U.S.
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington,
D.C. 20549
FORM
10-QSB
(Mark
one)
x
|
Quarterly
Report Under Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934
|
For
the Quarterly Period Ended September 30, 2006
or
¨
|
Transition
Report Under Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934
|
Commission
File Number 000-1357459
Neuralstem,
Inc.
(Name
of small business issuer in its charter)
Delaware
|
52-2007292
|
(State
or other jurisdiction
of
incorporation or organization)
|
(I.R.S.
Employer
Identification
No.)
|
|
|
9700
Great Seneca Highway,
Rockville,
Maryland
|
20850
|
(Address
of principal executive offices)
|
(Zip
Code)
|
Issuer's
telephone number: (301) 366-4841
Check
whether the issuer (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by
Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act during the past 12 months (or for
such shorter period that the Registrant was required to file such reports),
and
(2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90
days. Yes ¨ No x
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant is an accelerated filer (as defined in
Rule
12b-2 of the Act). Yes ¨ No x
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule
12b-2 of the Exchange Act) Yes ¨
No
x
As
of
November 15, 2006 there were 25,608,272 shares of common stock, $.001 par value,
issued and outstanding.
Neuralstem,
Inc.
Table
of
Contents
|
|
|
Page
|
PART
I -
|
|
FINANCIAL
INFORMATION
|
|
|
|
|
|
Item
1.
|
|
Financial
Statements (Unaudited):
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Balance
Sheet as of September 30, 2006
|
1 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Statements
of Operations
|
|
|
|
Three
and nine months ended September 30, 2006 and 2005
|
2 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Statements
of Changes in Stockholders' Equity (Deficit)
|
|
|
|
For
the period from December 31, 2005 through September 30,
2006
|
3 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Nine
months ended September 30, 2006 and 2005
|
4 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Notes
to Financial Statements (Unaudited)
|
5 |
|
|
|
|
Item
2.
|
|
Management's
Discussion and Analysis or Plan of Operation
|
8 |
|
|
|
|
Item
3.
|
|
Controls
and Procedures
|
21 |
|
|
|
|
PART
II -
|
|
OTHER
INFORMATION
|
|
|
|
|
|
Item
1.
|
|
Legal
Proceedings
|
21 |
|
|
|
|
Item
2.
|
|
Unregistered
Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds
|
21 |
|
|
|
|
Item
3.
|
|
Defaults
Upon Senior Securities
|
21 |
|
|
|
|
Item
4.
|
|
Submission
of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders.
|
21 |
|
|
|
|
Item
5.
|
|
Other
Information
|
21 |
|
|
|
|
Item
6.
|
|
Exhibits
and Reports on Form 8-K
|
22 |
ADVISEMENT
Unless
the context requires otherwise, “Neuralstem”,
“the
company”,
“we”,
“us”,
“our”
and
similar terms refer to Neuralstem, Inc. Our common stock, par value $.001
per share is commonly referred to in this quarterly report as our “
common shares”.
The information in this quarterly report is current as of the date of this
quarterly report (September 30, 2006), unless another date is
specified.
We
prepare our interim financial statements in accordance with United States
generally accepted accounting principles. Our financial condition and
results of operations for the nine-month interim period ended
September 30, 2006 are not necessarily indicative of our prospective
financial condition and results of operations for the pending full fiscal year
ended December 31, 2006. The interim financial statements
presented in this quarterly report as well as other information relating to
our
company contained in this quarterly report should be read in conjunction and
together with any reports, statements and information filed with the SEC
including our registration filed on form SB-2/A on August 28, 2006.
FORWARD
LOOKING STATEMENTS
In
this
quarterly report we make a number of statements, referred to as “forward-looking
statements”, within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and
Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the "Exchange Act"), which
are intended to convey our expectations or predictions regarding the occurrence
of possible future events or the existence of trends and factors that may impact
our future plans and operating results. These forward-looking statements are
derived, in part, from various assumptions and analyses we have made in the
context of our current business plan and information currently available to
use
and in light of our experience and perceptions of historical trends, current
conditions and expected future developments and other factors we believe are
appropriate in the circumstances. You can generally identify forward looking
statements through words and phrases such as“believe”,
“expect”, “seek”, “estimate”, “anticipate”, “intend”, “plan”, “budget”,
“project”, “may likely result”, “may be”, “may continue”
and
other similar expressions.
When
reading any forward-looking statement you should remain mindful that actual
results or developments may vary substantially from those expected as expressed
in or implied by that statement for a number of reasons or factors, including
but not limited to:
·
|
the
success of our research and development activities, the development
of a
viable commercial production model, and the speed with which regulatory
authorizations and product launches may be
achieved;
|
·
|
whether
or not a market for our product develops and, if a market develops,
the
rate at which it develops;
|
·
|
our
ability to successfully sell our products if a market
develops;
|
·
|
our
ability to attract and retain qualified personnel to implement our
growth
strategies;
|
·
|
our
ability to develop sales marketing and distribution
capabilities;
|
·
|
our
ability to obtain reimbursement from third party payers for the products
that we sell;
|
·
|
the
accuracy of our estimates and
projections;
|
·
|
our
ability to fund our short-term and long-term financing
needs;
|
·
|
changes
in our business plan and corporate strategies;
and
|
·
|
other
risks and uncertainties discussed in greater detail in the section
captioned “Risk Factors”
|
Each
forward-looking statement should be read in context with and in understanding
of
the various other disclosures concerning our company and our business made
elsewhere in this report as well as our public filings with the Securities
and
Exchange Commission. You should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking
statement as a prediction of actual results or developments. We are not
obligated to update or revise any forward-looking statements contained in this
report or any other filing to reflect new events or circumstances unless and
to
the extent required by applicable law.
FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS.
NEURALSTEM,
INC.
BALANCE
SHEET
(Unaudited)
|
|
September
30,
|
|
|
|
2006
|
|
|
|
|
|
ASSETS
|
|
|
|
CURRENT
ASSETS
|
|
|
|
|
Cash
|
|
$
|
2,486,396
|
|
Prepaid
expenses
|
|
|
37,832
|
|
Total
current assets
|
|
|
2,524,228
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Property
and equipment, net
|
|
|
36,328
|
|
Other
assets
|
|
|
36,306
|
|
Intangible
assets, net
|
|
|
13,087
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
assets
|
|
$
|
2,609,949
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
LIABILITIES
AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
|
|
|
|
|
CURRENT
LIABILITIES
|
|
|
|
|
Note
payable, current portion
|
|
$
|
7,529
|
|
Accounts
payable and accrued expenses
|
|
|
273,211
|
|
Total
current liabilities
|
|
|
280,740
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Note
payable, long-term portion
|
|
|
22,760
|
|
Total
liabilities
|
|
|
303,500
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
STOCKHOLDERS’
EQUITY
|
|
|
|
|
Preferred
stock: $0.01 par value; authorized
|
|
|
|
|
7,000,000
shares; no shares issued and outstanding
|
|
$
|
-
|
|
Common
stock: $0.01 par value; authorized
|
|
|
|
|
75,000,000
shares; 25,608,272 shares issued
|
|
|
|
|
and
outstanding
|
|
|
256,083
|
|
Additional
paid-in capital
|
|
|
39,199,036
|
|
Common
stock receivable for 27,000 shares
|
|
|
(27
|
)
|
Common
stock payable for 254,333
|
|
|
|
|
of
unissued shares of common stock
|
|
|
141,333
|
|
Accumulated
deficit
|
|
|
(37,289,976
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
stockholders’ equity
|
|
|
2,306,449
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
liabilities and stockholders’ equity
|
|
$
|
2,609,949
|
|
See
Accompanying Notes to Financial Statements.
NEURALSTEM,
INC.
STATEMENTS
OF OPERATIONS
(Unaudited)
|
|
Three
months ended September 30,
|
|
Nine
months ended September 30,
|
|
|
|
2006
|
|
2005
|
|
2006
|
|
2005
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Revenues
|
|
$
|
150,072
|
|
$
|
55,645
|
|
$
|
209,283
|
|
$
|
213,458
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating
expenses
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Research
and development costs
|
|
|
422,794
|
|
|
245,790
|
|
|
1,247,386
|
|
|
390,739
|
|
General,
selling and administrative expenses
|
|
|
311,932
|
|
|
13,624
|
|
|
763,664
|
|
|
115,382
|
|
Depreciation
and amortization
|
|
|
12,154
|
|
|
13,394
|
|
|
38,942
|
|
|
39,356
|
|
|
|
|
746,880
|
|
|
272,808
|
|
|
2,049,992
|
|
|
545,477
|
|
Operating
loss
|
|
|
(596,808
|
)
|
|
(217,163
|
)
|
|
(1,840,709
|
)
|
|
(332,019
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Nonoperating
income (expense)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Interest
|
|
|
24,218
|
|
|
7,838
|
|
|
61,381
|
|
|
7,838
|
|
Interest
expense
|
|
|
(394
|
)
|
|
(10,053
|
)
|
|
(9,090
|
)
|
|
(10,053
|
)
|
Gain
(loss) related to extinguishment
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
of
warrants liability
|
|
|
388,401
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
-
|
|
Other
expense
|
|
|
(26,505
|
)
|
|
-
|
|
|
(56,320
|
)
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net
loss
|
|
$
|
(211,088
|
)
|
$
|
(219,378
|
)
|
$
|
(1,844,738
|
)
|
$
|
(334,234
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net
loss per share, basic
|
|
$
|
(0.01
|
)
|
$
|
(0.0
|
)
|
$
|
(0.08
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Average
number of shares
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
of
common stock outstanding
|
|
|
25,608,272
|
|
|
16,318,985
|
|
|
24,591,149
|
|
|
12,104,650
|
|
See
Accompanying Notes to Financial Statements.
NEURALSTEM,
INC.
STATEMENT
OF STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
(Unaudited)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Common
|
|
Common
|
|
Additional
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Preferred
Stock
|
|
Common
Stock
|
|
Stock
|
|
Stock
|
|
Paid-In
|
|
Accumulated
|
|
|
|
|
Shares
|
|
Amount
|
|
Shares
|
|
Amount
|
|
Receivable
|
|
Payable
|
|
Capital
|
|
Deficit
|
|
Total
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Balance,
December 31, 2005
|
|
-
|
|
$
|
-
|
|
|
20,608,272
|
|
$
|
206,083
|
|
$
|
-
|
|
$
|
113,000
|
|
$
|
34,665,982
|
|
$
|
(35,445,238
|
)
|
$
|
(460,173
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Issuance
of common stock for cash proceeds of $4,550,000 (net of
offering expense of $450,000), $1.00 per share
|
|
-
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
5,000,000
|
|
|
50,000
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
4,500,000
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
4,550,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Vesting
of warrants for 6,000 shares of common stock related to
consultant
|
|
-
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
5,040
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
5,040
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Receivable
for return of 18,000 shares of common stock
|
|
-
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
(27
|
)
|
|
-
|
|
|
27
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Penalty
for late filing of registration Statement related to Private Placement
Offering
|
|
-
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
28,333
|
|
|
27,987
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
56,320
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net
loss
|
|
-
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
(1,844,738
|
)
|
|
(1,844,738
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Balance,
September 30, 2006
|
|
-
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
25,608,272
|
|
$
|
256,083
|
|
$
|
(27
|
)
|
$
|
141,333
|
|
$
|
39,199,036
|
|
$
|
(37,289,976
|
)
|
$
|
2,306,449
|
|
See
Accompanying Notes to Financial Statements.
NEURALSTEM,
INC.
STATEMENTS
OF CASH FLOWS
(Unaudited)
|
|
Nine
months ended September 30,
|
|
|
|
2006
|
|
2005
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash
Flows From Operating Activities
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net
loss
|
|
$
|
(1,844,738
|
)
|
$
|
(334,234
|
)
|
Adjustments
to reconcile net loss to cash used in
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
operating
activities:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Depreciation
and amortization
|
|
|
38,943
|
|
|
39,356
|
|
Stock
based expenses
|
|
|
61,360
|
|
|
-
|
|
Changes
in assets and liabilities
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Prepaid
expenses
|
|
|
(37,831
|
)
|
|
-
|
|
Other
assets
|
|
|
(36,306
|
)
|
|
-
|
|
Accounts
payable and accrued expenses
|
|
|
(410,593
|
)
|
|
151,017
|
|
Deferred
compensation
|
|
|
(192,620
|
)
|
|
-
|
|
Net
cash used in operating activities
|
|
|
(2,421,785
|
)
|
|
(143,861
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash
Flows From Investing Activities
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Purchase
of property and equipment
|
|
|
(44,893
|
)
|
|
-
|
|
Net
cash used in investing activities
|
|
|
(44,893
|
)
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash
Flows From Financing Activities
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Issuance
of common stock
|
|
|
4,550,000
|
|
|
402,922
|
|
Proceeds
from notes payable
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
207,405
|
|
Payments
on notes payable
|
|
|
(123,307
|
)
|
|
(3,852
|
)
|
Net
cash provided by financing activities
|
|
|
4,426,693
|
|
|
606,475
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net
increase in cash
|
|
|
1,960,015
|
|
|
462,614
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash,
beginning of period
|
|
|
526,381
|
|
|
39,054
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash,
end of period
|
|
$
|
2,486,396
|
|
$
|
501,668
|
|
See
Accompanying Notes to Financial Statements.
NEURALSTEM,
INC.
NOTES
TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Note
1. Summary
of Significant Accounting Policies
Basis
of Presentation:
The
accompanying unaudited financial statements have been prepared in accordance
with Securities and Exchange Commission requirements for interim financial
statements. Therefore, they do not include all of the information and footnotes
required by accounting principles generally accepted in the United States for
complete financial statements. The financial statements should be read in
conjunction with Neuralstem, Inc.’s (the “Company”) annual financial statements
for the years ended December 31, 2005 and 2004.
The
interim financial statements present the balance sheet, statements of
operations, stockholders' equity and cash flows of the Company. The financial
statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally
accepted in the United States.
The
interim financial information is unaudited. In the opinion of management, all
adjustments necessary to present fairly the financial position as of September
30, 2006 and the results of operations and cash flows presented herein have
been
included in the financial statements. All such adjustments are the recurring
and
normal nature. Interim results are not necessarily indicative of results of
operations for the full year.
Estimates
The
preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted
accounting principles requires management to make estimates and assumptions
that
affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of
contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and
the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period.
Because of the use of estimates inherent in the financial reporting process,
actual results could differ significantly from those estimates.
New
Accounting Pronouncement Adoption
On
January 1, 2006, the Company adopted Statement of Financial Accounting Standards
No. 123R (“SFAS 123R”), “Share-Based Payment.” The Company will continue to
follow the intrinsic value model under APB Opinion No. 25 for those employee
stock option awards granted and unmodified prior to the adoption of SFAS 123R
as
permitted by paragraph 83 of the new guidance.
Note
2. Stockholders’
Equity
From
January 2006 through February 2006, the Company raised $4,550,000 (net of
offering expenses of $450,000) through a Limited Offering Memorandum. Each
Unit
sold consisted of one share of common stock, ½ “A” Warrant to Purchase A share
of Common Stock at $1.50 per share, and ½ ‘B” Warrant to Purchase A Share of
Common Stock at $1.00 per share. These warrants have a life of 10
years.
NEURALSTEM,
INC.
NOTES
TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Note
3. Notes
payable
In
November 2001, the Company entered into an agreement with a bank to borrow
$625,000. The note was renegotiated in May 2002 to require principal payments
of
$25,000 per month beginning August 2002 and to accrue interest at the prime
rate
plus 1.5% with the balance of principal and accrued interest due on December
9,
2002. The note was renegotiated in December 2002 to require principal payments
of $25,000 per month through February 2003, increasing to $40,000 per month
starting March 2003, and to accrue interest at the prime rate plus 1.5% with
the
balance of principal and accrued interest due on June 20, 2003. Substantially
all of the Company’s assets provide collateral for the borrowings. As of
September 30, 2006, the entire outstanding balance was fully paid.
Note
4. Common
stock payable
Pursuant
to the terms of the PPM as discussed in Note 2, the Company entered into a
registration rights agreement which requires the Company to file a registration
statement in order to register (1) the common shares issued in the PPM; and
(2)
the common shares issuable upon the exercise of the class “A” and “B” warrants.
The registration rights agreement require the Company to file a registration
statement as soon as reasonably practicable after the first closing for the
offering, but in no event more than 30 days following the closing of the minimum
offering amount, which the closing occurred on February 23, 2006. If the Company
fail to do so: (i) the shares underlying the “A” and “B” warrants would be
increased by one percent (1%) for each 30 day period; and (ii) we would be
obligated to issue additional shares equal to one percent (1%) for each 30
day
period of the common shares sold in the offering (prorated for partial periods).
The registration rights agreement also require the Company on a best effort
basis to have the registration statement declared effective within 180 days
after the minimum closing and maintain the registration statement continuously
effective until the date that the shares covered by the PPM may be sold pursuant
to Rule 144 of the Securities Act without any restrictions.
The
Company filed its registration statement on April 3, 2006 and became effective
August 31, 2006 which was considered 9 and 8 days, respectively, late pursuant
to the terms of the PPM. As a result, the Company is obligated to issue an
additional 28,333 shares of common stock; “A” warrants for 14,167 shares of
common stock and “B” warrants for 14,167 shares of common stock as a penalty for
not meeting the 30 day period timeline to file the registration statement.
As of
September 30, 2006, the Company recorded a common stock payable for 28,333
shares of common stock penalty for a total value of $28,333 and warrants
liability for the “A” and “B” warrants penalty of $27,987 which have been
recorded as part of “other expense” within the statements of
operations.
Note
5. Common
stock receivable
Common
stock receivable relates to a penalty provision of an agreement with its
placement agent/consultant for not having its registration statement filed
within 30 days following the closing of the minimum offering amount of the
PPM.
The total penalty assessed on the placement agent/consultant totaled 27,000
shares of common stock. As September 30, 2006, the Company accrued $27 as a
common stock receivable for 27,000 shares.
NEURALSTEM,
INC.
NOTES
TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Note
6. Extinguishment
of warrants liability
During
the six months ended June 30, 2006, the “A” and “B” warrants associated with the
PPM have been recorded as a liability in accordance with Emerging Issued Task
Force No. 00-19. The “A” and “B” warrants fair value totaled $4,938,401 under
the Black-Scholes options pricing model. The entire net proceeds of $4,550,000
from the PPM had been allocated as a warrant liability. The difference between
the fair values of the “A” and “B” warrants and the net proceeds totaling
$388,401 have been recorded as a loss related to adjustment of warrants
liability to fair value. In September 2006, the Company completed its
registration statement which became effective. As a result, the warrant
liability was extinguished and any recorded loss related to adjustment of
warrants liability had been eliminated.
MANAGEMENT’S
DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF
FINANCIAL
CONDITION, RESULTS OF OPERATIONS AND PLAN OF OPERATION
General
The
following discussion of our financial condition and results of operations should
be read in conjunction with (1) our unaudited interim financial statements
and their explanatory notes included as part of this quarterly report, and
(2) our audited annual financial statements and explanatory notes for the
year ended December 31, 2005 as disclosed in our registration
statement filed on form SB-2/A, filed on August 28, 2006 with the SEC, as it
may
be amended.
This
quarterly report contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and
uncertainties. See
"Risk
Factors"
set
forth on page 14 of
this
report for a more complete discussion of these factors. Readers are cautioned
not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak
only as of the date that they are made. We undertake no obligation to publicly
update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new
information, future events or otherwise.
Overview
Neuralstem
is focused on the development and commercialization of treatments based on
transplanting human neural stem cells.
We
have
developed and maintain a portfolio of patents and patent applications that
form
the proprietary base for our research and development efforts in the area of
neural stem cell research, and have ownership or exclusive licensing of four
issued patents and 12 patent pending applications in the field of regenerative
medicine and related technologies. We believe our technology base, in
combination with our know-how, and collaborative projects with major research
institutions provides a competitive advantage and will facilitate the successful
development and commercialization of products for use in treatment of a wide
array of neurodegenerative conditions and in regenerative repair of acute
disease.
This
is a
young and emerging field. There can be no assurances that our intellectual
property portfolio will ultimately produce viable commercialized products and
processes. Even if we are able to produce a commercially viable product, there
are strong competitors in this field and our product may not be able to
successfully compete against them.
All
of
our research efforts to date are at the level of basic research or in the
pre-clinical stage of development. We are focused on leveraging our key assets,
including our intellectual property, our scientific team, our facilities and
our
capital, to accelerate the advancement of our stem cell technologies. In
addition, we are pursuing strategic collaborations with members of academia.
We
are currently headquartered in Rockville, Maryland.
Technology
Our
technology is the ability to isolate human neural stem cells from most areas
of
the developing human brain and spinal cord and our technology includes the
ability to grow them into physiologically relevant human neurons of all types.
Our two issued core patents entitled
Isolation, Propagation, and Directed Differentiation of Stem Cell from Embryonic
and Adult Central Nervous System of Mammals
and
In
Vitro Generation of Differentiated Neurons from Cultures of Mammalian
Multi-potential CNS Stem Cell
contain
claims which cover the process of deriving the cells and the cells created
from
such process.
What
differentiates our stem cell technology from others is that our patented
processes do not require us to “push” the cells towards a certain fate by adding
specific growth factors. Our cells actually “become” the type of cell they are
fated to be. We believe this process and the resulting cells create a technology
platform that allows for the efficient isolation and ability to produce, in
commercially reasonable quantities, neural stem cells from the human brain
and
spinal cord.
Our
technology allows for cells to grow in cultured dishes, also known
as
in
vitro
growth,
without mutations or other adverse events that would compromise their
usefulness.
Research
We
have
devoted substantial resources to our research programs to isolate and develop
a
series of neural stem cell banks that we believe can serve as a basis for
therapeutic products. Our efforts to date have been directed at methods to
identify, isolate and culture large varieties of stem cells of the human nervous
system, and to develop therapies utilizing these stem cells. This research
is
conducted both internally and through the use of third party laboratory
consulting companies under our direct supervision.
As
of
November 15, 2006, we had 4 full-time employees. Of these employees, one is
directly involved in research and development activities and three are engaged
in business development and administration. We also use the services of numerous
outside consultants in business and scientific matters. We believe that we
have
good relations with our employees and consultants.
Trends
& Outlook
Revenue:
Our
revenue is currently derived from grant reimbursements and licensing fees.
As
our focus is now on pre-clinical work in anticipation of entering clinical
trials in 2007, we are not concentrated on increasing revenue. Additionally,
as
our current grants wind down, revenue can be expected to continue decreasing.
Finally, as most grants use a fiscal year of October 31, revenue attributed
to
grants tends to be lower in the initial quarters of the year and increases
in
subsequent quarters.
Long-term,
we anticipate that grant revenue as a percentage of revenue will decrease and
our revenue will be derived primarily from licensing fees and the sale of our
cell therapy products. At present we are in our pre-clinical stage of
development and as a result, we can not accurately predict when or if we will
be
able to produce a product for commercialization. Accordingly, cannot accurately
estimate when such change in revenue composition will occur or if it will ever
occur.
Research
& Development Expense:
Our
research and development expenses consist primarily of costs associated with
basic and pre-clinical research exclusively in the field of human neural stem
cell therapies and regenerative medicine, related to our clinical cell therapy
candidates. These expenses represent both pre-clinical development costs and
costs associated with non-clinical support activities such as quality control
and regulatory processes. The cost of our research and development personnel
is
the most significant category of expense; however, we also incur expenses with
third parties, including license agreements, third party contract services,
sponsored research programs and consulting expenses.
We
do not
segregate research and development costs by project because our research is
focused exclusively on human stem cell therapies as a unitary field of study.
Although we have different areas of focus for our research, these areas are
completely intertwined and have not yet matured to the point where they are
separate and distinct projects. The intellectual property, scientists and other
resources dedicated to these efforts are not separately allocated to individual
projects, but rather are conducting our research on an integrated
basis.
We
expect
that research and development expenses will continue to increase in the
foreseeable future as we add personnel, expand our pre-clinical research (animal
surgeries, manufacturing of cells, and in vitro characterization of cells which
includes testing and cell quality control), begin clinical trial activities,
increase our regulatory compliance capabilities, and ultimately begin
manufacturing. We have retained Qunitiles, Inc. to assist with regulatory
compliance and patient enrollment as we moved from pre-clinical to clinical
stage. The expenses associated with this regulatory compliance and patient
enrollment is budgeted at $200,000 to $250,000 over a twelve month period.
Additionally, we have hired 2 additional technicians to work on a part time
per
project basis to assist in the in-house growing of our cells for grant and
collaborative work. With regard to material and personnel costs, as the industry
continues to mature and grow, we have seen increased demand for qualified
personnel and suitable materials. Notwithstanding, we feel that our outsource
model will provide us with some protection regarding fluctuating
pricing.
Although
we feel the above increase in personnel will be sufficient for our short term
needs, the amount of the monetary increases stemming from increased personnel
and expenses as we move from pre-clinical to clinical state is difficult to
predict due to the uncertainty inherent in the timing and extent of progress
in
our research programs, and initiation of clinical trials. In addition, the
results from our basic research and pre-clinical trials, as well as the results
of trials of similar therapeutics under development by others, will influence
the number, size and duration of planned and unplanned trials. As our research
efforts mature, we will continue to review the direction of our research based
on an assessment of the value of possible commercial applications emerging
from
these efforts. Based on this continuing review, we expect to establish discrete
research programs and evaluate the cost and potential for cash inflows from
commercializing products, partnering with others in the biotechnology industry,
or licensing the technologies associated with these programs to third
parties.
We
believe that it is not possible at this stage to provide a meaningful estimate
of the total cost to complete our ongoing projects and bring any proposed
products to market. The use of human stem cells as a therapy is an emerging
area
of medicine, and it is not known what clinical trials will be required by the
FDA in order to gain marketing approval. The costs to complete such clinical
trials could vary substantially depending upon the projects selected for
development, the number of clinical trials required and the number of patients
needed for each study. At a minimum, we feel that any trials will require at
least 10 patients at an estimated cost of $100,000 per patient. It is possible
that the completion of these studies could be delayed for a variety of reasons,
including difficulties in enrolling patients, delays in manufacturing,
incomplete or inconsistent data from the pre-clinical or clinical trials, and
difficulties evaluating the trial results. Any delay in completion of a trial
would increase the cost of that trial, which would harm our results of
operations. Due to these uncertainties, we cannot reasonably estimate the size,
nature nor timing of the costs to complete, or the amount or timing of the
net
cash inflows from our current activities. Until we obtain further relevant
pre-clinical and clinical data, we will not be able to estimate our future
expenses related to these programs or when, if ever, and to what extent we
will
receive cash inflows from resulting products.
General
and Administrative Expenses:
Our
general and administrative expenses consist of the general costs, expenses
and
salaries for the operation and maintenance of our business. We anticipate that
general and administrative expenses will increase as we progress from
pre-clinical to a clinical phase. Additionally, we recently become subject
to
the periodic reporting requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
As a
result, we foresee an increase in general and administrative expenses relating
to professional services (legal, accounting, audit) and estimate such fees
to be
$10,000 per month. Moreover, in August of 2006 we became the subject of patent
litigation with one of our competitors, StemCells, Inc.. The litigation is
in
its initial stages and it is hard to estimate what the actual costs stemming
there from will be. We have currently budgeted an additional $20,000 per month
but this amount could significantly increase. Notwithstanding, we anticipate
that General and Administrative Expense related to our core business will
increase at a slower rate than that of similar companies making such transition
do in large part to our outsourcing model.
Significant
Accounting Policies
Our
financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles
generally accepted in the United States of America. The preparation of these
financial statements requires management to make estimates and assumptions
that
affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses.
Note 1 of the Notes to our December 31, 2006 Financial Statements describes
the significant accounting policies used in the preparation of the consolidated
financial statements. Certain of these significant accounting policies are
considered to be critical accounting policies, as defined below.
A
critical accounting policy is defined as one that is both material to the
presentation of our financial statements and requires management to make
difficult, subjective or complex judgments that could have a material effect
on
our financial condition and results of operations. Specifically, critical
accounting estimates have the following attributes: 1) we are required to
make assumptions about matters that are highly uncertain at the time of the
estimate; and 2) different estimates we could reasonably have used, or
changes in the estimate that are reasonably likely to occur, would have a
material effect on our financial condition or results of
operations.
Estimates
and assumptions about future events and their effects cannot be determined
with
certainty. We base our estimates on historical experience and on various other
assumptions believed to be applicable and reasonable under the circumstances.
These estimates may change as new events occur, as additional information is
obtained and as our operating environment changes. These changes have
historically been minor and have been included in the consolidated financial
statements as soon as they became known. Based on a critical assessment of
our
accounting policies and the underlying judgments and uncertainties affecting
the
application of those policies, management believes that our consolidated
financial statements are fairly stated in accordance with accounting principles
generally accepted in the United States, and present a meaningful presentation
of our financial condition and results of operations. We believe the following
critical accounting policies reflect our more significant estimates and
assumptions used in the preparation of our consolidated financial
statements:
Use
of Estimates--These
financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles
generally accepted in the United States and, accordingly, require management
to
make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and
liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts
of
revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Specifically, our management
has estimated the expected economic life and value of our licensed technology,
our net operating loss for tax purposes and our stock, option and warrant
expenses related to compensation to employees and directors, consultants and
investment banks. Actual results could differ from those estimates.
Cash
and Equivalents--Cash
equivalents are comprised of certain highly liquid investments with maturity
of
three months or less when purchased. We maintain our cash in bank deposit
accounts, which at times, may exceed federally insured limits. We have not
experienced any losses in such account.
Revenue
Recognition--Our
revenues, to date, revenue has been derived primarily from providing treated
samples for gene expression data from stem cell experiments and from providing
services as a subcontractor under federal grant programs. Revenue is recognized
when there is persuasive evidence that an arrangement exists, delivery of goods
and services has occurred, the price is fixed and determinable, and collection
is reasonably assured.
Intangible
and Long-Lived Assets--We
follow SFAS No. 144, "Accounting for Impairment of Disposal of Long-Lived
Assets," which established a "primary asset" approach to determine the cash
flow
estimation period for a group of assets and liabilities that represents the
unit
of accounting for a long lived asset to be held and used. Long-lived assets
to
be held and used are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in
circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be
recoverable. The carrying amount of a long-lived asset is not recoverable if
it
exceeds the sum of the undiscounted cash flows expected to result from the
use
and eventual disposition of the asset. Long-lived assets to be disposed of
are
reported at the lower of carrying amount or fair value less cost to sell. During
the period ended December 31, 2005 no impairment losses were
recognized.
Research
and Development Costs--Research
and development costs consist of expenditures for the research and development
of patents and technology, which are not capitalizable and charged to operations
when incurred. Our research and development costs consist mainly of payroll
and
payroll related expenses, research supplies and costs incurred in connection
with specific research grants.
Stock
Based Compensation--We
recognize expenses for stock-based compensation arrangements in accordance
with
provisions of Accounting Principles Board (APB) Opinion No. 25, “
Accounting for Stock Issued to Employees,”
and
related Interpretations. Accordingly, compensation cost is recognized for the
excess of the estimated fair value of the stock at the grant date over the
exercise price, if any. The Company accounts for equity instruments issued
to
non-employees in accordance with EITF 96-18,“Accounting
for Equity Instruments that are Issued to Other Than Employees for Acquiring,
or
in Conjunction with Selling Good or Services.”
Accordingly, the estimated fair value of the equity instrument is recorded
on
the earlier of the performance commitment date or the date the services required
are completed.
Beginning
in 2006, we adopted SFAS No. 123R “Share Based Payment” which superseded APB
Opinion No. 25. SFAS No. 123R requires compensation costs related to share-based
payment transactions to be recognized in the financial statements. We do not
believe the adoption of SFAS No. 123R will have a material impact on our
financial statements.
RESULTS
OF OPERATIONS
Result
of Operations for the Three Months ending September 30, 2005 and
2006
Revenues
for the three months ended September 30, 2005 and September 30, 2006
were approximately $55,646 and $150,072 respectively. These amounts relate
primarily to grant reimbursements for the three months ending September 30,
2005
and, grant reimbursements for the three months ending September 30, 2006. The
increase in revenue in current periods was due to additional grant
reimbursements.
Research
and development expenses for the three months ended September 30, 2005 and
September 30, 2006 were approximately $245,790 and $422,794, respectively.
The
increase in expenses in current periods, consists mainly of payroll and payroll
related expenses, research supplies and costs incurred in connection with
specific research grants.
General
and administrative expenses for the three months ended September 30, 2005
and September 30, 2006 were approximately $13,624 and $311,932,
respectively. The principal increase in expenses in 2005 versus 2006 is a result
of increased payroll, legal (both patent and corporate), insurance consulting
fees associated with accounting, filings with the Securities and Exchange
Commission and FDA filing preparation.
Other
income (expense) for the three months ended September 30, 2005 and
September 30, 2006 were approximately $(2,215) and $438,730, respectively.
The gain in the current period was attributed to the extinguishment of warrants
liability as a result of our registration statement being declared effective
by
the SEC.
Net
loss
for the three months ended September 30, 2005 and September 30, 2006 was
approximately $219,378 and $211,088 respectively. The decreased loss is a result
of the aforementioned extinguishment of warrants liability.
Results
of Operations for the 9 month periods ending September 30, 2005 and
2006.
Revenues
for the nine month period ending September 30, 2005 and September 30, 2006
were
approximately $213,458 and $209,283 respectively. The decrease in the current
nine month period is attributed to an approximate decrease of $175,000
attributed to a licensing fees and an offsetting increase of roughly $160,000
attributed to grant reimbursements in 2006.
Research
and development expenses for the nine month period ending September 30, 2005
and
September 30, 2006 were approximately $390,739 and $1,247,386, respectively.
The
increase in expenses in current period consists mainly of payroll and payroll
related expenses, research supplies and costs incurred in connection with our
current effort to produce preclinical data which results in animal surgeries,
manufacturing of cells, and in vitro characterization of cells which includes
testing and cell quality control.
General
and administrative expenses for the nine month period ending September 30,
2005
and September 30, 2006 were approximately $115,382 and $763,664, respectively.
The principal increase in expenses in the current periods versus the same
periods last year is a result of increases in professional fees and expenses
related to accountants and financial advisors, attorneys and consultants related
to our March 2006 private placement, filings with the Securities and Exchange
Commission, the patent infringement litigation, the anticipated quoting of
our
common shares on the OTBCC, expenses associated with FDA pre clinical work
and
public and investor relations consulting fees.
Non-operating
income (expense) for the nine month period ending September 30, 2005 and
September 30, 2006 were approximately $2,215 and $0. The increase in 2006
relates to expense relating to warrant liability.
Net
loss
for the nine month period ending September 30, 2005 and September 30, 2006
was
approximately $334,234 and $1,844,738, respectively. The increased loss in
the
current periods is the result of the foregoing factors discussed.
Recent
Accounting Pronouncements
In
December 2004, the FASB issued SFAS No. 123 (revised 2004),
“Share-Based Payment.” SFAS No. 123R replaced SFAS No. 123 and superseded
Accounting Principles Board Opinion No. 25. SFAS No. 123R will require
compensation costs related to share-based payment transactions to be recognized
in the financial statements. On April 14, 2005, the Securities and Exchange
Commission issued an announcement amending the compliance dates for the FASB's
SFAS 123R that addresses accounting for equity based compensation arrangements.
Under SFAS 123R registrants would have been required to implement the standard
as of the beginning of the first interim or annual period that begins after
June
15, 2005. The Commission's new rule will allow companies to implement SFAS
123R
at the beginning of the next fiscal year after June 15, 2005. The Company
anticipates adopting SFAS 123R in the first quarter 2006. The Company does
not
believe that the adoption of SFAS No. 123R will have a material impact on
our financial statements.
In
December 2004, the FASB issued SFAS No. 153, “Exchanges of Nonmonetary
Assets, an amendment of APB Opinion No. 29” (“SFAS No. 153”). SFAS
No. 153 is based on the principle that exchanges of nonmonetary assets
should be measured based on the fair value of the assets exchanged. APB Opinion
No. 29, “Accounting for Nonmonetary Transactions,” provided an exception to
its basic measurement principle (fair value) for exchanges of similar productive
assets. Under APB Opinion No. 29, an exchange of a productive asset for a
similar productive asset was based on the recorded amount of the asset
relinquished. SFAS No. 153 eliminates this exception and replaces it with
an exception of exchanges of nonmonetary assets that do not have commercial
substance. SFAS No. 153 became effective for our Company as of July 1,
2005. The Company will apply the requirements of SFAS No. 153 on any future
nonmonetary exchange transactions.
In
March 2005, the FASB issued FASB Interpretation ("FIN") No. 47
"Accounting for Conditional Asset Retirement Obligations--an Interpretation
of
FASB Statement No. 143" ("FIN No. 47"). FIN No. 47 clarifies the
timing of liability recognition for legal obligations associated with the
retirement of a tangible long-lived asset when the timing and/or method of
settlement are conditional on a future event. FIN No. 47 is effective for
us no later than December 31, 2005. We do not expect that the adoption of
FIN No. 47 will have a material impact on our financial condition or
results of operations.
Note
1. In May 2005,
the FASB
issued SFAS No. 154, “Accounting Changes and Error Corrections, a
replacement of APB No. 20 and FASB Statement No. 3” (“SFAS
No. 154”). SFAS No. 154 requires retrospective application to
prior periods' financial statements of a voluntary change in accounting
principle unless it is impracticable. APB Opinion No. 20 “Accounting
Changes,” previously required that most voluntary changes in accounting
principle be recognized by including in net income of the period of the change
the cumulative effect of changing to the new accounting principle. This
statement is effective for our Company as of January 1, 2006. The Company
does not believe that the adoption of SFAS No. 154 will have a material
impact on our financial statements.
In
February 2006, the FASB issued FASB Statement No. 155, Accounting for
Certain Hybrid Instruments. This standard amends the guidance in FASB Statements
No. 133, Accounting for Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities, and
No. 140, Accounting for Transfers and Servicing of Financial Assets and
Extinguishments of Liabilities. Statement 155 allows financial instruments that
have embedded derivatives to be accounted for as a whole (eliminating the need
to bifurcate the derivative from its host) if the holder elects to account
for
the whole instrument on a fair value basis. Management is currently evaluating
the impact FASB 155 will have on our consolidated financial
statements.
In
September 2005, the Emerging Issues Task Force, or EITF, reached a
consensus on Issue 05-8, "Income Tax Consequences of Issuing Convertible Debt
with a Beneficial Conversion Feature." EITF Issues No. 98-5, "Accounting
for Convertible Securities with Beneficial Conversion Features or Contingently
Adjustable Conversion Ratios," and No. 00-27, "Application of Issue
No. 98-5 to Certain Convertible Instruments," provide guidance on how
companies should bifurcate convertible debt issued with a beneficial conversion
feature into a liability and an equity component. For income tax purposes,
such
an instrument is only recorded as a liability. A question has been raised as
to
whether a basis difference results from the issuance of convertible debt with
a
beneficial conversion feature and, if so, whether the basis difference is a
temporary difference. We do not expect the provisions of this consensus to
have
a material impact on our financial position, results of operations or cash
flows.
In
November 2004, the Emerging Issues Task Force or EITF reached final consensus
on
Issue 04-8, "The Effect of Contingently Convertible Debt on Diluted
Earnings per Share." Contingently convertible debt instruments, commonly
referred to as Co-Cos, are structured financial transactions that combine the
features of contingently issuable shares with a convertible debt instrument.
Co-Cos are convertible into common shares of the issuer after the common stock
price has exceeded a predetermined threshold for a specified time period (market
price trigger). The issue is when the dilutive effect of Co-Cos should be
included in diluted earnings per share. Management does not expect the
implementation of this new standard to have a material impact on our financial
position, results of operations and cash flows.
In
September 2005, the Emerging Issues Task Force or EITF discussed
Issue 05-4, The Effect of a Liquidated Damages Clause on a Freestanding
Instrument Subject to EITF Issue No. 00-19, "Accounting for Derivative
Financial Instruments Indexed to, and Potentially Settled in, a Company's Own
Stock." The Effect of a Liquidated Damages Clause on a Freestanding Financial
Instrument Subject to EITF Issue No. 00-19, "Accounting for Derivative
Financial Instruments Indexed to, and Potentially Settled in, a Company's Own
Stock." Issuance of a registration rights agreement with a liquidated damages
clause is common when equity instruments, stock purchase warrants, and financial
instruments that are convertible into equity securities are issued. The
agreement requires the issuer to use its "best efforts" to file a registration
statement for the resale of the equity instruments or the shares of stock
underlying the stock purchase warrant or convertible financial instrument and
have it declared effective by the end of a specified grace period. The issuer
may also be required to maintain the effectiveness of the registration statement
for a period of time or pay a liquidated damage penalty to the investor each
month until the registration statement is declared effective. Given the
potential significance of the penalty, a question arises as to the effect,
if
any this feature has on the related financial instruments if they are subject
to
the scope of Issue 00-19. We are currently evaluating the effects of EITF
05-4 and have not been able to ascertain, if any, impact to our financial
statements.
In
September 2005, the Emerging Issues Task Force, or EITF, reached a
consensus on Issue 05-7, "Accounting for Modifications to Conversion Options
Embedded in Debt Securities and Related Issues." EITF Issue No. 96-19,
"Debtor's Accounting for a Modification or Exchange of Debt Instruments,"
provides guidance on whether modifications of debt result in an extinguishment
of that debt. In certain situations, companies may change the terms of a
conversion option as part of a debt modification, which may result in the
following circumstances: (a) the change in the conversion option's terms
causes the fair value of the conversion option to change but does not result
in
the modification meeting the condition in Issue 96-19 that would require the
modification to be accounted for as an extinguishment of debt, and (b) the
change in the conversion option's terms did not result in separate accounting
for the conversion option under Statement 133. When both of these circumstances
exist, questions have arisen regarding whether (a) the modification to the
conversion option, which changes its fair value, should affect subsequent
interest expense recognition related to the debt and (b) a beneficial
conversion feature related to a debt modification should be recognized by the
borrower if the modification increases the intrinsic value of the debt. We
do
not expect the provisions of this consensus to have a material impact on our
financial position, results of operations or cash flows.
In
June 2005, the Emerging Issues Task Force, or EITF, reached a consensus on
Issue 05-2, "The Meaning of "Conventional Convertible Debt Instrument" in EITF
Issue 00-19. Paragraph 4 of Issue 00-19 states that "the requirements of
paragraphs 12-32 of this issue do not apply if the hybrid contract is a
conventional convertible debt instrument in which the holder may only realize
the value of the conversion option by exercising the option and receiving the
entire proceeds in a fixed number of shares or the equivalent amount of cash
(at
the discretion of the issuer)". The term "conventional convertible debt
instrument" is not defined in Issue 00-19 and, as a result, questions have
arisen regarding when a convertible debt instrument should be considered
"conventional" for purposes of Issue 00-19. A question has also arisen related
to whether conventional convertible preferred stock should be treated similar
to
conventional convertible debt. We do not expect the provisions of this consensus
to have a material impact on our financial position, results of operations
or
cash flows.
In
June 2005, the Emerging Issues Task Force, or EITF, reached a consensus on
Issue 05-6, Determining the Amortization Period for Leasehold Improvements,
which requires that leasehold improvements acquired in a business combination
or
purchased subsequent to the inception of a lease be amortized over the lesser
of
the useful life of the assets or a term that includes renewals that are
reasonably assured at the date of the business combination or purchase. EITF
05-6 is effective for periods beginning after July 1, 2005. We do not
expect the provisions of this consensus to have a material impact on our
financial position, results of operations or cash flows.
In
March 2005, the SEC released Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 107,
"Share-Based Payment"("SAB 107"), which provides interpretive guidance related
to the interaction between SFAS 123(R) and certain SEC rules and
regulations. It also provides the SEC staff's views regarding valuation of
share-based payment arrangements. In April 2005, the SEC amended the
compliance dates for SFAS 123(R), to allow companies to implement the
standard at the beginning of their next fiscal year, instead of the next
reporting period beginning after June 15, 2005. Management is currently
evaluating the impact SAB 107 will have on our consolidated financial
statements.
Liquidity
and Capital Resources
We
have
approximately $2,183,978 of cash on hand as of October 31, 2006 to fund our
operations going forward. We have budgeted to spend 2,400,000 over the next
12
months.
We
are
financing our operations primarily with the proceeds from our convertible notes
and private placement offerings. During the years ended December 31, 2005 and
2004, we raised through these offerings a total of $1,412,000 and $1,123,000,
respectively which are described in Notes 2 and 5 to our December 31, 2006
Financial Statements. During the nine month period ending September 30, 2006,
we
completed the private placement of our securities with gross proceeds to us
of
$5,000,000. To a substantially lesser degree, financing of our operations is
provided through grant funding, payments received under license agreements,
and
interest earned on cash and cash equivalents.
We
have
incurred substantial net losses each year since inception as a result of
research and development and general and administrative expenses in support
of
our operations. We anticipate incurring substantial net losses in the
future.
Cash
and
cash equivalents held at December 31, 2005 were approximately $526,381.
Cash and cash equivalents at September 30, 2006 was approximately $2,486,396.
The increase in the current period is the result of closing the financing
described above, net of amounts spent for payment of notes and accounts payable,
increased legal and accounting fees, fees paid to the placement agent, and
increases in other research and development and general and administrative
expenses.
Our
cash
and cash equivalents are limited. We expect to require substantial additional
funding. Our future cash requirements will depend on many factors, including
the
pace and scope of our research and development programs, the costs involved
in
filing, prosecuting, maintaining and enforcing patents and other costs
associated with commercializing our potential products. We intend to seek
additional funding primarily through public or private financing transactions,
and, to a lesser degree, new licensing or scientific collaborations, grants
from
governmental or other institutions, and other related transactions. If we are
unable to raise additional funds, we will be forced to either scale back our
business efforts or curtail our business activities entirely.
We
anticipate that our available cash and expected income will be sufficient to
finance most of our current activities for at least 12 months from the date
of
this report, although certain of these activities and related personnel may
need
to be reduced. Additionally, in the event we are able to file a successful
IND
with the FDA, we anticipate we will enter clinical trials in 2007. In the event
of such trials, we would incur additional expenses associated with such trials
which are estimated to exceed $1,000,000. Assuming our current monthly cash
burn
rate of $200,000, increased expense from regulatory compliance and personnel
required for the pre-trial and clinical trial work, as well as the estimated
cost of the trial, our cash on hand is sufficient to finance our current
operations, pre-clinical and clinical work for at least 12 months from the
date
of this quarterly report. We cannot assure you that public or private financing
or grants will be available on acceptable terms, if at all. Several factors
will
affect our ability to raise additional funding, including, but not limited
to,
the volatility of our Common Stock.
UNCERTAINTIES
AND OTHER RISK FACTORS THAT
MAY
AFFECT OUR FUTURE RESULTS AND FINANCIAL CONDITION
We
have
described below a number of uncertainties and risks which, in addition to
uncertainties and risks presented elsewhere in this quarterly report, may
adversely affect our business, operating results and financial condition.
The uncertainties and risks enumerated below as well as those presented
elsewhere in this quarterly report should be considered carefully in evaluating
our company and our business and the value of our securities.
Risks
Relating to the Company's Stage of Development
Since
the Company has a limited operating history and has significantly shifted its
operations and strategies since inception, you cannot rely upon the Company's
limited historical performance to make an investment
decision.
Since
inception in 1996 and through December 31, 2005, the Company has raised an
aggregate of approximately $34,901,568 in capital and recorded accumulated
losses totaling $35,445,238 of December 31, 2005, the Company had a working
capital deficit of $475,243 and negative stockholder's equity of $460,173.
Our
net losses for the two most recent fiscal years have been $1,651,507 and
$9,376,543 for 2005 and 2004 respectively. During this period, we have generated
only marginal revenue from licensing and grants in the amount of $125,457 and
$309,142 for the 2004 and 2005 fiscal years, respectively.
The
Company's ability to generate revenues and achieve profitability depends upon
its ability to complete the development of its stem cell products, obtain the
required regulatory approvals and manufacture, market and sell its products.
In
part because of the Company's past operating results, no assurances can be
given
that the Company will be able to accomplish all or any these goals.
Although
the Company has generated some revenue to date, the Company has not generated
any revenue from the commercial sale of its proposed stem cell products. Since
inception, the Company has engaged in several related lines of business and
has
discontinued operations in certain areas. For example, in 2002, the Company
lost
a material contract with the Department of Defense and was forced to close
its
principal facility and lay off almost all of its employees in an attempt to
focus the Company's strategy on its stem cell technology. This limited and
changing history may not be adequate to enable you to fully assess the Company's
current ability to develop and commercialize its technologies and proposed
products, obtain approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”),
achieve market acceptance of its proposed products and respond to competition.
No assurances can be given as to exactly when, if at all, the Company will
be
able to fully develop, commercialize, market, sell and derive material revenues
from its proposed products in development.
The
Company will
need to raise additional capital to continue operations, and failure to do
so
would impair the Company's ability to fund operations, develop its technologies
or promote its products.
The
Company has relied almost entirely on external financing to fund operations.
Such financing has historically come primarily from the sale of common and
preferred stock and convertible debt to third parties and to a lesser degree
from grants, loans and revenue from license and royalty fees. The Company
anticipates, based on current proposed plans and assumptions relating to its
operations (including the timetable of, and costs associated with, new product
development) and financing the Company has undertaken prior to the date of
this
report, that its current working capital will be sufficient to satisfy
contemplated cash requirements for approximately 12 months, assuming that the
Company does not engage in an extraordinary transaction or otherwise face
unexpected events or contingencies, any of which could effect cash requirements.
As of October 31, 2006, the Company has cash and cash equivalents on hand of
$2,183,978. Presently, the Company has a monthly cash burn rate of $200,000.
Accordingly, the Company will need to raise additional capital to fund
anticipated operating expenses and future expansion after such 12 month period.
Among other things, external financing will be required to cover the further
development of the Company's technologies and products and other operating
costs. The Company cannot assure you that financing whether from external
sources or related parties will be available if needed or on favorable terms.
If
additional financing is not available when required or is not available on
acceptable terms, the Company may be unable to fund operations and planned
growth, develop or enhance its technologies, take advantage of business
opportunities or respond to competitive market pressures. Any negative impact
on
the Company's operations may make capital raising more difficult and may also
result in a lower price for the Company's securities.
The
Company may have difficulty raising needed capital in the future as a result
of,
among other factors, the Company's limited operating history and business risks
associated with the Company.
The
Company's business currently generates limited amounts of cash which will not
be
sufficient to meet its future capital requirements. The Company's management
does not know when this will change. The Company has expended and will continue
to expend substantial funds in the research, development and clinical and
pre-clinical testing of the Company's stem cell technologies and products.
The
Company will require additional funds to conduct research and development,
establish and conduct clinical and pre-clinical trials, commercial-scale
manufacturing arrangements and to provide for the marketing and distribution.
Additional funds may not be available on acceptable terms, if at all. If
adequate funds are unavailable from any available source, the Company may have
to delay, reduce the scope of or eliminate one or more of its research,
development or commercialization programs or product launches or marketing
efforts which may materially harm the Company's business, financial condition
and results of operations.
The
Company's long term capital requirements are expected to depend on many factors,
including:
·
|
continued
progress and cost of its research and development
programs;
|
·
|
progress
with pre-clinical studies and clinical
trials;
|
·
|
time
and costs involved in obtaining regulatory
clearance;
|
·
|
costs
involved in preparing, filing, prosecuting, maintaining and enforcing
patent claims;
|
·
|
costs
of developing sales, marketing and distribution channels and its
ability
to sell the Company's stem cell
products;
|
·
|
costs
involved in establishing manufacturing capabilities for commercial
quantities of its products;
|
·
|
competing
technological and market
developments;
|
·
|
market
acceptance of its stem cell
products;
|
·
|
costs
for recruiting and retaining employees and consultants;
and
|
·
|
costs
for educating and training physicians about its stem cell
products.
|
The
Company may consume available resources more rapidly than currently anticipated,
resulting in the need for additional funding. The Company may seek to raise
any
necessary additional funds through the exercising of warrants, options, equity
or debt financings, collaborative arrangements with corporate partners or other
sources, which may be dilutive to existing stockholders or otherwise have a
material effect on the Company's current or future business prospects. If
adequate funds are not available, the Company may be required to significantly
reduce or refocus its development and commercialization efforts.
The
Company relies on stem cell technologies that it may not be able to commercially
develop, which will prevent the Company from generating revenues, operating
profitably or providing investors any return on their
investment.
The
Company has concentrated its research on its stem cell technologies, and the
Company's ability to generate revenue and operate profitably will depend on
it
being able to develop these technologies for human applications. These are
emerging technologies with, as yet, limited human applications. The Company
cannot guarantee that it will be able to develop its stem cell technologies
or
that such development will result in products or services with any significant
commercial utility. The Company anticipates that the commercial sale of such
products or services, and royalty/licensing fees related to its technology,
will
be the Company's primary sources of revenues. If the Company is unable to
develop its technologies, investors will likely lose their entire
investment.
Inability
to complete pre-clinical and clinical testing and trials will impair the
viability of the Company.
The
Company is in its development stage and has not yet applied for approval by
the
FDA to conduct clinical trials. Even if the Company successfully files an IND
and receives approval from the FDA to commence trials, the outcome of
pre-clinical, clinical and product testing of the Company's products is
uncertain, and if the Company is unable to satisfactorily complete such testing,
or if such testing yields unsatisfactory results, the Company will be unable
to
commercially produce its proposed products. Before obtaining regulatory
approvals for the commercial sale of any potential human products, the Company's
products will be subjected to extensive pre-clinical and clinical testing to
demonstrate their safety and efficacy in humans. No assurances can be given
that
the clinical trials of the Company's products, or those of licensees or
collaborators, will demonstrate the safety and efficacy of such products at
all,
or to the extent necessary to obtain appropriate regulatory approvals, or that
the testing of such products will be completed in a timely manner, if at all,
or
without significant increases in costs, program delays or both, all of which
could harm the Company's ability to generate revenues. In addition, the
Company's proposed products may not prove to be more effective for treating
disease or injury than current therapies. Accordingly, the Company may have
to
delay or abandon efforts to research, develop or obtain regulatory approval
to
market its proposed products. Many companies involved in biotechnology research
and development have suffered significant setbacks in advanced clinical trials,
even after promising results in earlier trials. The failure to adequately
demonstrate the safety and efficacy of a therapeutic product under development
could delay or prevent regulatory approval of the product and could harm the
Company's ability to generate revenues, operate profitably or produce any return
on an investment in the Company.
The
Company's additional financing requirements could result in dilution to existing
stockholders.
The
additional financings which the Company will require may in the future be
obtained through one or more transactions which will effectively dilute the
ownership interests of stockholders. The Company has the authority to issue
additional shares of common stock and preferred stock, as well as additional
classes or series of ownership interests or debt obligations which may be
convertible into any one or more classes or series of ownership interests.
The
Company is authorized to issue 75 million shares of common stock and 7 million
shares of preferred stock. Such securities may be issued without the approval
or
other consent of the Company's stockholders.
Risks
Relating to Intellectual Property and Government
Regulation
The
Company may not be able to withstand challenges to its intellectual property
rights, such as patents, should contests be initiated in court or at the U.S
Patent and Trademark Office.
The
Company relies on its intellectual property, including its issued and applied
for patents, as the foundation of its business. The intellectual property rights
of the Company may come under challenge, and no assurances can be given that,
even though issued, the Company's current and potential future patents will
survive claims commencing in the court system alleging invalidity or
infringement on other patents. For example, in 2005, the Company's neural stem
cell technology was challenged in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office by a
competitor. Although the Company prevailed in this particular matter upon
re-examination by the patent office, these cases are complex, lengthy and
expensive, and could potentially be adjudicated adversely to the Company,
removing the protection afforded by an issued patent. The viability of the
Company's business would suffer if such patent protection were limited or
eliminated. Moreover, the costs associated with defending or settling
intellectual property claims would likely have a material adverse effect on
the
Company.
By
way of
example, on July 28, 2006, StemCells, Inc. and StemCells California, Inc.
(collectively "Stemcells") of Palo Alto, California, filed suit against
Neuralstem, Inc. in U.S. District Court in Maryland, alleging that Neuralstem
has been infringing, contributing to the infringement of, and or inducing the
infringement of four patents owned by or exclusively licensed to StemCells
relating to stem cell culture compositions, genetically modified stem cell
cultures, and methods of using such cultures. StemCells has sought monetary
relief and a permanent injunction. In the event of a ruling is granted in the
suit against Neuralstem, it could have a material adverse effect on the Company.
The
Company may not be able to adequately protect against piracy of intellectual
property in foreign jurisdictions.
Considerable
research in the area of stem cell therapies is being performed in countries
outside of the United States, and a number of the Company's competitors are
located in those countries. The laws protecting intellectual property in
some of those countries may not provide protection for the Company's trade
secrets and intellectual property adequate to prevent its competitors from
misappropriating the Company's trade secrets or intellectual property. If
the Company's trade secrets or intellectual property are misappropriated in
those countries, the Company may be without adequate remedies to address the
issue.
The
Company's products may not receive FDA approval, which would prevent the Company
from commercially marketing its products and producing
revenues.
The
FDA
and comparable government agencies in foreign countries impose substantial
regulations on the manufacture and marketing of pharmaceutical products through
lengthy and detailed laboratory, pre-clinical and clinical testing procedures,
sampling activities and other costly and time-consuming procedures. Satisfaction
of these regulations typically takes several years or more and varies
substantially based upon the type, complexity and novelty of the proposed
product. The Company cannot yet accurately predict when it might first submit
any Investigational New Drug, or IND, application to the FDA, or whether any
such IND application would be granted on a timely basis, if at all, nor can
the
Company assure you that it will successfully complete any clinical trials in
connection with any such IND application. Further, the Company cannot yet
accurately predict when it might first submit any product license application
for FDA approval or whether any such product license application would be
granted on a timely basis, if at all. As a result, the Company cannot
assure you that FDA approvals for any products developed by it will be granted
on a timely basis, if at all. Any such delay in obtaining, or failure to obtain,
such approvals could have a material adverse effect on the marketing of the
Company's products and its ability to generate product revenue.
Because
the Company or its collaborators must obtain regulatory approval to market
its
products in the United States and other countries, the Company cannot predict
whether or when it will be permitted to commercialize its
products.
Federal,
state and local governments and agencies in the United States (including the
FDA) and governments in other countries have significant regulations in place
that govern many of the Company's activities. The Company is or may become
subject to various federal, state and local laws, regulations and
recommendations relating to safe working conditions, laboratory and
manufacturing practices, the experimental use of animals and the use and
disposal of hazardous or potentially hazardous substances used in connection
with its research and development work. The preclinical testing and clinical
trials of the products that the Company or its collaborators develop are subject
to extensive government regulation that may prevent the Company from creating
commercially viable products from its discoveries. In addition, the sale by
the
Company or its collaborators of any commercially viable product will be subject
to government regulation from several standpoints, including manufacturing,
advertising and promoting, selling and marketing, labeling, and distributing.
If, and to the extent that, the Company is unable to comply with these
regulations, its ability to earn revenues will be materially and negatively
impacted.
Risks
Relating to Competition
The
Company's competition includes both public and private organizations and
collaborations among academic institutions and large pharmaceutical companies,
most of which have significantly greater experience and financial resources
than
the Company does.
The
biotechnology industry is characterized by intense competition. The Company
competes against numerous companies, many of which have substantially greater
financial and other resources than it has. Several such enterprises have
initiated cell therapy research programs and/or efforts to treat the same
diseases targeted by the Company. Companies such as Geron Corporation, Genzyme
Corporation, StemCells, Inc., Advanced Cell Technology, Inc., Aastrom
Biosciences, Inc. and Viacell, Inc., as well as others, have substantially
greater resources and experience in the Company's fields than it does, and
are
well situated to compete with us effectively. Of course, any of the world's
largest pharmaceutical companies represent a significant actual or potential
competitor with vastly greater resources than the Company's.
Risks
Relating to the Company's Reliance on Third Parties
The
Company's outsource model depends on collaborators, non-employee consultants,
research institutions, and scientific contractors to help it develop and test
its proposed products. Our ability to develop such relationships could impair
or
delay our ability to develop products.
The
Company's strategy for the development, clinical testing and commercialization
of its proposed products is based on an outsource model. This model requires
that the Company enter into collaborations with corporate partners, research
institutions, scientific contractors and licensors, licensees and others in
order to further develop its technology and develop products. In the event
the
Company is not able to enter into such relationships in the future, our: ability
to develop products may be seriously hindered; or we would be required to expend
considerable money and research to bring such research and development functions
in house. Either outcome could result in our inability to develop a commercially
feasible product or in the need for substantially more working capital to
complete the research in-house. Also, we are currently dependent on
collaborators for a substantial portion of our research and development.
Although our collaborative agreements do not impose any duties or obligations
on
us other than the licensing of our technology, the failure of any of these
collaborations may hinder our ability to develop products in a timely fashion.
By way of example, our collaboration with John Hopkins University, School of
Medicine yielded findings that contributed to our patent application entitled
Transplantation of Human Cells for Treatment of Neurological Disorder. Had
the
collaboration not have existed, our ability to apply for such patent would
have
been greatly hindered. We currently have 4 key collaborations. They are
with:
|
·
|
The
University of California, San
Diego;
|
|
·
|
University
of South Florida;
|
|
·
|
University
of Central Florida; and
|
|
·
|
John
Hopkins University.
|
As
we are
under no financial obligation to provide additional funding under any of these
collaborations, our primary risk is that no results are derived from their
research.
We
intend to rely upon the third-party FDA-approved manufacturers for our stem
cells. Should these manufacturers fail to perform as expected, we will need
to
develop or procure other manufacturing sources, which would cause delays or
interruptions in our product supply and result in the loss of significant sales
and customers.
We
currently have no internal manufacturing capability, and will rely extensively
on FDA-approved licensees, strategic partners or third party contract
manufacturers or suppliers. We current have an agreement with Charles River
Laboratories for the manufacturing and storage of our cells. The agreement
is a
paid for services agreement and does not require us to purchase a minimum amount
of cells. In the event Charles River Laboratories fails to provide suitable
cells, we would be forced to either manufacture the cells ourselves or seek
other third party vendors. Should we be forced to manufacture our stem cells,
we
cannot give you any assurance that we will be able to develop an internal
manufacturing capability or procure third party suppliers. In the event we
must
seek alternative third party suppliers, they may require us to purchase a
minimum amount of cells, could be significantly more expensive than our current
supplier, or could require other unfavorable terms. Any such event would
materially impact our prospects and c would delay or development. Moreover,
we
cannot give you any assurance that any contract manufacturers or suppliers
we
procure will be able to supply our product in a timely or cost effective manner
or in accordance with applicable regulatory requirements or our
specifications.
General
Risks Relating to the Company's Business
The
Company may be subject to litigation that will be costly to defend or pursue
and
uncertain in its outcome.
The
Company's business may bring it into conflict with its licensees, licensors,
or
others with whom it has contractual or other business relationships or with
its
competitors or others whose interests differ from the Company's. If the Company
is unable to resolve those conflicts on terms that are satisfactory to all
parties, the Company may become involved in litigation brought by or against
it.
That litigation is likely to be expensive and may require a significant amount
of management's time and attention, at the expense of other aspects of the
Company's business. The outcome of litigation is always uncertain, and in some
cases could include judgments against us that require the Company to pay
damages, enjoin it from certain activities, or otherwise affect its legal or
contractual rights, which could have a significant adverse effect on its
business.
The
Company may not be able to obtain third-party patient reimbursement or favorable
product pricing, which would reduce its ability to operate
profitably.
The
Company's ability to successfully commercialize certain of its proposed products
in the human therapeutic field may depend to a significant degree on patient
reimbursement of the costs of such products and related treatments at acceptable
levels from government authorities, private health insurers and other
organizations, such as health maintenance organizations. The Company cannot
assure you that reimbursement in the United States or foreign countries will
be
available for any products it may develop or, if available, will not be
decreased in the future, or that reimbursement amounts will not reduce the
demand for, or the price of, its products with a consequent harm to the
Company's business. The Company cannot predict what additional regulation or
legislation relating to the health care industry or third-party coverage and
reimbursement may be enacted in the future or what effect such regulation or
legislation may have on the Company's business. If additional regulations are
overly onerous or expensive or if health care related legislation makes its
business more expensive or burdensome than originally anticipated, the Company
may be forced to significantly downsize its business plans or completely abandon
its business model.
The
Company's products may be expensive to manufacture, and they may not be
profitable if the Company is unable to control the costs to manufacture
them.
The
Company's products may be significantly more expensive to manufacture than
most
other drugs currently on the market today due to a fewer number of potential
manufactures, greater level of needed expertise, and other general market
conditions affecting manufacturers of stem cell based products. The
Company would hope to substantially reduce manufacturing costs through process
improvements, development of new science, increases in manufacturing scale
and
outsourcing to experienced manufacturers. If the Company is not able to make
these, or other improvements, and depending on the pricing of the product,
its
profit margins may be significantly less than that of most drugs on the market
today. In addition, the Company may not be able to charge a high enough price
for any cell therapy product it develops, even if they are safe and effective,
to make a profit. If the Company is unable to realize significant profits from
its potential product candidates, its business would be materially
harmed.
In
order to secure market share and generate revenues, the Company's proposed
products must be accepted by the health care community, which can be very slow
to adopt or unreceptive to new technologies and
products.
The
Company's proposed products and those developed by its collaborative partners,
if approved for marketing, may not achieve market acceptance since hospitals,
physicians, patients or the medical community in general may decide not to
accept and utilize these products. The products that the Company is attempting
to develop represents substantial departures from established treatment methods
and will compete with a number of more conventional drugs and therapies
manufactured and marketed by major pharmaceutical companies. The degree of
market acceptance of any of the Company's developed products will depend on
a
number of factors, including:
·
|
the
Company's establishment and demonstration to the medical community
of the
clinical efficacy and safety of its proposed
products;
|
·
|
the
Company's ability to create products that are superior to alternatives
currently on the market;
|
·
|
the
Company's ability to establish in the medical community the potential
advantage of its treatments over alternative treatment methods;
and
|
·
|
reimbursement
policies of government and third-party
payors.
|
If
the
health care community does not accept the Company's products for any of the
foregoing reasons, or for any other reason, the Company's business would be
materially harmed.
We
depend on two key employees for our continued operations and future success.
A
loss of either employee could significantly hinder our ability to move forward
with our business plan.
The
loss
of either of our key executive officers, Richard Garr and Karl Johe, would
be
significantly detrimental to us. We currently do not maintain “key person” life
insurance on the lives of Messrs. Garr or Johe. As a result, the Company will
not receive any compensation upon the death or incapacity of these key
individuals.
In
addition, the Company's anticipated growth and expansion into areas and
activities requiring additional expertise, such as clinical testing, regulatory
compliance, manufacturing and marketing, will require the addition of new
management personnel and the development of additional expertise by existing
management personnel. There is intense competition for qualified personnel
in
the areas of the Company's present and planned activities, and there can be
no
assurance that the Company will be able to continue to attract and retain the
qualified personnel necessary for the development of its business. The failure
to attract and retain such personnel or to develop such expertise would
adversely affect the Company's business.
The
Company has entered into long-term contracts with key personnel and
stockholders, with significant anti-termination provisions, which could make
future changes in management difficult or expensive.
Messrs.
Garr and Johe have entered into seven (7) year employment agreements with the
Company which expire on November 1, 2012 and which include termination
provisions stating that if either employee is terminated for any reason other
than a voluntary resignation, then all compensation due to such employee under
the terms of the respective agreement shall become due and payable immediately.
These provisions will make the replacement of either of these employees very
costly to the Company, and could cause difficulty in effecting a change in
control of the Company. Termination prior to full term on the contracts would
cost the Company $240,000 per year unserved, or as much as $1,680,000 per
contract, and immediate vesting of all outstanding options (1,200,000 shares
each). Further, three of the Company's existing shareholders (Westreich, Solomon
and Drescher, collectively owning approximately 36% of the outstanding shares
of
Common Stock), have entered into a voting agreement such that so long as Messrs.
Garr and Johe are stockholders, these 3 owners will vote their shares for the
election of Garr and Johe as directors of the Company. This voting agreement
gives more control to Johe and Garr than their respective stockholdings alone
would provide, and will also make future changes in control more difficult
without their approval.
The
Company has no product liability insurance, which may leave it vulnerable to
future claims that the Company will be unable to
satisfy.
The
testing, manufacturing, marketing and sale of human therapeutic products entails
an inherent risk of product liability claims, and the Company cannot assure
you
that substantial product liability claims will not be asserted against it.
The
Company has no product liability insurance. In the event the Company is forced
to expend significant funds on defending product liability actions, and in
the
event those funds come from operating capital, the Company will be required
to
reduce its business activities, which could lead to significant
losses.
The
Company cannot assure you that adequate insurance coverage will be available
in
the future on acceptable terms, if at all, or that, if available, the Company
will be able to maintain any such insurance at sufficient levels of coverage
or
that any such insurance will provide adequate protection against potential
liabilities.
The
Company will have limited director and officer insurance and commercial
insurance policies. Any significant insurance claims would have a material
adverse effect on its business, financial condition and results of operations.
Insurance availability, coverage terms and pricing continue to vary with market
conditions. The Company endeavors to obtain appropriate insurance coverage
for
insurable risks that it identifies, however, the Company may fail to correctly
anticipate or quantify insurable risks, may not be able to obtain appropriate
insurance coverage, and insurers may not respond as the Company intends to
cover
insurable events that may occur. The Company has observed rapidly changing
conditions in the insurance markets relating to nearly all areas of traditional
corporate insurance. Such conditions have resulted in higher premium costs,
higher policy deductibles, and lower coverage limits. For some risks, the
Company may not have or maintain insurance coverage because of cost or
availability.
Risks
Relating to the Company's Common Stock
There
is no public market for the Company's securities and no assurances can be given
that one will ever develop.
There
is
currently no market for our common stock. Although we are actively seeking
market makers to sponsor us in order to have our shares quoted on the OTCBB,
there is no assurance that any market maker will do so. Accordingly, there
is
only a limited ability of a security holder to sell their securities, as those
transfers or sales would be made privately. Therefore, an investment in our
common stock should be considered as totally illiquid, and investors are
cautioned that may not be able to liquidate their investment readily or at
all
when the need or desire to sell arises. Moreover, no assurances can be given
that a public market for our securities will ever materialize. Additionally,
even if a public market for our securities develops and our securities become
quoted, the trading volume may be limited, making it difficult for an investor
to sell shares.
The
Company has identified significant weaknesses with regard to its financial
control procedures. These weaknesses, if not remedied, could result in a
significant misstatement of the Company's financials or its inability to provide
timely disclosure to the public should it become subject to such reporting
requirements.
As
a
result of its stage of development, lack of resources and changes that have
occurred in the Company's operations since 2002, there are currently
deficiencies in the operating effectiveness of the Company's internal controls
over financial reporting that the Company believes would collectively constitute
significant deficiencies and material weaknesses under standards established
by
the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, resulting in more than
a
remote likelihood that a material misstatement of the annual or interim
financial statements of the Company will not be prevented or detected.
Specifically, the Company has found deficiencies or weaknesses with the timely
reporting of transactions and the documentation thereof. By way of example,
in
the past, the company has failed to document capital transactions when they
occur, has failed to establish controls for document retention, and has failed
to account for transactions using GAAP. As of the date of this report, the
Company does not have a permanent Chief Financial Officer, although Richard
Garr, the Company's President, is temporarily serving in this capacity. As
a
result, there is a risk that the Company may not be able to properly account
for
operations and/or generate reliable financial statements. This may further
result in the Company not being able to meet its periodic filing requirements
in
a timely manner.
In
the event we become listed on a National Exchange, the Company faces risks
related to compliance with corporate governance laws and financial reporting
standards.
The
Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as well as related new rules and regulations
implemented by the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Public Company
Accounting Oversight Board, require changes in the corporate governance
practices and financial reporting standards for public companies. These new
laws, rules and regulations, including compliance with Section 404 of the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 relating to internal control over financial reporting
(“Section 404”), will materially increase the Company's legal and financial
compliance costs and made some activities more time-consuming and more
burdensome. Starting in 2007, Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
will
require that the Company's management assess the Company's internal control
over
financial reporting annually and include a report on its assessment in its
annual report filed with the SEC. The Company's independent registered public
accounting firm is required to audit both the design and operating effectiveness
of its internal controls and management's assessment of the design and the
operating effectiveness of its internal controls. There exist material
weaknesses and deficiencies at this time in the Company's internal controls.
These weaknesses and deficiencies could have a material adverse effect on the
Company's business and operations.
The
Company does not intend to pay cash dividends on its common stock in the
foreseeable future.
Any
payment of cash dividends will depend upon the Company's financial condition,
results of operations, capital requirements and other factors and will be at
the
discretion of the Board of Directors. The Company does not anticipate paying
cash dividends on its common stock in the foreseeable future. Furthermore,
the
Company may incur additional indebtedness that may severely restrict or prohibit
the payment of dividends.
Our
issuance of additional common shares or preferred shares, or options or warrants
to purchase those shares, could dilute your proportionate ownership and voting
rights and negatively impact the value of your investment in our common
shares as the result of preferential voting rights or veto powers, dividend
rights, disproportionate rights to appoint directors to our board, conversion
rights, redemption rights and liquidation provisions granted to the preferred
shareholders, including the grant of rights that could discourage or prevent
the
distribution of dividends to you, or prevent the sale of our assets or a
potential takeover of our company.
We
are
entitled under our certificate of incorporation to issue up to 75,000,000
common and 7,000,000 “blank check” preferred shares. As of November 15,
2006, we have issued an outstanding 25,608,272 common shares, 7,799,000 common
shares reserved for issuance upon the exercise of current outstanding options
and warrants, and an aggregate of 57,000 common shares reserved for issuance
in
the event we incur additional penalties pursuant to the registration rights
granted our investors in the March 2006 private placement. Accordingly, we
will
be entitled to issue up to 41,535,728 additional common shares
and 7,000,000 additional preferred shares. Our board may generally issue
those common and preferred shares, or options or warrants to purchase those
shares, without further approval by our shareholders based upon such factors
as
our board of directors may deem relevant at that time. Any preferred shares
we
may issue shall have such rights, preferences, privileges and restrictions
as
may be designated from time-to-time by our board, including preferential
dividend rights, voting rights, conversion rights, redemption rights and
liquidation provisions. It is likely that we will be required to issue a large
amount of additional securities to raise capital to further our development
and
marketing plans. It is also likely that we will be required to issue a large
amount of additional securities to directors, officers, employees and
consultants as compensatory grants in connection with their services, both
in
the form of stand-alone grants or under our various stock plans. We cannot
give
you any assurance that we will not issue additional common or preferred shares,
or options or warrants to purchase those shares, under circumstances we may
deem
appropriate at the time.
Messers
Garr, Johe, Solomon and Westreich currently beneficially own approximately
40%
of our outstanding common shares. These shareholders will retain the ability
to
substantially control our management and the outcome of corporate actions
requiring shareholder approval notwithstanding the overall opposition of our
other shareholders. This concentration of ownership could discourage or prevent
a potential takeover of our company that might otherwise result in you receiving
a premium over the market price for your common
shares.
Messers
Garr, Johe, Solomon and Westreich own approximately 40% of our outstanding
common shares. As a consequence of their level of stock ownership, the group
will substantially retain the ability to elect a majority of our board of
directors, and thereby control our management. This group of shareholders has
the ability to significantly control the outcome of corporate actions requiring
shareholder approval, including mergers and other changes of corporate control,
going private transactions, and other extraordinary transactions.
CONTROLS
AND PROCEDURES
Disclosure
controls and procedures are designed to ensure that information required to
be
disclosed in the quarterly reports filed or submitted under the Exchange Act
is
recorded, processed, summarized and reported, within the time period specified
in the SEC’s rules and forms. Disclosure controls and procedures include,
without limitation, controls and procedures designed to ensure that information
required to be disclosed in the reports filed under the Exchange Act is
accumulated and communicated to management, including our President and Chief
Financial Officer, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required
disclosure.
Our
Chief
Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, in consultation with our other
members of management and advisors as appropriate, carried out an evaluation
of
the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures as of the end of
the
period covered by this quarterly report pursuant to Rule 15d-15(b)
promulgated under the Exchange Act. Based upon that evaluation, our Chief
Executive Officer and our Chief Financial Officer concluded that our disclosure
controls and procedures are effective in alerting them in a timely fashion
to
all material information required to be included in our periodic filings with
the SEC.
Changes
in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
The
term
internal control over financial reporting is defined as a process designed
by,
or under the supervision of, our President and Principal Financial Officer,
and
effected by our board of directors, management and other personnel, to provide
reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the
preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with
generally accepted accounting principles. There were no changes in our
internal control over financial reporting identified in connection with our
evaluation of these controls as of the end of the period covered by this
quarterly report that could have significantly affected those controls
subsequent to the date of the evaluation referred to in the previous paragraph,
including any correction action with regard to significant deficiencies and
material weakness.
Observations
In
connection with the audit of our financial statements for the years ended
December 31, 2004 and 2005, our independent auditors made several
observations relating to our disclosure controls and procedures or internal
controls. As a result of our stage of development, lack of resources and changes
that have occurred in the Company's operations since 2002, there are currently
deficiencies in the operating effectiveness of the Company's internal controls
over financial reporting that the Company believes would collectively constitute
significant deficiencies and material weaknesses under standards established
by
the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, resulting in more than
a
remote likelihood that a material misstatement of the annual or interim
financial statements of the Company will not be prevented or detected.
Specifically,
the Company has found deficiencies or weaknesses with the timely reporting
of
transactions and the documentation thereof. By way of example, in the past,
the
company has failed to document capital transactions when they occur, has failed
to establish controls for document retention, and has failed to account for
transactions using GAAP. As of the date of this report, the Company does not
have a permanent Chief Financial Officer, although Richard Garr, the Company's
President, is temporarily serving in this capacity.
Management
acknowledges the existence of this problem, and is developing procedures to
address them to the extent possible given the acknowledged limitations.
Management is taking the following steps in an attempt to address our
auditor’s concerns.
PART
II - OTHER INFORMATION
Item
1. Legal
Proceedings
On
July
28, 2006, StemCells, Inc. and StemCells California, Inc. (collectively
"Stemcells") of Palo Alto, California, filed suit against Neuralstem, Inc.
in
U.S. District Court in Maryland, alleging that Neuralstem has been infringing,
contributing to the infringement of, and or inducing the infringement of four
patents owned by or exclusively licensed to StemCells relating to stem cell
culture compositions, genetically modified stem cell cultures, and methods
of
using such cultures. StemCells has sought monetary relief and a permanent
injunction.
[The
Company has filed an answer and counter suit accusing STEM of instituting sham
litigation and violating antitrust laws; and the Company has denied infringing
any of STEM’s patents. The Company has also filed a motion to dismiss based upon
a statutory exemption from infringment suits], and a motion to limit all
discovery going forward to that motion to dismiss. This motion to limit
discovery has been granted and basically the only issue discovery will go
forward on until March of 07 is the Company’s motion to dismiss. The Company has
agreed to allow STEM to delay responding to the company’s answer and counter
suit until such time as the motion to dismiss is heard and ruled
on.
Item
2. Unregistered
Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds
None
Item
3. Defaults
Upon Senior Securities
None
Item
4. Submission
of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders.
None
Item
5. Other
Information.
None
ITEM
13.
Exhibits.
The
following exhibits are hereby filed as part of this Quarterly Report on Form
10-QSB or incorporated by reference.
Exhibit
Number:
|
|
Description
|
|
|
|
31.1
|
|
Certification
of Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) and Rule 15d-14(a)
of the Securities Exchange Act, as amended
|
|
|
31.2
|
|
Certification
of Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) and Rule 15d-14(a)
of the Securities Exchange Act, as amended
|
|
|
32.1
|
|
Certification
of Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer Pursuant to
18
U.S.C. 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley
Act
of 2002
|
In
accordance with the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the
Registrant has caused this report to be signed by the undersigned hereunto
duly
authorized.
Dated: November
15, 2006
|
|
|
/s/
I. Richard Garr
|
|
Chief
Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officers
|
|
(Principal
Accounting Officer)
|
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