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DURHAM, N.C., Aug. 14, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Precision BioSciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: DTIL) (“Precision”), a genome editing company dedicated to improving life through the application of its pioneering, proprietary ARCUS® platform, today announced financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2019, and provided a corporate update.
Key Highlights and Recent Developments
“Following the closing of our successful IPO at the beginning of April, we have continued to leverage the unique capabilities of our proprietary ARCUS genome editing platform for therapeutic and human health applications. We achieved a significant milestone in our mission to deliver transformative, off-the-shelf CAR T cell therapies to cancer patients by dosing the first subjects with our lead allogeneic product candidate, PBCAR0191. Our portfolio of in vivo gene correction candidates continues to progress towards the clinic, and we are excited by the ongoing momentum at Elo Life Systems,” commented Matt Kane, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Precision. “In the second quarter of 2019, we also successfully expanded our senior leadership team and are pleased to welcome Christopher Heery, MD, as Precision’s first Chief Medical Officer, and Dario Scimeca as General Counsel. In addition, we expect that our newly opened, in-house CAR T cell manufacturing facility, which we believe to be the first of its kind in the United States, will be able to support multiple simultaneous clinical trials and, in time, the commercialization of our product candidates, if approved. Our focus on manufacturing continues to demonstrate our commitment to rapidly deliver our advanced therapeutic candidates to patients in need.”
Other Highlights and Upcoming Milestones
Program updates
Senior management additions
Manufacturing Center for Advanced Therapeutics
Elo Life Systems
Upcoming Corporate Presentations
Precision’s senior management team will be presenting and meeting with investors at the following upcoming conferences:
Second Quarter 2019 Financial Results
Cash and Cash Equivalents: As of June 30, 2019, Precision had approximately $226.1 million in cash and cash equivalents. We expect that existing cash and cash equivalents will be sufficient to fund operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements into 2021.
Revenues: Total revenues for the quarter ended June 30, 2019 were $5.4 million, compared to $1.9 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2018. This increase was primarily due to research funding from our joint development collaboration partners.
Research and Development Expenses: Research and development expenses were $22.8 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2019, as compared to $10.9 million for the same period in 2018. This increase of $11.9 million was primarily due to increases in platform development and early-stage research expenses due to contract manufacturing costs and an increase in personnel costs and expenses to support our technology platform development and manufacturing capabilities, partially offset by a decrease in direct research and development expenses related to our CD19 program.
General and Administrative Expenses: General and administrative expenses were $6.5 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2019, as compared to $3.1 million for the same period in 2018. The increase of $3.4 million was primarily due to employee-related costs for our additional personnel and facility costs associated with our growing infrastructure needs.
Net Loss: Net loss was $19.4 million, or $(0.39) per share, for the quarter ended June 30, 2019, compared to a net loss of $11.8 million, or $(0.75) per share, for the same period in 2018.
About Precision BioSciences, Inc.
Precision BioSciences is dedicated to improving life (DTIL) through its proprietary genome editing platform, “ARCUS.” Precision leverages ARCUS in the development of its product candidates, which are designed to treat human diseases and create healthy and sustainable food and agriculture solutions. Precision is actively developing product candidates in three innovative areas: allogeneic CAR T immunotherapy, in vivo gene correction, and food. For more information regarding Precision, please visit www.precisionbiosciences.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements contained in this press release that do not relate to matters of historical fact should be considered forward-looking statements, including statements regarding the promise and potential impact of our ARCUS genome editing technology, expectations for our in vivo gene therapy candidates, timing of our discussions with the FDA, the performance of Elo Life Systems, the timing, objectives, status and the results of clinical studies of our CAR T product candidates and the capabilities of our manufacturing facility. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terms such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “could,” “expect,” “should,” “plan,” “intend,” “estimate,” “target,” “mission,” “may,” “will,” “would,” “should,” “could,” “target,” “project,” “predict,” “contemplate,” “potential,” or the negative thereof and similar words and expressions.
Forward-looking statements are based on management’s current expectations, beliefs and assumptions and on information currently available to us. Such statements are subject to a number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and assumptions, and actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements due to various important factors, including, but not limited to, our ability to become profitable; our ability to procure sufficient funding and requirements under our current debt instruments; our limited operating history; our ability to identify, develop and commercialize our product candidates; our dependence on our ARCUS technology; the initiation, cost, timing, progress and results of research and development activities, preclinical or greenhouse studies and clinical or field trials; our or our collaborators’ ability to identify, develop and commercialize product candidates; our or our collaborators’ ability to advance product candidates into, and successfully complete, clinical or field trials; our or our collaborators’ ability to obtain and maintain regulatory approval of future product candidates, and any related restrictions, limitations and/or warnings in the label of an approved product candidate; the regulatory landscape that will apply to our and our collaborators’ development of product candidates; our ability to achieve our anticipated operating efficiencies as we commence manufacturing operations at our new facility; our ability to obtain and maintain intellectual property protection for our technology and any of our product candidates; the potential for off-target editing or other adverse events, undesirable side effects or unexpected characteristics associated with any of our product candidates; the success of our existing collaboration agreements; our ability to enter into new collaboration arrangements; public perception about genome editing technology and its applications; competition in the genome editing, biopharmaceutical, biotechnology and agricultural biotechnology fields; potential manufacturing problems associated with any of our product candidates; potential liability lawsuits and penalties related to our technology, our product candidates; and our current and future relationships with third parties; and other important factors discussed under the caption “Risk Factors” our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended June 30, 2019, as such factors may be updated from time to time in our other filings with the SEC, which are accessible on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.
All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release and, except as required by applicable law, we do not plan to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements contained herein, whether as a result of any new information, future events, changed circumstances or otherwise.
Investor Contact:
Jason Wong
Blueprint Life Science Group
Tel. (415) 375-3340 Ext. 4
jwong@bplifescience.com
Media Contact:
Cory Tromblee
Scient Public Relations
Tel. (617) 571-7220
cory@scientpr.com
Precision BioSciences Condensed Consolidated Statement of Operations (In thousands, except share and per share amounts) (Unaudited) |
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For the Three Months Ended June 30, | For the Six Months Ended June 30, | |||||||||||||||||
2019 | 2018 | 2019 | 2018 | |||||||||||||||
Revenue | $ | 5,389 | $ | 1,874 | $ | 10,851 | $ | 3,402 | ||||||||||
Operating expenses | ||||||||||||||||||
Research and development | 22,760 | 10,869 | 42,721 | 18,986 | ||||||||||||||
General and administrative | 6,500 | 3,130 | 11,495 | 5,776 | ||||||||||||||
Total operating expenses | 29,260 | 13,999 | 54,216 | 24,762 | ||||||||||||||
Loss from operations | (23,871 | ) | (12,125 | ) | (43,365 | ) | (21,360 | ) | ||||||||||
Other income (expense), net: | ||||||||||||||||||
Change in fair value of convertible note payable | 2,950 | — | (9,758 | ) | — | |||||||||||||
Interest expense | — | — | (182 | ) | — | |||||||||||||
Interest income | 1,485 | 299 | 2,086 | 522 | ||||||||||||||
Total other income (expense), net | 4,435 | 299 | (7,854 | ) | 522 | |||||||||||||
Net loss and net loss attributable to common stockholders | $ | (19,436 | ) | $ | (11,826 | ) | $ | (51,219 | ) | $ | (20,838 | ) | ||||||
Net loss per share attributable to common stockholders-basic and diluted | $ | (0.39 | ) | $ | (0.75 | ) | $ | (1.55 | ) | $ | (1.33 | ) | ||||||
Weighted average shares of common stock outstanding-basic and diluted | 50,035,370 | 15,730,747 | 33,095,314 | 15,717,719 | ||||||||||||||
Precision BioSciences Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet (In thousands) (Unaudited) |
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June 30, 2019 | December 31, 2018 | |||||||
Balance Sheet Data | ||||||||
Cash and cash equivalents | $ | 226,099 | $ | 103,193 | ||||
Working capital | 221,268 | 101,600 | ||||||
Total assets | 271,920 | 138,600 | ||||||
Total stockholders' equity | $ | 173,978 | $ | 39,960 | ||||