v3.26.1
Share-Based Compensation
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2025
Share-Based Compensation  
Share-Based Compensation

9.    Share-Based Compensation

Equity Incentive Plans

The Company’s 2018 Incentive Award Plan and 2016 Equity Incentive Plan (collectively, the “Plans”), were adopted by the Company’s board of directors and shareholders. Under the Plans, the Company has granted share options and restricted share units (“RSUs”) to selected officers, employees, non-employee members of the Company’s board of directors and non-employee consultants. The Company’s board of directors or a committee thereof administers the Plans. Upon the adoption of the 2018 Incentive Award Plan, the Company ceased issuing awards under the 2016 Equity Incentive Plan. The number of shares available for issuance under the 2018 Incentive Award Plan are increased on January 1 of each calendar year beginning in 2019 and ending in and including 2028, by an amount equal to the lesser of (A) 4% of the ordinary shares outstanding on the final day of the immediately preceding calendar year and (B) a smaller number of shares determined by the Company's board of directors. Under the 2018 Incentive Award Plan the Company initially reserved up to 3,054,996 shares for issuance, which has been increased to 16,790,683 as of December 31, 2025. As of December 31, 2025, 617,248 shares remain available for future issuance. In January 2026, the number of shares available for issuance under the 2018 Incentive Award Plan increased by 3,244,837 shares.

Options

A summary of the Company’s share option activity related to employees, non-employee members of the board of directors and non-employee consultants as of and for the years ended December 31, 2025 is as follows (in thousands, except share and per share amounts):

Weighted-

  ​ ​ ​

  ​ ​ ​

Weighted-

  ​ ​ ​

Average

Average

Remaining

Number of

Exercise

Contractual

Options

Price

Term (years)

Outstanding at December 31, 2024

 

8,232,587

$

12.57

 

5.35

Granted

 

222,050

$

6.07

 

Exercised

 

(38,284)

$

6.73

 

Forfeited

 

(557,015)

$

14.56

 

Outstanding at December 31, 2025

 

7,859,338

$

12.29

4.58

Options exercisable at December 31, 2025

 

7,116,750

$

12.78

4.25

Options vested and expected to vest at December 31, 2025

7,859,338

$

12.29

4.58

Aggregate intrinsic value of options outstanding as of December 31, 2025

$

4,039

 

  ​

  ​

Aggregate intrinsic value of options exercisable as of December 31, 2025

$

3,370

 

  ​

  ​

Options granted under the Plans have a maximum contractual term of ten years. Options granted generally vest 25% on the first anniversary of the date of grant and the balance ratably over the next 36 months. Options granted to directors when they join the board generally vest in 36 equal monthly installments following the date of grant, and annual options granted to directors generally vest on the earlier of the first anniversary of the date of grant or the day before the Company’s next annual meeting of shareholders after the date of grant.

The Company recorded the following share-based compensation expense in connection with the options for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024 (in thousands):

Years Ended December 31, 

  ​ ​ ​

2025

  ​ ​ ​

2024

Research and development

$

3,375

$

6,062

General and administrative

 

2,061

3,892

Total share-based compensation

$

5,436

$

9,954

The total fair value of options vested during the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024 was $5.9 million and $12.1 million, respectively.

The weighted average grant date fair value of options granted during the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024 was $3.85 per share and $3.91 per share, respectively. The grant date fair values of the share options granted were estimated using the Black-Scholes option valuation model with the following ranges of assumptions (see Note 2):

  ​ ​ ​

2025

  ​ ​ ​

2024

Risk-free interest rate

 

3.81 - 4.13%

 

4.04 - 4.17%

Expected volatility

 

78%

 

67%

Expected dividend yield

 

0%

 

0%

Expected term (in years)

 

6.01

 

3.6 - 6.1

As of December 31, 2025, the total compensation expense relating to unvested options granted that had not yet been recognized was $3.3 million, which is expected to be recognized over a period of 3.4 years. The Company will issue shares upon exercise of options from ordinary shares reserved under the Plans.

Restricted Share Units

A summary of the Company’s RSU activity related to employees, non-employee members of the board of directors and non-employee consultants for the year ended December 31, 2025 is as follows:

  ​ ​ ​

  ​ ​ ​

Weighted-

Number of

Average

Restricted

Grant Date

Share Units

Fair Value

Outstanding at December 31, 2024

 

4,252,250

$

8.91

Granted

 

3,184,500

$

6.17

Vested

(1,222,500)

$

11.52

Forfeited

(30,000)

$

6.16

Outstanding at December 31, 2025

 

6,184,250

$

7.00

RSUs granted generally vest 50% on the second anniversary of the date of grant and 25% on the third and fourth anniversaries of the date of grant. Annual RSUs granted to directors generally vest in a single installment on the earliest to occur of the first anniversary of the grant date or the day immediately prior to the date of the next annual meeting of the Company’s shareholders occurring after the date of grant. The RSUs granted to the directors in June 2021 will be paid on or within 30 days after the date a director ceases to serve on the board. For RSUs granted in future years, the directors may elect whether to defer the payment of their annual RSU awards under the Deferred Compensation Plan for Non-Employee Directors, which was adopted by the board on December 17, 2021. As of December 31, 2025, there were 497,500 vested shares that have been deferred. The related share-based compensation expense, which is recognized ratably over the requisite service period, is included in general and administrative and research and development expenses, as applicable, in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss.

The Company recorded the following share-based compensation expense in connection with the RSUs for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024 (in thousands):

Years Ended December 31, 

  ​ ​ ​

2025

  ​ ​ ​

2024

Research and development

$

4,847

$

5,070

General and administrative

 

11,822

10,167

Total share-based compensation

$

16,669

$

15,237

As of December 31, 2025, the total compensation expense relating to unvested RSUs granted that had not yet been recognized was $24.7 million, which is expected to be recognized over a period of 3.3 years.

To satisfy employee minimum statutory tax withholding requirements for restricted share units that vest, the Company withholds a portion of the vesting ordinary shares. During the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, the Company withheld 433,960 and 377,152 ordinary shares with a total value of approximately $3.0 million and $2.3 million, respectively. These amounts are presented as a cash outflow from financing activities in the accompanying consolidated statement of cash flows.

During the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024 the Company recognized total share-based compensation expense in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss as follows (in thousands):

Years Ended December 31, 

  ​ ​ ​

2025

  ​ ​ ​

2024

Research and development

$

8,222

$

11,132

General and administrative

 

13,883

14,059

Total share-based compensation

$

22,105

$

25,191

The Company does not expect to realize any tax benefits from its share option activity or the recognition of share-based compensation expense because the Company currently has net operating losses and has a full valuation allowance against its deferred tax assets. Accordingly, no amounts related to excess tax benefits have been reported in cash flows from operations or cash flows from financing activities for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024.