xcur-20251231

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

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FORM 10-K

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(Mark One)


☒			ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025


☐			TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from to

Commission file number 001-39011

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EXICURE, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

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Delaware						81-5333008
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)						(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)

400 Seaport Court, Suite 102

Redwood City, CA 94063

(Address of principal executive offices and Zip Code)

(847) 673-1700

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

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Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:


Title of each class	Trading symbol(s)	Name of each exchange on which registered
Common Stock, par value $0.0001 per share	XCUR	The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:

None

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Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ¨ No x

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes ¨ No x

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes x No ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes x No ¨

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Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

Large accelerated filer

Accelerated filer

Non-accelerated filer

Smaller reporting company

Emerging growth company

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☐

If securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any of the registrant’s executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to § 240.10D-1(b). ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ☐ No ☒

As of June 30, 2025, which was the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter, the aggregate market value of the registrant’s common stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant was approximately $16.4 million, based on a closing price of $7.04 per share of the registrant's common stock as reported on The Nasdaq Capital Market. For purposes of this computation, all officers, directors, and 10% beneficial owners of the registrant are deemed to be affiliates. Such determination should not be deemed to be an admission that such officers, directors or 10% beneficial owners are, in fact, affiliates of the registrant.

As of March 17, 2026, the registrant had 6,373,915 shares of common stock outstanding.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

None.

EXICURE, INC.

ANNUAL REPORT ON FORM 10-K

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PART I
Item 1. Business						6
Item 1A. Risk Factors						10
Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments						19
Item 1C. Cybersecurity						20
Item 2. Properties						20
Item 3. Legal Proceedings						20
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures						22

PART II
Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities						23
Item 6. [Reserved]						24
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations						25
Item 7A. [Reserved]						34
Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data						35
Item 9. Changes in and Disagreements With Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure						70
Item 9A. Controls and Procedures						70
Item 9B. Other Information						71
Item 9C. Disclosure Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions that Prevent Inspections						71

PART III
Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance						72
Item 11. Executive Compensation						74
Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters						77
Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence						79
Item 14. Principal Accounting Fees and Services						81

PART IV
Item 15. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules						83
Item 16. Form 10-K Summary						85

Signatures						86

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CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This Annual Report on Form 10-K, including the sections titled “Risk Factors” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” contains express or implied “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act. All statements other than statements of historical fact contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K are forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as “may,” “could,” “will,” “would,” “should,” “expect,” “plan,”, “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “intend,” “predict,” “seek,” “contemplate,” “project,” “continue,” “potential,” “ongoing” or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. Forward-looking statements also include the assumptions underlying or relating to such statements.

Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements contained herein are reasonable, such expectations or any of the forward-looking statements may prove to be incorrect and actual results could differ materially from those projected or assumed in the forward-looking statements. Our future financial condition and results of operations, as well as any forward-looking statements, are subject to inherent risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, the risk factors set forth in Part I, Item 1A “Risk Factors” below and for the reasons described elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. All forward-looking statements and reasons why results may differ included in this report are made as of the date hereof and we do not intend to update any forward-looking statements except as required by law. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements concerning the following:

•substantial uncertainties regarding our exploration of strategic alternatives to maximize stockholder value, including whether we are able to identify potential partners and consummate transactions, in a timely manner or at all, whether we would be able to obtain sufficient funding to complete this process and whether any such transactions would generate value for stockholders;

•our ability to raise the additional capital that is needed to fund our operations and our pursuit of strategic alternatives, particularly given our current lack of a revenue source and the substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern;

•our ability to remain listed on The Nasdaq Capital Market (“Nasdaq”), including the ability to maintain minimum stockholders’ equity and stock price, and comply with applicable governance requirements, for continued listing on Nasdaq;

•any strategic plan or alternative that we may identify and pursue may involve unexpected costs, liabilities and/or delays and may not deliver anticipated benefits to our stockholders;

•our estimates of expenses, use of cash, timing of future cash needs, ongoing losses and capital requirements may prove to be inaccurate;

•uncertainty about reaction from investors and potential business partners to our recent changes of control and board and management composition and the future direction of the Company, and the ability of our significant stockholders and new board members and management to earn the confidence of investors and potential partners despite limited experience with U.S. public companies, and how these factors may impact our ability to obtain funding and execute any strategic alternatives that we may identify;

•potential turnover of senior management in the near term, and any inability to attract and retain qualified management and other key personnel, could create significant continuity risk and could impair our ability to raise capital and execute on our exploration of strategic alternatives;

•our ability to comply with all applicable laws, which may be particularly challenging given the recent turnover in our board and management, significant reductions in force, limited resources and the potential to enter into new business areas with which we have no past experience;

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•our ability to obtain and maintain intellectual property protection for our technologies and our ability to operate our business without infringing the intellectual property rights of others;

•the impact of macroeconomic conditions, including global inflation, actions taken by central banks to counter inflation, capital market and bank instability, exchange rate fluctuations, supply chain disruptions and energy and fuel prices;

•the impact of new laws and regulations and political events, including the shutdown or potential shutdown of the US federal government; and

•other factors that may impact our financial results and condition and our ongoing strategic efforts.

These statements relate to future events or our future operational or financial performance, and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations include, among other things, those listed in Part I, Item 1A of this Annual Report on Form 10-K under the section titled “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Any forward-looking statement in this Annual Report on Form 10-K reflects our current view with respect to future events and is subject to these and other risks, uncertainties and assumptions relating to our business, results of operations, industry and future growth. Given these uncertainties, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. No forward-looking statement is a guarantee of future performance. You should read this Annual Report on Form 10-K and the documents that we reference herein and have filed with the SEC as exhibits thereto completely and with the understanding that our actual future results may be materially different from any future results expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Except as required by law, we assume no, and specifically decline any, obligation to update or revise these forward-looking statements for any reason, even if new information becomes available in the future.

This Annual Report on Form 10-K also contains or may contain estimates, projections and other information concerning our industry, our business and the markets for certain therapeutics, including data regarding the estimated size of those markets, their projected growth rates and the incidence of certain medical conditions. Information that is based on estimates, forecasts, projections or similar methodologies is inherently subject to uncertainties and actual events or circumstances may differ materially from events and circumstances reflected in this information. Unless otherwise expressly stated, we obtained these industry, business, market and other data from reports, research surveys, studies and similar data prepared by third parties, industry, medical and general publications, government data and similar sources. In some cases, we do not expressly refer to the sources from which these data are derived.

Except where the context otherwise requires, in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, the “Company,” “Exicure,” “we,” “us” and “our” refer to Exicure, Inc., a Delaware corporation, and, where appropriate, our subsidiary.

All trademarks, service marks and trade names appearing in this Annual Report on Form 10-K are the property of their respective holders. Use or display by us of other parties’ trademarks, trade dress, or products in this Annual Report is not intended to, and does not, imply a relationship with, or endorsements or sponsorship of, us by the trademark or trade dress owners.

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PART I

Unless otherwise stated or the context otherwise indicates, references to “Exicure,” the “Company,” “we,” “our,” “us,” or similar terms refer to Exicure, Inc. and our wholly-owned subsidiary, Exicure Operating Company. Exicure Operating Company, which we refer to as “Exicure OpCo,” holds all material assets and conducts all business activities and operations of the Company.

Item 1. Business.

Overview

Historically, we have been an early-stage biotechnology company focused on developing nucleic acid therapies targeting ribonucleic acid against validated targets. In September 2022, we announced a significant reduction in force, suspension of preclinical activities and halting of all research and development, and that we were exploring strategic alternatives to maximize stockholder value. In February 2024, we received an upfront payment of $500,000 from a licensing agreement for patents related to one of our historical drug candidates, and received a small, one-time payment and an entitlement to only modest royalties on future sales of the licensed technology that we do not believe will be material. In the second quarter of 2024, we recognized other income of $637,000 from the sale of our samples related to the licensed product. In the third quarter of 2024, we sold our historical biotechnology intellectual property and other assets (including the licensing agreement described above) pursuant to the purchase agreement and recognized other income of $1,500,000. We continue to engage in a broader exploration of strategic alternatives. This effort involves exploring growth through transactions with potential partners that see opportunity in joining an existing, publicly-traded organization.

Following this purchase agreement, any value we may generate from our historical biotechnology intellectual property and other assets will be primarily through royalties and license fees that we may receive in the future under the purchase agreement. However, whether we receive any royalties or licenses fees, and the amounts and timing thereof, are uncertain and out of our control.

We continue to engage in a broader exploration of strategic alternatives, including but not limited to private company acquisitions, raising additional capital, strategic partnerships, some combination of these, and other arrangements that are in management’s view worth exploring.

On January 19, 2025, we entered into a share purchase agreement (the “Share Purchase Agreement”) with GPCR Therapeutics Inc, a Korean corporation, (“GPCR”), pursuant to which the Company acquired from GPCR all of the issued and outstanding equity securities of its then-subsidiary, GPCR Therapeutics USA Inc., a California corporation (“GPCR USA”). In connection with the closing of the Share Purchase Agreement, the Company and GPCR entered into a License and Collaboration Agreement to further develop and commercialize GPCR’s technologies related to certain intellectual property and patents. The License and Collaboration Agreement requires us to make milestone payments to GPCR upon the achievement of specific milestone events relating to clinical trials, marketing authorizations, and net sales, as well as for us to pay a recurring royalty payments, as set forth in the agreement.

GPCR USA completed its Phase 2 clinical trial in January 2026 that focused on blood cancer patients, particularly those eligible for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, commonly referred to as bone marrow transplant. Its current clinical trial involves the combined administration of GPC-100 (a small molecule antagonist with a high binding affinity to a chemokine receptor) and propranolol (a beta-blocker drug that affects the heart and circulation) for mobilization of stem cells in Multiple Myeloma patients. In accordance with the terms of the License and Collaboration Agreement, we intend to make a milestone payment of $1,000,000 to GPCR in the form of shares of our common stock in the second quarter of 2026.

On March 26, 2025, the Company formed KC Creation Co., Ltd. (“KC Creation”), a wholly-owned South Korean subsidiary. It was established based on potential growth strategies, such as a collaboration with GPCR USA and Korean bio-platform companies, response to sustainability trends by development of infrastructure based on eco-friendly renewable energy, and diversification of business and utilization of global growth potential of Korean

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entertainment content. However, Management decided to sell this subsidiary on November 24, 2025, see additional information on this sale below.

Recent Developments

Significant Stockholder

Effective as of November 12, 2024, we entered into a common stock purchase agreement (the “Initial Common Stock Purchase Agreement”) with Exicure HiTron Inc. (“HiTron”), pursuant to which we agreed to issue and sell to HiTron 433,333 shares of our common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Common Stock”), for an aggregate purchase price of $1.3 million, at a purchase price per share of $3.00.

On November 13, 2024, we entered into a subsequent agreement (the “Subsequent Common Stock Purchase Agreement”), pursuant to which we agreed to sell and issue to HiTron 2,900,000 additional shares of Common Stock for an aggregate purchase price of $8.7 million, at a purchase price per share of $3.00. The sale of shares under the Subsequent Common Stock Purchase Agree

SEC Form 10-K filed by Exicure Inc.