16. Segment Reporting

 

HCW Biologics, Inc. has one reportable segment: life science. The life science segment consists of operations focused on discovering and developing novel immunotherapies to lengthen health span by disrupting the link between chronic, low-grade inflammation and diseases. The Company’s CODM is the chief executive officer.

The accounting policies of the life science segment are the same as those described in the summary of significant accounting policies. The CODM assesses performance for the life science segment based on net loss, which is reported on the statements of operations as net loss. The measure of segment assets is reported on the balance sheet as total assets.

The Company has not generated any product revenue from commercial product sales of internally-developed immunotherapeutic products for the treatment of diseases, as no products have been approved for commercial sale as of December 31, 2025. The Company expects to continue to incur significant expenses and operating losses for the foreseeable future as it advances molecules through all stages of development and clinical trials and, ultimately, seek approval for commercial sale.

As such, the CODM uses cash forecast models in deciding how to invest into the life science segment. Such cash forecast models are reviewed to assess the entity-wide operating results and performance in conjunction with monitoring the results of R&D experiments for preclinical compounds and clinical trial data for clinical-stage compounds. The assessment of results of preclinical and clinical studies are critical to the allocation of resources by the CODM.

The tables below summarizes the significant expense categories regularly reviewed by the CODM for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2025:

 

 

 

Years Ended
December 31,

 

 

 

2024

 

 

2025

 

Revenues:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Revenues

 

$

2,566,792

 

 

$

54,232

 

Cost of revenues

 

 

(1,607,389

)

 

 

(43,386

)

Net revenues

 

 

959,403

 

 

 

10,846

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Operating expenses:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Research and development expenses

 

 

 

 

 

 

Salaries, benefits and related expenses

 

 

2,797,370

 

 

 

3,069,364

 

Manufacturing and materials

 

 

1,425,734

 

 

 

354,705

 

Preclinical expenses

 

 

859,701

 

 

 

930,899

 

Clinical trials

 

 

558,215

 

 

 

470,592

 

Overhead allocations

 

 

747,974

 

 

 

617,324

 

Total research and development expenses

 

 

6,388,994

 

 

 

5,442,884

 

General and administrative

 

 

 

 

 

 

Salaries, benefits and related expenses

 

 

2,563,936

 

 

 

2,784,753

 

Professional services(a)

 

 

1,171,885

 

 

 

1,995,446

 

Facilities and office expenses

 

 

654,996

 

 

 

433,288

 

Depreciation expenses

 

 

254,407

 

 

 

237,005

 

Rent and occupancy expenses

 

 

205,511

 

 

 

191,598

 

Insurance

 

 

952,199

 

 

 

1,011,034

 

Taxes

 

 

196,804

 

 

 

174,398

 

Other expenses

 

 

289,407

 

 

 

468,537

 

Total general and administrative expenses

 

 

6,289,145

 

 

 

7,296,059

 

Other segment items(b)

 

 

18,305,078

 

 

 

(4,768,388

)

Total operating expenses

 

 

30,983,217

 

 

 

7,970,555

 

Net segment loss

 

$

(30,023,814

)

 

$

(7,959,709

)

 

(a)

Professional services consist primarily of audit and accounting advisory services, tax advisory services, corporate legal services related to SEC compliance, and legal fees related to patent filings.

 

(b)

Other segment items include the following unusual or nonrecurring items:

 

 

 

Years Ended
December 31,

 

 

 

2024

 

 

2025

 

Arbitration legal fees (recoveries), net

 

$

15,910,480

 

 

$

(1,470,809

)

Accretion of fixed bonus upon maturity of Secured Notes

 

 

527,304

 

 

 

405,222

 

Interest expense

 

 

654,284

 

 

 

845,051

 

Change in fair value of investment

 

 

 

 

 

273,422

 

Change in fair value of contingent liability

 

 

 

 

 

(1,055,826

)

Nonoperating loss

 

 

1,300,000

 

 

 

 

Loss on sale of put shares

 

 

 

 

 

263,974

 

Gain on extinguishment of liability

 

 

 

 

 

(5,461,046

)

Impairment of long-lived asset

 

 

 

 

 

1,500,000

 

Other income, net

 

 

(86,990

)

 

 

(68,376

)

Other segment items

 

$

18,305,078

 

 

$

(4,768,388

)

Historical Timeline

Fiscal YearFiled
2025Mar 31, 2026Showing above
2024Mar 28, 2025

About Segments Disclosures

Segment disclosures break a company into its reportable operating units, revealing revenue, profit, and asset allocation that consolidated financial statements obscure. Under ASC 280, segments must match how the chief operating decision maker views the business, providing a window into internal management structure and resource allocation priorities.

Key signals: compare segment margins to identify which units drive profitability and which destroy value. Watch for changes in the number of reportable segments — segment aggregation or disaggregation often coincides with strategic shifts or attempts to obscure declining performance. Intersegment elimination patterns reveal internal pricing practices. The reconciliation between segment totals and consolidated figures exposes corporate overhead allocation and unallocated items. Geographic revenue concentration highlights regulatory and currency exposure. Compare segment-level capital expenditure against segment revenue to assess where management is investing for future growth versus harvesting existing assets.