v3.26.1
License and Other Agreements
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2026
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]  
License and Other Agreements

7. License and other agreements

The Company has various license agreements related to technology used in its research and development activities. The license agreements may include up-front payments, option fees, ongoing maintenance fees, sublicense fees, royalty-based payments, milestone payments, success-based payments, and other payments. Option fees, when applicable, are recognized when exercised; maintenance fees, sublicense fees, and other payments are recorded as incurred based on the estimated amounts due or that will ultimately be paid. Contingent payments that are not required to be accounted for as a derivative are recognized as incurred. As the success-based payments due under the Company’s license arrangements are derivatives, the change in the fair value of the success-based payments are recognized in a separate line item in the statement of operations and comprehensive loss, as discussed further below. The total contingent obligations and non-royalty sublicense fees included in research and development expenses in the statement of operations and comprehensive loss for the three months ended March 31, 2026 was $5.0 million. There were no contingent obligations and non-royalty sublicense fees included in research and development expenses in the statement of operations and comprehensive loss for the three months ended March 31, 2025.

The value attributable to sublicenses and the related sublicense fees due under the Company’s license agreements may require estimates and other judgments related to contractual requirements, which creates uncertainty over the ultimate amount that would be paid under these arrangements. Contractual amounts due are accrued and if a contingency exists related to the interpretation of the amounts due under the license agreement, the Company recognizes a liability for the amount that is probable and estimable. When no amount within the range of potential payments is a better estimate than any other amount, however, the minimum amount in the range is accrued.

Harvard license agreement

Under the Harvard License Agreement, Harvard is entitled to receive success payments, in cash or shares of Company stock, determined based upon the achievement of specified multiples of the initial weighted average value of the Company’s Series A Preferred at specified valuation dates. The success payments range from $5.0 million to a maximum of $105.0 million and have valuation multiples that range from 5 times to 40 times the initial weighted average value of the Series A Preferred. Subsequent to the Company’s February 2020 initial public offering, or IPO, the amount of success payments is based on the market value of the Company's common stock.

The Company is required to make success payments to Harvard during a period of time, or the Harvard Success Payment Period, which has been determined to be the later of (1) the ninth anniversary of the Harvard License Agreement or (2) the earlier of (a) the twelfth anniversary of the Harvard License Agreement and (b) the third anniversary of the first date on which a licensed product receives regulatory approval in the United States. During the Harvard Success Payment Period, the Company will perform a calculation of any amounts owed to Harvard on each rolling 90-day period, commencing one year after the IPO.

In May 2021, the first success payment measurement occurred and amounts due to Harvard were calculated to be $15.0 million. The Company elected to make the payment in shares of the Company’s common stock and issued 174,825 shares of the Company’s common stock to settle this liability on June 10, 2021. The Company may owe Harvard success payments of up to an additional $90.0 million. As of March 31, 2026, no success payments were due to Harvard.

The following table summarizes the Company’s success payment liability for Harvard (in thousands):

 

 

 

March 31,
2026

 

 

December 31,
2025

 

Harvard success payment liability

 

$

2,200

 

 

$

3,300

 

 

The following table summarizes the expense (income) resulting from the change in the fair value of the success payment liability for Harvard (in thousands):

 

 

 

Three Months Ended March 31,

 

 

 

2026

 

 

2025

 

Change in fair value of Harvard success payment liability

 

$

(1,100

)

 

$

(1,600

)

Broad license agreement

Under the Broad License Agreement, Broad Institute is entitled to receive success payments, in cash or shares of Company common stock, determined based upon the achievement of specified multiples of the initial weighted average value of the Series A Preferred at specified valuation dates. The success payments range from $5.0 million to a maximum of $105.0 million and have valuation multiples that range from 5 times to 40 times the initial weighted average value of the Series A Preferred. Subsequent to the IPO, the amount of success payments is based on the market value of the Company’s common stock.

The Company is required to make success payments to Broad Institute during a period of time, or the Broad Success Payment Period, which has been determined to be the earliest of (1) the twelfth anniversary of the Broad License Agreement or (2) the third anniversary of the first date on which a licensed product receives regulatory approval in the United States. During the Broad Success Payment Period, the Company will perform a calculation of any amounts owed to Broad Institute on each rolling 90-day period, commencing one year after the IPO.

In May 2021, the first success payment measurement occurred and amounts due to Broad Institute were calculated to be $15.0 million. The Company elected to make the payment in shares of the Company’s common stock and issued 174,825 shares of the Company’s common stock to settle this liability on June 10, 2021. The Company may owe Broad Institute success payments of up to an additional $90.0 million. As of March 31, 2026, no success payments were due to Broad Institute.

The following table summarizes the Company’s success payment liability for Broad Institute (in thousands):

 

 

 

March 31,
2026

 

 

December 31,
2025

 

Broad Institute success payment liability

 

$

3,000

 

 

$

4,400

 

 

The following table summarizes the expense (income) resulting from the change in the fair value of the success payment liability for Broad Institute (in thousands):

 

 

 

Three Months Ended March 31,

 

 

 

2026

 

 

2025

 

Change in fair value of Broad Institute success payment liability

 

$

(1,400

)

 

$

(1,600

)

 

Settlement agreement

On July 19, 2024, the Company entered into a settlement agreement with a research institution pursuant to which, in exchange for a release of claims in its favor, the Company agreed, among other things, to pay the research institution an upfront payment of $15.0 million and to make additional payments contingent upon the development and commercialization of BEAM-102 and BEAM-302. These contingent payments consist of certain development, regulatory, and sales-based milestone payments, as well as a 1% royalty on net sales through 2038. Any amounts due must be settled in cash. The maximum amount of development and regulatory milestone payments under the settlement agreement is $15.0 million, and the maximum amount of sales milestone payments is $35.0 million per program. The Company paid the $15.0 million upfront payment during the year ended December 31, 2024. The Company determined that the recognition criteria under ASC 450, was not met as the likelihood of a loss is not considered probable and estimable as of March 31, 2026 and therefore no related liability is recorded as of March 31, 2026.