PROSPECTUS
SUPPLEMENT
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Filed
pursuant to Rule 424(b)(5)
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(To
Prospectus dated September 9, 2008, and as amended)
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Registration
No. 333-153387
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3,571,436
Units
Units
Consisting of
One
Share of Common Stock and
a
Warrant to Purchase 0.75 of a Share of Common Stock
We are
offering 3,571,436 units, with each unit consisting of one share of
our common stock and a warrant to purchase 0.75 of a share of our common stock
(and the shares of common stock issuable from time to time upon exercise of the
offered warrants), to institutional investors pursuant to this prospectus
supplement and the accompanying prospectus. Each unit will be sold at a
negotiated price of $2.80. Each warrant has an exercise price of $3.25 per
share, and is exercisable immediately for a period of three years. The
shares of common stock and the warrants will be issued separately but will be
purchased together in this offering.
The
warrants will not be listed on any national securities exchange. Our
common stock is listed on the NYSE AMEX under the symbol “CUR.” On
June 25, 2010, the last reported sale price of our common stock on the NYSE
AMEX was $2.93 per share. As of June 25, 2010, the aggregate market
value of our outstanding common stock held by non-affiliates was approximately
$114,818,628 million based on 42,436,588 shares of outstanding common stock, of
which 39,187,245 shares were held by non-affiliates, and a price of $2.93 per
share, which was the last reported sale price of our common stock as quoted on
the NYSE AMEX on June 25, 2010.
This
investment involves a high degree of risk. Please see the section entitled “Risk
Factors” beginning on page S-5 of this prospectus supplement and page 3 of
the accompanying prospectus.
Noble
International Investment, Inc., D/B/A Noble Financial Capital Markets (“Noble”)
acted as the placement agent on this transaction. The placement agent is
not required to sell any specific number or dollar amount of securities.
The placement agent has agreed to use its reasonable best efforts to sell the
securities offered by this prospectus supplement. We have agreed to pay
the placement agent the placement agent fees set forth in the table
below.
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Per
Unit
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Total
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Public
offering price
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$
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2.80
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$
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10,000,021
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Placement
agent fees(1)
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$
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0.20
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$
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700,001
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Proceeds,
before expenses, to Neuralstem, Inc. (2)
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$
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2.60
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$
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9,300,020
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(1) In
addition, we have agreed to issue the placement agent warrants to purchase up to
250,001 shares of our common stock at an exercise price of $3.25 per share as
described under “Plan of Distribution” in this prospectus
supplement.
(2) The
proceeds shown exclude proceeds that we may receive upon exercise of the
warrants.
Delivery
of the units is expected to be made on or about June 29, 2010, against
payment for such units to be received by us on the same date.
Neither
the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has
approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus is
truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal
offense.
Noble
Financial Capital Markets
The date
of this prospectus supplement is June 28, 2010
TABLE
OF CONTENTS
Prospectus
supplement
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Page
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About
This Prospectus
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S-1
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Cautionary
Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
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S-1
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Summary
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S-2
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About
Neuralstem
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S-2
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The
Offering
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S-4
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Risk
Factors
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S-5
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Use
of Proceeds
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S-12
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Determination
of Offering Price
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S-12
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Dividend
Policy
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S-12
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Description
of Securities
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S-12
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Plan
of Distribution
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S-14
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Legal
Matters
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S-15
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Experts
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S-15
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Where
You Can Find More Information
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S-16
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Incorporation
of Certain Documents by Reference
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Page
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About
this Prospectus
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3
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Forward-Looking
Statements
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3
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About
Neuralstem
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4
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Risk
Factors
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5
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Use
of Proceeds
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5
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Plan
of Distribution
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5
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Description
of Common Stock
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6
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Description
of Preferred Stock
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7
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Description
of Warrants
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8
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Where
You Can Find More Information
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8
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Incorporation
of Certain Documents by Reference
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9
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Legal
Matters
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9
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Experts
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9
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You
should rely only on the information contained or incorporated by reference in
this prospectus supplement or the accompanying base prospectus. We have not
authorized anyone to provide you with information that is different. We are not
making an offer to sell these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or
sale of these securities is not permitted. This document may only be used where
it is legal to sell these securities. You should assume that the information in
this prospectus supplement and the accompanying base prospectus is accurate only
as of their respective dates and that any information we have incorporated by
reference is accurate only as of the date of the document incorporated by
reference.
We are
providing information to you about this offering in two parts. The first part is
this prospectus supplement, which provides the specific details regarding the
offering. The second part is the base prospectus, included in the registration
statement on Form S-3 (No. 333-153387) which we are supplementing with
the information contained in this supplement. Generally, when we refer to this
“prospectus,” we are referring to both documents combined as well as any
documents incorporated herein by reference. Some of the information in the base
prospectus may not apply to this offering.
You
should also read and consider the information in the documents that we have
referred you to in “Where You Can Find More Information” on page S-16 of
this prospectus supplement and the information described under “Incorporation of
Certain Documents by Reference” on page S-16 of this prospectus supplement
before investing in our securities. The information incorporated by reference is
considered to be part of this prospectus supplement, and information that we
file later with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, will
automatically update and supersede this information.
If
information in this prospectus supplement is inconsistent with the base
prospectus, you should rely on this prospectus supplement. We have not
authorized anyone to provide information different from that contained or
incorporated in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus. We
are offering to sell securities only in jurisdictions where offers and sales are
permitted. The information contained or incorporated in this prospectus
supplement and the accompanying prospectus is accurate only as of the date of
such information, regardless of the time of delivery of this prospectus
supplement and the accompanying prospectus or of any sale of our
units.
In this
prospectus supplement, “we,” “us,” “our company” “Neuralstem,” the “Company,”
and similar terms refer to Neuralstem, Inc., unless the context otherwise
requires.
CAUTIONARY
STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
In this
prospectus 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.
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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;
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whether
or not a market for our product develops, and, if a market develops, the
rate at which it develops;
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our
ability to successfully sell or license our products if a market
develops;
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our
ability to attract and retain qualified personnel to implement our
business plan and corporate growth
strategies;
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our
ability to develop sales, marketing, and distribution
capabilities;
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our
ability to obtain reimbursement from third party payers for our proposed
products if they are developed;
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the
accuracy of our estimates and
projections;
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our
ability to fund our short-term and long-term financing
needs;
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changes
in our business plan and corporate strategies;
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other
risks and uncertainties discussed in greater detail in the section of this
prospectus captioned “Risk
Factors.”
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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 may not contain all of the information that is
important to you. This summary is not complete and does not contain
all of the information that you should consider before investing in our
securities. To fully understand this offering and its consequences to you, you
should read this entire prospectus supplement and the accompanying base
prospectus carefully, including the information referred to under the heading
“Risk Factors” in this prospectus supplement beginning on page S-5, and the
financial statements and other information incorporated by reference in this
prospectus supplement and the accompanying base prospectus when making an
investment decision.
ABOUT
NEURALSTEM
Overview
We are
focused on the development and commercialization of treatments based on
transplanting human neural stem cells and small molecule compounds.
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 twelve (12) 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
development and commercialization of products for use in the treatment of a wide
array of neurodegenerative conditions and in regenerative repair of acute
disease.
Regenerative
medicine is a young and emerging field. Regenerative Medicine is the process of
creating living, functional tissues to repair or replace tissue or organ
function lost due to age, disease, damage, or congenital defects. 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
products may not be able to successfully compete against them.
All of
our research efforts to date are at the pre-clinical or clinical stage of
development. We are focused on leveraging our key assets, including our
intellectual property, our scientific team and our facilities, to advance our
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
neurogenic and neuroprotective Small-Molecule compounds. The patent,
covering what we believe to be a new class of drug, was issued on June 10,
2009.
Clinical
Trial
On
December 18, 2008 we filed our first Investigational New Drug Application
(“IND”) with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) to begin a clinical
trial to treat Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (“ALS” or “Lou Gehrig’s disease”).
On September 21, 2009, the FDA approved our IND. The first patient in our
study was dosed on January 21, 2010 at Emory University in Atlanta
Georgia. As a result, we anticipate that for the
next 18 months, our primary focus will be on our duties as the sponsor of this
Phase I clinical trial.
Technology
Stem
Cells
Our
technology enables the isolation and large-scale expansion of human neural stem
cells from all areas of the developing human brain and spinal cord, thus
enabling the generation of physiologically relevant human neurons of all types.
Our two issued core patents entitled: (i) Isolation, Propagation,
and Directed Differentiation of Stem Cells from Embryonic and Adult Central
Nervous System of Mammals; and (ii) In Vitro Generation of
Differentiated Neurons from Cultures of Mammalian Multipotential CNS Stem
Cell contain claims which cover the process of deriving the
cells as well as the cells created from this process.
What
differentiates our stem cell technology from others is that our patented
processes do not require us to direct our cells towards a certain fate by adding
specific growth factors. Our cells actually “become” the type of cell they are
fated to be. This process and the resulting cells comprise a technology platform
that allows for the efficient isolation and production, in commercially
reasonable quantities, of neural stem cells from the human brain and spinal
cord.
To date
we have focused our efforts on applications involving spinal cord stem cells. We
have completed preclinical efficacy and safety studies on these cells sufficient
to gain FDA approval for human clinical trials. We believe we have established
“proof of principle” for two important spinal cord applications: ALS, or Lou
Gehrig’s disease, and Ischemic Spastic Paraplegia (a painful form of spasticity
that may arise as a complication of surgery to repair aortic aneurysms). In
anticipation of our Phase I trials, we have created spinal cord cell
banks using Good Manufacturing Practice (“GMP”).
Small-molecule
Compounds
We have
performed tests on cultured neural stem cells as well as in animals models in
order to validate the performance of small molecule compounds for
hippocampal neurogenesis. To date, we have contracted for the manufacturing of
small batches of the compound. We have also contracted for a
production run using GMP methods which will be large enough to complete safety
testing and Phase I clinical trials. We expect to file an IND to
commence human safety trials of our lead small molecule compound to treat major
depression in early 2011.
In July
of 2009, we received notice from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
(“USPTO”) patent application 12/049,922, entitled “Use of Fused Nicotinamides to
Promote Neurogenesis,” claims four chemical entities and any
pharmaceutical composition including them, have been issued.
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 our 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 internally, through the use of third party laboratories
and consulting companies under our direct supervision, and through collaboration
with academic institutes.
Operating
Strategy
We employ
an outsourcing strategy where we outsource all of our Good Laboratory
Practices (“GLP”) preclinical development activities and GMP manufacturing and
clinical development activities to contract research organizations (“CRO”) and
contract manufacturing organizations (“CMO”) as well as all non critical
corporate functions. Manufacturing is also outsourced to
organizations with approved facilities and manufacturing
practices. This outsource model allows us to better manage cash on
hand and eliminates non-vital expenditures. It also allows for us to
operate with relatively fewer employees and lower fixed costs than that required
by our competitors.
Employees
and Location
As of
March 13, 2010, we had eight full-time employees and six full time independent
contractors. Of these employees, ten work on research and development
and four in administration. We also use the services of numerous outside
consultants in business and scientific matters.
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 base 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.
Where
to Find More Information
We make
our public filings with the SEC, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K,
Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K and all
exhibits and amendments to these reports. Also our executive officers,
directors and holders of more than 10% of our common stock, file reports with
the SEC on Forms 3, 4 and 5 regarding their ownership of our securities.
These materials are available on the SEC’s web site, http://www.sec.gov.
You may also read or copy any materials we file with the SEC at the SEC’s Public
Reference Room at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, DC 20549. You may
obtain information on the operation of the Public Reference Room by calling the
SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. Alternatively, you may obtain copies of these
filings, including exhibits, by writing or telephoning us at:
NEURALSTEM,
INC
9700
Great Seneca Highway,
Rockville,
Maryland 20850
Attn:
Chief Financial Officer
Tel:
(301) 366-4841
THE
OFFERING
Common
stock offered by us
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6,250,013
shares
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Common
stock to be outstanding after this offering
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46,008,024 shares*
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Warrants
offered by us
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Warrants
to purchase up to 2,678,577shares of our common stock (excluding warrants
to purchase up to 250,001 shares of our common stock to be issued to our
placement agent upon the completion of this offering). Each warrant has an
exercise price of $3.25 per share and is exercisable immediately for a
period of three years. This prospectus supplement also relates to the
offering of the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the
warrants. There is currently no market for the warrants and none is
expected to develop after this offering.
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Use
of proceeds
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We
intend to use the net proceeds from the sale of the securities under this
prospectus supplement for general corporate purposes, including, without
limitation, to fund our Phase I clinical study program for ALS, and for
working capital. Please see the section entitled “Use of Proceeds” on page
S-12 of this prospectus supplement.
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NYSE:
AMEX
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CUR
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Risk
factors
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This
investment involves a high degree of risk. Please see the section entitled
“Risk Factors” beginning on page S-5 of this prospectus
supplement.
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The
number of shares of our common stock to be outstanding immediately after this
offering is based on 42,436,588.000 shares of our common stock outstanding as of
June 24, 2010. Unless we specifically state otherwise, the share
information in this prospectus supplement does not include:
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· 2,678,577
shares of our common stock issuable upon the exercise of warrants to be
issued to purchasers in this offering and an additional 250,001 shares of
our common stock issuable upon the exercise of warrants to be issued to
the placement agent in this
offering;
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· 13,243,550 shares
of our common stock issuable upon the exercise of warrants and options
outstanding at a weighted average exercise price of $2.19 per
share;
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· 9,070,659 shares
of our common stock issuable upon the exercise of options outstanding
under our 2005 Stock Plan & 2007 Stock Plan at a weighted average
exercise price of $2.52 per share;
and
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· 853,866 shares
of our common stock available for future issuance under the
Neuralstem, Inc. 2005 Stock Incentive Plan and 2007 Stock Incentive
Plan.
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RISK
FACTORS
An
investment in our securities involves a high degree of risk. Our business,
financial condition, operating results and prospects can be impacted by a number
of factors, any one of which could cause our actual results to differ materially
from recent results or from our anticipated future results. As a result, the
trading price of our common stock and the value of the warrants offered hereby
could decline, and you could lose part or all of your investment. You should
carefully consider the risks described below with all of the other information
included in this prospectus supplement, our annual report on Form 10-K for
the fiscal year ended December 31, 2009, our subsequent quarterly reports
on Form 10-Q and our other filings with the SEC. Failure to satisfactorily
achieve any of our objectives or avoid any of the risks below would likely have
a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial
condition and could cause the trading price of our common stock to
decrease.
Risks
Relating to Our Stage of Development
We
have a limited operating history and have significantly shifted our operations
and strategies since inception.
Since
inception in 1996 and through March 31, 2010, we have raised $79,356,358 of
capital and recorded accumulated losses totaling $74,333,792. On March
31, 2010, we had a working capital surplus of $4,451,452 and stockholders’
equity of $5,022,566. Our net losses for the two most recent fiscal years
have been $10,364,363 and $11,830,798 for 2009 and 2008
respectively. We had no revenues for the twelve months ended December
31, 2009 or the three months ended March 31, 2010.
Our
ability to generate revenues and achieve profitability will depend upon our
ability to complete the development of our proposed stem cell products, obtain
the required regulatory approvals, manufacture, and market and sell our proposed
products. In part because of our past operating results, no assurances can be
given that we will be able to accomplish any of these goals.
Although
we have generated some revenue in prior years, we have not generated any revenue
from the commercial sale of our proposed stem cell products. Since inception, we
have engaged in several related lines of business and have discontinued
operations in certain areas. For example, in 2002, we lost a material contract
with the Department of Defense and were forced to close our principal facility
and lay off almost all of our employees in an attempt to focus our development
strategy on stem cell technologies. This limited and changing history may not be
adequate to enable you to fully assess our future prospects. No assurances can
be given as to exactly when, if at all, we will be able to fully develop,
commercialize, market, sell and/or derive material revenues from our proposed
products
We
will need to raise additional capital to continue operations.
Since
inception, we have relied almost entirely on external financing to fund
operations. Such financing has come primarily from the sale of common stock and
the exercise of investor warrants. As of March 31, 2010, we had cash
and cash equivalents on hand of $7,515,269. Presently, we have a
monthly cash burn rate of approximately $600,000. We will need to
raise additional capital to fund anticipated operating expenses and future
expansion. Among other things, external financing will be required to further
develop our technologies and products, as well as to pay general operating
costs. Additionally, on September 21, 2009, the FDA approved our IND
application to commence Phase I trials for ALS. The first patient was dosed on
January 21, 2010. Accordingly, we may need additional capital in
order to pay for expenses associated with our clinical trials.
We have
expended and expect to continue to expend substantial cash in the research,
development, clinical and pre-clinical testing of our stem cell technologies
with the goal of ultimately obtaining FDA approval to market our proposed
products. We will require additional capital to conduct research and
development, establish and conduct clinical and pre-clinical trials, enter into
commercial-scale manufacturing arrangements and to provide for marketing and
distribution of our products.
Our long
term capital requirements are expected to depend on many factors,
including:
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the
continued progress and costs of our research and development
programs;
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the
progress of pre-clinical studies and clinical
trials;
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the
time and costs involved in obtaining regulatory
clearance;
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the
costs involved in preparing, filing, prosecuting, maintaining and
enforcing patent claims;
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The
cost of defending any patent
litigation;
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the
costs of developing sales, marketing and distribution channels and our
ability to sell our products if
developed;
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the
costs involved in establishing manufacturing capabilities for commercial
quantities of our proposed
products;
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competing
technological and market
developments;
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market
acceptance of our proposed
products;
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the
costs of recruiting and retaining employees and consultants;
and
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the
costs associated with educating and training physicians about our proposed
products.
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We cannot
assure you that financing will be available if needed. If additional financing
is not available, we may not be able to fund operations and planned growth,
develop or enhance our technologies, take advantage of business opportunities or
respond to our competitive market pressures. If we exhaust our cash
reserves and are unable to realize adequate additional financing, we may be
unable to meet operating obligations which could result in us initiating
bankruptcy proceedings or delaying, or eliminating some or all of our research
and product development programs.
Additional
financing requirements could result in dilution to existing
stockholders.
We are
not able to finance our operations by generating
revenue. Accordingly, we will be required to secure additional
financing which may be dilutive to current shareholders. We are
authorized to issue 150,000,000 shares of common stock and 7,000,000 shares of
preferred stock. Such securities may generally be issued without the approval or
consent of our stockholders. The issuance of such securities may
result in substantial dilution.
Risks
Relating to Our Business
Our
business is dependent on a single product candidate.
At
present our ability to progress as a company is significantly dependent on a
single product candidate for ALS which is in Phase I clinical
trials. Any clinical, regulatory or other development that
significantly delays or prevents us from completing any of our trials, any
material safety issue or adverse side effect to any study participant in these
trials, or the failure of these trials to show the results expected would likely
depress our stock price significantly and could prevent us from raising the
additional capital we will need to further develop our cellular technologies.
Moreover, any material adverse occurrence in our first clinical trials could
substantially impair our ability to initiate clinical trials to test our stem
cell therapies in other potential indications. This, in turn, could adversely
impact our ability to raise additional capital and pursue our planned research
and development efforts.
Our
business relies on stem cell technologies that we may not be able to
commercially develop.
We have
concentrated the majority of our research on stem cell
technologies. Our ability to generate revenue and operate profitably
will depend on being able to develop these technologies for human applications.
These are emerging technologies and have limited human applications. We cannot
guarantee that we will be able to develop our technologies or that such
development will result in products with any commercial utility or value. We
anticipate that the commercial sale of such products and royalty/licensing fees
related to the technology, will be our primary sources of revenues. If we are
unable to develop our technologies, we may never realize any
revenue.
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.
Our
inability to complete pre-clinical and clinical testing and trials will impair
our viability.
On
September 21, 2009, we received approval from the FDA for our first IND
application. We commenced the trials on January 21, 2010, with the
dosing of our first patient. Although we have commenced the trials,
the outcome of the trials is uncertain, and if we are unable to satisfactorily
complete such trials, or if such trials yield unsatisfactory results, we will be
unable to commercialize our proposed products. No assurances can be given that
the clinical trials will be completed or result in a successful
outcome. If regulatory authorities do not approve our products or if
we fail to maintain regulatory compliance, we would be unable to commercialize
our therapeutic products, and our business and results of operations would be
materially harmed.
Our
proposed products may not have favorable results in clinical trials or receive
regulatory approval.
Positive
results from pre-clinical studies should not be relied upon as evidence that our
clinical trials will succeed. Even if our product candidates achieve positive
results in pre-clinical studies, we will be required to demonstrate through
clinical trials that the product candidates are safe and effective for use in a
diverse population before we can seek regulatory approvals for their commercial
sale. There is typically an extremely high rate of attrition from the failure of
product candidates as they proceed through clinical trials. If any product
candidate fails to demonstrate sufficient safety and efficacy in any clinical
trial, then we would experience potentially significant delays in, or be
required to abandon, development of that product candidate. If we delay or
abandon our development efforts of any of our product candidates, then we may
not be able to generate sufficient revenues to become profitable, and our
operations could be materially harmed.
There
are no assurances that we will be able to submit or obtain FDA approval of a
biologics license application.
There can
be no assurance that even if the clinical trials of any potential
product candidate are successfully initiated and completed, that we will be able
to submit a Biologics License Application (“BLA”) to the FDA or that any BLA we
submit will be approved in a timely manner, if at all. If we are unable to
submit a BLA with respect to any future product candidate, or if any BLA we
submit is not approved by the FDA, we will be unable to commercialize that
product. The FDA can and does reject BLAs and requires additional clinical
trials, even when product candidates performed well or achieved favorable
results in clinical trials. If we fail to commercialize our product candidate,
we may be unable to generate sufficient revenues to attain profitability and our
reputation in the industry and in the investment community would likely be
damaged, each of which would cause our stock price to decrease.
The manufacturing
of stem cell-based therapeutic products is novel and dependent upon specialized
key materials.
The
manufacturing of stem cell-based therapeutic products is a complicated and
difficult process, dependent upon substantial know-how and subject to the need
for continual process improvements. 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 is uncertain. Manufacturing
irregularities or lapses in quality control could have a material 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. 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
Our
business is subject to ethical and social concerns.
The use
of stem cells for research and therapy has been the subject of debate regarding
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
We
may be subject to litigation that will be costly to defend or pursue and
uncertain in its outcome.
Our
business may bring us into conflict with licensees, licensors, or others with
whom we have contractual or other business relationships or with our competitors
or others whose interests differs from ours. If we are unable to resolve these
conflicts on terms that are satisfactory to all parties, we may become involved
in litigation brought by or against it. Any 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 our business. The outcome of litigation is always
uncertain, and in some cases could include judgments against us which could have
a materially adverse effect on our 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.
We
may not be able to obtain necessary licenses to third-party patents and other
rights.
A number
of companies, universities and research institutions have filed patent
applications or have received patents relating to technologies in our field. We
cannot predict which, if any, of these applications will issue as patents or how
many of these issued patents will be found valid and enforceable. There may also
be existing issued patents on which we would be infringed by the
commercialization of our product candidates. If so, we may be prevented from
commercializing these products unless the third party is willing to grant a
license to us. We may be unable to obtain licenses to the relevant patents at a
reasonable cost, if at all, and may also be unable to develop or obtain
alternative non-infringing technology. If we are unable to obtain such licenses
or develop non-infringing technology at a reasonable cost, our business could be
significantly harmed. Also, any infringement lawsuits commenced against us may
result in significant costs, divert our management’s attention and result in an
award against us for substantial damages, or potentially prevent us from
continuing certain operations.
We
may not be able to obtain third-party patient reimbursement or favorable product
pricing.
Our
ability to successfully commercialize our proposed products in the human
therapeutic field depends to a significant degree on patient reimbursement of
the costs of such products and related treatments. We cannot assure you that
reimbursement in the United States or foreign countries will be available for
any products developed, or, if available, will not decrease in the future, or
that reimbursement amounts will not reduce the demand for, or the price of, our
products. We 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 our business. If additional regulations are overly onerous or expensive
or if health care related legislation makes our business more expensive or
burdensome than originally anticipated, we may be forced to significantly
downsize our business plans or completely abandon the current business
model.
Our
products may not be profitable due to manufacturing costs.
Our
products may be significantly more expensive to manufacture than other drugs or
therapies 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. Accordingly, we may not be able to charge a high enough
price for us to make a profit from the sale of our cell therapy
products.
We
are dependent on the acceptance of our products by the health care
community.
Our
proposed products, 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 we are
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 will depend on a number of factors,
including:
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the
clinical efficacy and safety of our proposed
products;
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the
superiority of our products to alternatives currently on the
market;
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the
potential advantages of our products over alternative treatment methods;
and
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the
reimbursement policies of government and third-party
payors.
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If the
health care community does not accept our products for any reason, our business
would be materially harmed.
We
depend on two key employees for our continued operations and future
success.
The loss
of either of our key executive officers, Richard Garr and Karl Johe, would be
detrimental to us.
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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 individual;
and
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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.
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In
addition, we anticipate growth and expansion into areas and activities requiring
additional expertise, such as clinical testing, regulatory compliance,
manufacturing and marketing. We anticipate the need for additional
management personnel and the development of additional expertise by existing
management personnel. There is intense competition for qualified personnel in
the areas of our present and planned activities, and there can be no assurance
that we will be able to continue to attract and retain the qualified personnel
necessary for the development our business.
The
employment contracts of key employees contain significant anti-termination
provisions which could make changes in management difficult or
expensive.
We have
entered into employment agreements with Messrs. Garr and Johe which expire on
November 1, 2012. In the event either individual is terminated prior
to the full term of their respective contracts, for any reason other than a
voluntary resignation, 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
and could cause difficulty in effecting a change in control. Termination prior
to the full term of these contracts would cost us as much as $1,000,000 per
contract and the immediate vesting of all outstanding options and/or warrants
held by Messrs. Garr and Johe.
Our
competition has significantly greater experience and financial
resources.
The
biotechnology industry is characterized by intense competition. We compete
against numerous companies, many of which have substantially greater resources.
Several such enterprises have initiated cell therapy research programs and/or
efforts to treat the same diseases which we target. 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 our fields which put us at a competitive
disadvantage.
Our
outsource model depends on third parties to assist in developing and testing our
proposed products.
Our
strategy for the development, clinical and preclinical testing and
commercialization of our proposed products is based on an outsource model. This
model requires us to engage third parties in order to further develop our
technology and products as well as for the day to day operations of our
business. In the event we are not able to enter into such relationships in the
future, our ability to operate and 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.
The development,
manufacturing and commercialization of cell-based therapeutic products expose us
to product liability claims.
By
developing and, ultimately, commercializing medical products, we are exposed to
the risk of product liability claims. Product liability claims against us could
result in substantial litigation costs and damage awards against us. We have
obtained liability insurance that covers our clinical trials. If and
when we begin commercializing products, we will need to increase our insurance
coverage. We may not be able to obtain insurance on acceptable terms,
if at all, and the policy limits on our insurance policies may be insufficient
to cover our liability.
We
intend to rely upon third-party FDA-approved manufacturers for our stem
cells.
We
currently have no internal manufacturing capability, and will rely extensively
on FDA-approved licensees, strategic partners or third party contract
manufacturers or suppliers. 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.
Risks
Relating to Our Common Stock
Our
common shares are sporadically or “thinly” traded.
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
the asking price 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. Even if we came to the attention of such persons, they
tend to be risk-adverse 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 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 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 if you need
money or otherwise desire to liquidate your investment.
We
are currently being monitored by the NYSE AMEX with regard to listing
qualifications.
Effective
January 1, 2009, we adopted new guidance issued by FASB related to determining
whether an instrument or embedded feature is indexed to an entity’s own
stock. As a result, we reclassified 8,547,762 of our issued and
outstanding common stock purchase warrants from equity to liability
status. The adjustment also had the effect of reducing stockholder’s
equity by $2.8 million. Due to such adjustment, we no longer met the
continued listing requirements of the NYSE Amex LLC's ("NYSE Amex") with regard
to stockholders (deficit) equity. On June 4, 2009, we received
notification from the NYSE AMEX that we were not in compliance with continued
listing requirements contained in Section 1003(i) of the NYSE AMEX company
guide. In order to maintain our listing on the NYSE AMEX, we
submitted a plan detailing how we intended to regain compliance on July 6,
2009. On August 18, 2009, the NYSE AMEX notified us that it would continue
listing our common shares subject certain conditions being met, provided our
compliance with our plan until December 6, 2010 (“Plan Period”).
On
February 16, 2010 we received a letter from the NYSE Amex informing us that we
had resolved the continued listing deficiencies referenced in the NYSE Amex
letters dated June 4, 2009 and August 18, 2009. The Exchange said that while we
remain noncompliant with the stockholders' equity requirements under Section
1003 of the NYSE Amex Company Guide, the Exchange staff has determined that we
complied with the alternative listing standards in Section 1003, including the
requirement for $50,000,000 million in market capitalization. The Exchange will
continue to monitor our compliance with the continued listing standards in
Section 1003 of the NYSE Amex Company Guide. If we are able to
demonstrate compliance with the continued listing standards for a period of two
consecutive quarters ending June 30, 2010, the Exchange staff will deem the Plan
Period over. However, if we cannot demonstrate compliance over the next two
quarters, the Plan Period will remain open and Exchange staff will continue to
monitor us throughout the end of the Plan Period, which is December 6, 2010. At
any time during the Plan Period, the Exchange staff may initiate delisting
proceedings based on its evaluation of the Company. In the event we
do not comply with all continued listing standards as of December 6, 2010, the
Exchange staff will promptly initiate delisting procedures.
The
delisting of our common shares from the NYSE Amex may limit the ability of our
stockholders to sell their common stock.
We are
currently being monitored by the NYSE AMEX. If we are delisted, our
stock will most likely commence trading on the Over-the-Counter Bulletin Board
or the Pink Sheets. In such case, a stockholder will likely find it more
difficult to trade our common stock or to obtain accurate market quotations for
it. If our common stock is delisted, it will become subject to the
Securities and Exchange Commission’s “penny stock rules,” which impose sales
practice requirements on broker-dealers that sell that common stock to persons
other than established customers and “accredited investors.” Application of this
rule could make broker-dealers unable or unwilling to sell our common stock and
limit the ability of stockholders to sell their common stock in the secondary
market.
The
market price for our common shares is particularly volatile.
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 those of a seasoned issuer. The volatility in
our share price is attributable to a number of factors. First, 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. Secondly, we are a speculative or “risky” investment due to
our limited operating history, lack of significant revenues to date and the
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.
We
face risks related to compliance with corporate governance laws and financial
reporting standard.
The
Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as well as related new rules and regulations
implemented by the SEC 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 make some
activities more time-consuming, burdensome and expensive. On October
2, 2009, the SEC announced it would extend the deadline for non-accelerated
filers to comply with Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Unless the
deadline is further extended, or we lose our non-accredited filer status, we
will be required to include attestation reports in our annual report for year
ending on December 31, 2010. We anticipate this will further increase
the costs associated with our compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of
2002.
Any
failure to comply with the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, our
ability to remediate any material weaknesses that we may identify during our
compliance program, or difficulties encountered in their
implementation, could harm our operating results, cause us
to fail to meet our reporting obligations or result
in material misstatements in
our financial statements. Any such failure could
also adversely affect the results of the periodic management
evaluations of our internal controls and, in the case of a failure to remediate
any material weaknesses that we may identify, would adversely
affect the annual auditor attestation reports regarding the effectiveness of our
internal control over financial reporting that are required under Section 404 of
the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Inadequate internal controls could also
cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information, which
could have a negative effect on the trading price of our common
stock.
We
have never paid a cash dividend and do not intend to pay cash dividends on our
common stock in the foreseeable future.
We have
never paid cash dividends nor do we anticipate paying cash dividends in the
foreseeable future. Accordingly, any return on your investment will
be as a result of stock appreciation.
Issuance of
additional securities could dilute your proportionate ownership and voting
rights.
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 March 31, 2010, we have issued and outstanding 42,250,875 common shares,
22,385,277 common shares reserved for issuance upon the exercise of current
outstanding options and warrants, 319,341 common shares reserved for issuance of
additional grants under our 2005 incentive stock plan, and 534,525 shares
reserved for issuance of grants under our 2007 stock plan. Accordingly, we will
be entitled to issue up to 84,509,982 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. In the event of issuance, your
proportionate ownership and voting rights may be significantly decreased and the
value of your investment impacted.
Risks
Relating to Intellectual Property and Government Regulation
We
may not be able to withstand challenges to our intellectual property
rights.
We rely
on our intellectual property, including issued and applied-for patents, as the
foundation of our business. Our intellectual property rights may come under
challenge. No assurances can be given that, even though issued, our
current and potential future patents will survive such challenges. For example,
in 2005 our neural stem cell technology was challenged in the USPTO. Although we
prevailed in this particular matter upon re-examination by the patent office,
these cases are complex, lengthy, expensive, and could potentially be
adjudicated adversely to our interests, removing the protection afforded by an
issued patent. The viability of our 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 our business and future prospects. At present, there is
litigation with StemCells, Inc. which is in its initial stages and any likely
outcome is difficult to predict.
We
may not be able to adequately protect against the piracy of the intellectual
property in foreign jurisdictions.
We
anticipate conducting research in countries outside of the United
States. A number of our competitors are located in these countries
and may be able to access our technology or test results. The laws
protecting intellectual property in some of these countries may not adequately
protect our trade secrets and intellectual property. The
misappropriation of our intellectual property may materially impact our position
in the market and any competitive advantages, if any, that we may
have.
Our
products may not receive regulatory approval.
The FDA
and comparable government agencies in foreign countries impose substantial
regulations on the manufacturing 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 vary
substantially based upon the type, complexity and novelty of the proposed
product. On September 21, 2009 the FDA approved our IND application
to commence a Phase I trial for ALS. We commenced the trials on
January 21, 2010 with the dosing of our first patient. We cannot assure
you that we will successfully complete any clinical trials in connection with
such IND. Further, we cannot predict when we might first submit any product
license application for FDA approval or whether any such product license
application will be granted on a timely basis, if at all. Moreover,
we cannot assure you that FDA approvals for any products developed by us 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
our products and our ability to generate product revenue.
Development
of our technologies is subject to extensive government regulation.
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 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 “GTP,” 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 “GMP.” Accordingly, we will need to enter into
supply agreements with companies that manufacture these components to “GMP”
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.
We
cannot predict if or when we will be permitted to commercialize our products due
to regulatory constraints.
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 our activities. We are 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 our proposed products are subject
to extensive government regulation that may prevent us from creating
commercially viable products. In addition, our sale 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, we are unable to comply with these
regulations, our ability to earn revenues will be materially and negatively
impacted.
USE
OF PROCEEDS
We expect
the net proceeds from this offering to be up to approximately $9,200,000 million
after deducting the placement agent fees (excluding the cost of the warrants
issued to the placement agent), as described in “Plan of Distribution,” and
other estimated offering expenses payable by us, which include legal,
accounting, filing fee and various other fees and expenses associated with
registering the securities and listing the common stock, and excluding the
proceeds, if any, from the exercise of the warrants issued in this offering. We
intend to use the net proceeds from the sale of the securities under this
prospectus supplement for general corporate purposes, including, without
limitation, to fund our Phase I clinical study program for ALS, and for working
capital.
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
In this
offering, we are offering a maximum of 3,571,436 units, consisting of 3,571,436
shares of common stock and warrants to purchase 2,678,577 shares of common
stock. Each unit consists of one share of common stock and warrants to
purchase .75 of a share of common stock at an exercise price of $3.25 per
share. The shares of common stock and the warrants will be issued
separately but will be purchased together in this offering. This prospectus
supplement also relates to the offering of shares of our common stock upon the
exercise, if any, of the investor warrants issued in this offering.
Common
Stock
The
following description of our common stock, together with the additional
information we include in the base prospectus and any additional suppements,
summarizes the material terms and provisions of our common stock that we may
offer under this prospectus. For the complete terms of our common stock,
please refer to our certificate of incorporation and bylaws, which are
incorporated by reference into the registration statement which includes this
prospectus. Copies of our certificate of incorporation and bylaws are on file
with the SEC as exhibits to registration statements previously filed by us. See
“Where You Can Find More Information.” The terms of our common stock also
may be affected by Delaware law.
Authorized Common
Stock. We are authorized to issue 150,000,000 shares of common
stock, $0.01 par value per share.
Voting Rights. For all
matters submitted to a vote of stockholders, each holder of common stock is
entitled to one vote for each share registered in the holder’s name on our
books. Our common stock does not have cumulative voting rights.
Dividends. Subject to
limitations under Delaware law and preferences that may be applicable to any
then outstanding preferred stock, holders of common stock are entitled to
receive ratably those dividends, if any, as may be declared by our board of
directors out of legally available funds.
Liquidation. Upon our
liquidation, dissolution or winding up, the holders of common stock will be
entitled to share ratably in the net assets legally available for distribution
to stockholders after the payment of all of our debts and other liabilities of
our company, subject to the prior rights of any preferred stock then
outstanding.
Fully Paid and
Nonassessable. All shares of our outstanding common stock are fully
paid and nonassessable and any additional shares of common stock that we issue
will be fully paid and nonassessable.
Other Rights and
Restrictions. Holders of our common stock do not have preemptive or
subscription rights, and they have no right to convert their common stock into
any other securities. There are no redemption or sinking fund provisions
applicable to the common stock. The rights, preferences and privileges of
common stockholders are subject to the rights of the stockholders of any series
of preferred stock which we may designate in the future. Our certificate of
incorporation and bylaws do not restrict the ability of a holder of common stock
to transfer the holder’s shares of common stock.
Listing. Our common
stock is listed on the NYSE: AMEX under the symbol “CUR.”
The
material terms and provisions of the warrants being offered pursuant to this
prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus are summarized below. A
form of the warrants is being filed as an exhibit to our current report on
Form 8-K that we will file with the SEC in connection with this offering
and reference is made thereto for a complete description of the
warrants.
Term; Exercise Price and
Exercisability. The warrants to be issued in this offering
represent the rights to purchase up to 2,678,577 shares of our common stock at
an exercise price of $3.25 per share. Each warrant will be exercisable for a
period of three years commencing immediately. The number of warrant shares
that may be acquired by any holder upon any exercise of the warrant will be
limited to the extent necessary to insure that, following such exercise (or
other issuance), the total number of shares of common stock then beneficially
owned by such holder and its affiliates and any other persons whose beneficial
ownership of common stock would be aggregated with the holder’s for purposes of
Section 13(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, does
not exceed 4.99% of the total number of issued and outstanding shares of common
stock (including for such purpose the shares of common stock issuable upon such
exercise), or beneficial ownership limitation. The holder may elect to change
this beneficial ownership limitation from 4.99% to 9.99% of the total number of
issued and outstanding shares of common stock (including for such purpose the
shares of common stock issuable upon such exercise) upon 61 days’ prior written
notice.
Manner of Exercise.
Holders of the warrants may exercise their warrants to purchase shares of our
common stock on or before the expiration date by delivering (i) notice of
exercise, appropriately completed and duly signed, and (ii) if such holder
is not utilizing the cashless exercise provisions with respect to the warrants,
payment of the exercise price for the number of shares with respect to which the
warrant is being exercised. Warrants may be exercised in whole or in part, but
only for full shares of common stock. We provide certain buy-in rights to
a holder if we fail to deliver the shares of common stock underlying the
warrants by the third trading day after the date on which delivery of the stock
certificate is required by the warrant. The buy-in rights apply if after the
third trading day on which delivery of the stock certificate is required by the
warrant, the holder purchases (in an open market transaction or otherwise)
shares of our common stock to deliver in satisfaction of a sale by the holder of
the warrant shares that the holder anticipated receiving from us upon exercise
of the warrant.
In
addition, the warrant holders are entitled to a “cashless exercise” option if,
at any time of exercise, there is no effective registration statement
registering, or no current prospectus available for, the issuance or resale of
the shares of common stock underlying the warrants. This option entitles the
warrant holders to elect to receive fewer shares of common stock without paying
the cash exercise price. The number of shares to be issued would be determined
by a formula based on the total number of shares with respect to which the
warrant is being exercised, the daily volume weighted average price for the
shares of our common stock on the trading day immediately prior to the date of
exercise and the applicable exercise price of the warrants.
The
shares of common stock issuable on exercise of the warrants will be, when issued
and paid for in accordance with the warrants, duly authorized, validly issued
and fully paid and non-assessable. We will authorize and reserve at least that
number of shares of common stock equal to the number of shares of common stock
issuable upon exercise of all outstanding warrants.
Fundamental
Transaction. If, at any time while the warrants are outstanding,
(1) we consolidate or merge with or into another corporation, (2) we
sell, lease, license, assign, transfer, convey or otherwise dispose of all or
substantially all of our assets, (3) any purchase offer, tender offer or
exchange offer (whether by us or another individual or entity) is completed
pursuant to which holders of our common stock are permitted to sell, tender or
exchange their shares for other securities, cash or property and has been
accepted by the holders of 50% or more of our outstanding common stock,
(4) we effect any reclassification or recapitalization of our common stock
or any compulsory share exchange pursuant to which our common stock is converted
into or exchanged for other securities, cash or property, or (5) we
consummate a stock or share purchase agreement or other business combination
with another person or entity whereby such other person or entity acquires more
than 50% of the outstanding shares of our common stock (or the occurrence of any
analogous proceeding) affecting our company each, a “Fundamental Transaction,”
then upon any subsequent exercise of the warrants, the holders thereof will have
the right to receive the same amount and kind of securities, cash or property as
it would have been entitled to receive upon the occurrence of such Fundamental
Transaction if it had been, immediately prior to such Fundamental Transaction,
the holder of the number of warrant shares then issuable upon exercise of the
warrant, and any additional consideration payable as part of the Fundamental
Transaction. Any successor to us or surviving entity will assume the obligations
under the warrant.
Certain Adjustments.
The exercise price and the number of shares of common stock purchasable upon the
exercise of the warrants are subject to adjustment upon the occurrence of
specific events, including stock dividends, stock splits, combinations and
reclassifications of our common stock. If the holders of our common stock
shall have received or become entitled to receive, without payment therefor,
(1) common stock or any shares of stock or other securities which are at
any time directly or indirectly convertible into or exchangeable for our common
stock, or any rights or options to subscribe for, purchase or otherwise acquire
any of the foregoing by way of dividend or other distribution, (2) any cash
paid or payable otherwise than as a cash dividend; or (3) common stock or
additional stock or other securities or property (including cash) by way of
spinoff, split-up, reclassification, combination of shares or similar corporate
rearrangement, then and in each such case, the holder of the warrants
will, upon the exercise of the warrant, be entitled to receive, in addition to
the number of shares of our common stock receivable thereupon, and without
payment of any additional consideration therefor, the amount of stock and
other securities and property (including cash in the cases referred to in
clauses (2) and (3) above) which such holder would hold on the date of
such exercise had such holder been the holder of record of such common stock as
of the date on which holders of common stock received or became entitled to
receive such shares or all other additional stock and other securities and
property.
Delivery of
Certificates. Upon the holder’s exercise of a warrant, we will
promptly, but in no event later than three trading days after the exercise date
(referred to as the “exercise share delivery date”), issue and deliver, or cause
to be issued and delivered, a certificate for the shares of common stock
issuable upon exercise of the warrant. In addition, we will, if the holder
provides the necessary information to us, issue and deliver the shares
electronically through The Depository Trust Corporation through its Deposit
Withdrawal Agent Commission System (DWAC) or another established clearing
corporation performing similar functions.
Notice of Corporate
Action. We will provide at least 20 days prior notice to holders of
the warrants to provide them with the opportunity to exercise their warrants and
hold common stock in order to participate in or vote on the following corporate
events:
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if
we shall take a record of the holders of our common stock for the purpose
of entitling them to receive a dividend or other distribution, or any
right to subscribe for or purchase any shares of stock of any class or any
other right;
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if
we authorize or approve, enter into any agreement contemplating, or
solicit stockholder approval for any transaction that would be deemed a
Fundamental Transaction as described above;
or
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a
voluntary dissolution, liquidation or winding up of our
company.
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Additional Provisions.
We are not required to issue fractional shares upon the exercise of the
warrants. No holders of the warrants will possess any rights as a stockholder
under those warrants until the holder exercises those warrants. The warrants may
be transferred independent of the common stock they were issued with, on a form
of assignment, subject to all applicable laws.
PLAN
OF DISTRIBUTION
We have
entered into a placement agency agreement, dated as of June 28, 2010, with
Noble, as placement agent which we refer to as the placement agency
agreement. Subject to the terms and conditions contained in the placement
agency agreement, Noble has agreed to act as our placement agent in connection
with this offering. The placement agent is not purchasing or selling any
securities under this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, nor
is the placement agent required to arrange for the purchase or sale of any
specific number or dollar amount of the securities, but it has agreed to use its
reasonable best efforts to arrange for the sale of all of the securities in this
offering. There is no requirement that any minimum number of units or dollar
amount of units be sold in this offering and there can be no assurance that we
will sell all of the units being offered.
The
placement agency agreement provides that the obligations of the placement agent
and the investors are subject to certain conditions precedent including, among
other things, the absence of any material adverse change in our
business.
We
currently anticipate that the closing of this offering will take place on or
about June 29, 2010. On the closing date, the following will
occur:
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we
will receive funds in the amount of the aggregate purchase price for the
units;
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•
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the
placement agent will receive the placement agent’s fees in accordance with
the terms of the placement agency agreement; and
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we
will deliver the units, comprised of common shares and purchaser warrants,
to the investors.
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We have
agreed to pay the placement agent an aggregate fee equal to 7% of the gross
proceeds from the sale of the units in this offering. In addition,
the placement agent also will also receive warrants to purchase up to 250,001
shares of our common stock or 7% of the aggregate number of shares of common
stock included in the units that are sold in the offering with an exercise price
of $3.25 per share (114% of the public offering price) and an expiration date of
June 29, 2013.
The
estimated offering expenses payable by us, in addition to the aggregate fee of
approximately $700,001 due to the placement agent are approximately
$100,000, which includes legal and filing fees and printing costs, and various
other fees associated with registering the securities and listing the common
shares. 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 $9.2 million if the maximum number of units are sold
(excluding proceeds we may receive upon exercise of the
warrants).
The
following table shows the per Unit and total commissions we will pay to the
placement agent in connection with the sale of the units offered under this
prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, assuming the purchase of
all of the units offered hereby and excluding proceeds that we may receive upon
exercise of the warrants.
Per
unit placement agent fees
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$
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0.20
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Maximum
offering total
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$
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700,001
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Because
there is no minimum offering amount required as a condition to closing in this
offering, the actual total offering fees, if any, are not presently determinable
and may be substantially less than the maximum amount set forth
above.
We have
agreed to indemnify the placement agent and certain other persons against
certain liabilities relating to or arising out of its activities under the
placement agency agreement. We have also agreed to contribute to payments the
placement agent may be required to make in respect of such
liabilities.
From time
to time, the placement agent and/or certain of its affiliates have engaged, and
may in the future engage, in transactions with, and perform investment banking
and/or financial advisory services for, us and our affiliates in the ordinary
course of business.
We have
also agreed with the purchasers of the units offered pursuant to this prospectus
supplement that we will not issue or enter into an agreement to issue common
shares or securities convertible into or exercisable for common shares, except
in limited situations, for a period of 75 days from the closing of the
offering contemplated by this prospectus supplement.
A copy of
the placement agency agreement, the form of securities purchase agreement we
entered into with the purchasers and the form of warrant will be included as
exhibits to our current report on Form 8-K that will be filed with the SEC
in connection with the consummation of this offering.
The
placement agent has informed us that it will not engage in over allotment,
stabilizing transactions or syndicate covering transactions in connection with
this offering.
The
transfer agent for our common stock to be issued in this offering is American
Stock Transfer & Trust Company. We will act as transfer agent for the
warrants being offered hereby.
Our
common stock is traded on the NYSE: AMEX under the symbol “CUR.” The
warrants to purchase common stock issued to the investors in this offering are
not expected to be eligible for trading on any market.
The
purchase price per unit and the exercise price for the warrants were determined
based on negotiations with the purchasers and discussions with the placement
agent based on current market factors.
The
validity of the issuance of the securities offered hereby will be passed upon
for us by The Silvestre Law Group, Westlake Village,
California.
The
financial statements incorporated in this prospectus by reference from the
Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K have been audited by Stegman &
Company, an independent registered public accounting firm, as stated in their
report, which is incorporated herein by reference. Such financial
statements have been so incorporated in reliance upon the report of such firm
given upon their authority as experts in accounting and
auditing. Stegman & Company has no interest in the shares being
registered in this filing.
WHERE
YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION
We are a
public company and file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements
and other information with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”).
You may read and copy any document we file at the SEC’s Public Reference
Room at 100 F Street, N.E., Room 1580, Washington, D.C. 20549.
You can request copies of these documents by writing to the SEC and paying a fee
for the copying cost. Please call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for more
information about the operation of the public reference room. Our SEC filings
are also available to the public at the SEC’s web site at
http://www.sec.gov.
In
addition, we maintain a web site that contains information regarding our
company, including copies of reports, proxy statements and other information we
file with the SEC. The address of our web site is
www.neuralstem.com. Except for the documents specifically incorporated by
reference into this prospectus, information contained on our website or that can
be accessed through our website does not constitute a part of this prospectus.
We have included our website address only as an inactive textual reference and
do not intend it to be an active link to our website.
This
prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus are part of a registration
statement on Form S-3 that we filed with the SEC registering the securities
that may be offered and sold hereunder. The registration statement, including
exhibits thereto, contains additional relevant information about us and these
securities that, as permitted by the rules and regulations of the SEC, we
have not included in this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus.
A copy of the registration statement can be obtained at the address set forth
above. You should read the registration statement for further information about
us and these securities.
INCORPORATION
OF CERTAIN DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE
The SEC
allows us to “incorporate by reference” into this prospectus supplement the
information contained in the documents we file with the SEC, which means that we
can disclose important information to you by referring you to those
documents. The information incorporated by reference is considered to be
part of this prospectus supplement, and later information that we file with the
SEC will update and supersede this information. We are incorporating by
reference the following documents into this prospectus supplement:
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our
annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31,
2009;
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our
quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31,
2010;
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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.
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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 SEC. 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
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:
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shares
of our common stock;
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shares
of our preferred stock; or
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warrants
to purchase shares of our common stock and/or preferred
stock.
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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.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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Page
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About
this Prospectus
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3
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Forward-Looking
Statements
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3
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About
Neuralstem
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4
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Risk
Factors
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5
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Use
of Proceeds
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5
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Plan
of Distribution
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5
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Description
of Common Stock
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6
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Description
of Preferred Stock
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7
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Description
of Warrants
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8
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Where
You Can Find More Information
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8
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Incorporation
of Certain Information by Reference
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9
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Legal
Matters
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9
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Experts
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9
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You
should rely only on the information contained in this prospectus. We have not
authorized anyone to give you information different from that contained in this
prospectus. We are not making an offer to sell these securities in any
jurisdiction where the offer is not permitted. The information contained in this
prospectus is accurate only as of the date on the front cover of this
prospectus, regardless of when this prospectus is delivered or when any sale of
our securities occurs. Our business, financial condition, results of operations
and prospects may have changed since that date.
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:
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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;
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whether
or not a market for our product develops and, if a market develops, the
rate at which it develops;
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our
ability to successfully sell our products if a market
develops;
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our
ability to attract and retain qualified personnel to implement our growth
strategies;
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our
ability to develop sales, marketing, and distribution
capabilities;
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our
ability to obtain reimbursement from third party payers for the products
that we sell;
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the
accuracy of our estimates and
projections;
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our
ability to fund our short-term and long-term financing
needs;
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changes
in our business plan and corporate strategies;
and
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other
risks and uncertainties discussed in greater detail in the section
captioned “Risk Factors”
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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:
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to
or through underwriters or dealers;
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through
one or more agents; or
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directly
to purchasers or to a single
purchaser.
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The
distribution of the securities may be effected from time to time in one or more
transactions:
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at
a fixed price, or prices, which may be changed from time to
time;
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at
market prices prevailing at the time of sale;
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at
prices related to such prevailing market prices; or
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at
negotiated prices.
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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:
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the
name or names of any underwriters, dealers or agents and the amounts of
securities underwritten or purchased by each of them;
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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
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any
securities exchanges on which the securities may be
listed.
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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:
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the
title and stated value;
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the
number of shares offered, the liquidation preference per share and the
purchase price;
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the
dividend rate(s), period(s) and/or payment date(s), or method(s) of
calculation for such dividends;
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whether
dividends will be cumulative or non-cumulative and, if cumulative, the
date from which dividends will accumulate;
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the
procedures for any auction and remarketing, if any;
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the
provisions for a sinking fund, if any;
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the
provisions for redemption, if applicable;
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any
listing of the preferred stock on any securities exchange or
market;
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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;
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voting
rights, if any, of the preferred stock;
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a
discussion of any material and/or special U.S. federal income tax
considerations applicable to the preferred stock;
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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
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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.
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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:
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the
specific designation and aggregate number of, and the price at which we
will issue, the warrants;
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the
currency or currency units in which the offering price, if any, and the
exercise price are payable;
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the
designation, amount and terms of the securities purchasable upon exercise
of the warrants;
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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;
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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;
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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;
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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;
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any
applicable material U.S. federal income tax
consequences;
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the
identity of the warrant agent for the warrants and of any other
depositaries, execution or paying agents, transfer agents, registrars or
other agents;
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the
proposed listing, if any, of the warrants or any securities purchasable
upon exercise of the warrants on any securities
exchange;
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if
applicable, the date from and after which the warrants and the common
stock and/or preferred stock will be separately
transferable;
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if
applicable, the minimum or maximum amount of the warrants that may be
exercised at any one time;
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information
with respect to book-entry procedures, if any;
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the
anti-dilution provisions of the warrants, if any;
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any
redemption or call provisions;
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whether
the warrants are to be sold separately or with other securities as parts
of units; and
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any
additional terms of the warrants, including terms, procedures and
limitations relating to the exchange and exercise of the
warrants.
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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:
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Our
Annual Report on Form 10-KSB filed with the Commission on March 27, 2008,
for the year ended December 31,
2007;
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Our
Definitive Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A, filed with the Commission on
Aril 24, 2008;
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Our
Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2008,
filed with the Commission on May 15, 2008;
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Our
Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2008, filed
with the Commission on August 14, 2008;
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Our
Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Commission on February 25,
2008;
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Our
Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Commission on March 28,
2008;
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Our
Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Commission on April 16,
2008;
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Our
Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Commission on May 1,
2008;
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Our
Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Commission on May 6,
2008;
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Our
Current Report on Form 8-K, filed with the Commission on May 12,
2008;
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Our
Current Report on Form 8-K, filed with the Commission on May 15, 2008;
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Our
Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Commission on July 31,
2008;
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Our
Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Commission on September 9,
2008;
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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.
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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.