P3Y--12-310001527753http://fasb.org/us-gaap/2022#AccountsPayableCurrentFYfalse3
yearshttp://fasb.org/us-gaap/2022#AccountsPayableCurrentthree
years0001527753us-gaap:CommonStockMember2019-12-310001527753us-gaap:FairValueMeasurementsRecurringMember2022-12-310001527753us-gaap:ShareBasedCompensationAwardTrancheTwoMembersrt:MinimumMemberus-gaap:RestrictedStockUnitsRSUMember2022-01-012022-12-310001527753srt:MaximumMember2022-01-012022-12-310001527753psnl:TwoThousandNineteenEquityIncentivePlanMemberpsnl:PerformanceBasedStockOptionMember2021-01-012021-12-310001527753us-gaap:PerformanceSharesMember2020-01-012020-12-310001527753us-gaap:ShortTermInvestmentsMemberus-gaap:FairValueMeasurementsRecurringMember2022-12-3100015277532021-12-310001527753us-gaap:AccumulatedOtherComprehensiveIncomeMember2021-01-012021-12-310001527753psnl:OptionsToPurchaseCommonStockMember2020-01-012020-12-310001527753us-gaap:RestrictedStockUnitsRSUMember2022-12-310001527753us-gaap:RestrictedStockUnitsRSUMemberpsnl:TwoThousandNineteenEquityIncentivePlanAndTwoThousandTwentyInducementPlanMember2021-12-310001527753psnl:PharmaTestsAndServicesMember2022-01-012022-12-310001527753us-gaap:EmployeeStockOptionMember2021-01-012021-12-310001527753us-gaap:CommonStockMember2022-12-310001527753us-gaap:DomesticCountryMember2022-12-310001527753us-gaap:AccumulatedOtherComprehensiveIncomeMember2022-12-310001527753psnl:ComputerSoftwareCostsMember2021-12-310001527753psnl:PharmaTestsAndServicesMember2020-01-012020-12-310001527753us-gaap:FairValueInputsLevel1Memberus-gaap:MoneyMarketFundsMemberus-gaap:FairValueMeasurementsRecurringMember2022-12-310001527753psnl:PaymentAgreementWithFinancingEntityMemberus-gaap:SoftwareAndSoftwareDevelopmentCostsMember2022-07-012022-07-310001527753us-gaap:AdditionalPaidInCapitalMember2021-12-310001527753us-gaap:ResearchAndDevelopmentExpenseMember2020-01-012020-12-310001527753psnl:TwoThousandElevenAndTwoThousandNineteenEquityIncentivePlanAndTwoThousandTwentyInducementPlanMember2019-01-012019-12-3100015277532022-12-310001527753psnl:PaymentAgreementWithFinancingEntityMember2022-01-012022-12-310001527753us-gaap:RestrictedStockUnitsRSUMemberpsnl:TwoThousandNineteenEquityIncentivePlanAndTwoThousandTwentyInducementPlanMember2021-01-012021-12-3100015277532015-12-310001527753psnl:ComputerSoftwareCostsMember2022-12-310001527753us-gaap:FairValueInputsLevel2Memberus-gaap:ShortTermInvestmentsMemberus-gaap:USTreasurySecuritiesMemberus-gaap:FairValueMeasurementsRecurringMember2021-12-310001527753us-gaap:FairValueInputsLevel2Memberus-gaap:ShortTermInvestmentsMemberus-gaap:CommercialPaperMemberus-gaap:FairValueMeasurementsRecurringMember2022-12-310001527753psnl:PaymentAgreementWithFinancingEntityMember2021-01-012021-12-310001527753us-gaap:CostOfSalesMember2021-01-012021-12-310001527753srt:ScenarioForecastMember2023-01-012023-03-310001527753us-gaap:RetainedEarningsMember2019-12-310001527753psnl:PaymentAgreementWithFinancingEntityMember2021-12-310001527753psnl:AbbVieIncMemberus-gaap:CustomerConcentrationRiskMemberus-gaap:AccountsReceivableMember2021-01-012021-12-310001527753us-gaap:DomesticCountryMember2022-01-012022-12-310001527753psnl:EmployeeStockPurchasePlanMember2022-01-012022-12-3100015277532020-01-012020-12-310001527753us-gaap:CommonStockMember2020-12-310001527753us-gaap:SoftwareAndSoftwareDevelopmentCostsMember2022-01-012022-12-310001527753us-gaap:RestrictedStockUnitsRSUMember2022-01-012022-12-310001527753psnl:OptionsGrantedAsMeritAwardsMemberus-gaap:ShareBasedCompensationAwardTrancheOneMember2022-01-012022-12-310001527753psnl:TwoThousandElevenAndTwoThousandNineteenEquityIncentivePlanAndTwoThousandTwentyInducementPlanMember2022-12-310001527753us-gaap:FairValueInputsLevel2Memberus-gaap:USTreasurySecuritiesMemberus-gaap:FairValueMeasurementsRecurringMember2022-12-310001527753us-gaap:RestrictedStockUnitsRSUMemberpsnl:TwoThousandNineteenEquityIncentivePlanAndTwoThousandTwentyInducementPlanMember2020-12-310001527753psnl:TwoThousandNineteenEquityIncentivePlanMembersrt:MaximumMember2022-01-012022-12-310001527753psnl:FutureCorporateHeadquartersAndExpandedLaboratoryFacilityMember2021-12-310001527753us-gaap:AdditionalPaidInCapitalMember2022-01-012022-12-310001527753psnl:PaymentAgreementWithFinancingEntityMemberus-gaap:SoftwareAndSoftwareDevelopmentCostsMember2021-04-300001527753psnl:UnvestedRestrictedStockUnitsMember2021-01-012021-12-3100015277532022-01-012022-12-310001527753us-gaap:ConstructionInProgressMember2022-12-3100015277532020-03-270001527753us-gaap:RestrictedStockUnitsRSUMember2021-01-012021-12-310001527753psnl:EmployeeStockPurchasePlanMember2020-01-012020-12-310001527753psnl:TwoThousandNineteenEquityIncentivePlanMemberpsnl:PerformanceBasedStockOptionMember2022-01-012022-12-310001527753us-gaap:AdditionalPaidInCapitalMember2020-01-012020-12-310001527753us-gaap:FairValueInputsLevel2Memberus-gaap:CommercialPaperMemberus-gaap:FairValueMeasurementsRecurringMember2021-12-310001527753us-gaap:RetainedEarningsMember2021-12-310001527753psnl:PopulationSequencingMember2021-01-012021-12-310001527753srt:MinimumMemberus-gaap:CustomerConcentrationRiskMemberus-gaap:AccountsReceivableMember2022-01-012022-12-310001527753us-gaap:ResearchAndDevelopmentExpenseMember2021-01-012021-12-310001527753psnl:FollowOnOfferingMember2020-08-012020-08-310001527753us-gaap:AdditionalPaidInCapitalMember2020-12-310001527753psnl:PaymentAgreementWithFinancingEntityMemberpsnl:TrancheFourMemberus-gaap:SoftwareAndSoftwareDevelopmentCostsMember2022-07-012022-07-310001527753us-gaap:AdditionalPaidInCapitalMember2022-12-310001527753srt:MaximumMember2021-01-012021-12-310001527753us-gaap:StateAndLocalJurisdictionMember2022-01-012022-12-310001527753us-gaap:ConstructionInProgressMember2021-12-310001527753us-gaap:AdditionalPaidInCapitalMember2021-01-012021-12-310001527753us-gaap:RestrictedStockUnitsRSUMemberpsnl:TwoThousandNineteenEquityIncentivePlanAndTwoThousandTwentyInducementPlanMember2020-01-012020-12-310001527753us-gaap:AdditionalPaidInCapitalMember2019-12-310001527753us-gaap:RevenueFromContractWithCustomerMemberus-gaap:CustomerConcentrationRiskMemberpsnl:VeteransAffairsMillionVeteranProgramMember2020-01-012020-12-310001527753us-gaap:SellingGeneralAndAdministrativeExpensesMember2021-01-012021-12-310001527753psnl:TwoThousandNineteenEquityIncentivePlanMembersrt:MinimumMember2022-01-012022-12-310001527753psnl:ChinaOperationsMember2022-12-310001527753srt:MinimumMember2020-01-012020-12-310001527753psnl:FollowOnOfferingMember2020-08-310001527753us-gaap:CustomerConcentrationRiskMemberpsnl:PfizerIncMemberus-gaap:AccountsReceivableMember2022-01-012022-12-310001527753psnl:TrancheSixMemberpsnl:PaymentAgreementWithFinancingEntityMemberus-gaap:SoftwareAndSoftwareDevelopmentCostsMember2022-07-012022-07-310001527753us-gaap:FairValueInputsLevel2Memberus-gaap:ShortTermInvestmentsMemberus-gaap:CorporateDebtSecuritiesMemberus-gaap:FairValueMeasurementsRecurringMember2021-12-310001527753us-gaap:RevenueFromContractWithCustomerMemberus-gaap:CustomerConcentrationRiskMemberpsnl:VeteransAffairsMillionVeteranProgramMember2022-01-012022-12-310001527753us-gaap:AccumulatedOtherComprehensiveIncomeMember2019-12-310001527753psnl:PharmaTestsAndServicesMember2021-01-012021-12-310001527753psnl:PaymentAgreementWithFinancingEntityMember2022-12-310001527753psnl:AtMarketSalesAgreementMember2021-12-012021-12-310001527753us-gaap:RestrictedStockUnitsRSUMemberpsnl:TwoThousandNineteenEquityIncentivePlanAndTwoThousandTwentyInducementPlanMember2019-12-310001527753psnl:EmployeeStockPurchasePlanMember2020-01-012020-12-310001527753srt:MinimumMemberpsnl:TwoThousandNineteenEmployeeStockPurchasePlanMember2021-01-012021-12-310001527753srt:MaximumMemberus-gaap:ComputerEquipmentMember2022-01-012022-12-310001527753psnl:NateraIncMemberus-gaap:RevenueFromContractWithCustomerMemberus-gaap:CustomerConcentrationRiskMember2022-01-012022-12-310001527753us-gaap:NonUsMemberus-gaap:SalesRevenueNetMembersrt:MaximumMemberus-gaap:CustomerConcentrationRiskMemberpsnl:SignificantCustomersMember2021-01-012021-12-310001527753us-gaap:CashMemberus-gaap:FairValueMeasurementsRecurringMember2021-12-310001527753us-gaap:FairValueInputsLevel2Memberus-gaap:CommercialPaperMemberus-gaap:FairValueMeasurementsRecurringMember2022-12-310001527753psnl:UnvestedRestrictedStockUnitsMember2020-01-012020-12-310001527753psnl:FutureCorporateHeadquartersAndExpandedLaboratoryFacilityMember2021-07-012022-12-310001527753us-gaap:MachineryAndEquipmentMember2021-12-310001527753us-gaap:ShareBasedCompensationAwardTrancheTwoMembersrt:MaximumMemberus-gaap:RestrictedStockUnitsRSUMember2022-01-012022-12-310001527753psnl:CoLocatedDataCenterSpaceMember2022-12-310001527753psnl:TwoThousandNineteenEmployeeStockPurchasePlanMember2021-01-012021-12-310001527753srt:MaximumMemberpsnl:TwoThousandElevenEquityIncentivePlanMember2022-01-012022-12-310001527753us-gaap:RestrictedStockUnitsRSUMember2020-01-012020-12-310001527753us-gaap:FurnitureAndFixturesMember2022-01-012022-12-310001527753us-gaap:FairValueInputsLevel2Memberus-gaap:ShortTermInvestmentsMemberus-gaap:USTreasurySecuritiesMemberus-gaap:FairValueMeasurementsRecurringMember2022-12-310001527753us-gaap:AccumulatedOtherComprehensiveIncomeMember2022-01-012022-12-310001527753us-gaap:CostOfSalesMember2022-01-012022-12-310001527753psnl:PopulationSequencingMember2020-01-012020-12-310001527753psnl:TwoThousandNineteenEquityIncentivePlanMembersrt:MaximumMemberpsnl:PerformanceBasedStockOptionMember2022-01-012022-12-310001527753srt:MaximumMemberpsnl:TwoThousandNineteenEmployeeStockPurchasePlanMember2021-01-012021-12-310001527753srt:MaximumMemberpsnl:TwoThousandNineteenEmployeeStockPurchasePlanMember2022-01-012022-12-310001527753us-gaap:EmployeeStockOptionMember2022-01-012022-12-310001527753psnl:EnterpriseSalesMember2021-01-012021-12-310001527753psnl:EnterpriseSalesMember2020-01-012020-12-310001527753us-gaap:AccumulatedOtherComprehensiveIncomeMember2021-12-310001527753psnl:TwoThousandElevenAndTwoThousandNineteenEquityIncentivePlanAndTwoThousandTwentyInducementPlanMember2019-12-310001527753us-gaap:FurnitureAndFixturesMember2021-12-310001527753psnl:TwoThousandElevenAndTwoThousandNineteenEquityIncentivePlanAndTwoThousandTwentyInducementPlanMember2021-01-012021-12-310001527753psnl:TwoThousandNineteenEmployeeStockPurchasePlanMember2022-12-310001527753us-gaap:RestrictedStockUnitsRSUMemberpsnl:TwoThousandNineteenEquityIncentivePlanAndTwoThousandTwentyInducementPlanMember2022-12-310001527753us-gaap:RevenueFromContractWithCustomerMemberpsnl:MerckCoIncMemberus-gaap:CustomerConcentrationRiskMember2022-01-012022-12-310001527753us-gaap:AccumulatedOtherComprehensiveIncomeMember2020-12-310001527753us-gaap:FairValueInputsLevel2Memberus-gaap:ShortTermInvestmentsMemberus-gaap:CommercialPaperMemberus-gaap:FairValueMeasurementsRecurringMember2021-12-3100015277532022-06-300001527753psnl:OtherMember2022-01-012022-12-310001527753us-gaap:ComputerEquipmentMember2022-12-310001527753us-gaap:RetainedEarningsMember2021-01-012021-12-3100015277532019-12-310001527753us-gaap:RevenueFromContractWithCustomerMemberus-gaap:CustomerConcentrationRiskMemberpsnl:VeteransAffairsMillionVeteranProgramMember2021-01-012021-12-310001527753srt:MaximumMemberus-gaap:AccountingStandardsUpdate201409Member2022-01-012022-12-310001527753srt:MinimumMemberus-gaap:AccountingStandardsUpdate201409Member2022-01-012022-12-310001527753us-gaap:ShortTermInvestmentsMemberus-gaap:FairValueMeasurementsRecurringMember2021-12-310001527753us-gaap:RetainedEarningsMember2022-01-012022-12-310001527753us-gaap:AccumulatedOtherComprehensiveIncomeMember2020-01-012020-12-310001527753psnl:CoLocatedDataCenterSpaceMember2019-01-012019-12-310001527753us-gaap:ComputerEquipmentMember2021-12-310001527753psnl:OtherMember2021-01-012021-12-310001527753us-gaap:SellingGeneralAndAdministrativeExpensesMember2020-01-012020-12-310001527753us-gaap:CommonStockMember2021-01-012021-12-310001527753psnl:TwoThousandNineteenEmployeeStockPurchasePlanMember2022-01-012022-12-310001527753psnl:TwoThousandElevenAndTwoThousandNineteenEquityIncentivePlanAndTwoThousandTwentyInducementPlanMember2020-12-310001527753us-gaap:NonUsMemberus-gaap:SalesRevenueNetMembersrt:MaximumMemberus-gaap:CustomerConcentrationRiskMemberpsnl:SignificantCustomersMember2022-01-012022-12-310001527753psnl:NateraIncMemberus-gaap:CustomerConcentrationRiskMemberus-gaap:AccountsReceivableMember2022-01-012022-12-310001527753srt:MinimumMember2022-01-012022-12-310001527753us-gaap:NonUsMemberus-gaap:SalesRevenueNetMembersrt:MaximumMemberus-gaap:CustomerConcentrationRiskMemberpsnl:SignificantCustomersMember2020-01-012020-12-310001527753psnl:PaymentAgreementWithFinancingEntityMemberpsnl:TrancheOneMemberus-gaap:ComputerEquipmentMember2021-04-012021-04-300001527753psnl:PaymentAgreementWithFinancingEntityMemberus-gaap:DebtInstrumentRedemptionPeriodTwoMemberus-gaap:SoftwareAndSoftwareDevelopmentCostsMember2021-04-012021-04-300001527753psnl:FollowOnEquityOfferingsMember2021-01-012021-01-310001527753us-gaap:SubsequentEventMember2023-01-012023-01-310001527753us-gaap:RetainedEarningsMember2020-01-012020-12-310001527753psnl:FutureCorporateHeadquartersAndExpandedLaboratoryFacilityMember2022-01-012022-12-310001527753psnl:OtherMember2020-01-012020-12-310001527753us-gaap:CashMemberus-gaap:FairValueMeasurementsRecurringMember2022-12-310001527753srt:MinimumMemberpsnl:TwoThousandNineteenEmployeeStockPurchasePlanMember2020-01-012020-12-310001527753psnl:PaymentAgreementWithFinancingEntityMemberus-gaap:ComputerEquipmentMember2021-04-012021-04-300001527753psnl:TwoThousandNineteenEquityIncentivePlanMemberpsnl:PerformanceBasedStockOptionMember2022-12-310001527753us-gaap:MachineryAndEquipmentMember2022-12-310001527753psnl:FollowOnEquityOfferingsMember2021-01-310001527753srt:MaximumMemberus-gaap:SubsequentEventMember2023-02-230001527753psnl:TwoThousandNineteenEquityIncentivePlanMemberpsnl:PerformanceBasedStockOptionMember2020-01-012020-12-310001527753psnl:PaymentAgreementWithFinancingEntityMemberpsnl:TrancheFiveMemberus-gaap:SoftwareAndSoftwareDevelopmentCostsMember2022-07-012022-07-310001527753us-gaap:EmployeeStockOptionMember2020-01-012020-12-310001527753us-gaap:CommonStockMember2021-12-310001527753us-gaap:ResearchAndDevelopmentExpenseMember2022-01-012022-12-310001527753psnl:TwoThousandElevenAndTwoThousandNineteenEquityIncentivePlanAndTwoThousandTwentyInducementPlanMember2021-12-310001527753us-gaap:DebtInstrumentRedemptionPeriodOneMemberpsnl:PaymentAgreementWithFinancingEntityMemberus-gaap:SoftwareAndSoftwareDevelopmentCostsMember2021-04-012021-04-300001527753us-gaap:CommonStockMember2020-01-012020-12-310001527753psnl:ChinaOperationsMember2022-01-012022-12-310001527753psnl:TwoThousandElevenAndTwoThousandNineteenEquityIncentivePlanAndTwoThousandTwentyInducementPlanMember2020-01-012020-12-310001527753us-gaap:FairValueMeasurementsRecurringMember2021-12-310001527753psnl:PaymentAgreementWithFinancingEntityMemberus-gaap:SoftwareAndSoftwareDevelopmentCostsMember2021-04-012021-04-300001527753us-gaap:RetainedEarningsMember2020-12-310001527753psnl:MerckCoIncMemberus-gaap:CustomerConcentrationRiskMemberus-gaap:AccountsReceivableMember2021-01-012021-12-310001527753psnl:NateraIncMemberus-gaap:RevenueFromContractWithCustomerMemberus-gaap:CustomerConcentrationRiskMember2021-01-012021-12-3100015277532021-01-012021-12-310001527753psnl:CoLocatedDataCenterSpaceMember2022-01-012022-12-310001527753us-gaap:CommonStockMember2022-01-012022-12-310001527753psnl:FutureCorporateHeadquartersAndExpandedLaboratoryFacilityMember2021-01-012021-12-310001527753psnl:PaymentAgreementWithFinancingEntityMemberus-gaap:ComputerEquipmentMember2021-04-300001527753psnl:OptionsToPurchaseCommonStockMember2021-01-012021-12-310001527753us-gaap:FairValueInputsLevel1Memberus-gaap:MoneyMarketFundsMemberus-gaap:FairValueMeasurementsRecurringMember2021-12-310001527753srt:MaximumMember2020-01-012020-12-310001527753us-gaap:RestrictedStockUnitsRSUMemberpsnl:TwoThousandNineteenEquityIncentivePlanAndTwoThousandTwentyInducementPlanMember2022-01-012022-12-310001527753psnl:FutureCorporateHeadquartersAndExpandedLaboratoryFacilityMember2022-07-012022-09-300001527753srt:MaximumMemberpsnl:TwoThousandNineteenEmployeeStockPurchasePlanMember2020-01-012020-12-310001527753psnl:OptionsGrantedAsMeritAwardsMemberus-gaap:ShareBasedCompensationAwardTrancheTwoMember2022-01-012022-12-310001527753us-gaap:OverAllotmentOptionMember2021-01-012021-01-310001527753us-gaap:SellingGeneralAndAdministrativeExpensesMember2022-01-012022-12-310001527753us-gaap:StateAndLocalJurisdictionMember2022-12-310001527753psnl:EnterpriseSalesMember2022-01-012022-12-310001527753srt:MinimumMemberus-gaap:ComputerEquipmentMember2022-01-012022-12-310001527753us-gaap:AssetBackedSecuritiesMemberus-gaap:FairValueInputsLevel2Memberus-gaap:ShortTermInvestmentsMemberus-gaap:FairValueMeasurementsRecurringMember2021-12-310001527753us-gaap:FurnitureAndFixturesMember2022-12-3100015277532020-12-310001527753psnl:NateraIncMemberus-gaap:CustomerConcentrationRiskMemberus-gaap:AccountsReceivableMember2021-01-012021-12-310001527753psnl:OptionsToPurchaseCommonStockMember2022-01-012022-12-310001527753us-gaap:RetainedEarningsMember2022-12-310001527753psnl:EmployeeStockPurchasePlanMember2021-01-012021-12-310001527753psnl:TwoThousandElevenAndTwoThousandNineteenEquityIncentivePlanAndTwoThousandTwentyInducementPlanMember2022-01-012022-12-310001527753us-gaap:LeaseholdImprovementsMember2022-12-310001527753srt:MinimumMember2021-01-012021-12-310001527753psnl:PaymentAgreementWithFinancingEntityMemberus-gaap:SoftwareAndSoftwareDevelopmentCostsMember2022-07-310001527753psnl:UnvestedRestrictedStockUnitsMember2022-01-012022-12-310001527753us-gaap:CostOfSalesMember2020-01-012020-12-310001527753psnl:PaymentAgreementWithFinancingEntityMemberus-gaap:DebtInstrumentRedemptionPeriodThreeMemberus-gaap:SoftwareAndSoftwareDevelopmentCostsMember2021-04-012021-04-300001527753us-gaap:MachineryAndEquipmentMember2022-01-012022-12-310001527753psnl:TwoThousandNineteenEmployeeStockPurchasePlanMember2020-01-012020-12-310001527753us-gaap:FairValueInputsLevel2Memberus-gaap:ShortTermInvestmentsMemberus-gaap:USGovernmentAgenciesDebtSecuritiesMemberus-gaap:FairValueMeasurementsRecurringMember2022-12-310001527753psnl:EmployeeStockPurchasePlanMember2021-01-012021-12-310001527753us-gaap:FairValueInputsLevel2Memberus-gaap:ShortTermInvestmentsMemberus-gaap:USGovernmentAgenciesDebtSecuritiesMemberus-gaap:FairValueMeasurementsRecurringMember2021-12-310001527753psnl:TrancheTwoMemberpsnl:PaymentAgreementWithFinancingEntityMemberus-gaap:ComputerEquipmentMember2021-04-012021-04-300001527753us-gaap:LeaseholdImprovementsMember2021-12-310001527753psnl:GSKPlcMemberus-gaap:CustomerConcentrationRiskMemberus-gaap:AccountsReceivableMember2022-01-012022-12-310001527753srt:MinimumMemberpsnl:TwoThousandNineteenEmployeeStockPurchasePlanMember2022-01-012022-12-310001527753psnl:PaymentAgreementWithFinancingEntityMemberus-gaap:ComputerEquipmentMemberpsnl:TrancheThreeMember2021-04-012021-04-300001527753us-gaap:ResearchMemberus-gaap:StateAndLocalJurisdictionMember2022-12-3100015277532023-02-140001527753psnl:TwoThousandNineteenEquityIncentivePlanMemberpsnl:PerformanceBasedStockOptionMember2021-12-310001527753psnl:TwoThousandNineteenEquityIncentivePlanMemberpsnl:PerformanceBasedStockOptionMember2020-12-310001527753psnl:PopulationSequencingMember2022-01-012022-12-310001527753psnl:EmployeeStockPurchasePlanMember2022-01-012022-12-31psnl:Paymentxbrli:pureutr:sqftxbrli:sharesiso4217:USDxbrli:sharespsnl:Segmentiso4217:USD
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM
10-K
☒
ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES
EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the fiscal year ended
December 31,
2022
or
☐
TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES
EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the transition period from _______ to _______.
Commission File Number
001-38943
Personalis, Inc.
(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its Charter)
|
|
Delaware
|
27-5411038
|
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or
organization)
|
(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)
|
6600 Dumbarton Circle
Fremont,
California
|
94555
|
(Address of principal executive offices)
|
(Zip Code)
|
Registrant’s telephone number, including area code:
(650)
752-1300
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the
Act:
|
|
|
|
|
Title of each class
|
|
Trading
Symbol(s)
|
|
Name of each exchange on which registered
|
Common Stock, par value $0.0001
|
|
PSNL
|
|
The Nasdaq Global Market
|
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:
None
Indicate by check mark if the Registrant is a well-known seasoned
issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ☐
No
☒
Indicate by check mark if the Registrant is not required to file
reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Act. Yes ☐
No
☒
Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant: (1) has filed all
reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 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 ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant has submitted
electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted
pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter)
during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the
Registrant was required to submit such files).
Yes
☒ No ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large
accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer,
smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the
definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,”
“smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule
12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Large accelerated filer
|
|
☐
|
Accelerated filer
|
|
☐
|
Non-accelerated filer
|
|
☒
|
Smaller reporting company
|
|
☒
|
Emerging growth company
|
|
☐
|
Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant has filed a report on
and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness
of its internal control over financial reporting under Section
404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the
registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit
report.
☐
If securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act,
indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the
Registrant included in the filing reflect the correction of an
error to previously issued financial statements. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are
restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based
compensation received by any of the Registrant's executive officers
during the relevant recovery period pursuant to §240.10D-1(b).
☐
Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant is a shell company
(as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes
☐
No ☒
The aggregate market value of the voting and non-voting common
stock held by non-affiliates of the Registrant, as of June 30,
2022, the last business day of the Registrant’s most recently
completed second fiscal quarter, was approximately
$156,000,000
based on the closing price reported for such date on the Nasdaq
Global Market.
46,736,830
shares of common stock were issued and outstanding as of February
14, 2023.
DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
Portions of the Registrant's definitive proxy statement relating to
its 2023 annual meeting of shareholders are incorporated by
reference into Part III of this Annual Report on Form 10-K where
indicated. The Registrant's definitive proxy statement will be
filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission within 120
days after the end of the fiscal year to which this report
relates.
|
|
|
Auditor Firm ID:
34
|
Auditor Name:
Deloitte & Touche LLP
|
Auditor Location:
Austin, Texas, U.S.
|
PERSONALIS, INC.
Form 10-K
For the Year Ended December 31, 2022
TABLE OF
CONTENTS
2
Table of Contents
NOTE REGARDING
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains forward-looking statements
within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act
of 1995. All statements other than statements of historical facts
contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, including statements
regarding our future results of operations or financial condition,
business strategy and plans, and objectives of management for
future operations, are forward-looking statements. In some cases,
you can identify forward-looking statements because they contain
words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,”
“estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “might,” “objective,”
“ongoing,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,”
“will,” or “would” or the negative of these words or other similar
terms or expressions. These forward-looking statements include, but
are not limited to, statements concerning the following:
•
the evolution of cancer therapies and market adoption of our
services and products;
•
estimates of our total addressable market, future revenue and the
timing thereof, expenses, use of cash and other resources, cost
savings, capital requirements, and our needs for additional
financing;
•
future reimbursement and reimbursement rulings;
•
our ability to enter into and compete in new markets;
•
the impact our collaboration agreements and key opinion leaders may
have on the broader use of our platform in the future;
•
the potential impacts of inflation, macroeconomic conditions, and
geopolitical conflicts on our business and operations;
•
the potential impact of a public health crisis on our business, our
customers’ and suppliers’ businesses and the general
economy;
•
the benefits of our products and services, including their ability
to increase the probability of clinical trial success;
•
our ability to compete effectively with existing competitors and
new market entrants;
•
the expected completion of our move of our Clinical Laboratory
Improvement Amendments of 1988-certified and College of American
Pathologists-accredited laboratory to our Fremont facility and the
timing thereof;
•
our plan to discontinue our commercialization efforts and
operations in China;
•
our ability to manage and grow our business by expanding our sales
to existing customers or introducing our services and products to
new customers;
•
our ability to establish and maintain intellectual property
protection for our services and products or avoid claims of
infringement;
•
potential effects of extensive government regulation;
•
our ability to hire and retain key personnel;
•
our ability to obtain financing when needed;
•
our belief that approval of personalized cancer therapies by the
U.S. Food and Drug Administration may drive benefits to our
business;
•
our future business with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’
Million Veteran Program and Natera, Inc.; and
•
our ability to maintain proper and effective internal
controls.
Actual events or results may differ from those expressed in
forward-looking statements. As such, you should not rely on
forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. We have
based the forward-looking statements contained in this Annual
Report on Form 10-K primarily on our current expectations and
projections about future events and trends that we believe may
affect our business, financial condition, operating results,
prospects, strategy, and financial needs. The outcome of the events
described in these forward-looking statements is subject to risks,
uncertainties, assumptions, and other factors described in the
section titled “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this Annual Report
on Form 10-K. Moreover, we operate in a highly competitive and
rapidly changing environment. New risks and uncertainties emerge
from time to time, and it is not possible for us to predict all
risks and uncertainties that could have an impact on the
forward-looking statements contained in this Annual Report on Form
10-K. The results, events and circumstances reflected in the
forward-looking statements may not be achieved or occur, and actual
results, events or circumstances could differ materially from those
described in the forward-looking statements.
In addition, statements that “we believe” and similar statements
reflect our beliefs and opinions on the relevant subject. These
statements are based on information available to us as of the date
of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. While we believe that such
information provides a reasonable basis for these statements, such
information may be limited or incomplete. Our statements should not
be read to indicate that we have conducted an exhaustive inquiry
into, or review of, all relevant information. These statements are
inherently uncertain, and investors are cautioned not to unduly
rely on these statements.
The forward-looking statements made in this Annual Report on Form
10-K relate only to events as of the date on which the statements
are made. We undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking
statements made in this Annual Report on Form 10-K to reflect
events or circumstances after the date of this Annual Report on
Form 10-K or to reflect new information, actual results, revised
expectations, or the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as
required by law. We may not actually achieve the plans, intentions
or expectations disclosed in our forward-looking statements, and
you should not place undue reliance on our forward-looking
statements.
Unless the context otherwise requires, references in this Annual
Report on Form 10-K to the “company,” “Personalis,” “we,” “us” and
“our” refer to Personalis, Inc.
3
Table of Contents
PART
I
Item 1. Business.
Overview
We strive to develop some of the most comprehensive and actionable
cancer genomic tests in the world to help patients live better and
longer lives. We believe we have one of the most discerning
technologies to both characterize and monitor cancer – with the aim
of driving a new paradigm for cancer management and guiding care
from biopsy through the life of the patient. Our assays combine
tumor-and-normal profiling with proprietary algorithms to deliver
advanced insights even as cancer evolves over time. Our products
are designed to detect recurrence at the earliest timepoints,
enable selection of targeted therapies based on ultra-comprehensive
genomic profiling, and enhance biomarker strategy for drug
development.
Today, our platforms are routinely used by many of the largest
oncology-focused pharmaceutical companies for analysis of patient
samples in their clinical trials and drug development programs. Our
advanced genomic sequencing and analytics also support the
development of personalized cancer vaccines and other
next-generation cancer immunotherapies. For example, we are
providing genomic testing to Moderna in its ongoing clinical trials
evaluating a personalized cancer vaccine. In addition, we partner
with diagnostics companies by providing our advanced tumor
profiling and analysis capabilities as an input to their products.
More recently, we launched new diagnostic offerings for the
clinical setting and are preparing for future expansion in the
clinical diagnostics market. Finally, we have also pursued
non-cancer related business opportunities, specifically within the
population sequencing market, by providing whole genome sequencing
("WGS") services under contract with the U.S. Department of
Veterans Affairs Million Veteran Program ("VA MVP").
As part of one of our new strategies for 2023 and beyond, we are
working with a growing number of leading cancer centers and
world-class academic research institutions to build and publish the
clinical evidence-base to support our products and our key
indications. Specifically, because of the high sensitivity of our
technology, we aim to focus on three indications in the next 2-3
years: immunotherapy (IO) monitoring, breast cancer, and lung
cancer. We have announced collaborations with BC Cancer, Duke
University, UCSF, Criterium, and Academic Breast Cancer Consortium
that will focus on building the evidence-base for our technology
and these indications. If the key opinion leaders ("KOLs") we are
collaborating with have a positive experience using our platform,
we are optimistic this will support broader use of our platform by
other KOLS, as well as clinicians in the future.
Our work in oncology is underpinned by our experience and capacity
for next-generation sequencing at scale. We have the capacity to
sequence and analyze approximately 200 trillion bases of DNA per
week in our facility. We believe that our capacity is already
larger than most cancer genomics companies, and we continue to
build automation and other infrastructure to scale further as
demand increases. To date, we have sequenced more than 300,000
human samples, of which more than 160,000 were whole human
genomes.
In October 2022, we relocated our corporate headquarters from Menlo
Park, California to a new facility in Fremont, California. We
signed a 13.5-year lease that extends to 2036 for the 100,000
square foot facility, which is approximately triple the amount of
space than our Menlo Park location. The new facility allows for
expansion of our laboratory for testing to support pharmaceutical
customers and clinical diagnostic testing. In addition, the new
space is intended to support the expansion of research and
development efforts to bring leading edge products and services to
the marketplace. Our Menlo Park office currently continues to house
our Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988
(“CLIA”)-certified and College of American Pathologists
(“CAP”)-accredited laboratory and we expect to move our laboratory
operations from Menlo Park to the new facility in 2023.
We were incorporated under the laws of the state of Delaware in
February 2011 under the name Personalis, Inc. Our customers include
pharmaceutical companies, biopharmaceutical companies, diagnostics
companies, healthcare providers, universities, non-profits, and
government entities.
Market Opportunities
We have estimated the potential future annual U.S. market
opportunity for our current and planned products to be
approximately $38 billion as follows:
•
Therapy Selection and Monitoring:
According to the American Cancer Society’s
Cancer Facts & Figures 2020,
more than 16.9 million cancer survivors were alive on January 1,
2019 in the United States. Based on data from
Cancer Treatment and Survivorship Statistics, 2019
and
Cancer Statistics, 2019,
we estimated that approximately 2.2 million of these cancer
survivors were diagnosed within the last two years. Over time, the
likelihood that the original cancer will reoccur can decline below
the baseline likelihood of a new, genetically independent cancer
emerging. Therefore, we limited our market size estimates to
patients within the period of two years from their initial cancer
diagnosis.
Of these 2.2 million patients, about 200,000 enroll in
pharmaceutical clinical trials according to data from the
U.S. National Library of Medicine, ClincalTrials.gov, January
2019,
with the assumption that the remaining cancer patients undergo
standard clinical care. As part of that standard care, we assumed
that these patients go through therapy selection and eventual
monitoring. For therapy selection, we estimated that each of the
approximately 2.0 million cancer patients undergoing standard
clinical care will have a tissue biopsy sequenced and tested at a
cost of approximately $3,000, which is the approved Centers for
Medicare & Medicaid Services ("CMS") reimbursement rate, which
results in an estimated potential market opportunity of $6 billion
per year.
4
Table of Contents
Cancer mutations identified in this initial tissue-biopsy based
test can then be used for subsequent monitoring using cell-free DNA
("cfDNA"). For monitoring, we estimated that each patient has a
liquid biopsy sequenced and tested four times per year at an
estimated cost of $2,840 per test, based on publicly-available data
on comparable tests. Our NeXT Dx offering addresses the market for
tissue biopsy testing while our NeXT Personal Dx offering is
expected to address the liquid-biopsy based monitoring opportunity.
Our estimates have led us to project approximately a $22.7 billion
potential market opportunity per year for monitoring.
•
Clinical Trial Patients:
For each of the 200,000 pharmaceutical clinical trial patients, we
estimated that an initial tissue sample will be sequenced at least
once at a cost of $3,000, which is the approved CMS reimbursement
rate, with liquid biopsy sample testing then occurring at least
eight different time-points per year for monitoring, at an
estimated cost of $4,000 per sequencing test, based on the
frequency of monitoring in a recent immuno-oncology drug trial and
our historical standard pricing for tissue samples and anticipated
pricing for liquid biopsy samples. Based on this, we estimated the
potential market opportunity to be approximately $7 billion per
year for tissue- and liquid-based sequencing of these clinical
trial patients.
•
Population Sequencing:
According to publicly-available industry information and
presentations, we estimated the potential market for population
sequencing services is over $2 billion per year. Our WGS products
address this potential market opportunity.
Our Products and Services
Our most advanced cancer genomic tests are powered by our NeXT
Platform. Our research-focused products, including exome
sequencing, transcriptome sequencing, and targeted cancer panels,
are powered by our ACE Platform, the predecessor to NeXT. In
addition, we offer WGS for various research applications and
population sequencing projects.
NeXT Platform
NeXT is the first platform to enable the comprehensive analysis of
both a tumor and its microenvironment from a single sample. Our
NeXT Platform is a high-accuracy, next-generation sequencing and
analysis platform. We have created an ecosystem of products and
capabilities built on the NeXT Platform that synergize to drive
value for our customers: ImmunoID NeXT (comprehensive tumor
profiling from tissue), NeXT Liquid Biopsy (comprehensive tumor
profiling from plasma), NeXT Dx (highly-personalized comprehensive
genomic cancer profiling test to optimize therapy selection and
match patients to clinical trials), and NeXT Personal
(highly-sensitive, tumor-informed liquid biopsy offering for
personalized tumor tracking and monitoring). Additionally, the
platform offers neoantigen prediction capabilities with Systematic
HLA Epitope Ranking Pan Algorithm ("SHERPA"), our pan-predictive
machine learning model. Accurate neoantigen prediction with SHERPA
is expected to enable the determination of candidate neoantigens
for rapid development of personalized cancer therapies, as well as
facilitation of the generation of neoantigen burden-based composite
biomarkers such as our NEOantigen Presentation Score ("NEOPS") that
can potentially better predict response to
immunotherapies.
Our NeXT Platform is designed to provide comprehensive analysis of
both a tumor and its immune microenvironment from a single limited
tissue or plasma sample. Our platform covers the DNA sequence of
all of the approximately 20,000 human genes. We also report on the
entire transcriptome of a tumor, which encompasses ribonucleic acid
(“RNA”) expression across the approximately 20,000 human genes,
allowing us to more accurately determine which of the many genomic
mutations might actually be driving tumor progression. Furthermore,
our platform analyzes elements of the immune cells that have
infiltrated a tumor both from the adaptive immune system and the
innate immune system.
Given the practical challenges in obtaining high-quality tumor
samples via biopsy, we have developed our platform to work with a
limited tumor tissue sample. Biopharmaceutical companies, for
example, face significant challenges in attempting to divide
samples to ship to multiple service providers to perform different
tests. If a biopharmaceutical company is successful in acquiring
results from multiple service providers, it is challenging to
compare the results across multiple data platforms from multiple
service providers. Our sequencing approach, validated with
orthogonal technologies, allows us to run multiple analyses on a
single sample. Our platform is composed of multiple proprietary
technologies, many of which we have developed from the ground up.
The breadth of the assays that we have integrated into our
platform, our proprietary sample preparation process, and the
comprehensiveness of our platform allow us to maximize the utility
of often limited tumor tissue samples that our customers have from
their clinical trials.
Our NeXT Platform can analyze cfDNA obtained from blood plasma,
also known as a liquid biopsy. As with a tissue biopsy, we analyze
all of the approximately 20,000 human genes in each plasma sample,
in contrast to currently marketed liquid biopsy panels, which only
analyze roughly 50 to 500 genes. This cfDNA may be obtained by a
blood draw concurrently with a tissue sample. Together, the two
samples can be used to provide a more comprehensive initial
characterization of the tumor. Additionally, our NeXT Personal
offering can monitor changes in tumor genetics that arise in
response to therapy through serial measurements using cfDNA samples
collected across multiple time-points.
An overview of key liquid biopsy capabilities follows.
Liquid biopsy approaches look at cfDNA in plasma samples derived
from the blood. cfDNA is DNA that is released into circulation by
cells, including tumor cells, most commonly as a result of cell
death. This cfDNA can be obtained by a blood draw and can be used
to monitor changes in tumor genetics. Circulating tumor DNA
("ctDNA") is a type of cfDNA that derives from tumor
cells.
5
Table of Contents
We believe tumor biopsy and liquid biopsy approaches to tumor
molecular profiling will provide complementary information for each
patient. Tumor biopsies provide tumor immune microenvironment and
tumor gene expression information that current liquid biopsy panels
do not provide. Liquid biopsies can be useful for providing
additional DNA mutation information, especially for monitoring
therapy response across different time-points when tumor biopsies
are not feasible.
NeXT Personal is an advanced, tumor-informed liquid biopsy assay
developed to deliver industry-leading minimal residual disease
("MRD") sensitivity in the range of 1-3 parts per million,
representing a 10- to 100-fold improvement over other, previously
available methods. NeXT Personal is sample sparing, requiring only
a single tube of blood, along with a tumor tissue sample. The use
of ctDNA as a predictive biomarker for MRD following treatment for
solid tumors is rapidly being integrated into clinical trial
design, translational research studies, and is on the verge of use
in routine clinical care. While other detection methods for ctDNA
have rapidly advanced, the limited sensitivity of these detection
methods reduce their utility for diagnosing MRD across a variety of
clinical applications. Standard-of-care (“SOC”) radiological-based
technologies, including CT, PET and MRI scans, also remain limited
in their ability to detect residual disease during or after
surgical or systemic therapy due to the minimum tumor volume
required. Therefore, reliable, sensitive detection and
quantification of MRD remains a key challenge, particularly in
early-stage cancers, where timely detection of small
micrometastatic lesions may enable treatment that prevents
progression to advanced metastatic, incurable disease. We believe
that NeXT Personal addresses these challenges. In the biopharma
setting, MRD is rapidly emerging as a key biomarker in therapy
development, whereby more sensitive detection and quantification of
MRD may provide substantial benefits versus less sensitive methods
through the reduction of false negative detection of
cancer.
NeXT makes comprehensive tumor molecular profiling practical for
cancer patients at scale
To deliver a comprehensive immune-genomic assessment of a tumor, we
invested substantial resources to engineer NeXT to provide data and
analysis that would otherwise be unavailable or require many
individual technologies, which collectively present significant
costs and logistical impracticalities. With NeXT, we built a
proprietary platform that is comprehensive, cost-effective, and
scalable and enables a short turnaround time, making it practical
to profile cancer patients at scale. This has required innovation
on a number of fronts.
Revenue from our NeXT Platform products has grown rapidly in recent
years. Excluding population sequencing revenue, revenue from our
NeXT Platform products accounted for only a minimal proportion of
revenue prior to 2020 but for over two-thirds of revenue in the
year ended December 31, 2021 and nearly four-fifths of revenue in
the year ended December 31, 2022. Revenue in connection with our
ACE Platform products (described below) account for the remainder
of revenue.
ACE Platform
The ACE Platform is the predecessor to our NeXT Platform. To
address the limitations of typical NGS-based assay, we developed
our patented Accuracy and Content Enhanced (“ACE”) technology for
next-generation sequencing. ACE improves nucleic acid preparation
processes and combines it with patented assay and sequencing
methods to achieve superior, high-fidelity, clinical-grade
sequencing quality that ensures high sensitivity for mutations that
can inform clinical and therapeutic applications such as neoantigen
prediction, biomarker identification, and novel drug target
selection. Our ACE Platform powers multiple products and services
to our customers including: exome sequencing, transcriptome
sequencing, and targeted cancer panels.
Our ACE technology provides coverage of difficult-to-sequence gene
regions across all of the approximately 20,000 human genes, filling
in key gaps left by other NGS approaches. ACE technology provides
superior and uniform coverage of difficult genomic regions, such as
high GC content areas, and fills gaps and inconsistencies in
sequencing to achieve an optimal output. ACE is able to deliver
more comprehensive coverage not by simply generating more data, but
by generating higher quality data. We and others have shown in two
publications that our ACE technology achieves superior gene
sequencing coverage and finishing.
Whole Genome Sequencing
In recent years, the declining cost of NGS has resulted in the
increased use of broad genomic characterization approaches,
including WGS, for various research applications. This cost
reduction has coincided with researchers’ need for more
comprehensive molecular information in the disease areas of
cardiology, endocrinology, rare disease, autoimmunity, and
ever-increasingly, cancer. WGS is an attractive option for many
researchers due to its ability to provide insights into non-coding
variation as well as its unrivaled resolution of genome-wide
structural variation, the impact of which is becoming more
pronounced in many disease states, especially cancer. Personalis is
one of the largest processors of human whole genome sequences in
the world today.
The most significant customer of our WGS is the VA MVP. Since 2012,
we have been contracted to provide DNA sequencing and data analysis
services to the VA MVP. The VA MVP began collecting samples in 2011
and is a landmark research effort aimed at better understanding how
genetic variations affect health. The VA MVP is one of the largest
population sequencing efforts in the U.S. In September 2017, we
entered into a one-year contract with three one-year renewal option
periods with the VA for the VA MVP, and received orders under this
contract in September 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021. In September
2022, we entered into a new contract with the VA MVP for a base
period of one year, with four one-year renewal option periods that
may be exercised upon discretion of the VA MVP. We concurrently
received an initial task order with a value of up to $10.0 million,
subject to the receipt of samples from the VA MVP. The cumulative
value of orders received from the VA MVP since inception is $195.7
million, of which we have recognized all but $9.1 million as
revenue as of December 31, 2022.
6
Table of Contents
All of our population sequencing revenue to date has been derived
from the VA MVP. The VA MVP has accounted for a significant amount
of our revenue in recent years: 13% in 2022, 53% in 2021, and 71%
in 2020. To date, we have delivered WGS data sets to the VA MVP for
over 155,000 veterans. This relationship with the VA MVP has
enabled us to scale our operational infrastructure and achieve
greater efficiencies in our lab. It has also supported our
development of industry-leading, large-scale cancer genomic
testing. The substantial experience that we have developed in WGS
also optimally positions us for what we anticipate to be the
longer-term strategic direction of the cancer genomics industry,
which may include WGS of tumors.
Personalis: The Genomics Engine for Next-Generation Cancer
Therapies
Pharmaceutical customers use our comprehensive platform across a
diverse set of therapeutic approaches to cancer. We generate and
analyze data from patients who participated in clinical trials,
which we believe will enable these customers to develop more
effective therapies. The information we generate is important to
our customers developing three major classes of next-generation
therapeutics: immunotherapies, targeted therapies, and personalized
cancer therapies.
•
Immunotherapies:
Over the past decade, a number of drugs have emerged based on the
discovery that the immune system plays a key role in addressing
cancer. Checkpoint inhibitors, a specific type of immunotherapy,
have generated substantial commercial success over the past decade;
however, the development of new therapies in this category has been
challenged by difficulties in understanding the precise interaction
between cancer and the immune system. Since our platform provides a
broad set of insights on tumor and immune biology, we believe it
enables pharmaceutical companies to better understand how
therapeutics are working in patients.
•
Targeted Therapies:
A growing category of successful cancer treatments consists of
therapies that target specific genes or molecular mechanisms of
cancer. Many of these targeted therapies are proposed to be tested
in combination with immunotherapies. These therapies have grown to
represent a considerable share of the overall oncology therapeutics
market today. Comprehensively understanding each patient’s genomic
and immune profile is critical to understanding how a patient may
respond to such therapies. We believe that our coverage of all of
the approximately 20,000 genes provides us a strong competitive
advantage against existing cancer panels that cover roughly only 50
to 500 genes. We believe our company is positioned to become a
leading provider of the complex information that we believe will
continue to inform the development of targeted cancer
therapies.
•
Personalized Cancer Therapies:
Some pharmaceutical companies are pursuing personalized cancer
therapies, which are designed and manufactured individually for
each patient based on genomic alterations in a given patient’s
tumor. While there are many potential approaches to developing
these therapies, including neoantigen-based vaccines and T-cell
therapies, all of them could benefit from the data and analytics
that our platform can generate about a patient’s tumor. Our
customers have leveraged our FDA Device Master Files as a component
of their investigational new drug application (“IND”) submissions
with the FDA. If drugs that were developed using our platform in
clinical trials to form the basis for approval are approved, we may
be able to derive additional revenue in connection with the
subsequent design of these drugs for cancer patients.
Genes that are involved in the mechanism of action of any of these
drugs may develop mutations reducing or eliminating the
effectiveness of those drugs. These are called therapy resistance
mutations. In many cases, they only become evident after extended
treatment of the patient with the drug. When these are detected, it
can be an important signal that the patient may benefit from a
change to another drug. Thus, it is important not only to test for
mutations when a patient is first diagnosed, but periodically to
check for the emergence of these potential resistance mutations.
Unlike other tumor-informed liquid biopsy tests for MRD, our NeXT
Personal liquid biopsy test was designed to also look for the
emergence of these potential resistance mutations, which may
ultimately help guide decisions about effective therapies for
patients.
We anticipate that as the clinical utility of our platform is
validated, we will have opportunities in connection with
diagnostics and the commercialization of cancer therapeutics, which
are significantly larger markets than our clinical-trial focused
markets. Over time, we expect our pharmaceutical customers and
research collaborators to build evidence of the clinical utility of
our platform as a diagnostic for advanced cancer
therapies.
Our Strategy
Our mission is to transform the active management of cancer through
personalized testing. Our strategy to achieve this mission is
to:
•
Become a leader in MRD detection for active cancer management with
our industry-leading MRD test, NeXT Personal.
•
Expand strategic partnerships, in which our products power
commercial offerings from other companies.
•
Become the solution-of-choice for biopharmaceutical companies
developing oncology therapies.
Our Proprietary Software and Robust Operational
Infrastructure
We have invested significant resources to develop an operational
infrastructure that allows us to easily customize our services for
each of our customers and scale rapidly to meet their potential
research and commercial demands. Our NeXT Platform is complemented
by our enterprise-grade software and bespoke information management
systems that we tailor to meet our customers’ unique needs and
integrate with their workflows. Moreover, our infrastructure
provides customers with visibility and control over
7
Table of Contents
processes, ensures consistency across all components used for the
duration of each clinical trial, is traceable for compliance
purposes, and allows us to scale while maintaining rapid turnaround
times.
We designed our proprietary informatics system, the Symphony
Enterprise Informatics System (“Symphony”), as a flexible and
scalable enterprise-grade system used to manage the unique
complexities and challenges of our genomics laboratory. Symphony
integrates laboratory information management systems (“LIMS”) and
bioinformatics systems to connect laboratory operations with
downstream data analysis. Symphony orchestrates all operational
activities from our laboratory starting with sample receipt to the
reporting of results of the genomic profiling and data delivery. We
also use machine learning and artificial intelligence approaches to
generate substantial performance advantages for our algorithms,
such as neoantigen binding prediction.
We have the capacity to sequence and analyze approximately 200
trillion bases of DNA per week in our facility. We believe that our
capacity is already larger than most cancer genomics companies, and
we continue to build automation and other infrastructure to scale
further as demand increases. To date, we have sequenced more than
300,000 human samples, of which more than 160,000 were whole human
genomes.
We rely on a limited number of suppliers for sequencers and other
equipment and raw materials that we use in our laboratory
operations. For example, we rely on Illumina, Inc. (“Illumina”) as
the sole supplier of sequencers and various associated reagents,
and as the sole provider of maintenance and repair services for
these sequencers. We have certain agreements and purchase
arrangements in place with Illumina to satisfy the projected needs
of our laboratory operations.
We believe our platform is well positioned to scale rapidly and
substantially as the field of personalized cancer therapies
matures. We believe our platform could be essential to the design
of personalized cancer therapies developed using our platform.
Furthermore, we expect that patients would be tested at multiple
time-points during the course of treatment: first to design a
therapy according to an initial genomic profile generated from a
tissue and/or liquid biopsy, and then as follow-up testing via
liquid biopsy to detect any changes that would require therapy
modifications after initial therapeutic interventions. If a therapy
that was developed using our NeXT Platform achieves regulatory
approval, we believe that our commercial opportunity may increase
substantially.
We leverage our proprietary software, laboratory automation and
protocols, and other operational and technological know-how to
power our NeXT Platform.
Our Industry
Over the past decade, the biopharmaceutical community has achieved
major advances in the treatment of cancer, including approval of
therapies capable of targeting specific genetic drivers of cancer
and novel immunotherapies that empower the immune system to attack
cancer cells. Despite these advances, the substantial majority of
currently available cancer therapies have significant limitations,
including efficacy only in certain subsets of patients, limited
long-term survival rates, and significant toxicities. Moreover, the
current research and development paradigm in oncology is beset by
significant inefficiencies and substantial costs, with the average
cost per patient in clinical trials reaching approximately $60,000
(Battelle Technology Partnership Practice,
Biopharmaceutical Industry-Sponsored Clinical Trials: Impact on
State Economies,
March 2015). While tumor molecular profiling technologies have
enhanced research and development efforts, most current tumor
biopsy and liquid biopsy tests analyze a relatively narrow set of
roughly only 50 to 500 genes, missing key genes and immune
mechanisms underlying cancer therapy. With the lack of a
comprehensive profiling solution, biopharmaceutical companies often
attempt to use a disparate array of tests to compensate, resulting
in a fragmented view of the tumor biology, insufficient tumor
sample, logistical complexities, and increased costs. The resulting
data heterogeneity makes it difficult to mine for new biological
insights across cohorts of patients in clinical trials. These
piecemeal approaches to tumor molecular profiling often result in
solutions that are difficult to use at scale, especially in a
clinical or therapeutic setting where simplicity, cost, turnaround
time, and validation are important.
Our platforms help biopharmaceutical companies seeking to develop
more efficacious therapies by comprehensively interrogating a
patient’s tumor and immune cells in detail, both to discover tumor
vulnerabilities and elucidate potential therapeutic alternatives.
To meet the demands of our customers, we built our NeXT Platform to
be cost-effective and scalable with rapid turnaround times for
tissue sample data and analytics. The NeXT Platform represents the
next step of our ACE Platform, allowing customers to move up the
value chain by gaining more information from a single sample. We
believe that our platforms have the potential to enable a research,
development, and treatment paradigm that is dynamic and adaptive to
the evolving genomic and immune system landscape of patients’
tumors over time. We believe our technology will drive this
evolving paradigm, which we believe will ultimately enable our
customers to develop safer and more efficacious therapeutics (see
Figure 1). As the clinical utility of our platforms increases, we
expect to grow our diagnostic capabilities, including the ability
to guide therapy based on a patient’s changing tumor and immune
system, and supporting the commercialization of therapeutics
developed by our biopharmaceutical customers.
8
Table of Contents
Figure 1. Personalis NeXT Platform addresses the increasingly
complex understanding of cancer.
Despite the large sums invested in research and despite new
treatments, cancer remains a major challenge for modern medicine
and a source of high unmet medical need. According to the American
Cancer Society’s
Cancer Facts & Figures 2020,
as of January 1, 2019, there were more than 16.9 million people in
the United States who were suffering from cancer or who had
previously suffered from cancer. Cancer prevalence is increasing
globally as well. The World Health Organization (“WHO”) predicted
in its September 2018 estimates on the global prevalence of cancer
that there would be 18.1 million new cancer cases and nearly 10
million cancer deaths globally in 2018. According to the WHO, the
total economic impact of healthcare expenditure and loss of
productivity resulting from cancer worldwide was approximately $1.2
trillion in 2010.
Improving Cancer Treatment is Increasingly About Leveraging
Molecular Data
Despite the rapid evolution of cancer therapies, the current
research and development paradigm in oncology is beset by
significant inefficiencies and costs. Cancer therapeutics have one
of the lowest clinical trial success rates of all major diseases.
According to a study of 7,455 drug development programs during 2006
to 2015, the overall likelihood of FDA approval from Phase I
clinical trial for oncology developmental candidates was 5.1% (BIO
Industry Analysis,
Clinical Development Success Rates 2006-2015,
June 2016). The majority of currently available cancer therapeutics
have serious limitations, including efficacy only in certain
subsets of patients, limited long-term survival rates, and
significant toxicities. The mechanisms underlying the success or
failure of clinical trials are often poorly understood. To develop
more efficacious cancer treatments, the biopharmaceutical community
is faced with multiple key questions for a given therapeutic
approach:
•
Why do some patients respond to treatment and others do
not?
•
What are the underlying mechanisms of treatment
resistance?
•
Are there additional therapeutic targets or alternative pathways
that can improve outcomes?
•
What therapeutic combinations can improve outcomes?
•
Are there ways to increase patient response through personalized
therapeutics?
•
Are there ways to reduce toxicity?
There is a growing recognition that there is a tremendous amount of
untapped molecular data that can be derived from analyzing tumors
from large numbers of cancer patients, whether in cancer clinical
trials or post-commercialization, that can help answer some of
these seminal questions and accelerate therapeutic development.
According to BIO Industry Analysis,
Clinical Development Success Rates 2006-2015,
June 2016, there is a threefold increase in probability of FDA
approval from Phase I clinical trial for therapies with biomarkers
across all diseases and therapeutic types, which provides an
indication of the benefits of leveraging molecular data.
9
Table of Contents
Current Tumor Molecular Profiling Solutions Have Not Kept Pace with
New Cancer Therapies
Biopharmaceutical companies are increasingly turning to tumor
molecular profiling across large cohorts of patients to generate
the data needed to answer these questions. Unfortunately, many
current tumor molecular profiling methods have not kept pace with
new therapy development and overlook crucial elements of our
evolving understanding of cancer biology.
Current Tumor Molecular Profiling Falls Short for New Cancer
Immunotherapies
Currently, the most widely-used tumor molecular profiling panels
were designed with a focus on targeted therapies, which, along with
chemotherapy, have been used for cancer treatment for the past
several decades. Targeted therapies treat cancers based on the
specific genomic alterations driving their growth. Some targeted
therapies have been developed to target specific molecules that are
overexpressed or mutated in cancer cells. Because targeted
therapies focus on cancer driver genes, the vast majority of tumor
molecular profiling performed today, whether tissue or liquid
biopsy based, typically sequences the DNA of between 50 to 500
genes, just a small fraction of the approximately 20,000 human
genes.
Recently, however, transformational new approaches to cancer
therapy that have been developed to harness the patient’s own
immune system have changed the treatment paradigm and our
understanding of cancer biology. These new immunotherapies have
dramatically improved the treatment of certain tumors that have
previously been difficult to treat. Among these new
immunotherapies, checkpoint inhibitors of the CTLA-4 and PD-1/PD-L1
genes are particularly effective. These therapies help “take the
brakes off” the immune system and elicit a stronger immune response
against the tumor. Patients can also be treated by adoptive cell
therapy, in which the patient’s immune system is supplemented with
cytotoxic cells that have been programmed to attack cells
expressing specific antigens on their tumors. There are also new
opportunities for personalized cancer therapies where a new
therapeutic vaccine or cell therapy is developed for each patient.
Despite early success, the majority of patients today still do not
respond to immunotherapy, underscoring the importance of gathering
data that can help biopharmaceutical companies understand factors
governing response and resistance to therapy.
With these new immunotherapies and our rapidly evolving
understanding of cancer biology, we believe the data needed to
inform therapeutic development goes far beyond the typical 50 to
500 genes on the current most widely used tumor molecular profiling
panels. The paradigm has shifted from the need to understand
mechanisms behind a single gene target to a dynamic, systems
biology view involving complex interactions between thousands of
genes in the tumor and the immune system in the pathogenesis of
cancer and cancer drug response.
Information about all of the approximately 20,000 human genes
allows deeper insight into the biology of cancer, identifying novel
or patient-specific therapeutic targets, including neoantigens, and
predictive biomarkers of response to therapy. Understanding the
immune cell signatures in the tumor microenvironment and immune
repertoire changes is critical for understanding drug response. In
addition to DNA, comprehensive RNA expression information from the
tumor is needed to analyze complex pathways that may be activated
in the tumor. It is important to identify the increasingly complex
mechanisms of tumor response and resistance to cancer therapy, such
as neoantigen burden, tumor antigens, deficient antigen
presentation, oncogenic pathways, immune evasion pathways, HLA
mutations, T-cell clonality, immune infiltration, and others. Table
1 describes some of the biological gaps in current panels. Most of
these elements go beyond the capabilities of today’s tumor
molecular profiling panels.
10
Table of Contents
Table 1. Most current tumor tissue and liquid biopsy profiling
panels miss critical tumor and immune biology.
Fragmented Tumor Molecular Profiling Approaches Result in a
Fragmented View of Biology and Limited Insights
With the lack of a comprehensive profiling solution,
biopharmaceutical companies often turn to fragmented, piecemeal
approaches to tumor molecular profiling as a stopgap measure. Those
fragmented tumor molecular profiling approaches lead to major
problems for therapeutic development. Limitations in available
tumor samples, including liquid biopsies, force scientists to pick
and choose which profiling platforms to include and which to omit,
resulting in a fragmented picture of the biology. Fragmented
profiling solutions also result in inconsistent profiling from
patient to patient, and clinical trial to clinical trial. This
results in data heterogeneity that makes it difficult to mine for
new biological insights across cohorts of patients in trials.
Finally, these piecemeal approaches to tumor molecular profiling
result in solutions that often are difficult to use at scale in a
clinical or therapeutic setting where logistical simplicity, cost,
turnaround time, and validation are important.
Current Tumor Molecular Profiling Panels Can Become Antiquated with
Evolving Science
With the explosion of immunotherapy and advances in our
understanding of cancer, new insights into the underlying
mechanisms of response and resistance have emerged. New putative
genetic or immune biomarkers of response are regularly identified
for different therapies in the context of different cancers. For
instance, new biomarkers have been identified including tumor
mutational burden, neoantigens, HLA type, B2M mutations, TGFß,
JAK1/JAK2 mutations, expression signatures, cytotoxicity
signatures, and T-cell clonality, among others. A recent Nature
Medicine review identified 18 different categories of biomarkers
correlating with immunotherapy response spanning tumor, immune
cells, and the tumor microenvironment. The limited coverage of the
current most widely-used cancer panels may miss these new
biomarkers. We believe this problem will continue as research
uncovers new insights into cancer.
Sequencing Quality and Coverage
Next generation sequencing (“NGS”) is the technological basis for
many tumor molecular profiling platforms today. NGS rapidly
sequences nucleic acids and then uses a computationally intensive
process to reconstruct gene sequences from millions of short
sequence segments. These segments are processed in parallel, an
approach that greatly increases the speed that the sequence data
can be generated. However, because the segments come from random
locations in the genome, reassembling the original sequence is both
a technically and computationally challenging process. A key
objective is to ensure that every portion of the genes being
sequenced is covered by at least one sequence segment. The average
number of sequence segments representing a gene is referred to as
the sequence depth. The deeper the coverage, the greater fraction
of the gene is likely to be covered and the higher confidence that
low-frequency variants can be found.
11
Table of Contents
However, even when sequenced to high depth, typical NGS approaches
can leave uneven, poor coverage in genes with mutations linked to
cancer and cancer therapy. Many of these regions cannot be fully
covered by simply sequencing to higher depth because their
sequencing coverage deficits are due to inherent limitations of the
NGS platform. Regions of high guanine-cytosine (“GC”) content or
repetitive sequence regions are two such examples of regions that
are difficult to cover with standard NGS assays. This can leave
gaps in coverage of therapeutically important genes. This is
particularly problematic in cancer, where there can be significant
heterogeneity in the tumor samples that can make it even harder to
see mutations in regions of poor coverage.
To address the limitations of typical NGS-based assay, we have
developed our patented ACE technology for next-generation
sequencing. ACE improves nucleic acid preparation processes and
combines it with patented assay and sequencing methods to achieve
superior, high-fidelity, clinical-grade sequencing quality that
ensures high sensitivity for mutations that can inform clinical and
therapeutic applications such as neoantigen prediction, biomarker
identification, and novel drug target selection.
Our NeXT Platform uses our ACE technology to provide coverage of
difficult-to-sequence gene regions across all of the approximately
20,000 human genes, filling in key gaps left by other NGS
approaches. ACE technology provides superior and uniform coverage
of difficult genomic regions, such as high GC content areas, and
fills gaps and inconsistencies in sequencing to achieve an optimal
output. ACE is able to deliver more comprehensive coverage not by
simply generating more data, but by generating higher quality data.
We and others have shown in two publications that our ACE
technology achieves superior gene sequencing coverage and
finishing.
Commercialization Strategy
We commercialize our products
primarily in the United States and Europe through a targeted sales
organization. In June 2020, we entered into a partnership with a
clinical genomics and life sciences company headquartered in China
as a means to expand business operations into China in the near
term. Our first wholly-owned subsidiary was formed in Shanghai in
October 2020. However, we recently decided to not pursue
commercialization of our products in China and to close our
operations in China as expeditiously as possible in
2023.
In 2022, we derived 91% of our revenue from customers in the U.S.
Our sales representatives have extensive experience in
enterprise/consultative selling in the genomics space. We augment
this team with Ph.D.-level Field Application Specialists that
provide deep understanding and expertise in the areas of oncology
and genomics applications, ensuring top-quality pre- and post-sales
customer support. Our commercial efforts are focused on
demonstrating the value proposition of the NeXT Platform to
biopharmaceutical customers with the goal of both increasing
utilization of the product at existing accounts and to drive
adoption in new targeted accounts. Our entire commercial
organization promotes our ability to support biopharmaceutical
customers across several application areas including biomarker
discovery, new target discovery, therapy development, and treatment
monitoring.
We anticipate that patients in clinical trials for cancer therapies
will increasingly be tested pre-treatment and periodically
afterwards to understand response to treatment in deep molecular
detail, as their tumors evolve under therapeutic pressure. Although
the majority of our revenue comes from single time-point testing,
we believe our revenue from multiple time-point testing will
continue to grow. We also derive revenue from analysis of multiple
customer samples from the same patient and time point to assess
genetic differences between the primary tumor and metastases. Given
the value of comprehensive genomic information from multiple time
points or samples, we anticipate that our revenue, and the
available market, will continue to grow.
We have developed a highly sensitive MRD test (Next Personal) and
are focused on launching it to doctors for patient use in 2023
while developing clinical evidence to justify its use. Our focus is
on breast and lung cancer and immuno-therapy monitoring as we
believe the performance of our MRD test will be particularly
valuable in those clinical indications. Additionally, we believe
that there is an opportunity to partner with other diagnostic
companies to provide our Next Personal testing service for
additional clinical indications through their sales and marketing
channels and are pursuing those relationships.
As we build the evidence around our Next Personal products, we are
simultaneously focused on developing the use of our Next Dx product
and winning early reimbursement. The focus on commercial efforts in
2023 on Next Dx by our sales, medical affairs, billing and
reimbursement teams could accelerate uptake and revenue growth from
our clinical laboratory business.
Our Customers
Our cancer genomic services are sold primarily to pharmaceutical
companies, biopharmaceutical companies, diagnostic testing
companies, biotechnology companies, healthcare providers,
universities, non-profits, and government entities, while services
for population sequencing initiatives are sold primarily to the VA
MVP, which is a government entity. Our customers include a majority
of the top ten oncology-focused pharmaceutical companies, as
measured by annual revenue.
In 2022, we had three customers account for 10% or more of our
revenue: Natera, Inc. (“Natera”) at 41%, VA MVP at 13% and Merck
& Co., Inc. at 11%. In 2021, we had two customers account for
10% or more of our revenue: VA MVP at 53% and Natera at 10%. In
2020, VA MVP accounted for 71% of our revenue and no other customer
accounted for 10% or more.
12
Table of Contents
Our Competition
Our principal competition comes from commercial and academic
organizations using established and new laboratory tests to produce
information that is similar to the information that we generate for
our customers. These companies offer services that implement
various technological approaches including next-generation
sequencing and microarray analyses. Some of our present or
potential competitors include Adaptive Biotechnologies Corporation,
Adela, Inc., ArcherDx, Inc., which was acquired by Invitae
Corporation in October 2020, BillionToOne, Inc., BostonGene
Corporation, C2i Genomics, Inc., Caris Life Sciences, Inc., Covance
Inc., which was acquired by Laboratory Corporation of America
Holdings in February 2015, Foresight Diagnostics Inc.
(“Foresight”), Foundation Medicine, Inc., which was acquired by
Roche Holdings, Inc. in July 2018, Freenome, Inc., Geneseeq
Technology Inc., Genosity, Inc., which was acquired by Invitae
Corporation in April 2021, GRAIL, which Illumina announced that it
had acquired in August 2021, Guardant Health, Inc., Inivata
Limited, which was acquired by NeoGenomics, Inc. in June 2021,
Invitae Corporation, Natera, NeoGenomics, Inc., Personal Genome
Diagnostics, Inc., Predicine, Inc., Roche Molecular Systems, Inc.,
Strata Oncology, Inc., and Tempus, Inc.
Additionally, several companies develop next-generation sequencing
platforms that can be used for genomic profiling for
biopharmaceutical research and development applications. These
include Illumina, Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., and other
organizations that specialize in the development of next-generation
sequencing instrumentation that can be sold directly to
biopharmaceutical companies, clinical laboratories, and research
centers. Separate from their instrumentation product lines, both
Illumina and Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., for example, currently
market next-generation sequencing clinical oncology kits that are
sold to customers who have bought and operate their respective
sequencing instruments.
We believe that we compete favorably because of the high
sensitivity and comprehensiveness of the data generated by our NeXT
Platform. Maximizing insights into both the tumor- and
immune-related components of the tumor microenvironment is
essential in identifying and understanding the reasons why certain
cancer patients respond more favorably to oncology therapies than
others. It is via access to such a comprehensive dataset for each
patient that our customers can begin to discover new, clinically
relevant biomarkers for the immunotherapy era, and ultimately
improve cancer patient outcomes with the development of more
efficacious therapeutics.
Intellectual Property
Protection of our intellectual property is fundamental to the
long-term success of our business. Specifically, our success is
dependent on our ability to obtain and maintain proprietary
protection for our technology and the know-how related to our
business, defend and enforce our intellectual property rights, and
operate our business without infringing, misappropriating, or
otherwise violating valid and enforceable intellectual property
rights of others. We seek to protect our investments made into the
development of our technology by relying on a combination of
patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, know-how,
confidentiality agreements and procedures, non-disclosure
agreements with third parties, employee disclosure and invention
assignment agreements, and other contractual rights.
Our patent strategy is focused on seeking coverage for our core
technology, our NeXT Platform, including applications and
implementations for enhancing sequencing coverage of certain
genomic regions, identifying neoantigens, analyzing cell-free
nucleic acids, and creating personalized cancer recurrence
detection assays. In addition, we file for patent protection on our
ongoing research and development efforts, particularly related to
other novel assay technologies which may be applicable to the
diagnosis and treatment of cancer and other diseases.
Notwithstanding these efforts, we cannot be sure that patents will
be granted with respect to any patent applications we have filed or
may license or file in the future, and we cannot be sure that any
patents we have or may be licensed or granted to us in the future,
will not be challenged, invalidated, or circumvented, or that such
patents will be commercially useful in protecting our technology.
Moreover, we rely, in part, on trade secrets to protect aspects of
our business that are not amenable to, or that we do not consider
appropriate for, patent protection. However, trade secrets can be
difficult to protect. While we take steps to protect and preserve
our trade secrets, including by entering into confidentiality
agreements with our employees, consultants, scientific advisors,
and contractors, conducting an annual training for our employees to
increase awareness of cybersecurity threats, and maintaining
physical security of our premises and physical and electronic
security of our information technology systems, such measures can
be breached, and we may not have adequate remedies for any such
breach. In addition, our trade secrets may otherwise become known
or be independently discovered by competitors. For more information
regarding the risks related to our intellectual property, please
see “Risk Factors—Intellectual Property Risks.”
Our patent portfolio is comprised of patents and patent
applications owned by the company. These patents and patent
applications generally fall into five broad categories:
•
our ACE assay and NeXT Platform technology, including claims
directed to methods for enriching nucleic acids from a sample based
on differences in various genomic features, such as GC-content,
molecular size, presence of genetic variations or rearrangements,
identification of biomedically interpretable variants, epigenetic
modifications, and/or species-origin (e.g., human and
non-human);
•
hybrid exome-genome technologies, including claims directed to
methods for combining exome and/or whole genome sequencing data
generated from a sample, along with the identification of other
variants to identify or detect disease;
•
liquid biopsy methods, including claims directed to methods of
analyzing sequenced nucleic acids obtained from a patient sample in
comparison with nucleic acids representing the reference genome,
obtained from a blood sample, to identify disease, or recommend a
drug treatment;
13
Table of Contents
•
clinical interpretation and neoantigen identification and
prediction methods, including claims directed to methods of ranking
genes associated with a phenotype and inheritance pattern or
identifying neoantigens expressed in a disease sample that may be
used for targeted treatments; and
•
personalized genetic testing assays, including claims directed to
methods for using sequencing data to create a personalized genetic
test to monitor cancer progression, identify neoantigen candidates
for personalized cancer vaccine treatment, or detect the recurrence
of disease at the earliest possible timepoint.
As of December 31, 2022, we own 18 issued U.S. patents and 7 issued
foreign patents. Issued U.S. patents in our portfolio of
company-owned patents are expected to expire between 2033 and 2038,
excluding any additional term for patent term adjustments or patent
term extensions. If patents are issued on our pending patent
applications, the resulting patents are projected to expire on
dates ranging from 2033 to 2042.
Government Regulations
Coverage and Reimbursement
Our ability, and the ability of our customers, to commercialize
diagnostic tests based on our technology will depend in part on the
extent to which coverage and reimbursement for these tests will be
available from third-party payors. Coverage and reimbursement of
new products and services is uncertain, and whether the companies
that use our instruments to develop their own products or services
will attain coverage and adequate reimbursement is unknown. In the
U.S., there is no uniform policy for determining coverage and
reimbursement. Coverage can differ from payor to payor, and the
process for determining whether a payor will provide coverage may
be separate from the process for setting the reimbursement rate. In
addition, the U.S. government, state legislatures and foreign
governments have shown significant interest in implementing cost
containment programs to limit the growth of government-paid
healthcare costs, including price controls and restrictions on
reimbursement. Additionally, the coverage and reimbursement status
of newly-approved or cleared laboratory tests, including our NeXT
Dx offering, is uncertain. If we decide to seek reimbursement for
our NeXT Dx offering or other in vitro diagnostic tests we may
develop, and if such tests are inadequately covered by insurance or
ineligible for such reimbursement, this could limit our ability to
market any such future tests. The commercial success of future
products in both domestic and international markets may depend in
part on the availability of coverage and adequate reimbursement
from third-party payors, including government payors, such as the
Medicare and Medicaid programs, managed care organizations, and
other third-party payors.
Federal and State Laboratory Licensing Requirements
Under the CLIA, a laboratory is any facility that performs
laboratory testing on specimens derived from humans for the purpose
of providing information for the diagnosis, prevention or treatment
of disease, or the impairment of or assessment of health. CLIA
requires that a laboratory hold a certificate applicable to the
type of laboratory examinations it performs and that it complies
with, among other things, standards covering operations, personnel,
facilities administration, quality systems and proficiency testing,
which are intended to ensure, among other things, that clinical
laboratory testing services are accurate, reliable and
timely.
To renew our CLIA certificate, we are subject to survey and
inspection every two years to assess compliance with program
standards. Because we are a CAP accredited laboratory, the CMS does
not perform this survey and inspection and relies on our CAP survey
and inspection. We also may be subject to additional unannounced
inspections. Laboratories performing high complexity testing are
required to meet more stringent requirements than laboratories
performing less complex tests. In addition, a laboratory that is
certified as “high complexity” under CLIA may develop, manufacture,
validate, and use proprietary tests referred to as laboratory
developed tests (“LDTs”). CLIA requires analytical validation
including accuracy, precision, specificity, sensitivity, and
establishment of a reference range for any LDT used in clinical
testing. The regulatory and compliance standards applicable to the
testing we perform may change over time, and any such changes could
have a material effect on our business.
CLIA provides that a state may adopt laboratory regulations that
are more stringent than those under federal law, and a number of
states have implemented their own more stringent laboratory
regulatory requirements. State laws may require that nonresident
laboratories, or out-of-state laboratories, maintain an in-state
laboratory license to perform tests on samples from patients who
reside in that state. As a condition of state licensure, these
state laws may require that laboratory personnel meet certain
qualifications, specify certain quality control procedures or
facility requirements, or prescribe record maintenance
requirements. Because our laboratory is located in the state of
California, we are required to and do maintain a California state
laboratory license. We also maintain licenses to conduct testing in
other states where nonresident laboratories are required to obtain
state laboratory licenses, including Maryland, Pennsylvania, Rhode
Island, and New York. Other states may currently have or adopt
similar licensure requirements in the future, which may require us
to modify, delay, or stop its operations in those
states.
Regulatory framework for medical devices in the United
States
Pursuant to its authority under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic
Act (“FDC Act”), the FDA has jurisdiction over medical devices,
which are defined to include, among other things, in vitro
diagnostic devices (“IVDs”). The FDA regulates, among other things,
the research, design, development, pre-clinical and clinical
testing, manufacturing, safety, effectiveness, packaging, labeling,
storage, recordkeeping, pre-market clearance or approval, adverse
event reporting, marketing, promotion, sales, distribution, and
import and export of medical devices. Unless an exemption applies,
each new or significantly modified medical device we seek to
commercially distribute in the United States will require either a
premarket notification to the FDA requesting permission for
commercial distribution under Section 510(k) of the FDC Act, also
referred to as a 510(k) clearance, or approval from the FDA of a
premarket approval application
14
Table of Contents
(“PMA”). Both the 510(k) clearance and PMA processes can be
resource intensive, expensive, and lengthy, and require payment of
significant user fees.
Although the FDA regulates medical devices, including IVDs, the FDA
has historically exercised its enforcement discretion and not
enforced applicable provisions of the FDC Act and FDA regulations
with respect to LDTs, which are a subset of IVDs that are intended
for clinical use and developed, validated, and offered within a
single laboratory for use only in that laboratory. We currently
market our diagnostic test based on the NeXT Platform as an LDT. As
a result, we believe our diagnostic services are not currently
subject to the FDA’s enforcement of its medical device regulations
and the applicable FDC Act provisions. Despite the FDA’s historic
enforcement discretion policy with respect to LDTs, if the FDA
determines that our tests are subject to enforcement as medical
devices, we could be subject to administrative and judicial
sanctions, and additional regulatory controls and submissions for
our tests, all of which could be burdensome. We and/or our
collaborators may also voluntarily submit one or more of our tests
for premarket notification, review, clearance or approval by the
FDA as medical devices, which may be as companion diagnostic
medical devices.
If the FDA determines that our tests and associated software do not
fall within the definition of an LDT, or there are regulatory or
legislative changes, or if we voluntarily submit one or more of our
tests for premarket notification, review, clearance or approval by
the FDA as medical devices, we may be required to obtain premarket
clearance for our tests and associated software under Section
510(k) of the FDC Act or approval of a PMA. We would also be
subject to ongoing regulatory requirements such as registration and
listing requirements, medical device reporting requirements, and
quality control requirements. If our tests are considered medical
devices not subject to enforcement discretion, or if we voluntarily
submit one or more of our tests for premarket notification, review,
clearance or approval by the FDA as medical devices, the regulatory
requirements to which our tests are subject would depend on the
FDA’s classification of our tests. The FDA has issued regulations
classifying medical devices into one of three regulatory control
categories (Class I, Class II, or Class III) depending on the
degree of regulation that the FDA finds necessary to provide
reasonable assurance of their safety and effectiveness. The class
into which a device is placed determines the requirements that a
medical device manufacturer must meet both pre- and
post-market.
Generally, Class I devices do not require premarket authorization,
but are subject to a comprehensive set of regulatory authorities
referred to as general controls. Class II devices, in addition to
general controls, generally require special controls and premarket
clearance through the submission of a section 510(k) premarket
notification. Class III devices are subject to general controls and
special controls, and also require premarket approval prior to
commercial distribution, which is a more rigorous process than
premarket clearance. Under the FDC Act, a device that is first
marketed after May 28, 1976 is by default a Class III device
requiring premarket approval unless it is within a type of generic
device class that has been classified as Class I or Class II. Even
if a device falls under an existing Class II, non-exempt, device
classification, the product must also be shown to be “substantially
equivalent” to a legally marketed predicate device through
submission of a section 510(k) premarket notification. If after
reviewing a firm’s 510(k) premarket notification, the FDA
determines that a device is not substantially equivalent to a
legally marketed predicate device, the new device is classified
into Class III, requiring premarket approval. It is possible for a
manufacturer to obtain a Class I or Class II designation without an
appropriate predicate by submitting a de novo request for
reclassification.
The process for submitting a 510(k) premarket notification and
receiving FDA clearance usually takes from three to 12 months, but
it can take significantly longer and clearance is never guaranteed.
The process for submitting and obtaining FDA approval of a PMA is
much more costly, lengthy, and uncertain. It generally takes from
one to three years or even longer and approval is not guaranteed.
PMA approval typically requires extensive clinical data and can be
significantly longer, more expensive and more uncertain than the
510(k) clearance process. Despite the time, effort and expense
expended, there can be no assurance that a particular device
ultimately will be cleared or approved by the FDA through either
the 510(k) clearance process or the PMA process on a timely basis,
or at all.
If our tests are considered medical devices not subject to
enforcement discretion, or if we voluntarily submit one or more of
our tests for premarket notification, review, clearance or approval
by the FDA as medical devices, one classification regulation that
could be relevant to one or more of our tests is a classification
for genetic health risk (“GHR”) assessment tests, codified at 21
C.F.R. § 866.5950. If our tests are considered medical devices that
are not subject to enforcement discretion, or if we voluntarily
submit one or more of our tests for premarket notification, review,
clearance or approval by the FDA as medical devices, and one or
more of our tests is considered to fall under the 21 C.F.R. §
866.5950 classification regulation for GHR tests, or under another
Class II classification that is subject to a premarket notification
requirement, we would be required to obtain marketing clearance for
such tests. Further, if considered to fall under the 21 C.F.R. §
866.5950 classification for GHR tests, our tests would be required
to adhere to specified special controls, such as labeling and
testing specifications and information about the test to be posted
on the manufacturer’s website.
The FDA requires medical device manufacturers to comply with, among
other things, current good manufacturing practices for medical
devices, set forth in the Quality System Regulation at 21 C.F.R.
Part 820, which requires manufacturers to follow elaborate design,
testing, control, documentation, and other quality assurance
procedures during the manufacturing process; the medical device
reporting regulation, which requires that manufacturers report to
the FDA if their device or a similar device they market may have
caused or contributed to a death or serious injury or malfunctioned
in a way that would likely cause or contribute to a death or
serious injury if it were to recur; labeling regulations, including
the FDA’s general prohibition against promoting products for
unapproved or “off-label” uses; the reports of corrections and
removals regulation, which requires manufacturers to report to the
FDA if a device correction or removal was initiated to reduce a
risk to health posed by the device or to remedy a violation of the
FDC Act caused by the device which may present a risk to health;
and the establishment registration and device listing
regulation.
In addition, any clearance or approval we obtain for our products
may contain requirements for costly post-market testing and
surveillance to monitor the safety or efficacy of the product. The
FDA has broad post-market enforcement powers, and if unanticipated
problems with our products arise, or if we or our suppliers fail to
comply with regulatory requirements following FDA clearance or
approval, we may become subject to enforcement actions such
as:
•
restrictions on manufacturing processes;
•
restrictions on product marketing;
15
Table of Contents
•
withdrawal or recall of products from the market;
•
refusal to approve pending PMAs, 510(k)s, or supplements to
approved PMAs or cleared 510(k)s that we submit;
•
fines, restitution, or disgorgement of profits or
revenue;
•
suspension or withdrawal of regulatory clearances or
approvals;
•
limitation on, or refusal to permit, import or export of our
products;
•
imposition of civil or criminal penalties.
Moreover, the FDA strictly regulates the promotional claims that
may be made about medical devices. In particular, a medical device
may not be promoted for uses that are not approved by the FDA as
reflected in the device’s approved labeling. However, companies may
share truthful and not misleading information that is otherwise
consistent with the product’s FDA approved labeling. The FDA and
other agencies actively enforce the laws and regulations
prohibiting the promotion of off-label uses, and a company that is
found to have improperly promoted off-label uses may be subject to
significant civil, criminal, and administrative
penalties.
In addition, many of the products we use to perform our tests,
including sequencers and various associated reagents supplied to us
by Illumina, are labeled as research use only (“RUO”) in the U.S.
RUO products are exempt from FDA medical device requirements
provided their manufacturers comply with specified labeling and
restrictions on distribution. The products must bear the statement:
“For Research Use Only. Not for Use in Diagnostic Procedures.”
Manufacturers of RUO products cannot make any claims related to
safety, effectiveness or diagnostic utility, and RUO products
cannot be intended by the manufacturer for clinical diagnostic use.
A product promoted for diagnostic use may be viewed by the FDA as
adulterated and misbranded under the FDC Act and is subject to FDA
enforcement activities, including requiring the manufacturer to
seek marketing authorization for the products. We currently use
Illumina and other RUO products for our clinical diagnostic tests.
If the FDA were to require clearance, approval or authorization for
the sale of Illumina’s RUO products and if Illumina does not obtain
such clearance, approval or authorization, we would have to find an
alternative sequencing platform for some or all of our clinical
diagnostic tests.
Federal and State Fraud and Abuse Laws
We are subject to federal fraud and abuse laws such as the federal
Anti-Kickback Statute (the “AKS”), the federal prohibition against
physician self-referral (the “Stark Law”), and the federal false
claims law, or the False Claims Act (the “FCA”). We are also
subject to similar state and foreign fraud and abuse
laws.
The AKS prohibits, among other things, knowingly and willfully
offering, paying, soliciting, or receiving remuneration, directly
or indirectly, overtly or covertly, in cash or in kind, in return
for or to induce such person to refer an individual, or to
purchase, lease, order, arrange for, or recommend purchasing,
leasing, or ordering, any good, facility, item, or service that is
reimbursable, in whole or in part, under a federal healthcare
program.
The Stark Law and similar state laws, including California’s
Physician Ownership and Referral Act, generally prohibit, among
other things, clinical laboratories and other entities from billing
a patient or any governmental or commercial payer for any
diagnostic services when the physician ordering the service, or any
member of such physician’s immediate family, has a direct or
indirect investment interest in or compensation arrangement with
us, unless the arrangement meets an exception to the
prohibition.
The federal civil and criminal false claims laws including the FCA,
which imposes liability on any person or entity that, among other
things, knowingly presents, or causes to be presented, a false or
fraudulent claim for payment to the federal government, and the
federal Civil Monetary Penalties Law, which prohibits, among other
things, the offering or transfer of remuneration to a Medicare or
state healthcare program beneficiary if the person knows or should
know it is likely to influence the beneficiary’s selection of a
particular provider, practitioner, or supplier of services
reimbursable by Medicare or a state healthcare program, unless an
exception applies. Under the FCA, private citizens can bring claims
on behalf of the government through qui tam actions. We must also
operate within the bounds of the fraud and abuse laws of the states
in which we do business which may apply to items or services
reimbursed by non-governmental third-party payers, including
private insurers.
The Eliminating Kickbacks in Recovery Act
The Eliminating Kickbacks in Recovery Act of 2018 (“EKRA”)
prohibits payments for referrals to recovery homes, clinical
treatment facilities, and laboratories and is similar to the
federal Anti-Kickback Statute in that it creates criminal penalties
for knowing or willful payment or offer, or solicitation or
receipt, of any remuneration, whether directly or indirectly,
overtly or covertly, in cash or in kind, in exchange for the
referral or inducement of laboratory testing unless a specific
exception applies. Unlike the federal Anti-Kickback Statute, EKRA’s
reach extends beyond federal health care programs to include
private insurance (i.e., it is an “all payer” statute).
Additionally, most of the safe harbors available under the federal
Anti-Kickback Statute are not reiterated under EKRA, and certain
EKRA safe harbors conflict with the safe harbors available under
the federal Anti-Kickback Statute. Therefore, compliance with a
federal Anti-Kickback safe harbor does not guarantee protection
under EKRA. Because EKRA is a new law, there is very little
additional guidance to indicate how and to what extent it will be
interpreted, applied and enforced by the government. Currently,
there is no proposed regulation interpreting or implementing EKRA,
nor any public guidance released by a federal agency concerning
EKRA.
16
Table of Contents
Other Federal and State Healthcare Laws
In addition to the requirements discussed above, several other
healthcare laws could have an effect on our business. For example,
the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996
(“HIPAA”) fraud and abuse provisions created federal civil and
criminal statutes that prohibit, among other things, defrauding
healthcare programs, willfully obstructing a criminal investigation
of a healthcare offense, and falsifying or concealing a material
fact or making any materially false statements in connection with
the payment for healthcare benefits, items or services. Similar to
the federal Anti- Kickback Statute, a person or entity does not
need to have actual knowledge of the statute or specific intent to
violate it in order to have committed a violation.
The federal Physician Payments Sunshine Act requires certain
manufacturers of drugs, biologicals, and medical devices or
supplies that require premarket approval by or notification to the
FDA, and for which payment is available under Medicare, Medicaid,
or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (“CHIP”), with certain
exceptions, to report annually to CMS information related to (i)
payments and other transfers of value to physicians (defined to
include doctors, dentists, optometrists, podiatrists, and
chiropractors), other healthcare professionals (such as physicians
assistants and nurse practitioners) and teaching hospitals, and
(ii) ownership and investment interests held by physicians and
their immediate family members.
The “Anti-Markup Rule” and similar state laws prohibit, among other
things, a physician or supplier billing the Medicare program from
marking up the price of a purchased diagnostic service performed by
another laboratory or supplier that does not “share a practice”
with the billing physician or supplier. Penalties may apply to the
billing physician or supplier if Medicare or another payer is
billed at a rate that exceeds the performing laboratory’s charges
to the billing physician or supplier, and the performing laboratory
could be at risk under false claims laws, described below, for
causing the submission of a false claim.
The “14-Day Rule,” also known as the Medicare Date of Service Rule,
prohibits a laboratory supplier from billing the Medicare program
for tests performed on samples collected during or within 14 days
of an inpatient hospital stay, unless an exception applies, and
requires the laboratory supplier to bill the hospital in those
cases. Penalties may apply to the laboratory supplier if Medicare
determines that the Medicare program was inappropriately billed for
testing that should have been billed to the hospital where the
sample was collected.
State client billing laws specify whether a person that did not
perform the service is permitted to submit the claim for payment
and if so, whether the non-performing person is permitted to mark
up the cost of the services in excess of the price the purchasing
provider paid for such services. For example, California has an
anti-markup statute which prohibits providers from charging for any
laboratory test that it did not perform unless the provider (a)
notifies the patient, client or customer of the name, address, and
charges of the laboratory performing the test, and (b) charges no
more than what the provider was charged by the clinical laboratory
which performed the test except for any other service actually
rendered to the patient by the provider (for example, specimen
collection, processing and handling) (California Business and
Professions Code Section 655.5). This provision applies, with
certain limited exceptions, to licensed persons such as physicians
and clinical laboratories regulated under the Business and
Professions Code. In addition, many states also have “direct-bill”
laws, which means that the services actually performed by an
individual or entity must be billed by such individual or entity,
thus preventing ordering physicians from purchasing services from a
laboratory and rebilling for the services they order. For example,
California has a direct bill rule specific to anatomic pathology
services that prohibits any provider from billing for anatomic
pathology services if those services were not actually rendered by
that person or under his or her direct supervision with some
exemptions (California Business and Professions Code Section
655.7).
In addition, we may be subject to state laws that prohibit other
specified practices, such as billing physicians for testing that
they order; waiving coinsurance, copayments, deductibles, and other
amounts owed by patients; billing a state Medicaid program at a
price that is higher than what is charged to one or more other
payors; employing, exercising control over, licensed professionals
in violation of state laws prohibiting corporate practice of
medicine and other professions, and prohibitions against the
splitting of professional fees with licensed
professionals.
As a clinical laboratory, our business practices may face
additional scrutiny from government regulatory agencies such as the
Department of Justice, the HHS Office of Inspector General (the
“OIG”), and CMS. Certain arrangements between clinical laboratories
and referring physicians have been identified in fraud alerts
issued by the OIG as implicating the Anti-Kickback Statute. Efforts
to ensure that our business arrangements with third parties will
comply with applicable healthcare laws and regulations will involve
substantial costs. If our operations are found to be in violation
of any of these laws or any other governmental regulations that may
apply to us, we may be subject to significant civil, criminal and
administrative penalties, damages, fines, imprisonment, exclusion
from government-funded healthcare programs, such as Medicare and
Medicaid, disgorgement, contractual damages, reputational harm,
diminished profits and future earnings, additional reporting, or
oversight obligations if we become subject to a corporate integrity
agreement or other agreement to resolve allegations of
non-compliance with the law and the curtailment or restructuring of
our operations. If any of the physicians or other healthcare
providers or entities with whom we do business is found to be not
in compliance with applicable laws, they may be subject to
significant criminal, civil or administrative sanctions, including
exclusions from government-funded healthcare programs.
HIPAA and HITECH
Under the administrative simplification provisions of HIPAA, as
amended by the Health Information Technology for Economic and
Clinical Health Act (“HITECH”), the U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services (“HHS”) issued regulations that establish uniform
standards governing the conduct of certain electronic healthcare
transactions and requirements for protecting the privacy and
security of protected health information (“PHI”), used or disclosed
by covered entities and business associates. Covered entities and
business associates are subject to HIPAA and HITECH. Our
subcontractors that create, receive, maintain, transmit, or
otherwise process PHI on behalf of us are HIPAA “business
associates” and must also comply with HIPAA as a business
associate.
HIPAA and HITECH include privacy and security rules, breach
notification requirements, and electronic transaction
standards.
17
Table of Contents
The Privacy Rule covers the use and disclosure of PHI by covered
entities and business associates. The Privacy Rule generally
prohibits the use or disclosure of PHI, except as permitted under
the Rule. The Privacy Rule also sets forth individual patient
rights, such as the right to access or amend certain records
containing his or her PHI, or to request restrictions on the use or
disclosure of his or her PHI.
The Security Rule requires covered entities and business associates
to safeguard the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of
electronically transmitted or stored PHI by implementing
administrative, physical, and technical safeguards. Under HITECH’s
Breach Notification Rule, a covered entity must notify individuals,
the Secretary of the HHS, and in some circumstances, the media of
breaches of unsecured PHI.
In addition, we may be subject to state health information privacy
and data breach notification laws, which may govern the collection,
use, disclosure, and protection of health-related and other
personal information. California, for example, has enacted the
Confidentiality of Medical Information Act, which sets forth
standards in addition to HIPAA and HITECH with which all California
health care providers like us must abide. State laws may be more
stringent, broader in scope, or offer greater individual rights
with respect to PHI than HIPAA, and state laws may differ from each
other, which may complicate compliance efforts.
Entities that are found to be in violation of HIPAA as the result
of a failure to secure PHI, a complaint about our privacy practices
or an audit by HHS, may be subject to significant civil and
criminal fines and penalties and additional reporting and oversight
obligations if such entities are required to enter into a
resolution agreement and corrective action plan with HHS to settle
allegations of HIPAA non-compliance.
U.S. Healthcare Reform
In the United States, there have been a number of legislative and
regulatory changes at the federal and state levels that seek to
reduce healthcare costs and improve the quality of healthcare. For
example, in March 2010, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care
Act, as amended by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act
(collectively, the “ACA”), became law. This law substantially
changed the way health care is financed by both commercial payers
and government payers, and significantly impacted our industry. The
ACA contained a number of provisions expected to impact the
clinical laboratory industry, such as changes governing enrollment
in state and federal health care programs, reimbursement changes,
and fraud and abuse.
There have been executive, judicial and Congressional challenges to
certain aspects of the ACA. Since January 2017, former President
Trump signed two executive orders and other directives designed to
delay the implementation of certain provisions of the ACA.
Concurrently, Congress considered legislation that would repeal, or
repeal and replace, all or part of the ACA. While Congress has not
passed comprehensive repeal legislation, it has enacted laws that
modify certain provisions of the ACA such as removing penalties,
starting January 1, 2019, for not complying with the ACA’s
individual mandate to carry health insurance and delaying the
implementation of certain ACA-mandated fees. On June 17, 2021 the
U.S. Supreme Court dismissed a challenge on procedural grounds that
argued the ACA is unconstitutional in its entirety because the
“individual mandate” was repealed by Congress. Thus, the ACA will
remain in effect in its current form. Further, prior to the U.S.
Supreme Court ruling, on January 28, 2021, President Biden issued
an executive order that initiated a special enrollment period for
purposes of obtaining health insurance coverage through the ACA
marketplace The executive order also instructed certain
governmental agencies to review and reconsider their existing
policies and rules that limit access to healthcare, including among
others, reexamining Medicaid demonstration projects and waiver
programs that include work requirements, and policies that create
unnecessary barriers to obtaining access to health insurance
coverage through Medicaid or the ACA. Further, on August 16, 2022,
President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (“IRA
2022”) into law, which among other things, extends enhanced
subsidies for individuals purchasing health insurance coverage in
ACA marketplaces through plan year 2025. The IRA 2022 also
eliminates the “donut hole” under the Medicare Part D program
beginning in 2025 by significantly lowering the beneficiary maximum
out-of-pocket cost and through a newly established manufacturer
discount program. It is possible that the ACA will be subject to
judicial or Congressional challenges in the future. It is unclear
how any such challenges and the health reform measures of the Biden
administration will impact the ACA.
Other legislative changes have been proposed and adopted since the
ACA was enacted. On August 2, 2011, the Budget Control Act of 2011
was signed into law, which, among other things, reduced Medicare
payments to providers by 2% per fiscal year, effective on April 1,
2013 and, due to subsequent legislative amendments to the statute,
will remain in effect until 2031, unless additional Congressional
action is taken. Under current legislation, the actual reduction in
Medicare payments will vary from 1% in 2022 to up to 4% in the
final fiscal year of this sequester. On January 2, 2013, the
American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 was signed into law, which,
among other things, reduced Medicare payments to several providers,
including hospitals, and increased the statute of limitations
period for the government to recover overpayments to providers from
three to five years. The Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization
Act of 2015, enacted on April 16, 2015 (“MACRA”), repealed the
formula by which Medicare made annual payment adjustments to
physicians and replaced the former formula with fixed annual
updates, and established a quality payment incentive program, also
referred to as the Quality Payment Program. This program provides
clinicians with two ways to participate, including through the
Advanced Alternative Payment Models (“APMs”), and the Merit-based
Incentive Payment System (“MIPS”). In November 2019, CMS issued a
final rule finalizing the changes to the Quality Payment Program.
At this time, it is unclear how the introduction of the Quality
Payment Program will continue to impact physician reimbursement
under the Medicare program. Any reduction in reimbursement from
Medicare or other government programs may result in a similar
reduction in payments from private payors.
In April 2014, Congress passed the Protecting Access to Medicare
Act of 2014 (“PAMA”), which included substantial changes to the way
in which clinical laboratory services are paid under Medicare.
Under PAMA, laboratories that receive the majority of their
Medicare revenue from payments made under the Medicare Clinical
Laboratory Fee Schedule (the "Physician Fee Schedule") are required
to report to CMS, beginning in 2017 and every three years
thereafter (or annually for “advanced diagnostic laboratory
tests”), private payer payment rates and volumes for their tests.
CMS will use this data to calculate a weighted median payment rate
for each test, which will be used to establish revised Medicare
reimbursement rates for the tests. Laboratories that fail to report
the required
18
Table of Contents
payment information may be subject to substantial civil monetary
penalties. Reporting of payment data under PAMA for clinical
diagnostic laboratory tests has been delayed on numerous occasions.
Based on current law, between January 1, 2023 and March 31, 2023,
applicable laboratories will be required to report on data
collected during January 1, 2019 and June 30, 2019. This data will
be utilized to determine 2024 to 2026 CLFS rates. The payment rate
applies to laboratory tests furnished by a hospital laboratory if
the test is separately paid under the hospital outpatient
prospective payment system. It is still too early to predict the
full impact on reimbursement for our current tests or those in
development. Pursuant to the CARES Act, the statutory phase-in of
the payment reductions has been extended through 2024 with a 0%
reduction cap for 2021-2022 and a 15% reduction cap for 2023
through 2025. It is unclear what impact new quality and payment
programs, such as MACRA, or new pricing structures, such as those
adopted under PAMA, may have on our business, financial condition,
results of operations, or cash flows.
We also anticipate there will continue to be proposals by
legislators at both the federal and state levels, regulators and
private payers to reduce costs while expanding individual
healthcare benefits. Certain of these changes could impose
additional limitations on the prices we will be able to charge for
our tests, the coverage of or the amounts of reimbursement
available for our tests from payers, including commercial payers
and government payers.
VA MVP Agreements
In September 2017, we entered into a contract with the VA for the
VA MVP to provide them with a combination of WGS services (the
"2017 VA MVP Agreement"). The 2017 VA MVP Agreement was a one-year
contract with three one-year renewal option periods, all of which
were exercised by the VA MVP. In September 2022, we entered into a
new contract with the VA MVP (the "2022 VA MVP Agreement" and
together with the 2017 VA MVP Agreement, the "VA MVP Agreements")
for a base period of one year, with four one-year renewal option
periods that may be exercised upon discretion of the VA MVP. Each
task order issued against one of the VA MVP Agreements has a
separate period of performance and is subject to the terms and
conditions of the applicable VA MVP Agreement. Funds are obligated
by the VA MVP under each task order based on actual needs.
Concurrent with the execution of the 2022 VA MVP Agreement, we
received an initial task order with a value of up to $10.0 million,
subject to the receipt of samples from the VA MVP. The cumulative
value of orders received pursuant to VA MVP Agreements since the
beginning of our relationship with the VA is $195.7 million, of
which we have recognized all but $9.1 million as revenue as of
December 31, 2022.
All materials and samples utilized during the course of the VA MVP
Agreements and all data first produced or delivered under the VA
MVP Agreements are the sole property of the VA MVP. Under the VA
MVP Agreements, we are subject to confidentiality and security
obligations, as well as various obligations upon events of
default.
The VA MVP may terminate the VA MVP Agreements, or any part
thereof, at its sole convenience. Subject to the terms of the VA
MVP Agreements, we shall be paid a percentage of the contract price
reflecting the percentage of the work performed prior to the notice
of termination, plus reasonable charges that we can demonstrate
have resulted from the termination.
The VA MVP may terminate the VA MVP Agreements, or any part
thereof, for cause in the event of any default by us, or if we fail
to comply with any contract terms and conditions, or fail to
provide the VA MVP, upon request, with adequate assurances of
future performance. In the event of termination for cause, the VA
MVP shall not be liable to us for any amount for supplies or
services not accepted, and we shall be liable to the VA MVP for any
and all rights and remedies provided by law. If it is determined
that the VA MVP improperly terminated this contract for default,
such termination shall be deemed a termination for
convenience.
Illumina Agreements
In connection with the 2017 VA MVP Agreement, we entered into two
agreements with Illumina. One agreement was a master services
subcontract agreement entered into in November 2017 for Illumina to
perform certain genotyping services on our behalf (the 2022 VA MVP
Agreement does not require genotyping services) and the other
agreement was a pricing agreement entered into in March 2019 that
provided pricing terms for NovaSeq™ reagent kits. Each of these
agreements expired with the expiration of the term of the 2017 VA
MVP Agreement.
In December 2022, we received a quotation from Illumina against
which we can issue purchase orders for promotional pricing for
NovaSeq™ 6000 S4 Reagent Kits (each, a “Kit”) to be used
exclusively in connection with the 2022 VA MVP Agreement. The
promotional pricing is contingent on us remaining in good standing
with the VA to perform high-throughput sequencing of veterans'
samples for the VA MVP project, issuing a related purchase order
prior to the quotation expiration date, and only using such
purchased Kits for purposes of performing services as part of the
VA MVP project. We issued a purchase order against the quotation in
December 2022.
Human Capital Management within Our Company
We recognize that our employees are both our most valuable asset
and our most important investment. The success of our organization
is reliant upon each individual’s significant contribution to our
corporate culture and goals. Following is a list of our core
company values:
•
Teamwork and collaboration
19
Table of Contents
•
Commitment to scientific excellence
•
Dedication to discovery and innovation
At a foundational level, employees receive training related to
workplace safety and emergency preparedness, awareness and
expectations of inclusion and diversity, required data protection,
and other regulatory matters. We offer competitive total rewards
programs, ongoing training and development, and a commitment to the
safety and health of our employees. We also practice a commitment
to diversity by including broader outreach and sourcing for
candidates for new roles as well as education and a visible
commitment to diversity and inclusion internally. For example, we
established a Diversity Committee in 2020 with its mission to
promote a sense of belonging for all our employees.
An engaged workforce with skills specific to our needs is critical
for our successful growth in a competitive market and sector. We
regularly benchmark our compensation and benefits by geography,
industry (life sciences), and by role to ensure we maintain our
status as an employer of choice in these areas. Our turnover rates
over the last three years have been consistent with such
benchmarks. Reports of our position relative to the benchmarks are
reported to management and the compensation committee of our board
of directors on a periodic basis.
As of December 31, 2022, we had 399 employees, of which 395 were
full-time employees. Of these full-time employees, 166 were in
research and development, 94 in laboratory operations, 71 in
commercial operations and 64 in general and administrative
functions. 377 of our full-time employees were located in the
United States, 6 were located in Europe and 12 were located in
China. As of December 31, 2022, more than 45% of our employees had
completed a Ph.D. or other advanced science or medical
degree.
None of our employees are represented by a labor union or covered
by collective bargaining agreements, and we have not experienced
any work stoppages. We consider our relations with our employees to
be good. The use of independent contractors is not a material part
of our workforce strategy.
In January 2023, our Board of Directors approved a reduction in our
workforce by up to approximately 30% to reduce operating costs and
improve operating efficiency. The reduction in workforce is
expected to be completed by March 2023.
Environment
We believe we are in compliance with the regulations established by
the state of California Division of Occupational Safety and Health
Requirements and California Environmental Protection Agency
applicable to our operations in Menlo Park and Fremont, California.
This includes, but is not limited to, having an Injury and Illness
Prevention Program, a Hazard Communication Program, an Emergency
Action Plan, a Chemical Hygiene Plan and an Exposure Control Plan,
which are captured in written standard operating procedures
(“SOPs”). We provide training to our employees on these SOPs. We
are committed to evaluate our compliance to such regulations on a
recurring basis.
Available Information
Our website is located at https://www.personalis.com. Our Annual
Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current
Reports on Form 8-K, including their exhibits, proxy and
information statements, and amendments to those reports filed or
furnished pursuant to Sections 13(a), 14, and 15(d) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, are available through
the “Investors” portion of our website free of charge as soon as
reasonably practicable after we electronically file such material
with, or furnish it to, the SEC. We also use the investor relations
page on our website as a channel of distribution for important
company information, including press releases, analyst coverage and
financial information regarding us, as well as corporate governance
information. Information on our website is not part of this Annual
Report on Form 10-K or any of our other securities filings unless
specifically incorporated herein or therein by reference. In
addition, our filings with the SEC may be accessed through the
SEC’s Interactive Data Electronic Applications system at
http://www.sec.gov. All statements made in any of our securities
filings, including all forward-looking statements or information,
are made as of the date of the document in which the statement is
included, and we do not assume or undertake any obligation to
update any of those statements or documents unless we are required
to do so by law.
20
Table of Contents
Item 1A. Risk
Factors.
Summary of Risk Factors
The following is a summary of the principal risks and uncertainties
that could materially adversely affect our business, financial
condition, or results of operations. You should read this summary
together with the more detailed description of risk factors below
under the heading “Risk Factors”.
Operational, Strategic and Business Risks
•
We have a history of losses and we expect to incur significant
losses for the foreseeable future and may not be able to generate
sufficient revenue to achieve or sustain
profitability.
•
If we are unable to increase sales of our current services or
successfully develop and commercialize other services or products,
or if we are unable to execute our sales and marketing strategy for
our services or unable to gain sufficient acceptance in the market,
we may fail to generate sufficient revenue to achieve profitability
and sustain our business.
•
We have substantial customer concentration, with a limited number
of customers accounting for a substantial portion of our revenue
and accounts receivable; in particular, we currently derive a
substantial portion of our revenue from one of our largest
customers, Natera, and in the past have derived a substantial
portion of our revenue from another of our largest customers, the
VA MVP.
•
We rely on a limited number of suppliers, or in some cases, a sole
supplier, for some laboratory instruments and materials, and we may
not be able to replace or immediately transition to alternative
suppliers should we need to do so.
•
We will need to invest in our infrastructure in advance of
increased demand for our services; our failure to accurately
forecast demand would have a negative impact on our business and
our ability to achieve or sustain profitability.
•
If our facilities become damaged or inoperable, or we are required
to vacate the facilities, our ability to sell and provide our
services and pursue our research and development efforts may be
jeopardized.
•
If we cannot develop services and products to keep pace with rapid
advances in technology, medicine, and science our operating results
and competitive position could be harmed.
•
Personalized cancer therapies represent new therapeutic approaches
that could result in heightened regulatory scrutiny, delays in
clinical development, or delays in our inability to achieve
regulatory approval, commercialization, or payor coverage, any of
which could adversely affect our business.
•
The loss of key members of our executive management team or the
inability to hire, retain, or motivate highly skilled personnel
could adversely affect our business.
•
We may not be able to manage our future growth effectively, which
could make it difficult to execute our business
strategy.
•
We may acquire businesses or assets, form joint ventures, or make
investments in other companies or technologies that could harm our
operating results, dilute stockholders’ ownership, or cause us to
incur debt or significant expense.
Regulatory, Legal and Cybersecurity Risks
•
Complying with numerous statutes and regulations pertaining to our
business is an expensive and time-consuming process, and we may be
subject to regulatory action if we or our service or product
offerings do not comply with applicable requirements.
•
Our internal information technology systems, or those of our
third-party vendors, contractors, or consultants, may fail or
suffer security breaches, loss or leakage of data, and other
disruptions, which could adversely affect our
business.
•
Failure or perceived failure to comply with existing or future
laws, regulations, contracts, self-regulatory schemes, standards,
and other obligations related to data privacy and security
(including security incidents) could harm our business. Compliance
or the actual or perceived failure to comply with such obligations
could increase the cost of our offerings, limit their use or
adoption, and otherwise negatively affect our operating results and
business.
•
Our employees may engage in misconduct or other improper
activities, such as noncompliance with regulatory standards and
requirements, including the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977
and other anti-bribery laws, which could cause significant
liability for us and harm our reputation.
•
Changes in health care policy could increase our costs, decrease
our revenue, and impact sales of and reimbursement for our tests.
When we grow our business by developing in vitro diagnostic tests,
we may be subject to reimbursement challenges.
•
The exit of the United Kingdom from the EU could lead to further
regulatory divergence and require us to incur additional expenses
in order to develop, manufacture, and commercialize our products
and services.
21
Table of Contents
Intellectual Property Risks
•
Litigation or other proceedings or claims of intellectual property
infringement, misappropriation, breach of license terms or other
violations may require us to spend significant time and money,
including damages, and could prevent us from selling our
tests.
•
If we cannot license rights to use necessary technologies on
reasonable terms, we may not be able to commercialize new services
and products.
•
If we are not able to obtain, maintain and enforce patent
protection for our products, services or technologies, our
competitors and other third parties could develop and commercialize
products, services and technologies similar or identical to ours,
and our ability to successfully commercialize our products,
services, and technologies may be adversely affected.
•
If we are unable to protect the confidentiality of our trade
secrets and know-how, our business would be harmed.
•
Our use of “open source” software could subject our proprietary
software to general release, adversely affect our ability to sell
our products and services, and subject us to possible
litigation.
•
If our trademarks and trade names are not adequately protected,
then we may not be able to build name recognition in our markets of
interest and our business may be adversely affected.
Financial and Market Risks and Risks Related to Owning Our Common
Stock
•
Our inability to raise additional capital on acceptable terms in
the future may limit our ability to continue to operate our
business and further expand our operations.
•
The market price of our common stock may be volatile or may decline
steeply or suddenly regardless of our operating performance, we may
not be able to meet investor or analyst expectations, and you may
lose all or part of your investment.
•
Our quarterly results may fluctuate significantly, which could
adversely impact our common stock’s value.
•
Insiders may exercise significant control over our company and will
be able to influence corporate matters.
•
Future sales of shares by existing stockholders, or the perception
that such sales could occur, could cause the stock price of our
common stock to decline.
•
We do not currently intend to pay dividends on our common stock
and, consequently, your ability to achieve a return on your
investment will depend on appreciation of the value of our common
stock.
•
If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or
reports about our business, or publish inaccurate or unfavorable
research about our business, our stock price and trading volume
could decline.
•
Our ability to use net operating losses to offset future taxable
income may be subject to limitations.
•
Delaware law and provisions in our amended and restated certificate
of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws could make a
merger, tender offer, or proxy contest difficult, thereby
depressing the trading price of our common stock; our amended and
restated certificate of incorporation has an exclusive forum
provision, which could limit our stockholders’ ability to obtain a
favorable judicial forum for disputes with us or our directors,
officers, or employees.
•
Our disclosure controls and procedures may not prevent or detect
all errors or acts of fraud.
22
Table of Contents
Risk Factors.
Our operations and financial results are subject to various risks
and uncertainties including those described below. You should
consider carefully the risks and uncertainties described below, in
addition to other information contained in this Annual Report on
Form 10-K, including our audited consolidated financial statements
and related notes. The risks and uncertainties described below are
not the only ones we face. Additional risks and uncertainties that
we are unaware of, or that we currently believe are not material,
may also become important factors that adversely affect our
business. If any of the following risks or others not specified
below materialize, our business, financial condition, and results
of operations could be materially and adversely affected. In that
case, the trading price of our common stock could
decline.
Operational, Strategic and Business Risks
We have a history of losses and we expect to incur significant
losses for the foreseeable future and may not be able to generate
sufficient revenue to achieve or sustain profitability.
We have incurred net losses since our inception. For the years
ended December 31, 2022, 2021, and 2020 we had net losses of $113.3
million, $65.2 million, and $41.3 million, respectively. As of
December 31, 2022, we had an accumulated deficit of $360.4 million.
To date, we have not generated sufficient revenue to achieve
profitability, and we may never achieve or sustain profitability.
In addition, we expect to continue to incur net losses for the
foreseeable future, and we expect our accumulated deficit to
continue to increase as we focus on scaling our business and
operations. Our efforts to sustain and grow our business may be
more costly than we expect, and we may not be able to increase our
revenue sufficiently to offset our higher operating expenses. Our
prior losses and expected future losses have had and will continue
to have an adverse effect on our stockholders’ equity and working
capital. Our failure to achieve and sustain profitability in the
future would negatively affect our business, financial condition,
results of operations, and cash flows, and could cause the market
price of our common stock to decline.
If we are unable to increase sales of our current services or
successfully develop and commercialize other services or products,
or if we are unable to execute our sales and marketing strategy for
our services or unable to gain sufficient acceptance in the market,
we may fail to generate sufficient revenue to achieve profitability
and sustain our business.
We currently derive substantially all of our revenue from sales of
our services. We began offering our services through our
CLIA-certified, CAP-accredited, and state-licensed laboratory in
2013. We are in varying stages of research and development for
other services and products that we may offer. If we are unable to
increase sales of our existing services or successfully develop and
commercialize other services and products, we will not generate
sufficient revenue to become profitable.
In addition, as a growing genomics company, we have engaged in
targeted sales and marketing activities for our services. Although
we have had revenue from sales of our services since 2013, our
services may never gain significant acceptance in the marketplace
and therefore may never generate substantial revenue or permit us
to become profitable. We will need to further establish and grow
the market for our services through the expansion of our current
relationships and development of new relationships with
biopharmaceutical customers. Gaining acceptance in medical
communities can be supported by, among other things, publications
in leading peer-reviewed journals of results from studies using our
services. The process of publication in leading medical journals is
subject to a peer review process and peer reviewers may not
consider the results of our studies sufficiently novel or worthy of
publication. Failure to have our studies published in peer-reviewed
journals would limit the adoption of our services.
Our ability to successfully market our services that we have
developed, and may develop in the future, will depend on numerous
factors, including:
•
our ability to demonstrate the utility and value of our services to
our customers and potential customers;
•
the success of our commercial team, including sales and business
development personnel;
•
the recruitment, hiring, and retention of our commercial team
personnel;
•
whether our customers and potential customers accept that our
services are sufficiently sensitive and specific;
•
our ability to convince our customers and potential customers of
the utility of the comprehensiveness of our services and of testing
patients at multiple time-points;
•
our ability to continue to fund sales and marketing
activities;
•
whether our services are considered superior to those of our
competitors;
•
any negative publicity regarding our or our competitors’ services
resulting from defects or errors;
•
our success obtaining and maintaining patent and trade secret
protection for our services and technologies; and
•
our success enforcing and defending intellectual property rights
and claims.
Failure to achieve broad market acceptance of our services would
materially harm our business, financial condition, and results of
operations.
23
Table of Contents
If we cannot compete successfully with our competitors, we may be
unable to increase or sustain our revenue or achieve and sustain
profitability.
Our principal competition comes from commercial and academic
organizations using established and new laboratory tests to produce
information that is similar to the information that we generate for
our customers. These commercial and academic organizations may not
utilize our services or may not believe them to be superior to
those tests that they currently use or others that are developed.
Further, it may be difficult to convince our customers and
potential customers to use our comprehensive test rather than
simpler panels provided by our competitors. For example, the
information that we provide may be more challenging or require
additional resources for our customers to interpret than the
information provided by our competitors’ less comprehensive assays.
In addition, our suppliers or competitors may announce the
development of new products, services or features that results in
our customers’ or potential customers’ decision to reduce, postpone
or cancel orders from us while they wait to determine which
products, services or features are or will be perceived as
technologically superior, more commercially successful or adopted
as standards in the industry; such decisions by our customers or
potential customers may be influenced by their concerns regarding
the potential obsolescence of data generated using our services and
features if our services or features are or will not be perceived
as technologically superior, commercially successful or adopted as
standards in the industry.
Some of our present or potential competitors, including Adaptive
Biotechnologies Corporation, Adela, Inc., ArcherDx, Inc., which was
acquired by Invitae Corporation in October 2020, BillionToOne,
Inc., BostonGene Corporation, C2i Genomics, Inc., Caris Life
Sciences, Inc., Covance Inc., which was acquired by Laboratory
Corporation of America Holdings in February 2015, Foresight
Diagnostics Inc. (“Foresight”), Foundation Medicine, Inc., which
was acquired by Roche Holdings, Inc. in July 2018, Freenome, Inc.,
Geneseeq Technology Inc., Genosity, Inc., which was acquired by
Invitae Corporation in April 2021, GRAIL, which Illumina announced
that it had acquired in August 2021, Guardant Health, Inc., Inivata
Limited, which was acquired by NeoGenomics, Inc. in June 2021,
Invitae Corporation, Natera, NeoGenomics, Inc., Personal Genome
Diagnostics, Inc., Predicine, Inc., Roche Molecular Systems, Inc.,
Strata Oncology, Inc., and Tempus, Inc., may have more widespread
brand recognition or substantially greater financial or technical
resources, development or production capacities, or marketing
capabilities than we do. They may be able to devote greater
resources to the development, promotion and sale of their products
and services than we do or sell their products and services at
prices designed to win more significant levels of market share.
Also, we have had, and may have in the future, customer or supply
relationships with our present or potential competitors. For
example, we have an agreement with Natera to provide advanced tumor
analysis for use in Natera’s MRD testing offerings. During the year
ended December 31, 2022, revenue under our agreement accounted for
41% of our total revenue. See “—We currently derive a substantial
portion of our revenue from DNA sequencing and data analysis
services that we provide to Natera. If Natera’s demand for our DNA
sequencing and data analysis services were to be substantially
reduced, our business, financial condition, revenue and other
operating results, and cash flows may be materially harmed.” In
addition, our present or potential competitors may be acquired by,
receive investments from, or enter into other commercial
relationships with larger, more well-established and well-financed
companies. For example, in August 2021, Illumina announced it
completed its acquisition of GRAIL, a company focused on early
cancer detection and potentially other forms of cancer analysis
using next-generation sequencing technology, which we view as a
potential competitor. Illumina is also one of our significant
suppliers. See “—We rely on a limited number of suppliers, or in
some cases, a sole supplier, for some of our laboratory instruments
and materials, and we may not be able to find replacements or
immediately transition to alternative suppliers should we need to
do so.” Others may develop lower-priced, less complex products and
services that pharmaceutical companies could view as functionally
equivalent to our current or planned future services, which could
force us to lower the price of our services and impact our
operating margins and our ability to achieve and maintain
profitability. In addition, companies or governments that control
access to genetic testing and related services through umbrella
contracts or regional preferences could promote our competitors or
prevent us from performing certain services. In addition,
technological innovations that result in the creation of enhanced
products or diagnostic tools that are more sensitive or specific
than ours may enable other clinical laboratories, hospitals,
physicians, or medical providers to provide specialized products or
services similar to ours in a more patient-friendly, efficient, or
cost-effective manner than is currently possible. If we cannot
compete successfully against current or future competitors, or if
we cannot maintain successful customer or supply relationships with
Natera, Illumina or other present or potential competitors, we may
be unable to ensure or increase market acceptance and sales of our
current or planned future services, which could prevent us from
increasing or sustaining our revenue or achieving or sustaining
profitability.
We expect that biopharmaceutical companies will increasingly focus
attention and resources on the targeted and personalized cancer
diagnostic sector as the potential and prevalence of molecularly
targeted oncology therapies approved by the FDA along with
companion diagnostics increases. For example, the FDA has approved
several such targeted oncology therapies that use companion
diagnostics, including the anaplastic lymphoma kinase FISH test
from Abbott Laboratories, Inc. for use with Xalkori® from Pfizer
Inc., the BRAF kinase V600 mutation test from Roche Molecular
Systems, Inc. for use with Zelboraf® from
Daiichi-Sankyo/Genentech/Roche, and the BRAF kinase V600 mutation
test from bioMerieux for use with Tafinlar® from GlaxoSmithKline.
Since companion diagnostic tests are part of FDA labeling, non-FDA
cleared tests, such as the ones we currently offer as part of our
services, would be considered an off-label use and this may limit
our access to this market segment. Our customers and potential
customers may request, or in some cases have requested, that we
consider developing and seeking FDA approval for companion
diagnostic tests to accompany those customers’ therapeutic product
candidates, and it may be necessary for us to do so in order to
successfully compete for the business of these customers. If we do
not successfully develop FDA-approved companion diagnostics, we may
be at a competitive disadvantage and may be unable to increase
market acceptance and sales of our other service or product
offerings, which would prevent us from increasing or sustaining our
revenue or achieving or sustaining profitability. If we were to
develop one or more FDA-approved companion diagnostics, we would
incur increased research and development expenses, and such
activities may also divert our resources or the attention of our
management and may create competing internal priorities for us. In
addition, we have limited experience developing diagnostics,
have
24
Table of Contents
never developed an FDA-approved companion diagnostic, and may be
unable to successfully compete against companies with more
experience developing and commercializing companion
diagnostics.
Additionally, projects related to cancer diagnostics and
particularly genomics have received increased government funding,
both in the United States of America (the “U.S.”) and
internationally. As more information regarding cancer genomics
becomes available to the public, we anticipate that more products
and services aimed at identifying treatment options will be
developed and that these products and services may compete with our
services. In addition, competitors may develop their own versions
of our current or planned future services and products in countries
where we did not apply for or receive patents and compete with us
in those countries, including encouraging the use of their products
or services by biopharmaceutical companies in other
countries.
We have substantial customer concentration, with a limited number
of customers accounting for a substantial portion of our revenue
and accounts receivable; in particular, we currently derive a
substantial portion of our revenue from one of our largest
customers, Natera, and in the past have derived a substantial
portion of our revenue from another of our largest customers, the
VA MVP.
Like other genomic profiling companies that sell to the
pharmaceutical industry, we have substantial customer
concentration. We currently derive a significant portion of our
revenue from the VA MVP, which accounted for 13%, 53% and 71% of
our revenue for the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021 and 2020,
respectively. Revenue from Natera accounted for 41% and 10% of our
revenue for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021,
respectively. Our top five customers, including the VA MVP and
Natera, accounted for 76%, 84% and 87% of our revenue for the years
ended December 31, 2022, 2021 and 2020, respectively. There are
inherent risks whenever a large percentage of revenue is
concentrated with a limited number of customers. While we have
attempted to grow our customer base and diversify our revenue
concentration beyond the VA MVP and Natera, we may not be able to
successfully do so in the future. Our predictions regarding the
future level of demand for our services that will be generated by
these customers may be wrong. In addition, revenue from our larger
customers have historically fluctuated and may continue to
fluctuate based on the commencement and completion of clinical
trials or other projects, the timing of which may be affected by
market conditions or other factors, some of which may be outside of
our control. Further, while we have long-term contractual
arrangements with certain of our customers, including Natera, these
customers are not required to purchase a minimum number of
analyses. Some of our customers have in the past suspended or
terminated clinical trials or projects, received less funding than
expected, experienced declining or delayed sales, or otherwise
decided to reduce or eliminate their use of our services, and these
and other customers may also do so in the future. As a result, we
could be pressured to reduce the prices we charge for our services,
which would have an adverse effect on our margins and financial
position, and which would likely negatively affect our revenue and
results of operations. In particular, if we do not win future VA
MVP renewals with a value comparable to that of our historical
contracted orders, it may have a material adverse effect on our
revenue, cash position, and results of operations. Similarly, if
the VA MVP was eliminated, awarded its contract to one of our
competitors, further reduced the size of our contract or failed to
renew our contract in the future, then our revenue, cash position,
and results of operations would be materially adversely impacted.
Likewise, if Natera or any of our other significant customers were
to reduce or cease their use of our services, then our revenue,
cash position, and results of operations may be materially
adversely impacted. Further, if any of our significant customers
were to stop payment for our services, it would have a material
adverse effect on our accounts receivable, increasing our credit
risk. The failure of these customers to pay their balances, or any
customer to pay future outstanding balances, would result in an
operating expense and reduce our cash flows.
We currently derive a substantial portion of our revenue from DNA
sequencing and data analysis services that we provide to Natera. If
Natera’s demand for our DNA sequencing and data analysis services
were to be substantially reduced, our business, financial
condition, revenue and other operating results, and cash flows may
be materially harmed.
In February 2021, we entered into a partnership in the field of
personalized oncology with Natera, pairing our NeXT tumor profiling
and diagnostic services and products with Natera’s personalized
ctDNA platform Signatera™ for treatment monitoring and MRD
assessment. Under this non-exclusive agreement, Natera is
responsible for validating the design of, and commercialization of,
Signatera personalized ctDNA assays using matched tumor and normal
exome sequence data from us. The agreement covers MRD testing for
both clinical use and research use. Since that time, Natera’s
sample volumes have increased such that we currently derive a
significant portion of our revenue from sales of our DNA sequencing
and data analysis services to Natera under our agreement. For
example, in 2022, revenue under our agreement accounted for 41% of
our total revenue. While our agreement with Natera is a long-term
contractual arrangement, Natera is not required to purchase a
minimum number of analyses from us under the agreement, and we have
only limited visibility to Natera’s forecasted sample volumes for
future periods. We are aware that Natera has at least one third
party supplier of DNA sequencing and analysis services, such that
Natera has elected, and may continue to elect in the future, to
send a portion (or all) of its samples to its other supplier(s)
instead of us, which it is not contractually prohibited from doing,
given the non-exclusive nature of our agreement. Natera may also
bring a portion (or all) of such services in-house in the future,
which may result in them purchasing fewer (or no) such services
from us, or none from us at all. Our agreement with Natera requires
us to achieve certain quality and turnaround time metrics for
Natera samples. Recently, the volumes of samples sent to us by
Natera have fluctuated significantly and may continue to do so in
the future, which could cause us to experience difficulty in
achieving such metrics from time to time, or to meet our other
obligations under our agreement. If we consistently fail to achieve
such metrics, or any of our other obligations under our agreement
with Natera, Natera may elect to send a portion (or all) of its
samples to its other supplier(s) and/or bring such services
in-house.
Additionally, Natera may allege that such failures to achieve the
required metrics are a breach of our agreement and seek to
terminate our agreement and/or pursue any remedies available to it
under the agreement, at law or in equity. Relatedly, we have
incurred
25
Table of Contents
expenses in connection with our scale-up activities under our
agreement with Natera, and we may incur additional expenses to
increase our laboratory’s capacity to process increased sample
volumes from Natera, in addition to those from our other customers,
in the future. Our activities under our agreement with Natera have
had, and may continue to have, an impact on our business, including
diversion of our resources and the attention of our management,
including with respect to our internal research and development
objectives and projects for our other customers, collaborators
and/or partners. If we are unable to successfully increase our
laboratory’s capacity and manage any such competing objectives
and/or projects for other customers, we may be unable to meet the
quality and timing requirements of our agreement with Natera or our
other customers, collaborators and/or partners. We may also be
unable to successfully research, develop, launch and/or
commercialize our services or service capabilities. Furthermore, we
recently announced the launch of NeXT Personal, a next-generation,
tumor-informed liquid biopsy assay designed to detect and quantify
MRD and recurrence in patients previously diagnosed with cancer. If
NeXT Personal or any of our other services is seen as competing
with Signatera or any of Natera’s other services, we will still be
required to fulfill our obligations to Natera under our agreement,
although Natera may elect to send a portion (or all) of its samples
to its other supplier(s) and/or bring such services in-house. If
the volume of samples received under our agreement with Natera were
to be significantly reduced or eliminated, or if our agreement with
Natera were to be terminated, for these or other reasons, or if we
are unable to successfully research, develop, launch and/or
commercialize our services or service capabilities, including NeXT
Personal, our business, financial condition, revenue and other
operating results, and cash flows may be materially
harmed.
We have derived a substantial portion of our current revenue from
DNA sequencing and data analysis services that we provided to our
largest customer, the VA MVP. If the VA MVP’s demand for and/or
funding for our DNA sequencing and data analysis services continues
to be substantially reduced, or if our new contract with the VA MVP
were to be terminated, our business, financial condition, revenue
and other operating results, and cash flows will be materially
harmed.
We have derived a substantial portion of our revenue from sales of
our DNA sequencing and data analysis services to the VA MVP. In
September 2017, we entered into a one-year contract with three
one-year optional renewal periods with the VA for the VA MVP,
pursuant to which we received contracted orders from the VA MVP in
September 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021. That contract did not
include a renewal option. In September 2022, we entered into a new
contract with the VA MVP to continue providing them WGS services.
The performance period under the new contract includes a base
period of one year, with four one-year renewal option periods that
may be exercised upon discretion of the VA MVP. We concurrently
received an initial task order with a value of up to $10.0 million,
subject to the receipt of samples from the VA MVP.
The VA MVP’s contracted orders for DNA sequencing and data analysis
services have fluctuated significantly in value over time and are
subject to the availability of funding, enrollment of veterans in
the VA MVP study, and the VA MVP’s continued demand, if any, for
our services among other factors. For example, the VA MVP
contracted order received in September 2020 had a value of $30.9
million, whereas the VA MVP contracted orders received in September
2021 and 2022 had values of $9.7 million and $10.0 million,
respectively, which represents a substantial decline. We have no
certainty that funding will be made available for our services, or
that the VA MVP will award any future contracts, contract renewals
or contracted orders to us. The priorities of the VA, the VA MVP,
or the U.S. government may change, including in response to
COVID-19 or another health epidemic or pandemic. For example,
funding for our services may be limited or not available, and our
business, financial condition, and operating results and cash flows
will be materially harmed. Similarly, if we do not win future VA
MVP contracts and renewals (whether due to being outbid by a
competitor or the VA MVP’s decision not to award a future contract
on a timely basis or at all, or to terminate for convenience or
failure to renew any contract, for whatever reason) with a value
comparable to that of our historical contracted orders, our
business, financial condition, revenue and other operating results
and cash flows may be materially harmed.
We have only recognized revenue under our VA MVP contract upon the
receipt and processing of samples, and the timing and number of VA
MVP samples we have received has been and could in the future be
negatively affected by factors beyond our control, which has
resulted, and may result in the future, in delaying our ability to
process and recognize revenue for such samples. For example, the
revenue we recognized during the contract year that began in
September 2020 significantly exceeded the value of the VA MVP
contracted order we received in September 2020 because we continued
to receive after such date, and subsequently processed, samples
under VA MVP contracted orders that remained unfulfilled as of
September 2020 due to the time required for the VA to select
optimal samples from its collection for research and then provide
us those samples. Therefore, period-to-period comparisons of our
operating results relating to VA MVP contracted orders may not be
meaningful. The timing and number of VA MVP samples may also be
negatively affected by a public health crisis, such as COVID-19.
For example, in March 2020, the VA MVP announced that it was
suspending sample collection due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In
addition, we believe the COVID-19 pandemic may have been a
contributing factor to the reduction in values of the September
2021 and 2022 VA MVP contracted orders compared to the September
2020 contracted order, as the VA MVP delayed new enrollment and
also may have needed to divert resources to respond to the
pandemic. A resurgence of COVID-19 or another health epidemic or
pandemic may negatively impact the value of any potential new VA
MVP contract or order.
If we cannot maintain our current customer relationships, or fail
to acquire new customers, our revenue prospects will be reduced.
Many of our customers are biopharmaceutical companies engaged in
clinical trials of new drug candidates, which trials are expensive,
can take many years to complete, and have inherently uncertain
outcomes.
Our customers other than the VA MVP and Natera are primarily
biopharmaceutical companies that use our services to support
clinical trials. Our future success is substantially dependent on
our ability to maintain our customer relationships and to establish
new ones. Many factors have the potential to impact our customer
relations, including the type of support our customers and
potential customers require and our ability to deliver it, our
customers’ satisfaction with our services, and other factors that
may be beyond our
26
Table of Contents
control. Furthermore, our customers may decide to decrease or
discontinue their use of our services due to changes in research
and product development plans (including as a result of a public
health crisis), failures in their clinical trials (which failures
are statistically much more likely to occur than not at some point
in the clinical development process, notwithstanding any enhanced
patient stratification from the use of our proprietary tests and
algorithms), financial constraints, or utilization of internal
testing resources or tests performed by other parties, or other
circumstances outside of our control.
We engage in conversations with customers regarding potential
commercial opportunities on an ongoing basis in the event that one
of these customers’ drug candidates is approved. There is no
assurance that any of these conversations will result in a
commercial agreement, or if an agreement is reached, that the
resulting relationship will be successful or that clinical studies
conducted as part of the engagement will produce successful
outcomes. Speculation in the industry about our existing or
potential relationships with biopharmaceutical companies could be a
catalyst for adverse speculation about us, our services, and our
technology, which can adversely affect our reputation and our
business. In addition, the termination of these relationships could
result in a temporary or permanent loss of revenue.
Our customers’ clinical trials are expensive, can take many years
to complete, and their outcome is inherently uncertain. Failure can
occur at any time during the clinical trial process. Product
candidates in later stages of clinical trials may fail to show the
desired safety and efficacy traits despite having progressed
through pre-clinical studies and early clinical trials. Many of the
biopharmaceutical companies that are our customers do not have
products approved for commercial sale and are not profitable. These
customers must continue to raise capital in order to continue their
development programs and to potentially continue as our customers.
If our customers’ clinical trials fail or they are unable to raise
sufficient capital to continue investing in their clinical
programs, our revenue from these customers may decrease or cease
entirely, and our business may be harmed. Furthermore, even if
these customers have a drug approved for commercial sale, they may
not choose to use our services as a companion diagnostic with their
drug, thereby limiting our potential revenue.
When we grow our business by developing in vitro diagnostic tests,
we may be subject to reimbursement challenges.
The coverage and reimbursement status of newly-approved or cleared
laboratory tests, including our NeXT Dx offering, is uncertain. We
are seeking reimbursement for our NeXT Dx offering and other in
vitro diagnostic tests we may develop, and if such tests are
inadequately covered by insurance or ineligible for such
reimbursement, this could limit our ability to derive revenue from
any such future tests. The commercial success of future services
and products in both domestic and international markets may depend
in part on the availability of coverage and adequate reimbursement
from third-party payors, including government payors, such as the
Medicare and Medicaid programs, or equivalent foreign programs,
managed care organizations, and other third-party payors. The
government and other third-party payors are increasingly attempting
to contain health care costs by limiting both insurance coverage
and the level of reimbursement for new diagnostic tests. As a
result, they may not cover or provide adequate payment for any
future in vitro diagnostic tests that we develop. These payors may
conclude that our services or products are less safe, less
effective, or less cost-effective than existing or later-introduced
services or products. These payors may also conclude that the
overall cost of using one of our tests exceeds the overall cost of
using a competing test, and third-party payors may not approve any
future in vitro diagnostic tests we develop for insurance coverage
and adequate reimbursement.
We rely on a limited number of suppliers, or in some cases, a sole
supplier, for some of our laboratory instruments and materials, and
we may not be able to find replacements or immediately transition
to alternative suppliers should we need to do so.
We rely on a limited number of suppliers for sequencers and other
equipment and materials that we use in our laboratory operations.
For example, we rely on Illumina as our sole supplier of sequencers
and various associated reagents and other materials used in our
routine laboratory operations, and as the sole provider of
maintenance and repair services for these sequencers. In August
2021, Illumina completed its acquisition of GRAIL, a company
focused on early cancer detection and potentially other forms of
cancer analysis using next-generation sequencing technology. Any
disruption in Illumina’s operations, or our inability to negotiate
pricing with Illumina on acceptable terms, or at all, or any
competitive pressure resulting from Illumina’s acquisition of
GRAIL, could negatively impact our supply chain and laboratory
operations and our ability to conduct our business and generate
revenue. Additionally, COVID-19 previously disrupted Illumina’s
ability to fulfill our purchase orders for reagents or other
materials in a timely manner and a resurgence of COVID-19 or
another health epidemic or pandemic may disrupt the ability of
Illumina and our other suppliers to fulfill our purchase orders in
a timely manner or at all. Our suppliers, including Illumina, could
cease supplying these materials and equipment at any time, could
increase the price of these materials or equipment (including the
promotional pricing offered to us by Illumina for our 2022 VA MVP
Agreement) or fail to provide us with sufficient quantities of
materials or equipment that meet our specifications. Our laboratory
operations have been and in the future could be interrupted if we
encounter delays or difficulties in securing sequencers or other
equipment or materials, or if we cannot obtain an acceptable
substitute. Any such interruption could significantly affect our
business, financial condition, results of operations, and
reputation.
We believe that there are only a few manufacturers other than
Illumina that are currently capable of supplying and servicing the
equipment necessary for our laboratory operations, including
sequencers and various associated reagents. Likewise, we believe
that there are a limited number of manufacturers and suppliers for
other reagents and materials necessary for our laboratory
operations, such as the sample preparation reagents required for
our ACE technology, which enables our NeXT Platform to provide more
comprehensive sequencing coverage, as well as those required to
create personalized liquid biopsy panels for each patient as part
of our NeXT Personal assay. Although we have evaluated and may
continue in the future to evaluate equipment and materials from
other suppliers, the use of
27
Table of Contents
equipment or materials provided by these replacement suppliers
would require us to alter our laboratory operations. Transitioning
to a new supplier would be time-consuming and expensive, would
likely result in interruptions in our laboratory operations, could
affect the performance specifications of our laboratory operations,
or could require that we revalidate our tests. Additionally, an
existing supplier of ours may allege that such activities
constitute a breach of its agreement with us and may cease
supplying us with sufficient quantities of materials or equipment
that meet our specifications, in a timely manner or at all.
Moreover, an existing supplier or third party may allege that such
activities, replacement equipment or materials infringe,
misappropriate or otherwise violate its intellectual property, and
may bring infringement or other intellectual property-related
claims against us. See “—Litigation or other proceedings or
third-party claims of intellectual property infringement,
misappropriation or other violations may require us to spend
significant time and money, and could in the future prevent us from
selling our tests or impact our stock price, any of which could
have a material adverse effect.” We cannot assure you that, if we
were forced to replace Illumina or another supplier on which we
rely, we would be able to secure alternative equipment, reagents,
and other materials, and bring such equipment, reagents, and other
materials on-line and revalidate them without experiencing
interruptions in our workflow. If we encounter delays or
difficulties in securing, reconfiguring, or revalidating the
equipment and reagents we require for our services, our business,
financial condition, results of operations, and reputation could be
adversely affected.
In addition, the Device Master Files that we filed with the FDA,
which are focused on the technology, quality management, and
validation of our platform, specifically on its use for the
development of personalized immunotherapies, are predicated on our
use of specified equipment and processes, including Illumina
sequencers and related equipment. The detailed information in the
Device Master Files is not shared with our customers, but with our
permission they can reference our FDA file numbers in their
Investigational New Drug filings with the FDA. If we were required
to transition to a new supplier of sequencers or certain other
equipment or processes in our laboratory, our Device Master Files
would need to be replaced or updated, and until such time as that
occurred, customers for which we deliver services after the
transition would not be able to reference our Device Master Files,
which would cause us to lose a competitive advantage.
We will need to invest in our infrastructure in advance of
increased demand for our services; our failure to accurately
forecast demand would have a negative impact on our business and
our ability to achieve and sustain profitability.
In order to execute our business model, we need to invest in
scaling our infrastructure, including expanding laboratory
capacity. We will also need to purchase additional equipment, some
of which can take several months or more to procure, setup, and
validate, and increase our software and computing capacity to meet
increased demand. There is no assurance that any of these increases
in scale, expansion of personnel, equipment, software, and
computing capacities, or process enhancements will be successfully
implemented, or that we will have adequate space in our laboratory
facilities to accommodate such required expansion. We expect that
much of this growth will be in advance of increased demand for our
services. Our current and projected future expense levels are to a
large extent fixed and are largely based on our current investment
plans and our estimates of future test volume. As a result, if
revenue does not meet our expectations we may not be able to
promptly adjust or reduce our spending to levels commensurate with
our revenue. If we fail to generate demand commensurate with our
infrastructure growth or if we fail to scale our infrastructure
sufficiently in advance of demand to successfully meet such demand,
our business, prospects, financial condition, and results of
operations could be adversely affected.
As we commercialize additional services or products, we may need to
incorporate new equipment, implement new technology systems and
laboratory processes, or hire new personnel with different
qualifications. Failure to manage this growth or transition could
result in turnaround time delays, higher costs, declining service
and/or product quality, deteriorating customer service, and slower
responses to competitive challenges. A failure in any one of these
areas could make it difficult for us to meet market expectations
for our services, and could damage our reputation and the prospects
for our business.
If our facilities become damaged or inoperable, or we are required
to vacate the facilities, our ability to sell and provide our
services and pursue our research and development efforts may be
jeopardized.
We currently derive our revenue from our genomic analysis conducted
in our laboratories. Currently, our only clinical reference or
research and development laboratory facilities are our facilities
in Menlo Park, California, and Fremont, California and the
facilities that we plan to discontinue in Shanghai, China. Our
facilities and equipment could be harmed or rendered inoperable by
natural or man-made disasters, including fires, earthquakes,
flooding, and power outages, which may render it difficult or
impossible for us to sell or perform our services for some period
of time. See “—Our planned opening of our new laboratory facilities
in Fremont, California has diverted and could continue to divert
management’s attention and has disrupted and could continue to
disrupt our ongoing business.” Northern California has recently
experienced serious fires and storms and the San Francisco Bay Area
is considered to lie in an area with earthquake risk. The inability
to sell or to perform our sequencing and analysis services,
disruptions in our operations, or the backlog of samples that could
develop if our facilities are inoperable for even a short period of
time, may result in the loss of customers or harm to our reputation
or relationships with scientific or clinical collaborators, and we
may be unable to regain those customers or repair our reputation or
such relationships in the future. For example, access to our
laboratory facilities was limited during the COVID-19 pandemic,
which resulted in a loss in productivity, including delays to
research and development programs. Furthermore, our facilities and
the equipment we use to perform our services and our research and
development work could be costly and time-consuming to repair or
replace.
Additionally, a key component of our research and development
process involves using biological samples as the basis for the
development of our services, and our services typically involve
using biological samples provided by or on behalf of our customers.
In some cases, these samples are difficult to obtain. If the parts
of our laboratory facilities where we store these biological
samples were
28
Table of Contents
damaged or compromised, our ability to pursue our research and
development projects or provide our services, as well as our
reputation, could be jeopardized. We carry insurance for damage to
our property or to our customer's property while in our possession,
and we also carry insurance for the disruption of our business, but
these types of insurance may not be sufficient to cover all of our
potential losses or liabilities and may not continue to be
available to us on acceptable terms, if at all.
Further, if our laboratory facilities became inoperable, we would
likely not be able to license or transfer our technology to other
facilities with the qualifications, including state licensure and
CLIA certification, that would be necessary to cover the scope of
our current and our planned future services. Even if we were to
find facilities with such qualifications to perform our services,
they may not be available to us on commercially reasonable
terms.
Our success depends on our ability to provide reliable and timely,
high-quality genomic data and analyses and to rapidly evolve to
meet our customers’ needs.
Errors, including if our tests fail to accurately detect gene
variants, or mistakes, including if we fail to or incompletely or
incorrectly identify the significance of gene variants, could have
a significant adverse impact on our business. We classify variants
in accordance with guidelines that are subject to change and
subject to our interpretation. There have also been and could in
the future be flaws in the databases, third-party tools or
algorithms we use, or in the software that handles automated parts
of our classification protocol. If we receive poor quality or
degraded samples, our tests may be unable to accurately detect gene
variants or we may fail to or incompletely or incorrectly identify
the significance of gene variants, which could have a significant
adverse impact on our business. In addition, our customers require
timely turnaround of high-quality genomic data and analyses, and if
we were not able to meet our customers’ specific requirements, it
could also have a significant adverse effect on our
business.
Inaccurate results or misunderstandings of, or inappropriate
reliance on, the information we provide to our customers could lead
to, or be associated with, lack of efficacy, side effects or
adverse events in patients who use our tests, or who rely on our
tests to determine therapies to develop, select or monitor,
including treatment-related death, and could lead to termination of
our services or result in claims against us. A product liability or
professional liability claim could result in substantial damages
and be costly and time-consuming for us to defend.
Although we maintain liability insurance, including for errors and
omissions and professional liability, we cannot assure you that our
insurance would be sufficient to protect us from the financial
impact of defending against these types of claims, or any
judgments, fines, or settlement costs arising out of any such
claims. Any liability claim, including an errors and omissions
liability claim, brought against us, with or without merit, could
increase our insurance rates or prevent us from securing insurance
coverage in the future. Additionally, any liability lawsuit could
cause injury to our reputation or cause us to suspend sales of our
tests or cause a suspension of our license to operate. The
occurrence of any of these events could have an adverse effect on
our business, reputation, and results of operations.
If we cannot develop services and products to keep pace with rapid
advances in technology, medicine, and science, or if we experience
delays in developing such services and products, our operating
results and competitive position could be harmed.
In recent years, there have been numerous advances in technologies
relating to the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. Several new
cancer drugs have been approved, and a number of new drugs are in
pre-clinical and clinical development. There have also been
advances in methods used to identify patients likely to benefit
from these drugs based on analysis of biomarkers. We must
continuously develop new services and products, enhance any
existing services, and avoid delays in such developments and
enhancements to keep pace with evolving technologies on a timely
and cost-effective basis. Our current services and our planned
future services and products could become obsolete unless we
continually innovate and expand them to demonstrate benefit in the
diagnosis, monitoring, or prognosis of patients with cancer. New
cancer therapies typically have only a few years of clinical data
associated with them, and much of that data may not be disclosed by
the pharmaceutical company that conducted the clinical trials. This
could limit our ability to develop services and products based on,
for example, biomarker analysis related to the appearance or
development of resistance to those therapies. If we cannot
adequately demonstrate the clinical utility of our services and our
planned future services and products to new treatments, sales of
our services could decline, which would have a material adverse
effect on our business, financial condition, and results of
operations.
We are researching and developing improvements to our tests and
test features on a continuous basis, but we may not be able to make
these improvements on a timely basis, and even if we do, we may not
realize the benefits of these efforts in our financial
results.
To remain competitive, we must continually research and develop
improvements to our tests or test features. However, we cannot
assure you that we will be able to develop and commercialize the
improvements to our tests or test features on a timely basis. Our
competitors may develop and commercialize competing or alternative
tests and improvements faster than we are able to do so. In
addition, we must expend significant time and funds in order to
conduct research and development, further develop and scale our
laboratory processes, and further develop and scale our
infrastructure. We may never realize a return on investment on this
effort and expense, especially if our improvements fail to perform
as expected. If we are not able to realize the benefits of our
efforts to improve our tests or test features, it could have an
adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of
operations.
29
Table of Contents
Personalized cancer therapies represent new therapeutic approaches
that could result in heightened regulatory scrutiny, delays in
clinical development, or delays in or inability to achieve
regulatory approval, commercialization, or payor coverage, any of
which could adversely affect our business.
We currently work with certain companies developing personalized
cancer therapies, and our future success will in part depend on our
personalized cancer customers obtaining regulatory approval for and
commercializing their product candidates. Because personalized
cancer therapies represent a new approach to immunotherapy for the
treatment of cancer and other diseases, developing and
commercializing personalized cancer therapies is subject to a
number of challenges.
Actual or perceived safety issues, including adoption of new
therapeutics or novel approaches to treatment, may adversely
influence the willingness of subjects to participate in clinical
studies, or if approved by applicable regulatory authorities, of
physicians to subscribe to the novel treatment mechanics. The FDA
or other applicable regulatory authorities may ask for specific
post-market requirements, and additional information regarding
benefits or risks of our services may emerge at any time prior to
or after regulatory approval.
In the European Economic Area (and Northern Ireland) (“EEA”), in
order to place an in vitro diagnostic medical device ("IVD"), or an
accessory to an IVD, on the market, or put it into service in the
EEA, the device must be designed, developed, manufactured and
marketed in compliance with the relevant legal framework. On May
26, 2022, the Regulation on In-Vitro Diagnostic Devices (Regulation
(EU) 2017/746) (“IVDR”) entered into application, repealing and
replacing the Directive on In-Vitro Diagnostic Devices (98/79/EC)
(the “IVDD”). The IVDR and its associated guidance documents and
harmonized standards governing, among other things, device design
and development, preclinical and clinical or performance testing,
premarket conformity assessment, registration and listing,
manufacturing, labeling, storage, claims, sales and distribution,
export and import and post-market surveillance, vigilance, and
market surveillance. IVDs must comply with the General Safety and
Performance Requirements (“GSPRs”) set out in Annex I of the IVDR.
Compliance with these requirements is a prerequisite to be able to
affix the CE Mark to IVDs, without which they cannot be marketed or
sold in the EEA.
In accordance with the IVDR, devices that are not placed on the
market but are used within the context of a commercial activity,
whether in return for payment or free of charge, for the provision
of a diagnostic or therapeutic service offered by means of
information society services, as defined in point (b) of Article
1(1) of Directive (EU) 2015/1535, or by other means of
communication, directly or through intermediaries, to a natural or
legal person established in the EEA (and Northern Ireland) will be
subject to the IVDR. As a result, diagnostic and therapeutic
services offered to customers in the EEA (and Northern Ireland)
(whether directly or via intermediaries) by providers that are
based outside the EEA will be covered by the IVDR.
Fulfillment of the obligations imposed by the IVDR are likely to
increase the cost and time required in order to obtain regulatory
approval for products and services in the EEA. If we offer tests or
services to customers within the EEA (and Northern Ireland)
(whether directly or via intermediaries) that fall within the scope
of the IVDR, we may be unable to fulfill these obligations, or a
notified body, where applicable, may consider that we have not
adequately demonstrated compliance with our related obligations to
merit a CE Certificate of Conformity on the basis of the IVDR. Our
ability, and the ability of our customers, to commercialize
diagnostic tests based on our technology will depend in part on the
extent to which coverage and reimbursement for these tests will be
available from third-party payors. Coverage and reimbursement of
new products and services is uncertain, and whether the companies
that use our instruments to develop their own products or services
will attain coverage and adequate reimbursement is unknown. In the
U.S. and the EU, there is no uniform policy for determining
coverage and reimbursement. Coverage can differ from payor to
payor, and the process for determining whether a payor will provide
coverage may be separate from the process for setting the
reimbursement rate. In addition, the U.S. government, state
legislatures and foreign governments have shown significant
interest in implementing cost containment programs to limit the
growth of government-paid healthcare costs, including price
controls and restrictions on reimbursement.
Physicians, hospitals, and third-party payors often are slow to
adopt new products, services, technologies, and treatment practices
that require additional upfront costs and training. Physicians may
not be willing to undergo training to adopt personalized cancer
therapies, may decide that such therapies are too complex to adopt
without appropriate training or not cost-efficient, and may choose
not to administer these therapies. Based on these and other
factors, hospitals and payors may decide that the benefits of
personalized cancer therapies do not or will not outweigh their
costs.
The loss of key members of our executive management team could
adversely affect our business.
Our success in implementing our business strategy depends largely
on the skills, experience, and performance of key members of our
executive management team and others in key management positions.
The collective efforts of each of our executives and others working
with them as a team are critical to us as we continue to develop
our technologies, services, products, and research and development
programs. As a result of the difficulty in locating qualified new
management, the loss or incapacity of existing members of our
executive management team could adversely affect our operations. If
we were to lose one or more of these key employees, we could
experience difficulties in finding qualified successors, competing
effectively, developing our technologies, and implementing our
business strategy. Effective December 31, 2022, John West retired
from his role as our Chief Executive Officer and Aaron Tachibana,
our Chief Financial Officer, was appointed to serve as our interim
Chief Executive Officer and Christopher Hall, our SVP and Head,
Diagnostics Business, was appointed to serve as our President. As
with any change in leadership, there is a risk to organizational
effectiveness and employee retention as well as the potential for
disruption to our business. Integrating members into new or
different management roles could prove disruptive to our
operations, require substantial resources and management attention
and ultimately prove unsuccessful. Each member of our executive
management team has an employment agreement; however, the existence
of an employment agreement
30
Table of Contents
does not guarantee retention of members of our executive management
team, and we may not be able to retain those individuals or replace
them in the event we lose their services. We do not maintain “key
person” life insurance on any of our employees.
In addition, we rely on collaborators, consultants, and advisors,
including scientific and clinical advisors, to assist us in
formulating our research and development and commercialization
strategy. Our collaborators, consultants, and advisors are
generally employed by employers other than us and may have
commitments under agreements with other entities that may limit
their availability to us.
The loss or extended illness of a key employee, the failure of a
key employee to perform in his or her current position, or our
inability to attract and retain skilled employees could result in
our inability to continue to grow our business or to implement our
business strategy.
We rely on highly skilled personnel in a broad array of disciplines
and if we are unable to hire, retain, or motivate these
individuals, or maintain our corporate culture, we may not be able
to maintain the quality of our services or grow
effectively.
Our performance, including our research and development programs
and laboratory operations, largely depends on our continuing
ability to identify, hire, develop, motivate, and retain highly
skilled personnel for all areas of our organization. Competition in
our industry for qualified employees is intense, and we may not be
able to attract or retain qualified personnel in the future,
including bioinformatic scientists, bioinformatic engineers,
software engineers, statisticians, variant curators, clinical
laboratory scientists (“CLS”), and genetic counselors, due to the
competition for qualified personnel among life science businesses,
technology companies, as well as universities and public and
private research institutions, particularly in the San Francisco
Bay Area. For example, California has a shortage of qualified CLS,
who must be licensed by the California Department of Public Health
to perform clinical testing in laboratories located in California
such as our CLIA-certified and CAP-accredited laboratory. We face
intense competition for, and we have experienced and may in the
future experience difficulty attracting and retaining, sufficient
numbers of licensed and qualified CLS to support the needs of our
business and our laboratory capacity expansion efforts. All of our
U.S. employees are at-will, which means that either we or the
employee may terminate their employment at any time. In addition,
our compensation arrangements, such as our equity award programs,
may not always be successful in attracting new employees and
retaining and motivating our existing employees for reasons that
may include movements in our stock price. If we are not able to
attract and retain the necessary personnel, including licensed and
qualified CLS, to accomplish our business objectives, we may
experience constraints that could adversely affect our ability to
scale our business and support our research and development efforts
and our laboratory operations. We believe that our corporate
culture fosters innovation, creativity, and teamwork. However, as
our organization grows, we may find it increasingly difficult to
maintain the beneficial aspects of our corporate culture. This
could negatively impact our ability to retain and attract employees
and our future success.
Our planned opening of our new laboratory facilities in Fremont,
California has diverted and could continue to divert management’s
attention and has disrupted and could continue to disrupt our
ongoing business.
We have relocated our corporate headquarters to Fremont,
California. We also plan to move our laboratory operations to our
Fremont facility in 2023. These efforts have involved, and will
continue to involve, significant tenant improvements, construction
and regulatory compliance activities to be undertaken. Such efforts
have distracted and may continue to distract management from
current operations, have disrupted and may continue to disrupt
planned research, development or regulatory compliance activities,
and have resulted in and may continue to result in greater than
expected liabilities and expenses, any of which could result in a
material adverse effect on our business prospects, financial
condition, or results of operations. For example, delays in the
completion of updates to our new corporate headquarters delayed our
previously planned move-in date. In addition, since January 20,
2023, we have experienced substantial disruption to our use of the
Fremont facility due to a failure of a bus duct serving the
facility. Since that time, we have been using, and we may need to
continue using, backup generators to power our laboratories and
emergency lights at the facility, and we have been, and may
continue to be, unable to use the office and manufacturing portions
of the facility, or use the facility’s heating, ventilation and air
conditioning system. We have incurred, and may continue to incur,
costs in maintaining temporary power to the facility and in
attempting to permanently remedy the problem, including obtaining
additional backup generators, equipment, and back up batteries, and
purchasing fuel for the generators on a daily basis. While the bus
duct and related electrical main equipment are the landlord’s
responsibility under our lease for the facility, and we expect the
landlord to reimburse our costs incurred in connection with
remedying the electrical failure, there is no guarantee we will be
successful in obtaining such reimbursement within a reasonable
timeframe or at all. Although we are still able to conduct most or
all of our laboratory operations from our facility in Menlo Park,
California, if we are unable to restore permanent power to our
Fremont facility within a reasonable time, it could further delay
the completion of our move to the Fremont facility, may result in a
loss in productivity, including delays to research and development
programs, and could render it difficult or impossible for us to
sell or perform certain of our services for some period of time.
Additionally, if the backup generators were to fail, it could
result in damage to biological samples stored within the Fremont
facility, which may include certain customer samples. See “—If our
facilities become damaged or inoperable, or we are required to
vacate the facilities, our ability to sell and provide our services
and pursue our research and development efforts may be
jeopardized.”
We may not be able to manage our future growth effectively, which
could make it difficult to execute our business
strategy.
Our expected future growth could create a strain on our
organizational, administrative, and operational infrastructure,
including facilities (such as our new facility in Fremont,
California), laboratory operations, quality control, customer
service, marketing and sales, and management. We may not be able to
maintain the quality of or expected turnaround times for our tests,
or satisfy customer demand
31
Table of Contents
as our test volume grows. Our ability to manage our growth properly
will require us to continue to improve our operational, financial,
and management controls, as well as our reporting systems and
procedures. As a result of our growth, our operating costs may
escalate even faster than planned, and some of our internal systems
may need to be enhanced or replaced. If we are unable to manage our
growth effectively, it may be difficult for us to execute our
business strategy and our business could be harmed.
We may acquire businesses or assets, form joint ventures, or make
investments in other companies or technologies that could harm our
operating results, dilute our stockholders’ ownership, or cause us
to incur debt or significant expense.
As part of our business strategy, we may pursue acquisitions of
complementary businesses or assets, as well as technology licensing
arrangements. We may also pursue strategic alliances that leverage
our core technology and industry experience to expand our offerings
or distribution, or make investments in other companies. As an
organization, we have limited experience with respect to
acquisitions as well as the formation of strategic alliances and
joint ventures. We may not identify or complete these transactions
in a timely manner, on a cost-effective basis, or at all, and we
may not realize the anticipated benefits of any acquisition,
technology license, strategic alliance, joint venture or
investment, and their consideration may be distracting to our
management or prevent us from pursuing other opportunities. In
addition, we may not be able to find suitable partners or
acquisition candidates, and we may not be able to complete such
transactions on favorable terms, if at all. Any future such
transactions by us also could result in significant write-offs, the
incurrence of debt and contingent liabilities, exposure to
additional liability, exposure to additional revenue concentration,
additional regulatory obligations and exposure to additional
potential liability, any of which could harm our operating results
and future prospects. If we make any acquisitions in the future, we
may not be able to integrate these acquisitions successfully into
our existing business, and we could assume unknown or contingent
liabilities. Integration of an acquired company or business also
may require management resources that otherwise would be available
for ongoing development of our existing business.
To finance any acquisitions or investments, we may choose to raise
additional funds. The various ways we could raise additional funds
carry potential risks. See “—Financial and Market Risks and Risks
Related to Owning Our Common Stock—Our inability to raise
additional capital on acceptable terms in the future may limit our
ability to continue to operate our business and further expand our
operations.” If the price of our common stock is low or volatile,
we may not be able to acquire other companies using stock as
consideration. Alternatively, it may be necessary for us to raise
additional funds for these activities through public or private
financings. Additional funds may not be available on terms that are
favorable to us, or at all.
Ethical, legal, and social concerns related to the use of genetic
information could reduce demand for our tests.
Genetic testing has raised ethical, legal, and social concerns
regarding privacy and the appropriate uses of the resulting
information. Governmental authorities have, through the Genetic
Information Nondisclosure Act, and could further, for social or
other purposes, limit or regulate the use of genetic information or
genetic testing or prohibit testing for genetic predisposition to
certain conditions, particularly for those that have no known cure.
Ethical and social concerns may also influence governmental
authorities to deny or delay the issuance of patents for technology
relevant to our business. Similarly, these concerns may lead
patients to refuse to use, or clinicians to be reluctant to order,
genetic tests even if permissible. These and other ethical, legal,
and social concerns may limit market acceptance of our tests or
reduce the potential markets for our tests, either of which could
have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, or
results of operations.
Any collaboration arrangements that we have entered into or may
enter into in the future may not be successful, which could
adversely affect our ability to develop and commercialize our
services and products.
Any current or future collaborations, including any strategic
alliances or any collaborations to develop companion diagnostic
tests, that we have entered (for example, our collaborations with
BC Cancer, Duke University, UCSF, and Criterium (d/b/a Academic
Breast Cancer Consortium)) or may enter into may not be successful.
The success of our collaboration arrangements will depend heavily
on the efforts and activities of our collaborators. Collaborations
are subject to numerous risks, which include that:
•
we may incur increased research and development expenses, and such
activities may also divert management attention and resources
and/or create competing internal priorities for us, which could
prevent us from successfully conducting other parts of our business
or collaborating with others;
•
collaborators have significant discretion in determining the
efforts and resources that they will apply to
collaborations;
•
collaborators may not pursue development and commercialization of
our services or products or may elect not to continue or renew
development or commercialization programs based on trial or test
results, changes in their strategic focus due to the acquisition of
competitive services or products, availability of funding, or other
external factors, such as a business combination that diverts
resources or creates competing priorities for our
collaborator;
•
collaborators could independently develop, or develop with third
parties, services or products that compete directly or indirectly
with our services or products;
•
collaborators with marketing, manufacturing, and distribution
rights to one or more services or products may not commit
sufficient resources to or otherwise not perform satisfactorily in
carrying out these activities;
•
we could grant exclusive rights to our collaborators that would
prevent us from collaborating with others;
32
Table of Contents
•
a large percentage of our revenue may be concentrated with the
collaborators if the collaborations are successful and we may
experience further losses if they are or later become
unsuccessful;
•
collaborators may not properly maintain or defend our intellectual
property rights or may use our intellectual property or proprietary
information in a way that gives rise to actual or threatened
litigation that could jeopardize or invalidate our intellectual
property or proprietary information or expose us to potential
liability;
•
disputes may arise between us and a collaborator that causes the
delay or termination of the research, development, or
commercialization of our current or future services or products or
that results in costly litigation or arbitration that diverts
management attention and resources;
•
collaborations may be terminated, and, if terminated, may result in
a need for additional capital to pursue further development or
commercialization of the applicable current or future services or
products;
•
collaborators may own or co-own intellectual property covering our
services or products that results from our collaborating with them,
and in such cases, we would not have the exclusive right to develop
or commercialize such intellectual property;
•
collaborators’ activities or use of our services or deliverables
may create additional regulatory obligations and could lead to side
effects or adverse events in patients, exposing us to potential
liability or regulatory review; and
•
collaborators’ sales and marketing activities or other operations
may not be in compliance with applicable laws resulting in civil or
criminal proceedings.
If we are unable to successfully obtain rights to required
third-party intellectual property rights or maintain the existing
intellectual property rights we have, we may have to abandon
development of that program and our business and financial
condition could suffer.
Our operations and employees face risks related to health crises
that could adversely affect our operations, our financial
condition, and the business or operations of our customers or other
third parties with whom we conduct business.
Our business could be adversely impacted by the effects of a health
crisis that could cause significant disruption in the operations of
our customers and third-party suppliers upon whom we rely. Our
laboratory facilities, executive team, and most of our employees
are located in the San Francisco Bay Area. In the event of a health
crisis that becomes widespread in or around the San Francisco Bay
Area, we may proactively, or be ordered by government officials to,
take precautionary measures such as suspending our lab operations,
implementing alternative work arrangements for our employees, and
limiting our employees’ travel activities.
Our operations were previously impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
For example, the previous shelter-in-place order and health orders
negatively impacted productivity, disrupted our business, and
slowed research and development activities due to us limiting
access to our laboratory space that would otherwise be used by our
research and development group, and, to the extent such orders
return in similar or more stringent form, they may cause similar
effects on our operations. COVID-19 disrupted, and may disrupt in
the future, the ability of our suppliers to fulfill our purchase
orders in a timely manner or at all. Additionally, we use certain
consumables in our operations, and we have faced, and may face in
the future, difficulties in acquiring such consumables if our
suppliers prioritize orders related to COVID-19 or another health
epidemic or pandemic or if other supply chain issues arise as a
result of such a public health crisis. Several of our customers
were delayed in sending us samples due to the inability to collect
or ship samples during the COVID-19 pandemic, and these and
additional customers may be disrupted from collecting samples or
sending purchase orders or samples to us in the future in the event
of a resurgence of COVID-19 or the emergence of another health
epidemic or pandemic.
Moreover, the ultimate impact of a health epidemic or pandemic on
our business, operations, or the global economy as a whole is
highly uncertain, but a continued and prolonged public health
crisis could have a material negative impact on our business,
financial condition, and operating results.
Expansion into international markets would subject us to increased
regulatory oversight and regulatory, economic, social, health and
political uncertainties, which could cause a material adverse
effect on our business, financial position, and results of
operations.
We may in the future expand our business and operations into
international jurisdictions in which we have limited operating
experience, including with respect to seeking regulatory approvals
and marketing and selling products and services. As we expand
internationally, our operations in these jurisdictions may be
adversely affected by general economic conditions and economic and
fiscal policy, including changes in exchange rates and controls,
interest rates and taxation policies, increased government
regulation, social instability, local or regional health crises,
and political, economic or diplomatic developments in the future.
Certain jurisdictions have, from time to time, experienced
instances of civil unrest and hostilities, both internally and with
neighboring countries. Rioting, military activity, terrorist
attacks, or armed hostilities could cause our operations in such
jurisdictions to be adversely affected or suspended. We generally
do not have insurance for losses and interruptions caused by
terrorist attacks, military conflicts and wars. In addition,
anti-bribery and anti-corruption laws may conflict with some local
customs and practices in foreign jurisdictions. Our international
operations may subject us to heightened scrutiny under the Foreign
Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended (the “FCPA”), the United
Kingdom (the “U.K.”) Bribery Act and similar anti-bribery laws, and
could subject us to liability under such laws despite our best
efforts to comply with such laws. As a result of our policy to
comply with the FCPA, the U.K. Bribery Act and similar anti-bribery
laws, we may be at a competitive
33
Table of Contents
disadvantage to competitors that are not subject to, or do not
comply with, such laws. Further, notwithstanding our compliance
programs, there can be no assurances that our policies will prevent
our employees or agents from violating these laws or protect us
from any such violations. Additionally, we cannot predict the
nature, scope or impact of any future regulatory requirements that
may apply to our international operations or how foreign
governments will interpret existing or new laws. Alleged,
perceived, or actual violations of any such existing or future laws
by us or due to the acts of others, may result in criminal or civil
sanctions, including contract cancellations or debarment, and
damage to our reputation, any of which could have a material
adverse effect on our business.
Regulatory, Legal and Cybersecurity Risks
Our tests may be subject to regulatory action if regulatory
agencies determine that our tests do not appropriately comply with
statutory and regulatory requirements enforced by the FDA, or
equivalent foreign regulatory authorities and/or CLIA requirements
for quality laboratory testing or equivalent foreign
requirements.
The laws and regulations governing the marketing of clinical
laboratory tests are extremely complex and in many instances there
are no significant regulatory or judicial interpretations of these
laws and regulations. The Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (the
“FDC Act”) defines a medical device to include any instrument,
apparatus, implement, machine, contrivance, implant, in vitro
reagent or other similar or related article, including a component,
part, or accessory, intended for use in the diagnosis of disease or
other conditions, or in the cure, mitigation, treatment or
prevention of disease, in man or other animals. Some of our tests
may be considered by the FDA to be in vitro diagnostic products
that are subject to regulation as medical devices. Among other
things, pursuant to the FDC Act and its implementing regulations,
the FDA regulates the research, testing, manufacturing, safety,
labeling, storage, recordkeeping, premarket clearance or approval,
marketing and promotion, and sales and distribution of medical
devices in the U.S. to ensure that medical devices distributed
domestically are safe and effective for their intended uses. In
addition, the FDA regulates the import and export of medical
devices.
Although the FDA has statutory authority to assure that medical
devices are safe and effective for their intended uses, the FDA has
generally exercised its enforcement discretion and not enforced
applicable regulations with respect to LDTs, which are a subset of
in vitro diagnostic devices that are intended for clinical use and
designed, manufactured, and used entirely within a single
laboratory. We currently market our tests as LDTs and, therefore,
we believe that they are not currently subject to the FDA’s
enforcement of its medical device regulations and the applicable
FDC Act provisions. Despite the FDA’s historic enforcement
discretion policy with respect to LDTs, in November 2017, the FDA
finalized a classification order setting out the regulatory
requirements that apply to certain genetic health risk tests and
revised a separate classification order exempting certain carrier
screening tests from FDA premarket clearance and approval
requirements when certain regulatory requirements are met. None of
our tests comply with these classification orders because we market
our tests as LDTs that are subject to the FDA’s policy of
enforcement discretion. However, the FDA may find that our tests do
not fall within the definition of an LDT, and may determine that
our tests are subject to the FDA’s enforcement of its medical
device regulations, including the recent classification orders, and
the applicable FDC Act provisions. While we believe that we are
currently in material compliance with applicable laws and
regulations, we cannot assure you that the FDA or other regulatory
agencies would agree with our determination, and a determination
that we have violated these laws, or a public announcement that we
are being investigated for possible violations of these laws, could
adversely affect our business, prospects, results of operations or
financial condition. If the FDA determines that our tests are
subject to enforcement as medical devices, we could be subject to
enforcement action, including administrative and judicial
sanctions, and additional regulatory controls and submissions for
our tests, all of which could be burdensome. We and/or our
collaborators may also voluntarily submit one or more of our tests
for premarket notification, review, clearance or approval by the
FDA as medical devices. For example, under our collaboration with
MapKure, we expect to develop new, advanced biomarkers selected by
MapKure for regulatory submission and approval as a companion
diagnostic, in which case we would also be subject to potentially
burdensome additional regulatory controls and submissions for one
or more of our tests. See “—Failure to comply with federal, state,
and foreign laboratory licensing requirements and the applicable
requirements of the FDA or any other regulatory authority, could
cause us to lose the ability to perform our tests, experience
disruptions to our business or become subject to administrative or
judicial sanctions.”
Moreover, LDTs may in the future become subject to more onerous
regulation by the FDA. A significant change in any of the laws,
regulations, or policies may require us to change our business
model in order to maintain regulatory compliance. At various times
since 2006, the FDA has issued documents outlining its intent to
require varying levels of FDA oversight of many types of LDTs. In
October 2014, the FDA issued two non-binding draft guidance
documents that set forth a proposed risk-based regulatory framework
that would apply varying levels of FDA oversight to LDTs. The FDA
indicated that it did not intend to implement its proposed
framework until the draft guidance documents are finalized. The FDA
was expected to finalize its proposal for the oversight of LDTs
before the end of 2016, but in November 2016, the FDA announced
that it would halt finalizing of the guidance documents and
continue to work with stakeholders, the incoming administration,
and Congress on the approach to LDT regulation. This announcement
was followed by the issuance of an information discussion paper on
January 13, 2017, in which the FDA outlined a substantially revised
“possible approach” to the oversight of LDTs. The discussion paper
explicitly states that it is not a final version of the 2014 draft
guidance and that it is not enforceable and does not represent the
FDA’s “formal position.” It is unclear at this time if or when the
FDA will finalize its plans to end enforcement discretion for LDTs,
and even then, whether the new regulatory requirements are expected
to be phased-in over time. However, the FDA may decide to regulate
certain LDTs on a case-by-case basis at any time, which could
result in delay or additional expense in offering our tests and
tests that we may develop in the future.
Legislative proposals addressing oversight of genetic testing and
LDTs have been introduced in previous Congresses, and we expect
that new legislative proposals will be introduced from time to time
in the future. For example, the proposed “Verifying Accurate,
Leading-edge IVCT Development” Act (the “VALID Act”) would clarify
and enhance FDA’s authority to regulate LDTs, including
34
Table of Contents
pre-market review of non-exempted tests. We cannot predict whether
the VALID Act will become legislation and cannot provide any
assurance that FDA regulation, including pre-market review, will
not be required in the future for our tests, whether through
finalization of guidance issued by the FDA, new enforcement
policies adopted by the FDA or new legislation enacted by Congress.
It is possible that legislation will be enacted into law or
guidance could be issued by the FDA that may result in increased
regulatory burdens for us to continue to offer our tests or to
develop and introduce new tests. This legislative and regulatory
uncertainty exposes us to the possibility of enforcement action or
additional regulatory controls and submissions for our tests, both
of which could be burdensome. In addition, we cannot be certain
that the FDA will not enact rules or guidance documents that could
impact our ability to purchase certain materials necessary for the
performance of our tests, such as products labeled for research use
only. Should any of the reagents obtained by us from suppliers and
used in conducting our tests be affected by future regulatory
actions, our business could be adversely affected by those actions,
including increasing the cost of testing or delaying, limiting, or
prohibiting the purchase of reagents necessary to perform
testing.
In the EEA, IVDs are governed by the IVDR and must comply with the
requirements of the IVDR in order to be placed on the market or put
into service in the EEA. The IVDR does not specifically address the
regulation of products falling within the description
"laboratory-developed tests". Moreover, while the Regulation
includes only limited exemptions for devices that are manufactured
and used only within health institutions established in the EEA,
diagnostic and therapeutic services undertaken outside of the EEA
(for example at our facilities in the U.S.) would not fall within
the scope of such exemptions. We do not currently offer tests or
services to customers established in the EEA which would fall
within the scope of the IVDR. If, in the future, we offer tests or
services to customers within the EEA (whether directly or via
intermediaries) that fall within the scope of the IVDR, it is
unlikely that we will benefit from IVDR exemptions foreseen for
health institutions established in the EEA. This means that we will
have to comply with the IVDR in full.
If the FDA determines that our services are subject to enforcement
as medical devices, or if foreign regulatory authorities regulate
our products as IVDs, we could incur substantial costs and time
delays associated with satisfying statutory and regulatory
requirements such as pre-market clearance, approval or
certification, and we could incur additional expense in offering
our tests and tests that we may develop in the future.
If the FDA determines that our tests and associated software do not
fall within the definition of an LDT, or there are regulatory or
legislative changes, or if we voluntarily submit one or more of our
tests for premarket notification, review, clearance or approval by
the FDA as medical devices, we may be required to obtain premarket
clearance for our tests and associated software under Section
510(k) of the FDC Act or approval of a premarket approval
application (“PMA”). We would also be subject to ongoing regulatory
requirements such as registration and listing requirements, medical
device reporting requirements, and quality control requirements. If
our tests are considered medical devices not subject to enforcement
discretion, or if we voluntarily submit one or more of our tests
for premarket notification, review, clearance or approval by the
FDA as medical devices, the regulatory requirements to which our
tests are subject would depend on the FDA’s classification of our
tests. The FDA has issued regulations classifying generic types of
medical devices into one of three regulatory control categories
(Class I, Class II, or Class III) depending on the degree of
regulation that the FDA finds necessary to provide reasonable
assurance of their safety and effectiveness. The class into which a
device is placed determines the requirements that a medical device
manufacturer must meet both pre- and post-market.
Generally, Class I devices do not require premarket authorization,
but are subject to a comprehensive set of regulatory authorities
referred to as general controls. Class II devices, in addition to
general controls, generally require special controls and premarket
clearance through the submission of a section 510(k) premarket
notification. Class III devices are subject to general controls and
special controls, and also require premarket approval prior to
commercial distribution, which is a more rigorous process than
premarket clearance. Under the FDC Act, a device that is first
marketed after May 28, 1976 is by default a Class III device
requiring premarket approval unless it is within a type of generic
device class that has been classified as Class I or Class II. Even
if a device falls under an existing Class II, non-exempt, device
classification, the device must also be shown to be “substantially
equivalent” to a legally marketed predicate device through
submission of a section 510(k) premarket notification. If after
reviewing a firm’s 510(k) premarket notification, the FDA
determines that a device is not substantially equivalent to a
legally marketed predicate device, the new device is classified
into Class III, requiring premarket approval. It is possible for a
manufacturer to obtain a Class I or Class II designation without an
appropriate predicate by submitting a de novo request for
reclassification.
The process for submitting a 510(k) premarket notification and
receiving FDA clearance usually takes from three to 12 months, but
it can take significantly longer and clearance is never guaranteed.
The process for submitting and obtaining FDA approval of a PMA is
much more costly, lengthy, and uncertain. It generally takes from
one to three years or even longer and approval is not guaranteed.
PMA approval typically requires extensive clinical data and can be
significantly longer, more expensive and more uncertain than the
510(k) clearance process. Despite the time, effort and expense
expended, there can be no assurance that a particular device
ultimately will be cleared or approved by the FDA through either
the 510(k) clearance process or the PMA process on a timely basis,
or at all.
If our tests are considered medical devices not subject to
enforcement discretion, or if we voluntarily submit one or more of
our tests for premarket notification, review, clearance or approval
by the FDA as medical devices, one classification regulation that
could be relevant to one or more of our tests is a classification
for genetic health risk (“GHR”) assessment tests, codified at 21
C.F.R. § 866.5950. If our tests are considered medical devices that
are not subject to enforcement discretion, or if we voluntarily
submit one or more of our tests for premarket notification, review,
clearance or approval by the FDA as medical devices, and one or
more of our tests is considered to fall under the 21 C.F.R. §
866.5950 classification regulation for GHR tests, or under another
Class II classification that is subject to a premarket notification
requirement, we would be required to obtain marketing clearance for
such tests. Further, if considered to fall under the 21 C.F.R. §
866.5950 classification for GHR tests, our tests would be required
to adhere to specified special controls, such as labeling and
testing specifications and information about the test to be posted
on the manufacturer’s website. If any of our current or pipeline
tests
35
Table of Contents
are not considered by the FDA to be GHR tests or do not qualify for
the limited exemption for a sponsor’s subsequent GHR tests once the
assessment system has been reviewed and cleared by FDA, or if any
of our tests fall under a different non-exempt classification or
are unclassified, we could be required to obtain 510(k) clearance
or approval of a PMA for such test in the future.
If premarket review of our tests is required, the premarket review
process may involve, among other things, successfully completing
additional clinical trials. If we are required to conduct premarket
clinical trials, whether using prospectively acquired samples or
archival samples, delays in the commencement or completion of
clinical testing could significantly increase our service and
product development costs, delay commercialization of any future
services or products, and interrupt sales of our current services
and products. Many of the factors that may cause or lead to a delay
in the commencement or completion of clinical trials may also
ultimately lead to delay or denial of regulatory clearance or
approval. The commencement of clinical trials may be delayed due to
insufficient patient enrollment, which is a function of many
factors, including the size of the patient population, the concerns
around genetic testing, the nature of the protocol, the proximity
of patients to clinical sites, and the eligibility criteria for the
clinical trial.
If we are required to conduct clinical trials, we and any
third-party contractors we engage would be required to comply with
good clinical practices (“GCPs”), which are regulations and
guidelines enforced by the FDA, for devices in clinical
development. The FDA enforces these GCPs through periodic
inspections of trial sponsors, principal investigators, and trial
sites. If we or any third-party contractor fails to comply with
applicable GCPs, the clinical data generated in clinical trials may
be deemed unreliable and the FDA may require us to perform
additional clinical trials before clearing or approving our
marketing applications. A failure to comply with these regulations
may require us to repeat clinical trials, which would delay the
regulatory clearance or approval process. In addition, if these
parties do not successfully carry out their contractual duties or
obligations or meet expected deadlines, or if the quality,
completeness or accuracy of the clinical data they obtain is
compromised due to the failure to adhere to our clinical protocols
or for other reasons, our clinical trials may have to be extended,
delayed or terminated. Many of these factors would be beyond our
control. We may not be able to enter into replacement arrangements
without undue delays or considerable expenditures. If there are
delays in testing or approvals as a result of the failure to
perform by third parties, our research and development costs would
increase, and we may not be able to obtain regulatory clearance or
approval for our tests. In addition, we may not be able to
establish or maintain relationships with these parties on favorable
terms, if at all. Each of these outcomes would harm our ability to
market our tests or to achieve or sustain profitability. Similar
actions and obligations may be imposed by the competent authorities
of an EU Member State, or a foreign regulatory
authority.
The FDA requires medical device manufacturers to comply with, among
other things, current good manufacturing practices for medical
devices, set forth in the Quality System Regulation at 21 C.F.R.
Part 820, which requires manufacturers to follow elaborate design,
testing, control, documentation, and other quality assurance
procedures during the manufacturing process; the medical device
reporting regulation, which requires that manufacturers report to
the FDA if their device or a similar device they market may have
caused or contributed to a death or serious injury or malfunctioned
in a way that would likely cause or contribute to a death or
serious injury if it were to recur; labeling regulations, including
the FDA’s general prohibition against promoting devices for
unapproved or “off-label” uses; the reports of corrections and
removals regulation, which requires manufacturers to report to the
FDA if a device correction or removal was initiated to reduce a
risk to health posed by the device or to remedy a violation of the
FDC Act caused by the device which may present a risk to health;
and the establishment registration and device listing
regulation.
Moreover, there can be no assurance that any cleared or approved
labeling claims will be consistent with our current claims or
adequate to support continued adoption of our services and
products. If premarket review is required for some or all of our
services and products, the FDA may require that we stop selling
such services and products pending clearance or approval, which
would negatively impact our business. Even if our services and
products are allowed to remain on the market prior to clearance or
approval, demand for our services and products may decline if there
is uncertainty about our services or products, if we are required
to label our services or products as investigational by the FDA, or
if the FDA limits the labeling claims we are permitted to make for
our services or products. As a result, we could experience
significantly increased development costs and a delay in generating
additional revenue from our services and products, or from other
services or products now in development.
In addition, any clearance or approval we obtain for our services
or products may contain requirements for costly post-market testing
and surveillance to monitor the safety or efficacy of the product.
The FDA has broad post-market enforcement powers, and if
unanticipated problems with our services or products arise, or if
we or our suppliers fail to comply with regulatory requirements
following FDA clearance or approval, we may become subject to
enforcement actions such as:
•
restrictions on manufacturing processes;
•
restrictions on service or product marketing;
•
withdrawal or recall of services or products from the
market;
•
refusal to approve pending PMAs, 510(k)s, or supplements to
approved PMAs or cleared 510(k)s that we submit;
•
fines, restitution, or disgorgement of profits or
revenue;
•
suspension or withdrawal of regulatory clearances or
approvals;
•
limitation on, or refusal to permit, import or export of our
products;
36
Table of Contents
•
imposition of civil or criminal penalties.
Moreover, the FDA strictly regulates the promotional claims that
may be made about medical devices. In particular, a medical device
may not be promoted for uses that are not approved by the FDA as
reflected in the device’s approved labeling. However, companies may
share truthful and not misleading information that is otherwise
consistent with the device’s FDA approved labeling. The FDA and
other agencies actively enforce the laws and regulations
prohibiting the promotion of off-label uses, and a company that is
found to have improperly promoted off-label uses may be subject to
significant civil, criminal, and administrative
penalties.
In addition, many of the products we use to perform our tests,
including sequencers and various associated reagents supplied to us
by Illumina, are labeled as research use only (“RUO”) in the U.S.
RUO products are exempt from FDA medical device requirements
provided their manufacturers comply with specified labeling and
restrictions on distribution. The products must bear the statement:
“For Research Use Only. Not for Use in Diagnostic Procedures.”
Manufacturers of RUO products cannot make any claims related to
safety, effectiveness or diagnostic utility, and RUO products
cannot be intended by the manufacturer for clinical diagnostic use.
A product promoted for diagnostic use may be viewed by the FDA as
adulterated and misbranded under the FDC Act and is subject to FDA
enforcement activities, including requiring the manufacturer to
seek marketing authorization for the products. We currently use
Illumina and other RUO products for our clinical diagnostic tests.
If the FDA were to require clearance, approval or authorization for
the sale of Illumina’s RUO products and if Illumina does not obtain
such clearance, approval or authorization, we would have to find an
alternative sequencing platform for some or all of our clinical
diagnostic tests. We currently have not validated an alternative
sequencing platform on which our tests could be run in a
commercially viable manner. If we were not successful in selecting,
acquiring on commercially reasonable terms and implementing an
alternative platform on a timely basis, our business, financial
condition and results of operations would be adversely affected.
Similarly, a finding that any of our other suppliers failed to
comply with applicable requirements could result in interruptions
in our ability to supply our services to the market and adversely
affect our operations.
In addition, if we offer tests or services to customers within the
EEA (and Northern Ireland) (whether directly or via intermediaries)
that fall within the scope of the IVDR, we would be required to
comply with strict requirements in order to affix the CE mark to
our products, including requirements for clinical evidence,
pre-market assessment of safety and performance, quality management
system, traceability of products, promotion and advertising, and
conduct costly post-market testing and surveillance to monitor the
safety or effectiveness of our products in the EEA and detailed
reporting obligations.
Failure to comply with federal, state, and foreign laboratory
licensing requirements and the applicable requirements of the FDA
or any other regulatory authority, or equivalent foreign regulatory
authority, could cause us to lose the ability to perform our tests,
experience disruptions to our business, or become subject to
administrative or judicial sanctions.
We are subject to CLIA, a federal law that regulates clinical
laboratories that perform testing on specimens derived from humans
for the purpose of providing information for the diagnosis,
prevention, or treatment of disease. CLIA regulations establish
specific standards with respect to personnel qualifications,
facility administration, proficiency testing, quality control,
quality assurance, and inspections. We have a current CLIA
certificate to conduct our tests at our laboratory in Menlo Park,
California. To renew this certificate, we are subject to survey and
inspection every two years. Because we are a CAP-accredited
laboratory, the CMS does not perform this survey and inspection and
relies on our CAP survey and inspection. We also may be subject to
additional unannounced inspections. To operate our laboratory in
the new Fremont facility, we will need to transfer our existing
certification.
We are also required to maintain a license to conduct testing in
California. California laws establish standards for day-to-day
operation of our clinical reference laboratory in Menlo Park,
including the training and skills required of personnel and quality
control. Several other states in which we operate also require that
we hold licenses to test specimens from patients in those states,
under certain circumstances. For example, our clinical reference
laboratory is required to be licensed on a test-specific basis by
New York as an out-of-state laboratory, and our LDTs must be
approved by the New York State Department of Health (the “NYDOH”)
on a test-by-test basis before they are offered in New York. We are
subject to periodic inspection by the NYDOH and are required to
demonstrate ongoing compliance with NYDOH regulations and
standards. To the extent NYDOH identified any non-compliance and we
are unable to implement satisfactory corrective actions to remedy
such non-compliance, the State of New York could withdraw approval
for our tests. Additionally, states such as Maryland, Pennsylvania,
and Rhode Island also require us to maintain out-of-state licenses.
Other states may have similar requirements or may adopt similar
requirements in the future. Although we have obtained licenses from
states where we believe we are required to be licensed, we may
become aware of other states that require out-of-state laboratories
to obtain licensure in order to accept specimens from the state,
and it is possible that other states currently have such
requirements or will have such requirements in the future. We will
need to transfer our existing state licenses to continue our
current laboratory operation in the new Fremont facility. We may
also be subject to regulation in foreign jurisdictions as we seek
to expand international utilization of our tests or such
jurisdictions adopt new licensure requirements, which may require
review of our tests in order to offer them or may have other
limitations such as restrictions on the transport of human blood
necessary for us to perform our tests that may limit our ability to
make our tests available outside of the U.S. Complying with
licensure requirements in new jurisdictions may be expensive and/or
time-consuming, may subject us to significant and unanticipated
delays, or may be in conflict with other applicable
requirements.
Failure to comply with applicable clinical laboratory licensure
requirements may result in a range of enforcement actions,
including license suspension, limitation, or revocation, directed
plan of action, onsite monitoring, civil monetary penalties, and
criminal
37
Table of Contents
sanctions as well as significant adverse publicity. Any sanction
imposed under CLIA, its implementing regulations or state or
foreign laws or regulations governing clinical laboratory
licensure, or our failure to renew our CLIA certificate, a state or
foreign license or accreditation, could have a material adverse
effect on our business, financial condition, and results of
operations. Even if we were able to bring our laboratory back into
compliance, we could incur significant expenses and potentially
lose revenue in doing so.
Failure to comply with the IVDR may result in a range of
enforcement actions by the regulatory authorities of EU Member
States as well as repercussions for any CE Certificates of
Conformity issued by notified bodies, including fines, suspension
variation or withdrawal of CE Certificates of Conformity, product
seizures, injunctions or the imposition of civil or criminal
penalties which would adversely affect our business, operating
results and prospects.
Although we market our tests as LDTs that are currently subject to
the FDA’s exercise of enforcement discretion, if we fail to operate
within the conditions of that exercise of enforcement discretion,
if any of our services or products otherwise fail to comply with
FDA regulatory requirements as enforced, or if we voluntarily
submit one or more of our tests for premarket notification, review,
clearance or approval by the FDA as medical devices, we would be
subject to the applicable requirements of the FDC Act and the FDA’s
implementing regulations. The FDA is empowered to impose sanctions
for violations of the FDC Act and the FDA’s implementing
regulations, including warning letters, civil and criminal
penalties, injunctions, product seizure or recall, import bans,
restrictions on the conduct of our operations and total or partial
suspension of production. Any of the aforementioned sanctions could
cause reputational damage, undermine our ability to maintain and
increase our revenue, and harm our business, financial condition,
and results of operations. In particular, if we or the FDA discover
that any of our services or products have defects that call into
question the accuracy of their results, we may be required to
undertake a retest of all results and analyses provided during the
period relevant to the defect, or recall the affected services and
products. The direct costs incurred in connection with such a
recall in terms of management time, administrative, and legal
expenses and lost revenue, together with the indirect costs to our
reputation could harm our business, financial condition, and
results of operations, and our ability to execute our business
strategy. While we believe that we are currently in material
compliance with applicable laws and regulations as currently
enforced, the FDA or other regulatory agencies may not agree, and a
determination that we have violated these laws or a public
announcement that we are being investigated for possible violations
of these laws could adversely affect our business, financial
condition, results of operations, and prospects.
If our information technology systems or data, or those of third
parties upon which we rely, are or were compromised, we could
experience adverse consequences resulting from such compromise,
including but not limited to regulatory investigations or actions;
litigation; fines and penalties; disruptions of our business
operations; reputational harm; loss of revenue or profits; loss of
customers or sales; and other adverse consequences.
In the ordinary course of our business, we collect, process,
receive, generate, use, transfer, disclose, make accessible,
protect, secure, dispose of, transmit, share and store
(collectively, “process”) proprietary, confidential, and sensitive
information, including protected health information (“PHI”),
personal information, credit card and other financial information,
intellectual property, trade secrets, medical information,
biometric information and genomic information (collectively,
“sensitive information”) owned or controlled by ourselves or our
customers, payors, and other parties.
Cyberattacks, malicious internet-based activity, and online and
offline fraud, and other similar activities threaten the
confidentiality, integrity, and availability of our sensitive
information and information technology systems, and those of the
third parties upon which we rely. Such threats are prevalent and
continue to increase, are becoming increasingly difficult to
detect, and come from a variety of sources, including traditional
computer “hackers,” threat actors, “hacktivists,” organized
criminal threat actors, personnel (such as through theft or
misuse), sophisticated nation states, and nation-state-supported
actors. Some actors now engage and are expected to continue to
engage in cyberattacks, including without limitation nation-state
actors for geopolitical reasons and in conjunction with military
conflicts and defense activities. During times of war and other
major conflicts, including the war in Ukraine, we and the third
parties upon which we rely may be vulnerable to a heightened risk
of these attacks, including retaliatory cyberattacks, that could
materially disrupt our systems and operations, supply chain, and
ability to produce, sell, and distribute our platform, products,
and services.
We and the third parties upon which we rely may be subject to a
variety of evolving threats, including but not limited to
social-engineering attacks (including through phishing attacks),
malicious code (such as viruses and worms), malware (including as a
result of advanced persistent threat intrusions), denial-of-service
attacks (such as credential stuffing), credential harvesting,
personnel misconduct or error, ransomware attacks, supply-chain
attacks, software bugs, server malfunctions, software or hardware
failures, loss of data or other information technology assets,
adware, telecommunications failures, natural disasters, terrorism,
and other similar threats. In particular, severe ransomware attacks
are becoming increasingly prevalent and severe and can lead to
significant interruptions in our operations, loss of data and
income, reputational harm, and diversion of funds. Extortion
payments may alleviate the negative impact of a ransomware attack,
but we may be unwilling or unable to make such payments due to, for
example, applicable laws or regulations prohibiting such payments.
Most of our employees are working remotely at least part of the
time and such remote work has increased risks to our information
technology systems and data, as more of our employees utilize
network connections, computers and devices outside our premises or
network, including working at home, while in transit and in public
locations. Future or past business transactions (such as
acquisitions or integrations) could expose us to additional
cybersecurity risks and vulnerabilities, as our systems could be
negatively affected by vulnerabilities present in acquired or
integrated entities’ systems and technologies. Furthermore, we may
discover security issues that were not found during due diligence
of such acquired or integrated entities, and it may be difficult to
integrate companies into our information technology environment and
security program.
38
Table of Contents
We rely on third-party service providers and technologies to
operate critical business systems to process sensitive information
in a variety of contexts, including, without limitation, on-site
systems and cloud-based data centers, systems handling human
resources, financial reporting and controls, customer relationship
management, regulatory compliance, and other infrastructure
operations. We also communicate sensitive data, including patient
data, electronically, and through relationships with multiple
third-party vendors and their subcontractors. These applications
and data encompass a wide variety of sensitive information,
including research and development information, patient data,
commercial information, and business and financial information. Our
ability to monitor these third parties’ security practices is
limited, and these third parties may not have adequate security
measures in place. If any of our third-party service providers
experience a security incident or other interruption, we could
experience adverse consequences. While we may be entitled to
damages if any of our third-party service providers fail to satisfy
their privacy or security-related obligations to us, any award may
be insufficient to cover our damages, or we may be unable to
recover such award. In addition, supply-chain attacks have
increased in frequency and severity, and we cannot guarantee that
third parties and infrastructure in our supply chain or our
third-party partners’ supply chains have not been compromised or
that they do not contain exploitable defects or bugs that could
result in a breach of or disruption to our information technology
systems or the third-party information technology systems that
support us and our services.
Despite the measures we have taken to prevent unanticipated
problems that could affect our information technology and
telecommunications systems, failures or significant downtime of our
information technology or telecommunications systems or those used
by our third-party service providers could prevent us from
conducting tests, preparing and providing reports to our customers,
billing customers, collecting revenue, handling inquiries from our
customers, conducting research and development activities, and
managing the administrative aspects of our business. For example,
in 2018, we experienced downtime in our information technology
systems in connection with the adoption of certain new information
technology, and our results of operations in the first and second
quarters of 2018 were adversely affected as a result. Any of the
previously identified or similar threats could cause a security
incident or other interruption that could result in unauthorized,
unlawful, or accidental acquisition, modification, destruction,
loss, alteration, encryption, disclosure of, or access to our
sensitive information or our information technology systems, or
those of the third parties upon whom we rely. A security incident
or other interruption could disrupt our ability (and that of third
parties upon whom we rely) to provide our platform, products, and
services.
We may expend significant resources or modify our business
activities (including our clinical trial activities) to try to
protect against security incidents. Additionally, certain data
privacy and security obligations may require us to implement and
maintain certain measures to protect our information technology
systems and sensitive information.
While we have implemented security measures designed to protect
against security incidents, there can be no assurance that these
measures will be effective. We take steps to detect and remediate
vulnerabilities, but we may not be able to detect and remediate all
vulnerabilities because the threats and techniques used to exploit
the vulnerability change frequently and are often sophisticated in
nature. Therefore, such vulnerabilities could be exploited but may
not be detected until after a security incident has occurred. These
vulnerabilities pose material risks to our business. Further, if
the information technology systems of the third parties upon which
we rely become subject to security incidents, we may have
insufficient recourse against such third parties, and we may have
to expend significant resources to mitigate the impact of such an
event, and to develop and implement protections to prevent future
events of this nature from occurring.
Unauthorized access, loss, or dissemination could also damage our
reputation or disrupt our operations, including our ability to
conduct our analyses, deliver test results, process claims and
appeals, provide customer assistance, conduct research and
development activities, collect, process, and prepare company
financial information, provide information about our tests and
other patient and physician education and outreach efforts through
our website, and manage the administrative aspects of our business.
Further, we may experience delays in developing and deploying
remedial measures designed to address any such identified
vulnerabilities. For example, like many companies, we use Log4j
with respect to certain software or systems to log security and
performance information. In early 2022, we discovered a Log4j
vulnerability in our environment although to date we have found no
indication that our or our partners’ data was exposed. Upon
learning of this vulnerability, we applied a patch and made updates
to our systems and infrastructure intended to reduce risks
associated with the vulnerability.
Applicable data privacy and security obligations, including
applicable federal and/or state breach notification laws and
foreign equivalents, may require us to notify relevant stakeholders
and other individuals of security incidents. Such disclosures are
costly, and the disclosure or the failure to comply with such
requirements could lead to adverse consequences. If we (or a third
party upon whom we rely) experience a security incident or are
perceived to have experienced a security incident, we may
experience adverse consequences, such as government enforcement
actions (for example, investigations, fines, penalties, audits, and
inspections); additional reporting requirements and/or oversight;
restrictions on processing sensitive information (including
personal information); litigation (including class claims);
indemnification obligations; negative publicity; reputational harm;
monetary fund diversions; interruptions in our operations
(including availability of data); financial loss; and other similar
harms. Security incidents and attendant consequences may cause
customers to stop using our platform, products, and services, deter
new customers from using our platform, products, and services, and
negatively impact our ability to grow and operate our
business.
Our contracts may not contain limitations of liability, and even
where they do, there can be no assurance that limitations of
liability in our contracts are sufficient to protect us from
liabilities, damages, or claims related to our data privacy and
security obligations. We cannot be sure that our insurance coverage
will be adequate or sufficient to protect us from or to mitigate
liabilities arising out of our data privacy and security practices.
Additionally, we cannot be sure that such coverage will continue to
be available on commercially reasonable terms or at all, or that
such coverage will pay future claims.
39
Table of Contents
We are subject to stringent and evolving U.S. and foreign laws,
regulations, rules, contractual obligations, policies and other
obligations related to data privacy and security. Our actual or
perceived failure to comply with such obligations could lead to
regulatory investigations or actions; litigation; fines and
penalties; disruptions of our business operations; reputational
harm; loss of revenue or profits; loss of customers or sales; and
other adverse business consequences.
In the ordinary course of business, we process sensitive
information, including data we collect from our customers about
trial participants in connection with clinical trials. Our data
processing activities may subject us to numerous data privacy and
security obligations, such as various laws, regulations, guidance,
industry standards, external and internal privacy and security
policies, contractual requirements, and other obligations relating
to data privacy and security.
In the United States, federal, state, and local governments have
enacted numerous data privacy, and security laws, including data
breach notification laws, personal information privacy laws, and
consumer protection laws. For example, HIPAA, as amended by HITECH,
imposes specific requirements relating to the privacy, security,
and transmission of individually identifiable health information.
Penalties for failure to comply with HIPAA and HITECH include
significant civil monetary penalties and criminal penalties in
certain circumstances with fines up to $250,000 per violation
and/or imprisonment. Further, various states, such as California
and Massachusetts, have implemented similar privacy laws and
regulations, such as the California Confidentiality of Medical
Information Act, that impose restrictive requirements regulating
the use and disclosure of health information and other personally
identifiable information. These laws and regulations are not
necessarily preempted by HIPAA, particularly if a state affords
greater protection to individuals than HIPAA. Where state laws are
more protective and applicable to us, we may have to comply with
the stricter provisions. In addition to fines and penalties imposed
upon violators, some of these state laws also afford private rights
of action to individuals who believe their personal information has
been misused. Similarly, the California Consumer Privacy Act of
2018 (“CCPA”) applies to personal information of consumers,
business representatives, and employees, and requires businesses to
provide specific disclosures in privacy notices and honor requests
of California residents to exercise certain privacy rights. The
CCPA provides for civil penalties of up to $7,500 per violation and
allows private litigants affected by certain data breaches to
recover significant statutory damages. Although the CCPA exempts
some data processed in the context of clinical trials, the CCPA may
increase our compliance costs and potential liability with respect
to other personal information we maintain about California
residents. In addition, the California Privacy Rights Act of 2020
expands the CCPA’s requirements, including by adding a new right
for individuals to correct their personal information and
establishing a new regulatory agency to implement and enforce the
law. Other states, such as Virginia, Colorado, Connecticut and Utah
have also passed comprehensive privacy laws, and similar laws are
being considered in several other states, as well as at the federal
and local levels. While these states, like the CCPA, also exempt
some data processed in the context of clinical trials, these
developments further complicate compliance efforts, and increase
legal risk and compliance costs for us, the third parties upon whom
we rely and our customers. Additionally, several states and
localities have enacted statutes banning or restricting the
collection of biometric information.
Outside the U.S., an increasing number of laws, regulations, and
industry standards may govern data privacy and security. For
example, the General Data Protection Regulation 2016/679 (“EU
GDPR”), the United Kingdom’s GDPR (“UK GDPR”), Brazil’s General
Data Protection Law (Lei Geral de Proteção de Dados Pessoais) (Law
No. 13,709/2018), and China’s Personal Information Protection Law
(“PIPL”) impose strict requirements for processing personal
information. Under the EU GDPR, companies may face temporary or
definitive bans on data processing and other corrective actions;
fines of up to 20 million Euros or 4% of annual global revenue,
whichever is greater; or private litigation related to processing
of personal information brought by classes of data subjects or
consumer protection organizations authorized at law to represent
their interests. In Canada, the Personal Information Protection and
Electronic Documents Act (“PIPEDA”) and various related provincial
laws, as well as Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (“CASL”), applies
to our operations. We also receive personal information from
customers in Asia and may be subject to new and emerging data
privacy and security regimes in Asia, including Japan’s Act on the
Protection of Personal Information.
In the ordinary course of business, we may transfer personal
information from Europe and other jurisdictions to the U.S. or
other countries. Europe and other jurisdictions have enacted laws
requiring data to be localized or limiting the transfer of personal
information to other countries. In particular, the EEA and the U.K.
have significantly restricted the transfer of personal information
to the U.S. and other countries whose data privacy and security
laws they believe are inadequate. Other jurisdictions may adopt
similarly stringent interpretations of their data localization and
cross-border data transfer laws. Although there are currently
various mechanisms that may be used to transfer personal
information from the EEA and U.K. to the U.S. in compliance with
law, such as the EEA and UK’s standard contractual clauses, these
mechanisms are subject to legal challenges, and there is no
assurance that we can satisfy or rely on these measures to lawfully
transfer personal information to the U.S. If there is no lawful
manner for us to transfer personal information from the EEA, the
U.K. or other jurisdictions to the U.S., or if the requirements for
a legally-compliant transfer are too onerous, we could face
significant adverse consequences, including the interruption or
degradation of our operations, the need to relocate part of or all
of our business or data processing activities to other
jurisdictions at significant expense, increased exposure to
regulatory actions, substantial fines and penalties, the inability
to transfer data and work with partners, vendors and other third
parties, and injunctions against our processing or transferring of
personal information necessary to operate our business.
Additionally, companies that transfer personal information out of
the EEA and U.K. to other jurisdictions, particularly to the U.S.,
are subject to increased scrutiny from regulators, individual
litigants, and activist groups. Some European regulators have
ordered certain companies to suspend or permanently cease certain
transfers out of Europe for allegedly violating the GDPR’s
cross-border data transfer limitations. EEA countries may also
introduce national legislation further limiting the processing of
personal genetic, biometric, or health data, which could limit our
ability to collect, use and share data originating from the EEA, or
could cause our compliance costs to increase, require us to change
our practices, adversely impact our business, and harm our
financial condition.
40
Table of Contents
In addition to data privacy and security laws, because we process
some credit card payments through a third-party payment processing
partner, we are contractually subject to industry standards adopted
by industry groups and may become subject to such obligations in
the future. For example, we may also be subject to the Payment Card
Industry Data Security Standard (“PCI DSS”). The PCI DSS requires
companies to adopt certain measures to ensure the security of
cardholder information, including using and maintaining firewalls,
adopting proper password protections for certain devices and
software, and restricting data access. Noncompliance with PCI-DSS
can result in penalties ranging from $5,000 to $100,000 per month
by credit card companies, litigation, damage to our reputation, and
revenue losses. We also rely on vendors to process payment card
data, who may be subject to PCI DSS, and our business may be
negatively affected if our vendors are fined or suffer other
consequences as a result of PCI DSS noncompliance. We are also
bound by contractual obligations related to data privacy and
security, and our efforts to comply with such obligations may not
be successful. For example, certain privacy laws, such as the GDPR,
require our customers to impose specific contractual restrictions
on their service providers. We publish privacy policies, marketing
materials and other statements regarding data privacy and security.
If these policies, materials or statements are found to be
deficient, lacking in transparency, deceptive, unfair, or
misrepresentative of our practices, we may be subject to
investigation, enforcement actions by regulators or other adverse
consequences.
Obligations related to data privacy and security are quickly
changing, becoming increasingly stringent, and creating regulatory
uncertainty. Additionally, these obligations may be subject to
differing applications and interpretations, which may be
inconsistent or conflict among jurisdictions. Preparing for and
complying with these obligations requires us to devote significant
resources, which may necessitate changes to our platform, products
and/or services, information technologies, systems, and practices
and to those of any third parties that process personal information
on our behalf. In addition, these obligations may require us to
change our business model. Our business model materially depends on
our ability to process personal information, so we are particularly
exposed to the risks associated with the rapidly changing legal
landscape. For example, because we process PHI, personal
information and sensitive information, we may be at heightened risk
of regulatory scrutiny, and any changes in the regulatory framework
could require us to fundamentally change our business model,
including causing us to take on more onerous obligations in our
contracts, restrict our ability to collect, use and disclose data,
or in some cases, impact our ability to operate in certain
jurisdictions. We typically rely on our customers to obtain valid
and appropriate consents from data subjects whose genetic samples
and data we process on such customers’ behalf particularly with
respect to our RUO and clinical trial services, and we also
typically rely on each provider ordering our LDTs or diagnostic
services to obtain valid and appropriate consent from each of his
or her patients whose genetic samples and data we process on such
patient's behalf. Given that we do not typically obtain direct
consent from such data subjects or patients, and we do not audit
our customers or the ordering providers to ensure that they have
obtained the necessary consents required by law, the failure of our
customers or the order providers to obtain consents that are valid
under applicable law could result in our own non-compliance with
data privacy and security laws. For example, our NeXT Personal RUO
test leverages WGS, and the scope of existing consents from our
customers' clinical trial subjects may be insufficient to cover use
of NeXT Personal on their samples, which may either limit uptake of
NeXT Personal or expose our customers and ourselves to risk of
exceeding the scope of prior consent for specimen testing. If we
fail, or are perceived to have failed, to address or comply with
U.S. and foreign privacy, data protection, and data security laws
and regulations could result in government enforcement actions
(which could include civil or criminal penalties), private
litigation and/or adverse publicity and could negatively affect our
operating results and business. Claims that we have violated
individuals’ privacy rights, failed to comply with data privacy and
security laws, or breached our contractual obligations, even if we
are not found liable, could be expensive and time consuming to
defend, could result in adverse publicity and could have a material
adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of
operations.
If we or the third parties on which we rely fail, or are perceived
to have failed, to address or comply with applicable data privacy
and security obligations, we could face significant consequences,
including but not limited to: government enforcement actions (e.g.,
investigations, fines, penalties, audits, inspections, and
similar); litigation (including class-action claims); additional
reporting requirements and/or oversight; bans on processing
personal information; orders to destroy or not use personal
information; and imprisonment of company officials. Any of these
events could have a material adverse effect on our reputation,
business, or financial condition, including but not limited to:
loss of customers; interruptions or stoppages in our business
operations (including, clinical trials); interruptions or stoppages
of data collection needed to train our algorithms; inability to
process personal information or to operate in certain
jurisdictions; limited ability to develop or commercialize our
platform, products, and services; expenditure of time and resources
to defend any claim or inquiry; adverse publicity; or substantial
changes to our business model or operations.
Our employees may engage in misconduct or other improper
activities, including noncompliance with regulatory standards and
requirements, which could cause significant liability for us and
harm our reputation.
We are exposed to the risk of employee fraud or other misconduct,
including intentional failures to comply with government
regulations, including federal and state healthcare fraud and abuse
laws and regulations, to misuse information, including patient
information, and to report financial information or data accurately
or disclose unauthorized activities to us. Such misconduct could
also involve the improper use of information obtained in the course
of clinical studies, which could result in regulatory sanctions and
cause serious harm to our reputation.
We have a code of conduct and ethics for our directors, officers
and employees, but it is not always possible to identify and deter
employee misconduct, and the precautions we take to detect and
prevent this activity may not be effective in controlling risks or
losses or in protecting us from governmental investigations or
other actions or lawsuits stemming from a failure to be in
compliance with such laws or regulations. If any such actions are
instituted against us, and we are not successful in defending
ourselves or asserting our rights, those actions could have a
significant impact on our business and results of operations,
including the imposition of significant administrative, civil and
criminal penalties, damages, fines, imprisonment, exclusion from
government healthcare programs, contractual
41
Table of Contents
damages, refunding of payments received by us, reputational harm,
additional reporting, or oversight obligations if we become subject
to a corporate integrity agreement or other agreement to resolve
allegations of non-compliance with the law and curtailment or
restructuring of our operations. Whether or not we are successful
in defending against such actions or investigations, we could incur
substantial costs, including legal fees, and divert the attention
of management in defending ourselves against any of these claims or
investigations.
Complying with numerous statutes and regulations pertaining to our
business is an expensive and time-consuming process, and any
failure to comply could result in substantial penalties.
Our operations are or may be subject to other extensive federal,
state, local, and foreign laws and regulations, all of which are
subject to change. These laws and regulations currently include,
among others:
•
the federal Anti-Kickback Statute, which prohibits knowingly and
willfully offering, paying, soliciting, or receiving remuneration,
directly or indirectly, overtly or covertly, in cash or in kind, in
return for or to induce such person to refer an individual, or to
purchase, lease, order, arrange for, or recommend purchasing,
leasing or ordering, any good, facility, item or service that is
reimbursable, in whole or in part, under a federal healthcare
program. A person or entity does not need to have actual knowledge
of the statute or specific intent to violate it in order to have
committed a violation. In addition, the government may assert that
a claim including items or services resulting from a violation of
the federal Anti-Kickback Statute constitutes a false or fraudulent
claim for purposes of the false claims statutes;
•
the federal Stark physician self-referral law, which prohibits a
physician from making a referral for certain designated health
services covered by the Medicare program, including laboratory and
pathology services, if the physician or an immediate family member
has a financial relationship with the entity providing the
designated health services, and prohibits that entity from billing
or presenting a claim for the designated health services furnished
pursuant to the prohibited referral, unless an exception applies.
Failure to refund amounts received as a result of a prohibited
referral on a timely basis may constitute a false or fraudulent
claim under the False Claims Act;
•
the Anti-Markup Rule, which, among other things, prohibit a
physician or supplier billing the Medicare program from marking up
the price of a purchased diagnostic service performed by another
laboratory or supplier that does not “share a practice” with the
billing physician or supplier. Penalties may apply to the billing
physician or supplier if Medicare or another payer is billed at a
rate that exceeds the performing laboratory’s charges to the
billing physician or supplier, and the performing laboratory could
be at risk under false claims laws, described below, for causing
the submission of a false claim;
•
the 14-Day Rule, also known as the Medicare Date of Service Rule,
which prohibits a laboratory supplier from billing the Medicare
program for tests performed on samples collected during or within
14 days of an inpatient hospital stay, unless an exception applies,
and requires the laboratory supplier to bill the hospital in those
cases. Penalties may apply to the laboratory supplier if Medicare
determines that the Medicare program was inappropriately billed for
testing that should have been billed to the hospital where the
sample was collected;
•
state client billing laws, which specify whether a person that did
not perform the service is permitted to submit the claim for
payment and if so, whether the non-performing person is permitted
to mark up the cost of the services in excess of the price the
purchasing provider paid for such services. For example, California
has an anti-markup statute which prohibits providers from charging
for any laboratory test that it did not perform unless the provider
(a) notifies the patient, client or customer of the name, address,
and charges of the laboratory performing the test, and (b) charges
no more than what the provider was charged by the clinical
laboratory which performed the test except for any other service
actually rendered to the patient by the provider (for example,
specimen collection, processing and handling) (California Business
and Professions Code Section 655.5). This provision applies, with
certain limited exceptions, to licensed persons such as physicians
and clinical laboratories regulated under the Business and
Professions Code. In addition, many states also have “direct-bill”
laws, which means that the services actually performed by an
individual or entity must be billed by such individual or entity,
thus preventing ordering physicians from purchasing services from a
laboratory and rebilling for the services they order. For example,
California has a direct bill rule specific to anatomic pathology
services that prohibits any provider from billing for anatomic
pathology services if those services were not actually rendered by
that person or under his or her direct supervision with some
exemptions (California Business and Professions Code Section
655.7);
•
the federal civil and criminal false claims laws, including the
False Claims Act, which impose liability on any person or entity
that, among other things, knowingly presents, or causes to be
presented, a false or fraudulent claim for payment to the federal
government. These laws can apply to entities that provide
information on coverage, coding, and reimbursement of their
products and services and assistance with obtaining reimbursement
to persons who bill payors. Private individuals can bring False
Claims Act “qui tam” actions, on behalf of the government and such
individuals, commonly known as “whistleblowers,” may share in
amounts paid by the entity to the government in fines or
settlement;
•
the federal Civil Monetary Penalties Law, which prohibits, among
other things, the offering or transfer of remuneration to a
Medicare or state healthcare program beneficiary if the person
knows or should know it is likely to influence the beneficiary’s
selection of a particular provider, practitioner, or supplier of
services reimbursable by Medicare or a state healthcare program,
unless an exception applies;
•
the federal Physician Payments Sunshine Act, which requires certain
manufacturers of drugs, biologicals, and medical devices or
supplies that require premarket approval by or notification to the
FDA, and for which payment is available under Medicare, Medicaid,
or the Children’s Health Insurance Program, with certain
exceptions, to report annually to the Centers
42
Table of Contents
for Medicare & Medicaid Services ("CMS") information related to
(i) payments and other transfers of value to physicians (defined to
include doctors, dentists, optometrists, podiatrists, and
chiropractors), other healthcare professionals (such as physicians
assistants and nurse practitioners) and teaching hospitals, and
(ii) ownership and investment interests held by physicians and
their immediate family members;
•
the HIPAA fraud and abuse provisions, which created federal civil
and criminal statutes that prohibit, among other things, defrauding
healthcare programs, willfully obstructing a criminal investigation
of a healthcare offense, and falsifying or concealing a material
fact or making any materially false statements in connection with
the payment for healthcare benefits, items or services. Similar to
the federal Anti-Kickback Statute, a person or entity does not need
to have actual knowledge of the statute or specific intent to
violate it in order to have committed a violation;
•
HIPAA, as amended by HITECH, and their respective implementing
regulations, which impose obligations on certain healthcare
providers, health plans, and healthcare clearinghouses, known as
covered entities, as well as individuals and entities that create,
receive, maintain or transmit individually identifiable health
information for or on behalf of a covered entity, known as business
associates, as well as their covered subcontractors, with respect
to safeguarding the privacy, security and transmission of
individually identifiable health information. HITECH also created
new tiers of civil monetary penalties, amended HIPAA to make civil
and criminal penalties directly applicable to business associates,
and gave state attorneys general new authority to file civil
actions for damages or injunctions in U.S. federal courts to
enforce the federal HIPAA laws and seek attorneys' fees and costs
associated with pursuing federal civil actions;
•
the Eliminating Kickbacks in Recovery Act of 2018 (“EKRA”), which
prohibits payments for referrals to recovery homes, clinical
treatment facilities, and laboratories and is similar to the
federal Anti-Kickback Statute in that it creates criminal penalties
for knowing or willful payment or offer, or solicitation or
receipt, of any remuneration, whether directly or indirectly,
overtly or covertly, in cash or in kind, in exchange for the
referral or inducement of laboratory testing unless a specific
exception applies. Unlike the federal Anti-Kickback Statute, EKRA’s
reach extends beyond federal health care programs to include
private insurance (i.e., it is an “all payer” statute).
Additionally, most of the safe harbors available under the federal
Anti-Kickback Statute are not reiterated under EKRA, and certain
EKRA safe harbors conflict with the safe harbors available under
the federal Anti-Kickback Statute. Therefore, compliance with a
federal Anti-Kickback safe harbor does not guarantee protection
under EKRA. Because EKRA is a new law, there is very little
additional guidance to indicate how and to what extent it will be
interpreted, applied and enforced by the government. Currently,
there is no proposed regulation interpreting or implementing EKRA,
nor any public guidance released by a federal agency concerning
EKRA;
•
other federal and state fraud and abuse laws, such as anti-kickback
laws, prohibitions on self-referral, fee-splitting restrictions,
insurance fraud laws, prohibitions on the provision of tests at no
or discounted cost to induce physician or patient adoption, and
false claims acts, which may extend to services reimbursable by any
payer, including private insurers;
•
the prohibition on reassignment of Medicare claims, which, subject
to certain exceptions, precludes the reassignment of Medicare
claims to any other party;
•
state laws that prohibit other specified practices, such as billing
physicians for testing that they order as discussed above; waiving
coinsurance, copayments, deductibles, and other amounts owed by
patients; billing a state Medicaid program at a price that is
higher than what is charged to one or more other payors; employing,
exercising control over, licensed professionals in violation of
state laws prohibiting corporate practice of medicine and other
professions, and prohibitions against the splitting of professional
fees with licensed professionals; and
•
similar foreign laws and regulations that apply to us in the
countries in which we operate or may operate in the
future.
As a clinical laboratory, our business practices may face
additional scrutiny from government regulatory agencies such as the
Department of Justice, the HHS Office of Inspector General (the
“OIG”), and CMS. Certain arrangements between clinical laboratories
and referring physicians have been identified in fraud alerts
issued by the OIG as implicating the Anti-Kickback Statute. The OIG
has stated that it is particularly concerned about these types of
arrangements because the choice of laboratory, as well as the
decision to order laboratory tests, typically are made or strongly
influenced by the physician, with little or no input from patients.
Moreover, the provision of payments or other items of value by a
clinical laboratory to a referral source could be prohibited under
the Stark Law unless the arrangement meets all criteria of an
applicable exception. The government has been active in enforcement
of these laws as they apply to clinical laboratories.
The growth of our business, including services we provide under our
agreement with Natera, and our expansion outside of the U.S. may
increase the potential of violating these laws or our internal
policies and procedures. The risk of our being found in violation
of these or other laws and regulations is further increased by the
fact that many have not been fully interpreted by the regulatory
authorities or the courts, and their provisions are open to a
variety of interpretations. Any action brought against us for
violation of these or other laws or regulations, even if we
successfully defend against it, could cause us to incur significant
legal expenses and reputational harm and divert our management’s
attention from the operation of our business. If our operations are
found to be in violation of any of these laws and regulations, we
may be subject to any applicable penalty associated with the
violation, including significant administrative, civil and criminal
penalties, damages, fines, disgorgement, imprisonment, exclusion
from participation in federal healthcare programs, refunding of
payments received by us, integrity oversight and reporting
obligations, and curtailment or cessation of our operations. Any of
the foregoing consequences could seriously harm our business and
our financial results.
43
Table of Contents
We could be adversely affected by violations of the FCPA and other
worldwide anti-bribery laws.
We are subject to the FCPA, which prohibits companies and their
intermediaries from making payments in violation of law to non-U.S.
government officials for the purpose of obtaining or retaining
business or securing any other improper advantage. Other U.S.
companies in the medical device and pharmaceutical fields have
faced criminal penalties under the FCPA for allowing their agents
to deviate from appropriate practices in doing business with these
individuals. We are also subject to similar anti-bribery laws in
the jurisdictions in which we operate, including the U.K.’s Bribery
Act of 2010, which also prohibits commercial bribery and makes it a
crime for companies to fail to prevent bribery. These laws are
complex and far-reaching in nature, and, as a result, we cannot
assure you that we would not be required in the future to alter one
or more of our practices to be in compliance with these laws or any
changes in these laws or the interpretation thereof. Any violations
of these laws, or allegations of such violations, could disrupt our
operations, involve significant management distraction, involve
significant costs and expenses, including legal fees, and could
result in a material adverse effect on our business, prospects,
financial condition or results of operations. We could also incur
severe penalties, including criminal and civil penalties,
disgorgement, and other remedial measures.
Changes in health care policy could increase our costs, decrease
our revenue, and impact sales of and reimbursement for our
tests.
In March 2010, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, as
amended by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act (the
“ACA”), became law. This law substantially changed the way health
care is financed by both commercial payers and government payers,
and significantly impacts our industry. The ACA contains a number
of provisions that are expected to impact the business and
operations of our customers, some of which in ways we cannot
currently predict, including those governing enrollment in state
and federal health care programs, reimbursement changes, and fraud
and abuse, which will impact existing state and federal health care
programs and will result in the development of new
programs.
Among other things, the ACA:
•
expanded eligibility criteria for Medicaid programs by, among other
things, allowing states to offer Medicaid coverage to additional
individuals and by adding new mandatory eligibility categories for
individuals with income at or below 133% of the federal poverty
level, thereby potentially increasing manufacturers’ Medicaid
rebate liability;
•
established a new Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute to
oversee and identify priorities in comparative clinical efficacy
research in an effort to coordinate and develop such research;
and
•
established a Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation at CMS to
test innovative payment and service delivery models to lower
Medicare and Medicaid spending.
There have been executive, judicial and Congressional challenges to
certain aspects of the ACA, as well as efforts by the former Trump
administration to repeal or replace certain aspects of the ACA.
Since January 2017, former President Trump signed several Executive
Orders and other directives to delay the implementation of certain
requirements of the ACA. Concurrently, Congress considered
legislation that would repeal, or repeal and replace, all or part
of the ACA. While Congress has not passed comprehensive repeal
legislation, it has enacted laws that modify certain provisions of
the ACA such as removing penalties, starting January 1, 2019, for
not complying with the ACA’s “individual mandate” to carry health
insurance and eliminating the implementation of certain
ACA-mandated fees. On June 17, 2021 the U.S. Supreme Court
dismissed a challenge on procedural grounds that argued the ACA is
unconstitutional in its entirety because the “individual mandate”
was repealed by Congress. Further, prior to the U.S. Supreme Court
ruling, on January 28, 2021, President Biden issued an executive
order that initiated a special enrollment period for purposes of
obtaining health insurance coverage through the ACA marketplace The
executive order also instructed certain governmental agencies to
review and reconsider their existing policies and rules that limit
access to healthcare, including among others, reexamining Medicaid
demonstration projects and waiver programs that include work
requirements, and policies that create unnecessary barriers to
obtaining access to health insurance coverage through Medicaid or
the ACA. Further, on August 16, 2022, President Biden signed the
Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (the “IRA 2022”) into law, which
among other things, extends enhanced subsidies for individuals
purchasing health insurance coverage in ACA marketplaces through
plan year 2025. The IRA 2022 also eliminates the “donut hole” under
the Medicare Part D program beginning in 2025 by significantly
lowering the beneficiary maximum out-of-pocket cost and through a
newly established manufacturer discount program. It is possible
that the ACA will be subject to judicial or Congressional
challenges in the future. Efforts to repeal, substantially modify
or invalidate some or all of the provisions of the ACA create
considerable uncertainties for all businesses involved in
healthcare, including our own. It is unclear how such future
efforts to repeal and replace the ACA will impact the ACA and our
business. Additional legislation may be enacted that further
amends, or repeals, the ACA, which could result in lower numbers of
insured individuals, reduced coverage for insured individuals and
adversely affect our and our customers’ business.
In addition, other legislative changes have been proposed and
adopted since the ACA was enacted. On August 2, 2011, the Budget
Control Act of 2011 was signed into law, which, among other things,
reduced Medicare payments to providers by 2% per fiscal year,
effective on April 1, 2013 and, due to subsequent legislative
amendments to the statute, will remain until 2031 unless additional
Congressional action is taken. Under current legislation, the
actual reduction in Medicate payments will vary from 1% in 2022 to
up to 4% in the final fiscal year of this sequester. On January 2,
2013, the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 was signed into law,
which, among other things, reduced Medicare payments to several
providers, including hospitals, and increased the statute of
limitations period for the government to recover overpayments to
providers from three to five years. The Medicare Access and CHIP
Reauthorization Act of 2015, enacted on April 16, 2015 (“MACRA”)
repealed the formula by which Medicare made annual payment
adjustments to physicians and
44
Table of Contents
replaced the former formula with fixed annual updates, and
established a quality payment incentive program, also referred to
as the Quality Payment Program. This program provides clinicians
with two ways to participate, including through the APMs, and the
Merit-based Incentive Payment System. In November 2019, CMS issued
a final rule finalizing the changes to the Quality Payment Program.
At this time, it is unclear how the introduction of the Quality
Payment Program will continue to impact physician reimbursement
under the Medicare program. Any reduction in reimbursement from
Medicare or other government programs may result in a similar
reduction in payments from private payors.
In April 2014, Congress passed the Protecting Access to Medicare
Act of 2014 (“PAMA”), which included substantial changes to the way
in which clinical laboratory services are paid under Medicare.
Under PAMA, laboratories that receive the majority of their
Medicare revenue from payments made under the Physician Fee
Schedule are required to report to CMS, beginning in 2017 and every
three years thereafter (or annually for “advanced diagnostic
laboratory tests”), private payer payment rates and volumes for
their tests. CMS will use this data to calculate a weighted median
payment rate for each test, which will be used to establish revised
Medicare reimbursement rates for the tests. Laboratories that fail
to report the required payment information may be subject to
substantial civil monetary penalties. Reporting of payment data
under PAMA for clinical diagnostic laboratory tests has been
delayed on numerous occasions. Based on current law, between
January 1, 2023 and March 31, 2023, applicable laboratories will be
required to report on data collected during January 1, 2019 and
June 30, 2019. This data will be utilized to determine 2024 to 2026
Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule rates. The payment rate applies to
laboratory tests furnished by a hospital laboratory if the test is
separately paid under the hospital outpatient prospective payment
system. It is still too early to predict the full impact on
reimbursement for our current tests or those in
development.
Pursuant to the CARES Act, the statutory phase-in of the payment
reductions has been extended through 2024 with a 0% reduction cap
for 2021-2022 and a 15% reduction cap for 2023 through 2025. It is
unclear what impact new quality and payment programs, such as
MACRA, or new pricing structures, such as those adopted under PAMA,
may have on our business, financial condition, results of
operations, or cash flows. We also anticipate there will continue
to be proposals by legislators at both the federal and state
levels, regulators and private payers to reduce costs while
expanding individual healthcare benefits. Certain of these changes
could impose additional limitations on the prices we will be able
to charge for our tests, the coverage of or the amounts of
reimbursement available for our tests from payers, including
commercial payers and government payers.
If we use hazardous materials in a manner that causes injury, we
could be liable for resulting damages.
Our activities currently require the use of hazardous chemicals and
biological material. We cannot eliminate the risk of an accidental
environmental release or injury to employees or third parties from
the use, storage, handling, or disposal of these materials. In the
event of an environmental release or injury, we could be held
liable for any resulting damages, and any liability could exceed
our resources or any applicable insurance coverage we may have.
Additionally, we are subject on an ongoing basis to federal, state,
and local laws and regulations governing the use, storage,
handling, and disposal of these materials and specified waste
products. The cost of maintaining compliance with these laws and
regulations may become significant and our failure to comply may
result in substantial fines or other consequences, and either could
negatively affect our operating results.
Changes in tax laws or regulations could adversely affect our
business and financial condition.
On December 22, 2017, former President Trump signed into law
comprehensive tax legislation (the “Tax Cuts and Jobs Act”) that
significantly revised the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended
(the “Code”). Future guidance from the U.S. Internal Revenue
Service and other tax authorities with respect to the Tax Cuts and
Jobs Act may affect us, and certain aspects of the Tax Cuts and
Jobs Act could be repealed or modified in future legislation. For
example, on March 27, 2020, the CARES Act was enacted, which
includes changes to the tax provisions that benefit business
entities and makes certain technical corrections to the Tax Cuts
and Jobs Act. On December 27, 2020, the Consolidated Appropriations
Act, a coronavirus relief package that extended and expanded
various tax provisions, was signed into law. The IRA 2022 includes
provisions that will impact the U.S. federal income taxation of
corporations, including imposing a minimum tax on the book income
of certain large corporations and an excise tax on certain
corporate stock repurchases that would be imposed on the
corporation repurchasing such stock. Changes in corporate tax
rates, the realization of net deferred tax assets relating to our
U.S. operations, the taxation of foreign earnings, and the
deductibility of expenses under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, the
CARES Act, or future tax reform legislation could have a material
impact on the value of our deferred tax assets, could result in
significant one-time charges in the current or future taxable
years, and could increase our future U.S. tax expense. The
foregoing items, as well as any other future changes in tax laws,
could have a material adverse effect on our business, cash flow,
financial condition, or results of operations. In addition, it is
uncertain if and to what extent various states will conform to the
Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, the CARES Act, IRA 2022, or any newly
enacted federal tax legislation.
Our effective tax rate may fluctuate, and we may incur obligations
in tax jurisdictions in excess of accrued amounts.
We are subject to taxation in numerous U.S. states and territories,
as well as various non-U.S. jurisdictions. As a result, our
effective tax rate is derived from a combination of applicable tax
rates in the various jurisdictions that we operate. In preparing
our financial statements, we estimate the amount of tax that will
become payable in each jurisdiction. Nevertheless, our effective
tax rate may be different than experienced in the past due to
numerous factors, including passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act
and the CARES Act, changes in the mix of our profitability from
state to state, the results of examinations and audits of our tax
filings, our inability to secure or sustain acceptable agreements
with tax authorities, changes in accounting for income taxes and
changes in tax laws. The foregoing items could increase our future
tax expense, change our future intentions regarding reinvestment of
foreign earnings, and could have a material
45
Table of Contents
adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of
operations. Any of these factors could cause us to experience an
effective tax rate significantly different from previous periods or
our current expectations and may result in tax obligations in
excess of amounts accrued in our financial statements.
The exit of the U.K. from the EU could lead to further regulatory
divergence and require us to incur additional expenses in order to
develop, manufacture, and commercialize our products and
services.
Following the result of a referendum in 2016, the U.K. left the EU
on January 31, 2020, commonly referred to as “Brexit.” Pursuant to
the formal withdrawal arrangements agreed between the U.K. and the
EU, the U.K. was subject to a transition period until December 31,
2020 (the “Transition Period”), during which EU rules continued to
apply. The U.K. and the EU have signed the EU-U.K. Trade and
Cooperation Agreement ("TCA"), which became provisionally
applicable on January 1, 2021 and entered into force on May 1,
2021. This agreement provides details on how some aspects of the
U.K. and EU's relationship will operate in the future. However,
there are still many uncertainties. On May 26, 2022, the IVDR
entered into application in the EU. However, the IVDR is not
applicable in the U.K. In the U.K., IVDs are governed by the
Medical Devices Regulations 2002 (SI 2002 No 618, as amended) (UK
MDR 2002) which retains a regulatory framework similar to the
framework set out by the IVDD. As a result, there will be some
regulatory divergence in the U.K. from the EU in light of the fact
that the CE marking process is set out in EU law, which no longer
applies in the U.K. The U.K. has devised a new route to market
culminating in a U.K. Conformity Assessed ("UKCA") mark to replace
the CE Mark for placing IVDs on the market in Great Britain
(“G.B.”). Northern Ireland will, however, continue to be covered by
the regulations governing CE Marks (a CE Mark or a CE Mark and UKNI
Mark will be required to place products on the Northern Ireland
market). It is anticipated that CE Marks will, at least in the
short term, continue to be recognized in G.B. for medical devices
until June 30, 2024, however, all medical devices and IVDs must be
registered with the MHRA, in order to be placed on the G.B. market.
The EU legal framework, including the IVDR, remains applicable in
Northern Ireland (any products placed on the market in the NI must
be compliant with EU law). From July 1, 2024, in principle, a UKCA
mark will be required in order to place a device on the G.B.
market. The nature of any new regulation in the U.K. is uncertain,
and as such, we may experience delays in obtaining future access to
the U.K. and other European markets. The U.K.’s departure from the
EU has also impacted customs regulations and impacted timing and
ease of shipments into the EU from the U.K.
Should the U.K. or G.B. further diverge from the EU from a
regulatory perspective, tariffs could be put into place in the
future. We could therefore, both now and in the future, face
significant additional expenses to operate our business, which
could significantly and materially harm or delay our ability to
generate revenue or achieve profitability of our business. Any
further changes in international trade, tariff and import/export
regulations as a result of Brexit or otherwise may impose
unexpected duty costs or other non-tariff barriers on us. These
developments, or the perception that any of them could occur, may
significantly reduce global trade and, in particular, trade between
the EU and the U.K. It is also possible that Brexit may negatively
affect our ability to attract and retain employees in the U.K.,
particularly those from the EU.
Our business could be negatively impacted by environmental, social
and corporate governance (ESG) matters or our reporting of such
matters.
There is an increasing focus from certain investors, employees,
partners, and other stakeholders concerning ESG matters. We may be,
or be perceived to be, not acting responsibly in connection with
these matters, which could negatively impact us. Moreover, the SEC
has recently proposed, and may continue to propose, certain
mandated ESG reporting requirements, such as the SEC's proposed
rules designed to enhance and standardize climate-related
disclosures, which, if finally approved, would significantly
increase our compliance and reporting costs and may also result in
disclosures that certain investors or other stakeholders deem to
negatively impact our reputation and/or that harm our stock price.
We currently do not report our environmental emissions and absent a
legal requirement to do so we currently do not plan to report our
environmental emissions, and lack of reporting could result in
certain investors declining to invest in our common
stock.
Intellectual Property Risks
Litigation or other proceedings or third-party claims of
intellectual property infringement, misappropriation or other
violations may require us to spend significant time and money, and
could in the future prevent us from selling our tests or impact our
stock price, any of which could have a material adverse
effect.
Our commercial success will depend, in part, on our avoiding
infringement of patents and the infringement, misappropriation, or
other violation of proprietary rights of third parties, including,
for example, the intellectual property of competitors. There is
extensive intellectual property litigation involving the
biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries and genetic sequencing
technology, including with regard to liquid biopsy assays such as
those designed to detect or quantify MRD or recurrence in patients
previously diagnosed with cancer. Our activities may be subject to
claims that we infringe or otherwise violate patents owned or
controlled by third parties. Numerous U.S. and foreign patents and
pending patent applications exist in the genetic testing market and
are owned by third parties. We cannot assure you that our
operations do not, or will not in the future, infringe existing or
future patents. For example, we are aware of several third-party
issued U.S. patents and pending patent applications with claims
relating to genetic sequencing technology and methodology that may
be asserted against us and may be construed to encompass our
products and services. In order to avoid liability related to an
allegation of infringement of these third-party patents, we may
find it necessary or prudent to initiate invalidity proceedings
against such patents or to obtain licenses from such third-party
intellectual property holders. If we are not able to invalidate
such patents or obtain or maintain a license on commercially
reasonable terms and such third parties assert infringement claims
against us, we may be prevented from exploiting our technology and
our business, financial condition, results of operations, and
prospects may be materially and adversely
46
Table of Contents
affected. We may also be unaware of patents that a third party,
including for example a competitor in the genetic testing market,
might assert are infringed by our business. There may also be
patent applications that, if issued as patents, could be asserted
against us. Patent applications in the U.S. and elsewhere are
typically published approximately 18 months after the earliest
filing for which priority is claimed, with such earliest filing
date being commonly referred to as the priority date. Certain U.S.
patent applications that will not be filed outside the U.S. can
remain confidential until patents issue. Therefore, patent
applications covering our products, services, or technologies could
have been filed by third parties without our knowledge.
Additionally, pending patent applications that have been published
can, subject to certain limitations, be later amended in a manner
that could cover our products, services, technologies, and their
use. The scope of a patent claim is determined by an interpretation
of the law, the written disclosure in a patent, and the patent’s
prosecution history and can involve other factors such as expert
opinion. Our interpretation of the relevance or the scope of claims
in a patent or a pending application may be incorrect, which may
negatively impact our ability to market our products and services.
Further, we may incorrectly determine that our technologies,
products, or services are not covered by a third-party patent or
may incorrectly predict whether a third party’s pending patent
application will issue with claims of relevant scope. Our
determination of the expiration date of any patent in the U.S. or
abroad that we consider relevant may be incorrect, which may
negatively impact our ability to develop and market our products or
services.
Third-party intellectual property right holders may also actively
bring infringement or other intellectual property-related claims
against us, even if we have received patent protection for our
technologies, products, and services. Regardless of the merit of
third parties’ claims against us for infringement,
misappropriation, or violations of their intellectual property
rights, such third parties may seek and obtain injunctive or other
equitable relief, which could effectively block our ability to
perform our tests. Further, if a patent infringement suit were
brought against us, we could be forced to stop or delay our
development or sales of any tests or other activities that are the
subject of such suit. Defense of these claims, even if such claims
are resolved in our favor, could cause us to incur substantial
expenses and be a substantial diversion of our employee resources
even if we are ultimately successful. Any adverse ruling or
perception of an adverse ruling in defending ourselves could have a
material adverse impact on our cash position and stock price. Such
litigation or proceedings could substantially increase our
operating losses and reduce the resources available for development
activities or any future sales, marketing, or distribution
activities. We may not have sufficient financial or other resources
to conduct such litigation or proceedings adequately. Some of our
competitors may be able to sustain the costs of such litigation or
proceedings more effectively than we can because of their greater
financial resources.
As we continue to commercialize our tests in their current or an
updated form, launch different and expanded tests, and enter new
markets, other competitors or potential competitors might claim
that our tests infringe, misappropriate, or violate their
intellectual property rights as part of business strategies
designed to impede our successful commercialization and entry into
new markets. If such a suit were brought, regardless of merit,
there is no assurance that a court would find in our favor on
questions of infringement, validity, enforceability, or priority.
Even if we are successful in defending against such a suit, we
could incur substantial costs and diversion of the attention of our
management and technical personnel in defending ourselves against
such claims. A court of competent jurisdiction could hold that
third-party patents asserted against us are valid, enforceable, and
infringed, which could materially and adversely affect our ability
to commercialize any products, services or technologies we may
develop and any other technologies covered by the asserted
third-party patents and any adverse ruling or perception of an
adverse ruling in defending ourselves could have a material adverse
impact on our cash position and stock price. If we are found to
infringe, misappropriate, or otherwise violate a third party’s
intellectual property rights, and we are unsuccessful in
demonstrating that such rights are invalid or unenforceable, we may
be required to pay substantial damages, including treble damages
and attorneys’ fees for willful infringement; obtain one or more
licenses from third parties in order to continue developing and
marketing our products, services and technology, which may not be
available on commercially reasonable terms (if at all) or may be
non-exclusive, thereby giving our competitors and other third
parties access to the same technologies licensed to us; pay
substantial royalties and other fees; and redesign any infringing
tests or other activities, which may be impossible or require
substantial time and monetary expenditure; or be prohibited from
commercializing certain tests, all of which could have a material
adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of
operations, and prospects.
Where we collaborate with third parties in the development of
technology, our collaborators may not properly maintain or defend
our intellectual property rights or may use our proprietary
information in such a way as to invite litigation that could
jeopardize or invalidate our intellectual property or proprietary
information. Further, collaborators may infringe the intellectual
property rights of third parties, which may expose us to litigation
and potential liability. Also, we may be obligated under our
agreements with our collaborators, licensors, suppliers, and others
to indemnify and hold them harmless for damages arising from
intellectual property infringement by us.
If we cannot license rights to use technologies on reasonable
terms, we may not be able to commercialize new services or products
in the future.
In the future, we may identify additional third-party intellectual
property we may need to license in order to engage in our business,
including to develop or commercialize new products or services.
However, such licenses may not be available on acceptable terms, or
at all. Even if such licenses are available, we may be required to
pay the licensor substantial royalties based on sales of our
products and services. Such royalties are a component of the cost
of our products or services and may affect the margins on our
products and services. In addition, such licenses may be
nonexclusive, which could give our competitors access to the same
intellectual property licensed to us. If we are unable to enter
into the necessary licenses on acceptable terms or at all, if any
necessary licenses are subsequently terminated, if our licensors
fail to abide by the terms of the licenses, if our licensors fail
to prevent infringement by third parties, or if the licensed
patents or other rights are found to be invalid or unenforceable,
our business, financial condition, results of operations, and
prospects could be materially and adversely affected.
47
Table of Contents
If licenses to third-party intellectual property rights are or
become required for us to engage in our business, the rights may be
non-exclusive, which could give our competitors access to the same
technology or intellectual property rights licensed to us.
Moreover, we could encounter delays in the introduction of tests
while we attempt to develop alternatives. Defense of any lawsuit or
failure to obtain any of these licenses on favorable terms could
prevent us from commercializing tests, which could materially
affect our ability to grow and thus adversely affect our business
and financial condition.
Developments or uncertainty in the patent statute, patent case law,
or U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”), rules and
regulations may impact the validity, scope or enforceability of our
patent rights, thereby impairing our ability to protect our
services and products.
Our patent rights, their associated costs, and the enforcement or
defense of such patent rights may be affected by developments or
uncertainty in the patent statute, patent case law, or USPTO rules
and regulations.
The standards applied by the USPTO and foreign patent offices in
granting patents are not always applied uniformly or predictably.
For example, there is no uniform worldwide policy regarding
patentable subject matter or the scope of claims allowable in
biotechnology patents. As such, we do not know the degree of future
protection that we will have on our technologies, products, and
services. While we will endeavor to try to protect our
technologies, products, and services with intellectual property
rights such as patents, as appropriate, the process of obtaining
patents is time-consuming, expensive, and sometimes
unpredictable.
In addition, the patent position of companies engaged in the
development and commercialization of diagnostic tests is
particularly uncertain. Various courts, including the Supreme Court
have rendered decisions that affect the scope of patentability of
certain inventions or discoveries relating to certain diagnostic
tests and related methods. These decisions state, among other
things, that a patent claim that recites an abstract idea, natural
phenomenon or a law of nature (for example, the relationship
between particular genetic variants and cancer) are not themselves
patentable. Precisely what constitutes a law of nature or abstract
idea is uncertain, and it is possible that certain aspects of
genetic diagnostics tests would be considered natural laws.
Accordingly, the evolving case law in the U.S. may adversely affect
our ability to obtain patents and may facilitate third-party
challenges to any owned or licensed patents. The laws of some
foreign countries do not protect intellectual property rights to
the same extent as the laws of the U.S., and we may encounter
difficulties in protecting and defending such rights in foreign
jurisdictions. The legal systems of many other countries do not
favor the enforcement of patents and other intellectual property
protection, particularly those relating to biotechnology, which
could make it difficult for us to stop the infringement of our
patents in such countries. Proceedings to enforce our patent rights
in foreign jurisdictions could result in substantial cost and
divert our efforts and attention from other aspects of our
business.
Patent terms may be inadequate to protect our competitive position
for an adequate amount of time.
Patents have a limited lifespan. In the U.S., the natural
expiration of a patent is generally 20 years after its first
effective non-provisional filing date. Although various extensions
may be available, the life of a patent, and the protection it
affords, is limited. Even if patents covering our technologies,
products, and services are obtained, once the patent life has
expired, we may be open to competition from competitive products or
services. Our issued patents will expire on dates ranging from 2033
to 2038, subject to any patent extensions that may be available for
such patents. If patents are issued on our pending patent
applications, the resulting patents are projected to expire on
dates ranging from 2033 to 2042. In addition, although upon
issuance in the U.S., a patent’s life can be increased based on
certain delays caused by the USPTO, this increase can be reduced or
eliminated based on certain delays caused by the patent applicant
during patent prosecution. If we do not have sufficient patent life
to protect our technologies, products and services, our competitive
position, business, financial condition, results of operations, and
prospects will be adversely affected.
If we are not able to obtain and enforce patent protection for any
services or products we develop and for our technologies, or if the
scope of patent protection obtained is not sufficiently broad, our
competitors and other third parties could develop and commercialize
products, services and technology similar or identical to ours, and
our ability to successfully commercialize our products, services,
and technologies may be adversely affected.
We have applied, and we intend to continue applying, for patents
covering such aspects of our technologies as we deem appropriate.
However, the patent process is expensive, time consuming, and
complex, and we may not be able to apply for patents on certain
aspects of our services, products, and other technologies in a
timely fashion, at a reasonable cost, in all jurisdictions or at
all, and any potential patent coverage we obtain may not be
sufficient to prevent substantial competition.
Moreover, the patent position of biotechnology companies can be
highly uncertain because it involves complex legal and factual
questions for which important legal principles remain unresolved.
No consistent policy regarding the breadth of claims allowed in
such companies’ patents has emerged to date in the U.S. or
elsewhere. Courts frequently render opinions in the biotechnology
field that may affect the patentability of certain inventions or
discoveries, including opinions that may affect the patentability
of methods for analyzing nucleic acid sequences.
Others may independently develop similar or alternative
technologies or design around technologies for which we may not be
able to obtain patent protection. In addition, any patent
applications we file may be challenged and may not result in issued
patents or may be invalidated, rendered unenforceable or narrowed
in scope after they are issued, and there is no guarantee any of
our issued patents include or will include claims that are
sufficiently broad to cover our products, services, and other
technologies or to provide meaningful protection from our
competitors. Consequently, we do not know whether any of our
platform advances, products, services,
48
Table of Contents
and other technologies will be protectable or remain protected by
valid and enforceable patents. Our competitors or other third
parties may be able to circumvent our patents by developing similar
or alternative technologies, services, or products in a
non-infringing manner.
Even if they are unchallenged, our patents and patent applications
may not adequately protect our intellectual property, provide
exclusivity for our technologies, products, and services, or
prevent others from designing around our claims. Any finding that
our patents or applications are invalid, unpatentable, or
unenforceable could harm our ability to prevent others from
practicing the related technology, and a finding that others have
inventorship or ownership rights to our patents and applications
could require us to obtain certain rights to practice related
technologies, which may not be available on favorable terms, if at
all. If we initiate lawsuits to protect or enforce our patents, or
litigate against third-party claims, which would be expensive, and,
if we lose, we may lose some of our intellectual property rights.
Furthermore, these lawsuits may divert the attention of our
management and technical personnel. Any of the foregoing could have
a material adverse effect on our competitive position, business,
financial condition, results of operations, and
prospects.
Once granted, patents may remain open to opposition, interference,
re-examination, post-grant review,
inter partes
review, nullification or derivation action in court or before
patent offices or similar proceedings for a given period after
allowance or grant, during which time third parties can raise
objections against such initial grant. In the course of such
proceedings, which may continue for a protracted period of time,
the patent owner may be compelled to limit the scope of the granted
claims thus attacked, or may lose the granted claims altogether. An
adverse determination in any such proceeding or litigation could
reduce the scope of, or invalidate, our patent rights, allow third
parties to commercialize our technology, services, or products and
compete directly with us, without payment to us, or result in our
inability to commercialize our products, services, and technologies
without infringing third-party patent rights. Such proceedings also
may result in substantial cost and require significant time from
our scientists and management, even if the eventual outcome is
favorable to us. If the breadth or strength of protection provided
by our patents and patent applications is threatened, regardless of
the outcome, it could dissuade companies from collaborating with us
to license, develop or commercialize current or future products,
services, or technologies. In addition, there can be no assurance
that:
•
others will not or may not be able to make, use, offer to sell, or
sell tests that are the same as or similar to our products or
services but that are not covered by the claims of the patents that
we own or license;
•
we or our future licensors or collaborators are the first to make
the inventions covered by each of our issued patents and pending
patent applications that we own or license;
•
we or our future licensors or collaborators are the first to file
patent applications covering certain aspects of our
inventions;
•
others will not independently develop similar or alternative
technologies or duplicate any of our technologies without
infringing our intellectual property rights;
•
a third party may not challenge our patents and, if challenged, a
court would hold that our patents are valid, enforceable, and
infringed;
•
any issued patents that we own or may license will provide us with
any competitive advantages, or will not be challenged by third
parties;
•
we may develop or in-license additional proprietary technologies
that are patentable;
•
pending patent applications that we own or may license will lead to
issued patents;
•
the patents of others will not have a material or adverse effect on
our business, financial condition, results of operations, and
prospects; and
•
our competitors do not conduct research and development activities
in countries where we do not have enforceable patent rights and
then use the information learned from such activities to develop
competitive products or services for sale in our major commercial
markets.
The issuance of a patent is not conclusive as to its inventorship,
scope, validity, or enforceability. Some of our patents or patent
applications may be challenged at a future point in time in
opposition, derivation, reexamination,
inter partes
review, post-grant review, or interference proceedings. Any
successful opposition to these patents or any other patents owned
by or, if applicable in the future, licensed to us could deprive us
of rights necessary for the practice of our technologies or the
successful commercialization of any products, services, or
technologies that we may develop, which could lead to increased
competition to our business and harm our business. Since patent
applications in the U.S. and most other countries are confidential
for a period of time after filing, we cannot be certain that we or
our licensors were the first to file any patent application related
to our technologies, products, or services. Furthermore, an
interference proceeding can be provoked by a third party or
instituted by the USPTO to determine who was the first to invent
any of the subject matter covered by the patent claims of our
applications for any application with an effective filing date
before March 16, 2013.
Where we obtain licenses from or collaborate with third parties, in
some circumstances, we may not have the right to control the
preparation, filing, and prosecution of patent applications, or to
maintain the patents, covering technology that we license from
third parties. We may also require the cooperation of our licensors
and collaborators to enforce any licensed patent rights, and such
cooperation may not be provided. Therefore, these patents and
applications may not be prosecuted and enforced in a manner
consistent with the best interests of our business. Moreover, if we
do obtain necessary licenses, we will likely have obligations under
those licenses, and any failure to satisfy those obligations could
give our licensor the right to terminate the license. Termination
of a necessary license could have a material adverse impact on our
business.
49
Table of Contents
It is also possible that we fail to file patent applications
covering inventions made in the course of development and
commercialization activities before a competitor or another third
party files a patent application covering, or publishes information
disclosing, a similar, independently-developed invention. Such
competitor’s patent application may pose obstacles to our ability
to obtain or limit the scope of patent protection we may obtain.
Although we enter into non-disclosure and confidentiality
agreements with parties who have access to confidential or
patentable aspects of our research and development output, such as
our employees, collaborators, contract manufacturers, consultants,
advisors, and other third parties, any of these parties may breach
the agreements and disclose such output before a patent application
is filed, thereby jeopardizing our ability to seek patent
protection. In addition, publications of discoveries in the
scientific literature often lag behind the actual discoveries, and
patent applications in the U.S. and other jurisdictions are
typically not published until 18 months after filing, or in some
cases not at all. Therefore, we cannot be certain that we or our
licensors were the first to make the inventions claimed in our
owned or licensed patents or pending patent applications, or were
the first to file for patent protection of such inventions. To
determine the priority of these inventions, we may have to
participate in interference proceedings, derivation
proceedings,
inter partes
review proceedings, or other post-grant proceedings declared by the
USPTO that could result in substantial cost to us. The outcome of
such proceedings is uncertain. No assurance can be given that other
patent applications will not have priority over our patent
applications. In addition, changes to the patent laws of the U.S.
allow for various post-grant opposition proceedings, such as
inter partes
review proceedings, providing additional methods for others to
challenge our patents. An unfavorable outcome could require us to
cease using the related technology or to attempt to license rights
to it from the prevailing party. Our business could be harmed if
the prevailing party does not offer us a license on commercially
reasonable terms or at all, or if a non-exclusive license is
offered and our competitors gain access to the same technology.
Furthermore, if third parties bring these proceedings against our
patents, we could experience significant costs and management
distraction.
We are involved in legal proceedings to enforce our intellectual
property rights and may in the future become involved in other
lawsuits to protect or enforce our patents or other intellectual
property, which could be expensive, time consuming, and
unsuccessful.
Our intellectual property rights involve complex factual,
scientific and legal questions. We operate in an industry
characterized by significant intellectual property litigation. Even
though we may believe that we have a valid patent on a particular
technology, others may infringe our patents or the patents of our
licensing partners. For example, in August 2022, we filed an
amended complaint in the U.S. District Court for the District of
Colorado against Foresight for patent infringement and in October
2022 Foresight filed its answer and counterclaims (see the section
titled “Contingencies” in Note 9 to our consolidated financial
statements). Further, Foresight has filed four
inter partes
review petitions with the USPTO in an effort to invalidate the
patents that we are asserting against Foresight in our patent
infringement action. The USPTO has yet to issue a decision
regarding whether it will institute the
inter partes
reviews. In addition, our patents or the patents of our licensors
may become involved in inventorship, priority, or validity
disputes. To counter or defend against such claims can be expensive
and time consuming. In an infringement proceeding, a court may
refuse to stop the other party from using the technology at issue
on the grounds that our owned and in-licensed patents do not cover
the technology in question. Further in such proceedings, the
defendant could counterclaim that our asserted patent covering our
services or product is invalid or unenforceable, and the court may
agree that our asserted patent is invalid or unenforceable. In
patent litigation in the U.S., defendant counterclaims alleging
invalidity or unenforceability are commonplace. Grounds for a
validity challenge could be an alleged failure to meet any of
several statutory requirements, including lack of novelty,
obviousness, or non-enablement. Grounds for an unenforceability
assertion could be an allegation that someone connected with the
prosecution of the patent withheld relevant information from the
USPTO, or made a misleading statement, during prosecution. Third
parties may also raise similar claims before administrative bodies
in the U.S. or abroad, even outside the context of litigation. Such
mechanisms include re-examination, post grant review,
inter partes
review, and equivalent proceedings in foreign jurisdictions (e.g.,
opposition proceedings). Such proceedings could result in
revocation or amendment to our patents in such a way that they no
longer cover our services or product or the services or products of
our competitors. The outcome following legal assertions of
invalidity and unenforceability is unpredictable. With respect to
the validity question, for example, we cannot be certain that there
is no invalidating prior art, of which we and the patent examiner
were unaware during prosecution. An adverse result in any
litigation or other proceeding could put one or more of our owned
or in-licensed patents at risk of being invalidated or interpreted
narrowly. Such a loss of patent protection could have a material
adverse impact on our business. Furthermore, because of the
substantial amount of discovery required in connection with
intellectual property litigation, there is a risk that some of our
confidential information could be compromised by disclosure during
this type of litigation.
Even if resolved in our favor, litigation or other legal
proceedings relating to intellectual property claims may cause us
to incur significant expenses and could distract our personnel from
their normal responsibilities. In addition, there could be public
announcements of the results of hearings, motions, or other interim
proceedings or developments, and if securities analysts or
investors perceive these results to be negative, it could have a
substantial adverse effect on the price of our common stock. Such
litigation or proceedings could substantially increase our
operating losses and reduce the resources available for development
activities or any future sales, marketing, or distribution
activities. We may not have sufficient financial or other resources
to conduct such litigation or proceedings adequately. Some of our
competitors may be able to sustain the costs of such litigation or
proceedings more effectively than we can because of their greater
financial resources and more mature and developed intellectual
property portfolios. Uncertainties resulting from the initiation
and continuation of patent litigation or other proceedings could
have a material adverse effect on our ability to compete in the
marketplace.
If we are unable to protect the confidentiality of our trade
secrets and know-how, our business and competitive position would
be harmed.
We seek protection for certain aspects of our technologies,
products, and services through the filing of patents, registration
of copyrights, and use of non-disclosure agreements. In addition,
we also rely on trade secrets and proprietary know-how protection
for our
50
Table of Contents
confidential and proprietary information, and we have taken
security measures to protect this information. These measures,
however, may not provide adequate protection for our trade secrets,
know-how, or other confidential information. Among other things, we
seek to protect our trade secrets, know-how, and confidential
information by entering into confidentiality agreements with
parties who have access to them, such as our employees,
collaborators, contract manufacturers, consultants, advisors, and
other third parties. We cannot guarantee that we have entered into
such agreements with each party that may have or have had access to
our trade secrets or proprietary technology and processes.
Moreover, there can be no assurance that any confidentiality
agreements that we have with our employees, consultants, or other
third parties will provide meaningful protection for our trade
secrets, know-how, and confidential information or will provide
adequate remedies in the event of unauthorized use or disclosure of
such information. Despite these efforts, any of these parties may
breach the agreements and disclose our proprietary information,
including our trade secrets, and we may not be able to obtain
adequate remedies for such breaches. Monitoring unauthorized uses
and disclosures is difficult, and we do not know whether the steps
we have taken to protect our proprietary technologies will be
effective. Accordingly, there also can be no assurance that our
trade secrets or know-how will not otherwise become known or be
independently developed by competitors.
Enforcing a claim that a party illegally disclosed or
misappropriated a trade secret can be difficult, expensive, and
time-consuming, and the outcome is unpredictable. In addition,
trade secrets may be independently developed by others in a manner
that could prevent legal recourse by us. If any of our confidential
or proprietary information, such as our trade secrets, were to be
disclosed or misappropriated, or if any such information was
independently developed by a competitor, our competitive position
would be materially and adversely harmed.
Trade secrets and know-how can be difficult to protect as trade
secrets and know-how will over time be disseminated within the
industry through independent development, the publication of
journal articles, and the movement of personnel skilled in the art
from company to company or academic to industry scientific
positions. If any of our trade secrets were to be lawfully obtained
or independently developed by a competitor or other third party, we
would have no right to prevent such competitor from using that
technology or information to compete with us, which could harm our
competitive position. Because from time to time we expect to rely
on third parties in the development, manufacture and distribution
of our products and provision of our services, we must, at times,
share trade secrets with them. We seek to protect our proprietary
technology in part by entering into confidentiality agreements and,
if applicable, material transfer agreements, license agreements,
collaboration agreements, supply agreements, consulting agreements,
or other similar agreements with our advisors, employees,
collaborators, licensors, suppliers, third-party contractors, and
consultants prior to beginning research or disclosing proprietary
information. These agreements typically limit the rights of the
third parties to use or disclose our confidential information,
including our trade secrets and know-how. Despite the contractual
provisions employed when working with third parties, the need to
share trade secrets, know-how, and other confidential information
increases the risk that such trade secrets and know-how become
known by our competitors, are inadvertently incorporated into the
technology of others, or are disclosed or used in violation of
these agreements. Given that our proprietary position is based, in
part, on our know-how and trade secrets, a competitor’s discovery
of our trade secrets or know-how, or other unauthorized use or
disclosure would impair our competitive position and may have an
adverse effect on our business and results of
operations.
In addition, these agreements typically restrict the ability of our
advisors, employees, collaborators, licensors, suppliers,
third-party contractors, and consultants to publish data
potentially relating to our trade secrets or know-how, although our
agreements may contain certain limited publication rights. Despite
our efforts to protect our trade secrets and know-how, our
competitors may discover our trade secrets or know-how, either
through breach of our agreements with third parties, independent
development, or publication of information by any of our
third-party collaborators. A competitor’s discovery of our trade
secrets or know-how would impair our competitive position and have
a material adverse impact on our business.
We may not be able to enforce our intellectual property rights
throughout the world.
Filing, prosecuting, maintaining, defending, and enforcing patents
on our products, services, and technologies in all countries
throughout the world would be prohibitively expensive, and our
intellectual property rights in some countries outside the U.S. can
be less extensive than those in the U.S. Competitors may use our
technologies in jurisdictions where we have not obtained patent
protection to develop their own products and services and, further,
may export otherwise infringing products to territories where we
have patent protection or licenses but enforcement is not as strong
as that in the U.S. These services and products may compete with
our services and products, and our patents or other intellectual
property rights may not be effective or sufficient to prevent them
from competing. In addition, the laws of some foreign countries do
not protect proprietary rights to the same extent as the laws of
the U.S., and many companies have encountered significant
challenges in establishing and enforcing their proprietary rights
outside of the U.S. These challenges can be caused by the absence
or inconsistency of the application of rules and methods for the
establishment and enforcement of intellectual property rights
outside of the U.S. In addition, the legal systems of some
countries, particularly developing countries, do not favor the
enforcement of patents and other intellectual property protection,
especially those relating to healthcare. This could make it
difficult for us to stop the infringement of our patents, if
obtained, or the misappropriation of our other intellectual
property rights. For example, many foreign countries, including EU
countries, India, Japan, and China, have compulsory licensing laws
under which a patent owner may be compelled under specified
circumstances to grant licenses to third parties. In addition, many
countries limit the enforceability of patents against third
parties, including government agencies or government contractors.
In these countries, patents may provide limited or no benefit given
that we may have limited remedies available if patents are
infringed or if we are compelled to grant a license to a third
party, which could materially diminish the value of those patents
and limit our potential revenue opportunities. Furthermore, patent
protection must ultimately be sought on a country-by-country basis,
which is an expensive and time-consuming
51
Table of Contents
process with uncertain outcomes. Accordingly, we may choose not to
seek patent protection in certain countries, and we will not have
the benefit of patent protection in such countries.
Proceedings to enforce our patent rights in foreign jurisdictions
could result in substantial costs and divert our efforts and
attention from other aspects of our business. Accordingly, our
efforts to protect our intellectual property rights in such
countries may be inadequate. In addition, changes in the law and
legal decisions by courts in the U.S. and foreign countries may
affect our ability to obtain adequate protection for our products,
services and other technologies and the enforcement of intellectual
property. Any of the foregoing could have a material adverse effect
on our competitive position, business, financial condition, results
of operations, and prospects.
Obtaining and maintaining patent protection depends on compliance
with various procedural, document submission, fee payment and other
requirements imposed by governmental patent agencies, and our
patent protection could be reduced or eliminated for non-compliance
with these requirements.
The USPTO and various foreign governmental patent agencies require
compliance with a number of procedural, documentary, fee payment,
and other provisions during the patent application and prosecution
process. Periodic maintenance fees, renewal fees, annuity fees, and
various other governmental fees on patents and/or applications will
be due to be paid to the USPTO and various other governmental
patent agencies outside of the U.S. in several stages over the
lifetime of the patents and/or applications. We employ reputable
professionals and rely on such third parties to help us comply with
these requirements and effect payment of these fees with respect to
the patents and patent applications that we own. Noncompliance
events that could result in abandonment or lapse of a patent or
patent application include failure to respond to official
communications within prescribed time limits, non-payment of fees
and failure to properly legalize and submit formal documents. In
many cases, an inadvertent lapse can be cured by payment of a late
fee or by other means in accordance with the applicable rules.
However, there are situations in which noncompliance can result in
abandonment or lapse of a patent or patent application, resulting
in loss of patent rights in the relevant jurisdiction. In such an
event, competitors might be able to enter the market earlier than
would otherwise have been the case, which could have a material
adverse effect on our competitive position, business, financial
condition, results of operations, and prospects.
Third parties may assert that our employees or consultants have
wrongfully used or disclosed confidential information or
misappropriated trade secrets.
We employ individuals who were previously employed or otherwise
engaged with universities or genetic testing, diagnostic or other
healthcare companies, including our competitors or potential
competitors.
Although we have policies to ensure that our employees and
consultants do not use the proprietary information or know-how of
others in their work for us, we may be subject to claims that we or
our employees or consultants have inadvertently or otherwise used
or disclosed intellectual property, including trade secrets or
other proprietary information, of a former employer or other third
parties. Further, we may be subject to ownership disputes in the
future arising, for example, from conflicting obligations of
consultants or others who are involved in developing our
intellectual property. Litigation may be necessary to defend
against these claims. If we fail in defending any such claims, in
addition to paying monetary damages, we may lose valuable
intellectual property rights or personnel. Even if we are
successful in defending against such claims, litigation could
result in substantial costs and be a distraction to management and
other employees. Such claims could have a material adverse effect
on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and
prospects.
In addition, while it is our policy to require our employees and
contractors who may be involved in the conception or development of
intellectual property to execute agreements assigning such
intellectual property to us, we may be unsuccessful in executing
such an agreement with each party who, in fact, conceives or
develops intellectual property that we regard as our own. The
assignment of intellectual property rights may not be
self-executing, or the assignment agreements may be breached, and
we may be forced to bring claims against third parties, or defend
claims that they may bring against us, to determine the ownership
of what we regard as our intellectual property. Such claims could
have a material adverse effect on our business, financial
condition, results of operations, and prospects.
Our use of “open source” software could subject our proprietary
software to general release, adversely affect our ability to sell
our products and services, and subject us to possible
litigation.
A portion of the products, services or technologies licensed,
developed, and/or distributed by us incorporate so-called “open
source” software and we may incorporate open source software into
other products, services or technologies in the future. Such open
source software is generally licensed by its authors or other third
parties under open source licenses. Some open source licenses
contain requirements that we disclose source code for modifications
we make to the open source software and that we license such
modifications to third parties at no cost. In some circumstances,
distribution of our software in connection with open source
software could require that we disclose and license some or all of
our proprietary code in that software, as well as distribute our
products or technologies or provide our services that use
particular open source software at no cost to the user. We monitor
our use of open source software in an effort to avoid uses in a
manner that would require us to disclose or grant licenses under
our proprietary source code; however, there can be no assurance
that such efforts will be successful. Open source license terms are
often ambiguous and such use could inadvertently occur. There is
little legal precedent governing the interpretation of many of the
terms of these licenses, and the potential impact of these terms on
our business may result in unanticipated obligations regarding our
products and technologies. Companies that incorporate open source
software into their products have, in the past, faced claims
seeking enforcement of open source license provisions and claims
asserting ownership of open source software incorporated into their
products. If an author or other third party that distributes such
open source
52
Table of Contents
software were to allege that we had not complied with the
conditions of an open source license, we could incur significant
legal costs defending ourselves against such allegations. In the
event such claims were successful, we could be subject to
significant damages or be enjoined from the distribution of our
products or provision of our services. In addition, if we combine
our proprietary software with open source software in certain ways,
under some open source licenses, we could be required to release
the source code of our proprietary software, which could
substantially help our competitors develop products and services
that are similar to or better than ours and otherwise adversely
affect our business. These risks could be difficult to eliminate or
manage, and, if not addressed, could have a material adverse effect
on our business, financial condition, and results of
operations.
If we fail to comply with our obligations under license or
technology agreements with third parties, we may be required to pay
damages and we could lose license rights that are critical to our
business.
We license certain intellectual property that is important to our
business, and, in the future, we may enter into additional
agreements that provide us with licenses to valuable intellectual
property or technology. For example, our agreements with third
parties, such as Illumina, include certain non-exclusive license
rights that are essential to the operation of our business as it is
currently conducted. If we fail to comply with any of the
obligations under our license agreements, we may be required to pay
damages and the licensor may have the right to terminate the
license. Termination by the licensor would cause us to lose
valuable rights, and could prevent us from selling our products and
services, or inhibit our ability to commercialize future products
and services. Our business would suffer if any current or future
licenses terminate, if the licensors fail to abide by the terms of
the license, if the licensors fail to enforce licensed patents
against infringing third parties, if the licensed patents or other
rights are found to be invalid or unenforceable, or if we are
unable to enter into necessary licenses on acceptable terms. In
addition, our rights to certain technologies, including those of
Illumina, are licensed to us on a non-exclusive basis. The owners
of these non-exclusively licensed technologies are therefore free
to license them to third parties, including our competitors, on
terms that may be superior to those offered to us, which could
place us at a competitive disadvantage. Moreover, our licensors may
own or control intellectual property that has not been licensed to
us and, as a result, we may be subject to claims, regardless of
their merit, that we are infringing or otherwise violating the
licensor’s rights.
We may be subject to claims challenging the inventorship of our
patents and other intellectual property.
We, or our licensors, may be subject to claims that former
employees, collaborators, or other third parties have an interest
in our patents, trade secrets, or other intellectual property as an
inventor or co-inventor. For example, we, or our licensors, may
have inventorship disputes arise from conflicting obligations of
employees, consultants, or others who are involved in developing
our products, services, or technologies. Litigation may be
necessary to defend against these and other claims challenging
inventorship or our licensors’ ownership of our owned or
in-licensed patents, trade secrets, or other intellectual property.
If we fail in defending any such claims, in addition to paying
monetary damages, we may lose valuable intellectual property
rights, such as exclusive ownership of, or right to use,
intellectual property that is important to our products, services,
or technologies. Even if we are successful in defending against
such claims, litigation could result in substantial costs and be a
distraction to management and other employees. Any of the foregoing
could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial
condition, results of operations, and prospects.
If our trademarks and trade names are not adequately protected,
then we may not be able to build name recognition in our markets of
interest and our business may be adversely affected.
Our trademarks or trade names may be challenged, infringed,
circumvented, or declared generic or determined to be infringing on
other marks. We may not be able to protect our rights to these
trademarks and trade names or may be forced to stop using these
names, which we need for name recognition by potential partners or
customers in our markets of interest. During trademark registration
proceedings, we may receive rejections. Although we would be given
an opportunity to respond to those rejections, we may be unable to
overcome such rejections. In addition, in the USPTO and in
comparable agencies in many foreign jurisdictions, third parties
are given an opportunity to oppose pending trademark applications
and to seek to cancel registered trademarks. Opposition or
cancellation proceedings may be filed against our trademarks, and
our trademarks may not survive such proceedings. If we are unable
to establish brand name recognition based on our trademarks and
trade names, we may not be able to compete effectively and our
business may be adversely affected.
Financial and Market Risks and Risks Related to Owning Our Common
Stock
Our inability to raise additional capital on acceptable terms in
the future may limit our ability to continue to operate our
business and further expand our operations.
We may seek to raise additional capital through equity offerings,
debt financings, collaborations, or licensing arrangements to
continue executing on our long-term business plan. Additional
funding may not be available to us on acceptable terms, or at
all.
The various ways we could raise additional capital carry potential
risks. If we raise funds by issuing equity securities, dilution to
our stockholders would result. Any equity securities issued may
also provide for rights, preferences, or privileges senior to those
of holders of our common stock. In addition, the issuance of
additional equity securities by us, or the possibility of such
issuance, may cause the market price of our common stock to
decline. If we raise funds by issuing debt securities, those debt
securities would have rights, preferences, and privileges senior to
those of holders of our common stock. The terms of debt securities
issued or borrowings pursuant to a credit agreement, if available,
could impose significant restrictions on our operations. The
incurrence of additional indebtedness or the issuance of certain
equity securities could result in increased fixed payment
obligations and could also result in restrictive
covenants,
53
Table of Contents
such as limitations on our ability to incur additional debt or
issue additional equity, limitations on our ability to acquire or
license intellectual property rights, and other operating
restrictions that could adversely affect our ability to conduct our
business. In the event that we enter into collaborations or
licensing arrangements to raise capital, we may be required to
accept unfavorable terms. These agreements may require that we
relinquish or license to a third party on unfavorable terms our
rights to tests we otherwise would seek to develop or commercialize
ourselves, or reserve certain opportunities for future potential
arrangements when we might be able to achieve more favorable
terms.
If we are not able to secure additional funding when needed, we may
have to delay, reduce the scope of or eliminate one or more
research and development programs or sales and marketing
initiatives. Our ability to raise additional capital may be
adversely impacted by potential worsening global economic
conditions and the recent disruption to and volatility in the
credit and financial markets in the U.S. and worldwide resulting
from macroeconomic conditions, actual or perceived changes in
interest rates and inflation, geopolitical conflicts (including the
Russia-initiated military action against Ukraine). In addition, we
may have to work with a partner on one or more aspects of our tests
or market development programs, which could lower the economic
value of those tests or programs to us. While we believe our
existing cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments will be
sufficient to meet our anticipated cash requirements for at least
the next 12 months, rising costs and interest rates due to
inflation or other economic conditions may cause our capital
expenditures and operating expenses to increase more than expected,
and we cannot assure you that we will generate sufficient revenue
from commercial sales to adequately fund our operating needs or
achieve or sustain profitability. If we are unable to raise
additional funding on acceptable terms, or at all, or if we consume
our existing capital more quickly than expected, it could
negatively impact our ability to retain and attract employees and
our competitive position, business, financial condition, results of
operations, and prospects will be adversely affected.
The market price of our common stock may be volatile or may decline
steeply or suddenly regardless of our operating performance, we may
not be able to meet investor or analyst expectations, and you may
lose all or part of your investment.
The market price of our common stock may fluctuate or decline
significantly in response to numerous factors, many of which are
beyond our control, including:
•
actual or anticipated fluctuations in our operating
results;
•
failure to meet or exceed financial estimates and projections of
the investment community or that we provide to the
public;
•
issuance of new or updated research reports by securities analysts
or changed recommendations for our stock;
•
competition from existing tests or new tests that may
emerge;
•
announcements by us or our competitors relating to significant
acquisitions, strategic partnerships, joint ventures,
collaborations, capital commitments, or by or pertaining to our
customers, particularly the VA MVP and Natera, as our largest
customers;
•
the timing and amount of our investments in the growth of our
business;
•
actual or anticipated changes in regulatory oversight of our
business or issues we may face with regulators;
•
additions or departures of key management or other
personnel;
•
inability to obtain additional funding;
•
sales of our common stock by us or our stockholders in the
future;
•
disputes or other developments related to our intellectual property
or other matters, including litigation;
•
health epidemics or pandemics, geopolitical conflicts, inflation,
global supply chain issues, regional or national economic
slowdowns, recessions, depressions or other economic downturns;
and
•
other general economic, industry, and market conditions, including
factors unrelated to our operating performance or the operating
performance of our competitors.
In addition, the stock market in general, and the market for life
sciences companies in particular, has experienced extreme price and
volume fluctuations that have often been unrelated or
disproportionate to the operating performance of those companies,
including in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic, global supply
chain challenges, inflation and fears of economic recession, which
have resulted in depressed stock prices for many companies
notwithstanding the lack of a fundamental change in their
underlying business models or prospects. Broad market and industry
factors may seriously affect the market price of our common stock,
regardless of our actual operating performance. In addition, in the
past, following periods of volatility in the overall market and the
market price of a particular company’s securities, securities class
action litigation has often been instituted against these
companies. This litigation, if instituted against us, could result
in substantial costs and a diversion of our management’s attention
and resources.
Moreover, because of these fluctuations, comparing our operating
results on a period-to-period basis may not be meaningful. You
should not rely on our past results as an indication of our future
performance. This variability and unpredictability could also
result in our failing to meet the expectations of industry or
financial analysts or investors for any period. If our revenue or
operating results fall
54
Table of Contents
below the expectations of analysts or investors or below any
forecasts we may provide to the market, or if the forecasts we
provide to the market are below the expectations of analysts or
investors, the price of our common stock could decline
substantially. Such a stock price decline could occur even when we
have met any previously publicly stated revenue or earnings
forecasts that we may provide.
Our quarterly results may fluctuate significantly, which could
adversely impact the value of our common stock.
Our quarterly results of operations, including our revenue, gross
margin, profitability, and cash flows, may vary significantly in
the future, and period-to-period comparisons of our operating
results may not be meaningful. Accordingly, our quarterly results
should not be relied upon as an indication of future performance.
Our quarterly financial results may fluctuate as a result of a
variety of factors, many of which are outside of our control. For
example, Natera and other large customers are not obliged to
deliver tissue samples or other specimens to us at any particular
time or at all. The rate at which we receive tissue samples or
other specimens can vary dramatically from quarter to quarter, and
is difficult or impossible for us to accurately forecast. Our
receipt and processing of tissue samples and other specimens from
our customers leads to our recognition of revenue, and as such the
variable rates of delivery of customer samples will lead to
variations in our revenue from quarter to quarter. For example, we
often see fluctuations in receipt and processing of samples and
revenue in the fourth quarter due, in part, to the concentration of
holidays in late November and in December, and some of our
biopharmaceutical customers have fiscal years ending in December,
which we believe may impact the timing of samples or payments
provided by such customers. Fluctuations in quarterly results may
adversely impact the value of our common stock. Factors that may
cause fluctuations in our quarterly financial results include,
without limitation, those listed elsewhere in this “Risk Factors”
section. We also may face competitive pricing pressures, and we may
not be able to maintain our pricing in the future, which would
adversely affect our operating results.
Unstable market, economic and geo-political conditions may have
serious adverse consequences on our business, financial condition
and stock price.
The global credit and financial markets have experienced extreme
volatility and disruptions in the past. These disruptions can
result in severely diminished liquidity and credit availability,
increases in inflation, declines in consumer confidence, declines
in economic growth, increases in unemployment rates and uncertainty
about economic stability. There can be no assurance that further
deterioration in credit and financial markets and confidence in
economic conditions will not occur, including actual or perceived
changes in interest rates and inflation. Our general business
strategy may be adversely affected by any such economic downturn,
volatile business environment, higher inflation, or continued
unpredictable and unstable market conditions. If the current equity
and credit markets deteriorate, it may make any necessary debt or
equity financing more difficult, more costly and more dilutive. Our
portfolio of corporate and government bonds could also be adversely
impacted. Failure to secure any necessary financing in a timely
manner and on favorable terms could have a material adverse effect
on our operations, growth strategy, financial performance and stock
price and could require us to delay or abandon development or
commercial initiatives. In addition, there is a risk that one or
more of our current service providers, manufacturers and other
partners may not survive an economic downturn or rising inflation,
which could directly affect our ability to attain our operating
goals on schedule and on budget.
Other international and geo-political events could also have a
serious adverse impact on our business. For instance, in February
2022, Russia initiated military action against Ukraine. In
response, the United States and certain other countries imposed
significant sanctions and trade actions against Russia and could
impose further sanctions, trade restrictions, and other retaliatory
actions. While we cannot predict the broader consequences, the
conflict and retaliatory and counter-retaliatory actions could
continue to affect, and potentially materially adversely affect,
global trade, currency exchange rates, inflation, regional
economies, and the global economy, which in turn may increase our
costs, disrupt our supply chain, impair our ability to raise or
access additional capital when needed on acceptable terms, if at
all, or otherwise adversely affect our business, financial
condition, and results of operations.
Insiders may exercise significant control over our company and will
be able to influence corporate matters.
Acting together, our directors, executive officers and their
affiliates, and holders of greater than five percent of our
outstanding common stock are able to exercise significant influence
over our management and affairs and matters requiring stockholder
approval, including the election of directors and approval of
significant corporate transactions, such as mergers, consolidations
or the sale of substantially all of our assets. This concentration
of ownership may have the effect of delaying or preventing a third
party from acquiring control of our company and could adversely
affect the market price of our common stock and may not be in the
best interests of our other stockholders.
Future sales of shares by existing stockholders, or the perception
that such sales could occur, could cause our stock price to
decline.
Sales of a substantial number of shares of our common stock into
the public market, including sales by members of our management or
board of directors or entities affiliated with such members, could
occur at any time. These sales, or the perception in the market
that the holders of a large number of shares intend to sell shares,
could reduce the market price of our common stock and could impair
our ability to raise capital through the sale of additional equity
or equity-related securities. We are unable to predict the effect
that such sales may have on the prevailing market price of our
common stock. As of December 31, 2022, we had 46,707,084 shares of
common stock outstanding, all of which shares were eligible as of
such date for sale in the public market, subject in some cases to
the volume limitations and manner of sale and other requirements
under Rule 144. In addition, upon issuance, shares of common stock
subject to outstanding options under our stock option plans as of
December 31, 2022 will become eligible for sale in the public
market in
55
Table of Contents
the future, subject to certain legal and contractual limitations.
Moreover, certain holders of shares of our common stock have the
right to require us to register these shares under the Securities
Act pursuant to an investors’ rights agreement. If our existing
stockholders sell substantial amounts of our common stock in the
public market, or if the public perceives that such sales could
occur, this could have an adverse effect on the market price of our
common stock.
We do not currently intend to pay dividends on our common stock
and, consequently, your ability to achieve a return on your
investment will depend on appreciation of the value of our common
stock.
We have never declared or paid cash dividends on our capital stock.
We currently intend to retain any future earnings to finance the
operation and expansion of our business, and we do not expect to
pay any cash dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable
future. In addition, our ability to pay cash dividends on our
capital stock is limited by our credit agreement and may be
prohibited or limited by the terms of any future debt financing
arrangement. As a result, any investment returns on our common
stock will depend upon increases in the value for our common stock,
which are not certain.
Future sales and issuances of our common stock or rights to
purchase common stock, including pursuant to our equity incentive
plans, could result in additional dilution of the percentage
ownership of our stockholders and could cause the stock price of
our common stock to decline.
In the future, we may sell common stock, rights to purchase common
stock, convertible securities, or other equity securities in one or
more transactions at prices and in a manner we determine from time
to time. We also expect to issue common stock to employees,
directors, and consultants pursuant to our equity incentive plans.
If we sell common stock, rights to purchase common stock,
convertible securities, or other equity securities in subsequent
transactions, or common stock is issued pursuant to equity
incentive plans, investors may be materially diluted. In addition,
new investors in such subsequent transactions could gain rights,
preferences, and privileges senior to those of holders of our
common stock.
If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or
reports about our business, or publish inaccurate or unfavorable
research about our business, our stock price and trading volume
could decline.
The trading market for our common stock will depend in part on the
research and reports that equity research analysts publish about us
and our business. We do not control these analysts or the content
and opinions included in their reports. Securities analysts may
elect not to provide research coverage of our company, and such
lack of research coverage may adversely affect the market price of
our common stock. The price of our common stock could also decline
if one or more equity research analysts downgrade our common stock
or issue other unfavorable commentary or cease publishing reports
about us or our business. If one or more equity research analysts
cease coverage of our company, we could lose visibility in the
market, which in turn could cause our stock price to
decline.
Holders of our common stock could be adversely affected if we issue
preferred stock.
Pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation,
our board of directors is authorized to issue up to 10,000,000
shares of preferred stock without any action on the part of our
stockholders. Our board of directors will also have the power,
without stockholder approval, to set the terms of any series of
preferred stock that may be issued, including voting rights,
dividend rights, preferences over our common stock with respect to
dividends or in the event of a dissolution, liquidation, or winding
up, and other terms. In the event that we issue preferred stock in
the future that has preferences over our common stock with respect
to payment of dividends or upon our liquidation, dissolution, or
winding up, or if we issue preferred stock that is convertible into
our common stock at greater than a one-to-one ratio, the voting and
other rights of the holders of our common stock or the market price
of our common stock could be adversely affected.
Our ability to use net operating losses to offset future taxable
income may be subject to limitations.
As of December 31, 2022, we had federal and state net operating
loss carryforwards of approximately $249.1 million and
approximately $229.7 million, respectively. Certain of our federal
and state net operating loss carryforwards will begin to expire, if
not utilized, beginning in 2031. These net operating loss
carryforwards could expire unused and be unavailable to offset
future taxable income. Under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, as modified
by the CARES Act, federal net operating losses incurred in tax
years beginning in 2018 and thereafter may be carried forward
indefinitely, but the deductibility of such federal net operating
losses for tax years beginning after 2020 is limited. It is
uncertain if and to what extent various states will conform to the
Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, as modified by the CARES Act. In addition,
under Sections 382 and 383 of the Code, and corresponding
provisions of state law, if a corporation undergoes an “ownership
change,” which is generally defined as a greater than 50% change,
by value, in its equity ownership over a three-year period, the
corporation’s ability to use its pre-change net operating loss
carryforwards and other pre-change tax attributes (including
certain tax credits) to offset its post-change income or taxes may
be limited. We have experienced ownership changes in the past, and
we may experience ownership changes in the future as a result of
subsequent shifts in our stock ownership, some of which may be
outside of our control. If an ownership change occurs and our
ability to use our net operating loss carryforwards is materially
limited, it could harm our future operating results by effectively
increasing our future tax obligations.
56
Table of Contents
Delaware law and provisions in our amended and restated certificate
of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws could make a
merger, tender offer, or proxy contest difficult, thereby
depressing the trading price of our common stock.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended
and restated bylaws contain provisions that could depress the
trading price of our common stock by acting to discourage, delay or
prevent a change of control of our company or changes in our
management that the stockholders of our company may deem
advantageous. These provisions include the following:
•
establish a classified board of directors so that not all members
of our board of directors are elected at one time;
•
authorize the issuance of “blank check” preferred stock that our
board of directors could use to implement a stockholder rights
plan;
•
permit the board of directors to establish the number of directors
and fill any vacancies and newly-created
directorships;
•
provide that directors may only be removed for cause;
•
require super-majority voting to amend some provisions in our
certificate of incorporation and bylaws;
•
eliminate the ability of our stockholders to call special meetings
of stockholders;
•
prohibit stockholder action by written consent, which requires all
stockholder actions to be taken at a meeting of our
stockholders;
•
provide that the board of directors is expressly authorized to
make, alter, or repeal our bylaws;
•
restrict the forum for certain litigation against us to Delaware;
and
•
establish advance notice requirements for nominations for election
to our board of directors or for proposing matters that can be
acted upon by stockholders at annual stockholder
meetings.
Any provision of our amended and restated certificate of
incorporation or amended and restated bylaws, or Delaware law that
has the effect of delaying or deterring a change in control could
limit the opportunity for our stockholders to receive a premium for
their shares of our common stock, and could also affect the price
that some investors are willing to pay for our common
stock.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that
the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware and the federal
district courts of the U.S. will be the exclusive forums for
substantially all disputes between us and our stockholders, which
could limit our stockholders’ ability to obtain a favorable
judicial forum for disputes with us or our directors, officers, or
employees.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that
the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware is the exclusive
forum for the following types of actions or proceedings under
Delaware statutory or common law:
•
any derivative action or proceeding brought on our
behalf;
•
any action asserting a breach of fiduciary duty;
•
any action asserting a claim against us arising under the Delaware
General Corporation Law, our amended and restated certificate of
incorporation, or our amended and restated bylaws; and
•
any action asserting a claim against us that is governed by the
internal-affairs doctrine.
This provision would not apply to suits brought to enforce a duty
or liability created by the Exchange Act. Furthermore, Section 22
of the Securities Act creates concurrent jurisdiction for federal
and state courts over all such Securities Act actions. Accordingly,
both state and federal courts have jurisdiction to entertain such
claims. To prevent having to litigate claims in multiple
jurisdictions and the threat of inconsistent or contrary rulings by
different courts, among other considerations, our amended and
restated certificate of incorporation further provides that the
federal district courts of the U.S. will be the exclusive forum for
resolving any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under
the Securities Act. While the Delaware courts have determined that
such choice of forum provisions are facially valid, a stockholder
may nonetheless seek to bring a claim in a venue other than those
designated in the exclusive forum provisions. In such instance, we
would expect to vigorously assert the validity and enforceability
of the exclusive forum provisions of our amended and restated
certificate of incorporation. This may require significant
additional costs associated with resolving such action in other
jurisdictions, and there can be no assurance that the provisions
will be enforced by a court in those other
jurisdictions.
These exclusive forum provisions may limit a stockholder’s ability
to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for
disputes with us or our directors, officers, or other employees,
which may discourage lawsuits against us and our directors,
officers, and other employees. If a court were to find either
exclusive forum provision in our amended and restated certificate
of incorporation to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action,
we may incur further significant additional costs associated with
resolving the dispute in other jurisdictions, all of which could
seriously harm our business.
57
Table of Contents
The requirements of being a public company consume substantial
resources, may result in litigation and may divert management’s
attention.
As a public company, we are subject to the reporting requirements
of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange
Act”), the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as amended (the
“Sarbanes-Oxley Act”), the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and
Consumer Protection Act, the listing requirements of The Nasdaq
Global Market and other applicable securities rules and
regulations. Complying with these rules and regulations has
increased and will increase our legal and financial compliance
costs, make some activities more difficult, time-consuming, or
costly and increase demand on our systems and resources,
particularly in the event we no longer qualify as a “smaller
reporting company” as defined in the Exchange Act. The Exchange Act
requires, among other things, that we file annual, quarterly, and
current reports with respect to our business and operating results.
The Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires, among other things, that we
maintain effective disclosure controls and procedures and internal
control over financial reporting. We are required to disclose
changes made in our internal control and procedures on a quarterly
basis. In order to maintain and, if required, improve our
disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over
financial reporting to meet this standard, significant resources
and management oversight may be required. As a result, management’s
attention may be diverted from other business concerns, which could
adversely affect our business and operating results. We may be
required to hire additional employees or engage outside consultants
to comply with these requirements, which will increase our costs
and expenses.
In addition, changing laws, regulations, and standards relating to
corporate governance and public disclosure are creating uncertainty
for public companies, increasing legal and financial compliance
costs and making some activities more time-consuming. These laws,
regulations, and standards are subject to varying interpretations,
in many cases due to their lack of specificity, and, as a result,
their application in practice may evolve over time as new guidance
is provided by regulatory and governing bodies. This could result
in continuing uncertainty regarding compliance matters and higher
costs necessitated by ongoing revisions to disclosure and
governance practices. We intend to invest resources to comply with
evolving laws, regulations, and standards, and this investment will
result in increased general and administrative expenses and a
diversion of management’s time and attention from
revenue-generating activities to compliance activities. If our
efforts to comply with new laws, regulations and standards differ
from the activities intended by regulatory or governing bodies due
to ambiguities related to their application and practice,
regulatory authorities may initiate legal proceedings against us
and our business may be adversely affected. By disclosing
information in this document and in filings required of a public
company, our business and financial condition will become more
visible, which we believe may result in threatened or actual
litigation, including by competitors and other third parties. If
those claims are successful, our business could be seriously
harmed. Even if the claims do not result in litigation or are
resolved in our favor, the time and resources needed to resolve
them could divert our management’s resources and seriously harm our
business.
As a public company, it may be increasingly expensive for us to
obtain director and officer liability insurance and, in the future,
we may be required to accept reduced coverage or incur
substantially higher costs to obtain coverage. These factors could
also make it more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified
members of our board of directors, particularly to serve on our
audit committee and compensation committee, and qualified executive
officers. In addition, as a result of our disclosure obligations as
a public company, we have reduced strategic flexibility as compared
to our competitors that are privately-held companies, and are under
pressure to focus on short-term results, which may materially and
adversely affect our ability to achieve long-term
profitability.
We are a smaller reporting company, and any decision on our part to
avail ourselves of certain reduced reporting and disclosure
requirements applicable to smaller reporting companies could make
our common stock less attractive to investors.
We are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in the Exchange
Act. We intend to take advantage of exemptions from various
reporting requirements applicable to other public companies that
are not smaller reporting companies, including scaled disclosure on
executive compensation.
We cannot predict if investors will find our common stock less
attractive if we choose to rely on any of the exemptions afforded
smaller reporting companies. If some investors find our common
stock less attractive because we rely on any of these exemptions,
there may be a less active trading market for our common stock and
the market price of our common stock may be more
volatile.
Our disclosure controls and procedures may not prevent or detect
all errors or acts of fraud.
We have implemented disclosure controls and procedures designed to
provide reasonable assurance that information we must disclose in
reports we file or submit under the Exchange Act is accumulated and
communicated to management, and recorded, processed, summarized,
and reported within the time periods specified in the rules and
forms of the SEC. We believe that any disclosure controls and
procedures, no matter how well-conceived and operated, can provide
only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the
control system are met.
These inherent limitations include the realities that judgments in
decision-making can be faulty and that breakdowns can occur because
of simple errors or mistakes. Additionally, controls can be
circumvented by the individual acts of some persons, by collusion
of two or more people or by an unauthorized override of the
controls. As a result, because of these inherent limitations in our
control system, misstatements or omissions due to error or fraud
may occur and may not be detected, which could result in failures
to file required reports in a timely manner and filing reports
containing incorrect information. Any of these outcomes could
result in SEC enforcement actions, monetary fines or other
penalties, damage to our reputation, and harm to our financial
condition.
58
Table of Contents
If we fail to maintain effective internal control over financial
reporting in the future, the accuracy and timing of our financial
reporting may be adversely affected.
Effective internal control over financial reporting is necessary
for us to provide reliable financial reports and, together with
adequate disclosure controls and procedures, are designed to
prevent fraud. Any failure to implement required new or improved
controls, or difficulties encountered in their implementation could
cause us to fail to meet our reporting obligations. In addition,
any testing by us conducted in connection with Section 404(a) of
the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, or any testing by our independent
registered public accounting firm, may reveal deficiencies in our
internal control over financial reporting that are deemed to be
material weaknesses or that may require prospective or retroactive
changes to our financial statements or identify other areas for
further attention or improvement. Inferior internal control over
financial reporting could also cause investors to lose confidence
in our reported financial information, which could have a negative
effect on the trading price of our common stock.
We are a non-accelerated filer. For so long as we remain a
non-accelerated filer, our independent registered public accounting
firm will not be required to attest to the effectiveness of our
internal control over financial reporting pursuant to Section
404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. An independent assessment of the
effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting
could detect problems that our management’s assessment might not.
Undetected material weaknesses in our internal control over
financial reporting could lead to financial statement restatements
and require us to incur the expense of remediation.
59
Table of Contents
Not applicable.
Item 2. Properties.
Our corporate headquarters are located in Fremont, California, and
comprise 100,000 square feet of space, pursuant to a lease that
expires in 2036. The lease includes two options to extend the term
for a period of five-years per option, at prevailing market rates.
This facility is used for corporate functions and research and
development. We intend to move our laboratory operations from Menlo
Park, California to the Fremont, California facility in
2023.
We also lease 31,280 square feet of space in Menlo Park,
California, pursuant to a lease that expires in 2027. The lease
includes an option to extend the term for a period of three years,
at prevailing market rates. This facility was previously used as
our corporate headquarters. Our CLIA-certified and CAP-accredited
laboratory is currently located in the facility.
We believe that our facilities are sufficient to meet our current
and foreseeable future needs. We also believe we will be able to
obtain additional space, as needed, on commercially reasonable
terms.
Item 3. Legal
Proceedings.
See the disclosure under the heading "Contingencies" in Note 9 to
our consolidated financial statements.
Item 4. Mine Safety
Disclosures.
Not applicable.
60
Table of Contents
PART
II
Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related
Stockholder
Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities.
Market Information
Our common stock has been listed on The Nasdaq Global Market under
the symbol “PSNL” since June 20, 2019. Prior to our initial public
offering, there was no public market for our common
stock.
Holders
As of February 14, 2023, there were approximately 65 holders of
record of our common stock. The actual number of stockholders is
greater than this number of record holders, and includes
stockholders who are beneficial owners, but whose shares are held
in street name by brokers and other nominees. This number of
holders of record also does not include stockholders whose shares
may be held in trust by other entities.
Dividend Policy
We have not declared or paid any cash dividend on our common stock.
We intend to retain any future earnings and do not expect to pay
cash dividends in the foreseeable future. Payment of cash
dividends, if any, in the future will be at the discretion of our
board of directors and will depend on then-existing conditions,
including our financial condition, operating results, contractual
restrictions, capital requirements, business prospects and other
factors our board of directors may deem relevant.
Item 6. [Reserved]
61
Table of Contents
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of
Financial Condition and Results of Operations.
The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition
and results of operations should be read in conjunction with our
consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes and other
financial information included elsewhere in this Annual Report on
Form 10-K. In addition to historical consolidated financial
information, the following discussion contains forward-looking
statements that reflect our plans, estimates, and beliefs. Our
actual results could differ materially from those discussed in the
forward-looking statements. You should review the sections titled
“Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” for a discussion of
forward-looking statements and in Part I, Item 1A, “Risk Factors”
for a discussion of factors that could cause actual results to
differ materially from the results described in or implied by the
forward-looking statements contained in the following discussion
and elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Overview
We strive to develop some of the most comprehensive and actionable
cancer genomic tests in the world to help patients live better and
longer lives. We believe we have one of the most discerning
technologies to both characterize and monitor cancer – with the aim
of driving a new paradigm for cancer management and guiding care
from biopsy through the life of the patient. Our assays combine
tumor-and-normal profiling with proprietary algorithms to deliver
advanced insights even as cancer evolves over time. Our products
are designed to detect recurrence at the earliest timepoints,
enable selection of targeted therapies based on ultra-comprehensive
genomic profiling, and enhance biomarker strategy for drug
development.
Today, our platforms are routinely used by many of the largest
oncology-focused pharmaceutical companies for analysis of patient
samples in their clinical trials and drug development programs. Our
advanced genomic sequencing and analytics also support the
development of personalized cancer vaccines and other
next-generation cancer immunotherapies. For example, we are
providing genomic testing to Moderna in its ongoing clinical trials
evaluating a personalized cancer vaccine. In addition, we partner
with diagnostics companies by providing our advanced tumor
profiling and analysis capabilities as an input to their products.
More recently, we launched new diagnostic offerings for the
clinical setting and are preparing for future expansion in the
clinical diagnostics market. Finally, we have also pursued
non-cancer related business opportunities, specifically within the
population sequencing market, by providing whole genome sequencing
("WGS") services under contract with the U.S. Department of
Veterans Affairs Million Veteran Program ("VA MVP").
As part of one of our new strategies for 2023 and beyond, we are
working with a growing number of leading cancer centers and
world-class academic research institutions to build and publish the
clinical evidence-base to support our products and our key
indications. Specifically, because of the high sensitivity of our
technology, we aim to focus on three indications in the next 2-3
years: immunotherapy (IO) monitoring, breast cancer, and lung
cancer. We have announced collaborations with BC Cancer, Duke
University, UCSF, Criterium, and Academic Breast Cancer Consortium
that will focus on building the evidence-base for our technology
and these indications. If the key opinion leaders ("KOLs") we are
collaborating with have a positive experience using our platform,
we are optimistic this will support broader use of our platform by
other KOLS, as well as clinicians in the future.
Our work in oncology is underpinned by our experience and capacity
for next-generation sequencing at scale. We have the capacity to
sequence and analyze approximately 200 trillion bases of DNA per
week in our facility. We believe that our capacity is already
larger than most cancer genomics companies, and we continue to
build automation and other infrastructure to scale further as
demand increases. To date, we have sequenced more than 300,000
human samples, of which more than 160,000 were whole human
genomes.
In October 2022, we relocated our corporate headquarters from Menlo
Park, California to a new facility in Fremont, California. We
signed a 13.5-year lease that extends to 2036 for the 100,000
square foot facility, which is approximately triple the amount of
space than our Menlo Park location. The new facility allows for
expansion of our laboratory for testing to support pharmaceutical
customers and clinical diagnostic testing. In addition, the new
space is intended to support the expansion of research and
development efforts to bring leading edge products and services to
the marketplace. Our Menlo Park office currently continues to house
our Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988
(“CLIA”)-certified and College of American Pathologists
(“CAP”)-accredited laboratory and we expect to move our laboratory
operations from Menlo Park to the new facility in 2023.
2022 Highlights
Total revenue decreased 24%, or $20.4 million, during 2022 compared
to 2021, due primarily to expected lower population sequencing
revenue from the VA MVP. Revenue from pharma tests, enterprise, and
other customers was $56.6 million in 2022 compared to $39.8 million
in 2021, an increase of 42%, driven by higher sales to Natera under
our partnership to provide advanced tumor analysis for use in
Natera's MRD testing offerings. Revenue from population sequencing
was $8.4 million in 2022 compared to $45.7 million in 2021, due to
a reduction in the value of annual task orders received from the VA
MVP in the past two years.
We announce new product offerings, business developments, and
research collaborations at various times during the year.
Significant announcements during 2022 included the
following:
First Quarter 2022:
•
Received our first customer order for NeXT Personal from a large
global pharmaceutical customer and processed samples for initial
order.
•
Announced a collaboration with the Moores Cancer Center at UC San
Diego Health, a National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive
Cancer Center, to support clinical diagnostic testing in patients
with advanced solid tumors and hematological
malignancies.
62
Table of Contents
Second Quarter 2022:
•
Received a new US patent relating to NeXT Personal, signifying its
unique place among MRD assays as it combines a highly sensitive
measurement of tumor burden with the ability to simultaneously
track thousands of tumor variants, both tumor-informed and
prespecified, in a single panel.
Third Quarter 2022:
•
Launched a research collaboration with BC Cancer using NeXT
Personal to determine the optimal time for ctDNA sampling for MRD
detection in colorectal and pancreatic cancers, with the aim of
identifying cancer progression before current standard of care
tests.
•
Announced a research collaboration with Duke University, deploying
NeXT Personal to profile and accurately track MRD in patients with
advanced gastroesophageal cancer over the course of therapy with
the aim of better predicting a patient’s immune response to
therapy.
•
Added two additional patents to our MRD-related IP portfolio, both
with priority to January 2013; the new patents describe the
detection of cancer and its recurrence by using WGS of a patient’s
tumor to identify variants for a subsequently used personalized
liquid biopsy assay as well as the design of the liquid biopsy
assay.
•
Appointed Christopher Hall as SVP (subsequently promoted to
President) who will lead the company’s diagnostic business,
bringing 20 years of experience including leading the commercial
organization at Veracyte and growing its business to nearly $100M
in diagnostic revenue.
•
Launched marketing and sales outreach to oncologists to begin
generating demand for NeXT Dx, the company’s tissue-based clinical
test that covers the whole exome and transcriptome and assesses
genomic alterations in matched tumor and normal specimens to report
variants and help oncologists with decision-making for therapy
selection.
•
Won an exclusive five-year contract and received the initial order
from the VA MVP.
Fourth Quarter 2022:
•
Initiated a research collaboration with University Medical Center
Hamburg-Eppendorf ("UKE") and its new Fleur-Hiege Center for Skin
Cancer Research, where Dr. Klaus Pantel, Dr. Christoffer Gebhardt,
and team are using NeXT Personal to track tumor response to
immunotherapy ("IO") in patients with melanoma, with the aim of
gathering evidence to advance the use of ultra-sensitive MRD
detection in routine clinical practice for IO therapy
monitoring.
Recent Events
In January 2023, we announced a headcount reduction of up to 30% to
reduce expenses and extend our cash runway. The reduction in
workforce is expected to be completed in March 2023.
In January 2023, partnered with Criterium and the Academic Breast
Cancer Consortium (ABRCC) to conduct a prospective clinical trial
to validate the clinical performance of the NeXT Personal assay to
evaluate minimal residual disease (MRD) and subsequent recurrence
in patients with early-stage, resectable triple negative breast
cancer (TNBC).
In February 2023, we announced a partnership with Moderna to
provide genomic testing for its upcoming clinical studies
evaluating mRNA-4157/V940, an investigational personalized cancer
vaccine, jointly developed by Moderna and Merck.
In February 2023, we made a decision to streamline our
international operations by closing our operations in China as
expeditiously as possible in 2023. We expect to incur one-time
charges in connection with the closure, including noncash
impairments of property and equipment and a lease asset. Such
charges cannot be estimated at this time, but we do not expect such
charges to exceed $1.5 million.
Factors Affecting Our Performance
We believe there are several important factors that have impacted,
and that we expect will continue to impact, our operating
performance and results of operations, including:
•
The continued development of the market for genomic-based
tests.
Our performance depends on the willingness of pharmaceutical
companies, enterprise customers, and oncologists to continue to
seek more comprehensive molecular information to develop more
efficacious cancer therapies.
63
Table of Contents
•
Increasing adoption of our products and solutions by existing
customers.
Our performance depends on our ability to retain and broaden
adoption with existing customers. Because our technology is novel,
some customers begin using our platform by initiating pilot studies
involving a small number of samples to gain experience with our
service. As a result, historically a significant portion of our
revenue has come from existing customers. We believe that our
ability to convert initial pilots into larger orders from existing
customers has the potential to drive substantial long-term revenue.
We expect there may be some variation in the number of samples they
choose to test each quarter.
•
Adoption of our products and solutions by new customers.
While new customers initially may not account for significant
revenue, we believe that they have the potential to grow
substantially over the long term as they gain confidence in our
service. Our ability to engage new customers is critical to our
long-term success. Our publications, posters and presentations at
scientific conferences lead to engagement at the scientific level
with potential customers who often make the initial decision to
gain experience with our platform. Accessing these new customers
through scientific engagement and marketing to gain initial buy-in
is critical to our success and gives us the opportunity to
demonstrate the utility of our platform.
•
Our revenue and cost are affected by the volume of samples we
receive from customers from period to period.
The timing and size of sample shipments received after orders have
been placed is variable. Since sample shipments can be large, and
are often received from a third party, the timing of arrival can be
difficult to predict over the short term. Although our long-term
performance is not affected, we see quarter-to-quarter volatility
due to these factors. Samples arriving later than expected may not
be processed in the quarter proposed and result in revenue the
following quarter. Since many of our customers request defined
turnaround times, we employ project managers to coordinate and
manage the complex process from sample receipt to sequencing and
delivery of results.
•
Investment in product innovation to support growth.
Investment in research and development, including the development
of new products and capabilities is critical to establish and
maintain our leading position. We have invested significantly in
our NeXT Platform, introducing new products and additional
capabilities. We are also collaborating with key opinion leaders
from cancer centers, such as Mayo Clinic and UC San Diego Moores
Cancer Center, to support the clinical utility of our platform. We
believe this work is critical to gaining customer adoption and
expect our investments in these efforts to increase.
•
Leverage our operational infrastructure.
We have invested significantly in our sample processing
capabilities and commercial infrastructure. With our current
operating model and infrastructure, we can increase our production
and commercialize new generations of our platform. We expect to
grow our revenue and spread our costs over a larger volume of
services.
Components of Operating Results
Revenue
We derive our revenue primarily from sales of advanced sequencing
and analytics to the following four groups of customers:
•
Pharma tests and services
includes sales of testing services and data analytics for clinical
trials and research to pharmaceutical companies in support of their
drug development programs.
•
Enterprise sales
includes sales of tumor profiling and diagnostic tests directly to
other businesses as an input to their products. Revenue from our
partnership with Natera to provide advanced tumor analysis for use
in Natera's MRD testing offerings currently makes up substantially
all of the revenue in this category.
•
Population sequencing
includes sales of genomic sequencing services and data analytics to
support large-scale genetic research programs. Revenue from our
partnership with the VA MVP to provide population sequencing
accounts for all of the revenue in this category.
•
Other
includes sales of genomic tests and analytics to universities and
non-profits. This category also includes sales of diagnostics tests
ordered by healthcare providers for cancer patients, which was
insignificant in 2022.
Our ability to increase revenue will depend on our ability to
further increase sales to these groups of customers and expand our
customer base within each group. To do this, we are developing a
growing set of state-of-the-art services and products, advancing
our operational infrastructure, building our regulatory
credentials, focusing our marketing efforts on large pharmaceutical
companies, and seeking additional partnerships such as ours with
Natera. We sell through a small direct sales force. We also
anticipate increasing our revenue in the future through entrance
into the clinical diagnostics market and have begun building our
regulatory, clinical, and reimbursement capabilities, including
hiring a national clinical sales force.
We have one reportable segment from the sale of sequencing and data
analysis services. Most of our revenue to date has been derived
from sales in the United States.
64
Table of Contents
Costs and Expenses
Cost of Revenue
Cost of revenue consists of raw materials costs, personnel costs
(salaries, bonuses, stock-based compensation, payroll taxes, and
benefits), laboratory supplies and consumables, depreciation and
maintenance on equipment, and allocated facilities and information
technology (“IT”) costs. We expect cost of revenue to increase as
our revenue grows. We expect variability in our gross margins over
the medium term due to fluctuating population sequencing revenue,
investments in new capabilities such as automation of laboratory
workflows, processing of diagnostic tests for the clinical market
while we work to secure reimbursement, and costs related to our new
Fremont facility. Over the long-term, we anticipate higher gross
margins as growing revenue leads to economies of scale.
Research and Development Expenses
Research and development expenses consist of costs incurred for the
research and development of our services and products and costs
related to conducting studies and collaborations with partners to
validate the clinical utility of our offerings. The expenses
primarily consist of personnel costs (salaries, bonuses,
stock-based compensation, payroll taxes, and benefits); laboratory
supplies and consumables; costs of processing samples for research,
product development, collaborations, and studies; depreciation and
maintenance on equipment; and allocated facilities and IT costs. We
include in research and development expenses the costs to further
develop software we use to operate our laboratory, analyze the data
it generates, and automate our operations.
We expense our research and development costs in the period in
which they are incurred. We expect to increase our research and
development expenses overall as we expand collaborations for
clinical validation to secure reimbursement and develop our NeXT
Personal test as an LDT for the clinical market, partially offset
by cost reductions from our first quarter 2023 reduction in
workforce and anticipated savings from our planned discontinuation
of operations in China.
Selling, General and Administrative Expenses
Selling expenses consist of personnel costs (salaries, commissions,
bonuses, stock-based compensation, payroll taxes, and benefits),
customer support expenses, direct marketing expenses, and market
research. Our general and administrative expenses include costs for
our executive, accounting, finance, legal, and human resources
functions. These expenses consist of personnel costs (salaries,
bonuses, stock-based compensation, payroll taxes, and benefits),
corporate insurance, audit and legal expenses, consulting costs,
and allocated facilities and IT costs. We expense all selling,
general and administrative costs as incurred.
We expect our selling, general and administrative expenses to
decrease significantly in the medium term as a result of the 2023
reduction in workforce, partially offset by investments in our
diagnostic sales outreach efforts.
Interest Income and Interest Expense
Interest income consists primarily of interest earned on our cash
and cash equivalents and short-term investments. Our interest
income increased significantly during 2022 as a result of the
higher interest rate environment after the Federal Reserve began
taking measures to curb inflation in 2022.
Interest expense in 2022 and 2021 is the recognition of imputed
interest on noninterest bearing loans.
Other Income (Expense), Net
Other income (expense), net consists primarily of foreign currency
exchange gains and losses, and realized gains or losses associated
with sales of marketable securities.
65
Table of Contents
Trend Financial Information
The following selected consolidated financial data should be read
in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and the
notes thereto in Item 8 of Part II, “Financial Statements and
Supplementary Data”. Historical results are not necessarily
indicative of future results.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Year Ended December 31,
|
|
|
|
2022
|
|
|
2021
|
|
|
2020
|
|
|
2019
|
|
|
2018
|
|
Consolidated Statements of Operations:
|
|
(in thousands, except share and per share data)
|
|
Revenue
|
|
$
|
65,047
|
|
|
$
|
85,494
|
|
|
$
|
78,648
|
|
|
$
|
65,207
|
|
|
$
|
37,774
|
|
Costs and expenses
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cost of revenue
|
|
|
51,697
|
|
|
|
53,837
|
|
|
|
58,534
|
|
|
|
43,127
|
|
|
|
25,969
|
|
Research and development
|
|
|
64,912
|
|
|
|
49,312
|
|
|
|
28,568
|
|
|
|
22,418
|
|
|
|
14,304
|
|
Selling, general and administrative
|
|
|
63,969
|
|
|
|
47,698
|
|
|
|
33,692
|
|
|
|
22,080
|
|
|
|
11,271
|
|
Total costs and expenses
|
|
|
180,578
|
|
|
|
150,847
|
|
|
|
120,794
|
|
|
|
87,625
|
|
|
|
51,544
|
|
Loss from operations
|
|
|
(115,531
|
)
|
|
|
(65,353
|
)
|
|
|
(42,146
|
)
|
|
|
(22,418
|
)
|
|
|
(13,770
|
)
|
Interest income
|
|
|
2,396
|
|
|
|
367
|
|