Century Therapeutics, Inc. Commitments Disclosure
Note 10—Commitments and contingencies
From time to time, the Company may have certain contingent liabilities that arise in the ordinary course of its business activities. The Company accrues a liability for such matters when future expenditures are probable and such expenditures can be reasonably estimated.
Distributed Bio Master Service Agreement
On July 24, 2019, the Company entered into a Master Service Agreement with Distributed Bio, Inc (“DBio”), whereby DBio will screen for protein binders that bind to specific therapeutic targets. The Company pays for such services according to a payment schedule, and if the Company brings the protein binders into the clinic for further development, DBio will receive milestone payments of up to $16,100 in total for each product as the products move through the clinical development and regulatory approval processes. No milestone payments were due since the inception of the agreement.
The Company had $65 within accounts payable as of December 31, 2024 and $62 within accrued liabilities as of December 31, 2023, in its consolidated balance sheets related to the Master Service Agreement. During the year ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, there were $65 and $62 in research and development expenses, respectively.
iCELL Inc. Sublicense Agreement
In March 2020, the Company entered into a Sublicense Agreement with iCELL Inc (“iCELL”) whereby iCELL granted the Company a license of certain patents and technology. The Company will pay iCELL royalties in the low single digits on net sales of the licensed product. In addition to the earned royalties, the Company will pay sales milestones, not to exceed $70,000, for the sales of the licensed product. iCELL is also eligible to receive payments of up to $4,250 in development and regulatory approval milestone payments. No milestones or royalties were due in 2024 or 2023.
Clade Therapeutics
In connection with the acquisition of Clade Therapeutics, (Note 3 Business combination), the Company is subject to a contingent milestone payment to the shareholders of Clade. The milestone payment is $10,000 and is payable in cash, shares of Century, or a combination thereof, at the discretion of Century.
A total of 793,687 shares (“Holdback Shares”) representing approximately 10% of the aggregate consideration, were held back at the closing of the acquisition as recourse to satisfy certain indemnification obligations of the Clade shareholders under the Merger Agreement should they arise and, subject to any forfeiture of Holdback Shares as a result of indemnification claims made prior to the 18-month anniversary of the Closing, will be issued pursuant to the terms of the Merger Agreement following the 18-month anniversary of the Closing.
In connection with the acquisition of Clade, the Company also assumed an earn-out obligation (“Gadeta Milestone”) that is contingent on a clinical development milestone of a product that incorporates Gadeta intellectual property between the acquisition date and December 21, 2032. The total payments to the shareholders of Gadeta is upon the occurrence of such an event is $20,000.
About Commitments Disclosures
Commitments and contingencies disclosures catalog a company's off-balance-sheet obligations and legal exposures — purchase commitments, guarantee arrangements, pending litigation, and regulatory proceedings. These items represent potential future cash outflows that may not appear as liabilities on the balance sheet until they become probable and estimable.
Key signals: litigation reserves and disclosed loss ranges quantify management's estimate of legal exposure, but unquantified "reasonably possible" losses often represent the larger risk. Watch for changes in language around pending cases — shifts from "remote" to "reasonably possible" or increases in estimated loss ranges signal deteriorating outcomes. Unconditional purchase obligations and take-or-pay contracts create fixed cost structures that reduce operational flexibility. Guarantee arrangements for subsidiaries or joint ventures can create cascading obligations. Compare the total commitment schedule against projected free cash flow to assess whether the company can meet its obligations without additional financing.