieving the performance conditions.

The fair value of each stock option grant is estimated on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model, which requires inputs based on certain subjective assumptions, including:


Fair value of our common stock: Prior to the merger closing, we determined the estimated fair value of our common-stock based on third-party valuations and certain other relevant objective and subjective factors. After the close of the merger, the fair value of our common stock is determined based on the quoted market price of our common stock. See Determination of the Fair Value of Common Stock below for additional details.


Expected stock price volatility: Due to the lack of company-specific historical and implied volatility data, we determine the volatility for awards granted based on an analysis of reported data for a group of guideline companies that issued

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options with substantially similar terms. The expected volatility has been determined using a weighted average of the historical volatility measures of this group of guideline companies. We expect to continue to do so until such time that we have adequate historical data regarding the volatility of our own traded stock price.


Expected term of the option. The expected term of our stock options granted to employees has been determined utilizing the “simplified” method for awards that qualify as “plain-vanilla” options, using the average between the vesting date and the contractual term.


Risk-free interest rate. The risk-free interest rate is determined by reference to the U.S. Treasury yield curve in effect at the time of grant of the award for time periods approximately equal to the expected term of the award.


Expected dividend yield: We have not paid, and do not anticipate paying, cash dividends on our common stock; therefore, the expected dividend yield is assumed to be zero.

If any assumptions used in the Black-Scholes option pricing model changed significantly, stock-based compensation expense for future awards may differ materially compared with the expense for awards granted previously. We will continue to use judgment in evaluating the assumptions related to our stock-based compensation on a prospective basis. As we continue to accumulate additional data related to our common stock, we may refine our estimates, which could materially impact our future stock-based compensation expense.

Determination of the Fair Value of Common Stock

Prior to the merger closing, the estimated fair value of our common stock had been determined by our board of directors as of the date of each option grant with input from management, considering our most recently available third-party valuation of common stock, and our board of directors’ assessment of additional objective and subjective factors that we believed were relevant and which may have changed from the date of the most recent valuation through the date of the grant. These third-party valuations were performed in accordance with the guidance outlined in the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants’ Accounting and Valuation Guide, Valuation of Privately-Held-Company Equity Securities Issued as Compensation.

Our common stock valuations were prepared using either an option pricing method, or OPM, or a hybrid method, both of which used market approaches to estimate our enterprise value. The OPM treats common stock and convertible preferred stock as call options on the total equity value of a company, with exercise prices based on the value thresholds at which the allocation among the various holders of a company’s securities changes. Under this method, the common stock has value only if the funds available for distribution to stockholders exceeded the value of the convertible preferred stock liquidation preferences at the time of the liquidity event, such as a strategic sale or a merger. A discount for lack of marketability of the common stock is then applied to arrive at an indication of value for the common stock.

The hybrid method is a probability-weighted expected return method, or PWERM, by which the equity value in one or more scenarios is calculated using an OPM. The PWERM is a scenario-based methodology that estimates the fair value of common stock based upon an analysis of future values for the company, assuming various outcomes. The common stock value is based on the probability-weighted present value of expected future investment returns considering each of the possible outcomes available as well as the rights of each class of stock. The future value of the common stock under each outcome is discounted back to the valuation date at an appropriate risk-adjusted discount rate and probability weighted to arrive at an indication of value for the common stock.

The assumptions underlying these valuations were highly complex and subjective and represented management’s best estimates, which involved inherent uncertainties and the application of management’s judgment. As a result, if we had used significantly different assumptions or estimates, the fair value of our common stock and stock-based compensation expense could be materially different.

Upon closing of the merger, a public trading market for our common stock has been established and it is no longer necessary for our board of directors to estimate the fair value of our common stock in connection with our accounting for granted stock options and other such awards we may grant, as the fair value of our common stock is now determined based on the quoted market price of our common stock.

Recently Issued and Adopted Accounting Pronouncements

A description of recently issued and certain recently adopted accounting pronouncements that have or may potentially impact our financial position and results of operations is included in Note 2 - Summary of Significant Accounting Policies to our consolidated financial statements.

Emerging Growth Company and Smaller Reporting Company Status

Prior to December 31, 2024, we were an “emerging growth company”, as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012, and a “smaller reporting company”, as defined under the Exchange Act. As such, we were eligible for exemptions from

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various reporting requirements applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies, including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation. As of December 31, 2024, we are no longer an emerging growth company or smaller reporting company. In accordance with SEC rules, we are availing ourselves of the exemptions from disclosure requirements, including certain of the reduced and scaled disclosure obligations, that are available to smaller reporting companies in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. However, beginning with our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ending March 31, 2025, we will no longer be permitted to take advantage of the reduced reporting requirements applicable to smaller reporting companies.

FY 2023 10-K MD&A

SEC filing source: 0000950170-24-034432.

Extracted from a substantive MD&A body after the formal Item 7 span was a TOC or reference stub. Confidence: high. Filing date: 2024-03-21. Report date: 2023-12-31.

Overview

We are a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development, and commercialization of novel treatments for patients suffering from serious hematologic diseases. We have assembled a portfolio of clinical and preclinical product candidates that aim to modify fundamental biological pathways associated with the formation and function of red blood cells, specifically heme biosynthesis and iron homeostasis. Our current pipeline includes bitopertin for the treatment of erythropoietic porphyrias, or EPs, including erythropoietic protoporphyria, or EPP, and X-linked protoporphyria, or XLP, and Diamond-Blackfan Anemia, or DBA; DISC-0974 for the treatment of anemia of myelofibrosis, or MF, and anemia of chronic kidney disease, or CKD; and DISC-3405 (formerly MWTX-003) for the treatment of polycythemia vera, or PV, and other hematologic disorders. In addition, our preclinical programs also include DISC-0998, for the treatment of anemia associated with inflammatory diseases. Our approach to product candidate development leverages well-understood molecular mechanisms that have been validated in humans. We believe that each of our product candidates, if approved, has the potential to improve the lives of patients suffering from hematologic diseases.

Bitopertin is the lead product candidate in our heme biosynthesis modulation portfolio. Bitopertin was previously evaluated by F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd and Hoffmann-La Roche Inc., or collectively, Roche, in a comprehensive clinical program in over 4,000 individuals in other indications which demonstrated the activity of bitopertin as a glycine transporter 1, or GlyT1, inhibitor and its effect on heme biosynthesis. We are initially developing bitopertin for the treatment of EPs, including EPP and XLP. In July 2022, we initiated BEACON, a Phase 2 open-label, parallel-dose clinical trial of bitopertin in EPP and XLP patients that is being conducted at sites in Australia. In October 2022, we initiated AURORA, a Phase 2, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial of bitopertin in EPP patients that is being conducted at sites in the United States. We presented interim data from BEACON in June and December 2023, and we expect topline data from AURORA in March or April 2024. Additional analysis of the full population in the BEACON trial is anticipated to be presented in 2024. We entered into a collaborative research and development agreement with the National Institutes of Health, or NIH, to conduct an NIH-sponsored clinical trial of bitopertin in DBA. The FDA authorized the clinical trial to proceed and the trial began in July 2023. We are planning additional trials of bitopertin in other indications.

DISC-0974 is the lead product candidate in our iron homeostasis portfolio and was in-licensed from AbbVie Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG, or AbbVie. DISC-0974 is designed to suppress hepcidin production and increase serum iron levels. We submitted an IND to the FDA for DISC-0974 in June 2021, received clearance in July 2021, and participants completed a Phase 1 clinical trial in healthy volunteers in the U.S. in June 2022 with results showing an acceptable tolerability profile and evidence of target engagement, iron mobilization and augmented erythropoiesis. We initiated a Phase 1b/2 clinical trial in June 2022 in patients with anemia of MF, and initiated a separate Phase 1b/2 clinical trial in February 2023 in patients with non-dialysis dependent CKD and anemia. We presented interim data from both of these trials in December 2023 and anticipate additional interim data presentations in 2024. In addition, we are developing a preclinical anti-hemojuvelin, or HJV, monoclonal antibody, DISC-0998, which also targets hepcidin suppression and was in-licensed from AbbVie. DISC-0998 is designed to increase serum iron levels and has an extended serum half-life as compared to DISC-0974. We believe this profile may be desirable in certain subsets of patients with anemia associated with inflammatory diseases.

Lastly, we are developing DISC-3405, a monoclonal antibody against Transmembrane Serine Protease 6, or TMPRSS6, that we licensed from Mabwell Therapeutics, Inc., or Mabwell. DISC-3405 is part of our iron homeostasis portfolio and is designed to induce hepcidin production and reduce serum iron levels. An IND for DISC-3405 was cleared by the FDA, and a Phase 1 clinical trial in healthy adult volunteers was initiated in October 2023. Interim data is anticipated to be presented in the first and second halves of 2024. We expect to develop DISC-3405 for the treatment of PV and other hematologic disorders.

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Reverse Merger with Gemini

On August 9, 2022, Disc Medicine, Inc., a Delaware corporation, or Private Disc, entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger and Reorganization, or the Merger Agreement, with Gemini Therapeutics, Inc., a Delaware corporation, or Gemini, Gemstone Merger Sub, Inc., a Delaware corporation and a wholly owned subsidiary of Gemini, or Merger Sub.

On December 29, 2022, Private Disc completed the merger with Gemini, or the merger. Gemini changed its name to Disc Medicine Inc., and Private Disc changed its name to Disc Medicine Opco, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Disc Medicine, Inc. On December 30, 2022, our common stock began trading on The Nasdaq Capital Market under the ticker symbol “IRON.”

Financial Operations Overview

Revenue

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

Operating Expenses

Research and Development Expenses

Research and development expenses consist primarily of costs incurred in connection with the research and development of our product candidates. These expenses include:


employee-related expenses, including salaries, benefits, and stock-based compensation expense, for personnel engaged in research and development functions;


expenses incurred in connection with our research and development activities, including under agreements with third parties such as consultants, contractors and CROs;


costs related to contract development and manufacturing organizations, or CDMOs, that are primarily engaged to provide drug substance and product for our preclinical studies, clinical trials and research and development programs, as well as investigative sites and consultants that conduct our clinical trials, preclinical studies and other scientific development services;


the costs of acquiring and manufacturing preclinical study and clinical trial materials, including manufacturing registration and validation batches;


costs related to compliance with quality and regulatory requirements; and


payments made under third-party licensing agreements.

We expense research and development costs as incurred. Costs incurred for external development activities are recognized based on an evaluation of the progress to completion of specific tasks using information provided to us by our vendors. Payments for these activities are based on the terms of the individual agreements, which may differ from the pattern of costs incurred, and may be reflected in our consolidated financial statements as prepaid or accrued expenses. Nonrefundable advance payments for goods or services to be received in the future for use in research and development activities are recorded as prepaid expenses and expensed as the related goods are delivered or the services are performed or when it is no longer expected that the goods will be delivered or the services rendered.

We typically use our employee and infrastructure resources across product candidates and development programs. We track external development costs by product candidate or development program, but we do not allocate personnel costs or other internal costs to specific product candidates or development programs.

We expect that our research and development expenses will increase substantially as we advance our programs into and through clinical development. At this time, we cannot accurately estimate or know the nature, timing and costs of the efforts that will be necessary to complete the preclinical and clinical development of any product candidates we may develop. A change in the outcome of any number of variables with respect to product candidates we may develop could significantly change the costs and timing associated with the development of that product candidate. We may never succeed in obtaining regulatory approval for any

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product candidates we may develop. The successful development of any product candidate is highly uncertain. This is due to the numerous risks and uncertainties associated with product development, including the following:


the timing and progress of preclinical and clinical development activities;


the number and scope of preclinical and clinical programs we decide to pursue;


the ability to raise additional funds necessary to complete clinical development of and commercialize our product candidates;


our ability to establish new licensing or collaboration arrangements and the progress of the development efforts of third parties with whom we may enter into such arrangements;


our ability to maintain our current research and development programs and to establish new programs;


the successful initiation, enrollment and completion of clinical trials with safety, tolerability and efficacy profiles that are satisfactory to the FDA or any comparable foreign regulatory authority;


the receipt and related terms of regulatory approvals from applicable regulatory authorities for any product candidates;


the availability of raw materials for use in production of our product candidates;


establishing agreements with third-party manufacturers for supply of product candidate components for our clinical trials;


our ability to obtain and maintain patents, trade secret protection and regulatory exclusivity, both in the United States and internationally;


our ability to protect our other rights in our intellectual property portfolio;


commercializing product candidates, if and when approved, whether alone or in collaboration with others; and


obtaining and maintaining third-party insurance coverage and adequate reimbursement for any approved products.

General and Administrative Expenses

General and administrative expenses consist primarily of salaries and related costs for personnel in executive, finance, corporate and business development, and administrative functions. General and administrative expenses also include legal fees relating to patent and corporate matters, including noncapitalizable transaction costs; professional fees for accounting, auditing, tax compliance and administrative consulting services; investor and public relations expenses; director and officer insurance costs and other insurance costs; and facility related expenses including maintenance and allocated expenses for rent and other operating costs.

We anticipate that our general and administrative expenses will increase substantially in the future as we increase our headcount to support our continued research and development and potential commercialization of our product candidates.

Other Income

Interest Income

Interest income primarily consists of interest earned on cash equivalents, consisting of money market funds, U.S. treasury notes and certificates of deposit.

Change in Fair Value of Contingent Value Right Liability

In December 2022, we entered into the CVR Agreement, described in more detail in Notes 1 and 4 to our consolidated financial statements, which provided a CVR to Gemini’s pre-merger common stockholders to receive common stock from the Company upon its receipt of certain proceeds, calculated in accordance with the CVR Agreement, resulting from a disposition of Gemini’s pre-merger assets within one year after the closing of the merger. The disposition period ended December 29, 2023 and no dispositions of Gemini's pre-merger assets were made during the disposition period. Therefore, there were no CVR payments made to the holders and there will not be any future CVR payments to the holders. The CVR liability was measured at fair value as of each reporting date and the change in the fair value for the period was recorded in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss in the change in fair value of contingent value right liability.

Change in Fair Value of Derivative Liability

In May 2021, we entered into the Roche Agreement, described in more detail in Notes 4 and 8 to our consolidated financial statements, which included an obligation to issue a variable number of shares of our common stock to Roche for no additional consideration upon the completion of a Roche Qualified Transaction as defined by the Roche Agreement. The liability was measured

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at fair value as of each reporting date and the change in the fair value for the period was recorded in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss in the change in fair value of derivative liability. The liability was settled upon the completion of the merger on December 29, 2022.

Results of Operations

Comparison of the Years Ended December 31, 2023 and 2022

The following table summarizes our results of operations for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 (in thousands):

Year Ended December 31,
20232022Change
Operating expenses:
Research and development$69,264$33,437$35,827
General and administrative21,86114,0387,823
Total operating expenses91,12547,47543,650
Loss from operations(91,125)(47,475)(43,650)
Other income (expense), net:
Interest income14,79770914,088
Change in fair value of derivative liability(61)61
Other expense(2)(2)
Total other income (expense), net14,79564814,147
Loss before income taxes(76,330)(46,827)(29,503)
Income tax expense(99)(99)
Net loss$(76,429)$(46,827)$(29,602)

Research and Development Expenses

The following table summarizes our research and development expenses for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 (in thousands):

Year Ended December 31,
20232022Change
DISC-3405$20,168$$20,168
Bitopertin17,2718,7838,488
DISC-09749,13610,241(1,105)
Other research programs and expenses7,0665,2361,830
Personnel-related (including equity-based compensation)15,6239,1776,446
Total research and development expenses$69,264$33,437$35,827

Research and development expenses were $69.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to $33.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2022. The increase of $35.8 million in research and development expenses was primarily due to a $20.2 million increase related to the DISC-3405 program which incurred $15.0 million in upfront and milestone license fees in 2023, a $8.5 million increase in bitopertin development expense related to increased clinical study and drug manufacturing activity, and a $6.4 million increase in personnel-related costs related to higher research and development headcount, including an increase of $1.2 million in stock-based compensation.

General and Administrative Expenses

The following table summarizes our general and administrative expenses for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 (in thousands):

Year Ended December 31,
20232022Change
Personnel-related (including equity-based compensation)$10,481$6,983$3,498
Legal, consulting and professional fees7,4486,2521,196
Other expenses3,9328033,129
Total general and administrative expenses$21,861$14,038$7,823

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General and administrative expenses were $21.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to $14.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2022. The increase of $7.8 million in general and administrative expenses was primarily due to an increase of $3.5 million in personnel-related costs due to higher general and administrative headcount, including an increase of $2.3 million in stock-based compensation, and an increase of $3.1 million in other expenses related to increased costs as a public company.

Other Income (Expense), Net

Other income, net was $14.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to other income, net of $0.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2022. The change of $14.1 million in other income (expense), net was primarily due to an increase in interest income based on a larger cash and cash equivalents balance and higher interest rates.

Income Tax Expense

Income tax expense was $0.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to no expense for the year ended December 31, 2022. The increase in expense relates to state income tax resulting from an increase in interest income.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Sources of Liquidity

Since our inception, we have not generated any revenue from product sales and have incurred significant operating losses. We expect to continue to incur significant expenses and operating losses in the foreseeable future as we advance the clinical development of our product candidates. We expect that our research and development and general and administrative costs will continue to increase significantly, including in connection with conducting clinical trials and manufacturing for our product candidates to support commercialization and providing general and administrative support for our operations, including the costs associated with operating as a public company. As a result, we will need additional capital to fund our operations, which we may obtain from additional equity or debt financings, collaborations, licensing arrangements or other sources. See “Risk Factors” for additional risks associated with our substantial capital requirements.

To date, we have funded our operations primarily with proceeds from the sale of our convertible preferred stock and common stock, the proceeds from the merger with Gemini, proceeds from at-the-market offerings, proceeds from a registered direct offering and proceeds from a follow-on public offering. Through December 31, 2023, we have received net proceeds of $144.5 million from sales of our Series Seed, Series A and Series B convertible preferred stock, $89.5 million from the merger with Gemini, $53.5 million from sales of common stock in a pre-closing private financing, $62.4 million from sales of common stock and pre-funded warrants in a registered direct offering, $147.9 million from sales of common stock and pre-funded warrants in a public follow-on offering and $26.4 million from at-the-market offerings. As of December 31, 2023, we had cash and cash equivalents of $360.4 million.

We have incurred significant operating losses since inception and, as of December 31, 2023, had an accumulated deficit of $188.6 million. In addition, we expect to continue to incur significant and increasing expenses and operating losses for the foreseeable future. We believe that our current cash resources will enable us to fund our current planned operating expense and capital expenditure requirements well into 2026. We may also pursue additional cash resources through public or private equity offerings, collaborations or debt financings.

Cash Flows

The following table provides information regarding our cash flows for each period presented (in thousands):

Year Ended December 31,
20232022
Net cash provided by (used in):
Operating activities$(73,462)$(42,252)
Investing activities(89)(151)
Financing activities239,379148,978
Net increase in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash$165,828$106,575

Operating Activities

Our cash flows from operating activities are greatly influenced by our use of cash for operating expenses and working capital requirements to support our business. We have historically experienced negative cash flows from operating activities as we

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invested in developing our portfolio, drug discovery efforts, conducting clinical trials and manufacturing, and related infrastructure. The cash used in operating activities resulted primarily from our net losses adjusted for non-cash charges and changes in components of operating assets and liabilities, which are primarily the result of increased expenses and timing of vendor payments.

During the year ended December 31, 2023, net cash used in operating activities of $73.5 million was primarily due to our net loss of $76.4 million and changes in operating assets and liabilities of $3.0 million, offset by non-cash expenses of $5.9 million primarily related to stock-based compensation expense of $5.5 million.

During the year ended December 31, 2022, net cash used in operating activities of $42.3 million was primarily due to our net loss of $46.8 million, offset by non-cash expenses of $2.4 million and changes in operating assets and liabilities of $2.1 million primarily related to accounts payable and accrued expenses assumed in the merger.

Investing Activities

During the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, net cash used in investing activities was due to purchases of property and equipment.

Financing Activities

During the year ended December 31, 2023, net cash provided by financing activities of $239.4 million consisted primarily of net proceeds of $147.9 million from sales of common stock and pre-funded warrants in a public follow-on offering, net proceeds of $62.4 million from sales of common stock and pre-funded warrants in a registered direct offering and aggregate net proceeds of $26.4 million from the at-the-market offerings.

During the year ended December 31, 2022, net cash provided by financing activities of $149.0 million consisted primarily of $97.4 million of net cash proceeds from the completion of the merger with Gemini and $53.5 million of net cash proceeds from the pre-closing financing.

Future Funding Requirements

We expect our expenses to increase substantially in connection with our ongoing activities, particularly as we advance our product candidates into and through clinical development and operate as a public company. Our funding requirements and the timing and amount of our operating expenditures will depend largely on:


the initiation, progress, timing, costs and results of preclinical studies and clinical trials for our product candidates or any future product candidates we may develop;


the costs, timing and outcome of regulatory review of our product candidates;


changes in laws or regulations applicable to any product candidates we may develop, including but not limited to clinical trial requirements for approvals;


the cost and timing of obtaining materials to produce adequate product supply for any preclinical or clinical development of any product candidate we may develop;


the effect of competing technological and market developments;


our ability to establish and maintain strategic collaborations, licensing or other arrangements and the financial terms of such arrangements;


the payment or receipt of milestones, royalties and other collaboration-based revenues, if any;


the costs and timing of future commercialization activities, including product manufacturing, marketing, sales and distribution, for any product candidate we may develop for which we obtain marketing approval;


the amount and timing of revenue, if any, received from commercial sales of our product candidates for which we receive marketing approval; and


the legal costs involved in prosecuting patent applications and enforcing patent claims and other intellectual property claims.

Identifying potential product candidates and conducting preclinical studies and clinical trials is a time consuming, expensive and uncertain process that takes years to complete, and we may never generate the necessary data or results required to obtain marketing approval and achieve product sales. In addition, our product candidates, if approved, may not achieve commercial

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success. Our commercial revenues, if any, will be derived from sales of products that we do not expect to be commercially available for many years, if ever. Accordingly, we will need to obtain substantial additional funds to achieve our business objectives.

Until such time, if ever, as we can generate substantial revenue from product sales, we expect to finance our cash needs through a combination of equity offerings, debt financings, collaborations, strategic alliances, and marketing, distribution or licensing arrangements with third parties. However, we may be unable to raise additional funds or enter into such other arrangements when needed on favorable terms or at all. To the extent that we raise additional capital through the sale of equity or convertible debt securities, the ownership interest of our existing stockholders may be materially diluted, and the terms of such securities could include liquidation or other preferences that adversely affect the rights of our common stockholders. Debt financing and preferred equity financing, if available, may involve agreements that include restrictive covenants that limit our ability to take specified actions, such as incurring additional debt, making capital expenditures or declaring dividends. If we raise funds through collaborations, strategic alliances or marketing, distribution or licensing arrangements with third parties, we may have to relinquish valuable rights to our technologies, future revenue streams, research programs or product candidates or grant licenses on terms that may not be favorable to us. If we are unable to raise additional funds through equity or debt financings or other arrangements when needed, we may be required to delay, reduce or eliminate our product development or future commercialization efforts, or grant rights to develop and market product candidates that we would otherwise prefer to develop and market ourselves.

Contractual Obligations and Other Commitments

The following table summarizes our contractual obligations as of December 31, 2023 and the effects that such obligations are expected to have on our liquidity and cash flows in future periods (in thousands):

Payments Due by Period
TotalLess Than 1 Year1 to 3 Years3 to 5 YearsMore Than 5 Years
Operating lease commitments(1)$2,424$845$1,579$$
Total$2,424$845$1,579$$

(1) Amounts reflect payments due for our leased and subleased office spaces in Watertown, Massachusetts as of December 31, 2023. The lease terms began in November 2021 and June 2023, and both end in November 2026.

We enter into contracts in the normal course of business with CROs, CDMOs and other third parties for preclinical studies, clinical trials and manufacturing services. These contracts typically do not contain minimum purchase commitments and are generally cancelable by us upon written notice. Payments due upon cancellation consist of payments for services provided or expenses incurred, including noncancelable obligations of our service providers, up to the date of cancellation and, in the case of certain arrangements with CROs and CDMOs, may include non-cancelable fees. These payments are not included in the table above as the amount and timing of such payments are not fixed and estimable.

We have also entered into license agreements under which we are obligated to make specified milestone and royalty payments. We have not included future payments under these agreements in the table of contractual obligations above since the payment obligations under these agreements are contingent upon future events such as regulatory milestones or generating product sales. We are unable to estimate the timing or likelihood of achieving these milestones or generating future product sales. For additional information about our license agreements and amounts that could become payable in the future under such agreements, see our consolidated financial statements.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

Our management’s discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations is based on our consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, or GAAP. The preparation of our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures requires us to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, costs and expenses, and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities in our consolidated financial statements. We base our estimates on historical experience, known trends and events and various other factors that we believe are reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. We evaluate our estimates and assumptions on an ongoing basis. Our actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions.

While our significant accounting policies are described in more detail in Note 2 to our consolidated financial statements, we believe that the following accounting policies are those most critical to the judgments and estimates used in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements.

Research and Development Contract Costs and Accruals

As part of the process of preparing our consolidated financial statements, we are required to estimate our accrued and prepaid research and development expenses. This process involves reviewing open contracts and purchase orders, communicating

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with applicable personnel to identify services that have been performed on our behalf and estimating the level of service performed and the associated cost incurred for the service when we have not yet been invoiced or otherwise notified of actual costs. The majority of our service providers invoice us in arrears for services performed, on a pre-determined schedule or when contractual milestones are met; however, some require advance payments. We make estimates of our accrued expenses as of each balance sheet date in the consolidated financial statements based on facts and circumstances known to us at that time. We periodically confirm the accuracy of these estimates with the service providers and makes adjustments, if necessary. Examples of estimated accrued research and development expenses include fees paid to:


vendors in connection with preclinical development activities;


CROs and investigative sites in connection with preclinical studies and clinical trials; and


CDMOs in connection with the production of preclinical study and clinical trial materials.

The financial terms of these agreements are subject to negotiation, vary from contract to contract and may result in uneven payment flows. There may be instances in which payments made to our vendors will exceed the level of services provided and result in a prepayment of the expense. In accruing service fees, we estimate the time period over which services will be performed and the level of effort to be expended in each period. If the actual timing of the performance of services or the level of effort varies from the estimate, we adjust the accrual or the amount of prepaid expenses accordingly. Although we do not expect our estimates to be materially different from amounts actually incurred, our understanding of the status and timing of services performed relative to the actual status and timing of services performed may vary and may result in reporting amounts that are too high or too low in any particular period.

Fair Value of Derivative Liability

In May 2021, we entered into a license agreement (the “Roche Agreement”) with F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd. and Hoffmann-La Roche Inc. (together, “Roche”) pursuant to which Roche granted us an exclusive and sublicensable worldwide license under certain patent rights and know-how to develop, manufacture and commercialize certain compounds (the “Compounds”) as further described in Note 8. We recognized a liability in connection with the Roche Agreement which included an obligation to issue a variable number of shares of our common stock to Roche for no additional consideration upon our completion of an initial public offering or certain merger transactions (a “Roche Qualified Transaction”). Prior to settlement in Q4 2022, the fair value measurement of the derivative liability was classified as Level 3 under the fair value hierarchy as it was valued using certain unobservable inputs. These inputs included: (1) our estimated shares outstanding and fair value per share upon completion of a Roche Qualified Transaction and (2) the probability of us completing a Roche Qualified Transaction. The number of shares of common stock to be issued to Roche was estimated to be approximately 2.85% of the outstanding shares of common stock of the combined company as of immediately after the completion of a Roche Qualified Transaction, including the exercise by the underwriters thereof of any overallotment option, if applicable. We remeasured the derivative liability based on the stock price of its publicly-traded common stock on December 29, 2022. The change in the fair value for the period was recorded in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss in the change in fair value of derivative liability. Upon completion of the merger, we issued 482,313 shares of common stock to Roche, thereby settling the derivative liability, with the fair value of the common stock at the time of issuance recorded as additional paid-in capital.

Stock-Based Compensation Expense

We measure stock-based awards granted to employees, directors, and nonemployees based on their fair value on the date of the grant and recognize compensation expense for those awards over the requisite service period, which is generally the vesting period of the respective award. For stock-based awards with service-based vesting conditions, we recognize compensation expense using the straight-line method. For stock-based awards with performance-based vesting conditions, we use the accelerated attribution method to expense the awards over the implicit service period based on the probability of achieving the performance conditions. The fair value of each stock option grant is estimated on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model, which requires inputs based on certain subjective assumptions, including the fair value of our common stock, the expected stock price volatility, the expected term of the option, the risk-free interest rate for a period that approximates the expected term of the option, and the expected dividend yield. Due to the lack of company-specific historical and implied volatility data, we determine the volatility for awards granted based on an analysis of reported data for a group of guideline companies that issued options with substantially similar terms. The expected volatility has been determined using a weighted average of the historical volatility measures of this group of guideline companies. We expect to continue to do so until such time that we have adequate historical data regarding the volatility of our own traded stock price. The expected term of our stock options granted to employees has been determined utilizing the “simplified” method for awards that qualify as “plain-vanilla” options, using the average between the vesting date and the contractual term. The fair value of each restricted common stock award is estimated on the date of grant based on the estimated fair value of our common stock on the date of grant.

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Determination of the Fair Value of Common Stock

Prior to the merger closing, the estimated fair value of our common stock had been determined by our board of directors as of the date of each option grant with input from management, considering our most recently available third-party valuation of common stock, and our board of directors’ assessment of additional objective and subjective factors that we believed were relevant and which may have changed from the date of the most recent valuation through the date of the grant. These third-party valuations were performed in accordance with the guidance outlined in the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants’ Accounting and Valuation Guide, Valuation of Privately-Held-Company Equity Securities Issued as Compensation.

Our common stock valuations were prepared using either an option pricing method, or OPM, or a hybrid method, both of which used market approaches to estimate our enterprise value. The OPM treats common stock and convertible preferred stock as call options on the total equity value of a company, with exercise prices based on the value thresholds at which the allocation among the various holders of a company’s securities changes. Under this method, the common stock has value only if the funds available for distribution to stockholders exceeded the value of the convertible preferred stock liquidation preferences at the time of the liquidity event, such as a strategic sale or a merger. A discount for lack of marketability of the common stock is then applied to arrive at an indication of value for the common stock.

The hybrid method is a probability-weighted expected return method, or PWERM, by which the equity value in one or more scenarios is calculated using an OPM. The PWERM is a scenario-based methodology that estimates the fair value of common stock based upon an analysis of future values for the company, assuming various outcomes. The common stock value is based on the probability-weighted present value of expected future investment returns considering each of the possible outcomes available as well as the rights of each class of stock. The future value of the common stock under each outcome is discounted back to the valuation date at an appropriate risk-adjusted discount rate and probability weighted to arrive at an indication of value for the common stock.

The assumptions underlying these valuations were highly complex and subjective and represented management’s best estimates, which involved inherent uncertainties and the application of management’s judgment. As a result, if we had used significantly different assumptions or estimates, the fair value of our common stock and stock-based compensation expense could be materially different.

Upon closing of the merger, a public trading market for our common stock has been established and it is no longer necessary for our board of directors to estimate the fair value of our common stock in connection with our accounting for granted stock options and other such awards we may grant, as the fair value of our common stock is now determined based on the quoted market price of our common stock.

Recently Issued and Adopted Accounting Pronouncements

A description of recently issued and certain recently adopted accounting pronouncements that have or may potentially impact our financial position and results of operations is included in Note 2 to our consolidated financial statements.

Emerging Growth Company and Smaller Reporting Company Status

We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012, or the JOBS Act, and we may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies. We may take advantage of these exemptions until we are no longer an emerging growth company under Section 107 of the JOBS Act, which provides that an emerging growth company can take advantage of the extended transition period afforded by the JOBS Act for the implementation of new or revised accounting standards. We have elected to avail ourselves of the extended transition period and, therefore, while we are an emerging growth company, we will not be subject to new or revised accounting standards at the same time that they become applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies, unless we choose to early adopt a new or revised accounting standard. We will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier of (1) the last day of the fiscal year (a) following the fifth anniversary of the closing of our initial public offering which occurred in August 2020, (b) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.235 billion, or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our common stock that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the prior June 30th, and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt during the prior three-year period.

Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements.

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FY 2022 10-K MD&A

SEC filing source: 0000950170-23-011139.

Extracted from a substantive MD&A body after the formal Item 7 span was a TOC or reference stub. Confidence: high. Filing date: 2023-03-31. Report date: 2022-12-31.

Overview

We are a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development, and commercialization of novel treatments for patients suffering from serious hematologic diseases. We have assembled a portfolio of clinical and preclinical product candidates that aim to modify fundamental biological pathways associated with the formation and function of red blood cells, specifically heme biosynthesis and iron homeostasis. Our current pipeline includes, bitopertin for the treatment of erythropoietic porphyrias, or EPs, including erythropoietic protoporphyria, or EPP, and X-linked protoporphyria, or XLP, and Diamond-Blackfan Anemia, or DBA; DISC-0974 for the treatment of anemia of myelofibrosis, or MF, and anemia of chronic kidney disease, or CKD; and MWTX-003 for the treatment of polycythemia vera, or PV, and other hematologic disorders. In addition, our preclinical programs also include DISC-0998, for the treatment of anemia associated with inflammatory diseases. Our approach to product candidate development leverages well-understood molecular mechanisms that have been validated in humans. We believe that each of our product candidates, if approved, has the potential to improve the lives of patients suffering from hematologic diseases.

Bitopertin is the lead product candidate in our heme biosynthesis modulation portfolio. Bitopertin was previously evaluated by F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd and Hoffmann-La Roche Inc., or collectively, Roche, in a comprehensive clinical program in over 4,000 individuals in other indications which demonstrated the activity of bitopertin as a glycine transporter 1, or GlyT1, inhibitor and its effect on heme biosynthesis. We are planning to initially develop bitopertin for the treatment of EPs, including EPP and XLP. In July 2022, we initiated BEACON, a Phase 2 open-label, parallel-dose clinical trial of bitopertin in EPP and XLP patients that is being conducted at sites in Australia. Separately, in July 2022, we received clearance of our Investigational New Drug application, or IND, from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, for, and in October 2022 we initiated AURORA, a Phase 2, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial of bitopertin in EPP patients that is being conducted at sites in the United States. We expect interim data from BEACON in the first half of 2023 and topline data from AURORA by year-end 2023. We entered into a collaborative research and development agreement with the National Institutes of Health, or NIH, to conduct an NIH-sponsored clinical trial of bitopertin in DBA. The FDA authorized the clinical trial to proceed and we expect the trial to begin by mid-year 2023. We are planning additional trials of bitopertin in other indications.

DISC-0974 is the lead product candidate in our iron homeostasis portfolio. DISC-0974 is designed to suppress hepcidin production and increase serum iron levels. We submitted an IND to the FDA for DISC-0974 in June 2021, received clearance in July 2021, and participants completed a Phase 1 clinical trial in healthy volunteers in the U.S. in June 2022 with results showing an acceptable tolerability profile and evidence of target engagement, iron mobilization and augmented erythropoiesis. We initiated a Phase 1b/2 clinical trial in June 2022 in patients with anemia of MF, and initiated a separate Phase 1b/2 clinical trial in February 2023 in patients with non-dialysis dependent CKD and anemia. We expect interim data from both of these trials in 2023. In addition, we are developing a preclinical anti-hemojuvelin, or HJV, monoclonal antibody, DISC-0998, which also targets hepcidin suppression and was in-licensed from AbbVie Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG, or AbbVie. DISC-0998 is designed to increase serum iron levels and has an extended serum half-life as compared to DISC-0974. We believe this profile may be desirable in certain subsets of patients with anemia associated with inflammatory diseases.

Lastly, we are developing MWTX-003, a monoclonal antibody against Transmembrane Serine Protease 6, or TMPRSS6, that we licensed from Mabwell Therapeutics, Inc., or Mabwell. MWTX-003 is part of our iron homeostasis portfolio and is designed to induce hepcidin production and reduce serum iron levels. An IND for MWTX-003 has been cleared by the FDA, and we plan to initiate a Phase 1 clinical trial in healthy adult volunteers in the second half of 2023. We expect to develop MWTX-003 for the treatment of PV and other hematologic disorders.

Reverse Merger with Gemini

On August 9, 2022, Disc Medicine, Inc., a Delaware corporation, or Private Disc, entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger and Reorganization, or the Merger Agreement, with Gemini Therapeutics, Inc., a Delaware corporation, or Gemini, Gemstone Merger Sub, Inc., a Delaware corporation and a wholly owned subsidiary of Gemini, or Merger Sub.

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On December 29, 2022, Private Disc completed the merger with Gemini, or the merger. Gemini changed its name to Disc Medicine Inc., and Private Disc changed its name to Disc Medicine Opco, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Disc Medicine, Inc. On December 30, 2022, our common stock began trading on The Nasdaq Capital Market under the ticker symbol “IRON.”

Financial Operations Overview

Revenue

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

Operating Expenses

Research and Development Expenses

Research and development expenses consist primarily of costs incurred in connection with the research and development of our product candidates. These expenses include:


employee-related expenses, including salaries, benefits, and stock-based compensation expense, for personnel engaged in research and development functions;


expenses incurred in connection with our research and development activities, including under agreements with third parties such as consultants, contractors and CROs;


costs related to contract development and manufacturing organizations, or CDMOs, that are primarily engaged to provide drug substance and product for our preclinical studies, clinical trials and research and development programs, as well as investigative sites and consultants that conduct our clinical trials, preclinical studies and other scientific development services;


the costs of acquiring and manufacturing preclinical study and clinical trial materials, including manufacturing registration and validation batches;


costs related to compliance with quality and regulatory requirements; and


payments made under third-party licensing agreements.

We expense research and development costs as incurred. Costs incurred for external development activities are recognized based on an evaluation of the progress to completion of specific tasks using information provided to us by our vendors. Payments for these activities are based on the terms of the individual agreements, which may differ from the pattern of costs incurred, and may be reflected in our consolidated financial statements as prepaid or accrued expenses. Nonrefundable advance payments for goods or services to be received in the future for use in research and development activities are recorded as prepaid expenses and expensed as the related goods are delivered or the services are performed or when it is no longer expected that the goods will be delivered or the services rendered.

We typically use our employee and infrastructure resources across product candidates and development programs. We track outsourced development costs by product candidate or development program, but we do not allocate personnel costs or other internal costs to specific product candidates or development programs.

We expect that our research and development expenses will increase substantially as we advance our programs into and through clinical development. At this time, we cannot accurately estimate or know the nature, timing and costs of the efforts that will be necessary to complete the preclinical and clinical development of any product candidates we may develop. A change in the outcome of any number of variables with respect to product candidates we may develop could significantly change the costs and timing associated with the development of that product candidate. We may never succeed in obtaining regulatory approval for any product candidates we may develop. The successful development of any product candidate is highly uncertain. This is due to the numerous risks and uncertainties associated with product development, including the following:


the timing and progress of preclinical and clinical development activities;


the number and scope of preclinical and clinical programs we decide to pursue;


the ability to raise additional funds necessary to complete clinical development of and commercialize our product candidates;


our ability to establish new licensing or collaboration arrangements and the progress of the development efforts of third parties with whom we may enter into such arrangements;

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our ability to maintain our current research and development programs and to establish new programs;


the successful initiation, enrollment and completion of clinical trials with safety, tolerability and efficacy profiles that are satisfactory to the FDA or any comparable foreign regulatory authority;


the receipt and related terms of regulatory approvals from applicable regulatory authorities for any product candidates;


the availability of raw materials for use in production of our product candidates;


establishing agreements with third-party manufacturers for supply of product candidate components for our clinical trials;


our ability to obtain and maintain patents, trade secret protection and regulatory exclusivity, both in the United States and internationally;


our ability to protect our other rights in our intellectual property portfolio;


commercializing product candidates, if and when approved, whether alone or in collaboration with others; and


obtaining and maintaining third-party insurance coverage and adequate reimbursement for any approved products.

General and Administrative Expenses

General and administrative expenses consist primarily of salaries and related costs for personnel in executive, finance, corporate and business development, and administrative functions. General and administrative expenses also include legal fees relating to patent and corporate matters, including noncapitalizable transaction costs; professional fees for accounting, auditing, tax and administrative consulting services; insurance costs, facility related expenses including maintenance and allocated expenses for rent and other operating costs.

We anticipate that our general and administrative expenses will increase substantially in the future as we increase our headcount to support our continued research and development and potential commercialization of our product candidates. We also expect that we will incur increased expenses associated with being a public company, including costs of accounting, audit, legal, regulatory and tax compliance services, director and officer insurance costs and investor and public relations expenses.

Other Income

Interest Income

Interest income primarily consists of interest earned on money market fund accounts.

Change in Fair Value of Derivative Liability

In May 2021, we entered into the Roche Agreement, described in more detail in Notes 4 and 8 to our consolidated financial statements, which included an obligation to issue a variable number of shares of our common stock to Roche for no additional consideration upon the completion of a Roche Qualified Transaction as defined by the Roche Agreement. The liability is measured at fair value as of each reporting date and the change in the fair value for the period is recorded in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss in the change in fair value of derivative liability. The liability was settled upon the completion of the merger on December 29, 2022.

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Results of Operations

Comparison of the Years Ended December 31, 2022 and 2021

The following table summarizes our results of operations for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 (in thousands):

Year Ended December 31,
20222021CHANGE
Operating expenses:
Research and development$33,437$25,170$8,267
General and administrative14,0385,7638,275
Total operating expenses47,47530,93316,542
Loss from operations(47,475)(30,933)(16,542)
Other income (expense), net:
Interest income70914695
Change in fair value of derivative liability(61)(5,050)4,989
Total other income (expense), net648(5,036)5,684
Net loss$(46,827)$(35,969)$(10,858)

Research and Development Expenses

The following table summarizes our research and development expenses for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 (in thousands):

Year Ended December 31,
20222021CHANGE
Bitopertin$8,783$8,354$429
DISC-097410,2417,0193,222
Personnel-related (including equity-based compensation)9,1774,7094,468
Other research programs and expenses5,2365,088148
Total research and development expenses$33,437$25,170$8,267

Research and development expenses were $33.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, compared to $25.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2021. The increase of $8.3 million in research and development expenses was primarily due to a $4.5 million increase in personnel-related costs related to higher research and development headcount and $3.2 million in the DISC-0974 program as a result of increased clinical CRO spend.

General and Administrative Expenses

The following table summarizes our general and administrative expenses for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 (in thousands):

Year Ended December 31,
20222021CHANGE
Personnel-related (including equity-based compensation)$6,983$2,692$4,291
Legal, consulting and professional fees6,2522,6613,591
Other expenses803410393
Total general and administrative expenses$14,038$5,763$8,275

General and administrative expenses were $14.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, compared to $5.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2021. The increase of $8.3 million in general and administrative expenses was primarily due to a $4.3 million increase in personnel-related costs related to higher general and administrative headcount and a $3.6 million increase in legal, audit and other services primarily due to the recognition of $2.2 million of deferred transaction costs in legal and consulting fees related to a planned equity financing that was superseded by the merger.

Other Income (Expense), Net

Other income was $0.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, compared to other expense of $5.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2021. The change of $5.7 million in other income (expense), net was primarily due to the change in fair value of our derivative liability of $5.0 million related to the Roche Agreement.

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Liquidity and Capital Resources

Sources of Liquidity

Since our inception, we have not generated any revenue from product sales and have incurred significant operating losses. We expect to continue to incur significant expenses and operating losses for the foreseeable future as we advances the clinical development of our product candidates. We expect that our research and development and general and administrative costs will continue to increase significantly, including in connection with conducting clinical trials and manufacturing for our product candidates to support commercialization and providing general and administrative support for our operations, including the costs associated with operating as a public company. As a result, we will need additional capital to fund our operations, which we may obtain from additional equity or debt financings, collaborations, licensing arrangements or other sources. See “Risk Factors” for additional risks associated with our substantial capital requirements.

To date, we have funded our operations primarily with proceeds from the sale of our convertible preferred stock and common stock and the proceeds from the merger with Gemini. Through December 31, 2022, we received gross proceeds of $145.0 million from sales of our Series Seed, Series A and Series B convertible preferred stock, gross proceeds of $53.5 million from sales of common stock in a pre-closing financing, and gross proceeds of $97.4 million from the merger with Gemini. As of December 31, 2022, we had cash and cash equivalents of $194.6 million.

We have incurred significant operating losses since inception and, as of December 31, 2022, had an accumulated deficit of $112.2 million. In addition, we expect to continue to incur significant and increasing expenses and operating losses for the foreseeable future. We believe that our current cash resources will enable us to fund our current planned operating expense and capital expenditure requirements for at least twelve months from the date of issuance of these consolidated financial statements, March 31, 2023.

Cash Flows

The following table provides information regarding our cash flows for each period presented (in thousands):

Year Ended December 31,
20222021
Net cash provided by (used in):
Operating activities$(42,252)$(27,534)
Investing activities(151)(68)
Financing activities148,97889,929
Net increase in cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash$106,575$62,327

Operating Activities

Our cash flows from operating activities are greatly influenced by our use of cash for operating expenses and working capital requirements to support our business. We have historically experienced negative cash flows from operating activities as we invested in developing our portfolio, drug discovery efforts and related infrastructure. The cash used in operating activities resulted primarily from our net losses adjusted for non-cash charges and changes in components of operating assets and liabilities, which are primarily the result of increased expenses and timing of vendor payments.

During the year ended December 31, 2022, net cash used in operating activities of $42.3 million was primarily due to our net loss of $46.8 million, offset by non-cash expenses of $2.4 million and changes in operating assets and liabilities of $2.1 million primarily related to accounts payable and accrued expenses assumed in the merger.

During the year ended December 31, 2021, net cash used in operating activities of $27.5 million was primarily due to our net loss of $36.0 million, offset by non-cash expenses of $7.2 million and changes in operating assets and liabilities of $1.3 million. Non-cash expenses included $6.5 million of expense related to non-cash license expense for Roche and the change in the fair value of the Roche liability.

Investing Activities

During the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, net cash used in investing activities was due to purchases of property and equipment.

Financing Activities

During the year ended December 31, 2022, net cash provided by financing activities of $149.0 million consisted primarily of $97.4 million of net cash proceeds from the completion of the merger with Gemini and $53.5 million of net cash proceeds from the pre-closing financing.

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During the year ended December 31, 2021, net cash provided by financing activities of $89.9 million consisted primarily of net proceeds from the sale and issuance of our Series B convertible preferred stock in September 2021.

Future Funding Requirements

We expect our expenses to increase substantially in connection with our ongoing activities, particularly as we advance our product candidates into and through clinical development and operate as a public company. Our funding requirements and the timing and amount of our operating expenditures will depend largely on:


the initiation, progress, timing, costs and results of preclinical studies and clinical trials for our product candidates or any future product candidates we may develop;


the costs, timing and outcome of regulatory review of our product candidates;


changes in laws or regulations applicable to any product candidates we may develop, including but not limited to clinical trial requirements for approvals;


the cost and timing of obtaining materials to produce adequate product supply for any preclinical or clinical development of any product candidate we may develop;


the effect of competing technological and market developments;


our ability to establish and maintain strategic collaborations, licensing or other arrangements and the financial terms of such arrangements;


the payment or receipt of milestones, royalties and other collaboration-based revenues, if any;


the costs and timing of future commercialization activities, including product manufacturing, marketing, sales and distribution, for any product candidate we may develop for which we obtain marketing approval;


the amount and timing of revenue, if any, received from commercial sales of our product candidates for which we receives marketing approval; and


the legal costs involved in prosecuting patent applications and enforcing patent claims and other intellectual property claims.

Identifying potential product candidates and conducting preclinical studies and clinical trials is a time consuming, expensive and uncertain process that takes years to complete, and we may never generate the necessary data or results required to obtain marketing approval and achieve product sales. In addition, our product candidates, if approved, may not achieve commercial success. Our commercial revenues, if any, will be derived from sales of products that we do not expect to be commercially available for many years, if ever. Accordingly, we will need to obtain substantial additional funds to achieve our business objectives.

Until such time, if ever, as we can generate substantial revenue from product sales, we expect to finance our cash needs through a combination of equity offerings, debt financings, collaborations, strategic alliances, and marketing, distribution or licensing arrangements with third parties. However, we may be unable to raise additional funds or enter into such other arrangements when needed on favorable terms or at all. Market volatility resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic or other factors could also adversely impact our ability to access capital as and when needed. To the extent that we raise additional capital through the sale of equity or convertible debt securities, the ownership interest of our existing stockholders may be materially diluted, and the terms of such securities could include liquidation or other preferences that adversely affect the rights of our common stockholders. Debt financing and preferred equity financing, if available, may involve agreements that include restrictive covenants that limit our ability to take specified actions, such as incurring additional debt, making capital expenditures or declaring dividends. If we raise funds through collaborations, strategic alliances or marketing, distribution or licensing arrangements with third parties, we may have to relinquish valuable rights to our technologies, future revenue streams, research programs or product candidates or grant licenses on terms that may not be favorable to us. If we are unable to raise additional funds through equity or debt financings or other arrangements when needed, we may be required to delay, reduce or eliminate our product development or future commercialization efforts, or grant rights to develop and market product candidates that we would otherwise prefer to develop and market ourself.

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Contractual Obligations and Other Commitments

The following table summarizes our contractual obligations as of December 31, 2022 and the effects that such obligations are expected to have on our liquidity and cash flows in future periods (in thousands):

Payments Due by Period
TotalLess Than 1 Year1 to 3 Years3 to 5 YearsMore Than 5 Years
Operating lease commitments(1)$1,485$373$776$336$
Total$1,485$373$776$336$

(1)
Amounts reflect payments due for our leased office space in Watertown, Massachusetts as of December 31, 2022. The lease term began in November 2021 and will end in November 2026.

We enter into contracts in the normal course of business with CROs, CDMOs and other third parties for preclinical studies, clinical trials and manufacturing services. These contracts typically do not contain minimum purchase commitments and are generally cancelable by us upon written notice. Payments due upon cancellation consist of payments for services provided or expenses incurred, including noncancelable obligations of our service providers, up to the date of cancellation and, in the case of certain arrangements with CROs and CDMOs, may include non-cancelable fees. These payments are not included in the table above as the amount and timing of such payments are not fixed and estimable.

We have also entered into license agreements under which we are obligated to make specified milestone and royalty payments. We have not included future payments under these agreements in the table of contractual obligations above since the payment obligations under these agreements are contingent upon future events such as regulatory milestones or generating product sales. We are unable to estimate the timing or likelihood of achieving these milestones or generating future product sales. For additional information about our license agreements and amounts that could become payable in the future under such agreements, see our consolidated financial statements. See also “Licensing Agreements.”

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

Our management’s discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations is based on our consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, or GAAP. The preparation of our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures requires us to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, costs and expenses, and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities in our consolidated financial statements. We base our estimates on historical experience, known trends and events and various other factors that we believe are reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. We evaluate our estimates and assumptions on an ongoing basis. Our actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions.

While our significant accounting policies are described in more detail in Note 2 to our consolidated financial statements, we believe that the following accounting policies are those most critical to the judgments and estimates used in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements.

Research and Development Contract Costs and Accruals

As part of the process of preparing our consolidated financial statements, we are required to estimate our accrued and prepaid research and development expenses. This process involves reviewing open contracts and purchase orders, communicating with applicable personnel to identify services that have been performed on our behalf and estimating the level of service performed and the associated cost incurred for the service when we have not yet been invoiced or otherwise notified of actual costs. The majority of our service providers invoice us in arrears for services performed, on a pre-determined schedule or when contractual milestones are met; however, some require advance payments. We make estimates of our accrued expenses as of each balance sheet date in the consolidated financial statements based on facts and circumstances known to us at that time. We periodically confirm the accuracy of these estimates with the service providers and makes adjustments, if necessary. Examples of estimated accrued research and development expenses include fees paid to:


vendors in connection with preclinical development activities;


CROs and investigative sites in connection with preclinical studies and clinical trials; and


CDMOs in connection with the production of preclinical study and clinical trial materials.

The financial terms of these agreements are subject to negotiation, vary from contract to contract and may result in uneven payment flows. There may be instances in which payments made to our vendors will exceed the level of services provided and result in a prepayment of the expense. In accruing service fees, we estimate the time period over which services will be performed and the level of effort to be expended in each period. If the actual timing of the performance of services or the level of effort varies from the estimate, we adjust the accrual or the amount of prepaid expenses accordingly. Although we do not expect our

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estimates to be materially different from amounts actually incurred, our understanding of the status and timing of services performed relative to the actual status and timing of services performed may vary and may result in reporting amounts that are too high or too low in any particular period.

Fair Value of Derivative Liability

In May 2021, we entered into Roche Agreement as further described in Notes 4 and 8 to our consolidated financial statements. We recognized a liability in connection with the Roche Agreement which includes an obligation to issue a variable number of shares of our common stock to Roche for no additional consideration upon our completion of an initial public offering or certain merger transactions, a “Roche Qualified Transaction.” The number of shares of common stock to be issued to Roche was estimated to be approximately 2.85% of the outstanding shares of our common stock as of immediately after the completion of a Roche Qualified Transaction. We had determined that the obligation to issue common stock upon completion of a Roche Qualified Transaction represented a liability classified financial instrument. The liability was measured at fair value as of each reporting date and the change in the fair value for the period was recorded in the consolidated statements of operations in the change in fair value of derivative liability. Prior to its settlement in Q4 2022, the fair value measurement of the derivative liability was classified as Level 3 under the fair value hierarchy as it had been valued using certain unobservable inputs. These inputs included: (1) our fair value upon completion of a Roche Qualified Transaction and (2) the probability of us completing a Roche Qualified Transaction. The probability of us completing a Roche Qualified Transaction was low double-digits upon the execution of the Roche Agreement and was adjusted periodically based on our progress towards a Roche Qualified Transaction. We settled the derivative liability by issuing common stock to Roche immediately following the completion of the merger. We remeasured the derivative liability based on the stock price of our publicly-traded common stock on December 29, 2022. The change in the fair value for the period was recorded in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss in the change in fair value of derivative liability. We then reclassified the resulting amount of the derivative liability to additional paid-in capital.

Stock-Based Compensation Expense

We measure stock-based awards granted to employees, directors, and nonemployees based on their fair value on the date of the grant and recognize compensation expense for those awards over the requisite service period, which is generally the vesting period of the respective award. For stock-based awards with service-based vesting conditions, we recognize compensation expense using the straight-line method. For stock-based awards with performance-based vesting conditions, we use the accelerated attribution method to expense the awards over the implicit service period based on the probability of achieving the performance conditions. The fair value of each stock option grant is estimated on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model, which requires inputs based on certain subjective assumptions, including the fair value of our common stock, the expected stock price volatility, the expected term of the option, the risk-free interest rate for a period that approximates the expected term of the option, and the expected dividend yield. Due to the lack of company-specific historical and implied volatility data, we determine the volatility for awards granted based on an analysis of reported data for a group of guideline companies that issued options with substantially similar terms. The expected volatility has been determined using a weighted average of the historical volatility measures of this group of guideline companies. We expect to continue to do so until such time that we have adequate historical data regarding the volatility of our own traded stock price. The expected term of our stock options granted to employees has been determined utilizing the “simplified” method for awards that qualify as “plain-vanilla” options, using the average between the vesting date and the contractual term. The fair value of each restricted common stock award is estimated on the date of grant based on the estimated fair value of our common stock on the date of grant.

Determination of the Fair Value of Common Stock

Prior to the merger closing, the estimated fair value of our common stock had been determined by our board of directors as of the date of each option grant with input from management, considering our most recently available third-party valuation of common stock, and our board of directors’ assessment of additional objective and subjective factors that we believed were relevant and which may have changed from the date of the most recent valuation through the date of the grant. These third-party valuations were performed in accordance with the guidance outlined in the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants’ Accounting and Valuation Guide, Valuation of Privately-Held-Company Equity Securities Issued as Compensation.

Our common stock valuations were prepared using either an option pricing method, or OPM, or a hybrid method, both of which used market approaches to estimate our enterprise value. The OPM treats common stock and convertible preferred stock as call options on the total equity value of a company, with exercise prices based on the value thresholds at which the allocation among the various holders of a company’s securities changes. Under this method, the common stock has value only if the funds available for distribution to stockholders exceeded the value of the convertible preferred stock liquidation preferences at the time of the liquidity event, such as a strategic sale or a merger. A discount for lack of marketability of the common stock is then applied to arrive at an indication of value for the common stock.

The hybrid method is a probability-weighted expected return method, or PWERM, by which the equity value in one or more scenarios is calculated using an OPM. The PWERM is a scenario-based methodology that estimates the fair value of common

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stock based upon an analysis of future values for the company, assuming various outcomes. The common stock value is based on the probability-weighted present value of expected future investment returns considering each of the possible outcomes available as well as the rights of each class of stock. The future value of the common stock under each outcome is discounted back to the valuation date at an appropriate risk-adjusted discount rate and probability weighted to arrive at an indication of value for the common stock.

The assumptions underlying these valuations were highly complex and subjective and represented management’s best estimates, which involved inherent uncertainties and the application of management’s judgment. As a result, if we had used significantly different assumptions or estimates, the fair value of our common stock and stock-based compensation expense could be materially different.

Upon closing of the merger, a public trading market for our common stock has been established and it is no longer necessary for our board of directors to estimate the fair value of our common stock in connection with our accounting for granted stock options and other such awards we may grant, as the fair value of our common stock is now determined based on the quoted market price of our common stock.

Recently Issued and Adopted Accounting Pronouncements

A description of recently issued and certain recently adopted accounting pronouncements that have or may potentially impact our financial position and results of operations is included in Note 2 to our consolidated financial statements.

Emerging Growth Company and Smaller Reporting Company Status

We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012, or the JOBS Act, and we may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies. We may take advantage of these exemptions until we are no longer an emerging growth company under Section 107 of the JOBS Act, which provides that an emerging growth company can take advantage of the extended transition period afforded by the JOBS Act for the implementation of new or revised accounting standards. We have elected to avail ourselves of the extended transition period and, therefore, while we are an emerging growth company, we will not be subject to new or revised accounting standards at the same time that they become applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies, unless we choose to early adopt a new or revised accounting standard. We will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier of (1) the last day of the fiscal year (a) following the fifth anniversary of the closing of our initial public offering, (b) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.235 billion, or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our common stock that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the prior June 30th, and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt during the prior three-year period.

Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (i) the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates exceeds $250 million as of the prior June 30, or (ii) our annual revenues exceed $100 million during such completed fiscal year and the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the prior June 30.

FY 2021 10-K MD&A

SEC filing source: 0000950170-22-003288.

Extracted structurally from real Item 7 body heading to real Item 7A/8 boundary. Confidence: high. Filing date: 2022-03-10. Report date: 2021-12-31.

Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.

The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and notes thereto appearing elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Some of the information contained in this discussion and analysis or set forth elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, including information with respect to our plans and strategy for our business and related financing, includes forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. As a result of many factors, our actual results could differ materially from the results described in or implied by the forward-looking statements contained in the following discussion and analysis.

Overview

We are a clinical-stage precision medicine company developing novel therapeutic compounds to treat genetically defined, age-related macular degeneration (“AMD”). Our lead product candidate, GEM103, is a recombinant form of the human complement factor H protein (“CFH”) and is designed to address complement hyperactivity and overall dysregulation caused by loss of function mutations thus restoring retinal health in patients with AMD. Native CFH serves multiple functions in maintaining retinal health, including regulating lipid metabolism in the retina, protecting the retina against lipid and protein by-products of oxidative stress, and regulating the complement system, which is part of the innate immune system. This multifaceted regulation plays an integral role in engagement and maintenance of complement-mediated immune responses that are involved in pathogen defense and cellular debris clearance.

In January 2022, we announced that we discontinued both of our Phase 2a clinical trials of GEM103, the ReGAtta study and the GEM103 as an Add-On to Anti-VEGF Therapy for the Treatment of Wet-AMD study.

In February 2022, we announced a corporate restructuring and that we have initiated a process to evaluate strategic alternatives. We expect to devote substantial time and resources to exploring strategic alternatives that our board of directors believes will maximize shareholder value. Despite devoting significant efforts to identify and evaluate potential strategic alternatives, there can be no assurance that this strategic review process will result in us pursuing any transaction or that any transaction, if pursued, will be completed on attractive terms or at all. We have not set a timetable for completion of this strategic review process, and our board of directors has not approved a definitive course of action. Additionally, there can be no assurances that any particular course of action, business arrangement or transaction, or series of transactions, will be pursued, successfully consummated or lead to increased stockholder value or that we will make any additional cash distributions to our stockholders.

Since inception in 2015, we have devoted substantially all of our efforts and financial resources to organizing and staffing our company, business planning, raising capital, discovering product candidates and securing related intellectual property rights and conducting research and development activities for our product candidates. We do not have any products approved for sale, and we have not generated any revenue from product sales. We may never be able to develop or commercialize a marketable product.

To the extent we continue to pursue clinical development of GEM103 or any other product candidate, our ability to generate revenue from product sales sufficient to achieve profitability will depend heavily on the successful development and eventual commercialization of one or more of our product candidates. We have not yet successfully completed any pivotal clinical trials, nor have we obtained any regulatory approvals, manufactured a commercial-scale drug, or conducted sales and marketing activities.

We are also working to advance GEM307, that could be effective for treatment of systemic diseases, towards IND filing.

Recent developments

2022 Restructuring and Process to Evaluate Strategic Alternatives

On February 28, 2022, we announced a restructuring plan to reduce our operations to preserve financial resources, resulting in a reduction of our workforce by up to 24 positions, or approximately 80%, by the end of the second quarter of 2022. As a result, we estimate that we will incur costs within the range of $1.6 million to $1.9 million, which are expected to consist of severance benefits for the affected employees and other restructuring costs and expenses. The restructuring plan is expected to be completed by the end of the second quarter of 2022. Additionally, we have initiated a process to evaluate strategic alternatives in order to maximize shareholder value. There can be no assurance that this strategic review process will result in us pursuing any transaction or that any transaction, if pursued, will be completed on attractive terms or at all.

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In addition, effective as of February 28, 2022, Georges Gemayel, Ph.D., our current Executive Chair, was appointed as interim President and Chief Executive Officer to succeed Jason Meyenburg, who has transitioned from his roles as President, CEO and Director and will continue to serve as an advisor to the Company. Dr. Gemayel will continue to serve as the Chair of our Board.

2021 Restructuring

In October 2021, we announced a restructuring plan resulting in a reduction of our workforce by 11 positions, or approximately 26% of our then workforce. In connection with the October 2021 restructuring, we incurred costs of $1.4 million related to severance benefits for the affected employees. The restructuring plan was completed by the end of 2021.

Employment Agreement with Georges Gemayel

In November 2021, we entered into an employment agreement with Dr. Georges Gemayel to serve as Executive Chair of our board of directors.

COVID-19 pandemic

In March 2020, the World Health Organization declared the novel coronavirus (“COVID-19”) outbreak a pandemic. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the increased prevalence of variants of the virus, and government measures taken in response, have had a significant impact, both direct and indirect, on businesses and commerce, as worker shortages have occurred; supply chains have been disrupted; facilities and production have been suspended; and demand for certain goods and services, such as medical services and supplies, has spiked, while demand for other goods and services, such as travel, has fallen. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and related impacts have resulted in, and will likely continue to result in, significant disruptions to the global economy and capital markets around the world. We cannot predict the future progression or full impact of the outbreak and its effects on our business and operations.

We have not incurred impairment losses in the carrying values of our assets as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and we are not aware of any specific related event or circumstance that would require us to revise our estimates reflected in our consolidated financial statements. Although the COVID-19 pandemic did not have a significant impact on our financial results in 2021, the full extent to which the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic may impact our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows will depend on future developments that are highly uncertain, and the estimates of the impact on our business may change based on new information that may emerge concerning COVID-19, including the duration of the pandemic, any potential subsequent waves or strains of COVID-19 infection, the effectiveness, distribution and acceptance of COVID-19 vaccines and the actions to contain it or treat its impact and the economic impact on local, regional, national and international markets.

Business Combination

On February 5, 2021, FSDC consummated the previously announced Business Combination pursuant to the terms of the Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of October 15, 2020 (as amended, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time, the “Merger Agreement”), by and among Old Gemini, Stockholders’ Representative, and Merger Sub.

FSDC was incorporated in Delaware on June 25, 2020 and was formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses.

On the day prior to the Closing Date, Old Gemini changed its name to “Gemini Therapeutics Sub, Inc.” Pursuant to the Merger Agreement, on the Closing Date, (i) FSDC changed its name to “Gemini Therapeutics, Inc.”, and (ii) Old Gemini merged with and into Merger Sub (the “Merger”), with Old Gemini as the surviving company in the Merger and, after giving effect to such Merger, Old Gemini becoming a wholly-owned subsidiary of Gemini. Upon the closing of the Business Combination, and pursuant to the terms of the Merger Agreement, the existing shareholders of Old Gemini exchanged their interests for shares of common stock of Gemini.

In connection with the Business Combination, certain investors purchased an aggregate of $95.1 million of our Common Stock in a private placement of public equity (the “PIPE Financing”). Together with FSDC’s cash resources and funding of the PIPE Financing, we received net proceeds of approximately $195.9 million.

We accounted for the Business Combination as a reverse recapitalization, which is the equivalent of Old Gemini issuing stock for the net assets of FSDC, accompanied by a recapitalization, with FSDC treated as the acquired company for accounting purposes. The net assets of FSDC were stated at historical cost with no goodwill or other intangible assets recorded. Reported results from operations included herein prior to the Business Combination are those of Old Gemini. The shares and

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corresponding capital amounts and loss per share related to Old Gemini’s outstanding convertible preferred stock and common stock prior to the Business Combination have been retroactively restated to reflect the conversion ratio established in the Merger Agreement (1.00 Old Gemini share for 0.2180 shares of our company (the “Conversion Ratio”)).

For additional information on the Business Combination, please read Note 2, Business Combination, to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Financial Operations Overview

Revenue

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

Operating expenses

Research and development expenses

Research and development expenses consist primarily of costs incurred for research activities, including drug discovery efforts and the clinical development of our product candidates. We expense research and development costs as incurred, which include:


expenses incurred to conduct the necessary preclinical studies and clinical trials required to obtain regulatory approval;


expenses incurred under agreements with CROs that are primarily engaged in the oversight and conduct of our drug discovery efforts, preclinical studies, and clinical trials;


CMOs that are primarily engaged to provide preclinical and clinical drug substance and product for our research and development programs;


other costs related to acquiring and manufacturing materials in connection with our drug discovery efforts and preclinical studies and clinical trial materials, including manufacturing validation batches, as well as investigative sites and consultants that conduct our clinical trials, preclinical studies and other scientific development services;


payments made in cash or equity securities under third-party licensing, acquisition and option agreements;


employee-related expenses, including salaries and benefits, travel and stock-based compensation expense for employees engaged in research and development functions;


costs related to comply with regulatory requirements; and


allocated facilities-related costs, depreciation and other expenses, which include rent and utilities.

We recognize external development costs as incurred. Any advance payments that we make for goods or services to be received in the future for use in research and development activities are recorded as prepaid expenses. Such amounts are expensed as the related goods are delivered or the related services are performed, or until it is no longer expected that the goods will be delivered or the services rendered. We estimate and accrue for the value of goods and services received from CROs, CMOs and other third parties each reporting period based on an evaluation of the progress to completion of specific tasks using information provided to us by our service providers. This process involves reviewing open contracts and purchase orders, communicating with our personnel to identify services that have been performed on our behalf and estimating the level of service performed and the associated cost incurred for the service when we have not yet been invoiced or otherwise notified of actual costs.

We do not track our research and development expenses on a program-by-program basis. Our direct external research and development expenses consist primarily of external costs, such as fees paid to outside consultants, CROs, CMOs and research laboratories in connection with our preclinical development, process development, manufacturing and clinical development

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activities. We do not allocate employee costs, costs associated with our discovery efforts, laboratory supplies, and facilities, including depreciation or other indirect costs, to specific programs because these costs are deployed across multiple programs and, as such, are not separately classified. We use internal resources primarily to conduct our research and discovery as well as for managing our preclinical development, process development, manufacturing and clinical development activities. These employees work across multiple programs and, therefore, we do not track their costs by program.

Research and development activities have been central to our business model to date. We anticipate that our research and development expenses will decrease in 2022 compared to 2021 due to our planned reduced clinical efforts in 2022 and recent restructurings announced in connection with our exploration of strategic alternatives. If we continue to pursue development efforts and we believe a regulatory approval of a product candidate appears likely, we would anticipate an increase in payroll and other expenses as a result of our preparation of regulatory filings and precommercial activities.

At this time, we cannot reasonably estimate or know the nature, timing and costs of the efforts that would be necessary to complete the preclinical and clinical development of any of our product candidates or when, if ever, material net cash inflows may commence from any of our product candidates. The successful development and commercialization of any of our product candidates is highly uncertain. This uncertainty is due to the numerous risks and uncertainties associated with product development and commercialization, including the uncertainty of the following:


the scope, progress, timing, outcome and costs of any continued preclinical development activities, clinical trials and other related development activities;


delays, suspensions, or other setbacks or interruptions encountered, including as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic;


establishing an appropriate safety and efficacy profile with any Investigational New Drug application (“IND”) enabling studies and obtaining clearance for future IND applications;


successful patient enrollment in and the initiation and completion of any clinical trials;


the timing, receipt and terms of any marketing approvals from applicable regulatory authorities including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) and non-U.S. regulatory authorities;


the extent of any required post-marketing approval commitments to applicable regulatory authorities;


establishing clinical and commercial manufacturing capabilities or making arrangements with third-party manufacturers in order to ensure that we or our third-party manufacturers are able to make and scale our products successfully;


development and timely delivery of clinical-grade and commercial-grade drug formulations that can be used in our clinical trials and for commercial launch;


obtaining, maintaining, defending and enforcing patent claims and other intellectual property rights;


significant and changing government regulation;


launching commercial sales of our product candidates, if and when approved, whether alone or in collaboration with others; and


maintaining a continued acceptable safety profile of our product candidates following approval, if any, of our product candidates.

A change in any of these variables with respect to any of our programs would significantly change the costs, timing and viability associated with that program.

General and administrative expenses

General and administrative expenses consist primarily of employee-related expenses, including salaries and related benefits, travel and stock-based compensation for personnel in executive, business development, finance, human resources, legal, information technology and administrative functions. General and administrative expenses also include direct and allocated

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facility-related costs as well as insurance costs and professional fees for legal, patent, consulting, investor and public relations, accounting and audit services. We expense general and administrative costs as incurred.

We anticipate that our general and administrative expenses will decrease in 2022 as compared to 2021 due to recent restructurings announced in connection with our exploration of strategic alternatives. If, however, at any point in the future we believe a regulatory approval of a product candidate appears likely, we anticipate an increase in payroll and other expenses as a result of our preparation for commercial operations, especially as it relates to the sales and marketing of that product candidate.

Other income (expense)

Interest expense

Interest expense consists of interest accrued on the Term Loan we entered into in February 2019 and the Notes, including the accretion of the beneficial conversion feature discount recognized on the issuance date of the Notes.

Interest income

Interest income consists of income earned on our cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash.

Loss on conversion of convertible notes

Immediately prior to the closing of the Business Combination, the outstanding principal and interest under the Notes converted into shares of Series B preferred stock, and we recorded other expense equal to the difference between the reacquisition price of the Notes and the net carrying amount of the Notes in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss.

Change in fair value of warrant liability

In February 2019, in conjunction with the Term Loan with SVB, we issued warrants to purchase 15,257 shares of Old Gemini’s Series A preferred stock. We accounted for, and classified, these warrants as a liability on our balance sheet because the warrants were freestanding financial instruments. We remeasured this liability to fair value at each reporting date and recognized changes in the fair value of the warrant liability in our consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss. At the closing of the Business Combination, these warrants were automatically exercised for 15,257 shares of our common stock.

Provision for income taxes

We have not recorded any significant amounts related to income tax expense, we have not recognized any reserves related to uncertain tax positions, nor have we recorded any income tax benefits for the majority of our net losses we have incurred to date or for our research and development tax credits.

We account for income taxes using the asset and liability method, which requires the recognition of deferred tax assets and liabilities for the expected future tax consequences of events that have been included in the financial statements or our tax returns. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are determined based on the difference between the financial statement carrying amounts and tax bases of existing assets and liabilities and for loss and credit carryforwards, which are measured using the enacted tax rates and laws in effect in the years in which the differences are expected to reverse. The realization of our deferred tax assets is dependent upon the generation of future taxable income, the amount and timing of which are uncertain. Valuation allowances are provided, if, based upon the weight of available evidence, it is more likely than not that some or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. We continue to maintain a full valuation allowance against all of our net deferred tax assets based on our evaluation of all available evidence.

We file income tax returns in the United States (“U.S.”) federal tax jurisdiction and state jurisdictions and may become subject to income tax audit and adjustments by related tax authorities. Our tax return period for U.S. federal income taxes for the tax years since 2018 remain open to examination under the statute of limitations by the Internal Revenue Service and state jurisdictions. We record reserves for potential tax payments to various tax authorities related to uncertain tax positions, if any. The nature of uncertain tax positions is subject to significant judgment by management and subject to change, which may be substantial. These reserves are based on a determination of whether and how much a tax benefit taken by us in our tax filings or positions is more likely than not to be realized following the resolution of any potential contingencies related to the tax benefit. We develop our assessment of uncertain tax positions, and the associated cumulative probabilities, using internal expertise and assistance from third-party experts. As additional information becomes available, estimates are revised and

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refined. Differences between estimates and final settlement may occur resulting in additional tax expense. Potential interest and penalties associated with such uncertain tax positions is recorded as a component of our provision for income taxes. To date, no amounts are being presented as an uncertain tax position.

In addition, under Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and corresponding provisions of state law, if a corporation undergoes an “ownership change,” which is generally defined as a greater than 50% change, by value, in its equity ownership over a three-year period, the corporation’s ability to use its pre-change net operating loss carryforwards and other pre-change tax attributes to offset its post-change income or taxes may be limited. We may experience ownership changes as a result of subsequent shifts in our stock ownership.

Results of operations

Comparison of the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020

The following table summarizes our results of operations for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020 (in thousands):

Year Ended December 31,
20212020Change
Operating expenses:
Research and development$48,717$28,170$20,547
General and administrative20,2855,87014,415
Total operating expenses69,00234,04034,962
Loss from operations(69,002)(34,040)(34,962)
Other income (expense):
Interest expense(2,158)(6,826)4,668
Interest income1537(22)
Loss on conversion of convertible notes(711)(711)
Change in fair value of warrant liability(8)8
Other expense(13)(13)
Net loss and comprehensive loss$(71,869)$(40,837)$(31,032)

Research and development expenses

Research and development expenses were $48.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, compared to $28.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2020. The increase of $20.5 million was primarily due to an increase in external research and development costs related to clinical trial activities of GEM103. In addition, research and development personnel costs were higher period over period, including stock-based compensation, due to an increase in headcount in our research and development function to support the advancement of our programs.

General and administrative expenses

General and administrative expenses were $20.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, compared to $5.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2020. The increase of $14.4 million was primarily due to higher personnel-related costs, including stock-based compensation, in support of organizational growth and higher legal, insurance and other professional fees incurred in connection with operating as a public company.

Interest expense

Interest expense was $2.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, compared to $6.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2020. The decrease of $4.6 million was due to the accretion of the beneficial conversion feature discount recognized at the issuance date of the Notes in 2020.

Loss on conversion of convertible notes

The loss on conversion of convertible notes was $0.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, compared to $0 for the year ended December 31, 2020. The increase reflects the difference between the reacquisition price of the Notes and the net carrying amount of the Notes at the time that the Notes converted into shares of Series B preferred stock immediately prior to the closing of the Business Combination.

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Liquidity and capital resources

Sources of liquidity and capital

Since inception, we have not generated any revenue from any product sales or any other sources and have incurred significant operating losses and negative cash flows from our operations. We have not yet commercialized any of our product candidates and do not expect to generate revenue from sales of any product candidates for several years, if at all. Our net loss was $71.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2021. As of December 31, 2021, we had an accumulated deficit of $184.7 million.

Prior to the Business Combination, we funded our operations to date primarily with proceeds from the sale of preferred stock, borrowings under convertible promissory notes and borrowings under loan agreements. In January 2020, we received gross proceeds of $20.1 million from the sale of our preferred stock. In August 2020, we received gross proceeds of $14.0 million from borrowings under convertible promissory notes. In February 2021, in connection with the Business Combination, we received net proceeds of $195.9 million.

As of December 31, 2021, we had cash and cash equivalents of $136.6 million. Continued cash generation is highly dependent on our ability to finance our operations through a combination of equity offerings, debt financings, collaboration arrangements and strategic transactions. However, our resource requirements could materially change to the extent we identify and enter into any strategic transaction.

Until required for use in our business, we typically invest our cash in investments that are highly liquid, readily convertible to cash with original maturities of 90 days or less at the date of purchase. We attempt to minimize the risks related to our cash and cash equivalents by maintaining balances in accounts only with accredited financial institutions and, consequently, we do not believe we are subject to unusual credit risk beyond the normal credit risk associated with ordinary commercial banking relationships.

Cash flows

The following table summarizes our cash flows for the year ended December 31, 2021 and 2020 (in thousands):

Year Ended December 31,
20212020
Net cash used in operating activities$(59,700)$(32,708)
Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities344(22)
Net cash provided by financing activities191,48034,247
Net increase in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash$132,124$1,517

Operating activities

We do not generate any cash inflows from our operating activities. Our cash flows from operating activities are significantly influenced by our use of cash for operating expenses and working capital requirements to support the business. We have historically experienced negative cash flows from operating activities as we invested in developing our platform, drug discovery efforts and related infrastructure.

During the year ended December 31, 2021, we used cash in operating activities of $59.7 million, reflecting a net loss of $71.9 million, partially offset by non-cash charges of $10.3 million and a net change of $1.9 million in our operating assets and liabilities. The non-cash charges consist primarily of $7.8 million of stock-based compensation expense, $1.6 million accretion of the discount on the Notes, and $0.7 million of expense related to the conversion of the Notes. The net change in our operating assets and liabilities was primarily due to an increase in accounts payable and accrued expenses and other current liabilities and a decrease in deferred offering costs, partially offset by an increase in prepaid expenses and other current assets.

During the year ended December 31, 2020, we used cash in operating activities of $32.7 million, reflecting a net loss of $40.8 million, offset by non-cash charges of $7.8 million and a net change of $0.3 million in our operating assets and liabilities. The non-cash charges primarily consist of $5.9 million accretion of the discount on the Notes, $1.0 million of stock-based compensation expense and $0.6 million of non-cash interest expense. The net change in our operating assets and liabilities was primarily due to a decrease in prepaid expenses and other current assets, partially offset by an increase in deferred offering costs.

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Investing activities

During the year ended December 31, 2021, net cash provided by investing activities was $0.3 million, consisting primarily of proceeds from the sale of property and equipment, compared to net cash used in investing activities of less than $0.1 million during the year ended December 31, 2020, consisting of purchases of laboratory equipment.

Financing activities

During the year ended December 31, 2021, net cash provided by financing activities was $191.5 million, consisting primarily of $195.9 million of net proceeds received in connection with the Business Combination, partially offset by principal payments made on our term loan.

During the year ended December 31, 2020, net cash provided by financing activities was $34.2 million, consisting primarily of $20.1 million of net proceeds from the issuance of our Series B preferred stock and $14.0 million of net proceeds from the issuance of the convertible promissory notes.

Funding requirements

Our primary use of cash is to fund operating expenses, primarily related to our research and development activities. However, our resource requirements could materially change to the extent we identify and enter into any strategic transaction. Cash used to fund operating expenses is impacted by the timing of when we pay these expenses, as reflected in the change in our outstanding accounts payable, accrued expenses and prepaid expenses.

We expect our expenses to decrease in 2022 compared to 2021 due to our planned reduced clinical efforts in 2022 and the restructurings announced in October 2021 and February 2022 in connection with our exploration of strategic alternatives. To the extent we continue to pursue the development of our product candidates, the timing and amount of our operating expenditures will depend largely on our ability to:


advance preclinical development of our early-stage programs and clinical trials of our product candidates;


manufacture, or have manufactured on our behalf, including sourcing raw materials, our preclinical and clinical drug material and develop processes for late stage and commercial manufacturing;


seek regulatory approvals for any product candidates that successfully complete clinical trials;


establish a sales, marketing, medical affairs and distribution infrastructure to commercialize any product candidates for which we may obtain marketing approval and intend to commercialize on our own;


maintain and protect our intellectual property portfolio;


manage the costs of preparing, filing and prosecuting patent applications, maintaining and protecting our intellectual property rights, including enforcing and defending intellectual property related claims;


manage the costs of operating as a public company; and


realize the anticipated benefits of our restructuring plans.

Identifying potential product candidates and conducting preclinical studies and clinical trials is a time consuming, expensive and uncertain process that takes years to complete, and we may never generate the necessary data or results required to obtain marketing approval and achieve product sales. In addition, our product candidates, if approved, may not achieve commercial success. Our commercial revenues, if any, would be derived from sales of products that we do not expect to be commercially available for many years, if ever. Accordingly, we will need to obtain substantial additional funds to achieve our business objectives.

As of December 31, 2021, we had cash and cash equivalents of $136.6 million. We believe that our cash and cash equivalents will enable us to fund our operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements through at least the next twelve months from the filing of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. We have based this estimate on assumptions that may prove to be wrong, and we could utilize our available capital resources sooner than we expect. However, our resource requirements could materially change to the extent we identify and enter into any strategic transaction.

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Until such time as we can generate substantial product revenue, if ever, and subject to our pursuit of a strategic transaction, we expect to finance our operations through a combination of equity offerings, debt financings, collaborations, strategic alliances and marketing, distribution or licensing arrangements. To the extent that we raise additional capital through the sale of equity or convertible debt securities, ownership interests will be diluted, and the terms of these securities may include liquidation or other preferences that adversely affect the rights of common stockholders. Debt financing and preferred equity financing, if available, may involve agreements that include covenants limiting or restricting our ability to take specific actions, such as incurring additional debt, making acquisitions or capital expenditures or declaring dividends. If we raise additional funds through collaborations, strategic alliances or marketing, distribution or licensing arrangements with third parties, we may have to relinquish valuable rights to our technologies, future revenue streams, research programs or drug candidates, or grant licenses on terms that may not be favorable to us. If we are unable to raise additional funds through equity or debt financings or other arrangements when needed, we may be required to delay, limit, reduce or terminate our research, product development or future commercialization efforts, or grant rights to develop and market drug candidates that we would otherwise prefer to develop and market ourselves.

Working capital

Because of the numerous risks and uncertainties associated with research, development and commercialization of pharmaceutical product candidates, we are unable to estimate the exact amount of our working capital requirements. Subject to our pursuit of a strategic transaction, our future funding requirements will depend on and could increase significantly as a result of many factors, including:


the scope, progress, results and costs of researching and developing our product candidates, and conducting preclinical and clinical trials;


the costs, timing and outcome of regulatory review of our product candidates;


the costs, timing and ability to manufacture our product candidates to supply our clinical and preclinical development efforts and our clinical trials;


the costs of future activities, including product sales, medical affairs, marketing, manufacturing and distribution, for any of our product candidates for which we receive marketing approval;


the costs of raw materials and manufacturing commercial-grade product and necessary inventory to support commercial launch;


the ability to receive additional non-dilutive funding, including grants from organizations and foundations;


the revenue, if any, received from commercial sale of our products, should any of our product candidates receive marketing approval;


the costs of preparing, filing and prosecuting patent applications, obtaining, maintaining, expanding and enforcing our intellectual property rights and defending intellectual property-related claims;


our ability to establish and maintain collaborations and strategic alliances on favorable terms, if at all; and


the extent to which we acquire or in-license other product candidates and technologies.

Contractual obligations and commitments

Term loan

In February 2019, we entered into a term loan facility of up to $10.0 million (the “Term Loan”) with SVB. The proceeds were used for general corporate and working capital purposes. Concurrent with the Term Loan, we issued SVB warrants to purchase 15,257 shares of Old Gemini’s Series A preferred stock at an exercise price of $5.46. At the closing of the Business Combination, these warrants were automatically exercised for 15,257 shares of our common stock. As of December 31, 2021 and 2020, we had $5.4 million and $10.0 million, respectively, in principal outstanding under the Term Loan.

The Term Loan is governed by a loan and security agreement, entered into in February 2019, between Gemini and SVB (the “SVB Loan Agreement”). The SVB Loan Agreement provided for two separate tranches under which we could borrow. In

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April 2019, we borrowed $7.5 million under the first tranche, and in December 2019, we borrowed $2.5 million under the second tranche.

The Term Loan matures in January 2023 and accrues interest at a floating rate per annum equal to the greater of 3.75% or the prime rate minus 1.5% (1.75% as of September 30, 2021). The Term Loan provides for monthly interest-only payments until February 2021. Thereafter, payments are payable in equal monthly installments of principal, plus all accrued and unpaid interest. We may prepay the Term Loan in whole upon 5 days’ prior written notice to SVB. Any such prepayment of the Term Loan is subject to a prepayment charge of 0.5% of the then outstanding principal balance. Amounts outstanding during an event of default are payable upon SVB’s demand and will accrue interest at an additional rate of 5.0% per annum of the past due amount outstanding.

In April 2020, we entered into a deferral agreement with SVB to defer scheduled principal repayments on its term loan by six months. The deferral agreement was offered in connection with SVB’s venture debt relief initiative, which was started due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Our first principal payment under our credit facility occurred in February 2021. The required monthly interest-only payment was not impacted by the deferral. The Term Loan’s new maturity date is January 2023.

At the end of the loan term (whether at maturity, by prepayment in full or otherwise), we are required to pay a final end of term charge to SVB in the amount of 4.0% of the aggregate original principal amount advanced by SVB.

Convertible promissory notes

In August 2020, we entered into a purchase agreement with existing investors to issue $14.0 million in convertible promissory notes, (the “Notes”). The Notes accrued simple interest at 8% per annum and matured in February 2021. The Notes served as a bridge loan prior to the PIPE Financing that was completed in connection with the closing of the Business Combination. The Notes were amended to allow for the principal and interest to convert to shares of Series B preferred stock prior to the closing of the Business Combination. Accordingly, immediately prior to the closing of the Business Combination, the outstanding principal and interest under the Notes converted into 2,341,316 shares of Series B preferred stock at a per share conversion price of $6.1986.

Contract research and manufacturing organizations

We enter into contracts in the normal course of business with CMOs, CROs and other third parties for the manufacture of our product candidates and to support clinical trials and preclinical research studies and testing. These contracts are generally cancelable at any time by us following a certain period of notice. Payments due upon cancellation consist only of payments for services provided or expenses incurred, including noncancelable obligations of our service providers, up to the date of cancellation. We recorded accrued expenses of approximately $4.0 million in our consolidated balance sheet for expenditures incurred by CROs and CMOs as of December 31, 2021.

Tax-related obligations

To date, we have not recognized any reserves related to uncertain tax positions. As of December 31, 2021, we had no accrued interest or penalties related to uncertain tax positions.

Critical accounting policies and significant judgments and estimates

Our management’s discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations is based on our consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (“GAAP”). The preparation of our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures requires us to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, costs and expenses. We base our estimates on historical experience, known trends and events and various other factors that we believe are reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. We evaluate our estimates and assumptions on an ongoing basis. Our actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions.

While our significant accounting policies are described in more detail in Note 3 to the consolidated financial statements appearing elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, we believe that the following accounting policies are those most critical to the judgments and estimates used in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements.

Accrued research and development expenses

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As part of the process of preparing our consolidated financial statements, we are required to estimate our accrued research and development expenses. This process involves reviewing open contracts and purchase orders, communicating with our applicable personnel to identify services that have been performed on our behalf and estimating the level of service performed and the associated cost incurred for the service when we have not yet been invoiced or otherwise notified of actual costs. The majority of our service providers invoice us in arrears for services performed, on a pre-determined schedule or when contractual milestones are met; however, some require advance payments. We make estimates of our accrued expenses as of each balance sheet date in the consolidated financial statements based on facts and circumstances known to us at that time. We periodically confirm the accuracy of the estimates with the service providers and make adjustments if necessary. Examples of estimated accrued research and development expenses include fees paid to:


vendors, including research laboratories, in connection with preclinical development activities;


CROs and investigative sites in connection with preclinical studies and clinical trials; and


CMOs in connection with drug substance and drug product formulation of preclinical studies and clinical trial materials.

We base our expenses related to preclinical studies and clinical trials on our estimates of the services received and efforts expended pursuant to quotes and contracts with multiple research institutions and CROs that supply, conduct and manage preclinical studies and clinical trials on our behalf. The financial terms of these agreements are subject to negotiation, vary from contract to contract and may result in uneven payment flows. There may be instances in which payments made to our vendors will exceed the level of services provided and result in a prepayment of the expense. Payments under some of these contracts depend on factors such as the successful enrollment of patients and the completion of clinical trial milestones. In accruing service fees, we estimate the time period over which services will be performed and the level of effort to be expended in each period. If the actual timing of the performance of services or the level of effort varies from the estimate, we adjust the accrual or the prepaid expense accordingly. Although we do not expect our estimates to be materially different from amounts actually incurred, our understanding of the status and timing of services performed relative to the actual status and timing of services performed may vary and may result in reporting amounts that are too high or too low in any particular period. To date, our estimated accruals have not differed materially from actual costs incurred.

Stock-based compensation

We measure all stock-based awards granted to employees, directors and non-employees based on the fair value on the date of grant and recognize compensation expense of those awards over the requisite service period, which is generally the vesting period of the respective award. Forfeitures are accounted for as they occur. We grant stock options and restricted stock awards that are subject to either service or performance-based vesting conditions. For awards with service-based vesting conditions, we recognize equity-based compensation expense on a straight-line basis over the vesting period. Compensation expense related to awards to employees and non-employees with performance-based vesting conditions is recognized based on the grant date fair value over the requisite service period using the accelerated attribution method to the extent achievement of the performance condition is probable. We estimate the probability that certain performance criteria will be met and do not recognize compensation expense until it is probable that the performance-based vesting condition will be achieved.

We classify stock-based compensation expense in our consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss in the same manner in which the award recipient’s payroll costs are classified or in which the award recipient’s service payments are classified.

Determination of Fair Value

Subsequent to the closing of the Business Combination, the fair value of each share of common stock underlying stock-based awards is determined based on the closing price of our common stock as reported by Nasdaq on the date of grant.

We estimate the fair value of stock options using the Black-Scholes option pricing model, which uses as inputs the fair value of our common stock, and certain management estimates, including the expected stock price volatility, the expected term of the award, the risk-free rate, and expected dividends. Expected volatility is calculated based on reported volatility data for a representative group of publicly traded companies for which historical information is available. We select companies with comparable characteristics with historical share price information that approximates the expected term of the equity-based awards. We compute the historical volatility data using the daily closing prices for the selected companies’ shares during the equivalent period that approximates the calculated expected term of the stock options. We will continue to apply this method until a sufficient amount of historical information regarding the volatility of its stock price becomes available. The risk-free

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interest rate is based on the U.S. Treasury yield curve in effect at the time of grant commensurate with the expected term assumption. We use the simplified method, under which the expected term is presumed to be the midpoint between the vesting date and the end of the contractual term. We utilize this method due to lack of historical exercise data. The expected dividend yield is assumed to be zero as we have no current plans to pay any dividends on common stock.

Prior to the completion of the Business Combination, given there had been no public market for our common stock, the estimated fair value of our common stock was determined by the board of directors as of the date of each award grant, with input from management, considering our most recently available third-party valuations of common stock. These third-party valuations were performed in accordance with the guidance outlined in the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants’ Accounting and Valuation Guide, Valuation of Privately-Held-Company Equity Securities Issued as Compensation. Our common stock valuations were prepared using an option pricing method (“OPM”) or a hybrid method, both of which used market approaches to estimate enterprise value. The OPM treats common stock and preferred stock as call options on the total equity value of a company, with exercise prices based on the value thresholds at which the allocation among the various holders of a company’s securities changes. Under this method, the common stock has value only if the funds available for distribution to stockholders exceeded the value of the preferred stock liquidation preferences at the time of the liquidity event, such as a strategic sale or a merger. A discount for lack of marketability of the common stock is then applied to arrive at an indication of value for the common stock. The hybrid method is a probability-weighted expected return method (“PWERM”) where the equity value in one or more scenarios is calculated using an OPM. The PWERM is a scenario-based methodology that estimates the fair value of our common stock based upon an analysis of our future values, assuming various outcomes. The common stock value is based on the probability-weighted present value of expected future investment returns considering each of the possible outcomes available as well as the rights of each class of stock. The future value of the common stock under each outcome is discounted back to the valuation date at an appropriate risk-adjusted discount rate and probability weighted to arrive at an indication of value for the common stock. There are significant judgments and estimates inherent in the determination of the fair value of our common stock. These estimates and assumptions include a number of objective and subjective factors, including external market conditions, the prices at which we sold shares of preferred securities, the superior rights and preferences of securities senior to the common securities at the time of, and the likelihood of, achieving a liquidity event, such as an initial public offering or sale. Significant changes to the key assumptions used in the valuations could result in different fair values of common stock at each valuation date.

Recently issued accounting pronouncements

Refer to Note 3, Summary of Significant Accounting Policies, to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for information regarding recently issued accounting pronouncements.

Emerging growth company and smaller reporting company status

We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (“JOBS Act”), and we may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies. We may take advantage of these exemptions until we are no longer an emerging growth company under Section 107 of the JOBS Act, which provides that an emerging growth company can take advantage of the extended transition period afforded by the JOBS Act for the implementation of new or revised accounting standards. We have elected to avail ourselves of the extended transition period and, therefore, while we are an emerging growth company, we will not be subject to new or revised accounting standards at the same time that they become applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies, unless we choose to early adopt a new or revised accounting standard. We will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier of (1) the last day of the fiscal year (a) following the fifth anniversary of the closing of our initial public offering, (b) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.07 billion, or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our common stock that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the prior June 30th, and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt during the prior three-year period.

Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (i) the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates exceeds $250 million as of the prior June 30, or (ii) our annual revenues exceed $100 million during such completed fiscal year and the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the prior June 30.

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