or applications, or inappropriate disclosure of confidential or proprietary information, we could incur liability and the further development and commercialization of our product candidates could be delayed.
Cybersecurity incidents, loss of data or modification of information, and other disruptions could compromise information related to our business or prevent us from accessing critical information, result in a significant disruption of our activities and expose us to liability, which could adversely affect our business and our reputation.
In the ordinary course of our business, we collect and store information, including personal information, intellectual property and proprietary business information that we own or control or have an obligation to protect. For example, we collect and store research and development information, employee data, commercial information, customer information and business and financial information. We and our service providers, including security and infrastructure vendors, manage and maintain our data using a combination of on-site systems and cloud-based data centers. We face a number of risks related to protecting critical information, including inappropriate use or disclosure, unauthorized access or acquisition, or inappropriate modification of, critical information. We also face the risk of being unable to access our critical information or technology systems due to actual or threats of ransomware, unauthorized encryption, or other malicious activity. We face the risk of being unable to adequately monitor, audit and modify our controls over our critical information. These risks extend to third-party service providers and subcontractors we use to assist us in managing our information or otherwise process it on our behalf. The secure processing, storage, maintenance and transmission of our critical information is vital to our operations and business strategy, and we devote significant resources to protecting such information.
Although we take reasonable measures to protect critical information and other data from unauthorized access, acquisition, use or disclosure, our information technology and infrastructure and that of our service providers handling and storing information on our behalf may be vulnerable to a variety of disruptions, including cybersecurity incidents, data breaches, attacks by hackers and other malicious third parties (including the deployment of computer viruses, malware, ransomware, denial-of-service attacks, social engineering (including phishing attacks), and other events that affect service reliability and threaten the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information), unauthorized access, natural disasters, fires, terrorism, war, telecommunications or electrical interruptions or failures, employee error or malfeasance or other malicious or inadvertent disruptions. In particular, the risk of a cybersecurity incident, data breach or disruption, particularly through cyber-attacks or cyber intrusion, has generally increased as the number, intensity, and sophistication of attempted attacks and intrusions from around the world have increased. We may not be able to anticipate all types of security threats, and we may not be able to implement preventive measures that are effective against all such security threats. Because the techniques used by cyber criminals change frequently, may not be recognized until launched, and can originate from a wide variety of sources, including outside groups such as external service providers, organized crime affiliates or terrorist organizations, we and our service providers and other partners may be unable to anticipate these techniques or implement adequate preventative measures. Further, we do not have any control over the operations of the facilities or technology of third parties that collect, process and store sensitive information on our behalf. Any unauthorized access or acquisition, cybersecurity incident, data breach, or other loss, of information could result in legal claims or proceedings, and liability under federal, state or foreign laws regarding the privacy and protection of information, including personal information, and could disrupt our operations and harm our reputation. In addition, notice of cybersecurity incidents or data breaches may be required to affected individuals, regulators, credit reporting agencies or the media. Any such publication or notice could harm our reputation and our ability to compete. The financial exposure from the events referenced above could either not be insured against or not be fully covered through any insurance that we may maintain, and there can be no assurance that the limitations of liability in any of our contracts would be enforceable or adequate or would otherwise protect us from liabilities or damages as a result of the events referenced above. Any of the foregoing could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
Risks Related to Manufacturing
Manufacturing and administering our product candidates is complex and we may encounter difficulties in production, particularly with respect to process development or scaling up of our manufacturing capabilities. If we encounter such difficulties, our ability to provide supply of our TCR-T therapy product candidates for clinical trials or, if approved, for commercial purposes, could be delayed or stopped.
The process of manufacturing and administering our product candidates is complex and highly regulated. The manufacture of our product candidates involves complex processes, including the manufacture of a transposon containing the genetic information for our TCR construct, a transposase used to insert the transposon genetic information into the T cell genome, and manufacturing operations to ensure the safety, integrity, strength, sterility, purity, and quality of the final product. As a result of the complexities entailed in this process, our manufacturing and supply costs may be higher than those of more traditional manufacturing processes and the manufacturing process may be less reliable and more difficult to reproduce. Additionally, the number of facilities that are capable of harvesting cells for the manufacture of our product candidates and other cell therapy products and product candidates is limited. As the number of cell therapy products and product candidates increases, the limited number of facilities capable of harvesting cells could result in delays in the manufacture and administration of our product candidates.