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Adaptimmune Therapeutics

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FY2016 Annual Report · Adaptimmune Therapeutics
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Adaptimmune Therapeutics plc

Company Number 09338148

ANNUAL REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

for the year ended

31 December 2016

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Adaptimmune Therapeutics plc

Company Number 09338148

ANNUAL REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

for the year ended

31 December 2016

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ADAPTIMMUNE THERAPEUTICS PLC

Contents

Page

Directors’ Report ……………………………………………………………………………………………………….……7
Strategic Report ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 10
Directors’ Remuneration Report …………………………………………………………………………….………………24
Statement of Directors’ Responsibilities in Respect of the Annual Report and the Financial Statements ….……….……...35
Independent Auditor’s Report to the Members of the Adaptimmune Therapeutics plc …………………….………..……..36
Consolidated Income Statements…………………………………………………………………………….………………38
Consolidated Statement of Financial Position……………………………………………………………….………………39
Company Statement of Financial Position……………………………………………………………….….………….……40
Consolidated Statement of Changes in Equity………………………………………………………………………….……41
Company Statement of Changes in Equity…………………………………………………………………………….…….42
Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows…………………………..…………………………………………………….……43

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ADAPTIMMUNE THERAPEUTICS PLC

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ADAPTIMMUNE THERAPEUTICS PLC
COMPANY INFORMATION

DIRECTORS

Mr L M Alleva
Dr A Behbahani
Ms B Duncan (Appointed 23 June 2016)
Mr G Kerr (Appointed 1 November 2016)
Dr J Knowles (Resigned 31 December 2016)
Mr I M Laing (Resigned 31 December 2016)
Mr D M Mott
Mr J J Noble
Dr C E Sigal
Dr P A Thompson 
Dr T Zaks (Appointed 14 November 2016)

SECRETARY

Ms M Henry

COMPANY NUMBER

09338148

REGISTERED OFFICE

AUDITOR

101 Park Drive
Milton Park
Abingdon 
Oxfordshire
OX14 4RY

KPMG LLP
Arlington Business Park
Theale
Reading
RG7 4SD

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ADAPTIMMUNE THERAPEUTICS PLC
DIRECTORS’ REPORT
For the year ended 31 December 2016

Adaptimmune  Therapeutics  plc  was  incorporated  on  3  December  2014.  The  Directors  submit  this  report  and  the 
Consolidated  Financial  Statements  of  Adaptimmune  Therapeutics  plc  and  its  subsidiaries,  Adaptimmune  Limited  and 
Adaptimmune LLC (which may be referred to as “the Group”, “we”, “us” or “our”) as of and for the year ended 31 December 
2016, as well as the financial statements for Adaptimmune Therapeutics plc (“the Company” or “the parent company”) as 
of and for the six months ended 31 December 2015.

Adaptimmune Therapeutics plc is a public company limited by shares and incorporated and domiciled in England and Wales. 
Adaptimmune Limited is registered in England and Wales. Adaptimmune LLC is registered in the United States of America.

BASIS OF PRESENTATION

Our Directors have elected to prepare the group financial statements in accordance with International Financial Reporting 
Standards as adopted by the EU (“Adopted IFRSs”) and in compliance with IFRSs issued by the IASB. The parent company 
financial statements are drawn up in accordance with the Companies Act 2006 and Financial Reporting Standard 101 (“FRS 
101”).

In the previous accounting period, the Group changed its year end from 30 June to 31 December and as such the financial 
statements for the year ended 31 December 2016 and the six months ended 31 December 2015 have been presented herein.
The presentational currency has been changed to U.S. dollars for all periods presented consistently.  The exchange rate was 
$:£1.233 and $:£1.4825 at 31 December 2016 and 2015, respectively (see note 1 to the financial statements).

PRINCIPAL ACTIVITIES

The principal activity of Adaptimmune Therapeutics plc is the development and commercialisation of T cell therapy to treat 
cancer.

We  are  a  clinical-stage  biopharmaceutical  company  focused  on  novel  cancer  immunotherapy  products  based  on  its 
proprietary SPEAR (Specific Peptide Enhanced Affinity Receptor) T-cell platform. We have developed a comprehensive 
proprietary platform that enables us to identify cancer targets, find and genetically engineer T-cell receptors (“TCRs”), and 
produce TCR therapeutic candidates for administration to patients. The Group engineers TCRs to increase their affinity to 
cancer specific peptides in order to destroy cancer cells in patients.

RESULTS AND DIVIDENDS

The result for the year is set out in the Income Statement on page 38.

The Directors do not propose a dividend (Period ended 31 December 2015: $nil).

CHARITABLE AND POLITICAL CONTRIBUTIONS

No charitable contributions were paid during the year (Period ended 31 December 2015: $nil).

No donations were made during the year to political organisations (Period ended 31 December 2015: $nil).

FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS

Please refer to the Financial Risk Management section included in our Strategic Report, beginning on page 21 of this 
document.

STRUCTURE OF THE GROUP’S CAPITAL

Please refer to note 20 to the financial statements. 

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ADAPTIMMUNE THERAPEUTICS PLC
DIRECTORS’ REPORT (CONTINUED)
For the year ended 31 December 2016

DIRECTORS

The following Directors have held office since the dates indicated below.

Mr L M Alleva
Dr A Behbahani
Ms B Duncan 
Mr G Kerr
Dr J Knowles
Mr I M Laing
Mr D M Mott
Mr J J Noble
Dr C E Sigal
Dr P A Thompson
Dr T Zaks

(Appointed 5 March 2015)
(Appointed 12 February 2015)
(Appointed 23 June 2016)
(Appointed 1 November 2016)
(Appointed 12 February 2015 and resigned 31 December 2016)
(Appointed 12 February 2015 and resigned 31 December 2016)
(Appointed 12 February 2015)
(Appointed 3 December 2014 and re-elected 16 June 2016)
(Appointed 12 February 2015 and re-elected 16 June 2016)
(Appointed 12 February 2015)
(Appointed 14 November 2016)

During the period from 1 January 2016 to 31 December 2016, there were 14 full meetings of the Board of Directors. All of 
our Directors attended each of the 14  meetings except that Dr Behbahani and Mr Laing each attended 13 meetings;  Ms 
Duncan attended six meetings (due to her having been appointed on 23 June 2016); Mr Kerr attended one meeting (due to 
his having been appointed on 1 November 2016) and Dr Zaks did not attend any meetings (due to his having been appointed 
on 14 November 2016).

One-third of the Directors are subject to retirement by rotation at each Annual General Meeting of shareholders.

THIRD PARTY INDEMNITY PROVISION FOR DIRECTORS

At the time the report is approved, there are no qualifying third party indemnity provisions in place for the benefit of one or 
more of the Directors.

EMPLOYEE INVOLVEMENT

The  Group  is  committed  to  the  continued  development  of  employee  involvement  by  an  effective  communications  and 
consultative framework.

DISABLED PERSONS

Applications for employment by disabled persons are always fully considered, bearing in mind the respective aptitudes and 
abilities of the applicant concerned. In the event of members of staff becoming disabled, every effort is made to ensure that 
their employment with the Group continues and the appropriate training is arranged. It is the policy of the Group that the 
training, career development and promotion of a disabled person should, as far as possible, be identical to that of a person 
who does not suffer from a disability.

ENVIRONMENTAL MATTERS 

Please refer to the Environmental Matters section included in our Strategic Report, beginning on page 22 of this document.

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ADAPTIMMUNE THERAPEUTICS PLC
DIRECTORS’ REPORT (CONTINUED)
For the year ended 31 December 2016

GOING CONCERN

Our business activities, together with the factors likely to affect our future development, performance and position, are set 
out in the Strategic Report on pages 10 to 23.

In determining  whether our financial statements can be prepared on a going concern basis, our Directors considered the 
Group’s business activities, together with the factors likely to affect our future development and performance. The review 
also included our financial position and cash flows. 

As of the date of this report, our Directors have a reasonable expectation that we have adequate resources to continue in 
business for the foreseeable future. Accordingly, the financial statements have been prepared on the going concern basis.

AUDITOR

A resolution to reappoint KPMG LLP will be proposed at the forthcoming Annual General Meeting. 

STATEMENT AS TO DISCLOSURE OF INFORMATION TO THE AUDITOR

All Directors in office at the time the report is approved confirm the following:

(i)

(ii)

so far as each Director is aware, there is no relevant audit information of which the Company’s auditors are unaware; 
and

each Director has taken all the steps that he or she ought to have taken in his or her duty as a Director in order to 
make himself or herself aware of any relevant audit information and to establish that the Company’s auditors are 
aware of that information.

The Directors’ Report was approved by the Board on 10 March 2017.

On behalf of the Board

James J Noble
Director

10 March 2017

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ADAPTIMMUNE THERAPEUTICS PLC
STRATEGIC REPORT
For the year ended 31 December 2016

INTRODUCTION

Adaptimmune Therapeutics plc (“the Company”) was incorporated on 3 December 2014. Adaptimmune Therapeutics plc 
on behalf of itself and its subsidiaries, Adaptimmune Limited and Adaptimmune LLC (which may be referred to as “the 
Group”, “we”, “us” or “our”), is required to produce a strategic report complying with the requirements of the Companies 
Act 2006 (Strategic Report and Directors’ Report) Regulations 2013 (the “Regulations”).

OVERVIEW

We  are  a  clinical-stage  biopharmaceutical  company  committed  to  developing  novel  immunotherapies  primarily  to  treat 
cancer.  Our vision is to be a world leader in discovering, developing and commercialising T cells to transform the treatment 
of patients with serious diseases. Our comprehensive SPEAR (Specific Peptide Enhanced Affinity Receptor) T-cell platform 
enables us to identify cancer targets, find and genetically optimize T-cell receptors (“TCRs”), and produce SPEAR T-cells 
for  administration  to  patients.  Unlike  certain  other  autologous  immunotherapies  our  SPEAR  T-cells  are  able  to  target 
intracellular and extracellular targets and solid and hematologic tumours.

Our SPEAR T-cell platform is being utilised to maximise both patient and disease indication coverage. First, we are using 
our platform to identify and validate cancer testis antigens for development of SPEAR T-cells. These antigens have very 
low expression on normal tissues and are therefore preferred targets for our SPEAR T-cells. However, within a given disease 
indication, the frequency of expression of these targets may be low, and may not be uniformly expressed in every cell within 
a tumour. As a result, we are developing multiple SPEAR T-cells to different target antigens within any disease indication 
to increase treatment potential for any given disease. We have three SPEAR T-cells in clinical trials which are directed to 
cancer testis antigens, NY-ESO-1, MAGE-A4 and MAGE-A10. The targets to which these SPEAR T-cells are directed are 
expressed in multiple disease indications including non-small cell lung cancer (“NSCLC”), melanoma, urothelial (bladder) 
cancers and head and neck cancers, with each of these indications being addressed by at least two of the SPEAR T-cells. 

Second,  we  are  developing  SPEAR  T-cells  directed  to  non-cancer  testis  antigens  which  are  closely  related  to  a  specific 
disease indication. The first of these SPEAR T-cells is our AFP SPEAR T-cell which is directed to hepatocellular cancer. 
Further targets closely associated with other cancers are also being validated.

Finally we are identifying peptides to different Human Leukocyte Antigen (“HLA”) types ensuring that for any given target, 
for example NY-ESO, MAGE-A10, MAGE-A4 or AFP, we can address patient populations with different HLA types.

In  addition,  we  continue  to  use  our  SPEAR  T-cell  platform  to  identify  further  target  peptides  which  provide  additional 
coverage  for  any  existing  indications  or  which  show  high  expression  in  specific  cancers.  We  have  identified  over  30 
intracellular  target  peptides  and  have  12  research  programmes  evaluating  these  peptides.  We  also  recognize  that  further 
development of our SPEAR T-cells will assist in enhancing efficacy and durability of response. We therefore have a number 
of next generation SPEAR T-cell strategies to further develop and engineer our SPEAR T-cells in addition to the initiation 
of combination therapy approaches.

OUR SPEAR T-CELL THERAPIES

The Immune System and T-cells

The immune system plays an important role in targeting and destroying cancer cells. Specifically, T-cells, which are a type 
of white blood cell, and their receptors create a natural system that is designed to scan the body for diseased cells. In general, 
cells process proteins internally and then convert these proteins into peptide fragments which are then presented on the cell 
surface by the HLA. T-cells naturally scan all other cells in the body for the presence of abnormal peptide fragments, such 
as those generated from infectious agents. Recognition of this peptide-HLA complex takes place through the TCR expressed 
on the T-cells. Binding of naturally occurring TCRs to cancer targets, however, tends to be very poor because cancer proteins 
appear very similar to naturally occurring proteins on healthy cells and TCRs that recognise what the body sees as “self-
proteins” are eliminated during early human development. Even when TCRs recognize cancer cells expressing novel proteins 
caused by mutations, elements of the immune system, or the cancer itself often suppress the T-cell response.

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ADAPTIMMUNE THERAPEUTICS PLC
STRATEGIC REPORT
For the year ended 31 December 2016

Target Identification and Validation

Before developing any engineered T-cell or TCR it is important to identify and validate a suitable target cancer peptide. The 
target must be expressed primarily only on the cancer cells of interest and with expression in normal non-cancerous tissue 
only where a risk to the patient would be deemed acceptable. Careful validation and identification of targets is important to 
ensuring that any engineered TCR is specific to the targeted cancer and doesn’t bind to the same target on non-cancer cells, 
or that the TCR does not recognize a similar peptide derived from a protein in normal cells. Our target identification platform 
is focussed on three approaches. First, we are using our platform to validate cancer testis antigens. These targets have very 
low expression on most normal tissues in adults and are therefore preferred targets for our SPEAR T-cells. However, within 
a given indication, the frequency of expression of these targets may be low, and may not be uniformly expressed in every 
cell within a tumour. As a result, we are developing multiple SPEAR T-cells to different target peptides in selected disease 
indications to increase the probability of treating patients with a given disease indication and potentially the ability for re-
treatment of patients with a different SPEAR T-cell. We have three SPEAR T-cells in clinical trials which are directed to 
cancer testis antigens, NY-ESO-1, MAGE-A4 and MAGE-A10. The targets to which these SPEAR T-cells are directed are 
expressed  in  multiple  disease  indications  including  NSCLC,  melanoma,  urothelial  (bladder)  cancers  and  head  and  neck 
cancers, with each of these indications being addressed by at least two of the SPEAR T-cells.

The second type of approach is directed to non-cancer testis antigens which are closely related to a specific disease indication. 
The first of these SPEAR T-cells is our AFP SPEAR T-cell which is directed to hepatocellular cancer. Further targets closely 
associated with other cancers are also in development.

Finally  we  are  identifying  targets  to  different  HLA  types  ensuring  that  for  any  given  target, we  can  address  patient 
populations with different HLA types.

Affinity Engineering

Following identification of a suitable target peptide, we identify TCRs that are capable of binding to that target peptide. We 
then engineer those identified TCRs to enhance and optimize their ability to target and bind to the cancer peptides, thereby 
enabling a highly targeted immunotherapy. The optimized TCR then undergoes extensive preclinical safety testing prior to 
administration  to  patients.  Our  SPEAR  T-cell  platform  technology  enables  us  to  develop  a  pipeline  of  targets  and  TCR 
therapeutic  candidates  that  we  believe  may  be  effective  in  a  variety  of  cancer  types  that  are  unresponsive  to  currently 
available and experimental therapies. We have two SPEAR T-cells already in clinical trials (NY-ESO, MAGE-A10), two 
additional programmes with open investigational new drug applications (“INDs”) are planned to enter the clinic in 2017 
(AFP and MAGE-A4) and a pipeline of SPEAR T-cells in development.

Administration to Patients

The process for treating a patient with an engineered TCR therapeutic candidate involves extracting the patient’s T-cells 
and then combining the extracted cells with our delivery system containing the gene for our affinity-enhanced TCR, through 
a process known as transduction. Our delivery system uses a type of self-inactivating (SIN) virus, known as SIN-lentivirus, 
to transduce the patient’s T-cells and is referred to as a lentiviral vector. The transduced T-cells are then expanded and 
infused into the patient. When these T-cells encounter an HLA-peptide complex, they multiply and initiate the destruction 
of the targeted cancer cells.

PRODUCT PIPELINE

We have Phase 1/2 clinical trials ongoing with our NY-ESO and MAGE-A10 SPEAR T-cells and during 2016 opened two 
additional INDs for our AFP and MAGE A-4 SPEAR T-cells. 

NY-ESO 
Our SPEAR T-cell therapy targets the NY-ESO-1 and LAGE-1a cancer antigens  which are present in multiple different 
tumour types. We are conducting Phase 1/2 clinical trials in patients with solid tumours and haematological malignancies 
including synovial sarcoma, multiple myeloma, NSCLC and ovarian cancer. A pilot trial in myxoid round cell liposarcoma 
(“MRCLS”) started in December 2016. We are planning to start a registration trial in synovial sarcoma by the end of 2017, 
which is dependent on the start and performance of comparability studies. Clinical trials are ongoing in the United States 
and clinical trial applications have been approved in both Canada and the United Kingdom. 

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ADAPTIMMUNE THERAPEUTICS PLC
STRATEGIC REPORT
For the year ended 31 December 2016

Our NY-ESO SPEAR T-cell has shown promising initial results in clinical trials with a 50% response rate and 18-month 
median survival rate reported in synovial sarcoma (a solid tumour) and a 91%  response rate at day 100 post autologous stem 
cell transplant in multiple myeloma. The NY-ESO SPEAR T-cell has shown a promising tolerability profile to date in all 
clinical trials. Our NY-ESO SPEAR T-cell therapy has breakthrough therapy designation in the U.S. and has also received 
orphan drug designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”), and European Commission for the treatment 
of soft tissue sarcoma. The European Medicines Agency (“EMA”) has also granted PRIME regulatory access for the Group’s 
NY-ESO SPEAR T-cell therapy for the synovial sarcoma indication. We expect further clinical data during 2017.

MAGE-A10
Our second SPEAR T-cell therapy, targeting the MAGE-A10 peptide, is currently in clinical trials in the United States. The 
MAGE-A10 trial in NSCLC was initiated in late 2015. A three tumour trial in urothelial (bladder) cancers, melanoma and 
head and neck cancers was initiated at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (“MD Anderson”) in October 
2016 and the trial is currently being initiated at other sites in the United States and Canada. Initial data for our MAGE-A10 
clinical trials is anticipated in late 2017 or early 2018.

AFP SPEAR T-cell
An IND for our AFP SPEAR T-cell for the treatment of hepatocellular cancer was opened in 2016. Clinical trial sites in the 
United States and Europe will be initiated in 2017. Initial data from the AFP clinical trials is anticipated in late 2017 or early 
2018.

MAGE-A4 SPEAR T-cell
An IND for our MAGE-A4 SPEAR T-cell programme in urothelial (bladder) cancers, melanoma, head and neck cancer, 
ovarian cancer, NSCLC, oesophageal cancer and gastric cancers is now open. Initial data on our MAGE-A4 SPEAR T-cell 
programme is anticipated in late 2017 or early 2018.

The following table summarizes the status of our current clinical trials:

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ADAPTIMMUNE THERAPEUTICS PLC
STRATEGIC REPORT
For the year ended 31 December 2016

COLLABORATIONS AND STRATEGIC ALLIANCES

GlaxoSmithKline (“GSK”) Collaboration

We entered into a strategic collaboration and license agreement with GSK in May 2014 (the “GSK Collaboration and License 
Agreement”)  regarding  the  development,  manufacture  and  commercialization  of  TCR  therapeutic  candidates.  The 
collaboration is for up to five programmes, the first being the NY-ESO SPEAR T-cell programme.

Under  the  GSK  Collaboration  and  License  Agreement,  the  NY-ESO  SPEAR  T-cell  programme and  associated 
manufacturing  optimization  work  will  be  conducted  by  us  in  collaboration  with  GSK.  GSK  has  an  option  to  obtain  an 
exclusive worldwide license to the NY-ESO therapeutic candidate programme, exercisable during the performance of the 
programme and upto specified time periods after we have delivered a Phase 1/2 data package for the programme to GSK. If 
the option is exercised after delivery of the Phase 1/2 data package, GSK will assume full responsibility for the NY-ESO 
SPEAR T-cell programme. In February 2016, the GSK Collaboration and License Agreement was expanded to accelerate 
the development of the NY-ESO SPEAR T-cells towards pivotal trials in synovial sarcoma, as well as the exploration of 
development  of  NY-ESO  SPEAR  T-cells  in  MRCLS.  The amendment  also  provides  the  opportunity  for  up  to  eight 
combination studies using NY-ESO SPEAR T-cells. The Group achieved development milestones of $17.4 million in the 
year ended December 31, 2016.

A second target, PRAME, has also now been nominated by GSK under the GSK Collaboration and License Agreement. As 
a result of the nomination, Adaptimmune  will be responsible for taking the PRAME SPEAR T-cell programme through 
preclinical testing and up to IND filing. GSK is responsible for the IND filing itself. GSK has an exclusive option over the 
programme. Under  the  terms  of  the  GSK  Collaboration  and  License  Agreement,  the  potential  development  milestones 
eligible related to the PRAME programme could amount to approximately $300 million, if GSK exercises its option and 
successfully develops this target in more than one indication and more than one HLA type. Adaptimmune would also receive 
tiered sales milestones and mid-single to low double-digit royalties on worldwide net sales.

Other strategic alliances

On 26 September 2016, we announced that we had entered into a multi-year strategic alliance with MD Anderson designed 
to expedite the development of T-cell therapies for multiple types of cancer.  The Group and MD Anderson will collaborate 
in a number of studies including clinical and preclinical development of Adaptimmune’s SPEAR T-cell therapies targeting 
NY-ESO, MAGE-A10 and  future clinical  stage  first and second generation SPEAR T-cell therapies  such as MAGE-A4 
across a number of cancers, including bladder, lung, ovarian, head and neck, melanoma, sarcoma, oesophageal and gastric 
cancers. Under the terms of the alliance agreement, the Group has committed funding of at least $19,644,000 to fund studies 
under the alliance agreement. Payment of this funding is contingent on mutual agreement to study orders for any study to be 
included under the alliance and performance of set milestones by MD Anderson. The Group will make payments to MD 
Anderson as certain milestones are achieved and these costs will be expensed to research and development as MD Anderson 
renders the services.  

We  also  recognize  that  further  development  of  our  SPEAR  T-cells  will  assist  in  enhancing  efficacy  and  durability  of 
response.  We  therefore  have  a  number  of  next  generation  SPEAR  T-cell strategies  to  further  develop  and  engineer  our 
SPEAR T-cells in addition to the initiation of combination therapy approaches, the first of which is with Merck & Co., Inc.’s 
(“Merck”) KEYTRUDA®. To enable continued innovation and development, we also have collaborations with third parties 
intended to promote further next generation solutions. These include our collaboration with Universal Cells, Inc. (“Universal 
Cells)  and  our  collaboration  with  Bellicum Pharmaceutical  Inc.  (“Bellicum”).  With  Universal  Cells  we  are  looking  to 
develop affinity engineered donor T-cells that are universally applicable. The enhanced T-cell technology being developed 
involves selective engineering of cell surface proteins, without the use of nucleases, to develop universal T-cell products. 
Our  Bellicum  collaboration  was  announced  in  December  2016  and  under  the  collaboration  we  will  evaluate  Bellicum’s 
GoTCR technology (inducible MyD88/CD40 co-stimulation, or iMC) with our SPEAR T-cells for the potential to create 
enhanced T-cell therapeutics. 

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ADAPTIMMUNE THERAPEUTICS PLC
STRATEGIC REPORT
For the year ended 31 December 2016

BUSINESS STRATEGY

Our strategic objective is to be a world leader in discovering, developing and commercialising TCR-based T-cell therapies 
that  transform  the  clinical  outcomes  of  patients  with  cancer.  In  order  to  achieve  our  objective,  we  are  focused  on  the 
following strategies:

•

•

•

Advance our clinical studies for our AFP, MAGE-A10 and MAGE-A4 SPEAR T-cells and advance clinical studies 
with our NY-ESO SPEAR T-cell beyond the setting of synovial sarcoma where preliminary evidence of efficacy and 
safety  is  established.  We  have  four  SPEAR  T-cells  with  open  INDs  covering  multiple  indications  and  we  plan  to 
advance all four SPEAR T-cells further during 2017 with the aim of providing initial tolerability data for SPEAR T-
cells other than our NY-ESO SPEAR T-cell. We are also advancing clinical studies for our NY-ESO SPEAR T-cell in 
indications other than synovial sarcoma, and clinical trials are already being extended to additional sites within the 
United States and within Europe. We are also planning to advance into pivotal trials in synovial sarcoma with our NY-
ESO SPEAR T-cell. Discussions with the FDA in relation to the planning of that pivotal trial are ongoing.

Continue  to  use  our  SPEAR  T-cell  platform  to  generate  SPEAR  T-cells  for  cancers  where  existing  therapeutic 
approaches  are  limited. We  intend  to  continue  to  generate  TCR  therapeutic  candidates  from  our  fully  integrated 
technology  platform,  which enables  the  systematic  identification  and  validation  of  suitable  target  peptides,  T-cell 
cloning,  engineering  of  TCRs  and  preclinical  testing  processes.  The  first  of  our  two  approaches uses  cancer  testis 
antigens and aims to select multiple cancer testis antigens for any given indication to maximize patient coverage that 
can be obtained with our SPEAR T-cell products. The second approach relies on the identification of targets which are 
closely associated with a particular cancer and where the SPEAR T-cells can then be specifically targeted to that cancer.

Continue to understand, further enhance and improve effectiveness and persistence of our SPEAR T-cell therapies.
We continue to evaluate and work to understand the mechanism of action of our SPEAR T-cells, in particular the best 
approaches for enhancing effectiveness and persistence of our SPEAR T-cells. We continue to further develop our 
TCR therapeutic candidates by exploring the addition of other components in our lentiviral vector, which would be 
expressed  in  the  SPEAR  T-cells  alongside  the  engineered  TCR.  In  addition,  we  are  planning  to  evaluate  the 
combination of our SPEAR T-cell therapies with other immunotherapy approaches. A combination trial with Merck’s 
KEYTRUDA® (pembrolizumab) in patients with multiple myeloma is planned to start in 2017.

• Optimize and expand our process development and manufacturing capabilities to maintain our leadership position 
in the TCR space. Our commercial-ready cell manufacturing process (‘cell process 1.5’) has been reviewed by the 
FDA and the FDA has allowed us to proceed with implementation of cell process 1.5 into our ongoing NY-ESO SPEAR 
T-cell trials. We continue to optimise the manufacture, supply, associated analytical expertise and quality systems for 
our SPEAR T-cell therapies to ensure that our manufacturing capability is sufficient for later-stage clinical trials and, 
potentially, initial commercial supply. We continue to work with third party contract manufacturers in both the United 
States and Europe to plan for commercial manufacture of our SPEAR T-cells. In addition, during 2016 we completed 
the shell and core construction for a new state of the art cGMP manufacturing and office facility and continue to fit-
out the facility, which is intended to support the clinical development and initial commercialization of SPEAR T-cells. 
We are planning to have manufacturing capability towards the end of 2017 and will initially manufacture SPEAR T-
cells to support our clinical trials.

•

Expand our intellectual property portfolio. We intend to continue building on our technology platform, comprising 
intellectual  property,  proprietary  methods  and  know-how  in  the  field  of  TCRs  and  T-cells.  These  assets  form  the 
foundation for our ability not only to strengthen our product pipeline, but also to defend and expand our position as a 
leader in the field of T-cell therapies.

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ADAPTIMMUNE THERAPEUTICS PLC
STRATEGIC REPORT
For the year ended 31 December 2016

REVIEW OF THE BUSINESS

Overview

Adaptimmune Therapeutics plc was founded on 3 December 2014 as part of a corporate restructuring and is a public limited 
company incorporated under the laws of England and Wales. On 6 May 2015, we completed our Initial Public Offering 
(“IPO”) of American Depositary Shares (“ADSs”), on the NASDAQ Global Select Market (“NASDAQ”). 

Our U.K. subsidiary, Adaptimmune Limited, was founded in July 2008 and is focused on our research and development 
activities.  Our  U.S. subsidiary,  Adaptimmune  LLC,  was  founded  in  February  2011  and  is  focused  on  our  clinical  trials 
operations.

On  1  April  2015,  we  completed  a  corporate  reorganisation.  Pursuant  to  this  reorganisation,  on  23  February  2015,  all 
shareholders of Adaptimmune Limited exchanged each of the Series A preferred shares and Ordinary shares held by them 
for newly issued Series A preferred shares and Ordinary shares of Adaptimmune Therapeutics Limited on a one-for-100 
basis, resulting in Adaptimmune Limited becoming a wholly-owned subsidiary of Adaptimmune Therapeutics Limited. On 
20 March 2015, all holders of options over Ordinary shares of Adaptimmune Limited exchanged each of their options for 
equivalent options over Ordinary shares of Adaptimmune Therapeutics Limited. On 1 April 2015, pursuant to the final step 
in our corporate reorganisation, Adaptimmune Therapeutics Limited re-registered as a public limited company with the name 
Adaptimmune Therapeutics plc. 

Since our inception,  we  have incurred significant  net losses and  negative cash  flows  from operations. To date,  we  have 
financed our operations primarily through placements of equity securities, an initial public offering, cash receipts under the 
GSK Collaboration and License Agreement, government grants and research and development tax credits.

We are a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on novel cancer immunotherapy products based on its proprietary 
SPEAR T-cell platform. We have developed a comprehensive proprietary platform that enables us to identify cancer targets, 
find  and  genetically  engineer  TCR,  and  produce  TCR  therapeutic  candidates  for  administration  to  patients.  The  Group
engineers TCRs to increase their affinity to cancer specific peptides in order to destroy cancer cells in patients.

DEVELOPMENT AND PERFORMANCE DURING THE PERIOD

We have Phase 1/2 clinical trials ongoing with our NY-ESO and MAGE-A10 SPEAR T-cells and during 2016 opened two 
additional INDs for our AFP and MAGE A-4 SPEAR T-cells. Our NY-ESO SPEAR T-cell has shown promising initial results 
in clinical trials with a 50% response rate and 18-month median survival rate reported in synovial sarcoma (a solid tumour)
and a 91% response rate at day 100 post autologous stem cell transplant in multiple myeloma. The NY-ESO SPEAR T-cell 
has shown a promising tolerability profile to date in all clinical trials. Our NY-ESO SPEAR T-cell therapy has breakthrough 
therapy designation in the U.S. and has also received orphan drug designation from the FDA and European Commission for 
the treatment of soft tissue sarcoma. The EMA has also granted PRIME regulatory access for the Group’s NY-ESO SPEAR 
T-cell therapy for the synovial sarcoma indication. We expect further clinical data during 2017.

In  addition,  we  continue  to  use  our  SPEAR  T-cell  platform  to  identify  further  target  peptides  which  provide  additional 
coverage  for  any  existing  indications  or  which  show  high  expression  in  specific  cancers.  We  have  identified  over  30 
intracellular target peptides and have 12 research programmes evaluating these peptides.

The NY-ESO SPEAR T-cell programme is subject to a collaboration and license agreement with GSK under which GSK has 
an option to obtain an exclusive worldwide license to the NY-ESO SPEAR T-cell programme. In February 2016, the GSK 
Collaboration and License Agreement was expanded to accelerate the development of the NY-ESO SPEAR T-cells towards 
pivotal trials in synovial sarcoma, as well as the exploration of development of NY-ESO SPEAR T-cells in MRCLS. The 
amendment also provides the opportunity for up to eight combination  studies using NY-ESO SPEAR T-cells. The Group
achieved development milestones of $17.4 million in the year ended 31 December 2016 under the GSK Collaboration and 
License Agreement.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

15

 
ADAPTIMMUNE THERAPEUTICS PLC
STRATEGIC REPORT
For the year ended 31 December 2016

Revenue

Revenue increased by 69% from $8.4 million for the six months ended 31 December 2015 to $14.2 million for the year ended 
December 31, 2016.  Revenue represents the upfront and milestone payments, which are recognized over the period the Group
will deliver services to GSK.  Revenue will typically increase in periods when development milestones are achieved. Revenue 
has increased compared to the six months ended 31 December 2015 due to a full-year of revenue recognition compared to six 
months and the achievement of development milestones of $17.4 million in the year ended 31 December 2016 compared to 
$10.8 million in the six months ended 31 December 2015, offset by the impact of a change in the estimate of the period over 
which the Group will deliver services under the GSK Collaboration and License Agreement, which resulted in a decrease in 
revenue of $5.6 million in the year ended 31 December 2016.  

Research and Development Expenses

Research  and  development  expenses  increased  by  160%  to  $68.5 million  for  the  year  ended  31  December  2016  from 
$26.3 million for the six months ended 31 December 2015. Our research and development expenses are highly dependent on 
the phases of our research projects and therefore fluctuate from period to period.

The increase in our research and development expenses of $42.2 million for the year ended 31 December 2016 compared to 
the six months ended 31 December 2015 was primarily due to the following:

•

•

•

•

a full year of research and development expense compared to six months in the comparative period;

an increase in salaries, materials, equipment, depreciation of property, plant and equipment and other employee-related 
costs. The driver for these is an increase in the average number of employees engaged in research and development from 
137 to 210;

an increase in subcontracted expenditures, including clinical trial expenses, CRO costs, and manufacturing expenses 
driven by increased recruitment in our clinical trials; and

an increase in share-based compensation.

Our subcontracted costs for the year ended 31 December 2016 were $23.6 million, of which $17.6 million related to our NY-
ESO SPEAR T-cells and the remaining $6.0 million related to other projects, including our MAGE-A10, MAGE-A4 and AFP 
SPEAR T-cells.

Administrative Expenses

General and administrative expenses increased by 140% to $23.8 million for the year ended 31 December 2016 from $9.9
million for the six months ended 31 December 2015. The increase of $13.9 million was due to the following:

•

•

•

•

a full year of administrative expenses compared to six months in the comparative period;

an increase in personnel costs, primarily due to the addition of key management and other professionals to support our 
growth;

an increase in property costs, primarily due to an increase in leased property; and

an increase in other corporate costs, including costs incurred as a U.S. public company such as consulting, audit, tax 
legal and investor relations fees and expenses.

Other Income

Other income increased by 39% to $1.9 million for the year ended 31 December 2016 from $1.4 million for the six months 
ended 31 December 2015. Other income primarily relates to reimbursements of expenses, primarily through the U.K. Research 
and Development Expenditure Credit. Other income has increased by $0.5 million due to a full year of income in the year 
ended 31 December 2016 compared to six months in the comparative period, partially offset by a reduction in reimbursement 
through government grants in the year ended 31 December 2016.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

16

 
ADAPTIMMUNE THERAPEUTICS PLC
STRATEGIC REPORT
For the year ended 31 December 2016

Finance Income

Finance income decreased by $11.0 million to $2.4 million in the year ended 31 December 2016 from $13.4 million in the six 
months ended 31 December 2015. Finance income comprises interest received and unrealized foreign exchange gains/losses.  
The decrease in finance income is due to a significant decrease in unrealized foreign exchange driven by a decrease in the 
exposure to foreign currency assets and liabilities.

Taxation credit

Taxation credit increased by $3.1 million to $5.0 million for the year ended 31 December 2016 from $1.9 million for the six 
months ended 31 December 2015. The taxation credit primarily relates to tax credits received under the U.K. Research and 
Development Scheme for small and medium sized entities offset by income taxes arising in the U.S. tax jurisdiction. The 
increase is due to a full year of tax credit in the year ended 31 December 2016 compared to six months in the comparative 
period.

POSITION OF GROUP AT YEAR END

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Since  our  inception,  we  have  incurred  significant  net  losses  and  negative  cash  flows  from  operations.  We  financed  our 
operations  primarily  through  an  initial  public  offering,  placements  of  equity  securities,  cash  receipts  under  our  GSK 
Collaboration and License Agreement, government grants and research and development tax and expenditure credits. From 
inception through to 31 December 2016, we have raised:

•

•

•

•

$307.3 million, net of issue costs, through the issuance of shares, of which $176.0 million was raised through our initial 
public offering in May 2015;

$79.9 million upfront fees and milestones under our GSK Collaboration and License Agreement;

$2.6 million of income in the form of government grants from the United Kingdom; and

$7.2 million in the form of U.K. research and development tax credits and receipts from the U.K. R&D expenditure 
credit (“RDEC”) Scheme.

SUMMARY OF CASH FLOWS

Operating Activities

Net cash used in operating activities increased by $29.7 million to $45.2 million for the year ended 31 December 2016 from 
$15.5 million for the six months ended 31 December 2015. Net cash used in operating activities is significantly impacted by 
the timing of milestone payments received from GSK under the GSK Collaboration and License Agreement. In the year ended 
December 31, 2016, we received $19.8 million of milestone payments from GSK compared to $10.8 million in the six months
ended 31 December 2015. After taking into account the GSK milestone payments, the increase in cash used in operations was 
primarily the result of a full year of operating activity and an increase in research and development costs due to the ongoing 
advancement of our preclinical programmes and clinical trials and an increase in general and administrative expenses.

Net cash used in operating activities of $45.2 million for the year ended 31 December 2016 comprised a loss before tax of 
$73.8 million offset by noncash items of $10.0 million, a net cash inflow of $13.6 million from changes in operating assets 
and liabilities, net taxes received of $3.8 million and bank interest received of $1.2 million. The noncash items consisted 
primarily depreciation expense on plant and equipment of $3.1 million and equity-settled share-based compensation expense 
of $9.0 million, partially offset by unrealized foreign exchange gains of $1.3 million.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

17

 
ADAPTIMMUNE THERAPEUTICS PLC
STRATEGIC REPORT
For the year ended 31 December 2016

Investing Activities

Net cash  generated by investing  activities  was  $14.8  million  for  the  year  ended 31 December 2016  and  net  cash  used  in
investing activities was $17.0 million for the six months ended 31 December 2015. These amounts included purchases of 
property and equipment of $11.5 million and $9.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2016 and the six months ended 
31 December 2015, respectively, acquisition of intangibles of $4.3 million and $2.7 million for the year ended 31 December 
2016 and the six months ended 31 December 2015, respectively and investment in restricted cash of $4,666 in the six months 
ended 31 December 2015. The purchases of property, plant and equipment for the year ended 31 December 2016 and the six 
months ended 31 December 2015 related predominantly to the expansion of our laboratory facilities in the United Kingdom 
and the United States. Net cash used in investing activities in the year ended 31 December 2016 and the six months ended 31
December 2015 also included the investment in short-term cash deposits with maturities greater than three months but less 
than 12 months  of  $42.8  million and $16.6 million, offset by  cash  inflows  from  maturity  of  short-term  deposits of $73.4 
million and $16.6 million in the year ended 31 December 2016 and the six months ended 31 December 2015, respectively.

Financing Activities

Net cash from financing activities was $17,000 and $0 for year ended 31 December 2016 and six months ended 31 December 
2015,  respectively.  Net  cash  from  financing  activities  for  the  year  ended  31  December 2016  consisted  of  proceeds  from 
exercise of share options of $17,000.

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

As a measurement of liquidity, the Group reviews its total liquidity position (including cash and cash equivalents in addition 
to short-term deposits), as well as its operating cash flow. At 31 December 2016 the total liquidity position was $181,473,000 
(At 31 December 2015: $248,883,000). The cash flow from operating activity for the year ended 31 December 2016 was 
$45,165,000 (six months ended 31 December 2015: $15,546,000).

PRINCIPAL RISKS AND UNCERTAINTIES

Financial

We are a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company with no products approved for commercial sale. We have not generated 
any revenue from any product sales or royalties. We have a history of losses and anticipate that we will incur continued losses 
for at least the next few years. We cannot be certain that we will achieve or sustain profitability and it is very difficult to 
predict any future financial performance. Our resources will continue to be devoted substantially to research and development 
for the foreseeable future and our ability to generate any revenue from any of our current therapeutic candidates cannot be 
guaranteed. There is also a risk that should we fail to obtain additional funding we will be unable to complete the further 
development of our therapeutic candidates necessary to take those candidates to market. 

Our current cash projections include reliance on our ability to obtain certain tax credits and our ability to obtain or continue 
to obtain such tax credits cannot be guaranteed.

Dependence on Clinical Candidates

Our business is dependent on a small number of clinical candidates. There is no certainty that the results obtained in clinical 
trials  of  our  existing  clinical  candidates  will  be  sufficient  to  enable  progression  of  those  candidates  through  our  clinical 
programmes or the obtaining of regulatory approval or marketing authorisation. There can also be no guarantee that clinical 
candidates will progress through clinical programmes within anticipated timescales or that we will be able to recruit sufficient 
clinical trial subjects within anticipated timescales. The outcome of clinical trials is inherently uncertain. Negative results seen 
in clinical programmes with one clinical candidate may impact on our other clinical programmes or prevent other clinical 
programmes from starting. T-cell therapy is a novel approach for cancer treatment which is not completely understood and 
the impact of such therapy cannot be predicted. Our clinical candidates may cause adverse events or fatalities which result in 
the suspension or halting of clinical programmes. There may be an increased risk of adverse events in clinical programmes 
which we do not sponsor or control for example, the investigator-initiated programmes using our NY-ESO SPEAR T-cell.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

18

 
ADAPTIMMUNE THERAPEUTICS PLC
STRATEGIC REPORT
For the year ended 31 December 2016

Research Programmes

We have a number of pre-clinical and other candidates under development. Development of further candidates and pre-clinical 
assessment of those candidates takes a substantial amount of time, effort and money and we may encounter significant delays 
in taking further candidates into clinical programmes or in finding suitable further candidates to further develop. 

Manufacturing

Manufacturing and administration of our SPEAR T-cells is complex and as a result we may encounter difficulties or delays 
in scaling up or further development of any part of our manufacturing process or any associated development activities. Should
such  difficulties  be  encountered  then  we  may  not  be  able  to  supply  any  end  products  at  acceptable  cost  or  in  required 
timescales. The manufacture of our existing SPEAR T-cells is heavily reliant on third parties who are outside of our control. 
A delay or problem with any of our third party contract manufacturers can result in delays to the overall manufacturing process 
or inability to supply our therapeutics to clinical trial sites when required or increased cost being incurred in the manufacture 
and supply of our SPEAR T-cells. Our manufacturing process needs to comply with regulatory requirements in the United 
States and going forward in other countries. Any failure to comply with the relevant regulatory requirements could result in 
delays in or termination of our clinical programmes or suspension or withdrawal of regulatory approvals for our SPEAR T-
cells or  manufacturing  process.  In  addition  we  are  in  the  process  of  fitting-out  a  manufacturing  facility  of  our  own  in 
Philadelphia, United States. Any delay or inability to operate the manufacturing facility within predicted timescales could 
increase our reliance on third parties or result in delays in our ability to supply TCR therapeutic candidates for our clinical 
trials.

Commercialisation

Our ability to commercialise any SPEAR T-cell is dependent on the progression of clinical candidates through regulatory 
approval  processes  and on the results  seen  in  clinical  trials.  Clinical trials are  expensive, time-consuming  and difficult to 
implement and there is no guarantee that the results seen in any clinical trials will be sufficient to progress to the next stage 
of any clinical approval or ultimately to the obtaining of a marketing approval for any of our SPEAR T-cells.

The market opportunities for our SPEAR T-cells may be limited in terms of geographic scope or type of patients which can 
be treated. Our estimates of the potential patient population which can be treated may be inaccurate affecting the amount of 
revenue obtainable for any product. Likewise the amount of revenue that can be obtained in relation to any SPEAR T-cell
may be impacted by the nature of pricing reimbursement coverage or schemes available or in place in any specific country 
and  the  continuation of  such coverage  and  schemes. We currently  have  no  marketing  or  sales  force and  we  will  have  to 
establish  a  marketing  capability  prior  to  bringing  any  SPEAR  T-cell to  market.  Even  if  we  are  successful  in  obtaining 
regulatory approval, our candidates may not gain market acceptance or utility.

In addition, we will face increasing competition from third parties as we proceed through clinical programmes, and such third 
parties may have more funding and resources than us, impacting on our end ability to bring our therapeutic candidates to 
market.

Regulation

Our clinical candidates are highly regulated and the regulatory process is lengthy and time-consuming. We may experience 
significant delays in obtaining regulatory approval or be required to make changes to our clinical programmes or therapeutic 
candidates by regulatory authorities. Our ability to obtain or maintain accelerated approval or orphan drug designation for any 
clinical candidate is difficult to predict and may require the development of additional processes or assays. Even if we are 
successful in obtaining regulatory approvals in one country, this does not mean that we will be successful in other countries 
and further clinical programmes may be required to obtain required regulatory approvals in such other countries. Should we 
obtain  regulatory  approval  for  any  of  our  SPEAR T-cells we  will  be  subject  to  ongoing  regulatory  obligations  and 
requirements which may result in significant additional expense or delays to commercialisation of our products. Any failure 
to comply with regulatory requirements at any stage in the development of our SPEAR T-cells may harm our reputation and 
significantly affect our operating results.

We are also subject to regulation as a company both in the U.K. and U.S. including in relation to financial controls, anti-
bribery and other internal policies and controls. If we fail to establish and maintain proper internal controls our ability to
comply with applicable regulations could be impaired.

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19

 
ADAPTIMMUNE THERAPEUTICS PLC
STRATEGIC REPORT
For the year ended 31 December 2016

Litigation

We  face  an  inherent  risk  of  product  liability  given  the  nature  of  our  business  and  will  face  an  even  greater  risk  upon 
commercialisation of any candidates. We cannot guarantee that any insurance coverage we obtain will be sufficient to cover 
any product liability that arises. We may also face claims brought by third parties in relation to the way in which we run or 
manage our business, report the results of our business, or the impact our operations have on such third parties. 

Third Parties

We rely heavily on GSK for our clinical programme for our NY-ESO SPEAR T-cell. Our ability to continue to develop and 
ultimately commercialise our NY-ESO SPEAR T-cell depends heavily on the relationship with GSK and the payments made 
to us by GSK upon the achievement of specified milestones. The timing of milestones and scope of the project may change 
as the NY-ESO SPEAR T-cells progresses through development. We also rely heavily on and are dependent on ThermoFisher 
Scientific Inc. (“ThermoFisher”) and the technology we obtain from them for the activation and expansion of T-cells. Inability 
to  obtain  the  relevant  technology  from  ThermoFisher  would  cause  delays  to  our  clinical  programmes  and  our  ability  to 
manufacture, supply and administer our TCR therapeutic candidates. We also rely heavily on third parties to conduct our 
clinical trials including universities, medical institutions, Contract Research Organisations (“CROs”) and other clinical supply 
organisations. 

Intellectual Property

We may be forced to litigate to enforce or defend our intellectual property rights and to protect our trade secrets. We may also 
not be able to obtain suitable protection for our technology or products, or the cost of doing so may be prohibitive or excessive. 
We  cannot  provide  any  assurance  that  the  intellectual  property  rights  that  we  own  or  license  provide  protection  from 
competitive threats or that we would prevail in any challenge mounted to our intellectual property rights. Third parties may 
claim that our activities or products infringe upon their intellectual property which will adversely affect our operations and 
prove costly and time-consuming to defend against. We have licensed, and expect to continue to license, certain intellectual 
property rights from third parties. We cannot provide any assurances that we will be successful in obtaining and retaining 
licences or proprietary or patented technologies in the future. Further, our products may infringe the intellectual property 
rights of others and we may be unable to secure necessary licences to enable us to continue to manufacture or sell our products.

Suppliers

We depend upon a limited number of suppliers, and certain components or raw materials for our SPEAR T-cells may only 
be available from a sole source or limited number of suppliers. Even if the key components that we source are available from 
other parties, the time and effort involved in obtaining any necessary regulatory approvals for substitutes could impede our 
ability to replace such components timely or at all. The loss of a sole or key supplier would impair our ability to deliver 
products to our customers or clinical sites in a timely manner, adversely affect our sales and operating results and negatively 
impact our reputation.

Employees

We rely on the ongoing involvement of certain key employees. Our ability to further progress our clinical candidates and 
develop further clinical candidates is dependent on our ability to grow the size and capabilities of our organisation and we 
may experience difficulties in managing this growth or achieving this growth within anticipated timescales.

Facilities

If any of our existing facilities or any future facilities, infrastructure or our equipment, including our information technology 
systems, were damaged or destroyed, or if we experience a significant disruption in our operations for any reason, our ability 
to continue to operate our business could be materially harmed. We maintain insurance  coverage against damage to our 
property and equipment and business interruption and research and development.

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20

 
ADAPTIMMUNE THERAPEUTICS PLC
STRATEGIC REPORT
For the year ended 31 December 2016

FINANCIAL RISK MANAGEMENT

The Group’s finance department has policies and procedures to manage credit risk, foreign exchange risk and liquidity risk 
and circumstances where it would be appropriate to use financial instruments to manage those risks.

Market risk arises from our exposure to fluctuation in interest rates and currency exchange rates, in particular, the exchange
rate between pounds sterling and U.S. dollar. These risks are managed by maintaining an appropriate mix of cash deposits 
in  sterling  and  dollar,  placed  with  a  variety  of  financial  institutions  for  varying  periods  according  to  expected  liquidity 
requirements.

We  are  exposed  to  market  risks  in  the  ordinary  course  of  our  business,  which  are  principally  limited  to  interest  rate 
fluctuations and foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations. 

Interest Rate Risk

As of 31 December 2016, we had cash and cash equivalents of $158.8 million and short-term deposits of $22.7 million. Our 
exposure to interest rate sensitivity is impacted by changes in the underlying U.K. and U.S. bank interest rates. Our surplus 
cash and cash equivalents are invested in interest-bearing savings and money market accounts from time to time. We have 
not entered into investments for trading or speculative purposes. Due to the conservative nature of our investment portfolio, 
which is predicated on capital preservation of investments with short-term maturities, we do not believe an immediate one 
percentage point change in interest rates would have a material effect on the fair market value of our portfolio, and therefore 
we do not expect our operating results or cash flows to be significantly affected by changes in market interest rates.

Currency Risk

We are exposed to foreign exchange rate risk because we currently operate in the United Kingdom and the United States. Our 
revenue from the GSK Collaboration and License Agreement is denominated in pounds sterling and is generated by our 
U.K-based subsidiary, which has a pounds sterling functional currency. As a result, these sales are subject to translation into 
U.S. Dollars when we consolidate our financial statements. Our expenses are generally denominated in the currency in which 
our operations are located, which are the United Kingdom and the United States. However, our U.K.-based subsidiary incurs 
significant research and development costs in U.S. dollars and, to a lesser extent, Euros.

The results of operations and cash flows will be subject to fluctuations due to changes in foreign currency exchange rates, 
which could harm our business in the future. The exchange rate as at 31 December 2016, the last business day of the reporting 
period, was £1.00 to $1.233. We seek to minimize this exposure by maintaining currency cash balances at levels appropriate 
to meet foreseeable expenses in U.S. dollars and pounds sterling. To date, we have not used forward exchange contracts or 
other currency hedging products to manage our exchange rate exposure, although we may do so in the future.

Credit Risk

The  Group held  cash  and  cash  equivalents  of  $158.8  million  and  short-term  deposits  of  $22.7  million  as  of  31
December 2016.  The cash and cash equivalents and short-term deposits are held with multiple banks and the Group monitors 
the credit rating of those banks.

Trade receivables were $1.5 million as of 31 December 2016, which relate to the GSK Collaboration and License Agreement. 
The Group has been transacting with GSK for since 2014, during which time no impairment losses have been recognized. 
There are no amounts which are past due as of 31 December 2016.

Commodity Price Risk

We are exposed to commodity price risk as a result of our operations. However, given the size of our operations, the costs 
of managing exposure to commodity price risk exceed any  potential benefits. We will revisit the appropriateness of this 
policy should our operations change in size or nature. We have no exposure to equity securities price risk as we hold no 
listed or other equity investments.

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21

 
ADAPTIMMUNE THERAPEUTICS PLC
STRATEGIC REPORT
For the year ended 31 December 2016

Going Concern

Our  financial  position,  including  our  cash  flows  and  liquidity  position,  are  fully  described  in  the  consolidated  financial 
statements.  Having  reviewed  cash  flow  forecasts  for  the  12  month  period  following  the  date  of  signing  the  financial 
statements, the Directors have a reasonable expectation that the Group has adequate resources to continue in operational 
existence  for  the  foreseeable  future.  Thus,  they  continue  to  adopt  the  going  concern  basis  in  preparing  these  financial 
statements despite the current uncertain economic climate.

ENVIRONMENTAL MATTERS

Our operations require the use of hazardous materials, which, among other matters, subjects us to a variety of federal, state,
local and foreign environmental, health and safety laws, regulations and permitting requirements, including those relating to 
the handling, storage, transportation and disposal of biological and hazardous materials and wastes. The primary hazardous 
materials we handle or use include human blood samples and solvents. Some of the regulations under the current regulatory 
structure provide  for  strict liability,  holding  a party  liable  for contamination at  currently and  formerly  owned, leased and 
operated sites and at third-party sites without regard to fault or negligence. We could be held liable for damages and fines as 
a result of our, or others’, operations or activities should contamination of the environment or individual exposure to hazardous 
substances occur. We could also be subject to significant fines for failure to comply with applicable environmental, health 
and safety requirements. We cannot predict how changes in laws or development of new regulations will affect our business 
operations or the cost of compliance.

GREENHOUSE GAS REPORT

Our greenhouse gas emissions estimate for the year ended 31 December 2016 has been prepared in accordance with the U.K.
Government’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) guidance document “Environmental Reporting 
Guidelines: Including Mandatory GHG emissions reporting guidance, from June 2013”.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions for the Group

Period

Source

Estimated greenhouse gas emissions from our own activities, including the
combustion of fuel and the operation of our facilities

Estimated greenhouse gas emissions from purchased electricity, heat, steam
or cooling for own use
Total estimated greenhouse gas emissions
Intensity ratio: Total greenhouse gas emissions per employee on the basis 
of the average number of 266 full-time equivalent employees during the year 
ended 31 December 2016 (Six months ended 31 December 2015: 173).

Year ended
31 December 2016
Tonnes carbon
dioxide equivalent 
(tCO2-e)

Six months ended
31 December 2015
Tonnes carbon
dioxide equivalent 
(tCO2-e)

0.00

565.77

565.77
2.127

0.00

410.87

410.87
2.375

We have used the most recent evidence or estimates provided by our energy supply partners to generate our disclosure of 
emissions for the period. These include the purchase of electricity, heat, steam or cooling. Standard emissions factors from 
Defra’s GHG Conversion Factor Repository were applied to estimate emissions. The Group considers that the intensity ratio 
of tonnes of carbon dioxide per full-time equivalent employee is a suitable metric for its operations.

Electricity usage at our leased facilities in the United States and the United Kingdom drive the majority of our greenhouse gas 
emissions. Our estimate reflects the use of coolant gasses for refrigeration purposes at our laboratories in Oxfordshire with 
our records indicating some leakage of refrigerant gases during the six months ended 31 December 2015, which was fully-
repaired within the period. There was no leakage of refrigerant gases for the year ended 31 December 2016.

Some activity data relating to emissions from our reportable activities were unavailable for the year ended 31 December 2016.
This  includes  electricity  usage  at  our  previous  U.S. office  facility  where  it  was  impractical  for  us  to  obtain  these  data. 
Therefore, we estimated this amount at 8% of the above total estimated greenhouse gas emissions for the Group, based on 
applying the greenhouse gas emissions for our U.K. operations to our U.S. office facility.

The  Group  actively  looks  to  minimise  indirect  areas  of  emissions  by  promoting  online  conferencing  facilities  to  reduce 
business travel.

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22

 
ADAPTIMMUNE THERAPEUTICS PLC
STRATEGIC REPORT
For the year ended 31 December 2016

EMPLOYEES

As  at  31  December  2016,  we  had  298 full-time  equivalent  employees,  compared  to  215  at  31 December 2015.  Of  these 
employees, 232 were in R&D (including in manufacturing and operations, and quality control and quality assurance) and 66
were in management and administrative functions (including business development, finance, intellectual property, information 
technology and general administration). The average number of full-time equivalent employees during the year ended 31 
December 2016 was 266 (six months ended 31 December 2015: 173).

We  have  never  had  a  work  stoppage  and  none  of  our  employees  are  covered  by  collective  bargaining  agreements  or 
represented by a labour union. We believe our employee relations are good.

Diversity

Appointments within the Group are made on merit according to the balance of skills and experience offered by prospective 
candidates.  Whilst  acknowledging  the  benefits  of  diversity,  individual  appointments  are  made  irrespective  of  personal 
characteristics such as race, disability, gender, sexual orientation, religion or age. 

A breakdown of the employment statistics on the basis of full-time equivalent employees as at 31 December 2016 is as follows:

Position

Company Director (1)

Senior Manager

Other Employees

Total Employees (2)

Male

Female

Total

                        8                            1                             9

                        2                            2                             4

                    129                        164                         293

                    131                        166    

                   297

(1) Includes our Chief Executive Officer and does not include Dr Knowles and Mr Laing who each resigned on 31 December 2016
(2) Excludes our Chief Executive Officer

EMPLOYEE CONSULTATION AND HUMAN RIGHTS

The Group places considerable value on the involvement of its employees. Meetings are held with employees to discuss the 
operations and progress of the business and employees are encouraged to become involved in the success of the Group through 
share option schemes (see note 23 to the financial statements). 

The Group endeavours to impact positively on the communities in which it operates. The Group does not, at present, have a 
specific policy on human rights. However, we have several policies that promote the principles of human rights. We will 
respect the human rights of all our employees, including: provision of a safe, clean working environment; ensuring employees 
are free from discrimination and coercion; not using child or forced labour and respecting the rights of privacy and protecting 
access and use of employee personal information. We also have an equal opportunities policy which promotes the right of 
every employee to be treated with dignity and respect and not to be harassed or bullied on any grounds.

The Strategic Report was approved by the Board on 10 March 2017.

On behalf of the Board

James J Noble
Director
10 March 2017

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

23

 
ADAPTIMMUNE THERAPEUTICS PLC
DIRECTORS’ REMUNERATION REPORT
For the year ended 31 December 2016

Remuneration Committee Chairman’s Statement 

On behalf of the Board of Directors of Adaptimmune Therapeutics plc, I am pleased to present the Directors’ Remuneration 
Report for the year ended 31 December 2016. Shareholders will be invited to approve the Report on Remuneration (which 
will be a non-binding advisory vote) at the Annual General Meeting of shareholders to be held on 21 June 2017.

Period Covered by the Directors’ Remuneration Report

The Directors’ Remuneration Report that follows is for the full year period from 1 January 2016 to 31 December 2016 except 
where otherwise stated.

The Remuneration Committee

The Committee is responsible for reviewing and establishing our executive remuneration policy and philosophy, including 
making recommendations regarding the remuneration of our Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”) to the Board for its approval, 
and determining and approving the remuneration of other senior executive officers. While the Board sets the remuneration of 
our CEO, who is our sole Executive Director, the Committee makes recommendations on such matters to the Board.

Philosophy

We seek to attract and retain outstanding employees who have the potential to support the growth of the Group and to attract 
and  retain  Non-Executive  Directors  who  can  substantially  contribute  to  our  success  as  an  innovative,  clinical-stage 
biopharmaceutical company. As the Group has operations in the United Kingdom and the United States, our senior executives 
and our Non-Executive Directors live and work in the U.K. and the U.S., and we are listed on a U.S. stock exchange, we 
assess the competitiveness of our policies against both European and U.S. benchmarks and practices, with an increasing focus 
on U.S. benchmarks and practices.

Business Strategy during 2016

Our primary goal in 2016 was to progress the development of the Group including executing on key elements of our pipeline 
development programmes, progressing our clinical trials programmes and opening additional INDs, as well as delivering new 
alliances from business development activities and continuing toward establishing the manufacturing and laboratory facilities 
required for the next development phase.

Activities and major decisions

The  Committee’s  activities  during  the  year  included  a  benchmarking  review of  executive  compensation,  which  was 
undertaken to ensure that remuneration for the senior executive team remains competitive for the retention and engagement 
of key talent. The Committee engaged Willis Towers Watson as independent advisors to benchmark executive compensation 
against  a  selected  peer  group  consisting of  comparable  U.S.-listed  and  U.K. and  European-listed  biopharmaceutical 
companies, and to provide recommendations for base salaries, equity based awards and the structure of bonus incentive awards 
for 2017.

As a result of this benchmarking exercise, our CEO and senior executive officers received increased base salary awards at 
levels that remain compliant with the last approved Directors’ Remuneration Policy and are aligned with the 50th percentile 
of peer group comparator data. For our CEO, this resulted in a base salary award of £407,830 effective from 1 January 2017.

In January 2017 the Committee also considered the extent of achievement of 2016 calendar year objectives by the executive 
team and determined the level of bonus incentive awards payable in respect of the 2016 calendar year. The awards made to 
our CEO and senior executive officers recognised that some of our corporate objectives for 2016 had been achieved, with our 
CEO receiving a bonus award at 50% of the potential target bonus amount.

At  the  same  time,  the  Committee  approved  the  objectives  to  be  achieved  by  the  executive  team  during  2017.  These  are 
considered to be commercially sensitive and will not be disclosed in detail, but are linked to our business strategies which 
include:
•

the advancement of our clinical trials for our AFP, MAGE-A10 and MAGE-A4 SPEAR T-cells, as well as of our 
clinical  studies  with  our  NY-ESO  SPEAR  T-cell  beyond  the  setting  of  synovial  sarcoma where  preliminary 
evidence of efficacy and safety is established;

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

24

 
ADAPTIMMUNE THERAPEUTICS PLC
DIRECTORS’ REMUNERATION REPORT
For the year ended 31 December 2016

•

•

•

•

continuing to use our SPEAR T-cell platform to generate SPEAR T-cells for cancers where existing therapeutic 
approaches are limited; 

continuing  to  understand,  further  enhance  and  improve  the  effectiveness  and  persistence  of  our  SPEAR  T-cell 
therapies;

the  optimisation  and  expansion  of  our  process  development  and  manufacturing  capabilities  to  maintain  our 
leadership position in the TCR space; and

the continued expansion of our intellectual property portfolio.

Generally, the remuneration arrangements adopted in 2017 recognise the greater demands placed on our CEO and senior 
executive team to deliver on our strategy and create value for our shareholders.

Finally, under the last approved Directors’ Remuneration policy, the Board has discretion to pay Non-Executive Directors 
in the form of a mixture of cash and equity. As anticipated in the Remuneration Report for the period ended 31 December 
2015,  we  implemented  revised  remuneration  arrangements  for  Non-Executive  Directors  during  2016  so  that  such 
remuneration now comprises an award of a fixed number of share options, plus an additional number of share options or 
cash payment at the Director’s election. The option awards and cash payments were established at competitive levels based 
on peer group data from comparable companies provided in a benchmarking survey undertaken by Radford consultants.

David M Mott
Director and Chairman of Remuneration Committee

10 March 2017

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

25

 
ADAPTIMMUNE THERAPEUTICS PLC
DIRECTORS’ REMUNERATION REPORT (CONTINUED)
For the year ended 31 December 2016

PART I - REPORT ON REMUNERATION

The information provided in this part of the Directors’ Remuneration Report is subject to audit.

The Remuneration Committee presents the Report on Remuneration for the year ended 31 December 2016, which will be
put to shareholders for a non-binding vote at the Annual General Meeting to be held on 21 June 2017.

Single Total Figure of Remuneration for each Director

The following table shows the remuneration received by the Directors for the year ended 31 December 2016.

For reference only, the table also shows the remuneration received by the Directors for the six months ended 31 December 
2015, which information was included in the Company’s annual report and financial statements for the period ended 31 
December 2015 and approved by shareholders at the  Annual General Meeting held on 16 June 2016. The annual bonus 
amount is shown for the 12 months ended 31 December 2015. 

For the year ended 31 December 2016:

For the six months ended 31 December 2015:

Fixed Pay (1)

Variable Pay (1)

Fixed Pay (1)

Variable Pay (1)

Salary
and fees
£

Taxable 
benefits
£

Annual
bonus
£

Pension 
allowance
£

Equity-
Based
Awards
(6) £ 

Total
£

Salary
and fees
£

Taxable 
benefits
£ 

Annual
bonus
£ 

Pension 
contributi
ons
£ 

Equity-
Based
Awards
(6) £  

Total
£ 

315,000(2)

848(3) 78,750(4)

15,750(5)

- 410,348

150,000(2)

854(3)  200,000(4)

7,500(5) 

-  358,354 

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

- 

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

- 

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

- 

- 

- 

- 

-

- 

- 

- 

-

-

- 

- 

- 

- 

-

- 

- 

- 

-

-

- 

- 

- 

- 

-

- 

- 

- 

-

-

- 

- 

- 

- 

-

- 

- 

- 

-

-

- 

- 

- 

- 

-

- 

- 

- 

-

-

(1) The majority of the remuneration was set and paid in pounds sterling (£). For the purpose of this table, the fees paid in U.S. dollars 
to Dr Tal Zaks have been translated into pounds sterling based on the U.S. dollar/pound sterling exchange rate at 31 December 2016 
($1.233 to £1).

(2) The base salary levels of our CEO and all other employees of the Group are reviewed and, to the extent deemed necessary, adjusted to 
be effective from 1 January in each year. The salary amount paid to Mr Noble for the six months ended 31 December 2015, shown in 
the table, represents 50% of his annual salary of £300,000 (effective from 1 January 2015) for the year ended 31 December 2015.

(3) Taxable benefits comprise medical and life insurance. Generally, Mr Noble participates in the same benefits as we offer to all our 

employees in the United Kingdom where Mr Noble resides.

(4) The annual bonus amount shown for the year ended 31 December 2016 represents the total bonus payment that related to performance
in 2016. The annual bonus amount shown for the six months ended 31 December 2015 represents the total bonus payment that related 
to performance in the 12 months ended 31 December 2015.

(5) The pension allowance for the year ended 31 December 2016 represents an amount equating to 5% of the base salary for that period. 
The pension contributions for the six months ended 31 December 2015 represent 50% of the total contributions for 2015 into a money 
purchase plan at the rate of 5% of base salary. 5% is the maximum employer matching contribution to each employee’s participation 
in the basic defined contribution pension scheme. 

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

26

Name of Director

Executive

James Noble,
CEO

Non-executives

Jonathan Knowles

Lawrence Alleva

Ali Behbahani

Barbara Duncan

Giles Kerr

Ian Laing

David Mott

Elliott Sigal

Peter Thompson

-

-

-

-

5,812

13,957

-

-

-

Tal Zaks

4,231

 
 
 
 
 
 
ADAPTIMMUNE THERAPEUTICS PLC
DIRECTORS’ REMUNERATION REPORT (CONTINUED)
For the year ended 31 December 2016

(6) The valuation of equity-based awards is based on the market value of underlying shares given at the time that performance conditions 
were met, less the applicable exercise price. In the year ended 31 December 2016, the valuation of all options granted was nil because 
it was based on the market value of the underlying shares. There were no performance obligations linked to the equity-based awards 
other than service obligations and therefore, for the purposes of this valuation, all performance conditions are considered to be met at 
the award date. No equity-based awards were made to Directors during the six months ended 31 December 2015.

Annual Bonus

The annual bonus for the year ended 31 December 2016 shown in the table above for Mr Noble, our CEO, was based on the 
achievement of objectives primarily linked to progression with the development of the Group including executing on key 
elements of our pipeline development programmes, progressing our clinical trials programmes and opening additional INDs, 
delivering  new  alliances  from  business  development  activities  and  continuing  toward  establishing  manufacturing  and 
laboratory facilities required for the next development phase.

The Board has considered whether it  would be in the best  interests of the  Company and its shareholders to disclose the 
precise targets agreed for the performance measures in 2016. As the specific objectives for a single year are based on the 
Group’s  long-term  strategies,  the  Board  has  concluded  that  disclosing  such  targets  would  necessarily  involve  divulging 
competitively sensitive information that we believe would be detrimental to our commercial performance going forward 
and, therefore, we are providing the categories of objectives, rather than the precise targets. 

Statement of Directors’ Shareholdings and Share Interests

The table below shows, for each Director, the total number of shares owned, the total number of share options held and the 
number of share options vested as at 31 December 2016. No Director exercised any share options during the year ended 31 
December 2016. The table only reflects shares held individually by each Director, or a family investment vehicle, and does 
not include shares held by any investment fund with which the Director is affiliated. 

Name of Director

Shares owned

Total share 
options

Vested share
options (1) 

Options exercised during year 
ended 31 December 2016

Executive Director
James Noble
Non-Executive Directors
Lawrence Alleva 
Ali Behbahani
Barbara Duncan
Giles Kerr
Jonathan Knowles
Ian Laing
David Mott
Elliott Sigal 
Peter Thompson
Tal Zaks

11,172,600 (2)

7,241,116

3,023,800

70,584 (3)
-
-
-
7,138,184 (4)
29,042,800
-
367,038 (5)
-
-

746,904
340,244
332,776
288,000
393,028
303,875
354,639
728,639
341,824
288,000

258,013
155,682
-
-
393,028
303,875
163,229
251,864
155,682
-

-

- 
- 
-
-
- 
- 
- 
- 
- 
-

(1) All share options that were outstanding as at 31 December 2016 use time-based vesting and are not subject to performance targets 

other than continued service until the date of vesting.

(2) Includes 1,200,000 Ordinary shares represented by 200,000 ADSs that Mr Noble purchased in October 2015.
(3) Consists of 70,584 Ordinary shares represented by 11,764 ADSs that Mr Alleva purchased during the IPO.
(4) Includes 70,584 Ordinary shares represented by 11,764 ADSs that Dr Knowles purchased during the IPO.
(5) Includes 254,100 Ordinary shares held by Sigal Family Investments LLC, as well as 52,938 Ordinary shares represented by 8,823 
ADSs that Dr Sigal purchased during the IPO and 60,000 Ordinary shares represented by 10,000 ADSs purchased by Sigal Family 
Investments LLC in May 2016.

Policy on Shareholding Requirements
We do not currently have a policy requiring our Directors to hold a certain number or value of our shares. However, we 
encourage our Executive Director and senior executive officers to have a shareholding in the Company.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

27

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
ADAPTIMMUNE THERAPEUTICS PLC
DIRECTORS’ REMUNERATION REPORT (CONTINUED)
For the year ended 31 December 2016

Directors’ Equity-based Awards Held at 31 December 2016

The table below presents the interests of the Directors in options to acquire our Ordinary shares with a nominal value of 
£0.001 per share as at 31 December 2016. 4,181,368 options were granted to Directors during the year ended 31 December 
2016. None of our Directors exercised any options during the year ended 31 December 2016.

Name of Director

Executive Director
James Noble (2)

Total

Non-Executive Directors
Lawrence Alleva (3)

Total

Ali Behbahani

Total

Options
Held

Grant
date

Start date
for vesting

Exercise
price

First date of exercise of 
some or all options (1)

Date of
expiry

1,335,000
438,100
3,500,000
1,968,016
7,241,116 

519,481
30,745
196,678
746,904

155,682
184,562
340,244

20/03/15
20/03/15
20/03/15
18/01/16

31/03/14
31/03/14
19/12/14
18/01/16

£0.1120
£0.1120
£0.3557
£0.89

16/03/15
11/05/15
11/08/16

16/03/16
11/05/15
11/08/16

£0.5000
£1.82
£0.97

11/05/15
11/08/16

11/05/15
11/08/16

£1.82
£0.97

31/03/14
31/03/15
19/12/15
18/01/17

16/03/16 
11/05/15 
11/08/17

11/05/15 
11/08/17

30/03/24
30/03/24
19/12/24
18/01/26

16/03/25
11/05/25
11/08/26

11/05/25
11/08/26

Barbara Duncan (4)

332,776

23/06/16

23/06/16

£1.01

23/06/17

23/06/26

Giles Kerr (4)

288,000

29/11/16

29/11/16

£0.65

29/11/17

29/11/26

Jonathan Knowles (5)

Total

Ian Laing (5)

Total

David Mott

Total

Elliott Sigal (3)

Total

Peter Thompson

Total

175,806
217,222
393,028

159,875
144,000
303,875

163,229
191,410
354,639

519,481
24,596
184,562
728,639

155,682
186,142
341,824

11/05/15
11/08/16

11/05/15
11/08/16

£1.82
£0.97

11/05/15
11/08/16

11/05/15
11/08/16

£1.82
£0.97

11/05/15
11/08/16

11/05/15
11/08/16

£1.82
£0.97

16/03/15
11/05/15
11/08/16

16/03/16
11/05/15
11/08/16

£0.5000
£1.82
£0.97

11/05/15
11/08/16

11/05/15
11/08/16

£1.82
£0.97

11/05/15 
30/12/16

11/05/15 
30/12/16

11/05/15 
11/08/17

16/03/16 
11/05/15 
11/08/17

11/05/15 
11/08/17

31/12/18
31/12/18

31/12/18
31/12/18

11/05/25
11/08/26

16/03/25
11/05/25
11/08/26

11/05/25
11/08/26

Tal Zaks (4)

288,000

29/11/16

29/11/16

£0.65

29/11/17

29/11/26

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

28

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
ADAPTIMMUNE THERAPEUTICS PLC
DIRECTORS’ REMUNERATION REPORT (CONTINUED)
For the year ended 31 December 2016

Notes to table of Directors’ Equity-based Awards Held at 31 December 2016

(1) All share options awarded to Directors that were outstanding as at 31 December 2016 use time-based vesting and are not subject to 

performance targets other than continued service until the date of vesting. 

(2) All options granted to James Noble on 20 March 2015 were granted as replacement options in exchange for options formerly held 
over Ordinary shares of Adaptimmune Limited. Generally, these replacement options vest and become exercisable as follows: 25% 
on the first anniversary of the grant date of the original options and 75% in monthly instalments over the following three years.

(3)

519,481 options granted to Lawrence Alleva and 519,481 options granted to Dr Elliott Sigal vest and become exercisable as follows: 
25% on the first anniversary of the grant date and 75% in monthly instalments over the following three years. All options  granted 
to Non-Executive Directors on 11 May 2015 vested and became exercisable on 11 May 2015. All options granted to Non-Executive 
Directors on 11 August 2016 vest and become exercisable on 11 August 2017.

(4) Options granted to Barbara Duncan, Giles Kerr and Tal Zaks were awarded on appointment as new Directors, and vest and become 
exercisable as follows: 25% on the first anniversary of the grant date and 75% in monthly instalments over the following two years.

(5)

In  recognition  of  Dr  Jonathan  Knowles’  service  as  the  Board  chairman  and  the  chairman  of  the  Corporate  Governance  and 
Nominating Committee, and of Ian Laing’s service as a Director and member of the Audit and Remuneration Committees, up to 31 
December 2016, the vesting of 217,222 options held by Dr Knowles and of 144,000 options held by Mr Laing was accelerated so 
that such options vested and became exercisable on 30 December 2016. Any options held by Dr Knowles and Mr Laing that are not 
exercised on or before 31 December 2018 will lapse and cease to be exercisable.

The closing market price of our ADSs on 30 December 2016 was $4.05. One ADS represents six Ordinary shares.

Payments Made to Past Directors

During the year ended 31 December 2016, we made no payments to former Directors of the Company.

Payments for Loss of Office

During the year ended 31 December 2016, we made no payments with respect to a Director’s loss of office.

Policy on Payments for Loss of Office

Our  approach  to  payments  in  the  event  of  termination of  an  Executive  Director  is  to  take  account  of  the  individual 
circumstances including the reason for termination, individual performance, contractual  obligations and the terms of the 
long-term incentive plans in which the Executive Director participates.

During March 2017, the Company entered into an amended service agreement with our Executive Director and adopted an
executive severance policy that is applicable to our Executive Director and senior executive officers. The amended service 
agreement  and  executive  severance  policy  are  compliant  with  our  last  approved  Directors’  Remuneration  Policy.  In 
particular,  all  employment  arrangements  for  any  Executive  Director(s) will  continue  to  include  a  notice  provision  and 
continuing payment obligations for not more than a maximum period of one year following our termination of an Executive 
Director. Payment obligations would include base salary, target bonus and benefits. In addition, the Board has discretion 
under our option scheme rules to allow some or all of the options held by our Executive Director and senior executives to 
vest in the event of a change of control or otherwise.

We will comply with applicable disclosure and reporting requirements of the Securities and Exchange Commission with 
respect to remuneration arrangements with a departing Executive Director. 

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

29

 
ADAPTIMMUNE THERAPEUTICS PLC
DIRECTORS’ REMUNERATION REPORT (CONTINUED)
For the year ended 31 December 2016

Illustration of Total Shareholder Return

The information provided in this part of the Directors’ Remuneration Report is not subject to audit.

The following graph compares the cumulative total shareholder return on our ADSs, each representing six Ordinary shares, 
with that of the Nasdaq Biotech Index for the period that our shares were publicly traded. We selected the Nasdaq Biotech 
Index because our ADSs trade on The NASDAQ Global Select Market and we believe this indicates our relative performance 
against a group consisting of more similarly situated companies.

Chief Executive Officer Total Remuneration History

The table below sets out total remuneration details for the Chief Executive Officer.

Period

Year ended 31 December 2016:
Six months ended 31 December 2015:
Year ended 31 December 2015:

Single total figure 
of remuneration £
(1)
410,348
358,354
516,708

Annual bonus payout 
against maximum
opportunity (2)
50%
100%
100%

Long term incentive 
vesting rates against 
maximum opportunity (3)
100%
100%
100%

(1) The Single total figure of remuneration for the six months ended 31 December 2015 includes the annual bonus payment for performance 

in the year ended 31 December 2015.

(2) The bonus payout percentage amount for the year ended 31 December 2016 relates to the total annual bonus payment for performance 
in the 12 months ended 31 December 2016. The bonus payout percentage amount for the six months ended 31 December 2015 and for 
the year ended 31 December 2015 relates to the total annual bonus payment for performance in the 12 months ended 31 December 
2015.

(3) The amount shown represents the percentage of the options that actually vested during the period expressed as a percentage of the 
maximum number of options that could have vested during the period. There were no performance obligations linked to these equity-
based awards, other than service obligations, and therefore, all options that could have vested during the period have actually vested.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

30

 
ADAPTIMMUNE THERAPEUTICS PLC
DIRECTORS’ REMUNERATION REPORT (CONTINUED)
For the year ended 31 December 2016

Chief Executive Officer’s Remuneration Compared to Other Employees

The Chief Executive Officer’s average fixed salary of £315,000 for the year ended 31 December 2016 was 4.9 times the 
value of the average fixed salary of the Group’s employees for such period. His average fixed salary of £150,000 for the six 
months ended 31 December 2015 was 3.8 times the value of the average fixed salary of the Group’s employees for the six 
months ended 31 December 2015.

The following table shows the percentage change in remuneration of the Chief Executive Officer and the average increase 
per employee between the year ended 31 December 2016 and the year ended 31 December 2015. The figures for the six 
months ended 31 December 2015 have been annualised.

Percentage change in remuneration in the year ended 31 December 2016
compared with remuneration in the year ended 31 December 2015 (1)

Base salary
Annual bonus
Taxable benefits 

CEO
5%
-61%
-50% (3)

Average change per employee
19% (2)
-8%
59% (3)

(1) The figures for the year ended 31 December 2015 are based on figures for the six months ended 31 December 2015 that have been

annualised 

(2) The significant percentage increase for base salary was driven by substantial growth in employee numbers in 2016. Employee numbers 
grew to an average of 266 full-time equivalent (“FTE”) employees for the year ended 31 December 2016 (compared to an average of 
173 FTE employees for the year ended 31 December 2015). The average increase per employee is calculated on the basis of the average 
number of 266 FTE employees for the year ended 31 December 2016.

(3) Taxable benefits for the CEO and for employees comprise small amounts and, therefore, any change generates a significant percentage 
decrease or increase. For the year ended 31 December 2016, the CEO’s taxable benefits totalled £848 (year ended 31 December 2015: 
£1,708) – for more details, please refer to the table for ‘Single Total Figure of Remuneration for each Director’ on page 26.

Relative Importance of Spend on Pay

The following table sets forth the total amounts spent by the Company and its direct and indirect subsidiaries on remuneration 
for the year ended 31 December 2016 and the six months ended 31 December 2015. Given that the Group remains in the 
early phases of its business life cycle, the comparator chosen to reflect the relative importance of the Group’s spend on pay
is the Group’s research and development expenses as shown in its consolidated income statement on page 38 of its Annual 
Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2016.

Period: 

Total spend on remuneration (1):
Research and development expenses: 

Year ended                                         

31 December 2016
$38,513,000
$68,514,000

Six months ended              
31 December 2015
$15,105,000
$26,342,000

(1)

The total spend on remuneration includes the value of equity-based awards as recognised in the financial statements in accordance 
with International Financial Reporting Standard 2 “Share-Based Payments”. 

The Remuneration Committee

Prior to 31 December 2016, the Remuneration Committee was comprised of Mr David Mott (Chairman), Mr Ian Laing, Dr 
Peter Thompson and Dr Tal Zaks, who joined the Committee upon his appointment to the Board on 14 November 2016.
Following  the  retirement  of  Mr  Laing on  31  December  2016,  the  Remuneration  Committee  is  comprised  of  Mr  Mott 
(Chairman), Dr Thompson and Dr Zaks. All members have continued to serve until the date of this Report on Remuneration. 
The charter of the Committee is set forth on our website at http://www.adaptimmune.com

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

31

 
ADAPTIMMUNE THERAPEUTICS PLC
DIRECTORS’ REMUNERATION REPORT (CONTINUED)
For the year ended 31 December 2016

Advice Provided to the Remuneration Committee

The Committee retained Radford, an Aon Hewitt company, and Willis Towers Watson to provide independent advice and 
consultation with respect to remuneration arrangements for the Chief Executive Officer (being our sole Executive Director)
and senior  management.  Radford  and  Willis  Towers  Watson  are  global  remuneration  consultants  with well-established 
reputations for the design and implementation of remuneration programmes, including the design and implementation of 
equity-based award programmes. In the year ended 31 December 2016, the amounts paid to Radford totalled $27,152 and 
the amounts paid to Willis Towers Watson totalled $38,158.

In addition to Radford and Willis Towers Watson, the Committee solicited and received input from the Chief Executive 
Officer  concerning  the  remuneration  of  senior  executives  other  than  himself.  The  Chief  Executive  Officer  provided 
recommendations with respect to annual cash bonuses to be paid to these persons for service in the year ending 31 December 
2016 and base salary awards effective from 1 January 2017 and with respect to equity-based awards to be made to these 
persons in 2017. Finally, the Chief Executive Officer also provided input to the Committee regarding the implementation of 
equity-based remuneration as an element of all other employees’ remuneration.

Statement of Voting Results
Voting at our shareholder meetings has generally been conducted by show of hands by shareholders who are in attendance 
at the meeting. At the Annual General Meeting held on 16 June 2016, all of the resolutions set out in the Notice of the Annual 
General  Meeting  sent  to  shareholders  were  duly  proposed  and  passed  by  unanimous  approval,  including  the  resolution 
proposing  the  approval  of  the  Directors’  Remuneration  Report  for  the  period  ended  31 December 2015.  No  votes  were 
withheld.

Details of the proxy votes received in relation to the resolution proposing the approval of the Directors’ Remuneration Report 
for the period ended 31 December 2015 were as follows:

Resolution

To approve the Directors’
Remuneration Report

Votes For % of Total

364,228,920

99.83

Votes 
Against

617,058

% of Total

Votes 
Withheld

% of Total

0.17

115,566

0.03

Statement of Implementation of Remuneration Policy in the Period ended 31 December 2016

There  have  been  no  changes  to  the Directors’  Remuneration  Policy as  approved  at  the  Annual  General  Meeting  of 
shareholders held on 17 December 2015. In 2017, the Company intends to continue to adhere to the policy as approved.

Application of the Remuneration Policy to Executive Director Remuneration for the year ending 31 December 2017

The following table provides an illustration of the potential remuneration for the year ending 31 December 2017 for the 
Chief Executive Officer, as the sole Executive Director, computed in accordance with the last approved Remuneration Policy 
and by applying the following assumptions:

Minimum

In line with
expectations

Maximum

The base salary for the Executive Director is assumed to be the base salary of £407,830 per annum
effective from 1 January 2017.
The value of benefits receivable for the year ending 31 December 2017 is assumed to be 5% of base
salary for a pension allowance payment and the same rate of contribution for private health insurance 
as for 2016.
No bonus is assumed for the Executive Director.
The same components for base salary and benefits as reflected for the minimum above.
The expected level of bonus is taken to be 50% of base salary, being the target level of bonus payment 
for the year ending 31 December 2017.
The same components for base salary and benefits as reflected for the minimum above.
The maximum level of bonus is taken to be 100% of current base salary.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

32

 
ADAPTIMMUNE THERAPEUTICS PLC
DIRECTORS’ REMUNERATION REPORT (CONTINUED)
For the year ended 31 December 2016

Annual bonus
For the year ending 31 December 2017, the Chief Executive Officer is eligible for a target bonus award of 50% of his base 
salary of £407,830 (that is, £203,915), subject to the achievement of objectives. These are linked to our business strategies, 
which include: the continued advancement of our clinical trials for our AFP, MAGE-A10 and MAGE-A4 SPEAR T-cells,
and  as  well  as  of  our  clinical  studies  with  our  NY-ESO  SPEAR  T-cell  beyond  the  setting  of  synovial  sarcoma where 
preliminary evidence of efficacy and safety is established; continuing to use our SPEAR T-cell platform to generate SPEAR 
T-cells for cancers where existing therapeutic approaches are limited; continuing to understand, further enhance and improve 
the  effectiveness  and  persistence  of  our  SPEAR  T-cell  therapies;  and  the  continued  optimization  and  expansion  of  our 
process development and manufacturing capabilities to maintain our leadership position in the TCR space and the continued
expansion of our intellectual property portfolio.

It is anticipated that the Board will meet in the first quarter of 2018 to assess the performance of the Chief Executive Officer
for the year ended 31 December 2017 against the objectives.

The Board has considered whether it  would be in the best  interests of the  Company and its shareholders to disclose the 
precise targets agreed for the performance measures in 2017. As the specific objectives for a single year are based on the 
Group’s  long-term  strategies,  the  Board  has  concluded  that  disclosing  such  targets  would  necessarily  involve  divulging 
competitively sensitive information that we believe would be detrimental to our commercial performance going forward 
and, therefore, we are providing the categories of objectives, rather than the precise targets. 

PART II - DIRECTORS’ REMUNERATION POLICY

We  have  set  forth  below  a  summary  of  the  remuneration  policy  for  the  Executive  Directors  and  for  our  Non-Executive 
Directors.

The full Directors’ Remuneration Policy has been excluded from this Directors’ Remuneration Report, as the last approved 
policy will continue to apply. That remuneration policy was approved at the Annual General Meeting held on 17 December 
2015 and remains effective for a maximum of three years, until 16 December 2018, or until a revised policy is approved by
shareholders. The last  approved remuneration policy  can be found in the  Annual  Report  and  Financial  Statements of  the 
the  Investors  section  of  our  website: 
Company for 
http://www.adaptimmune.com

the  year  ended  30  June  2015,  which 

is  available in 

Summary of remuneration policy – Executive Directors

As Adaptimmune  Therapeutics  plc  is  a  U.K. incorporated  company  listed  on  NASDAQ,  the  Committee  considers  it 
appropriate to examine and be informed by compensation practices in both the U.K. and U.S., particularly in the matter of 
equity-based incentives. The Committee considers that the last approved Directors’ Remuneration Policy continues to be 
appropriate and fit for purpose, but the Committee is committed to reviewing the remuneration policy on an ongoing basis 
in order to ensure that it remains effective and competitive.

The last approved Directors’ Remuneration Policy is used to determine the remuneration for our CEO, our sole Executive 
Director, as well as for our other senior executives, and would also apply to other Executive Directors and senior executives 
that we appointed.

As described in the last approved Directors’ Remuneration Policy, the elements of remuneration for our Executive Director 
and senior executives comprise: base salary, pension, benefits (currently, access to death-in-service life insurance, family 
private  medical  cover  and  ill-health  income  protection),  annual  bonus  and  long  term  equity  incentives  (currently,  share 
option awards).

The remuneration of our CEO is determined by the Board after having considered recommendations from the Committee. 
The remuneration of other senior executives in the Group is determined by the Committee. 

In 2016, the Committee retained an independent remuneration consultant, Willis Towers Watson, to assist the Committee in 
ensuring  that  our  remuneration  arrangements  for  the  Executive  Director  and  senior  executives  are  competitive  for  the 
calendar  year  commencing  1  January  2017.  Willis  Towers  Watson  provided  data  from  comparable  publicly  traded 
biopharmaceutical  companies  and  otherwise  assisted  the  Committee in  its  design  of  competitive  remuneration  for  the 
Executive Director and senior executives. We expect to continue to use remuneration consultants to assist the Committee in 
determining competitive levels of executive remuneration and specific design elements of our remuneration programme.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

33

 
ADAPTIMMUNE THERAPEUTICS PLC
DIRECTORS’ REMUNERATION REPORT (CONTINUED)
For the year ended 31 December 2016

Summary of remuneration policy – Non-Executive Directors

Under the last approved Directors’ Remuneration policy, the Board has the discretion to pay fees to any or all Non-Executive 
Directors; and/or to pay Non-Executive Directors in the form of a mixture of cash and share options. As anticipated in the 
Report  on  Remuneration  for  the  period  ended  31  December  2015,  we  revised  our  remuneration  arrangements  for  Non-
Executive Directors during 2016 to comprise an award of a fixed number of share options, plus an additional number of 
share  options  or  cash  payment  at  the  Director’s  election.  The  option  awards  and  cash  payments  were  established  at 
competitive levels taking into account peer data from comparable companies provided in a benchmarking survey undertaken 
by Radford consultants and are compliant with the last approved Directors’ Remuneration policy.

Our Non-Executive Directors do not receive any pension from the Company nor do they participate in any performance-
related incentive plans.

Our  Non-Executive  Directors  participate  in  the  Group’s  long-term  incentive  plans  on  terms  similar  to  those  used  for 
Executive  Directors.  In  accordance  with  their  Letters  of  Appointment,  all  Non-Executive  Directors  (except  for  Barbara 
Duncan, Giles Kerr and Tal Zaks) were granted an annual award of share options on 11 August 2016. Ms Duncan, Mr Kerr 
and Dr Taks were awarded share options on joining the Board and relevant committees during 2016. Each Non-Executive 
Director is entitled to receive an annual award of share options, with such number to be determined by the Board.

In determining option awards, the Board works within benchmarking guidelines provided by remuneration consultants. All 
options are granted with an exercise price that is no lower than the fair market value on the trading date prior to the date of 
grant  and  options awarded  to  new  Directors  become  exercisable  over  three  years  while  options  awarded  annually  are 
exercisable on the first anniversary of the date of grant. Expected values are calculated in accordance with generally accepted 
methodologies based on Black-Scholes models.

Approval

This report was approved by the Board of Directors on 10 March 2017 and signed on its behalf by:

David M Mott
Director

10 March 2017

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

34

 
ADAPTIMMUNE THERAPEUTICS PLC
STATEMENT  OF  DIRECTORS’  RESPONSIBILITIES  IN  RESPECT  OF  THE  DIRECTORS’ 
REPORT, THE STRATEGIC REPORT AND THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

The directors are responsible for preparing the Annual Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable 
law and regulations.  

Company law requires the directors to prepare group and parent company financial statements for each financial year. Under 
that law they have elected to prepare the group financial statements in accordance with IFRSs as adopted by the EU and 
applicable law, and have elected to prepare the parent company financial statements in accordance with U.K. Accounting 
Standards  and  applicable  law  (U.K. Generally  Accepted  Accounting  Practice)  including  FRS  101  Reduced  Disclosure 
Framework.

Under company law, the directors must not approve the financial statements unless they are satisfied that they give a true 
and fair view of the state of affairs of the group and parent company and of their profit or loss for that period.  In preparing 
each of the group and parent company financial statements, the directors are required to:  

•

•

•

•

•

select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;  

make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;  

state whether they have been prepared in accordance with IFRSs as adopted by the EU; 

for the parent company financial statements, state whether applicable U.K. Accounting Standards have been followed, 
subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements; and   

prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the group and the 
parent company will continue in business.

The directors are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that are sufficient to show and explain the parent 
company’s transactions and disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the parent company and 
enable them to ensure that its financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006.  They have general responsibility 
for taking such steps as are reasonably open to them to safeguard the assets of the group and to prevent and detect fraud and
other irregularities.  

Under applicable law and regulations, the directors are also responsible for preparing a Strategic Report, Directors’ Report 
and Directors’ Remuneration Report that comply with that law and those regulations.  

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

35

 
 
INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT TO THE MEMBERS OF ADAPTIMMUNE 
THERAPEUTICS PLC 

We have audited the financial statements of Adaptimmune Therapeutics plc for the year ended 31 December 2016 set out 
on  pages  38 to  70.  The  financial  reporting  framework  that  has  been  applied  in  the  preparation  of  the  group  financial 
statements is applicable law and International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRSs) as adopted by the EU.  The financial 
reporting framework that has been applied in the preparation of the parent company financial statements is applicable law 
and U.K. Accounting Standards (U.K. Generally Accepted Accounting Practice), including FRS 101 Reduced Disclosure 
Framework.

This report is made solely to the company’s members, as a body, in accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the Companies 
Act 2006.  Our audit  work has been undertaken  so that  we  might state to the company’s  members those  matters  we are 
required to state to them in an auditor’s report and for no other purpose.  To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not 
accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the company and the company’s members, as a body, for our audit 
work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.  

Respective responsibilities of directors and auditor  

As explained more fully in the Directors’ Responsibilities Statement set out on page 35, the directors are responsible for the 
preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view.  Our responsibility is to 
audit, and express an opinion on, the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and International Standards on 
Auditing (U.K. and Ireland).  Those standards require us to comply with the Auditing Practices Board’s Ethical Standards 
for Auditors.  

Scope of the audit of the financial statements

A description of the scope of an audit of financial statements is provided on the Financial Reporting Council’s website at 
www.frc.org.uk/auditscopeukprivate.

Opinion on financial statements  

In our opinion:  

•

•
•

•

the financial statements give a true and fair view of the state of the group’s and of the parent company’s affairs as at 31 
December 2016 and of the group’s loss for the year then ended;  
the group financial statements have been properly prepared in accordance with IFRSs as adopted by the EU;  
the  parent  company  financial  statements  have  been  properly  prepared  in  accordance  with  U.K. Generally  Accepted 
Accounting Practice;  
the financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006.  

Opinion on other matters prescribed by the Companies Act 2006

In our opinion: 

•

•

the  part  of  the  Directors’  Remuneration  Report  to  be  audited  has  been  properly  prepared  in  accordance  with  the 
Companies Act 2006; and  
the  information  given  in  the  Strategic  Report  and  the  Directors’  Report  for  the  financial  year  is  consistent  with  the 
financial statements.  

Based solely on the work required to be undertaken in the course of the audit of the financial statements and from reading 
the Strategic report and the Directors’ report:

• we have not identified material misstatements in those reports; and  
•

in our opinion, those reports have been prepared in accordance with the Companies Act 2006.  

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

36

INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT TO THE MEMBERS OF ADAPTIMMUNE 
THERAPEUTICS PLC (CONTINUED)

Matters on which we are required to report by exception 

We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters where the Companies Act 2006 requires us to report to you if, 
in our opinion:  

•

•

adequate accounting records have not been kept by the parent company, or returns adequate for our audit have not been 
received from branches not visited by us; or  
the parent company financial statements and the part of the Directors’ Remuneration Report to be audited are not in 
agreement with the accounting records and returns; or  
•
certain disclosures of directors’ remuneration specified by law are not made; or  
• we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit.  

Charles Le Strange Meakin (Senior Statutory Auditor)  
for and on behalf of KPMG LLP, Statutory Auditor  
Chartered Accountants  
Arlington Business Park
Theale, Reading RG7 4SD
13 March 2017

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

37

ADAPTIMMUNE THERAPEUTICS PLC
CONSOLIDATED INCOME STATEMENT

For the 

Revenue

Research & development expenses
Administrative expenses
Other income

Operating loss
Finance income

Loss before tax
Taxation credit

Loss for the period

Note

Year ended
31 December
2016
$’000

Six months ended
31 December
2015
$’000

2

3
3
6

7

8

14,198

(68,514)
(23,805)
1,921

(76,200)
2,424

(73,776)
4,977

8,403

(26,342)
(9,917)
1,384

(26,472)
13,441

(13,031)
1,883 

(68,799)

(11,148)

Basic and diluted loss per share

(0.16)

(0.03)

Weighted average number of shares used to calculate basic and diluted 

424,713,997

424,711,900

loss per share

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF COMPREHENSIVE LOSS

For the 

Loss for the period

Other comprehensive loss for the period, net of income 

tax

Items that are or may be reclassified subsequently to profit 

or loss:

Foreign exchange translation differences 

Year ended
31 December
2016
$’000

Six months ended
31 December
2015
$’000

(68,799)

(11,148)

(6,943)

(14,727)

Total comprehensive loss for the period 

(75,742)

(25,875)

All of the above figures relate to continuing operations. 

The notes on pages 44 to 70 form part of these financial statements

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

38

              
              
              
ADAPTIMMUNE THERAPEUTICS PLC
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION 

Company Number 09338148

As of

Assets
Non-current assets
Property, plant & equipment
Intangibles
Other non-current assets
Restricted cash
Total non-current assets

Current assets
Other current assets
Trade and other receivables
Tax receivable
Short-term deposits
Cash and cash equivalents
Total current assets

Total assets

Equity & liabilities
Equity
Share capital
Share premium
Other reserve
Foreign exchange reserve
Retained losses
Total Equity

Non-Current liabilities
Trade and other payables
Total Non-Current liabilities

Current liabilities
Trade and other payables
Tax payable
Total current liabilities

Total equity & liabilities

Note

31 December
2016
$’000

31 December
2015
$’000

9
10
12
14

12
15

16
17

20

18

19

27,899
5,893
2,580
4,017
40,389

1,193
9,838
6,247
22,694
158,779
198,751

13,225
2,769
4,736
4,508
25,238

298
13,243
4,320
54,620
194,263
266,744

239,140

291,982

683
175,901
131,013
(22,024)
(114,806)
170,767

28,103
28,103

39,539
731
40,270

682
175,885
131,013
(15,081)
(55,051)
237,448

26,645
26,645

27,889
-

27,889  

239,140

291,982

The notes on pages 44 to 70 form part of these Financial Statements

The financial statements on pages 38 to 70 were approved by the Board of Directors on 10 March 2017 and are signed on its 
behalf by:

James J Noble
Director

10 March 2017

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

39

              
              
              
              
              
ADAPTIMMUNE THERAPEUTICS PLC
COMPANY STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION

Company Number 09338148

As of

Assets
Non-current assets
Investments in subsidiaries
Other receivables

Total non-current assets

Current assets
Trade and other receivables
Cash and cash equivalents

Total current assets

Total assets

Equity & liabilities
Equity
Share capital
Share premium
Other reserves
Retained earnings

Total Equity

Current liabilities
Trade and other payables

Total equity & liabilities

Note

31 December 
2016
$’000

31 December 
2015
$’000

11
13

15

20

97,660
166,635

264,295

597
634

1,231

265,526

683
175,901
79,990
8,345

264,919

19

607

265,526

90,352
-

90,352

167,806
142

167,948

258,300

682
175,885
79,990
690

257,247

1,053

258,300

The notes on pages 44 to 70 form part of these Financial Statements

The financial statements on pages 38 to 70 were approved by the Board of Directors on 10 March 2017 and are signed on its 
behalf by:

James J Noble
Director

10 March 2017

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

40

              
ADAPTIMMUNE THERAPEUTICS PLC
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN EQUITY

Share 
Capital
$’000

Share
Premium
$’000

Other 
reserve
$’000

Exchange 
reserve
$’000

Retained 
Losses
$’000

Total equity
$’000

Balance at 1 July 2015

682

175,885

131,013

(354)

(47,636)

259,589

Total comprehensive loss for the period:

Loss for the period

Other  comprehensive  loss  for  the 

period

Transactions with owners, recorded 

directly in equity:

Equity-settled share based payment 

expense

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

(11,148)

(14,727)

-

(11,148)

(14,727)

-

3,733

3,733

Balance at 31 December 2015

682

175,885

131,013

(15,081)

(55,051)

237,448

Balance at 1 January 2016

682

175,885

131,013

(15,081)

(55,051)

237,448

Total comprehensive loss for the year:

Loss for the year

Other comprehensive loss for the 

year

Transactions with owners, recorded 

directly in equity:

Shares issued upon exercise of stock 

options

Equity-settled share based payment 

expense

-

-

1

-

-

-

16

-

-

-

-

-

-

(68,799)

(68,799)

(6,943)

-

-

-

-

(6,943)

17

9,044

9,044

Balance at 31 December 2016

683

175,901

131,013

(22,024)

(114,806)

170,767

The notes on pages 44 to 70 form part of these Financial Statements

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

41

 
 
ADAPTIMMUNE THERAPEUTICS PLC
COMPANY STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN EQUITY

Share 
Capital
$’000

Share 
Premium
$’000

Other 
Reserve
$’000

Retained 
Earnings
$’000

Total 
Equity
$’000

Balance at 1 July 2015

682

175,885

89,779

(3,293)

263,053

Total comprehensive income for the period:

Profit for the period

Other comprehensive income for the year

Transactions with owners, recorded directly in 

equity:

Equity-settled share based payment expense

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

(9,789)

-

Balance at 31 December 2015

682

175,885

79,990

Balance at 1 January 2016

682

175,885

79,990

Total comprehensive loss for the year:

Loss for the year

Transactions with owners, recorded directly in 

equity:

Shares issued upon exercise of stock options

Equity-settled share based payment expense

-

1

-

-

16

-

-

-

-

Balance at 31 December 2016

683

175,901

79,990

250

-

250

(9,789)

3,733

690

690

(1,389)

-

-

9,044

8,345

3,733

257,247

257,247

(1,389)

-

17

9,044

264,919

The notes on pages 44 to 70 form part of these Financial Statements

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

42

              
              
               
              
              
 
ADAPTIMMUNE THERAPEUTICS PLC
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS

For the 

Cash flows from operating activities
Loss for the period before tax
Adjustments for:
Depreciation
Amortisation
Loss on disposal

Equity-settled share based payment expense

Unrealized foreign exchange gains

Bank interest income

Decrease/(increase)  in  other  current  and  other  non-

Note

9
10

23

current assets

Increase in trade and other receivables

Increase in trade and other payables
translation 
Foreign 

exchange 

consolidation

Cash used in operations

Net taxes received

Interest received

Net cash used in operating activities

differences 

on 

Cash flows from investing activities
Acquisition of property, plant & equipment
Acquisition of intangibles
Investment in short-term deposits
Maturity of short-term deposits
Investment in restricted cash
Net cash generated by/(used in) investing activities

Net cash from financing activities
Proceeds from exercise of share options
Net cash generated by financing activities

Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents
Unrealized  foreign  exchange  gain  in  cash  and  cash 

equivalents

Cash and cash equivalents at start of period

Cash and cash equivalents at period end

17

Year ended
31 December 2016
        $’000

Six months ended
31 December 2015
        $’000

(73,776)

3,126
160

122

9,044

(1,314)

(1,110)

4,067

(6,533)
16,077

-
(50,137)

3,781

1,191

(11,506)
(4,274)
(42,837)
73,377
-

(13,031)

1,176
69

-

3,733

(12,952)

(489)

(5,033)

(6,936)
16,321

(8)
(17,150)

1,278

326

(45,165)

(15,546)

(9,628)
(2,719)
(16,645)
16,645
(4,666)

14,760

(17,013)

17

-

17

(30,388)

(5,096)

194,263

158,779

-

(32,559)

(2,224)

229,046

194,263

The notes on pages 44 to 70 form part of these Financial Statements

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

43

ADAPTIMMUNE THERAPEUTICS PLC
CONSOLIDATED NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
For the year ended 31 December 2016
______________________________________________________________________

1. ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Domicile

Adaptimmune  Therapeutics  plc  is  registered  in  England  and  Wales.  Its  registered  office  is  101  Park  Drive,  Milton  Park, 
Abingdon, Oxfordshire OX14 4RY.

The  Company  and  its  subsidiaries  (the  “Group”)  are  a  clinical-stage  biopharmaceutical  group  focused  on  novel  cancer 
immunotherapy products based on its T-cell receptor platform. It has developed a comprehensive proprietary platform that 
enables it to identify cancer targets, find and genetically engineer T-cells receptors, or TCRs, and produce TCR therapeutic
candidates for administration to patients. The Group engineers TCRs to increase their affinity to cancer specific peptides in
order to destroy cancer cells in patients.

The Group is subject to a number of risks similar to other biopharmaceutical companies in the early stage, including, but not 
limited to, the need to obtain adequate additional funding, possible failure of preclinical programmes or clinical trials, the 
need  to  obtain  marketing  approval  for  its  TCR  therapeutic  candidates,  competitors  developing  new  technological 
innovations, the need to successfully commercialize and gain market acceptance of the Group’s TCR therapeutic candidates, 
and  protection  of  proprietary  technology.  If  the  Group  does  not  successfully  commercialize  any  of  its  TCR  therapeutic 
candidates, it will be unable to generate product revenue or achieve profitability. As at 31 December 2016, the Group had 
retained losses of approximately $114.8 million.

Statement of Compliance 

The consolidated financial statements have been prepared and approved by the Directors in accordance with International 
Financial Reporting Standards (“IFRS”) as adopted by the EU and in compliance with IFRSs issued by the IASB. 

The separate financial statements of the Company are drawn up in accordance with the Companies Act 2006 and Financial 
Reporting  Standard  101.  On  publishing  the  parent  company  financial  statements  here  together  with  the  group  financial 
statements, the Company is taking advantage of the exemption in s408 of the Companies Act 2006 not to present its individual 
income statement, cash flow statement and related notes that form a part of these approved financial statements.

Basis of Preparation

The financial statements have been prepared on the historical cost basis except as required by the accounting standards. The 
consolidated  financial  statements  of  Adaptimmune  Therapeutics  plc  and  its  subsidiaries,  Adaptimmune  Limited  and 
Adaptimmune LLC and the financial statements for Adaptimmune Therapeutics plc included herein are for the year ended 31 
December  2016.    The  reporting  date  of  Adaptimmune  Therapeutics  plc  and  its  subsidiaries  changed  from  30  June  to  31 
December in the previous period and therefore the comparative financial statements, presented herein, are for the six months 
to 31 December 2015.  As such the comparative financial statements presented in these consolidated financial statements for 
the six months ended 31 December 2015, are not entirely comparable.

The accounting policies set out below have, unless otherwise stated, been applied consistently to all periods presented in these 
financial statements. 

Functional and Presentational Currency

In 2016, management determined that the functional currency of Adaptimmune Therapeutics plc had changed from pounds 
sterling to U.S. dollars.  This determination resulted from a change in the denomination of an intercompany loan, increased 
expenditure in U.S. dollars, the likelihood that our future financing will be in U.S. dollars and the decision to change internal 
reporting to U.S. dollars.  As we do not foresee a reversal of this trend, we transitioned the functional currency to the U.S. 
dollar effective 1 January 2016. The change in functional currency has been accounted for prospectively from 1 January 
2016.

The presentational currency has also been changed to U.S. dollars for all periods presented consistent with the change in the
functional  currency.    The  exchange  rate  was  £1.00  to  $1.233  and  £1.00  to  $1.4825  at  31  December  2016  and  2015, 
respectively. 

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

44

ADAPTIMMUNE THERAPEUTICS PLC
CONSOLIDATED NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
For the year ended 31 December 2016
______________________________________________________________________

1

ACCOUNTING POLICIES (CONTINUED)

Going Concern

The Group’s business activities, together with the factors likely to affect its future development, performance and position are 
set out in the Strategic Report on pages 10-24. The financial position of the Group, its cash flows, liquidity position and 
borrowing facilities are described in the primary statements and notes of this set of financial statements. In addition, note 21
includes the Group’s objectives, policies and processes for managing its capital and its financial risk management objectives.

After making enquiries and considering the Group’s business activities, together with the factors likely to affect its future
development, performance and position, the Directors have a reasonable expectation that the Group has adequate resources to 
continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. Accordingly, they continue to adopt the going concern basis in 
preparing the annual report and accounts.

Management Estimates and Judgements

The preparation of the financial statements in conformity with IFRSs requires management to make judgements, estimates 
and assumptions. These judgements, estimates and assumptions affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities as well as 
income and expenses in the financial statement provided.

The estimates and associated assumptions are based on historical experience and various other factors that are believed to be
reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis of making the judgements about carrying values of 
assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. The actual outcome is not expected to differ significantly 
from the estimates and assumptions made.

The estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognised 
in the period in which the estimate is revised if the revision affects only that period or the period of revision and future periods 
if this revision affects both current and future periods. 

Basis of Consolidation

Subsidiaries

Subsidiaries are entities controlled by the Group. Control exists when the Group has the power to govern the financial and 
operating  policies  of  an  entity  so  as  to  obtain  benefits  from  its  activities.  In  assessing  control,  the  Group  takes  into 
consideration  potential  voting  rights  that  are  currently  exercisable.  The  acquisition  date  is  the  date  on  which  control  is 
transferred to the acquirer. The financial statements of subsidiaries are included in the consolidated financial statements from 
the date that control commences until the date that control ceases. 

Foreign Currency

Transactions  in  foreign  currencies  are  translated  to  the  respective  functional  currencies  of  Group  entities  at  the  foreign 
exchange rate in effect at the date of the transaction. Monetary assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies at the 
balance  sheet  date  are  retranslated  to  the  functional  currency  at  the  foreign  exchange  rate  in  effect  at  that  date.  Foreign 
exchange differences arising on translation are recognised in the income statement. Non-monetary assets and liabilities that 
are  measured  in  terms  of  historical  cost  in  a  foreign  currency  are  translated  using  the  exchange  rate  at  the  date  of  the 
transaction. Non-monetary assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies that are stated at fair value are retranslated 
to the functional currency at foreign exchange rates ruling at the dates the fair value was determined.

The assets and liabilities of foreign operations are translated to the Group’s presentational currency, pounds sterling, at foreign 
exchange rates in effect at the balance sheet date. The revenues and expenses of foreign operations are translated at an average 
rate for the year where this rate approximates to the foreign exchange rates in effect at the dates of the transactions. Exchange 
differences arising from this translation of foreign operations are reported as an item of other comprehensive income and 
accumulated in the exchange reserve.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

45

 
ADAPTIMMUNE THERAPEUTICS PLC
CONSOLIDATED NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
For the year ended 31 December 2016
______________________________________________________________________

1

ACCOUNTING POLICIES (CONTINUED)

Property, Plant and Equipment 

Property, plant and  equipment  are  stated at  their purchase  cost, together  with  any  incidental  expenses of acquisition,  less 
accumulated depreciation.

Depreciation is calculated so as to write off the cost of the assets less their estimated residual values, on a straight line basis 
over the expected useful economic lives of the assets concerned.  Depreciation is not charged on construction in progress until
the asset is completed and ready for its intended use. 

The following table shows the generally applicable expected useful economic life for each category of asset:

Computer equipment
Laboratory equipment
Office equipment
Leasehold improvements

3 to 5 years
5 years
5 years
the shorter of the estimated useful life and the expected duration of the lease

Intangibles

Research and development

Expenditure on research activities is recognized in the income statement as incurred.  Development costs are capitalised only 
after technical and commercial feasibility of the asset for sale or use have been established. When making this determination 
the Group considers:

•
•
•
•
•

•

the technical feasibility of completing the intangible asset so that it will be available for use or sale;
the intention to complete the intangible asset and use or sell it;
the ability to use or sell the intangible asset;
how the intangible asset will generate probable future economic benefits can be demonstrated;
the availability of adequate technical, financial and other resources to complete the development and to use or sell 
the intangible asset; and
the ability to measure reliably the expenditure attributable to the intangible asset during its development.

Subsequent  to  initial  recognition,  development  expenditure  is  measured  at  cost  less  accumulated  amortization  and  any 
accumulated impairment losses.

If  the  development  costs  do  not  meet  the  criteria  for  capitalization,  the  costs  are  recognized  in  the  income  statement  as 
incurred.  

The Group currently does not have any development projects which have met the above criteria.

Acquired in-process research and development

Acquired  research  and  development  intangible  assets,  which  are  still  under  development,  such  in-licensed  or  acquired 
compounds, are recognized as In-Process Research & Development (IPR&D).  IPR&D assets are stated at their purchase 
cost, together with any incidental expenses of acquisition.

IPR&D assets are not amortized, but evaluated for potential impairment on an annual basis or when facts and circumstances 
warrant. Any impairment charge is recorded in the consolidated income statement under "Research & Development". 

Software licenses

Acquired computer software licences are capitalised as intangibles assets and stated at costs incurred to acquire and bring to 
use the specific software. These costs are amortised over their estimated useful lives.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

46

ADAPTIMMUNE THERAPEUTICS PLC
CONSOLIDATED NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
For the year ended 31 December 2016
______________________________________________________________________

1

ACCOUNTING POLICIES (CONTINUED)

Investment in Subsidiaries

Investments in subsidiary undertakings are stated at cost less any impairment. Where management identify uncertainty over 
such investments, the investment is impaired to an estimate of its net realisable value.

Clinical Materials

Clinical materials with alternative use, which are not held for sale are capitalised as either other current assets or other non-
current assets, depending on the timing of their expected consumption.

Non-Derivative Financial Instruments:

Trade and Other Receivables

Trade  and  other  receivables  are  recognised  initially  at  fair  value.  Subsequent  to  initial  recognition  they  are  measured  at 
amortised cost using the effective interest method, less any impairment losses.

Trade and Other Payables

Trade and other payables are recognised initially at fair value. Subsequent to initial recognition they are measured at amortised 
cost using the effective interest method.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

Cash and cash equivalents comprise cash balances and short-term deposits with maturities of three months or less. 

Impairment Excluding Inventories and Deferred Tax Assets:

Financial Assets (Including Receivables)

A financial asset not carried at fair value through profit or loss is assessed at each reporting date to determine whether there 
is objective evidence that it is impaired. A financial asset is impaired if objective evidence indicates that a loss event has 
occurred after the initial recognition of the asset, and that the loss event had a negative effect on the estimated future cash 
flows of that asset that can be estimated reliably.

An impairment loss in respect of a financial asset measured at amortised cost is calculated as the difference between its 
carrying amount and the present value of the estimated future cash flows discounted at the asset’s original effective interest
rate.  Interest on the impaired asset continues to be recognised through the unwinding of the discount. When a subsequent 
event causes the amount of impairment loss to decrease, the decrease in impairment loss is reversed through profit or loss.

Non-Financial Assets

The carrying amounts of the Group’s non-financial assets, other than inventories and deferred tax assets, are reviewed at 
each reporting date to determine whether there is any indication of impairment. If any such indication exists, then the asset’s 
recoverable amount is estimated. For intangible assets that have indefinite useful lives or that are not yet available for use, 
the recoverable amount is estimated each period at the same time.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

47

ADAPTIMMUNE THERAPEUTICS PLC
CONSOLIDATED NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
For the year ended 31 December 2016
______________________________________________________________________

1

ACCOUNTING POLICIES (CONTINUED)

Revenue

Revenue is recognized to the extent that the Group obtains the right to consideration in exchange for its performance and is 
measured at the fair value of the consideration received excluding Value-Added Tax (VAT). If a payment is for multiple 
deliverables, then an allocation of the fair value of each deliverable is assessed based on available evidence, judgment is 
required to attribute the fair value to the various elements. 

Where a deliverable has only been partially completed at the balance sheet date, revenue is calculated by reference to the 
value of services performed as a proportion of the total services to be performed for each deliverable or on a straight-line 
basis if the pattern of performance cannot be estimated. The amount of revenue recognized is limited to non-refundable 
amounts already received or reasonably certain to be received. We consider payments reasonably certain to be received at 
the point that satisfactory criteria are agreed with GSK. Where payments are received from customers in advance of services 
provided,  the  amounts  are  recorded  as  deferred  income  and  included  within  current  liabilities  or  non-current  liabilities, 
depending on when the services are expected to be delivered.

We regularly review and monitor the performance of the GSK Collaboration and License Agreement in terms of the period 
of time over which the revenue is deferred based on facts known at the time. If circumstances arise that may change the 
original estimates of progress toward completion of a deliverable, then estimates are revised. These revisions may result in 
increases or decreases in estimated revenues and are reflected in income in the period in which the circumstances that give 
rise to the revision become known to management. In prior periods this has not resulted in a significant impact on revenue 
recognized. However, in June and December 2016, the estimate of the period over which the revenue was increased due to 
a change in facts and circumstances.  These changes in estimate resulted in a decrease in revenue of $5,615,000 in the year 
ended 31 December 2016.  The changes in estimate will also result in a decrease in revenue of $2,237,000 in the year ended 
31 December 2017 and an increase in revenue of $939,000, $900,000 and $6,053,000 in the years ended 31 December 2018, 
2019 and 2020, respectively, compared to the revenue that would have been recognized based on previous estimates.

Operating Leases

Costs in respect of operating leases are charged to the income statement on a straight line basis over the lease term.  There 
are no assets currently held under finance leases.

Research and Development Expenditure

Research  and  development  expenditure  includes  direct  and  indirect  costs  of  these  activities,  including  staff  costs  and 
materials, as  well as external  contracts. All such expenditure is expensed as incurred unless the capitalisation criteria of 
International Accounting Standard 38, ‘Intangible Assets’ have been satisfied.

Pension Costs

The Group operates a defined contribution pension scheme for its executive directors and employees. The contributions to 
this scheme are expensed to the Income Statement as they fall due.

Government Grants

Government grants are recognised as other income over the period necessary to match them with the related costs when there 
is reasonable assurance that the Group will comply with any conditions attached to the grant and the grant will be received. 

Share-Based Payments

The Group operates equity-settled, share-based compensation plans. Certain employees of the Group are awarded options 
over the shares in the parent company. The fair value of the employee services received in exchange for these grants of 
options  is  recognised  as  an  expense,  using  the  Black-Scholes  option-pricing  model,  with  a  corresponding  increase  in 
reserves. The total amount to be expensed over the vesting year is determined by reference to the fair value of the options 
granted and assumptions about the number of options that are expected to vest.  The Group has analysed historic forfeiture 
rates for share options and determined approximately 2% of options granted are not expected to vest due to forfeitures.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

48

ADAPTIMMUNE THERAPEUTICS PLC
CONSOLIDATED NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
For the year ended 31 December 2016
______________________________________________________________________

1

ACCOUNTING POLICIES (CONTINUED)

Taxation

Tax on the profit or loss for the year comprises current and deferred tax. Tax is recognised in the income statement except 
to the extent that it relates to items recognised directly in equity, in which case it is recognised in equity.

Current tax is the expected tax payable or receivable on the taxable income or loss for the current or prior years, using tax 
rates enacted or substantively enacted at the balance sheet date. 

Current tax includes tax credits, which are accrued for the period based on calculations that conform to the U.K. research 
and development tax credit regime applicable to small and medium sized companies. R&D expenditure which is not eligible 
for reimbursement under the U.K. R&D tax credits regime, such as R&D expenditure incurred on research projects for which 
we receive income, may be reimbursed under the U.K. R&D expenditure credit (“RDEC”) scheme. Receipts under the U.K.
RDEC Scheme are presented within other income as they are similar in nature to grant income.

Deferred  tax  is  provided  on  temporary differences  between  the  carrying  amounts  of  assets  and  liabilities  for  financial 
reporting purposes and the amounts used for taxation purposes. The amount of deferred tax provided is based on the expected 
manner of realisation or settlement of the carrying amount of assets and liabilities, using tax rates enacted or substantively 
enacted at the balance sheet date.

A deferred tax asset is recognised only to the extent that it is probable that future taxable profits will be available against 
which the asset can be utilised. 

Dividends

Dividends received from subsidiary undertakings are accounted for when received.  Dividends paid are accounted for in the 
period when they are paid.

Earnings per Share

Basic and diluted net loss per share is determined by dividing net loss by the weighted average number of shares of Ordinary 
shares outstanding during the period. The effect of 45.9 million (Period ended 31 December 2015: 31.3 million) potentially 
dilutive share options has been excluded from the diluted loss per share calculation because it would have an antidilutive 
effect on the loss per share for the period. 

Reclassifications

In  the  year  ended  31  December  2016,  the  Group has  reclassified  property  and  insurance  costs  relating  to  research  and 
development facilities from administrative expenses to research and development expenses and legal costs relating to patent 
from research and development expenses to administrative expenses.  In the six months ended 31 December 2015, the Group
has reclassified property and insurance costs relating to research and development facilities of $1,377,000 and legal expenses 
for patent applications of $149,000 to conform the presentation to the current period.

Adopted IFRS Not Yet Applied

The following standards and interpretations have been issued but are not yet effective and therefore have not been applied 
in these financial statements. 

•
•
•

IFRS 15 Revenue from Contracts with Customers (mandatory for year commencing on or after 1 January 2018)
IFRS 9 Financial Instruments (mandatory for year commencing on or after 1 January 2018)
IFRS 16 Leases (mandatory for year commencing on or after 1 January 2019)

The Group does not expect the adoption of this  guidance  to have a  material effect on the  financial statements,  with  the 
exception of IFRS 15 and IFRS 16, which the Group is currently evaluating.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

49

ADAPTIMMUNE THERAPEUTICS PLC
CONSOLIDATED NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
For the year ended 31 December 2016
______________________________________________________________________

REVENUE & SEGMENTAL REPORTING

2
Group

Revenue represents recognised income from collaboration agreements. 

During the  year ended 31  December 2016 and the six  months ended 31 December 2015 revenue  was derived  from  one 
customer and the Directors believe that there is only one operating segment.

For the 

Revenue

Year ended

31 December 2016  
$’000

14,198

Six months ended
31 December 2015  

$’000

8,403     

Under the GSK Collaboration and License Agreement, GSK funds the development of, and option to obtain an exclusive 
license to, the Group’s NY-ESO SPEAR T-cells, and the development of, and option to obtain an exclusive license to a 
second target, PRAME. In addition, GSK also has the right to nominate three additional target peptides, excluding those 
where the Group has already initiated development of a SPEAR T-cell candidate. When, and if, GSK exercises its option to 
obtain  an  exclusive  license  to  a  target,  an  option  exercise  fee  will  be  payable  and  the  Group will  be  entitled  to  further 
development and commercialization milestone payments based on achievement of specified milestones by GSK.

The Group received an upfront payment of $42.1 million in June 2014 and has achieved various development milestones 
totalling $39.0 million, of which $17.4 million related to milestones achieved during the year ended 31 December 2016. The 
Group is entitled to further milestone payments based on the achievement of specified development and commercialization 
milestones by either the Group or GSK. 

In addition to the development milestones, the Group is entitled to royalties from GSK on all GSK sales of TCR therapeutic 
products licensed under the agreement, varying between a mid-single-digit percentage and a low-double-digit percentage of 
net sales. No royalties have been received as of 31 December 2016. Sales milestones also apply once any TCR therapeutic 
covered by the GSK Collaboration and License Agreement is on the market.

The GSK Collaboration and License Agreement is effective until all payment obligations expire. The agreement can also be 
terminated on a collaboration programme-by-collaboration programme basis by GSK for lack of feasibility or inability to 
meet certain agreed requirements. Both parties have rights to terminate the agreement for material breach upon 60 days’ 
written notice or immediately upon insolvency of the other party. GSK has additional rights to terminate either the agreement 
or  any  specific  license  or  collaboration  programme on  provision  of  60 days’  notice  to  us.  The  Group also  has  rights  to 
terminate  any  license  where  GSK  ceases  development  or  withdraws  any  licensed  TCR  therapeutic  in  specified 
circumstances.

In February 2016, the terms of the GSK Collaboration and License Agreement were expanded to accelerate the development 
of  the  Group’s  NY-ESO  SPEAR  T-cells  towards  registrational trials  in  synovial  sarcoma,  as  well  as  the  exploration  of 
development of NY-ESO SPEAR T-cells in myxoid round-cell liposarcoma. The amendment also provides the opportunity 
for up to eight combination studies using NY-ESO SPEAR T-cells and increases the potential development milestones that 
the Group is eligible to receive. These development milestones will be allocated to the separate standalone deliverables 
within the arrangement once the milestone is achieved.

The revenue recognized to date relates to the upfront fee and development milestones payments received, which are being 
recognized  in  revenue  over  the  period  in  which  we  are  providing  services  under  the  GSK  Collaboration  and  License 
Agreement.  As a result of achieving various deliverables, the Group has recognised $14.2 million of revenue during the 
year ended 31 December 2016.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

50

 
ADAPTIMMUNE THERAPEUTICS PLC
CONSOLIDATED NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
For the year ended 31 December 2016
______________________________________________________________________

2

REVENUE & SEGMENTAL REPORTING (CONTINUED)

Geographic information

Noncurrent assets (excluding intangibles, financial instruments, and deferred tax) based on geographic location: 

U.K.
U.S.

31 December
2016
$’000

31 December
2015
$’000

15,719
14,760
30,479

12,124
5,837
17,961

All revenues for the year ended 31 December 2016 and the six months ended 31 December 2015 originated in the U.K.

EXPENSES AND AUDITOR’S REMUNERATION

3
Group

For the 

Operating loss is stated after charging/(crediting):
Operating lease charges: 

Plant & machinery

Other than Plant & Machinery

Realized foreign exchange losses 

Depreciation of owned property, plant and equipment (note 9)

Amortisation of intangibles (note 10)

Loss on disposal of assets

Other expenses include amounts receivable by the Group’s auditor and its associates in 
respect of:

Audit of the annual financial statements
Audited-related fees

Tax fees

All other fees

STAFF NUMBERS AND COSTS

4
Group

Year ended
31 December 
2016  
$’000

Six months ended
31 December 
2015  
$’000

-

2,255

312

3,126

160

122

360

352
-

-

11

830

125

1,176

69

-

145

15
-

3

The average number of persons employed by the Group (including Directors) during the period, analysed by category, was 
as follows:

For the 

Research & Development
Management & Administration

Year ended
31 December 
2016  

Six months ended
31 December 
2015

210
56

266

137
36

173

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

51

 
 
ADAPTIMMUNE THERAPEUTICS PLC
CONSOLIDATED NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
For the year ended 31 December 2016
______________________________________________________________________

4

STAFF NUMBERS AND COSTS (CONTINUED)

The aggregate staff costs of these persons were as follows:

For the 

Wages and salaries

Social security costs

Share based payment – fair value of employee services (note 23)

Pension costs – defined contribution (note 22)

DIRECTORS’ REMUNERATION

5
Group

For the 

Directors’ emoluments

Year ended
31 December 
2016  
$’000

Six months ended
31 December 
2015  
$’000

26,265

2,228

9,044

976

38,513

10,269

981

3,733

122

15,105

Year ended
31 December 
2016  
$’000

Six months ended
31 December 
2015  
$’000

662

601

Directors' emoluments include employer social security contributions of $79,000 (For the period ended 31 December 
2015: $52,000).

Total Directors’ pension contributions for the period were $5,000 (Period ended 31 December 2015: $11,500).
No  retirement  benefits  are  accruing  to  Directors  (Period  ended  31  December  2015:  none)  under  the  Group’s  pension 
schemes. No Directors (Period ended 31 December 2015: none) exercised share options in the parent company during the 
period.

For the period ended

Year ended
31 December 
2016  
$’000

Six months ended
31 December 
2015  
$’000

Highest paid Director
Aggregate emoluments and benefits
(Excluding gains on exercise of share options and value of shares received under long term incentive schemes)

629

601

The highest paid Director’s pension contributions  for the  year ended 31 December 2016  were $5,000 (Period ended 31 
December 2015: $11,500). The highest paid Director exercised no share options in the period (Period ended 31 December 
2015: nil)

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

52

ADAPTIMMUNE THERAPEUTICS PLC
CONSOLIDATED NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
For the year ended 31 December 2016
______________________________________________________________________

OTHER INCOME

6
Group

For the period ended

Income from government grants
U.K. research and development expenditure credit
Reimbursement of certain equity issuance costs
Income from related parties (see also note 25)

FINANCE INCOME

7
Group

Recognised in the income statement:
For the period ended

Net unrealized foreign exchange gains 
Bank interest on cash and deposits

TAXATION CREDIT

8
Group

Recognised in the income statement:
For the period ended

Current tax income:

U.K. R&D tax credit

U.S. corporation tax
Adjustments in respect of prior periods

Total tax credit recognized in income statement

31 December 
2016  
$’000

31 December 
2015  
$’000

414

1,022

485

-

1,921

905

465

-

15

1,384

31 December 
2016  
$’000

31 December 
2015
$’000

1,314
1,110
2,424

12,952
489
13,441

31 December 
2016  
$’000

31 December
2015
$’000

5,869

(892)
-

4,977

1,877

(57)
63

1,883

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

53

ADAPTIMMUNE THERAPEUTICS PLC
CONSOLIDATED NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
For the year ended 31 December 2016
______________________________________________________________________

8

TAXATION CREDIT (cont.)

Reconciliation of Effective Tax Rate

The total tax credit is lower (Six months ended 31 December 2015: lower) than the standard rate of corporation tax in the U.K.  The 
differences are explained below:

For the period ended

Loss before tax

Tax at the U.K. corporation tax rate of 20% (2015: 20%)
Non-deductible expenses 
Deferred taxes not recognised
Difference in tax rates
Additional allowance in respect of enhanced R&D relief
Surrender of tax losses for R&D tax credit refund
Other

31 December 
2016  
$’000

31 December 
2015  
$’000

73,776

13,031

14,755
(144)
(10,439)
(1,870)
4,714
(2,410)
371
4,977

2,606
(666)
(897)
-
1,518
(738)
60
1,883

After  accounting  for  tax  credits  receivable  there  are  accumulated  tax  losses  for  carry  forward  in  the  U.K. amounting  to 
$85,961,000 (31 December 2015: $42,755,000). These tax losses do not expire. No deferred tax asset is recognised in respect 
of accumulated tax losses on the basis that suitable future trading profits are not sufficiently certain.

The effective U.K. corporate tax rate for the year ended December 31, 2016 and six months ended December 31, 2015 was 
20%. Reductions to the U.K. corporation tax rate to 19% (effective from 1 April 2017) and to 18% (effective from 1 April 
2020) were substantively enacted on 26 October 2015, and an additional reduction to 17% (effective from 1 April 2020) was 
substantively enacted on 6 September 2016.  

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

54

ADAPTIMMUNE THERAPEUTICS PLC
CONSOLIDATED NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
For the year ended 31 December 2016
______________________________________________________________________

PROPERTY, PLANT & EQUIPMENT

9
Group

Cost
At 1 July 2015

Additions 

Effect of foreign currency translation 

At 31 December 2015

Additions 

Disposals

Effect of foreign currency translation

At 31 December 2016

Depreciation
At 1 July 2015

Charge for period 

Effect of foreign currency translation

At 31 December 2015

Charge for period 

Disposals

Effect of foreign currency translation

At 31 December  2016

Carrying value

At 1 July 2015

At 31 December 2015

       At 31 December 2016

Computer 
Equipment
$’000

Office
Equipment
$’000

Laboratory 
Equipment
$’000

Leasehold 
Improvements
$’000

649

573

(40)

1,182

876

-

(154)

1,904

95

139

(8)

226

434

-

(55)

605

554

956

1,299

192

78

(12)

258

48

-

(41)

265

24

28

(3)

49

42

-

(10)

81

168

209

184

3,547

7,970

(501)

11,016

2,448

-

(2,041)

11,423

744

835

(66)

1,513

2,241

-

(436)

3,318

2,803

9,503

8,105

1,926

1,007

(155)

2,778

16,844

(173)

(619)

18,830

58

174

(11)

221

409

(51)

(60)

519

1,868

2,557

18,311

Total

$’000

6,314

9,628

(708)

15,234

20,216

(173)

(2,855)

32,422

921

1,176

(88)

2,009

3,126

(51)

(561)

4,523

5,393

13,225

27,899

Leasehold improvement includes $14.3 million (31 December 2015: $1.2 million) of assets under construction.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

55

 
 
ADAPTIMMUNE THERAPEUTICS PLC
CONSOLIDATED NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
For the year ended 31 December 2016
______________________________________________________________________

INTANGIBLES 

10
Group

Cost
At 1 July 2015

Additions 

Effect of foreign currency translation

At 31 December 2015
Additions 

Effect of foreign currency translation

At 31 December 2016

Amortization

At 1 July 2015

Charge for period 

Effect of foreign currency translation

At 31 December 2015

Charge for period 

Effect of foreign currency translation

At 31 December 2016

Carrying value

At 1 July 2015

At 31 December 2015

At 31 December 2016

Licensed 
technology
$’000

In-process 
R&D
$’000

Computer 
Software 
$’000

-

-

-

-
195

(12)

183

-

-

-

-

11

-

11

-

-

172

-

2,509

(45)

2,464
2,995

(834)  

4,625

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

2,464

4,625

208

210

(19)

399
1,084

(173)

1,310

30

69

(5)

94

149

(29)

214

178

305

1,096

Total
$’000

208

2,719

(64)

2,863
4,274

(1,019)

6,118

30

69

(5)

94

160

(29)

225

178

2,769

5,893

On 25 November 2015 the Group entered into a Research Collaboration and License Agreement relating to gene editing and 
HLA-engineering technology with Universal Cells, Inc. (“Universal Cells”). The Group paid an upfront license fee of $2.5 
million to Universal Cells for in-process R&D and a start-up fee of $3.0 million in February 2016.  The Group will make 
further payments of up to $44 million if certain development and product milestones are achieved. Universal Cells would 
also receive a profit-share payment for the first product, and royalties on sales of other products utilizing its technology.

INVESTMENTS IN SUBSIDIARIES

11
Company

Cost and carrying value
At 1 January 2016

Capital contributions in respect of share-based payment transactions

At 31 December 2016

$’000

90,352

7,308

97,660

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

56

ADAPTIMMUNE THERAPEUTICS PLC
CONSOLIDATED NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
For the year ended 31 December 2016
______________________________________________________________________

11

INVESTMENTS IN SUBSIDIARIES (CONTINUED)

The Company has the following interest in subsidiary undertakings:

Name of Company

Adaptimmune Limited

Adaptimmune LLC

Country of 
Incorporation

England and 
Wales

United States of 
America

Holding

Ordinary and 
preferred shares 
of £0.001
Ordinary Shares 
of $1

Proportion 
Held

100%

Nature of Business

Biotechnology Research & 
Development

100%

Biotechnology Research & 
Development

OTHER CURRENT AND NON-CURRENT ASSETS 

12
Group

Other current and non-current assets are clinical materials with alternative use, not held for sale, which are classified as 
current or non-current based on whether they are expected to be consumed within twelve months. 

OTHER NON-CURRENT RECEIVABLES 

13
Company

As of

Amounts owed from group undertakings

31 December 
2016  
166,635

31 December 
2015  

-

Amounts  owed  from  group  undertakings  arise due  to  a  five  year U.S.  dollar denominated  unsecured loan, which  accrues
interest at a rate of 2.38% per annum.

RESTRICTED CASH

14
Group

As of 31 December 2016, the Group had restricted cash of $4,017,000 relating to security deposits for letters of credit 
relating to leased properties.

TRADE & OTHER RECEIVABLES 

15
Group

As of

Trade receivables
Prepayments and accrued income
Other receivables

31 December 
2016  
$’000

31 December 
2015  
$’000

1,480
7,610
748
9,838

4,450
5,805
2,988
13,243

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

57

ADAPTIMMUNE THERAPEUTICS PLC
CONSOLIDATED NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
For the year ended 31 December 2016
______________________________________________________________________

TRADE & OTHER RECEIVABLES (CONTINUED)

15
Company

As of

Prepayments and accrued income
Amounts owed from group undertakings
Other debtors
Shown within Current assets

31 December 
2016  
$’000

31 December 
2015  
$’000

197
378
22
597

179
167,627

167,806

Amounts owed from group undertakings are trading balances, which are unsecured and have no fixed date of repayment.

SHORT TERM DEPOSITS   

16
Group

As of

Deposits held in pounds sterling
Deposits held in U.S. dollars

CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS

17
Group

As of

Cash and cash equivalents held in pounds sterling
Cash and cash equivalents held in U.S. dollars

31 December 
2016  
$’000

31 December 
2015  
$’000

3,082
19,612
22,694

11,119
43,501
54,620

31 December 
2016  
$’000

31 December 
2015  
$’000

35,020
123,759
158,779

30,348
163,915
194,263

The  Group’s  policy  for  determining  cash  and  cash  equivalents  is  to  include  all  cash  balances,  overdrafts  and  short-term 
deposits with maturities of three months or less.

When the Group assesses its liquidity position it includes cash and cash equivalents as well as short-term investments.

NON-CURRENT TRADE AND OTHER PAYABLES

18
Group

As of

Deferred income
Accruals

31 December 
2016  
$’000

31 December 
2015  
$’000

24,962
3,141
28,103

26,645
-
26,645

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

58

ADAPTIMMUNE THERAPEUTICS PLC
CONSOLIDATED NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
For the year ended 31 December 2016
______________________________________________________________________

CURRENT TRADE AND OTHER PAYABLES

19
Group

As of

Trade payables
Other taxation and social security
Deferred income
Accruals

Company
As of

Trade payables
Accruals
Amounts owed to group undertakings

31 December 
2016  
$’000

31 December 
2015  
$’000

11,698
2,380
11,392
14,069
39,539

7,883
1,111
12,487
6,408
27,889

31 December 
2016
$’000

31 December 
2015  
$’000

219
388
-
607

55
301
697
1,053

Amounts owed to group undertakings are unsecured, have no fixed date of repayment, and are interest free.

CAPITAL AND RESERVES

20
Group and Company

Share capital

As of

Allotted, called up and fully paid
424,775,092 (As of 31 December 2015:424,711,900) Ordinary shares of 0.1p each

Ordinary shares

31 December 
2016  
$’000

31 December 
2015  
$’000

683

682

Each holder of ordinary shares is entitled to one vote per share, on a show of hands or on a poll, at general meetings of the
Company. On the winding up of the Company the following priorities applies to payments from the Liquidation surplus: 

a)  Each shareholder will be entitled to an amount per share equal to the subscription price paid, or if the liquidation 
surplus is insufficient of the full subscription price then the shareholders will be paid in proportion to the aggregate 
subscription price paid in respect of the shares held by them; 

b)  Thereafter any balance shall be paid to the shareholders in proportion to the number of shares held by each of them. 

The Directors have the authority to allot new shares or to grant rights to subscribe for or to convert any security into shares in 
the Company up to a maximum aggregate nominal amount of £150,000. This authority runs for five years and will expire on 
17 December 2020. During the year ended 31 December 2016, 63,192 shares were issued upon the exercise of stock options. 
Therefore, the remaining authority to allot new shares is £149,937.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

59

ADAPTIMMUNE THERAPEUTICS PLC
CONSOLIDATED NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
For the year ended 31 December 2016
______________________________________________________________________

20

CAPITAL AND RESERVES (CONTINUED)

Preferred shares issued

On  23 September  2014, the  Group  completed  a  Series A Funding  round  whereby,  the  Group  issued  1,758,418  Series A
Preferred Shares for proceeds of $98,872,000 after the deduction of fees of $4,949,000. Prior to the Company’s IPO, the 
Preferred Shares were convertible into ordinary shares at an initial rate of 1:1 and converted into ordinary shares at that rate 
immediately prior to the admission to trading of the ADSs on NASDAQ. These shares were treated as equity under the 
provisions of IAS 32, ‘Financial Instruments: Presentation’.

Corporate Reorganisation

On 1 April 2015, the Group completed a corporate reorganisation. Pursuant to the first stage of this reorganisation, on 23 
February 2015,  all  shareholders  of  Adaptimmune  Limited  exchanged  each  of  the  Series A  preferred  shares  and  Ordinary 
shares held by them for newly issued Series A preferred shares and Ordinary shares of Adaptimmune Therapeutics Limited 
on  a  one-for-100  basis,  resulting  in  Adaptimmune  Limited  becoming  a  wholly-owned  subsidiary  of  Adaptimmune 
Therapeutics Limited. On 20 March 2015, all holders of options over Ordinary shares of Adaptimmune Limited exchanged 
each of their options for equivalent options over Ordinary shares of Adaptimmune Therapeutics Limited. On 1 April 2015, 
pursuant to the final step in the corporate reorganisation, Adaptimmune Therapeutics Limited re-registered as a public limited 
company with the name Adaptimmune Therapeutics plc. 

All Adaptimmune Limited share options granted to Directors and employees under share option plans that were in existence 
immediately prior to the reorganisation were exchangeable for share options in Adaptimmune Therapeutics plc on a one-for-
100 basis with no change in any of the terms or conditions. 

Adaptimmune Therapeutics plc’s Board of Directors, management and corporate governance arrangements, and consolidated 
assets and liabilities immediately following the reorganisation were the same as Adaptimmune Limited immediately before 
the reorganisation.

The reorganisation has been accounted for in accordance with the principles of reverse acquisition accounting. Accordingly, 
the historical consolidated financial statements of Adaptimmune Limited and subsidiary prior to the reorganisation became 
those of Adaptimmune Therapeutics plc. For periods prior to the reorganisation, the equity of Adaptimmune Therapeutics 
plc represents the historical equity of Adaptimmune Limited.  The nominal value of the share capital has been adjusted to 
reflect the increase in the number of shares in issue.  

All share and per share information presented gives effect to the reorganisation by dividing the loss for the period by the 
weighted average number of shares outstanding of Adaptimmune Therapeutics plc as if the one-for-100 share exchange had 
been in effect throughout the period.

Initial Public Offering

On 6 May 2015, immediately prior to the admission to trading of our ADSs on NASDAQ all subsisting preferred shares in 
the capital of the Company automatically converted to ordinary shares on a 1:1 basis.

On 11 May 2015, the Company held the closing and settlement for its Initial Public Offering on NASDAQ, issuing 11,250,000 
ADSs representing 67,500,000 ordinary shares with nominal value of £67,500 ($104,000) for proceeds of $175,989,000, net 
of issuance costs of $13,387,000 which were incurred and offset against the share premium account.

Dividends

No dividends were paid or declared in the year ended 31 December 2016 and the six months ended 31 December 2015. 

Capital Management Policy

The Group manages the operating cash outflow through its budgeting process, and looks to raise sufficient funds from revenue 
and equity to cover these outflows.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

60

ADAPTIMMUNE THERAPEUTICS PLC
CONSOLIDATED NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
For the year ended 31 December 2016
______________________________________________________________________

20

CAPITAL AND RESERVES (CONTINUED)

Nature and purpose of reserves

Exchange reserve

The exchange reserve comprises all foreign currency differences arising from the translation of the financial statements of 
foreign operations.

Other reserve

The other reserve has arisen as a result of the company reorganization described above. 

FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS

21
Group

Disclosure of fair values of financial assets and liabilities

As of

Financial assets not measured at fair value:

31 December 2016

31 December 2015

Carrying 
amount
$’000

Fair value
$’000

Carrying 
amount
$’000

Fair value
$’000

Receivables 
Trade receivables
Tax receivable
Other receivables

Short-term deposits
Cash and cash equivalents

1,480
7,610
748

9,838

22,694
158,779

1,480
7,610
748

9,838

22,694
158,779

4,450
4,320
2,988

11,758

54,620
194,263

4,450
4,320
2,988

11,758

54,620
194,263

As of

31 December 2016

31 December 2015

Financial liabilities not measured at fair value:
Trade payables
Other taxation and social security
Accruals
Tax payable

Carrying 
amount
$’000

11,698
2,380
14,069
731

28,878

Fair value
$’000

11,698
2,380
14,069
731

28,878

Carrying 
amount
$’000

7,883
1,111
6,408
-

15,402

Fair value
$’000

7,883
1,111
6,408
-

15,402

Detailed below are the assumptions applied in determining the fair value of the financial instruments held by the Group.

Cash and Cash Equivalents, Trade and Other Payables and Trade and Other Receivables

For  cash  and  cash  equivalents,  short-term  investments,  trade  and  other  payables  and  trade  and  other  receivables  with  a 
remaining life of less than one year, the nominal amount is deemed to reflect fair value.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

61

 
ADAPTIMMUNE THERAPEUTICS PLC
CONSOLIDATED NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
For the year ended 31 December 2016
______________________________________________________________________

21

FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS (CONTINUED)

Liquidity Risk

The Group’s treasury policy gives guidance on how much investment should be held with differing counterparties. The cash 
utilisation is monitored to provide a lead time for raising further funding.

The following are the contractual maturities of financial liabilities, including estimated interest payments and excluding the 
effect of netting agreements:

As of

Financial liabilities at amortised cost
Trade payables
Other taxation and social security
Accruals
Tax payable

As of

Financial liabilities at amortised cost
Trade payables
Other taxation and social security
Accruals

Foreign Exchange Risk

Carrying 
amount
$’000

31 December 2016
Contractual 
cash flows
$’000

11,698
2,380
14,069
731

28,878

Carrying 
amount
$’000

7,883
1,111
6,408

15,402

11,698
2,380
14,069
731

28,878

31 December 2015
Contractual 
cash flows
$’000

7,883
1,111
6,408

15,402

1 year or 
less
$’000

11,698
2,380
14,069
731

28,878

1 year or 
less
$’000

7,883
1,111
6,408

15,402

The Group makes purchases in foreign currencies. The Group’s treasury policy gives guidance on the management of its 
foreign exchange risk on the basis that the cash balance is held in appropriate currencies to meet obligations as they fall due.

Financial assets and liabilities in foreign currencies are as follows:

As of

Financial assets:
Short-term deposits
Cash and cash equivalents

Financial liabilities:
Trade payables

31 December 
2016  
Carrying 
amount
$’000

31 December 
2015
Carrying 
amount
$’000

19,612
123,758

43,501
163,916

4,650

6,406

A 1% increase in exchange rates would reduce the carrying value of net financial assets and liabilities in foreign currencies at 
31 December 2016 by $1,388,000 (At 31 December 2015: $1,994,000).

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

62

ADAPTIMMUNE THERAPEUTICS PLC
CONSOLIDATED NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
For the year ended 31 December 2016
______________________________________________________________________

21

FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS (CONTINUED)

Credit risk

Trade receivables at 31 December 2016 of $1.5 million relate to one customer as a result of the Group entering into the GSK 
Collaboration and License Agreement in 2014. The Group has been transacting with GSK since 2014, during which time no 
impairment losses have been recognized.  There are no amounts which are past due at 31 December 2016. 

The Group held cash and cash equivalents of $158,779,000 and short-term deposits of $22,694,000 at 31 December 2016.  
The cash and cash equivalents and short-term deposits are held with multiple banks and the Group monitors the credit rating 
of those banks. 

Market Risk

Market risk is the risk that changes in market prices, such as in interest rates, commodity prices and foreign exchange rates 
will affect the Group’s income or the value of its holdings of financial instruments. The Group has both interest bearing assets 
and interest bearing liabilities. Interest bearing assets include cash balances and overdrafts, which earn interest at variable 
rates.

Financial assets and liabilities subject to variable interest rates are as follows:

As of

31 December 
2016  
Carrying 
amount
$’000

31 December 
2015
Carrying 
amount
$’000

Cash and cash equivalents

158,779

186,057

An increase in Bank of England base rates by 0.5 percentage points would increase the net annual interest income applicable 
to the cash and cash equivalents as of 31 December 2016 by $794,000 (31 December 2015: $931,000).

The Group is exposed to commodity price risk as a result of its operations. However, given the size of the Group’s operations, 
the  costs  of  managing  exposure  to  commodity  price  risk  exceed  any  potential  benefits.  The  Directors  will  revisit  the 
appropriateness of this policy should the Group’s operations change in size or nature. The Group has no exposure to equity 
securities price risk as it holds no listed or other equity investments.

EMPLOYEE BENEFITS

22
Group

The Group operates a defined contribution pension scheme for its executive directors and employees.  The assets of the scheme
are held separately from those of the company in an independently administered fund.  The unpaid contributions outstanding 
as  of  31  December  2016  were  $191,000  (31  December  2015:  $74,000).  The  pension  cost  charge  for  the  year  ended  31 
December 2016 was $976,000 (for the six months ended 31 December 2015: $122,000). 

SHARE BASED PAYMENTS

23
Group

The Company grants options over ordinary shares in Adaptimmune Therapeutics plc under the following option plans: (i) the 
Adaptimmune Therapeutics plc 2015 Share Option Scheme (adopted on 16 March 2015); (ii) the Adaptimmune Therapeutics 
plc Company Share Option Plan (adopted on 16 March 2015) and (iii) the Adaptimmune Therapeutics plc Employee Share 
Option Scheme (adopted on 14 January 2016)

The Adaptimmune Therapeutics plc Company Share Option Plan is a tax efficient option scheme intended to comply with 
the requirements of Schedule 4 to the Income Tax (Earnings and Pensions) Act 2003 of the United Kingdom, which provides 
for the grant of company share option plan (“CSOP”) options. Grants may not exceed the maximum value of £30,000 per 
participant for the shares under the option, which is a CSOP compliance requirement.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

63

ADAPTIMMUNE THERAPEUTICS PLC
CONSOLIDATED NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
For the year ended 31 December 2016
______________________________________________________________________

23

SHARE BASED PAYMENTS (CONTINUED)

Generally, the vesting dates for the options granted under these plans are 25% on the first anniversary of the grant date and 
75% in monthly instalments over the following three years. However, the options granted to non-executive directors under 
the Adaptimmune Therapeutics plc 2015 Share Option Scheme vest and become exercisable as follows:

Options granted to non-executive directors on 11 May 
2015: 

Immediately on grant date

Options granted to a non-executive director on 23 June 
2016:

25% on the first anniversary of the grant date and 75% in 
monthly instalments over the following two years

Options  granted  to  non-executive  directors  on  11 
August 2016:

100% on the first anniversary of the grant date 

Options  granted  to  non-executive  directors  on  28 
November 2016:

25% on the first anniversary of the grant date and 75% in 
monthly instalments over the following two years

Options granted under these plans are not subject to performance conditions. The contractual term of options granted under 
these plans is ten years.

The maximum aggregate number of options which may be granted under these plans and any incentive plans adopted by the 
Company  cannot  exceed  a  scheme  limit  that  equates  to  8%  of  the  initial  fully  diluted  share  capital  of  the  Company 
immediately following our IPO plus an automatic annual increase of an amount equivalent to 4% of the issued share capital 
on  each  30  June (or  such  lower  number  as  the  Board,  or  an  appropriate  committee  of  the  Board,  may  determine).  The 
automatic increase is effective from 1 July 2016.

Prior to 31 December 2014, the Group granted options to purchase ordinary shares in Adaptimmune Limited under three 
option schemes:

(i)

(ii)

(iii)

The Adaptimmune Limited Share Option Scheme was adopted on 30 May 2008. Under this scheme Enterprise 
Management Incentive (“EMI”) options (which are potentially tax-advantaged in the United Kingdom) have been 
granted (subject to the relevant conditions being met) to our employees who are eligible to receive EMI options 
under applicable U.K. tax law and unapproved options (which do not attract tax advantages) have been granted to 
our employees who are not eligible to receive EMI options, and to our directors and consultants. In May 2014, the 
Company no longer qualified for EMI status and since that date, no further EMI options were granted under this 
scheme; however, unapproved options have been under granted under this scheme since that date.

The Adaptimmune Limited 2014 Share Option Scheme was adopted on 11 April 2014. EMI options were granted 
(subject to the relevant conditions being met) under this scheme to our employees who are eligible to receive EMI 
options under applicable U.K. tax law. Unapproved options were granted to our employees who are not eligible to 
receive EMI options and to directors. In May 2014, the Company no longer qualified for EMI status and since that 
date,  no  further  EMI  options  were  granted  under  this  scheme;  however,  unapproved  options  have  been  under
granted under this scheme since that date.

The Adaptimmune Limited Company Share Option Plan was adopted on 16 December 2014. This scheme allowed 
the grant of options to our eligible employees prior to the corporate reorganization. This scheme is a tax efficient 
option scheme and options were granted on 19 December 2014 and on 31 December 2014 to our part-time and 
full-time employees.

As part of the corporate reorganization in connection with our IPO, the holders of options granted under these schemes over
ordinary shares of Adaptimmune Limited were granted equivalent options on substantially the same terms over ordinary 
shares  of  Adaptimmune  Therapeutics plc  (“Replacement  Options”)  in  exchange  for  the  release  of  these  options.  The 
Company does not intend to grant any further options under these schemes.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

64

ADAPTIMMUNE THERAPEUTICS PLC
CONSOLIDATED NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
For the year ended 31 December 2016
______________________________________________________________________

23

SHARE BASED PAYMENTS (CONTINUED)

Generally, the vesting dates for the Replacement Options under the Adaptimmune Limited schemes are:

Options granted in 2009:
Options granted in 2011, 2012, 2013 and April 2014:

Options granted in December 2014:

100% on the third anniversary of the grant date
25% on the first anniversary of the grant date and 75% in 
annual instalments over the following three years
25% on the first anniversary of the grant date and 75% in 
monthly instalments over the following three years

The contractual life of options granted under these schemes is ten years.

The number and weighted average exercise prices of share options (including grant in the year) are as follows:

For the 

Year ended 
31 December 2016

Six months ended
31 December 2015

Outstanding at start of year
Granted
Forfeited
Exercised
Outstanding at the end of the period

Exercisable at the end of the period

Number
31,203,477
19,404,373
(1,307,368)
(63,192)
49,237,290

17,167,347

Weighted 
average 
exercise price
£0.41
£0.89
£1.04
£0.22
£0.58

£0.41

Number
31,473,477
-
(270,000)
-
31,203,477

7,785,415

Weighted 
average 
exercise price
£0.41
-
£0.37
-
£0.41

£0.38

There were 19,404,373 options granted in the year ended 31 December 2016 with a weighted average fair value of $0.74. 
There were no options granted in the six months ended 31 December 2015. 

There were 63,192 share options exercised in the year ended 31 December 2016. No share options were exercised in the six 
months ended 31 December 2015. In the year ended 31 December 2016 the total intrinsic value of stock options exercised 
was $40,000 and the cash received from exercise of stock options was $17,000. The Group satisfies the exercise of stock 
options through newly issued shares. 

For options outstanding at 31 December 2016, the range of exercise prices and weighted average remaining contractual life 
are as follows:

Exercise Price

£0 – £0.25
£0.26 – £0.50
£0.51 – £0.75
£0.76 – £1.00
£1.01 – £1.50
£1.51 – £2.00
Total

Total Share 
Options
9,858,104
19,156,064
1,646,000
15,493,264
1,498,243
1,585,615
49,237,290

Outstanding

Weighted-Average 
Remaining 
Contractual Life

6.6 £
8.1
9.9
9.5
9.4
8.4
8.2 £

Weighted-Average 
Exercise Price
0.11
0.42
0.58
0.93
1.06
1.82
0.58

Exercisable

Total Share 
Options
6,482,204 £
8,975,893
-
559,049
-
1,105,607
17,167,747 £

Weighted-Average 
Exercise Price
0.11
0.42
-
0.89
-
1.82
0.41

The total charge for the year relating to share based payment plans was $9,044,000 (six months ended 31 December 2015: 
$3,733,000), all of which related to equity-settled share based payment transactions. 

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

65

  
ADAPTIMMUNE THERAPEUTICS PLC
CONSOLIDATED NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
For the year ended 31 December 2016
______________________________________________________________________

23

SHARE BASED PAYMENTS (CONTINUED)

Options were valued using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model. No performance conditions were included in the fair 
value calculations. The assumptions used in the fair value calculation for options granted in the year are as follows:

Expected volatility

Expected life (years)

Risk free rate

Expected dividend yield

31 December   

2016

68-73%

5 years

0.17-1.07%

0%

The expected volatility is based upon a benchmarking study of similar companies with public securities. The expected life 
of the option is based on management judgement. The risk free rate is based on the Bank of England’s estimates of gilt yield 
curve as at the respective grant dates.  Share-based payment expense is recognized for options, which are expected to vest.  
The Group has analysed historic forfeiture rates for share options and determined approximately 2% of options granted are 
expected to be forfeited. 

CAPITAL COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

24
Group

As of

Future capital expenditure contracted but not provided 
for

31 December 
2016  
$’000

31 December 
2015
$’000

8,093

20,651

Future capital expenditure contracted but not provided for predominately relates to leasehold improvements arising on the 
fit out of laboratory and office space in Oxfordshire, U.K. and Philadelphia, U.S. 

Other commitments

Purchase commitments for clinical materials, clinical trials and contract manufacturing

At  31  December 2016,  the  Group  had  non-cancellable  commitments  for  purchase  of  clinical  materials,  executing  and 
administering clinical trials, and for contract manufacturing of $57,190,000, of which the Group expects to pay $40,382,000 
within one year, $8,443,000 in one to three years, $6,796,000 in three to five years, and $1,569,000 after five years. The 
timing  of  these  payments  vary  depending  on  the  rate  of  progress  of  development  and  clinical  trial  enrolment rates.  Our 
subcontracted costs for clinical trials and contract manufacturing were $23,560,000, $8,585,000, $8,818,000 and $5,886,000 
for  the  year  ended  31  December 2016,  six  months  ended  31  December  2015  and  years  ending  30  June  2015  and  2014, 
respectively.

Bellicum Pharmaceuticals Inc., Co-Development and Co-Commercialisation Agreement

On 16 December 2016, the Group entered into a Co-Development and Co-Commercialisation Agreement with Bellicum 
Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (“Bellicum”) in order to facilitate a staged collaboration to evaluate, develop and commercialize next 
generation T-cell therapies.

Under the agreement, the Group will evaluate Bellicum’s GoTCR technology (inducible MyD88/CD40 co-stimulation, or 
iMC) with our SPEAR T-cells for the potential to create enhanced T-cell therapeutics. Depending on results of the initial 
preclinical proof-of-concept phase, the agreement may progress to a two-target co-development and co-commercialization 
phase. To the extent necessary, and in furtherance of the parties’ proof-of-concept and co-development efforts, the parties 
granted each other a royalty-free, non-transferable, non-exclusive license covering their respective technologies for purposes 
of facilitating such proof–of-concept and co-development efforts. In addition, as to covered therapies developed under the 
agreement, the parties granted each other a reciprocal exclusive license for the commercialization of such therapies.

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66

ADAPTIMMUNE THERAPEUTICS PLC
CONSOLIDATED NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
For the year ended 31 December 2016
______________________________________________________________________

24

CAPITAL COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES (CONTINUED)

Bellicum Pharmaceuticals Inc., Co-Development and Co-Commercialisation Agreement (continued)

With  respect  to  any  joint  commercialization  of  a  covered  therapy,  the  parties  agreed  to  negotiate  in  good  faith  the 
commercially reasonable terms of a co-commercialization agreement. The parties also agreed that any such agreement shall 
provide for, among other things, equal sharing of the costs of any such joint commercialization and the calculation of profit
shares as set forth in the agreement.

The agreement will expire on a country-by-country basis once the parties cease commercialization of the T-cell therapies 
covered by the agreement, unless earlier terminated by either party for material breach, non-performance or cessation of 
development, bankruptcy/insolvency, or failure to progress to co-development phase.

Merck Combination Agreement

On 27 October 2016, the Group entered into a clinical trial collaboration agreement with Merck (known as MSD outside the 
United States and Canada), for the assessment of our NY-ESO SPEAR T-cell therapy in combination with Merck’s PD-1
inhibitor, KEYTRUDA® (pembrolizumab), in patients with multiple myeloma. Under the terms of the agreement, each of 
Merck and the Group will manufacture and supply its relevant compound for use in the combination study. The agreement 
will last until the earlier of delivery of the final study report or study completion. Either party may terminate the agreement 
for material breach, patient safety, regulatory action preventing supply of compound or withdrawal of regulatory approval 
for one of the combination study compounds. Merck may also terminate the agreement where it believes its compound is 
being used in an unsafe manner. 

MD Anderson Strategic Alliance

On 26 September 2016, the Group announced that it had entered into a multi-year strategic alliance with The University of 
Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (“MD Anderson”) designed to expedite the development of T-cell therapies for multiple 
types of cancer.  The Group and MD Anderson will collaborate in a number of studies including clinical and preclinical 
development  of  the  Group’s  SPEAR  T-cell  therapies  targeting  NY-ESO,  MAGE-A10  and  future  clinical  stage  first  and 
second generation SPEAR T-cell therapies such as MAGE-A4 across a number of cancers, including bladder, lung, ovarian, 
head and neck, melanoma, sarcoma, oesophageal and gastric cancers. Under the terms of the alliance agreement, the Group
has committed funding of at  least $19,644,000 to fund studies under the alliance agreement. Payment of this funding is 
contingent  on  mutual  agreement  to  study  orders  for  any  study  to  be  included  under  the  alliance  and  performance  of  set 
milestones by MD Anderson.The Group will make payments to MD Anderson as certain milestones are achieved and these 
costs will be expensed to research and development as MD Anderson renders the services under the strategic alliance. The 
timing and amount of these payments is uncertain.

The alliance agreement may be terminated by either party for material breach by the other party. Individual studies may be 
terminated inter alia for material breach, health and safety concerns or where the institutional review board, the review board 
at the clinical site  with oversight of the clinical study, requests termination of any study. Where any legal or regulatory 
authorization is finally withdrawn or terminated, the relevant study will also terminate automatically.

Universal Cells Research, Collaboration and License Agreement

On 25 November 2015, the Group entered into a Research, Collaboration and License Agreement relating to gene editing 
and HLA-engineering technology  with  Universal  Cells, Inc. (“Universal Cells”). The Group paid an upfront license and 
start-up fee of $2.5 million to Universal Cells in November 2015 and a milestone payment of $3.0 million in February 2016.  
Further milestone payments of up to $44 million are payable if certain development and product milestones are achieved. 
Universal  Cells  would  also  receive  a  profit-share  payment  for  the  first  product,  and  royalties  on  sales of  other  products 
utilizing its technology.  The upfront and start-up fee are included within intangible assets.

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67

ADAPTIMMUNE THERAPEUTICS PLC
CONSOLIDATED NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
For the year ended 31 December 2016
______________________________________________________________________

24

CAPITAL COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES (CONTINUED)

ThermoFisher License Agreement

In 2012, the Group entered into a series of license and sub-license agreements with Life Technologies Corporation, part of 
ThermoFisher that provide the Group with a field-based exclusive license under certain intellectual property rights owned 
or controlled by ThermoFisher. The Group paid upfront license fees of $1.0 million relating to the license and sublicense 
agreements and has an obligation to pay minimum annual royalties (in the tens of thousands of U.S. dollars prior to licensed 
product approval and thereafter at a level of 50% of running royalties in the previous year), milestone payments and a low 
single-digit running royalty payable on the net selling price of each licensed product. The upfront payment made in 2012 
was  expensed  to  research  and  development  when  incurred.  Subsequent  milestone  payments  have  been  recognized  as  an 
intangible asset.  The minimum annual royalties have been expensed as incurred.

On  16  June 2016,  the  Group  entered  into  a  supply  agreement  with  ThermoFisher
for  the  supply  of  the 
Dynabeads® CD3/CD28 technology. The Dynabeads® CD3/CD28 technology is designed to isolate, activate and expand 
human  T-cells,  and  is  being  used  in  the  manufacturing  of  the  Group’s  affinity  enhanced  T-cell  therapies. The  supply 
agreement runs until 31 December 2025. Under the supply agreement the Group is required to purchase its requirements for 
CD3/CD28  magnetic  bead  product  exclusively  from  ThermoFisher  for  a  period  of  5  years  and  there  are  also  minimum 
purchasing obligations, which are included within ‘Purchase commitments for clinical materials, clinical trials and contract 
manufacturing’  set  forth  above.  ThermoFisher  has  the  right  to  terminate  the  supply  agreement  for  material  breach  or 
insolvency.

Commitments under non-cancellable operating leases

The total of future  minimum  lease payments payable under the entity’s non-cancellable  operating leases for each of the 
following periods is as follows:

As of

31 December 2016

31 December 2015

Within one year
Within two to five years
Over five years

Land and 
buildings
$’000

2,112
12,491
17,983
32,586

Other
$’000

-
-
-
-

Land and 
buildings
$’000

1,596
14,018
22,963
38,577

Other
$’000

-
-
-
-

The annual charge in the income statement for operating leases was $2,255,000 for the year ended 31 December 2016 (Six 
months ended 31 December 2015: $841,000). 

The leases refer to laboratory and office property in Oxfordshire, U.K. and Philadelphia, U.S. 

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

68

 
ADAPTIMMUNE THERAPEUTICS PLC
CONSOLIDATED NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
For the year ended 31 December 2016
______________________________________________________________________

RELATED PARTIES

25
Group

During the periods presented, the Group entered into transactions, in the ordinary course of business, with other related parties. 
Transactions entered into and trading balances outstanding as of 31 December 2016 are as follows:

Related Party

Immunocore Limited
New Enterprise Associates
OrbiMed Advisors LLC

Invoiced to
related 
party*

$’000

8
-
-

Purchases 
from

related party

$’000

2,074
49
-

Amounts 
owed
from related
party
$’000

-
-
-

Transactions entered into and trading balances outstanding as of 31 December 2015 are as follows:

Related Party

Immunocore Limited
New Enterprise Associates
OrbiMed Advisors LLC
*includes pass-through costs

Invoiced to
related 
party*

Purchases 
from

related party

$’000

44
-
-

$’000

1,589
32
32

Amounts 
owed
from related
party
$’000

2
-
-

Amounts 
owed
to related 
party
$’000

365
-
-

Amounts 
owed
to related 
party
$’000

288
-
-

Immunocore  Limited,  New  Enterprise  Associates  and  OrbiMed Advisors  LLC  are  related  parties  because  they  are  the 
beneficial owner of more than 5% of any class of our voting securities.

Immunocore Limited (“Immunocore”)

Adaptimmune  and  Immunocore  have  a  shared  history,  some  overlap  in  board  membership  (which  ceased  on  31 
December 2016)  and  substantial  overlap  in  shareholder  base.  The  Group  has  entered  into  several  agreements  with 
Immunocore regarding the shared use of certain services including licensing and research collaboration. 

During  the  periods  presented Immunocore  and  the  Group  have  invoiced  each  other  in  respect  of  a  transitional  services 
agreement (under which certain staff resources and other administration services are supplied by each company to the other 
company for a transitional period). Additionally, during the periods presented Immunocore has invoiced the Group in respect 
of services provided under a target collaboration agreement (under which certain target identification services were provided 
by Immunocore), costs related to joint patents and in respect of property rent.

The target  collaboration  agreement  between  Immunocore  and  the  Group  was  terminated  by  mutual  consent, effective  1 
March 2017. The  companies  entered  into  the  target  collaboration  agreement  in  January 2015,  to  facilitate  joint  target 
identification activities and specific T-cell cloning work, and jointly create a target database of peptides. Both companies 
will  continue  to  have  access  to  the  target  database  and  associated  target  information  after  termination  of  the  target 
collaboration  agreement.  The  Group  now  has  its  own  dedicated  target  identification  capability  and  as  a  result  has  no 
requirement for ongoing target collaboration  with Immunocore. The companies’ decision to end the target collaboration 
agreement has no impact on other agreements between them. In particular, the companies will continue to co-own the patents, 
patent  applications  and  know-how  relating  to  the  underlying  core  TCR  technology  under  a  previously  executed  and 
irrevocable assignment and license agreement.

New Enterprise Associates

During the periods presented, New Enterprise  Associates has invoiced the  Group for travel expenses of directors David 
Mott, Ali Behbahani and Elliot Sigal.

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69

 
ADAPTIMMUNE THERAPEUTICS PLC
CONSOLIDATED NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
For the year ended 31 December 2016
______________________________________________________________________

25 RELATED PARTIES (CONTINUED)

OrbiMed Advisors LLC

During  the  periods  presented,  OrbiMed  Advisors,  LLC  has  invoiced  the  Group  for  travel  expenses  of  director  Peter 
Thompson.

Remuneration of Key Management Personnel

The remuneration of the Directors and Executive Officers (excluding non-executive directors), who are the key management 
personnel  of  the  Group,  is  set  out  below  in  aggregate  for  each  of  the  categories  specified  in  IAS  24,  ‘Related  Party 
Disclosures’.

For the 

Short-term employee benefits
Share-based payments

Year ended 
31 December 
2016
$’000

Six months 
ended
31 December 
2015  
$’000

2,733

5,173

7,906

2,020

2,690

4,710

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70

 
 
 
 
 
 
ADAPTIMMUNE THERAPEUTICS PLC
CONSOLIDATED NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
For the year ended 31 December 2016
______________________________________________________________________

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