|
|
|
PROSPECTUS
SUPPLEMENT
|
|
Filed
pursuant to Rule 424(b)(5)
|
(To
Prospectus dated September 9, 2008)
|
|
Registration
No. 333-153387
|
1,600,000
Shares of Common Stock
Placement
Agent Warrant for the Purchase of 112,000 Shares of Common Stock
NEURALSTEM,
INC.
We are
offering up to 1,600,000 shares of our common stock (“Shares”) to
investors. The Shares will be sold at a negotiated price of $1.25 per
share. Additionally, as compensation for its services in connection
with this offering we will be issuing the placement agent a warrant to purchase
up to 112,000 common shares at a price of $1.50 per share (“Placement Agent
Warrant”). In addition to the Shares and the Placement Agent Warrant, we are
also registering the 112,000 common shares underlying the Placement Agent
Warrant.
Our
common stock is quoted on The Alternext US symbol under the symbol “CUR.” On
December 15, 2008, the last reported sales price of our common stock was $1.99
per share. As of December 15, 2008, the number of outstanding voting
and non-voting common shares held by non-affiliates is
28,826,632. The aggregate market value of our outstanding voting and
non-voting common equity computed by reference using the last reported sale of
such common equity held by non-affiliates, as of December 15, 2008, was
$57,364.997. The aggregate market value of all securities offered pursuant
to General Instruction I.B.6. of Form S-3 during the
prior 12 calendar month period that ends on, and includes, the date of this
prospectus is $3,406,880 consisting of 1,600,000 Shares and 112,000
shares of our common stock underlying the Placement Agent Warrant being
registered herein.
Investing
in our securities involves a high degree of risk. Before buying any securities,
you should read the discussion of material risks of investing in our common
stock under the heading “Risk factors” of this prospectus
supplement.
Neither
the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has
approved or disapproved of these securities or passed upon the adequacy or
accuracy of this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus. Any
representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
We have
retained Midtown Partners & Co., LLC to act as our placement agent in
connection with this offering. We have agreed to pay the placement agent the
cash fees set forth in the table below, which assumes that we sell all of the
Shares we are offering. Additionally, we have agreed to issue the placement
agent a Placement Agent Warrant equal to 7% of the Shares sold. The
terms of the Placement Agent Warrant are described under the section of this
prospectus supplement entitled “Description of Securities.” We have
also agreed to reimburse the placement agents for certain of their expenses as
described under “Plan of Distribution” in this prospectus supplement. The
placement agent is not required to arrange for the sale of any specific number
of Shares or dollar amount but will use commercially reasonable efforts to
arrange for the sale of all of the Shares.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Maximum
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Offering
|
|
|
Per
share
|
|
Amount
|
Offering
price
|
|
$
|
1.25
|
|
|
$
|
2,000,000
|
|
Placement
agent fees
|
|
$
|
0.0875
|
|
|
$
|
140,000
|
|
Proceeds,
before expenses, to us
|
|
$
|
1.1625
|
|
|
$
|
1,860,000
|
|
We
estimate the total expenses of this offering, excluding the placement agent
fees, will be approximately $100,000. Because there is no minimum offering
amount required as a condition to closing in this offering, the actual offering
amount, the placement agent fees and proceeds to us, if any, in this offering
may be substantially less than the maximum offering amounts set forth
above.
Midtown
Partners & Co., LLC
The date
of this prospectus supplement is December 18, 2008.
This
prospectus supplement is not complete without, and may not be utilized except in
connection with, the accompanying prospectus dated September 26, 2008 and any
amendments to such prospectus. This prospectus supplement provides supplemental
information regarding us and updates certain information contained in the
accompanying prospectus and describes the specific terms of this offering. The
accompanying prospectus gives more general information, some of which may not
apply to this offering. We incorporate important information into this
prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus by reference.
TABLE
OF CONTENTS
Prospectus
supplement
|
|
Page
|
|
About
This Prospectus
|
|
S-1
|
|
Note
Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
|
|
S-1
|
|
Summary
|
|
S-2
|
|
About
Neuralstem
|
|
S-2
|
|
The
Offering
|
|
S-3
|
|
Risk
Factors
|
|
S-4
|
|
Use
of Proceeds
|
|
S-12
|
|
Determination
of Offering Price
|
|
S-12
|
|
Dilution
|
|
S-12
|
|
Description
of Securities
|
|
S-13
|
|
Plan
of Distribution
|
|
S-13
|
|
Incorporation
of Certain Documents by Reference
|
|
S-14
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Page
|
|
About
this Prospectus
|
|
1 |
|
Forward-Looking
Statements
|
|
1
|
|
About
Neuralstem
|
|
2
|
|
Risk
Factors
|
|
3
|
|
Use
of Proceeds
|
|
3
|
|
Plan
of Distribution
|
|
3
|
|
Description
of Common Stock
|
|
4
|
|
Description
of Preferred Stock
|
|
5
|
|
Description
of Warrants
|
|
6
|
|
Where
You Can Find More Information
|
|
6
|
|
Incorporation
of Certain Documents by Reference
|
|
7
|
|
Legal
Matters
|
|
7
|
|
Experts
|
|
7
|
|
This
document is in two parts. The first part is this prospectus supplement, which
describes the terms of this offering and also adds to and updates information
contained in the accompanying prospectus and the documents incorporated by
reference into the accompanying prospectus. The second part is the accompanying
prospectus, which gives more general information about the shares of our common
stock and other securities we may offer from time to time under our shelf
registration statement, some of which may not apply to the securities offered by
this prospectus supplement. To the extent there is a conflict between the
information contained in this prospectus supplement, on the one hand, and the
information contained in the accompanying prospectus or any document
incorporated by reference therein, on the other hand, the information in this
prospectus supplement shall control.
You
should rely only on the information contained or incorporated by reference in
this prospectus supplement and contained or incorporated by reference in the
accompanying prospectus. We have not authorized anyone, including the placement
agent, and the placement agent has not authorized anyone, to provide you with
different information. We are offering to sell, and seeking offers to buy, our
securities only in jurisdictions where offers and sales are permitted. The
information contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement
and contained, or incorporated by reference in the accompanying prospectus is
accurate only as of the respective dates thereof, regardless of the time of
delivery of this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, or of
any sale of our securities offered hereby. It is important for you to read and
consider all information contained in this prospectus supplement and the
accompanying prospectus, including the documents incorporated by reference
herein and therein, in making your investment decision. You should also read and
consider the information in the documents we have referred you to in
“Incorporation of Certain Information by Reference” in this prospectus
supplement and “Where You Can Find More Information” in the accompanying
prospectus.
Unless
otherwise indicated, “Neuralstem,” the “Company,” “we,” “us,” “our” and similar
terms refer to Neuralstem, Inc.
NOTE
REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
In this
prospectus supplement we make a number of statements, referred to as
“forward-looking statements,” within the meaning of Section 27A of the
Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
(the "Exchange Act"), which are intended to convey our expectations or
predictions regarding the occurrence of possible future events or the existence
of trends and factors that may impact our future plans and operating results.
These forward-looking statements are derived, in part, from various assumptions
and analyses we have made in the context of our current business plan and
information currently available to use and in light of our experience and
perceptions of historical trends, current conditions and expected future
developments and other factors we believe are appropriate in the circumstances.
You can generally identify forward looking statements through words and phrases
such as “believe,” “expect,”
“seek,” “estimate,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “plan,” “budget,” “project,” “may
likely result,” “may be,” “may continue” and other similar
expressions.
When
reading any forward-looking statement you should remain mindful that actual
results or developments may vary substantially from those expected as expressed
in or implied by such statement for a number of reasons or factors, including
but not limited to:
·
|
the
success of our research and development activities, the development of a
viable commercial production, and the speed with which regulatory
authorizations and product launches may be achieved;
|
|
|
·
|
whether
or not a market for our product develops and, if a market develops, the
rate at which it develops;
|
·
|
our
ability to successfully sell our products if a market
develops;
|
·
|
our
ability to attract and retain qualified personnel to implement our growth
strategies;
|
·
|
our
ability to develop sales, marketing, and distribution
capabilities;
|
·
|
our
ability to obtain reimbursement from third party payers for the products
that we sell;
|
·
|
the
accuracy of our estimates and
projections;
|
·
|
our
ability to fund our short-term and long-term financing
needs;
|
·
|
changes
in our business plan and corporate strategies;
and
|
·
|
other
risks and uncertainties discussed in greater detail in the section of this
report captioned “Risk
Factors”
|
Each
forward-looking statement should be read in context with, and in understanding
of, the various other disclosures concerning our company and our business made
elsewhere in this prospectus as well as our public filings with the SEC. You
should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statement as a prediction
of actual results or developments. We are not obligated to update or revise any
forward-looking statements contained in this report or any other filing to
reflect new events or circumstances unless and to the extent required by
applicable law.
SUMMARY
This
summary highlights selected information appearing elsewhere or incorporated by
reference in this prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus and may not
contain all of the information that is important to you. This prospectus
supplement and the accompanying prospectus include or incorporate by reference
information about the shares we are offering as well as information regarding
our business and detailed financial data. You should read this prospectus
supplement and the accompanying prospectus in their entirety, including the
information incorporated by reference.
ABOUT
NEURALSTEM
Overview
Neuralstem
is focused on the development and commercialization of treatments based on
transplanting human neural stem cells.
We have
developed and maintain a portfolio of patents and patent applications that form
the proprietary base for our research and development efforts in the area of
neural stem cell research. We own or exclusively license four (4)
issued patents and thirteen (13) patent pending applications in the field of
regenerative medicine and related technologies. We believe our technology base,
in combination with our know-how, and collaborative projects with major research
institutions provides a competitive advantage and will facilitate the successful
development and commercialization of products for use in the treatment of a wide
array of neurodegenerative conditions and in regenerative repair of acute
disease.
This is a
young and emerging field. There can be no assurances that our intellectual
property portfolio will ultimately produce viable commercialized products and
processes. Even if we are able to produce a commercially viable product, there
are strong competitors in this field and our product may not be able to
successfully compete against them.
All of
our research efforts to date are in the pre-clinical stage of development. We
are focused on leveraging our key assets, including our intellectual property,
our scientific team, our facilities and our capital, to accelerate the
advancement of our stem cell technologies. In addition, we are pursuing
strategic collaborations with members of academia. We are headquartered in
Rockville, Maryland.
In
addition to our core tissue based technology we have begun developing a
small-molecule compound. The Company has performed preliminary in vitro and in vivo tests on the compound
with regard to neurogenesis. Based on the results of these tests we
have applied for a U.S. patent on the compound.
Technology
Our
technology is the ability to isolate human neural stem cells from most areas of
the developing human brain and spinal cord and our technology includes the
ability to grow them into physiologically relevant human neurons of all types.
Our two issued core patents entitled: (i) Isolation, Propagation, and
Directed Differentiation of Stem Cell from Embryonic and Adult Central Nervous
System of Mammals; and (ii) In Vitro Generation of
Differentiated Neurons from Cultures of Mammalian Multi-potential CNS Stem
Cell contain claims relating to the process of deriving cells and cells
created from such process.
What
differentiates our stem cell technology from others is that our patented
processes do not require us to “push” the cells towards a certain fate by adding
specific growth factors. Our cells actually “become” the type of cell they are
fated to be. We believe this process and the resulting cells create a technology
platform that allows for the efficient isolation and ability to produce, in
commercially reasonable quantities, neural stem cells from the human brain and
spinal cord.
Our
technology allows for cells to grow in cultured dishes, also known as in vitro growth, without
mutations or other adverse events that would compromise their
usefulness.
Research
We have
devoted substantial resources to our research programs in order to isolate and
develop a series of neural stem cell banks that we believe can serve as a basis
for therapeutic products. Our efforts to date have been directed at methods to
identify, isolate and culture large varieties of stem cells of the human nervous
system, and to develop therapies utilizing these stem cells. This research is
conducted both internally and through the use of third party laboratory
consulting companies under our direct supervision.
As of
September 31, 2008, we had 7 full-time employees. Of these employees
three work on research and development and four in administration. We also use
the services of numerous outside consultants in business and scientific matters.
We believe that we have good relations with our employees and
consultants.
Our
Corporate Information
We were
incorporated in Delaware. Our principal executive offices are located at 9700
Great Seneca Highway, Rockville, Maryland 20850, and our telephone number is
(301) 366-4841. Our website is located at www.neuralstem.com. We have not
incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement or the accompanying
prospectus the information in, or that can be accessed through, our website, and
you should not consider it to be a part of this prospectus supplement or the
accompanying prospectus.
THE
OFFERING
|
|
|
|
|
|
Common
stock we are offering
|
|
1,600,000
shares
|
|
|
|
Common
stock to be outstanding after this offering(1)
|
|
33,751,300
shares
|
|
|
|
Use
of proceeds
|
|
We
intend to use the net proceeds of this offering for general corporate
purposes, including working capital, product development and capital
expenditures. See “Use of proceeds.”
|
|
|
|
Placement
Agent Warrant
|
|
Warrants
to purchase 112,000 shares of common stock will be issued to the Placement
Agent as compensation for its services in connection with this offering.
This prospectus supplement also relates to the offering of the shares of
common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants.
|
|
|
|
Alternext
US symbol
|
|
CUR
|
________________________________________________
(1)
|
The
number of shares of common stock shown above to be outstanding after this
offering is based on the 32,151,300 shares outstanding as of December 15,
2008 and assumes the sale of all Shares. The number
specifically excludes shares underlying outstanding options and
warrants.
|
RISK
FACTORS
Investing
in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. In addition to the risks
related to our business set forth in this prospectus supplement, the
accompanying prospectus and the other information included and incorporated by
reference in this prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus, you should
carefully consider the risks described below before purchasing our common stock.
If any of the following risks actually occurs, our business, results of
operations and financial condition will likely suffer. As a result, the trading
price of our common stock may decline, and you might lose part or all of your
investment.
Risks
Relating to the Company's Stage of Development
Since the Company
has a limited operating history and has significantly shifted its operations and
strategies since inception, you cannot rely upon the Company's limited
historical performance to make an investment decision.
Since
inception in 1996 and through September 30, 2008, the Company has raised in
aggregate, approximately $58,646,554 of capital and recorded accumulated losses
totaling $54,066,078. On September 30, 2008, the Company had a working capital
surplus of $4,190,762 and stockholders’ equity of $4,580,476. Our net losses for
the two most recent fiscal years have been $7,063,272 and $3,147,488 for 2007
and 2006 respectively. Our net loss for the nine month period ended September
30, 2008 was $8,410,081. We had no revenues for the nine months ended September
30, 2008.
The
Company's ability to generate revenues and achieve profitability depends upon
its ability to complete the development of its stem cell products, obtain the
required regulatory approvals, and manufacture, market and sell its products. In
part because of the Company’s past operating results, no assurances can be given
that the Company will be able to accomplish all or any these goals.
Although
the Company has generated some revenue to date, the Company has not generated
any revenue from the commercial sale of its proposed stem cell products. Since
inception, the Company has engaged in several related lines of business and has
discontinued operations in certain areas. For example, in 2002, the Company lost
a material contract with the Department of Defense and was forced to close its
principal facility and lay off almost all of its employees in an attempt to
focus the Company’s strategy on its stem cell technology. This limited and
changing history may not be adequate to enable you to fully assess the Company's
current ability to develop and commercialize its technologies and proposed
products, obtain approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”),
achieve market acceptance of its proposed products and respond to competition.
No assurances can be given as to exactly when, if at all, the Company will be
able to fully develop, commercialize, market, sell and derive material revenues
from its proposed products in development.
The
Company will need to
raise additional capital to continue operations, and failure to do so will
impair the Company's ability to fund operations, develop its technologies or
promote its products.
The
Company has relied almost entirely on external financing to fund operations.
Such financing has historically come primarily from the sale of common and
preferred stock, the exercise of investor warrants and to a lesser degree from
grants, loans and revenue from license and royalty fees. The Company
anticipates, based on current proposed plans and assumptions relating to its
operations (including the timetable of, and costs associated with, new product
development) and financings the Company has undertaken prior to September 30,
2008, that its current working capital will be sufficient to satisfy
contemplated cash requirements for approximately nine months. This
assumes that the Company does not engage in an extraordinary transaction or
otherwise face unexpected events or contingencies, any of which could effect
cash requirements. As of September 30, 2008, the Company had cash and cash
equivalents on hand of $5,249,805. Presently, the Company has a monthly cash
burn rate of approximately $600,000. Accordingly, the Company will need to raise
additional capital to fund anticipated operating expenses and future expansion.
Among other things, external financing will be required to cover the further
development of the Company's technologies and products and other operating
costs. The Company cannot assure you that financing whether from external
sources or related parties will be available if needed or on favorable terms. If
additional financing is not available when required or is not available on
acceptable terms, the Company may be unable to fund operations and planned
growth, develop or enhance its technologies, take advantage of business
opportunities or respond to competitive market pressures. Any negative impact on
the Company's operations may make capital raising more difficult and may also
resulting a lower price for the Company's securities.
The
Company may have difficulty raising needed capital in the future as a result of,
among other factors, the Company's limited operating history and business risks
associated with the Company.
The
Company's business currently generates limited amounts of cash which will not be
sufficient to meet its future capital requirements. The Company's management
does not know when this will change. The Company has expended and will continue
to expend substantial funds in the research, development and clinical and
pre-clinical testing of the Company's stem cell technologies and products with
the goal of ultimately obtaining FDA approval. The Company will require
additional funds to conduct research and development, establish and conduct
clinical and pre-clinical trials and commercial-scale manufacturing arrangements
and to provide for marketing and distribution. Additional funds may not be
available on acceptable terms, if at all. If adequate funds are unavailable from
any available source, the Company may have to delay, reduce the scope of or
eliminate one or more of its research, development or commercialization
programs, product launches or marketing efforts, which may materially harm the
Company's business, financial condition and results of operations.
The
Company's long term capital requirements are expected to depend on many factors,
including:
·
|
continued
progress and cost of its research and development
programs;
|
·
|
progress
with pre-clinical studies and clinical
trials;
|
·
|
time
and costs involved in obtaining regulatory
clearance;
|
·
|
costs
involved in preparing, filing, prosecuting, maintaining and enforcing
patent claims;
|
·
|
costs
of developing sales, marketing and distribution channels and its ability
to sell the Company's stem cell
products;
|
·
|
costs
involved in establishing manufacturing capabilities for commercial
quantities of its products;
|
·
|
competing
technological and market
developments;
|
·
|
market
acceptance of its stem cell
products;
|
·
|
costs
for recruiting and retaining employees and consultants;
and
|
·
|
costs
for educating and training physicians about its stem cell
products.
|
The
Company may consume available resources more rapidly than currently anticipated,
resulting in the need for additional funding. The Company may seek to raise any
necessary additional funds through the exercising of warrants, options, equity
or debt financings, collaborative arrangements with corporate partners or other
sources, which may be dilutive to existing stockholders or otherwise have a
material effect on the Company's current or future business prospects. If
adequate funds are not available, the Company may be required to significantly
reduce or refocus its development and commercialization efforts.
The Company
relies on stem cell technologies that it may not be able to commercially
develop, which will prevent the Company from generating revenues, operating
profitably or providing investors any return on their investment.
The
Company has concentrated its research on its stem cell technologies, and the
Company's ability to generate revenue and operate profitably will depend on it
being able to develop these technologies for human applications. These are
emerging technologies with, as yet, limited human applications. The Company
cannot guarantee that it will be able to develop its stem cell technologies or
that such development will result in products or services with any significant
commercial utility. The Company anticipates that the commercial sale of such
products or services, and royalty/licensing fees related to its technology, will
be the Company’s primary sources of revenues. If the Company is unable to
develop its technologies, investors will likely lose their entire
investment.
Inability to
complete pre-clinical and clinical testing and trials will impair the viability
of the Company.
The
Company is in its development stage and has not yet applied for approval by the
FDA to conduct clinical trials. Even if the Company successfully files an
Investigational New Drug (“IND”) and receives approval from the FDA to commence
trials, the outcome of pre-clinical, clinical and product testing of the
Company's products is uncertain. If the Company is unable to
satisfactorily complete such testing, or if such testing yields unsatisfactory
results, the Company will be unable to commercially produce its proposed
products. Before obtaining regulatory approvals for the commercial sale of any
potential human products, the Company's products will be subjected to extensive
pre-clinical and clinical testing to demonstrate their safety and efficacy in
humans. No assurances can be given that the clinical trials of the Company's
products, or those of licensees or collaborators, will demonstrate the safety
and efficacy of such products at all, or to the extent necessary to obtain
appropriate regulatory approvals, or that the testing of such products will be
completed in a timely manner, if at all, or without significant increases in
costs, program delays or both, all of which could harm the Company's ability to
generate revenues. In addition, the Company's proposed products may not prove to
be more effective for treating disease or injury than current therapies.
Accordingly, the Company may have to delay or abandon efforts to research,
develop or obtain regulatory approval to market its proposed products. Many
companies involved in biotechnology research and development have suffered
significant setbacks in advanced clinical trials, even after promising results
in earlier trials. The failure to adequately demonstrate the safety and efficacy
of a therapeutic product under development could delay or prevent regulatory
approval of the product and could harm the Company's ability to generate
revenues, operate profitably or produce any return on an investment in the
Company.
The
Company's additional financing requirements could result in dilution to existing
stockholders.
At
present, the Company is not able to finance it operations because it does not
sell any products. Accordingly, the Company will be required to secure
additional financing. If the Company is able to obtain such additional
financings such financing may be dilutive to current shareholders. The Company
has the authority to issue additional shares of common stock and preferred
stock, as well as additional classes or series of capital stock, or debt
obligations which may be convertible into any one or more classes or series of
capital stock. The Company is authorized to issue 150,000,000 shares of common
stock and 7,000,000 shares of preferred stock. Such securities may be issued
without the approval or other consent of the Company's
stockholders.
Risks
Relating to Intellectual Property and Government Regulation
The Company may
not be able to withstand challenges to its intellectual property rights, such as
patents, should contests be initiated in court or at the U.S Patent and
Trademark Office.
The
Company relies on its intellectual property, including its issued and
applied-for patents, as the foundation of its business. The intellectual
property rights of the Company may come under challenge, and no assurances can
be given that, even though issued, the Company's current and potential future
patents will survive claims commencing in the court system alleging invalidity
or infringement of other patents. For example, in 2005, the Company's neural
stem cell technology was challenged in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
Although the Company prevailed in this particular matter upon re-examination by
the patent office, these cases are complex, lengthy and expensive, and could
potentially be adjudicated adversely to the Company, removing the protection
afforded by an issued patent. The viability of the Company's business would
suffer if such patent protection were limited or eliminated. Moreover, the costs
associated with defending or settling intellectual property claims would likely
have a material adverse effect on the Company. At present, there is new
litigation with StemCells, Inc. which is in its initial stages and any likely
outcome is difficult to predict. It is not known when nor on what basis the
litigation with StemCells, Inc. will be concluded.
The Company may
not be able to adequately protect against piracy of intellectual property in
foreign jurisdictions.
Considerable
research in the area of stem cell therapies is being performed in countries
outside of the United States, and a number of the Company's competitors are
located in those countries. The laws protecting intellectual property in
some of those countries may not provide protection for the Company's trade
secrets and intellectual property adequate to prevent its competitors from
misappropriating the Company's trade secrets or intellectual property. If
the Company's trade secrets or intellectual property are misappropriated in
those countries, the Company may be without adequate remedies to address the
issue.
The Company's
products may not receive FDA approval, which would prevent the Company from
commercially marketing its products and producing revenues.
The FDA
and comparable government agencies in foreign countries impose substantial
regulations on the manufacture and marketing of pharmaceutical products through
lengthy and detailed laboratory, pre-clinical and clinical testing procedures,
sampling activities and other costly and time-consuming procedures. Satisfaction
of these regulations typically takes several years or more and varies
substantially based upon the type, complexity and novelty of the proposed
product. The Company cannot yet accurately predict when it might first submit
any IND, application to the FDA, or whether any such IND application would be
granted on a timely basis, if at all. Nor can the Company assure you
that it will successfully complete any clinical trials in connection with any
such IND application. Further, the Company cannot yet accurately predict when it
might first submit any product license application for FDA approval or whether
any such product license application would be granted on a timely basis, if at
all. As a result, the Company cannot assure you that FDA approvals for any
products developed by it will be granted on a timely basis, if at all. Any delay
in obtaining, or failure to obtain, such approvals could have a material adverse
effect on the marketing of the Company's products and its ability to generate
product revenue.
Development
of our technologies is subject to, and restricted by, extensive government
regulation, which could impede our business.
Our
research and development efforts, as well as any future clinical trials, and the
manufacturing and marketing of any products we may develop, will be subject to,
and restricted by, extensive regulation by governmental authorities in the
United States and other countries. The process of obtaining FDA and other
necessary regulatory approvals is lengthy, expensive and uncertain. FDA and
other legal and regulatory requirements applicable to the development and
manufacture of the cells and cell lines required for our preclinical and
clinical products could substantially delay or prevent us from producing the
cells needed to initiate additional clinical trials. We or our collaborators may
fail to obtain the necessary approvals to commence clinical testing or to
manufacture or market our potential products in reasonable time frames, if at
all. In addition, the U.S. Congress and other legislative bodies may enact
regulatory reforms or restrictions on the development of new therapies that
could adversely affect the regulatory environment in which we operate or the
development of any products we may develop.
We base
our research and development on the use of human stem cells obtained from human
tissue. The U.S. federal and state governments and other jurisdictions impose
restrictions on the acquisition and use of human tissue, including those
incorporated in federal Good Tissue Practice, or cGTP, regulations. These
regulatory and other constraints could prevent us from obtaining cells and other
components of our products in the quantity or of the quality needed for their
development or commercialization. These restrictions change from time to time
and may become more onerous. Additionally, we may not be able to identify or
develop reliable sources for the cells necessary for our potential products —
that is, sources that follow all state and federal laws and guidelines for cell
procurement. Certain components used to manufacture our stem and progenitor cell
product candidates will need to be manufactured in compliance with the FDA’s
Good Manufacturing Practices, or cGMP. Accordingly, we will need to enter into
supply agreements with companies that manufacture these components to cGMP
standards. There is no assurance that we will be able to enter into
any such agreements.
Noncompliance
with applicable requirements both before and after approval, if any, can subject
us, our third party suppliers and manufacturers and our other collaborators to
administrative and judicial sanctions, such as, among other things, warning
letters, fines and other monetary payments, recall or seizure of products,
criminal proceedings, suspension or withdrawal of regulatory approvals,
interruption or cessation of clinical trials, total or partial suspension of
production or distribution, injunctions, limitations on or the elimination of
claims we can make for our products, refusal of the government to enter into
supply contracts or fund research, or government delay in approving or refusal
to approve new drug applications.
Because the
Company or its collaborators must obtain regulatory approval to market its
products in the United States and other countries, the Company cannot predict
whether or when it will be permitted to commercialize its products.
Federal,
state and local governments and agencies in the United States (including the
FDA) and governments in other countries have significant regulations in place
that govern many of the Company's activities. The Company is or may become
subject to various federal, state and local laws, regulations and
recommendations relating to safe working conditions, laboratory and
manufacturing practices, the experimental use of animals and the use and
disposal of hazardous or potentially hazardous substances used in connection
with its research and development work. The preclinical testing and clinical
trials of the products that the Company or its collaborators develop are subject
to extensive government regulation that may prevent the Company from creating
commercially viable products from its discoveries. In addition, the sale by the
Company or its collaborators of any commercially viable product will be subject
to government regulation from several standpoints, including manufacturing,
advertising, marketing, promoting, selling, labeling and
distributing. If, and to the extent that, the Company is unable to comply with
these regulations, its ability to earn revenues will be materially and
negatively impacted.
Risks
Relating to Competition
The Company's
competition includes both public and private organizations and collaborations
among academic institutions and large pharmaceutical companies, most of which
have significantly greater experience and financial resources than the Company
does.
The
biotechnology industry is characterized by intense competition. The Company
competes against numerous companies, many of which have substantially greater
financial and other resources than it has. Several such enterprises have
initiated cell therapy research programs and/or efforts to treat the same
diseases targeted by the Company. Although not necessarily direct competitors,
companies such as Geron Corporation, Genzyme Corporation, StemCells, Inc.,
Advanced Cell Technology, Inc., Aastrom Biosciences, Inc. and Viacell, Inc., as
well as others, may have substantially greater resources and experience in the
Company's fields than it does. Of course, any of the world's largest
pharmaceutical companies represent a significant actual or potential competitor
with vastly greater resources than the Company's.
Risks
Relating to the Company's Reliance on Third Parties
The
Company's outsource model depends on collaborators, non-employee consultants,
research institutions, and scientific contractors to help it develop and test
its proposed products. Our ability to develop such relationships could impair or
delay our ability to develop products.
The
Company's strategy for the development, clinical testing and commercialization
of its proposed products is based on an outsource model. This model requires
that the Company enter into collaborations with corporate partners, research
institutions, scientific contractors, licensors, licensees and others in order
to further develop its technology and develop products. In the event the Company
is not able to enter into such relationships in the future, our ability to
develop products may be seriously hindered or we would be required to expend
considerable resources to bring such functions in-house. Either outcome could
result in our inability to develop a commercially feasible product or in the
need for substantially more working capital to complete the research in-house.
Also, we are currently dependent on collaborators for a substantial portion of
our research and development. Although our collaborative agreements do not
impose any duties or obligations on us other than the licensing of our
technology, the failure of any of these collaborations may hinder our ability to
develop products in a timely fashion. By way of example, our collaboration with
John Hopkins University, School of Medicine yielded findings that contributed to
our patent application entitled Transplantation of Human Cells for Treatment of
Neurological Disorder. Had the collaboration not existed, our ability to apply
for such patent would have been greatly hindered. We currently have 6 key
collaborations. They are with:
·
|
The
University of California, San
Diego;
|
·
|
University
of Central Florida;
|
·
|
University
of Michigan;
|
·
|
Professor
Guido Nikkah Ph.D of Albert-Ludwigs-University in Freiburg, Germany;
and
|
·
|
China
Medical University & Hospital of
Taiwan
|
Our
maximum obligation to provide additional funding under any of these
collaborations is $100,000. Our primary risk is that no results are derived from
their research.
We
intend to rely upon third-party FDA-approved manufacturers for our stem cells.
Should these manufacturers fail to perform as expected, we will need to develop
or procure other manufacturing sources, which would cause delays or
interruptions in our product supply and result in the loss of significant sales
and customers.
We
currently have no internal manufacturing capability, and will rely extensively
on FDA-approved licensees, strategic partners or third party contract
manufacturers or suppliers. We current have an agreement with Charles River
Laboratories International, Inc. (“Charles River”) for the manufacturing and
storage of our cells. In the event Charles River fails to provide suitable
cells, we would be forced to either manufacture the cells ourselves or seek
other third party vendors. Should we be forced to manufacture our stem cells, we
cannot give you any assurance that we will be able to develop an internal
manufacturing capability or procure alternative third party suppliers. Moreover,
we cannot give you any assurance that any contract manufacturers or suppliers we
procure will be able to supply our product in a timely or cost effective manner
or in accordance with applicable regulatory requirements or our
specifications.
General
Risks Relating to the Company's Business
Our
product development programs are based on novel technologies and are inherently
risky.
We are
subject to the risks of failure inherent in the development of products based on
new technologies. The novel nature of these therapies creates significant
challenges in regard to product development and optimization, manufacturing,
government regulation, third party reimbursement, and market acceptance. For
example, the pathway to regulatory approval for cell-based therapies, including
our product candidates, may be more complex and lengthy than the pathway for
conventional drugs. These challenges may prevent us from developing and
commercializing products on a timely or profitable basis or at all.
The
manufacture of cell-based therapeutic products is novel, highly regulated,
critical to our business, and dependent upon specialized key
materials.
The
manufacturing of cell-based therapeutic products is a complicated and difficult
processes, dependent upon substantial know-how and subject to the need for
continual process improvements to be competitive. We depend almost
exclusively on third party manufacturers to supply our cells. In
addition, our suppliers’ ability to scale-up manufacturing to satisfy the
various requirements of our planned clinical trials, such as GTP, GMP and
release testing requirements, is uncertain. Manufacturing
irregularities or lapses in quality control could have a serious adverse effect
on our reputation and business, which could cause a significant loss of
stockholder value. Many of the materials that we use to prepare our cell-based
products are highly specialized, complex and available from only a limited
number of suppliers or are derived from a biological origin. At present, some of
our material requirements are single sourced, and the loss of one or more of
these sources may adversely affect our business if we are unable to obtain
alternatives or alternative sources at all or upon terms that are acceptable to
us.
Ethical
and other concerns surrounding the use of stem cell therapy may negatively
affect regulatory approval or public perception of our product candidates, which
could reduce demand for our products or depress our stock price.
The use
of stem cells for research and therapy has been the subject of debate regarding
related ethical, legal and social issues. Negative public attitudes
toward stem cell therapy could result in greater governmental regulation of stem
cell therapies, which could harm our business. For example, concerns regarding
such possible regulation could impact our ability to attract collaborators and
investors. Existing and potential U.S. government regulation of human
tissue may lead researchers to leave the field of stem cell research or the
country altogether, in order to assure that their careers will not be impeded by
restrictions on their work. Similarly, these factors may induce graduate
students to choose other fields less vulnerable to changes in regulatory
oversight, thus exacerbating the risk that we may not be able to attract and
retain the scientific personnel we need in the face of competition among
pharmaceutical, biotechnology and health care companies, universities and
research institutions for what may become a shrinking class of qualified
individuals.
The
Company may be subject to litigation that will be costly to defend or pursue and
uncertain in its outcome.
The
Company's business may bring it into conflict with its licensees, licensors, or
others with whom it has contractual or other business relationships or with its
competitors or others whose interests differ from the Company's. If the Company
is unable to resolve those conflicts on terms that are satisfactory to all
parties, the Company may become involved in litigation brought by or against it.
That litigation is likely to be expensive and may require a significant amount
of management's time and attention, at the expense of other aspects of the
Company's business. The outcome of litigation is always uncertain, and in some
cases could include judgments against us that require the Company to pay
damages, enjoin it from certain activities, or otherwise affect its legal or
contractual rights, which could have a significant adverse effect on its
business. By way of example, in May of 2008, we filed a complaint against
StemCells Inc., alleging that U.S. Patent No. 7,361,505 (the “‘505 patent”),
allegedly exclusively licensed to StemCells, Inc., is invalid, not infringed and
unenforceable. On the same day, StemCells, Inc. filed a complaint alleging that
we had infringed, contributed to the infringement of, and or induced the
infringement of two patents owned by or exclusively licensed to StemCells
relating to stem cell culture compositions. At present, the litigation is in its
initial stages and any likely outcome is difficult to predict.
The
Company may not be able to obtain third-party patient reimbursement or favorable
product pricing, which would reduce its ability to operate
profitably.
The
Company's ability to successfully commercialize certain of its proposed products
in the human therapeutic field may depend to a significant degree on patient
reimbursement of the costs of such products and related treatments at acceptable
levels from government authorities, private health insurers and other
organizations, such as health maintenance organizations. The Company cannot
assure you that reimbursement in the United States or foreign countries will be
available for any products it may develop or, if available, will not be
decreased in the future, or that reimbursement amounts will not reduce the
demand for, or the price of, its products with a consequent harm to the
Company's business. The Company cannot predict what additional regulation or
legislation relating to the health care industry or third-party coverage and
reimbursement may be enacted in the future or what effect such regulation or
legislation may have on the Company's business. If additional regulations are
overly onerous or expensive or if health care related legislation makes its
business more expensive or burdensome than originally anticipated, the Company
may be forced to significantly downsize its business plans or completely abandon
its business model.
The Company's
products may be expensive to manufacture, and they may not be profitable if the
Company is unable to control the costs to manufacture them.
The
Company's products may be significantly more expensive to manufacture than most
other drugs currently on the market today due to a fewer number of potential
manufacturers, greater level of needed expertise and other general market
conditions affecting manufacturers of stem cell based products. The
Company would hope to substantially reduce manufacturing costs through process
improvements, development of new science, increases in manufacturing scale and
outsourcing to experienced manufacturers. If the Company is not successful in
these and other initiatives, and depending on the pricing of the product, its
profit margins may be significantly less than that of most drugs on the market
today. In addition, the Company may not be able to charge a high enough price
for any cell therapy product it develops, even if they are safe and effective,
to make a profit. If the Company is unable to realize significant profits from
its potential product candidates, its business would be materially
harmed.
In order to
secure market share and generate revenues, the Company's proposed products must
be accepted by the health care community, which can be very slow to adopt or
unreceptive to new technologies and products.
The
Company's proposed products and those developed by its collaborative partners,
if approved for marketing, may not achieve market acceptance since hospitals,
physicians, patients or the medical community in general may decide not to
accept and utilize these products. The products that the Company is attempting
to develop represent substantial departures from established treatment methods
and will compete with a number of more conventional drugs and therapies
manufactured and marketed by major pharmaceutical companies. The degree of
market acceptance of any of the Company's developed products will depend on a
number of factors, including:
·
|
the
Company's establishment and demonstration to the medical community of the
clinical efficacy and safety of its proposed products;
|
|
|
·
|
the
Company's ability to create products that are superior to alternatives
currently on the market;
|
|
|
·
|
the
Company's ability to establish in the medical community the potential
advantage of its treatments over alternative treatment methods;
and
|
|
|
·
|
reimbursement
policies of government and third-party
payors.
|
If the
health care community does not accept the Company's products for any of the
foregoing reasons, or for any other reason, the Company's business would be
materially harmed.
We depend on two
key employees for our continued operations and future success. A loss of either
employee could significantly hinder our ability to move forward with our
business plan.
The loss
of either of our key executive officers, Richard Garr and Karl Johe, would be
significantly detrimental to us.
·
|
We
currently do
not maintain “key person” life insurance on the life of Mr.
Garr. As a result, the Company will not receive any compensation upon the
death or incapacity of this key individuals;
|
|
|
·
|
We
currently do maintain
“key person” life insurance on the life of Mr. Johe. As a result, the
Company will receive approximately $1,000,000 in the event of his death or
incapacity.
|
In
addition, the Company's anticipated growth and expansion into areas and
activities requiring additional expertise, such as clinical testing, regulatory
compliance, manufacturing and marketing, will require the addition of new
management personnel and the development of additional expertise by existing
management personnel. There is intense competition for qualified personnel in
the areas of the Company's present and planned activities, and there can be no
assurance that the Company will be able to continue to attract and retain the
qualified personnel necessary for the development of its business. The failure
to attract and retain such personnel or to develop such expertise would
adversely affect the Company's business.
The Company has
entered into long-term contracts with key personnel and stockholders, with
significant anti-termination provisions, which could make future changes in
management difficult or expensive.
Messrs.
Garr and Johe have entered into employment agreements with the Company which
expire on November 1, 2012 and which include termination provisions stating that
if either employee is terminated for any reason other than a voluntary
resignation, then all compensation due to such employee under the terms of the
respective agreement shall become due and payable immediately. These provisions
will make the replacement of either of these employees very costly to the
Company, and could cause difficulty in effecting a change in control of the
Company. Termination prior to full term on the contracts would cost the Company
as much as $1,800,000 per contract, and immediate vesting of all outstanding
options held by Messrs. Garr and Johe.
The Company has
no product liability insurance, which may leave it vulnerable to future claims
that the Company will be unable to satisfy.
The
testing, manufacturing, marketing and sale of human therapeutic products entails
an inherent risk of product liability claims, and the Company cannot assure you
that substantial product liability claims will not be asserted against it. The
Company has no product liability insurance. In the event the Company is forced
to expend significant funds on defending product liability actions, and in the
event those funds come from operating capital, the Company will be required to
reduce its business activities, which could lead to significant
losses.
The Company
cannot assure you that adequate insurance coverage will be available in the
future on acceptable terms, if at all, or that, if available, the Company will
be able to maintain any such insurance at sufficient levels of coverage or that
any such insurance will provide adequate protection against potential
liabilities.
The
Company has limited commercial insurance policies. Any significant claim would
have a material adverse effect on its business, financial condition and results
of operations. Insurance availability, coverage terms and pricing continue to
vary with market conditions. The Company endeavors to obtain appropriate
insurance coverage for insurable risks that it identifies, however, the Company
may fail to correctly anticipate or quantify insurable risks, may not be able to
obtain appropriate insurance coverage, and insurers may not respond as the
Company intends to cover insurable events that may occur. The Company has
observed rapidly changing conditions in the insurance markets relating to nearly
all areas of traditional corporate insurance. Such conditions may result in
higher premium costs, higher policy deductibles, and lower coverage limits. For
some risks, the Company may not have or maintain insurance coverage because of
cost or availability.
Risks
Relating to the Company's Common Stock
Our
common shares are sporadically or “thinly” traded, so you may be unable to sell
at or near ask prices or at all if you need to sell your shares to raise money
or otherwise desire to liquidate your shares.
Our
common shares have historically been sporadically or “thinly” traded, meaning
that the number of persons interested in purchasing our common shares at or near
ask prices at any given time may be relatively small or non-existent. This
situation is attributable to a number of factors, including the facts that we
are a small company which is relatively unknown to stock analysts, stock
brokers, institutional investors and others in the investment community that
generate or influence sales volume, and that even if we came to the attention of
such persons, they tend to be risk-averse and would be reluctant to follow an
unproven development stage company such as ours or purchase or recommend the
purchase of our shares until such time as we became more seasoned and viable. As
a consequence, there may be periods of several days or more when trading
activity in our shares is minimal or non-existent, as compared to a seasoned
issuer which has a large and steady volume of trading activity that will
generally support continuous sales without a material reduction in share price.
We cannot give you any assurance that a broader or more active public trading
market for our common shares will develop or be sustained, or that current
trading levels will be sustained. Due to these conditions, we can give you no
assurance that you will be able to sell your shares at or near ask prices or at
all if you need money or otherwise desire to liquidate your shares.
The
market price for our common shares is particularly volatile given our status as
a relatively unknown company with a small and thinly-traded public float,
limited operating history and lack of revenues or profits to
date. These factors could lead to wide fluctuations in our share
price. The price at which you purchase our common shares may not be indicative
of the price that will prevail in the trading market. You may be unable to sell
your common shares at or above your purchase price, which may result in
substantial losses to you. The volatility in our common share price may subject
us to securities litigation.
The
market for our common shares is characterized by significant price volatility
when compared to seasoned issuers, and we expect that our share price will
continue to be more volatile than a seasoned issuer’s. The volatility in our
share price is attributable to a number of factors. First, as noted above, our
common shares are sporadically or thinly traded. As a consequence of this lack
of liquidity, the trading of relatively small quantities of shares by our
shareholders may disproportionately influence the price of those shares in
either direction. The price for our shares could, for example, decline
precipitously in the event that a large number of our common shares are sold on
the market without commensurate demand. A seasoned issuer could
better absorb sales without a material reduction in share price. Secondly, we
are a speculative or “risky” investment due to our limited operating history,
lack of significant revenues to date and uncertainty of future market acceptance
for our products if successfully developed. As a consequence of this enhanced
risk, more risk-adverse investors may, under the fear of losing all or most of
their investment in the event of negative news or lack of progress, be more
inclined to sell their shares on the market more quickly and at greater
discounts than would be the case with the stock of a seasoned issuer.
Additionally, in the past, plaintiffs have often initiated securities class
action litigation against a company following periods of volatility in the
market price of its securities. We may in the future be the target of similar
litigation. Securities litigation could result in substantial costs and
liabilities and could divert management’s attention and resources.
The
following factors may add to the volatility in the price of our common
shares: actual or anticipated variations in our quarterly or annual
operating results; government regulations; announcements of significant
acquisitions, strategic partnerships or joint ventures; our capital commitments;
and additions or departures of our key personnel. Many of these factors are
beyond our control and may decrease the market price of our common shares,
regardless of our operating performance. We cannot make any predictions or
projections as to what the prevailing market price for our common shares will be
at any time, including as to whether our common shares will sustain their
current market prices, or as to what effect the sale of shares or the
availability of common shares for sale at any time will have on the prevailing
market price.
The Company faces
risks related to compliance with corporate governance laws and financial
reporting standards.
The
Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as well as related new rules and regulations
implemented by the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Public Company
Accounting Oversight Board, require changes in the corporate governance
practices and financial reporting standards for public companies. These new
laws, rules and regulations, including compliance with Section 404 of the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 relating to internal control over financial reporting
(“Section 404”), will materially increase the Company's legal and financial
compliance costs and made some activities more time-consuming and more
burdensome.
The Company has
never paid a cash dividend and does not intend to pay cash dividends on its
common stock in the foreseeable future.
Any
payment of cash dividends will depend upon the Company's financial condition,
results of operations, capital requirements and other factors and will be at the
discretion of the Board of Directors. The Company has never paid cash dividends
and does not anticipate paying cash dividends on its common stock in the
foreseeable future. Furthermore, the Company may incur additional indebtedness
that may severely restrict or prohibit the payment of dividends. Accordingly, any return on investment will be as a
result of stock appreciation.
Our
issuance of additional securities could dilute your proportionate ownership and
voting rights and negatively impact the value of your
investment.
We are
entitled under our amended and restated certificate of incorporation to issue up
to 150,000,000 common and 7,000,000 “blank check” preferred shares. As
of September 30, 2008, we have issued and outstanding 32,151,300 common shares,
19,833,749 common shares reserved for issuance upon the exercise of current
outstanding options and warrants, 400,341 common shares reserved for issuance of
additional grants under our 2005 incentive stock plan, and 950,000 shares
reserved for issuance of grants under our 2007 stock plan. Accordingly, we will
be entitled to issue up to 96,664,610 additional common shares
and 7,000,000 additional preferred shares. Our board may generally issue
those common and preferred shares, or options or warrants to purchase those
shares, without further approval by our shareholders based upon such factors as
our board of directors may deem relevant at that time. Any preferred shares we
may issue shall have such rights, preferences, privileges and restrictions as
may be designated from time-to-time by our board, including preferential
dividend rights, voting rights, conversion rights, redemption rights and
liquidation provisions. It is likely that we will be required to issue a large
amount of additional securities to raise capital to further our development and
marketing plans. It is also likely that we will be required to issue a large
amount of additional securities to directors, officers, employees and
consultants as compensatory grants in connection with their services, both in
the form of stand-alone grants or under our various stock option plans, in order
to attract and retain qualified personnel. We cannot give you any assurance that
we will not issue additional common or preferred shares, or options or warrants
to purchase those shares, under circumstances we may deem appropriate at the
time.
USE
OF PROCEEDS
We
estimate that the net proceeds from the sale of the 1,600,000 Shares will be
approximately $1,760,000, assuming that we sell the maximum number of Shares we
are offering pursuant to this prospectus supplement. Because there is no minimum
offering amount required as a condition to the closing of this offering, the
actual number of Shares sold, placement agent fees and proceeds to us are not
presently determinable and may be substantially less than the amount set forth
above. In the event the Placement Agent Warrant is exercised, we will
receive an additional $168,000.
We intend
to use the net proceeds from the sale of the securities covered by this
prospectus for general corporate purposes, which may include working capital,
capital expenditures, research and development expenditures, clinical trial
expenditures, acquisitions of new technologies or businesses and
investments.
DETERMINATION
OF OFFERING PRICE
We
established the price following negotiations with prospective investors and with
reference to the prevailing market price of our common stock, recent trends in
such price, daily average trading volume of our common stock, our current stage
of development, future capital needs and other factors.
DIVIDEND
POLICY
DILUTION
If you
invest in our common stock, you will experience dilution to the extent of the
difference between the price per share you pay in this offering and the net book
value per share of our common stock immediately after this
offering.
Our net
book value as of September 30, 2008 was approximately $4.6 million, or
$0.14 per share of common stock. Net book value per share is equal to our total
assets minus total liabilities, all divided by the number of shares of common
stock outstanding as of September 30, 2008. Assuming we sell 1,600,000
shares of common stock, the maximum number of shares we are offering pursuant to
this prospectus supplement, at an offering price of $1.25 per share, and after
deducting our estimated placement agent fees and offering expenses payable by
us, our as adjusted net book value would have been approximately
$6.6 million, or approximately $0.20 per share of common stock, as of
September 30, 2008. This represents an immediate increase in net book value
of approximately $0.06 per share to existing stockholders and an immediate
dilution of approximately $1.05 per share to new investors. The following table
illustrates this calculation on a per share basis:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Offering
price for one share of common stock
|
|
|
|
|
$ |
1.25 |
|
Net
book value per share as of September 30, 2008
|
|
$ |
0.14 |
|
|
|
|
|
Increase
per share attributable to the offering
|
|
$ |
0.06 |
|
|
|
|
|
As
adjusted net book value per share after this offering
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.20 |
|
Dilution
per share to new investors
|
|
|
|
|
|
$ |
1.05 |
|
Because
there is no minimum offering amount required as a condition to the closing of
this offering, the dilution per share to new investors may be more than that
indicated above in the event that the actual number of Shares sold, if any, is
less than the maximum number of Shares we are offering.
The above
illustration of dilution per share to investors participating in this offering
assumes no exercise of outstanding options or warrants to purchase our common
stock. The exercise of outstanding options and warrants having an exercise price
less than the offering price will increase dilution to new
investors.
In this
offering, we are offering a maximum of 1,600,000 Shares to investors and a
warrant to purchase up to 112,000 common shares as compensation to the placement
agent for its services in connection with this offering. This
prospectus supplement also relates to the offering of shares of our common stock
issuable upon exercise, if any, of the warrants.
Common
Stock
The
material terms and provisions of our common stock are described under the
caption “Description of Common Stock” starting on page 4 of the accompanying
prospectus.
Placement
Agent Warrant
The
material terms and provisions of the warrants being offered pursuant to this
prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus are summarized below. This
summary does not purport to be complete and is subject to, and qualified in its
entirety by reference to, all the provisions of the warrants.
General.
The placement agent will receive warrants, with a term of five years, to
purchase an aggregate of 112,000 shares of our common stock at an exercise price
of $1.50 per share
Exercisability. The warrants are
exercisable, in whole or in part, at any time and from time to time during the
period commencing on June 18, 2009 and ending on December 18,
2013. The warrants are only exercisable for cash.
Exercise
Price. The
exercise price per share of common stock underlying the warrants is $1.50,
subject to adjustment as described below.
Adjustments. The exercise price and
the number of shares underlying the warrants are subject to appropriate
adjustment in the event of stock splits, stock dividends on our common stock,
stock combinations or similar events affecting our common stock. In addition, in
the event we consummate any merger, consolidation, sale or other reorganization
event in which our common stock is converted into or exchanged for securities,
cash or other property, then following such event, the holders of the warrants
will be entitled to receive upon exercise of the warrants the kind and amount of
securities, cash or other property which the holders would have received had
they exercised the warrants immediately prior to such reorganization
event.
Fractional
Shares. No
fractional shares of common stock will be issued in connection with the exercise
of a warrant. In lieu of fractional shares, we can elect to either pay the
holder an amount in cash equal to the fractional amount multiplied by the market
value of a share of common stock or round up the number of shares to the next
whole share.
Transferability. The warrant shall not
be sold, transferred, assigned, pledged, or hypothecated, or be the subject of
any hedging, short sale, derivative, put, or call transaction that would result
in the effective economic disposition of the securities by any person for a
period of 180 days immediately following the date of effectiveness or
commencement of sales of the public offering, except as provided by FINRA
Rules.
Ownership
Cap and Exercise Restrictions. Under the terms of
each warrant, at no time may a holder of a warrant exercise the warrant if the
acquisition of the number of shares being purchased would result in the holder
owning more than 4.99% of the common stock then outstanding. This maximum
percentage may be increased, subject to sixty one (61) days prior notice to
us by the holder, provided that the maximum percentage may not exceed 9.99% of
our then outstanding shares of common stock following such exercise, excluding
for purposes of such determination shares of common stock issuable upon exercise
of the warrant that have not been exercised
Additional
Provisions. The
above summary of certain terms and provisions of the warrants is qualified in
its entirety by reference to the detailed provisions of the warrants, the form
of which will be filed as an exhibit to a current report on Form 8-K that
will be incorporated herein by reference. No holders of the warrants
will possess any rights as a stockholder under those warrants until the holder
exercises those warrants.
PLAN
OF DISTRIBUTION
Pursuant
to a letter agreement between us and Midtown Partners & Co., LLC (“Midtown”)
we have engaged Midtown as our placement agents in connection with this
offering. The placement agent is not purchasing or selling any of the Shares we
are offering, and they are not required to arrange the purchase or sale of any
specific number of Shares or dollar amount, but they have agreed to use
commercially reasonable efforts to arrange for the sale of the
Shares.
The terms
of any such offering will be subject to market conditions and negotiations
between us and prospective purchasers. The placement agency agreement
does not give rise to any commitment by the placement agent to purchase any of
our Shares, and the placement agent will have no authority to bind us by virtue
of the placement agency agreement. Further, the placement agent does not
guarantee that it will be able to raise new capital in any prospective
offering.
We will
enter into securities purchase agreements directly with the purchasers in
connection with this offering, and we will only sell to purchasers who have
entered into securities purchase agreements.
We will
deliver the Shares being issued to the purchasers electronically upon receipt of
purchaser funds for the purchase of the Shares offered pursuant to this
prospectus supplement. The Placement Agent Warrant will be physically
delivered We expect to deliver the Shares being offered pursuant to
this prospectus supplement on or about December 18, 2008.
We have
agreed to pay Midtown a placement agent fee equal to: (i) a cash fee equal to
7.0% of the gross proceeds of this offering; and (ii) a Placement Agent Warrant
equal to 7.0% of the number of Shares sold in this offering. The
Placement Agent Warrant has an exercise price equal to $1.50, will expire 5
years from the date of issuance, and will otherwise comply with the rules of the
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, or FINRA.
In
compliance with the guidelines of FINRA, the maximum consideration or discount
to be received by the placement agent or any other FINRA member may not exceed
8% of the gross proceeds to us in this offering or any other offering in the
United States.
The placement agency
agreement with Midtown will be included as an exhibit to a Current Report on
Form 8-K that we will file with the SEC and that will be incorporated by
reference into the registration statement.
We
estimate the total expenses of this offering which will be payable by us,
excluding the placement agent fee, will be approximately $100,000. We may also
reimburse the placement agent for certain fees and legal expenses reasonably
incurred in connection with this offering. The estimated offering expenses
payable by us, in addition to the placement agent fees of $140,000, are
approximately $100,000, which includes legal, accounting and printing costs and
various other fees associated with registering and listing the common stock.
After deducting certain fees due to the placement agent and our estimated
offering expenses, we expect the net proceeds from this offering to be
approximately $1,760,000.
INCORPORATION
OF CERTAIN DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE
The SEC
allows us to “incorporate by reference” into this prospectus supplement the
information we have filed with the SEC. The information we incorporate by
reference into this prospectus supplement is an important part of this
prospectus supplement. Any statement in a document we incorporate by reference
into this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus will be
considered to be modified or superseded to the extent a statement contained in
this prospectus supplement or any other subsequently filed document that is
incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement modifies or supersedes
that statement. The modified or superseded statement will not be considered to
be a part of this prospectus supplement or accompanying prospectus, as
applicable, except as modified or superseded.
We
incorporate by reference into this prospectus supplement the information
contained in the documents listed below, which is considered to be a part of
this prospectus supplement:
·
|
Our
Annual Report on Form 10-KSB filed with the Commission on March 27, 2008,
for the year ended December 31, 2007;
|
|
|
·
|
Our
Definitive Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A, filed with the Commission on
Aril 24, 2008;
|
|
·
|
Our
Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2008,
filed with the Commission on May 15,
2008;
|
·
|
Our
Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2008, filed
with the Commission on August 14,
2008;
|
·
|
Our
Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2008,
filed with the Commission on November 13, 2008;
|
|
|
·
|
Our
Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Commission on February 25,
2008;
|
·
|
Our
Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Commission on March 28,
2008;
|
·
|
Our
Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Commission on April 16,
2008;
|
·
|
Our
Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Commission on May 1,
2008;
|
·
|
Our
Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Commission on May 6,
2008;
|
·
|
Our
Current Report on Form 8-K, filed with the Commission on May 12,
2008;
|
·
|
Our
Current Report on Form 8-K, filed with the Commission on May 15,
2008;
|
·
|
Our
Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Commission on July 31,
2008;
|
·
|
Our
Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Commission on September 9,
2008;
|
·
|
The
description of our common stock contained in our Registration Statement on
Form SB-2 (Registration No. 333-142451), as amended (the
"Registration Statement"), filed under the Securities Act of 1933, as
amended, with the Commission on April 30, 2007 and declared effective May
4, 2007.
|
We also
incorporate by reference all documents filed pursuant to Sections 13(a),
13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act after the date of this prospectus
supplement and prior to the termination of this offering; provided, however,
that we are not incorporating any information furnished under Item 2.02 or
Item 7.01 of any current report on Form 8-K we may subsequently
file.
Statements
made in this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus or in any
document incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement or the
accompanying prospectus as to the contents of any contract or other document
referred to herein or therein are not necessarily complete, and in each instance
reference is made to the copy of such contract or other document filed as an
exhibit to the documents incorporated by reference, each such statement being
qualified in all material respects by such reference.
PROSPECTUS
NEURALSTEM, INC.
Common
Stock
Preferred
Stock
Warrants
We may
offer to the public, from time to time, in one or more series or
issuances:
|
•
|
|
shares
of our common stock;
|
|
|
|
|
|
•
|
|
shares
of our preferred stock; or
|
|
|
|
|
|
•
|
|
warrants
to purchase shares of our common stock and/or preferred
stock.
|
|
|
|
|
This
prospectus provides a general description of the securities we may offer. Each
time we sell securities, we will provide specific terms of the securities
offered in a supplement to this prospectus. The prospectus supplement may also
add, update or change information contained in this prospectus. You should read
this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement carefully before you
invest in any securities. This prospectus may not be used to consummate a sale
of securities unless accompanied by an applicable prospectus supplement. You
should read both this prospectus and any prospectus supplement together with
additional information described under the heading “Where You Can Find More
Information” before you make your investment decision.
We will
sell these securities directly to our stockholders or to purchasers or through
agents on our behalf or through underwriters or dealers as designated from time
to time. If any agents or underwriters are involved in the sale of any of these
securities, the applicable prospectus supplement will provide the names of the
agents or underwriters and any applicable fees, commissions or
discounts.
Our
common stock is traded on the American Stock Exchange (“AMEX”) under the symbol
“CUR.” On September 20, 2008, the closing price of our common stock was $1.59
per share.
Investing in our securities involves
risks. See “Risk Factors” on page 3.
Neither the Securities and Exchange
Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of
these securities or passed upon the adequacy or accuracy of this prospectus. Any
representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
As used
in this prospectus, unless context otherwise requires, the words “we,”
“us,”“our,” “the Company” and “Neuralstem” refer to Neuralstem, Inc. This
summary highlights selected information about Neuralstem and a general
description of the securities we may offer. This summary is not complete and
does not contain all of the information that may be important to you. For a more
complete understanding of us and the terms of the securities we will offer, you
should read carefully this entire prospectus, including the “Risk Factors”
section, the applicable prospectus supplement for the securities and the other
documents we refer to and incorporate by reference. In particular, we
incorporate important business and financial information into this prospectus by
reference.
This
prospectus is a part of a registration statement that we filed with the
Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, using a “shelf” registration
process. Under this shelf registration process, we may offer to sell any
combination of the securities described in this prospectus in one or more
offerings up to a total dollar amount of $25,000,000. This prospectus provides
you with a general description of the securities we may offer. Each time we sell
securities under this shelf registration, we will provide a prospectus
supplement that will contain specific information about the terms of that
offering. The prospectus supplement may also add, update or change information
contained in this prospectus. You should read both this prospectus and any
prospectus supplement, including all documents incorporated herein or therein by
reference, together with additional information described under “Where You Can
Find More Information.”
We have
not authorized any dealer, salesman or other person to give any information or
to make any representation other than those contained or incorporated by
reference in this prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement. You
must not rely upon any information or representation not contained or
incorporated by reference in this prospectus or an accompanying prospectus
supplement. This prospectus and the accompanying prospectus supplement, if any,
do not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any
securities other than the registered securities to which they relate, nor do
this prospectus and the accompanying prospectus supplement constitute an offer
to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities in any jurisdiction to
any person to whom it is unlawful to make such offer or solicitation in such
jurisdiction. You should not assume that the information contained in this
prospectus and the accompanying prospectus supplement, if any, is accurate on
any date subsequent to the date set forth on the front of the document or that
any information we have incorporated by reference is correct on any date
subsequent to the date of the document incorporated by reference, even though
this prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement is delivered or
securities are sold on a later date.
FORWARD LOOKING
STATEMENTS
This
prospectus, and the documents incorporated into it by reference, contains
forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities
Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the
"Exchange Act"), which are intended to convey our expectations or predictions
regarding the occurrence of possible future events or the existence of trends
and factors that may impact our future plans and operating results. These
forward-looking statements are derived, in part, from various assumptions and
analyses we have made in the context of our current business plan and
information currently available to use and in light of our experience and
perceptions of historical trends, current conditions and expected future
developments and other factors we believe are appropriate in the circumstances.
You can generally identify forward looking statements through words and phrases
such as“believe”, “expect”, “seek”,
“estimate”, “anticipate”, “intend”, “plan”, “budget”, “project”, “may likely
result”, “may be”, “may continue” and
other similar expressions.
When
reading any forward-looking statement you should remain mindful that actual
results or developments may vary substantially from those expected as expressed
in or implied by such statement for a number of reasons or factors, including
but not limited to:
·
|
the
success of our research and development activities, the development of a
viable commercial product, and the speed with which regulatory
authorizations and product launches may be
achieved;
|
·
|
whether
or not a market for our product develops and, if a market develops, the
rate at which it develops;
|
·
|
our
ability to successfully sell our products if a market
develops;
|
·
|
our
ability to attract and retain qualified personnel to implement our growth
strategies;
|
·
|
our
ability to develop sales, marketing, and distribution
capabilities;
|
·
|
our
ability to obtain reimbursement from third party payers for the products
that we sell;
|
·
|
the
accuracy of our estimates and
projections;
|
·
|
our
ability to fund our short-term and long-term financing
needs;
|
·
|
changes
in our business plan and corporate strategies;
and
|
·
|
other
risks and uncertainties discussed in greater detail in the section
captioned “Risk Factors”
|
Each
forward-looking statement should be read in context with and in understanding of
the various other disclosures concerning our company and our business made
elsewhere in this Prospectus as well as our public filings with the Securities
and Exchange Commission. You should not place undue reliance on any
forward-looking statement as a prediction of actual results or developments. We
are not obligated to update or revise any forward-looking statements contained
in this Prospectus or any other filing to reflect new events or circumstances
unless and to the extent required by applicable law.
ABOUT NEURALSTEM
Overview
Neuralstem
is focused on the development and commercialization of treatments based on
transplanting human neural stem cells.
We have
developed and maintain a portfolio of patents and patent applications that form
the proprietary base for our research and development efforts in the area of
neural stem cell research. We own or exclusively license four (4) issued patents
and thirteen (13) patent pending applications in the field of regenerative
medicine and related technologies. We believe our technology base, in
combination with our know-how, and collaborative projects with major research
institutions provides a competitive advantage and will facilitate the successful
development and commercialization of products for use in the treatment of a wide
array of neurodegenerative conditions and in regenerative repair of acute
disease.
This is a
young and emerging field. There can be no assurances that our intellectual
property portfolio will ultimately produce viable commercialized products and
processes. Even if we are able to produce a commercially viable product, there
are strong competitors in this field and our product may not be able to
successfully compete against them.
All of
our research efforts to date are at the stage of pre-clinical research and
development. We are focused on leveraging our key assets, including our
intellectual property, our scientific team, our facilities and our capital, to
accelerate the advancement of our stem cell technologies. In addition, we are
pursuing strategic collaborations with members of academia. We are headquartered
in Rockville, Maryland.
In
addition to our core tissue based technology we have begun developing a
Small-Molecule compound. The company has performed preliminary in vitro and
in vivo tests on
the compound with regard to neurogenesis. Based on the results of these tests we
have applied for a U.S. patent on the compound.
Technology
Our
technology is the ability to isolate human neural stem cells from most areas of
the developing human brain and spinal cord and our technology includes the
ability to grow them into physiologically relevant human neurons of all types.
Our two issued core patents entitled: (i) Isolation, Propagation, and
Directed Differentiation of Stem Cell from Embryonic and Adult Central Nervous
System of Mammals; and
(ii) In Vitro Generation of
Differentiated Neurons from Cultures of Mammalian Multi-potential CNS Stem
Cell contain
claims which cover the process of deriving the cells and the cells created from
such process.
What
differentiates our stem cell technology from others is that our patented
processes do not require us to “push” the cells towards a certain fate by adding
specific growth factors. Our cells actually “become” the type of cell they are
fated to be. We believe this process and the resulting cells create a technology
platform that allows for the efficient isolation and ability to produce, in
commercially reasonable quantities, neural stem cells from the human brain and
spinal cord.
Our
technology allows for cells to grow in cultured dishes, also known as
in vitrogrowth,
without mutations or other adverse events that would compromise their
usefulness.
Research
We have
devoted substantial resources to our research programs in order to isolate and
develop a series of neural stem cell banks that we believe can serve as a basis
for therapeutic products. Our efforts to date have been directed at methods to
identify, isolate and culture large varieties of stem cells of the human nervous
system, and to develop therapies utilizing these stem cells. This research is
conducted both internally and through the use of third party laboratory
consulting companies under our direct supervision.
As of
June 30, 2008, we had 7 full-time employees. Of these employees, three work on
research and development and four in administration. We also use the services of
numerous outside consultants in business and scientific matters. We believe that
we have good relations with our employees and consultants.
RISK FACTORS
USE OF PROCEEDS
Except as
otherwise provided in the applicable prospectus supplement, we intend to use the
net proceeds from the sale of the securities covered by this prospectus for
general corporate purposes, which may include working capital, capital
expenditures, research and development expenditures, clinical trial
expenditures, acquisitions of new technologies or businesses, and investments.
Additional information on the use of net proceeds from the sale of securities
covered by this prospectus may be set forth in the prospectus supplement
relating to the specific offering.
PLAN OF
DISTRIBUTION
We may
sell securities in any of the ways described below or in any combination of
these:
|
•
|
|
to
or through underwriters or dealers;
|
|
|
|
|
|
•
|
|
through
one or more agents; or
|
|
|
|
|
|
•
|
|
directly
to purchasers or to a single
purchaser.
|
The
distribution of the securities may be effected from time to time in one or more
transactions:
|
•
|
|
at
a fixed price, or prices, which may be changed from time to
time;
|
|
|
|
|
|
•
|
|
at
market prices prevailing at the time of sale;
|
|
|
|
|
|
•
|
|
at
prices related to such prevailing market prices; or
|
|
|
|
|
|
•
|
|
at
negotiated prices.
|
Each
prospectus supplement will describe the method of distribution of the securities
and any applicable restrictions. The prospectus supplement with respect to the
securities of a particular series will describe the terms of the offering of the
securities, including the following:
|
•
|
|
the
name or names of any underwriters, dealers or agents and the amounts of
securities underwritten or purchased by each of them;
|
|
|
|
|
|
•
|
|
the
initial public offering price of the securities and the proceeds to us and
any discounts, commissions or concessions allowed or reallowed or paid to
dealers; and
|
|
|
|
|
|
•
|
|
any
securities exchanges on which the securities may be
listed.
|
Any
public offering price and any discounts or concessions allowed or reallowed or
paid to dealers may be changed from time to time. Only the agents or
underwriters named in each prospectus supplement are agents or underwriters in
connection with the securities being offered thereby.
We may
authorize underwriters, dealers or other persons acting as our agents to solicit
offers by certain institutions to purchase securities from us pursuant to
delayed delivery contracts providing for payment and delivery on the date stated
in each applicable prospectus supplement. Each contract will be for an amount
not less than, and the aggregate amount of securities sold pursuant to such
contracts shall not be less nor more than, the respective amounts stated in each
applicable prospectus supplement. Institutions with whom the contracts, when
authorized, may be made include commercial and savings banks, insurance
companies, pension funds, investment companies, educational and charitable
institutions and other institutions, but shall in all cases be subject to our
approval. Delayed delivery contracts will be subject only to those conditions
set forth in each applicable prospectus supplement, and each prospectus
supplement will set forth any commissions we pay for solicitation of these
contracts.
Agents,
underwriters and other third parties described above may be entitled to
indemnification by us against certain civil liabilities, including liabilities
under the Securities Act of 1933, or to contribution with respect to payments
which the agents or underwriters may be required to make in respect thereof.
Agents, underwriters and such other third parties may be customers of, engage in
transactions with, or perform services for us in the ordinary course of
business.
One or
more firms, referred to as “remarketing firms,” may also offer or sell the
securities, if a prospectus supplement so indicates, in connection with a
remarketing arrangement upon their purchase. Remarketing firms will act as
principals for their own accounts or as our agents. These remarketing firms will
offer or sell the securities in accordance with the terms of the securities.
Each prospectus supplement will identify any remarketing firm and the terms of
its agreement, if any, with us and will describe the remarketing firm and the
terms of its agreement, if any, with us and will describe the remarketing firm’s
compensation. Remarketing firms may be deemed to be underwriters in connection
with the securities they remarket. Remarketing firms may be entitled under
agreements that may be entered into with us to indemnification by us against
certain civil liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act of
1933, and may be customers of, engage in transactions with or perform services
for us in the ordinary course of business.
Certain
underwriters may use this prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement
for offers and sales related to market-making transactions in the securities.
These underwriters may act as principal or agent in these transactions, and the
sales will be made at prices related to prevailing market prices at the time of
sale.
The
securities may be new issues of securities and may have no established trading
market. The securities may or may not be listed on a national securities
exchange. Underwriters may make a market in these securities, but will not be
obligated to do so and may discontinue any market making at any time without
notice. We can make no assurance as to the liquidity of, or the existence of
trading markets for, any of our securities.
Certain
persons participating in this offering may engage in overallotment, stabilizing
transactions, short covering transactions and penalty bids in accordance with
rules and regulations under the Exchange Act. Overallotment involves sales in
excess of the offering size, which create a short position. Stabilizing
transactions permit bids to purchase the underlying security so long as the
stabilizing bids do not exceed a specified maximum. Short covering transactions
involve purchases of the securities in the open market after the distribution is
completed to cover short positions. Penalty bids permit the underwriters to
reclaim a selling concession from a dealer when the securities originally sold
by the dealer are purchased in a covering transaction to cover short positions.
Those activities may cause the price of the securities to be higher than it
would otherwise be. If commenced, the underwriters may discontinue any of the
activities at any time.
DESCRIPTION OF COMMON
STOCK
We are
authorized to issue 150,000,000 shares of common stock. As of September 3, 2008,
we had 32,151,300 shares of common stock outstanding.
The
following summary of certain provisions of our common stock does not purport to
be complete. You should refer to our restated certificate of incorporation and
our amended and restated by-laws, both of which are on file with the SEC as
exhibits to previous SEC filings. The summary below is also qualified by
provisions of applicable law.
General
Holders
of common stock are entitled to one vote per share on matters on which our
stockholders vote. There are no cumulative voting rights. Holders of common
stock are entitled to receive dividends, if declared by our board of directors,
out of funds that we may legally use to pay dividends. If we liquidate or
dissolve, holders of common stock are entitled to share ratably in our assets
once our debts and any liquidation preference owed to any then-outstanding
preferred stockholders are paid. Our certificate of incorporation does not
provide the common stock with any redemption, conversion or preemptive rights.
All shares of common stock that are outstanding as of the date of this
prospectus and, upon issuance and sale, all shares we are offering by this
prospectus, will be fully-paid and nonassessable.
Classification Of Directors And
Change Of Control
Pursuant
to our amended bylaws, we have a classified board of directors divided into
three classes with staggered three-year terms. Only one class of directors may
be elected each year, while the directors in the other classes continue to hold
office for the remainder of their three-year terms. Each class of the Board is
required to have approximately the same number of directors. The Board may, on
its own, determine the size of the exact number of directors on the Board and
may fill vacancies on the Board. The procedure for electing and removing
directors on a classified board of directors generally makes it more difficult
for stockholders to change control of the Company by replacing a majority of the
classified Board at any one time, and the classified board structure may
discourage a third party tender offer or other attempt to gain control of the
Company and may maintain the incumbency of directors. In addition, under our
amended bylaws, directors may only be removed from office by a vote of the
majority of the shares then outstanding and eligible to vote.
The
bylaws contain advance notice procedures with respect to stockholder proposals
and further limit stockholder rights to nominate candidates for election as
directors. These provisions may discourage stockholders from nominating
directors or bringing any other business at a particular meeting if the
stockholders do not follow the proper procedures. In addition, the procedures
may
Transfer Agent and
Registrar
The
transfer agent and registrar for our common stock is American Stock Transfer and
Trust Company.
American Stock
Exchange
Our
common stock is listed for quotation on the American Stock Exchange under the
symbol “CUR.”
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED
STOCK
We are
authorized to issue 7,000,000 shares of undesignated preferred stock. As of
September 3, 2008, no shares of our preferred stock were outstanding. The
following summary of certain provisions of our preferred stock does not purport
to be complete. You should refer to our restated certificate of incorporation
and our amended and restated by-laws, both of which are on file with the SEC as
exhibits to previous SEC filings. The summary below is also qualified by
provisions of applicable law.
Our board
of directors may, without further action by our stockholders, from time to time,
direct the issuance of shares of preferred stock in series and may, at the time
of issuance, determine the rights, preferences and limitations of each series,
including voting rights, dividend rights and redemption and liquidation
preferences. Satisfaction of any dividend preferences of outstanding shares of
preferred stock would reduce the amount of funds available for the payment of
dividends on shares of our common stock. Holders of shares of preferred stock
may be entitled to receive a preference payment in the event of any liquidation,
dissolution or winding-up of our company before any payment is made to the
holders of shares of our common stock. In some circumstances, the issuance of
shares of preferred stock may render more difficult or tend to discourage a
merger, tender offer or proxy contest, the assumption of control by a holder of
a large block of our securities or the removal of incumbent management. Upon the
affirmative vote of our board of directors, without stockholder approval, we may
issue shares of preferred stock with voting and conversion rights which could
adversely affect the holders of shares of our common stock.
If we
offer a specific series of preferred stock under this prospectus, we will
describe the terms of the preferred stock in the prospectus supplement for such
offering and will file a copy of the certificate establishing the terms of the
preferred stock with the SEC. To the extent required, this description will
include:
|
•
|
|
the
title and stated value;
|
|
•
|
|
the
number of shares offered, the liquidation preference per share and the
purchase price;
|
|
|
|
|
|
•
|
|
the
dividend rate(s), period(s) and/or payment date(s), or method(s) of
calculation for such dividends;
|
|
|
|
|
|
•
|
|
whether
dividends will be cumulative or non-cumulative and, if cumulative, the
date from which dividends will accumulate;
|
|
|
|
|
|
•
|
|
the
procedures for any auction and remarketing, if any;
|
|
|
|
|
|
•
|
|
the
provisions for a sinking fund, if any;
|
|
|
|
|
|
•
|
|
the
provisions for redemption, if applicable;
|
|
|
|
|
|
•
|
|
any
listing of the preferred stock on any securities exchange or
market;
|
|
|
|
|
|
•
|
|
whether
the preferred stock will be convertible into our common stock, and, if
applicable, the conversion price (or how it will be calculated) and
conversion period;
|
|
|
|
|
|
•
|
|
voting
rights, if any, of the preferred stock;
|
|
|
|
|
|
•
|
|
a
discussion of any material and/or special U.S. federal income tax
considerations applicable to the preferred stock;
|
|
|
|
|
|
•
|
|
the
relative ranking and preferences of the preferred stock as to dividend
rights and rights upon liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the
affairs of Neuralstem.; and
|
|
|
|
|
|
•
|
|
any
material limitations on issuance of any class or series of preferred stock
ranking senior to or on a parity with the series of preferred stock as to
dividend rights and rights upon liquidation, dissolution or winding up of
Neuralstem.
|
The
preferred stock offered by this prospectus, when issued, will not have, or be
subject to, any preemptive or similar rights.
Transfer Agent and
Registrar
The
transfer agent and registrar for any series or class of preferred stock will be
set forth in each applicable prospectus supplement.
DESCRIPTION OF
WARRANTS
We may
issue warrants to purchase shares of our common stock, preferred stock and/or
debt securities in one or more series together with other securities or
separately, as described in each applicable prospectus supplement. Below is a
description of certain general terms and provisions of the warrants that we may
offer. Particular terms of the warrants will be described in the applicable
warrant agreements and the applicable prospectus supplement to the
warrants.
The
applicable prospectus supplement will contain, where applicable, the following
terms of, and other information relating to, the warrants:
|
•
|
|
the
specific designation and aggregate number of, and the price at which we
will issue, the warrants;
|
|
|
|
|
|
•
|
|
the
currency or currency units in which the offering price, if any, and the
exercise price are payable;
|
|
|
|
|
|
•
|
|
the
designation, amount and terms of the securities purchasable upon exercise
of the warrants;
|
|
|
|
|
|
•
|
|
if
applicable, the exercise price for shares of our common stock and the
number of shares of common stock to be received upon exercise of the
warrants;
|
|
|
|
|
|
•
|
|
if
applicable, the exercise price for shares of our preferred stock, the
number of shares of preferred stock to be received upon exercise, and a
description of that series of our preferred
stock;
|
|
•
|
|
the
date on which the right to exercise the warrants will begin and the date
on which that right will expire or, if you may not continuously exercise
the warrants throughout that period, the specific date or dates on which
you may exercise the warrants;
|
|
|
|
|
|
•
|
|
whether
the warrants will be issued in fully registered form or bearer form, in
definitive or global form or in any combination of these forms, although,
in any case, the form of a warrant included in a unit will correspond to
the form of the unit and of any security included in that
unit;
|
|
|
|
|
|
•
|
|
any
applicable material U.S. federal income tax
consequences;
|
|
|
|
|
|
•
|
|
the
identity of the warrant agent for the warrants and of any other
depositaries, execution or paying agents, transfer agents, registrars or
other agents;
|
|
|
|
|
|
•
|
|
the
proposed listing, if any, of the warrants or any securities purchasable
upon exercise of the warrants on any securities
exchange;
|
|
|
|
|
|
•
|
|
if
applicable, the date from and after which the warrants and the common
stock and/or preferred stock will be separately
transferable;
|
|
|
|
|
|
•
|
|
if
applicable, the minimum or maximum amount of the warrants that may be
exercised at any one time;
|
|
|
|
|
|
•
|
|
information
with respect to book-entry procedures, if any;
|
|
|
|
|
|
•
|
|
the
anti-dilution provisions of the warrants, if any;
|
|
|
|
|
|
•
|
|
any
redemption or call provisions;
|
|
|
|
|
|
•
|
|
whether
the warrants are to be sold separately or with other securities as parts
of units; and
|
|
|
|
|
|
•
|
|
any
additional terms of the warrants, including terms, procedures and
limitations relating to the exchange and exercise of the
warrants.
|
Transfer Agent and
Registrar
The
transfer agent and registrar for any warrants will be set forth in the
applicable prospectus supplement.
WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE
INFORMATION
We have
filed with the SEC a registration statement to register the securities offered
by this prospectus under the Securities Act. This prospectus is part of that
registration statement, but omits certain information contained in the
registration statement, as permitted by SEC rules. For further information with
respect to our Company and this offering, reference is made to the registration
statement and the exhibits and any schedules filed with the registration
statement. Statements contained in this prospectus as to the contents of any
document referred to are not necessarily complete and in each instance, if the
document is filed as an exhibit, reference is made to the copy of the document
filed as an exhibit to the registration statement, each statement being
qualified in all respects by that reference. You may obtain copies of the
registration statement, including exhibits, as noted in the paragraph below or
by writing or telephoning us at:
NEURALSTEM,
INC
9700
Great Seneca Highway,
Rockville,
Maryland 20850
Attn:
Chief Financial Officer
Tel :
(301) 366-4841
We file
annual, quarterly and other reports, proxy statements and other information with
the SEC. Our SEC filings are available to the public over the Internet at the
SEC’s website at
http://www.sec.gov. You may
also read and copy any document we file at the SEC’s Public Reference Room at
100 F Street, NE, Washington, D.C. 20549. Please call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330
for further information on the Public Reference Room. You can also inspect
reports, proxy statements and other information about us at the offices of the
National Association of Securities Dealers, Reports Section, 1735 K Street,
N.W., Washington, D.C. 20006.
INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN INFORMATION
BY REFERENCE
The
following documents are incorporated by reference into this registration
statement:
·
|
Our
Annual Report on Form 10-KSB filed with the Commission on March 27, 2008,
for the year ended December 31,
2007;
|
·
|
Our
Definitive Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A, filed with the Commission on
Aril 24, 2008;
|
·
|
Our
Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2008,
filed with the Commission on May 15, 2008;
|
·
|
Our
Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2008, filed
with the Commission on August 14, 2008;
|
·
|
Our
Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Commission on February 25,
2008;
|
·
|
Our
Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Commission on March 28,
2008;
|
·
|
Our
Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Commission on April 16,
2008;
|
·
|
Our
Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Commission on May 1,
2008;
|
·
|
Our
Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Commission on May 6,
2008;
|
·
|
Our
Current Report on Form 8-K, filed with the Commission on May 12,
2008;
|
·
|
Our
Current Report on Form 8-K, filed with the Commission on May 15, 2008;
|
·
|
Our
Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Commission on July 31,
2008;
|
·
|
Our
Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Commission on September 9,
2008;
|
·
|
The
description of our common stock contained in our Registration Statement on
Form SB-2 (Registration No. 333-142451), as amended (the
"Registration Statement"), filed under the Securities Act of 1933, as
amended, with the Commission on April 30, 2007 and declared effective May
4, 2007.
|
In
addition, all documents filed by the Registrant pursuant to Sections 13(a),
13(c), 14 and 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 after the date
hereof, and prior to the filing of a post-effective amendment which indicates
that all securities offered hereunder have been sold or which deregisters all
securities then remaining unsold, shall be deemed to be incorporated by
reference in this registration statement and to be a part hereof from the date
of filing of such documents with the Commission. Any statement contained in a
document incorporated by reference herein shall be deemed to be modified or
superseded for purposes of this registration statement to the extent that a
statement contained herein, or in a subsequently filed document incorporated by
reference herein, modifies or supersedes such statement. Any such statement so
modified or superseded shall not be deemed, except as so modified or superseded,
to constitute part of this registration statement.
We will
provide without charge to each person, including any beneficial owner, to whom
this prospectus is delivered, upon written or oral request, a copy of any or all
documents that are incorporated by reference into this prospectus, but not
delivered with the prospectus, other than exhibits to such documents unless such
exhibits are specifically incorporated by reference into the documents that this
prospectus incorporates. You should direct written requests to: NEURALSTEM, INC,
9700 Great Seneca Highway, Rockville, Maryland 20850 Attn: Chief Financial
Officer Tel: (301) 366-4841
LEGAL MATTERS
The
validity of the shares of common stock being offered hereby will be passed upon
for us by The Law Offices of Raul Silvestre & Associates, Los Angeles,
California.
EXPERTS
Our
financial statements for the period of January 1, 2006 through December 31, 2006
and the related statements of operations, stockholders' equity and cash flows
for such period incorporated by reference in this Prospectus and registration
statement have been audited by David Banerjee, independent registered public
accountant, as set forth in this Prospectus, and are included in reliance upon
such report given upon the authority of such firm as experts in accounting and
auditing. David Banerjee has no interest in the shares being registered in this
filing.
Our
balance sheet as of December 31, 2007 and the related statements of operations,
stockholders' equity and cash flows for the year ended December 31, 2007
incorporated by reference in this Prospectus and registration statement have
been audited by Stegman & Company, independent registered public accounting
firm, as set forth in this Prospectus, and are included in reliance upon such
report given upon the authority of such firm as experts in accounting and
auditing. Stegman & Company has no interest in the shares being registered
in this filing.
NEURALSTEM, INC.
Common
Stock
Preferred
Stock
Warrants
,
2008
We have
not authorized any dealer, salesperson or other person to give any information
or represent anything not contained in this prospectus. You must not rely on any
unauthorized information. If anyone provides you with different or inconsistent
information, you should not rely on it. This prospectus does not offer to sell
any shares in any jurisdiction where it is unlawful. Neither the delivery of
this prospectus, nor any sale made hereunder, shall create any implication that
the information in this prospectus is correct after the date
hereof.