life-s3a.htm

 

As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on June 18, 2019.

Registration No. 333-231658

 

  

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

Amendment No. 1

To

FORM S-3

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

 

ATYR PHARMA, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

 

 

 

Delaware

 

20-3435077

(State or other jurisdiction of

incorporation or organization)

 

(I.R.S. Employer

Identification Number)

3545 John Hopkins Court, Suite 250

San Diego, CA 92121

(858) 731-8389

(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of registrant’s principal executive offices)

 

Sanjay S. Shukla, M.D., M.S.

President and Chief Executive Officer

aTyr Pharma, Inc.

3545 John Hopkins Court, Suite 250

San Diego, CA 92121

(858) 731-8389

(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

 

With copies to:

 

 

 

 

Nancy E. Denyes, Esq.

General Counsel

aTyr Pharma, Inc.

3545 John Hopkins Court, Suite 250

San Diego, CA 92121

(858) 731-8389

 

Kingsley L. Taft, Esq.

Mitzi Chang, Esq.

Goodwin Procter LLP

3 Embarcadero Center, 24th Floor

San Francisco, CA 94111

(415) 733-6000

 

Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public: From time to time after this Registration Statement becomes effective.

 


 

If the only securities being registered on this Form are being offered pursuant to dividend or interest reinvestment plans, please check the following box:  

If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, other than securities offered only in connection with dividend or interest reinvestment plans, check the following box:  

If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.  

If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.  

If this Form is a registration statement pursuant to General Instruction I.D. or a post-effective amendment thereto that shall become effective upon filing with the Commission pursuant to Rule 462(e) under the Securities Act, check the following box.  

If this Form is a post-effective amendment to a registration statement filed pursuant to General Instruction I.D. filed to register additional securities or additional classes of securities pursuant to Rule 413(b) under the Securities Act, check the following box.  

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Large accelerated filer

 

  

Accelerated filer

 

 

 

 

 

Non-accelerated filer

 

 

  

Smaller reporting company

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Emerging growth company

 

 

 

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act.  

 

CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Title of Each Class of

Securities to be Registered

 

Amount

to be

Registered (1)

 

Proposed

Maximum

Offering Price

Per Unit (2)

 

Proposed

Maximum

Aggregate

Offering Price (3)

 

Amount of

Registration Fee (4)

Common Stock (6)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Preferred Stock (7)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Debt Securities (8)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Warrants (9)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Units (10)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total

 

$20,000,000

 

N.A.

 

$20,000,000(5)

 

$2,424(5)

 

 

 

(1)

The amount to be registered consists of up to $20,000,000 of an indeterminate amount of common stock, preferred stock, debt securities, warrants and/or units. There is also being registered hereunder such currently indeterminate number of (i) shares of common stock or other securities of the registrant as may be issued upon conversion of, or in exchange for, convertible or exchangeable debt securities and/or preferred stock registered hereby, or (ii) shares of preferred stock, common stock, debt securities or units as may be issued upon exercise of warrants registered hereby, as the case may be. Any securities registered hereunder may be sold separately or as units with the other securities registered hereunder.

 

(2)

The proposed maximum aggregate offering price per unit will be determined from time to time by the registrant in connection with the issuance by the registrant of the securities registered hereunder and is not specified as to each class of security pursuant to General Instruction II.D. of Form S-3 under the Securities Act.

 

(3)

Estimated solely for purposes of computing the registration fee. No separate consideration will be received for (i) common stock or other securities of the registrant that may be issued upon conversion of, or in exchange for, convertible or exchangeable debt securities and/or preferred stock registered hereby, or (ii) preferred stock, common stock, debt securities or units that may be issued upon exercise of warrants registered hereby, as the case may be.

 

 


 

(4)

The registration fee has been calculated in accordance with Rule 457(o) under the Securities Act.

 

(5)

In accordance with Rule 415(a)(6) under the Securities Act, all $20,000,000 of the securities registered pursuant to this Registration Statement are unsold securities that previously were registered pursuant to the registration statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-211998), initially effective on June 22, 2016 (the “Prior Registration Statement”). The Prior Registration Statement registered the offer and sale of an indeterminate number of common stock, preferred stock, debt securities, warrants and units with an aggregate offering price not to exceed $150,000,000, of which $139,037,155 of such securities remain unsold as of the filing date of this Registration Statement, $20,000,000 of which (the “Unsold Securities”) are being included in this Registration Statement.  Pursuant to Rule 415(a)(6), the registration fees in the amount of $2,424.00 previously paid with respect to the Unsold Securities will continue to be applied to the Unsold Securities. To the extent that, after the filing date hereof and prior to the effectiveness of this Registration Statement, the registrant sells any of the Unsold Securities pursuant to the Prior Registration Statement, the registrant will identify in a pre-effective amendment to this Registration Statement the updated amount of such Unsold Securities from the Prior Registration Statement to be included in this Registration Statement pursuant to Rule 415(a)(6) and the amount of any new securities to be registered on this Registration Statement, such that the securities registered hereunder shall have an aggregate initial offering price not to exceed $20,000,000. Pursuant to Rule 415(a)(6) under the Securities Act, the offering of the Unsold Securities under the Prior Registration Statement will be deemed terminated as of the date of effectiveness of this Registration Statement.

 

(6)

Including such indeterminate amount of common stock as may be issued from time to time at indeterminate prices or upon conversion of debt securities and/or preferred stock registered hereby, or upon exercise of warrants registered hereby, as the case may be.

 

(7)

Including such indeterminate amount of preferred stock as may be issued from time to time at indeterminate prices or upon conversion of debt securities and/or preferred stock registered hereby, or upon exercise of warrants registered hereby, as the case may be.

 

(8)

Including such indeterminate principal amount of debt securities as may be issued from time to time at indeterminate prices or upon exercise of warrants registered hereby, as the case may be.

 

(9)

Including such indeterminate number of warrants or other rights, including without limitation share purchase or subscription rights, as may be issued from time to time at indeterminate prices.

 

(10)

Each unit will be issued under a unit agreement and will represent an interest in two or more securities, which may or may not be separable from one another.

THE REGISTRANT HEREBY AMENDS THIS REGISTRATION STATEMENT ON SUCH DATE OR DATES AS MAY BE NECESSARY TO DELAY ITS EFFECTIVE DATE UNTIL THE REGISTRANT SHALL FILE A FURTHER AMENDMENT WHICH SPECIFICALLY STATES THAT THIS REGISTRATION STATEMENT SHALL THEREAFTER BECOME EFFECTIVE IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 8(a) OF THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED, OR UNTIL THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT SHALL BECOME EFFECTIVE ON SUCH DATE AS THE COMMISSION ACTING PURSUANT TO SAID SECTION 8(a), MAY DETERMINE.

 

 

 


 

EXPLANATORY NOTE

This Registration Statement contains two prospectuses:

 

a base prospectus which covers the offering, issuance and sale by us of up to $20,000,000 in the aggregate of the securities identified above from time to time in one or more offerings; and

 

 

a sales agreement prospectus covering the offering, issuance and sale by us of up to a maximum aggregate offering price of $10,000,000 of our common stock that may be issued and sold under a sales agreement with H.C. Wainwright & Co., LLC, or Wainwright.

The base prospectus immediately follows this explanatory note. The specific terms of any securities to be offered pursuant to the base prospectus will be specified in a prospectus supplement to the base prospectus. The sales agreement prospectus immediately follows the base prospectus. The $3,300,000 of common stock that may be offered, issued and sold under the sales agreement prospectus is included in the $20,000,000 of securities that may be offered, issued and sold by us under the base prospectus. In accordance with the terms of the sales agreement, we may offer and sell shares of our common stock having an aggregate purchase price of $10,000,000 from time to time through Wainwright. The sales agreement prospectus covers $3,300,000 of such aggregate amount.

 

 

 

 

 


 

SUBJECT TO COMPLETION,

DATED JUNE 18, 2019

 

The information in this preliminary prospectus is not complete and may be changed. These securities may not be sold until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This preliminary prospectus is not an offer to sell nor does it seek an offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.

 

PROSPECTUS

$20,000,000

 

Common Stock

Preferred Stock

Debt Securities

Warrants

Units

 

We may from time to time issue, in one or more series or classes, up to $20,000,000 in aggregate principal amount of our common stock, preferred stock, debt securities, warrants and/or units. We may offer these securities separately or together in units. We will specify in the accompanying prospectus supplement the terms of the securities being offered. We may sell these securities to or through underwriters and also to other purchasers or through agents. We will set forth the names of any underwriters or agents, and any fees, conversions or discount arrangements, in an accompanying prospectus supplement. We may not sell any securities under this prospectus without delivery of the applicable prospectus supplement.

You should read this document and any prospectus supplement or amendment carefully before you invest in our securities.

Our common stock is listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “LIFE.” On June 17, 2019, the closing price for our common stock, as reported on the Nasdaq Capital Market, was $0.3471 per share. Our principal executive offices are located at 3545 John Hopkins Court, Suite 250, San Diego, CA 92121.

 

Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should review carefully the risks and uncertainties referenced under the heading “Risk Factors” contained in this prospectus beginning on page 2 and any applicable prospectus supplement, and under similar headings in the other documents that are incorporated by reference into this prospectus.

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.

 

The date of this Prospectus is             , 2019.

 


 

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

Page

 

About this Prospectus

  

1

 

  

Risk Factors

  

2

 

  

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

  

3

 

  

The Company

  

5

 

  

Ratio of Earnings to Fixed Charges

  

6

 

  

Use of Proceeds

  

7

 

  

Securities We May Offer

  

8

 

  

Description of Capital Stock

  

8

 

  

Description of Debt Securities

  

13

 

  

Description of Warrants

  

19

 

  

Description of Units

  

20

 

  

Plan of Distribution

  

23

 

  

Legal Matters

  

26

 

  

Experts

  

26

 

  

Where You Can Find More Information

  

26

 

  

Incorporation by Reference

  

26

 

  

 

i

 


 

ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS

This prospectus is 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 from time to time sell any combination of the securities described in this prospectus in one or more offerings for an aggregate initial offering price of up to $20,000,000.

This prospectus provides you with a general description of the securities we may offer. Each time we sell securities, we will provide one or more prospectus supplements that will contain specific information about the terms of the offering. The prospectus supplement may also add, update or change information contained in this prospectus. You should read both this prospectus and the accompanying prospectus supplement together with the additional information described under the heading “Where You Can Find More Information” beginning on page 26 of this prospectus.

You should rely only on the information contained in or incorporated by reference in this prospectus, any accompanying prospectus supplement or in any related free writing prospectus filed by us with the SEC. We have not authorized anyone to provide you with different information. This prospectus and the accompanying prospectus supplement do not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities other than the securities described in the accompanying prospectus supplement or an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy such securities in any circumstances in which such offer or solicitation is unlawful. You should assume that the information appearing in this prospectus, any prospectus supplement, the documents incorporated by reference and any related free writing prospectus is accurate only as of their respective dates. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed materially since those dates.

Unless the context otherwise indicates, references in this prospectus to “aTyr Pharma”, “we”, “our”, “us” and “the Company” refer, collectively, to aTyr Pharma, Inc., a Delaware corporation.  

 

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RISK FACTORS

Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider the risks referenced below and described in the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus and any prospectus supplement, as well as other information we include or incorporate by reference into this prospectus and any applicable prospectus supplement, before making an investment decision. Our business, financial condition or results of operations could be materially adversely affected by the materialization of any of these risks. The trading price of our securities could decline due to the materialization of any of these risks, and you may lose all or part of your investment. This prospectus and the documents incorporated herein by reference also contain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of certain factors, including the risks referenced below and described in the documents incorporated herein by reference, including (i) our annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018, which is on file with the SEC and is incorporated herein by reference, (ii) our quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2019, which is incorporated by reference into this prospectus, and (iii) other documents we file with the SEC that are deemed incorporated by reference into this prospectus.

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CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This prospectus, including the documents that we incorporate by reference, contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act. Any statements about our expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance are not historical facts and may be forward-looking. These statements are often, but are not always, made through the use of words or phrases such as “may,” “will,” “could,” “should,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “predicts,” “projects,” “potential,” “continue,” and similar expressions, or the negative of these terms, or similar expressions. Accordingly, these statements involve estimates, assumptions, risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in them. Any forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by reference to the factors discussed throughout this prospectus, and in particular those factors referenced in the section “Risk Factors.”

This prospectus contains forward-looking statements that are based on our management’s belief and assumptions and on information currently available to our management. These statements relate to future events or our future financial performance, and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements about:

 

the success, cost and timing of our clinical trials and whether the results of our trials will be sufficient to support domestic or foreign regulatory approvals;

 

whether our existing capital resources will be sufficient to enable us to complete any particular portion of our planned clinical development of our product candidates;

 

the likelihood and timing of regulatory approvals for our product candidates;

 

our ability to identify and discover additional product candidates;

 

our ability to obtain, maintain, defend and enforce intellectual property rights protecting our product candidates;

 

our estimates of our expenses, ongoing losses, future revenue, capital requirements and our needs for or ability to obtain additional financing;

 

the performance of third-party service providers and independent contractors upon whom we rely to conduct our clinical trial and to manufacture our product candidates or certain components of our product candidates;

 

our ability to develop sales and marketing capabilities or to enter into strategic partnerships to develop and commercialize our product candidates;

 

the timing and success of the commercialization of our product candidates;

 

the rate and degree of market acceptance of our product candidates;

 

the size and growth of the potential markets for our product candidates and our ability to serve those markets;

 

regulatory developments in the United States and foreign countries;

 

the success of competing therapies that are or may become available;

 

our ability to attract and retain key scientific, medical or management personnel;

 

a potential reverse stock split if we are unable to maintain a stock price above $1.00 per share of common stock; and

 

other risks and uncertainties, including those described under the section entitled “Risk Factors” herein, in any accompanying prospectus supplement and in our filings with the SEC.

These forward-looking statements are neither promises nor guarantees of future performance due to a variety of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by these forward-looking statements, including, without limitation: the possibility that we may experience slower than expected clinical site initiation or slower than expected identification and enrollment of evaluable patients; the potential for delays or problems in analyzing data or the need for additional analysis, data or patients; the potential that future pre-clinical and clinical results may not support further development of our product candidates; the potential for unexpected adverse events in the conduct of one of our clinical trials to impact our ability to continue the clinical trial or further development of a product candidate; the risk that we may encounter other unexpected hurdles or issues in the development and manufacture of our product candidates that may impact our cost, timing or progress, as well as those risks more fully discussed in the “Risk Factors” section and under “—Risks Related to Our Business” in this prospectus supplement, the section of any accompanying prospectus supplement entitled “Risk Factors” and the risk factors and cautionary

3


 

statements described in other documents that we file from time to time with the SEC, specifically under “Item 1A: Risk Factors” and elsewhere in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K for the period ended December 31, 2018 and our most recent Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2019, and our Current Reports on Form 8-K.

Given these uncertainties, readers should not place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which the statements were made and are not guarantees of future performance. Except as may be required by applicable law, we do not undertake to update any forward-looking statements after the date of this prospectus supplement or the respective dates of documents incorporated by reference herein or therein that include forward-looking statements.

4


 

THE COMPANY

We are a biotherapeutics company engaged in the discovery and clinical development of innovative medicines based on novel immunological pathways. We have concentrated our research and development efforts on a newly discovered area of biology, the extracellular functionality of tRNA synthetases. Built on more than a decade of foundational science on extracellular tRNA synthetase biology and its effect on immune responses, we have built a global intellectual property estate directed to all 20 human tRNA synthetases.  

Within our synthetase platform, we are primarily focused on the therapeutic translation of the Resokine pathway, comprised of extracellular proteins derived from the histidyl tRNA synthetase (HARS) gene family, one of the 20 tRNA synthetase genes. Our clinical stage product candidate, ATYR1923, is a fusion protein comprised of the immuno-modulatory domain of HARS fused to the FC region of a human antibody. ATYR1923 is also a selective modulator of Neuropilin-2 (NRP-2) that downregulates the innate and adaptive immune response in inflammatory disease states. We are developing ATYR1923 as a potential therapeutic for patients with interstitial lung diseases (ILDs), a group of immune-mediated disorders that cause progressive fibrosis of the lung tissue.  We selected pulmonary sarcoidosis as our first ILD indication and initiated a Phase 1b/2a proof-of-concept clinical trial in December 2018. The study has been designed to evaluate the safety, tolerability and immunogenicity of multiple doses of ATYR1923 and to evaluate established clinical endpoints and certain biomarkers to assess preliminary activity of ATYR1923. The results of this study will guide future development of ATYR1923 in pulmonary sarcoidosis and provide insight for the potential of ATYR1923 in other ILDs, such as chronic hypersensitivity pneumonitis and connective tissue disease ILD.

We own various U.S. federal trademark applications and unregistered trademarks, including our company name.

We qualify as an “emerging growth company” as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012, as amended, or the JOBS Act. As an emerging growth company, we may take advantage of specified reduced disclosure and other requirements that are otherwise applicable generally to public companies. We would cease to be an emerging growth company on the date that is the earliest of: (i) the last day of the fiscal year in which we have total annual gross revenues of $1.07 billion or more; (ii) December 31, 2020; (iii) the date on which we have issued more than $1 billion in nonconvertible debt during the previous three years; or (iv) the date on which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer under the rules of the SEC.

We were incorporated under the laws of the State of Delaware in September 2005. Our principal executive offices are located at 3545 John Hopkins Court, Suite 250, San Diego, CA 92121 and our telephone number is (858) 731-8389. Our website address is www.atyrpharma.com. The information on, or that can be accessed through, our website does not constitute part of this prospectus, and you should not rely on any such information in making the decision whether to purchase our common stock. Our common stock trades on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “LIFE”.

 

5


 

RATIO OF EARNINGS TO FIXED CHARGES

Our ratio of earnings to fixed charges for recently completed fiscal years and any required interim periods will be specified in a prospectus supplement or in a document that we file with the SEC and incorporate by reference in the future, if and when required.

6


 

USE OF PROCEEDS

We intend to use the net proceeds from the sale of any securities offered under this prospectus for general corporate purposes unless otherwise indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement. General corporate purposes may include research and development and clinical development costs to support the advancement of our product candidates and the expansion of our product candidate pipeline; repayment and refinancing of debt; working capital; and capital expenditures. We may temporarily invest the net proceeds in a variety of capital preservation instruments, including investment grade instruments, certificates of deposit or direct or guaranteed obligations of the U.S. government, or may hold such proceeds as cash, until they are used for their stated purpose. We have not determined the amount of net proceeds to be used specifically for such purposes. As a result, management will retain broad discretion over the allocation of net proceeds.

 

7


 

SECURITIES WE MAY OFFER

This prospectus contains summary descriptions of the securities we may offer from time to time. These summary descriptions are not meant to be complete descriptions of each security. The particular terms of any security will be described in the applicable prospectus supplement.

DESCRIPTION OF CAPITAL STOCK

The following description of our common stock and preferred stock, together with the additional information we include in any applicable prospectus supplements, summarizes the material terms and provisions of the common stock and preferred stock that we may offer under this prospectus. The following description of our capital stock does not purport to be complete and is subject to, and qualified in its entirety by, our certificate of incorporation and bylaws, which are exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, and by applicable law. The terms of our common stock and preferred stock may also be affected by Delaware law.

Authorized Capital Stock

Our authorized capital stock consists of 150,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.001 per share, and 7,285,456 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.001 per share, of which 72,000 shares are designated Series B redeemable convertible preferred stock, 15,957 shares are designated Series C redeemable convertible preferred stock, 2,197,499 shares are designated Series D redeemable convertible preferred stock, 2,285,952 shares are designated Class X Convertible Preferred Stock and 2,714,048 shares are undesignated preferred stock. The designated preferred stock is not available for future issuance. As of June 17, 2019, we had 47,214,424 shares of common stock outstanding and 1,643,961 shares of preferred stock outstanding.

Common Stock

The holders of our common stock are entitled to one vote for each share held on all matters submitted to a vote of the stockholders. The holders of our common stock do not have any cumulative voting rights. Holders of our common stock are entitled to receive ratably any dividends declared by our board of directors out of funds legally available for that purpose, subject to any preferential dividend rights of any outstanding preferred stock. Our common stock has no preemptive rights, conversion rights or other subscription rights or redemption or sinking fund provisions.

In the event of our liquidation, dissolution or winding up, holders of our common stock will be entitled to share ratably in all assets remaining after payment of all debts and other liabilities and any liquidation preference of any outstanding preferred stock. All outstanding shares are fully paid and nonassessable.

When we issue shares of common stock under this prospectus, the shares will fully be paid and nonassessable and will not have, or be subject to, any preemptive or similar rights.

Listing

Our common stock is listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “LIFE.” On June 17, 2019, the closing price for our common stock, as reported on the Nasdaq Capital Market, was $0.3471 per share.

Transfer Agent and Registrar

The transfer agent and registrar for our common stock is American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC. The transfer agent and registrar’s address is 6201 15th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11219.

 Preferred Stock

Our board of directors is authorized to issue up to 5,000,000 shares of undesignated preferred stock in one or more series without stockholder approval. As a result of the designation and issuance of 2,285,952 shares of Class X Convertible Preferred Stock described below, our board of directors is authorized to designate and issue up to 2,714,048 remaining shares of preferred stock.  Our board of directors may determine the rights, preferences, privileges and restrictions, including voting rights, dividend rights, conversion rights, redemption privileges and liquidation preferences, of each series of preferred stock, any or all of which may be more favorable than the rights of our common stock. The issuance of our preferred stock could adversely affect the voting power of holders of common stock and the likelihood that such holders will receive dividend payments and payments upon our liquidation. In addition, the issuance

8


 

of preferred stock could have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change in control of our company or other corporate action.  

We filed a Certificate of Designation of Preferences, Rights and Limitations of Class X Convertible Preferred Stock with the Secretary of State of Delaware on August 28, 2017 (the “Certificate of Designation”), pursuant to which we designated 2,285,952 shares of authorized and unissued preferred stock as Class X Convertible Preferred Stock (the “Preferred Shares”). Each Preferred Share is convertible into five shares of common stock (subject to adjustment for stock dividends, stock splits, combinations and the like).   The current holder of the Preferred Shares will be prohibited from converting their Preferred Shares into shares of common stock if, as a result of such conversion, such holder, together with any other persons whose beneficial ownership of our common stock would be aggregated with such holder’s for purposes of Section 13(d) and Section 16 of the Exchange Act and the applicable regulations of the SEC, would beneficially own more than 9.50% of the shares of our common stock then issued and outstanding, which percentage may change at such holder’s election upon 61 days’ notice to us. Additionally, in the event of certain fundamental transactions, including (i) any merger or consolidation of the Company with or into another individual or corporation, partnership, trust, incorporated or unincorporated association, joint venture, limited liability company, joint stock company, government (or an agency or subdivision thereof) or other entity of any kind, in which the Company is not the survivor or the stockholders of the Company immediately prior to such merger or consolidation do not own, directly or indirectly, at least 50% of the voting securities of the surviving entity, (ii) any sale of all or substantially all of its assets or a majority of its common stock is acquired by a third party, in each case, in one or a series of related transactions, (iii) any tender offer or exchange offer (whether by the Company or another person) is completed pursuant to which all or substantially all of the holders of common stock are permitted to tender or exchange their shares for other securities, cash or property, or (iv) any reclassification of the common stock or any compulsory share exchange pursuant to which the common stock is effectively converted into or exchanged for other securities, cash or property (other than as a result of certain subdivisions or combinations of shares of common stock) each share of Class X Convertible Preferred Stock outstanding immediately prior to such fundamental transaction will automatically convert into shares of common stock at the applicable conversion ratio.

In the event of our liquidation, dissolution or winding up, holders of Preferred Shares will participate pari passu with the holders of our common stock in any distribution of proceeds, pro rata based on the number of shares held by each such holder on an as-converted basis.  The Preferred Shares have no voting rights.  Holders of the Preferred Shares are entitled to receive, on an as-converted-to-common-stock basis, dividends that are equal to dividends actually paid on shares of common stock, when, as and if such dividends are paid on shares of the common stock.

The purpose of authorizing our board of directors to issue preferred stock in one or more series and determine the number of shares in the series and its rights and preferences is to eliminate delays associated with a stockholder vote on specific issuances. Examples of rights and preferences that the Board may fix are:

 

dividend rights;

 

conversion rights;

 

voting rights;

 

terms of redemption;

 

liquidation preferences;

 

sinking fund terms; and

 

the number of shares constituting, or the designation of, such series, any or all of which may be greater than the rights of common stock.

The existence of authorized but unissued shares of undesignated preferred stock may enable our board of directors to render more difficult or to discourage an attempt to obtain control of us by means of a merger, tender offer, proxy contest or otherwise. For example, if in the due exercise of its fiduciary obligations, our board of directors were to determine that a takeover proposal is not in the best interests of us or our stockholders, our board of directors could cause shares of preferred stock to be issued without stockholder approval in one or more private offerings or other transactions that might dilute the voting or other rights of the proposed acquirer, stockholder or stockholder group. The rights of holders of our common stock described above, will be subject to, and may be adversely affected by, the rights of any preferred stock that we may designate and issue in the future. The issuance of shares of undesignated preferred stock could decrease the amount of earnings and assets available for distribution to holders of shares of common stock. The issuance may also adversely affect the rights and powers, including voting rights, of these holders and may have the effect of delaying, deterring or preventing a change in control of us.

We will incorporate by reference as an exhibit to the registration statement, which includes this prospectus, the form of any certificate of designation that describes the terms of the series of preferred stock we are offering. This description and the applicable prospectus supplement will include:

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the title and stated value;

 

the number of shares authorized;

 

the liquidation preference per share;

 

the purchase price;

 

the dividend rate, period and payment date, and method of calculation for dividends;

 

whether dividends will be cumulative or non-cumulative and, if cumulative, the date from which dividends will accumulate;

 

the procedures for any auction and remarketing, if any;

 

the provisions for a sinking fund, if any;

 

the provisions for redemption or repurchase, if applicable, and any restrictions on our ability to exercise those redemption and repurchase rights;

 

any listing of the preferred stock on any securities exchange or market;

 

whether the preferred stock will be convertible into our common stock, and, if applicable, the conversion price, or how it will be calculated, and the conversion period;

 

whether the preferred stock will be exchangeable into debt securities, and, if applicable, the exchange price, or how it will be calculated, and the exchange period;

 

voting rights, if any, of the preferred stock;

 

preemptive rights, if any;

 

restrictions on transfer, sale or other assignment, if any;

 

whether interests in the preferred stock will be represented by depositary shares;

 

a discussion of any material United States federal income tax considerations applicable to the preferred stock;

 

the relative ranking and preferences of the preferred stock as to dividend rights and rights if we liquidate, dissolve or wind up our affairs;

 

any 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 if we liquidate, dissolve or wind up our affairs; and

 

any other specific terms, preferences, rights or limitations of, or restrictions on, the preferred stock.

When we issue shares of preferred stock under this prospectus, the shares will fully be paid and nonassessable and will not be subject to any preemptive or similar rights.

Provisions of our Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws and Delaware Anti-Takeover Law

Certain provisions of the Delaware General Corporation Law (“DGCL”) and of our certificate of incorporation and bylaws could have the effect of delaying, deferring or discouraging another party from acquiring control of us. These provisions, which are summarized below, are expected to discourage certain types of coercive takeover practices and inadequate takeover bids and, as a consequence, they might also inhibit temporary fluctuations in the market price of our common stock that often result from actual or rumored hostile takeover attempts. These provisions are also designed in part to encourage anyone seeking to acquire control of us to first negotiate with our board of directors. These provisions might also have the effect of preventing changes in our management. It is possible that these provisions could make it more difficult to accomplish transactions that stockholders might otherwise deem to be in their best interests. However, we believe that the advantages gained by protecting our ability to negotiate with any unsolicited and potentially unfriendly acquirer outweigh the disadvantages of discouraging such proposals, including those priced above the then-current market value of our common stock, because, among other reasons, the negotiation of such proposals could improve their terms.  

Provisions of our Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws

Our certificate of incorporation and bylaws include a number of provisions that may have the effect of delaying, deferring or discouraging another party from acquiring control of us and encouraging persons considering unsolicited tender offers or other unilateral takeover proposals to negotiate with our board of directors rather than pursue non-negotiated takeover attempts. These provisions include the items described below.

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Board Composition and Filling Vacancies. Our certificate of incorporation provides for the division of our board of directors into three classes serving staggered three-year terms, with one class being elected each year. Our certificate of incorporation also provides that directors may be removed only for cause and then only by the affirmative vote of the holders of 75% or more of the shares then entitled to vote at an election of directors. Furthermore, any vacancy on our board of directors, however occurring, including a vacancy resulting from an increase in the size of our board, may only be filled by the affirmative vote of a majority of our directors then in office even if less than a quorum.

No Written Consent of Stockholders. Our certificate of incorporation provides that all stockholder actions are required to be taken by a vote of the stockholders at an annual or special meeting, and that stockholders may not take any action by written consent in lieu of a meeting.

Meetings of Stockholders. Our certificate of incorporation and bylaws provide that only a majority of the members of our board of directors then in office may call special meetings of stockholders and only those matters set forth in the notice of the special meeting may be considered or acted upon at a special meeting of stockholders. Our bylaws limit the business that may be conducted at an annual meeting of stockholders to those matters properly brought before the meeting.

Advance Notice Requirements. Our bylaws establish advance notice procedures with regard to stockholder proposals relating to the nomination of candidates for election as directors or new business to be brought before meetings of our stockholders. These procedures provide that notice of stockholder proposals must be timely given in writing to our corporate secretary prior to the meeting at which the action is to be taken. Generally, to be timely, notice must be received at our principal executive offices not less than 90 days nor more than 120 days prior to the first anniversary date of the annual meeting for the preceding year. Our bylaws specify the requirements as to form and content of all stockholders’ notices.

Amendment to Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws. As required by the DGCL, any amendment of our certificate of incorporation must first be approved by a majority of our board of directors, and if required by law or our certificate of incorporation, must thereafter be approved by a majority of the outstanding shares entitled to vote on the amendment and a majority of the outstanding shares of each class entitled to vote thereon as a class, except that the amendment of the provisions relating to stockholder action, board composition, limitation of liability and the amendment of our certificate of incorporation must be approved by not less than 75% of the outstanding shares entitled to vote on the amendment, and not less than 75% of the outstanding shares of each class entitled to vote thereon as a class. Our bylaws may be amended by the affirmative vote of a majority of the directors then in office, subject to any limitations set forth in the bylaws; and may also be amended by the affirmative vote of at least 75% of the outstanding shares entitled to vote on the amendment, or, if our board of directors recommends that the stockholders approve the amendment, by the affirmative vote of the majority of the outstanding shares entitled to vote on the amendment, in each case voting together as a single class.

Undesignated Preferred Stock. Our certificate of incorporation provides for 5,000,000 authorized shares of undesignated preferred stock, of which 2,285,952 shares have been designated as Class X Convertible Preferred Stock. Our other classes of designated preferred stock may not be issued. The existence of authorized but unissued shares of undesignated preferred stock may enable our board of directors to discourage an attempt to obtain control of us by means of a merger, tender offer, proxy contest or otherwise. For example, if in the due exercise of its fiduciary obligations, our board of directors were to determine that a takeover proposal is not in the best interests of our stockholders, our board of directors could cause shares of preferred stock to be issued without stockholder approval in one or more private offerings or other transactions that might dilute the voting or other rights of the proposed acquirer or insurgent stockholder or stockholder group. In this regard, our certificate of incorporation grants our board of directors broad power to establish the rights and preferences of authorized and unissued shares of preferred stock. The issuance of shares of undesignated preferred stock could decrease the amount of earnings and assets available for distribution to holders of shares of common stock. The issuance may also adversely affect the rights and powers, including voting rights, of these holders and may have the effect of delaying, deterring or preventing a change in control of us.

Delaware Anti-Takeover Law. We are subject to the provisions of Section 203 of the DGCL. In general, Section 203 prohibits a publicly held Delaware corporation from engaging in a “business combination” with an “interested stockholder” for a three-year period following the time that this stockholder becomes an interested stockholder, unless the business combination is approved in a prescribed manner. Under Section 203, a business combination between a corporation and an interested stockholder is prohibited unless it satisfies one of the following conditions:

 

before the stockholder became interested, the board of directors approved either the business combination or the transaction which resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder;

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upon consummation of the transaction which resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder, the interested stockholder owned at least 85% of the voting stock of the corporation outstanding at the time the transaction commenced, excluding for purposes of determining the voting stock outstanding, shares owned by persons who are directors and also officers, and employee stock plans, in some instances; or

 

at or after the time the stockholder became interested, the business combination was approved by the board of directors of the corporation and authorized at an annual or special meeting of the stockholders by the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the outstanding voting stock which is not owned by the interested stockholder.

Section 203 defines a business combination to include:

 

any merger or consolidation involving the corporation and the interested stockholder;

 

any sale, transfer, lease, pledge or other disposition involving the interested stockholder of 10% or more of the assets of the corporation;

 

subject to exceptions, any transaction that results in the issuance or transfer by the corporation of any stock of the corporation to the interested stockholder;

 

subject to exceptions, any transaction involving the corporation that has the effect of increasing the proportionate share of the stock of any class or series of the corporation beneficially owned by the interested stockholder; and

 

the receipt by the interested stockholder of the benefit of any loans, advances, guarantees, pledges or other financial benefits provided by or through the corporation.

In general, Section 203 defines an interested stockholder as any entity or person beneficially owning or having owned in the past three years 15% or more of the outstanding voting stock of the corporation and any entity or person affiliated with or controlling or controlled by the entity or person.

Exclusive Jurisdiction of Certain Actions. Our bylaws provide that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware shall be the sole and exclusive forum for (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf, (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any of our directors, officers or other employees to us or our stockholders, (iii) any action asserting a claim arising pursuant to any provision of the DGCL, our certificate of incorporation or our bylaws, or (iv) any action asserting a claim against us governed by the internal affairs doctrine. Although we believe this provision benefits us by providing increased consistency in the application of Delaware law in the types of lawsuits to which it applies, the provision may have the effect of discouraging lawsuits against our directors and officers. The enforceability of similar exclusive forum provisions in other companies’ certificates of incorporation or bylaws has been challenged in legal proceedings, and it is possible that a court could rule that this provision in our bylaws is inapplicable or unenforceable.

 

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DESCRIPTION OF DEBT SECURITIES

This section describes the general terms and provisions of our debt securities that we may issue from time to time. We may issue debt securities, in one or more series, as either senior or subordinated debt or as senior or subordinated convertible debt. While the terms we have summarized below will apply generally to any future debt securities we may offer under this prospectus, the applicable prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus will describe the specific terms of any debt securities offered through that prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus. The terms of any debt securities we offer under a prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus may differ from the terms we describe below. Unless the context requires otherwise, whenever we refer to the “indentures,” we also are referring to any supplemental indentures that specify the terms of a particular series of debt securities.

We will issue any senior debt securities under the senior indenture that we will enter into with the trustee named in the senior indenture. We will issue any subordinated debt securities under the subordinated indenture that we will enter into with the trustee named in the subordinated indenture. We have filed forms of these documents as exhibits to the registration statement, of which this prospectus is a part, and supplemental indentures and forms of debt securities containing the terms of the debt securities being offered will be filed as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part or will be incorporated by reference from reports that we file with the SEC.

The indentures will be qualified under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended, or the Trust Indenture Act. We use the term “trustee” to refer to either the trustee under the senior indenture or the trustee under the subordinated indenture, as applicable.

The following summaries of material provisions of the senior debt securities, the subordinated debt securities and the indentures are subject to, and qualified in their entirety by reference to, all of the provisions of the indenture applicable to a particular series of debt securities. We urge you to read the applicable prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus and any related free writing prospectuses related to the debt securities that we may offer under this prospectus, as well as the complete applicable indenture that contains the terms of the debt securities. Except as we may otherwise indicate, the terms of the senior indenture and the subordinated indenture are identical.

General

We will describe in the applicable prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus the terms of the series of debt securities being offered, including:

 

the title;

 

the principal amount being offered, and if a series, the total amount authorized and the total amount outstanding;

 

any limit on the amount that may be issued;

 

whether or not we will issue the series of debt securities in global form, and, if so, the terms and who the depository will be;

 

the maturity date;

 

whether and under what circumstances, if any, we will pay additional amounts on any debt securities held by a person who is not a United States person for tax purposes, and whether we can redeem the debt securities if we have to pay such additional amounts;

 

the annual interest rate, which may be fixed or variable, or the method for determining the rate and the date interest will begin to accrue, the dates interest will be payable and the regular record dates for interest payment dates or the method for determining such dates;

 

whether or not the debt securities will be secured or unsecured, and the terms of any secured debt;

 

the terms of the subordination of any series of subordinated debt;

 

the place where payments will be payable;

 

restrictions on transfer, sale or other assignment, if any;

 

our right, if any, to defer payment of interest and the maximum length of any such deferral period;

 

the date, if any, after which, the conditions upon which, and the price at which, we may, at our option, redeem the series of debt securities pursuant to any optional or provisional redemption provisions and the terms of those redemption provisions;

 

the date, if any, on which, and the price at which we are obligated, pursuant to any mandatory sinking fund or analogous fund provisions or otherwise, to redeem, or at the holder’s option, to purchase, the series of debt securities and the currency or currency unit in which the debt securities are payable;

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whether the indenture will restrict our ability or the ability of our subsidiaries to:

 

o

incur additional indebtedness;

 

o

issue additional securities;

 

o

create liens;

 

o

pay dividends or make distributions in respect of our capital stock or the capital stock of our subsidiaries;

 

o

redeem capital stock;

 

o

place restrictions on our subsidiaries’ ability to pay dividends, make distributions or transfer assets;

 

o

make investments or other restricted payments;

 

o

sell or otherwise dispose of assets;

 

o

enter into sale-leaseback transactions;

 

o

engage in transactions with stockholders or affiliates;

 

o

issue or sell stock of our subsidiaries; or

 

o

effect a consolidation or merger;

 

whether the indenture will require us to maintain any interest coverage, fixed charge, cash flow-based, asset-based or other financial ratios;

 

a discussion of certain material or special United States federal income tax considerations applicable to the debt securities;

 

information describing any book-entry features;

 

provisions for a sinking fund purchase or other analogous fund, if any;

 

the applicability of the provisions in the indenture on discharge;

 

whether the debt securities are to be offered at a price such that they will be deemed to be offered at an “original issue discount” as defined in paragraph (a) of Section 1273 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended;

 

the denominations in which we will issue the series of debt securities, if other than denominations of $1,000 and any integral multiple thereof;

 

the currency of payment of debt securities if other than U.S. dollars and the manner of determining the equivalent amount in U.S. dollars; and

 

any other specific terms, preferences, rights or limitations of, or restrictions on, the debt securities, including any additional events of default or covenants provided with respect to the debt securities, and any terms that may be required by us or advisable under applicable laws or regulations or advisable in connection with the marketing of the debt securities.

Conversion or Exchange Rights

We will set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus the terms on which a series of debt securities may be convertible into or exchangeable for our common stock, our preferred stock or other securities (including securities of a third-party). We will include provisions as to whether conversion or exchange is mandatory, at the option of the holder or at our option. We may include provisions pursuant to which the number of shares of our common stock, our preferred stock or other securities (including securities of a third-party) that the holders of the series of debt securities receive would be subject to adjustment.

Consolidation, Merger or Sale

Unless we provide otherwise in the prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus applicable to a particular series of debt securities, the indentures will not contain any covenant that restricts our ability to merge or consolidate, or sell, convey, transfer or otherwise dispose of all or substantially all of our assets. However, any successor to or acquirer of such assets must assume all of our obligations under the indentures or the debt securities, as appropriate. If the debt securities are convertible into or exchangeable for other securities of ours or securities of other entities, the person with whom we consolidate or merge or to whom we sell all of our property must make provisions for the conversion of the debt securities into securities that the holders of the debt securities would have received if they had converted the debt securities before the consolidation, merger or sale.

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Events of Default Under the Indenture

Unless we provide otherwise in the prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus applicable to a particular series of debt securities, the following are events of default under the indentures with respect to any series of debt securities that we may issue:

 

if we fail to pay interest when due and payable and our failure continues for 90 days and the time for payment has not been extended;

 

if we fail to pay the principal, premium or sinking fund payment, if any, when due and payable at maturity, upon redemption or repurchase or otherwise, and the time for payment has not been extended;

 

if we fail to observe or perform any other covenant contained in the debt securities or the indentures, other than a covenant specifically relating to another series of debt securities, and our failure continues for 90 days after we receive notice from the trustee or holders of at least 25% in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of the applicable series; and

 

if specified events of bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization occur.

We will describe in each applicable prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus any additional events of default relating to the relevant series of debt securities.

If an event of default with respect to debt securities of any series occurs and is continuing, other than an event of default specified in the last bullet point above, the trustee or the holders of at least 25% in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series, by notice to us in writing, and to the trustee if notice is given by such holders, may declare the unpaid principal, premium, if any, and accrued interest, if any, due and payable immediately. If an event of default specified in the last bullet point above occurs with respect to us, the unpaid principal, premium, if any, and accrued interest, if any, of each issue of debt securities then outstanding shall be due and payable without any notice or other action on the part of the trustee or any holder.

The holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of an affected series may waive any default or event of default with respect to the series and its consequences, except defaults or events of default regarding payment of principal, premium, if any, or interest, unless we have cured the default or event of default in accordance with the indenture. Any waiver shall cure the default or event of default.

Subject to the terms of the indentures, if an event of default under an indenture shall occur and be continuing, the trustee will be under no obligation to exercise any of its rights or powers under such indenture at the request or direction of any of the holders of the applicable series of debt securities, unless such holders have offered the trustee reasonable indemnity or security satisfactory to it against any loss, liability or expense. The holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of any series will have the right to direct the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the trustee, or exercising any trust or power conferred on the trustee, with respect to the debt securities of that series, provided that:

 

the direction so given by the holder is not in conflict with any law or the applicable indenture; and

 

subject to its duties under the Trust Indenture Act, the trustee need not take any action that might involve it in personal liability or might be unduly prejudicial to the holders not involved in the proceeding.

A holder of the debt securities of any series will have the right to institute a proceeding under the indentures or to appoint a receiver or trustee, or to seek other remedies if:

 

the holder has given written notice to the trustee of a continuing event of default with respect to that series;

 

the holders of at least 25% in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series have made written request, and such holders have offered reasonable indemnity to the trustee or security satisfactory to it against any loss, liability or expense or to be incurred in compliance with instituting the proceeding as trustee; and

 

the trustee does not institute the proceeding, and does not receive from the holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series other conflicting directions within 90 days after the notice, request and offer.

These limitations do not apply to a suit instituted by a holder of debt securities if we default in the payment of the principal, premium, if any, or interest on, the debt securities, or other defaults that may be specified in the applicable prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus.

We will periodically file statements with the trustee regarding our compliance with specified covenants in the indentures.

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Modification of Indenture; Waiver

Subject to the terms of the indenture for any series of debt securities that we may issue, we and the trustee may change an indenture without the consent of any holders with respect to the following specific matters:

 

to fix any ambiguity, defect or inconsistency in the indenture;

 

to comply with the provisions described above under “Description of Our Debt Securities—Consolidation, Merger or Sale;”

 

to comply with any requirements of the SEC in connection with the qualification of any indenture under the Trust Indenture Act;

 

to add to, delete from or revise the conditions, limitations, and restrictions on the authorized amount, terms, or purposes of issue, authentication and delivery of debt securities, as set forth in the indenture;

 

to provide for the issuance of and establish the form and terms and conditions of the debt securities of any series as provided under “Description of Our Debt Securities—General,” to establish the form of any certifications required to be furnished pursuant to the terms of the indenture or any series of debt securities, or to add to the rights of the holders of any series of debt securities;

 

to evidence and provide for the acceptance of appointment hereunder by a successor trustee;

 

to provide for uncertificated debt securities and to make all appropriate changes for such purpose;

 

to add to our covenants such new covenants, restrictions, conditions or provisions for the benefit of the holders, to make the occurrence, or the occurrence and the continuance, of a default in any such additional covenants, restrictions, conditions or provisions an event of default or to surrender any right or power conferred to us in the indenture; or

 

to change anything that does not materially adversely affect the interests of any holder of debt securities of any series.

In addition, under the indentures, the rights of holders of a series of debt securities may be changed by us and the trustee with the written consent of the holders of at least a majority in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of each series that is affected. However, subject to the terms of the indenture for any series of debt securities that we may issue or as otherwise provided in the prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus applicable to a particular series of debt securities, we and the trustee may make the following changes only with the consent of each holder of any outstanding debt securities affected:

 

extending the stated maturity of the series of debt securities;

 

reducing the principal amount, reducing the rate of or extending the time of payment of interest, or reducing any premium payable upon the redemption or repurchase of any debt securities; or

 

reducing the percentage of debt securities, the holders of which are required to consent to any amendment, supplement, modification or waiver.

Discharge

Each indenture provides that, subject to the terms of the indenture and any limitation otherwise provided in the prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus applicable to a particular series of debt securities, we can elect to be discharged from our obligations with respect to one or more series of debt securities, except for specified obligations, including obligations to:

 

register the transfer or exchange of debt securities of the series;

 

replace stolen, lost or mutilated debt securities of the series;

 

maintain paying agencies;

 

hold monies for payment in trust;

 

recover excess money held by the trustee;

 

compensate and indemnify the trustee; and

 

appoint any successor trustee.

In order to exercise our rights to be discharged, we must deposit with the trustee money or government obligations sufficient to pay all the principal of, any premium and interest on, the debt securities of the series on the dates payments are due.

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Form, Exchange and Transfer

We will issue the debt securities of each series only in fully registered form without coupons and, unless we otherwise specify in the applicable prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus, in denominations of $1,000 and any integral multiple thereof. The indentures provide that we may issue debt securities of a series in temporary or permanent global form and as book-entry securities that will be deposited with, or on behalf of, The Depository Trust Company or another depository named by us and identified in a prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus with respect to that series.

At the option of the holder, subject to the terms of the indentures and the limitations applicable to global securities described in the applicable prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus, the holder of the debt securities of any series can exchange the debt securities for other debt securities of the same series, in any authorized denomination and of like tenor and aggregate principal amount.

Subject to the terms of the indentures and the limitations applicable to global securities set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus, holders of the debt securities may present the debt securities for exchange or for registration of transfer, duly endorsed or with the form of transfer endorsed thereon duly executed if so required by us or the security registrar, at the office of the security registrar or at the office of any transfer agent designated by us for this purpose. Unless otherwise provided in the debt securities that the holder presents for transfer or exchange, we will make no service charge for any registration of transfer or exchange, but we may require payment of any taxes or other governmental charges.

We will name in the applicable prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus the security registrar, and any transfer agent in addition to the security registrar, that we initially designate for any debt securities. We may at any time designate additional transfer agents or rescind the designation of any transfer agent or approve a change in the office through which any transfer agent acts, except that we will be required to maintain a transfer agent in each place of payment for the debt securities of each series. If we elect to redeem the debt securities of any series, we will not be required to:

 

issue, register the transfer of, or exchange any debt securities of that series during a period beginning at the opening of business 15 days before the day of mailing of a notice of redemption of any debt securities that may be selected for redemption and ending at the close of business on the day of the mailing; or

 

register the transfer of or exchange any debt securities so selected for redemption, in whole or in part, except the unredeemed portion of any debt securities we are redeeming in part.

Information Concerning the Trustee

The trustee, other than during the occurrence and continuance of an event of default under an indenture, undertakes to perform only those duties as are specifically set forth in the applicable indenture. Upon an event of default under an indenture, the trustee must use the same degree of care as a prudent person would exercise or use in the conduct of his or her own affairs.

Subject to this provision, the trustee is under no obligation to exercise any of the powers given it by the indentures at the request of any holder of debt securities unless it is offered reasonable security and indemnity against the costs, expenses and liabilities that it might incur.

Payment and Paying Agents

Unless we otherwise indicate in the applicable prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus, we will make payment of the interest on any debt securities on any interest payment date to the person in whose name the debt securities, or one or more predecessor securities, are registered at the close of business on the regular record date for the interest.

We will pay principal of and any premium and interest on the debt securities of a particular series at the office of the paying agents designated by us, except that unless we otherwise indicate in the applicable prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus, we will make interest payments by check that we will mail to the holder or by wire transfer to certain holders. Unless we otherwise indicate in the applicable prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus, we will designate the corporate trust office of the trustee as our sole paying agent for payments with respect to debt securities of each series. We will name in the applicable prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus any other paying agents that we initially designate for the debt securities of a particular series. We will maintain a paying agent in each place of payment for the debt securities of a particular series.

All money we pay to a paying agent or the trustee for the payment of the principal of or any premium or interest on any debt securities that remains unclaimed at the end of two years after such principal, premium or interest has become due and payable will be repaid to us, and the holder of the debt security thereafter may look only to us for payment thereof.

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Governing Law

The indentures and the debt securities will be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York, except to the extent that the Trust Indenture Act is applicable.

Ranking of Debt Securities

The subordinated debt securities will be subordinate and junior in priority of payment to certain of our other indebtedness to the extent described in a prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus. The subordinated indenture does not limit the amount of subordinated debt securities that we may issue. It also does not limit us from issuing any other secured or unsecured debt.

The senior debt securities will rank equally in right of payment to all our other senior unsecured debt. The senior indenture does not limit the amount of senior debt securities that we may issue. It also does not limit us from issuing any other secured or unsecured debt.

 

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DESCRIPTION OF WARRANTS

The following description, together with the additional information we may include in any applicable prospectus supplements, summarizes the material terms and provisions of the warrants that we may offer under this prospectus and the related warrant agreements and warrant certificates. While the terms summarized below will apply generally to any warrants that we may offer, we will describe the particular terms of any series of warrants in more detail in the applicable prospectus supplement. If we indicate in the prospectus supplement, the terms of any warrants offered under that prospectus supplement may differ from the terms described below. Specific warrant agreements will contain additional important terms and provisions and will be incorporated by reference as an exhibit to the registration statement, which includes this prospectus.

General

We may issue warrants for the purchase of common stock, preferred stock and/or debt securities in one or more series. We may issue warrants independently or together with common stock, preferred stock and/or debt securities, and the warrants may be attached to or separate from these securities.

We will evidence each series of warrants by warrant certificates that we will issue under a separate warrant agreement. We will enter into the warrant agreement with a warrant agent. We will indicate the name and address of the warrant agent in the applicable prospectus supplement relating to a particular series of warrants.

We will describe in the applicable prospectus supplement the terms of the series of warrants, including:

 

the offering price and aggregate number of warrants offered;

 

the currency for which the warrants may be purchased;

 

if applicable, the designation and terms of the securities with which the warrants are issued and the number of warrants issued with each such security or each principal amount of such security;

 

if applicable, the date on and after which the warrants and the related securities will be separately transferable;

 

in the case of warrants to purchase debt securities, the principal amount of debt securities purchasable upon exercise of one warrant and the price at, and currency in which, this principal amount of debt securities may be purchased upon such exercise;

 

in the case of warrants to purchase common stock or preferred stock, the number of shares of common stock or preferred stock, as the case may be, purchasable upon the exercise of one warrant and the price at which these shares may be purchased upon such exercise;

 

the effect of any merger, consolidation, sale or other disposition of our business on the warrant agreement and the warrants;

 

the terms of any rights to redeem or call the warrants;

 

any provisions for changes to or adjustments in the exercise price or number of securities issuable upon exercise of the warrants;

 

the periods during which, and places at which, the warrants are exercisable;

 

the manner of exercise;

 

the dates on which the right to exercise the warrants will commence and expire;

 

the manner in which the warrant agreement and warrants may be modified;

 

federal income tax consequences of holding or exercising the warrants;

 

the terms of the securities issuable upon exercise of the warrants; and

 

any other specific terms, preferences, rights or limitations of or restrictions on the warrants.

  

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DESCRIPTION OF UNITS

We may issue units comprised of shares of common stock, shares of preferred stock, debt securities and warrants in any combination. We may issue units in such amounts and in as many distinct series as we wish. This section outlines certain provisions of the units that we may issue. If we issue units, they will be issued under one or more unit agreements to be entered into between us and a bank or other financial institution, as unit agent. The information described in this section may not be complete in all respects and is qualified entirely by reference to the unit agreement with respect to the units of any particular series. The specific terms of any series of units offered will be described in the applicable prospectus supplement. If so described in a particular supplement, the specific terms of any series of units may differ from the general description of terms presented below. We urge you to read any prospectus supplement related to any series of units we may offer, as well as the complete unit agreement and unit certificate that contain the terms of the units. If we issue units, forms of unit agreements and unit certificates relating to such units will be incorporated by reference as exhibits to the registration statement, which includes this prospectus.

Each unit that we may issue will be issued so that the holder of the unit is also the holder of each security included in the unit. Thus, the holder of a unit will have the rights and obligations of a holder of each included security. The unit agreement under which a unit is issued may provide that the securities included in the unit may not be held or transferred separately, at any time or at any time before a specified date. The applicable prospectus supplement may describe:

 

 

 

the designation and terms of the units and of the securities comprising the units, including whether and under what circumstances those securities may be held or transferred separately;

 

 

 

any provisions of the governing unit agreement;

 

 

 

the price or prices at which such units will be issued;

 

 

 

the applicable United States federal income tax considerations relating to the units;

 

 

 

any provisions for the issuance, payment, settlement, transfer or exchange of the units or of the securities comprising the units; and

 

 

 

any other terms of the units and of the securities comprising the units.

The provisions described in this section, as well as those described under “Description of Capital Stock,” “Description of Debt Securities” and “Description of Warrants” will apply to the securities included in each unit, to the extent relevant and as may be updated in any prospectus supplements.

Issuance in Series

We may issue units in such amounts and in as many distinct series as we wish. This section summarizes terms of the units that apply generally to all series. Most of the financial and other specific terms of a particular series of units will be described in the applicable prospectus supplement.

Unit Agreements

We will issue the units under one or more unit agreements to be entered into between us and a bank or other financial institution, as unit agent. We may add, replace or terminate unit agents from time to time. We will identify the unit agreement under which each series of units will be issued and the unit agent under that agreement in the applicable prospectus supplement.

The following provisions will generally apply to all unit agreements unless otherwise stated in the applicable prospectus supplement:

Modification without Consent

We and the applicable unit agent may amend any unit or unit agreement without the consent of any holder:

 

to cure any ambiguity; any provisions of the governing unit agreement that differ from those described below;

 

to correct or supplement any defective or inconsistent provision; or

 

to make any other change that we believe is necessary or desirable and will not adversely affect the interests of the affected holders in any material respect.

We do not need any approval to make changes that affect only units to be issued after the changes take effect. We may also make changes that do not adversely affect a particular unit in any material respect, even if they adversely affect other units in a material

20


 

respect. In those cases, we do not need to obtain the approval of the holder of the unaffected unit; we need only obtain any required approvals from the holders of the affected units.

Modification with Consent

We may not amend any particular unit or a unit agreement with respect to any particular unit unless we obtain the consent of the holder of that unit, if the amendment would:

 

impair any right of the holder to exercise or enforce any right under a security included in the unit if the terms of that security require the consent of the holder to any changes that would impair the exercise or enforcement of that right; or

 

reduce the percentage of outstanding units or any series or class the consent of whose holders is required to amend that series or class, or the applicable unit agreement with respect to that series or class, as described below.

Any other change to a particular unit agreement and the units issued under that agreement would require the following approval:

 

If the change affects only the units of a particular series issued under that agreement, the change must be approved by the holders of a majority of the outstanding units of that series; or

 

If the change affects the units of more than one series issued under that agreement, it must be approved by the holders of a majority of all outstanding units of all series affected by the change, with the units of all the affected series voting together as one class for this purpose.

These provisions regarding changes with majority approval also apply to changes affecting any securities issued under a unit agreement, as the governing document.

In each case, the required approval must be given by written consent.

Unit Agreements Will Not Be Qualified under Trust Indenture Act

No unit agreement will be qualified as an indenture, and no unit agent will be required to qualify as a trustee, under the Trust Indenture Act. Therefore, holders of units issued under unit agreements will not have the protections of the Trust Indenture Act with respect to their units.

 Mergers and Similar Transactions Permitted; No Restrictive Covenants or Events of Default

The unit agreements will not restrict our ability to merge or consolidate with, or sell our assets to, another corporation or other entity or to engage in any other transactions. If at any time we merge or consolidate with, or sell our assets substantially as an entirety to, another corporation or other entity, the successor entity will succeed to and assume our obligations under the unit agreements. We will then be relieved of any further obligation under these agreements.

The unit agreements will not include any restrictions on our ability to put liens on our assets, nor will they restrict our ability to sell our assets. The unit agreements also will not provide for any events of default or remedies upon the occurrence of any events of default.

Governing Law

The unit agreements and the units will be governed by Delaware law.

Form, Exchange and Transfer

We will issue each unit in global—i.e., book-entry—form only. Units in book-entry form will be represented by a global security registered in the name of a depositary, which will be the holder of all the units represented by the global security. Those who own beneficial interests in a unit will do so through participants in the depositary’s system, and the rights of these indirect owners will be governed solely by the applicable procedures of the depositary and its participants. We will describe book-entry securities, and other terms regarding the issuance and registration of the units in the applicable prospectus supplement.

Each unit and all securities comprising the unit will be issued in the same form.

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If we issue any units in registered, non-global form, the following will apply to them.

The units will be issued in the denominations stated in the applicable prospectus supplement. Holders may exchange their units for units of smaller denominations or combined into fewer units of larger denominations, as long as the total amount is not changed.

 

Holders may exchange or transfer their units at the office of the unit agent. Holders may also replace lost, stolen, destroyed or mutilated units at that office. We may appoint another entity to perform these functions or perform them ourselves.

 

Holders will not be required to pay a service charge to transfer or exchange their units, but they may be required to pay for any tax or other governmental charge associated with the transfer or exchange. The transfer or exchange, and any replacement, will be made only if our transfer agent is satisfied with the holder’s proof of legal ownership. The transfer agent may also require an indemnity before replacing any units.

 

If we have the right to redeem, accelerate or settle any units before their maturity, and we exercise our right as to less than all those units or other securities, we may block the exchange or transfer of those units during the period beginning 15 days before the day we mail the notice of exercise and ending on the day of that mailing, in order to freeze the list of holders to prepare the mailing. We may also refuse to register transfers of or exchange any unit selected for early settlement, except that we will continue to permit transfers and exchanges of the unsettled portion of any unit being partially settled. We may also block the transfer or exchange of any unit in this manner if the unit includes securities that are or may be selected for early settlement.

Only the depositary will be entitled to transfer or exchange a unit in global form, since it will be the sole holder of the unit.

Payments and Notices

In making payments and giving notices with respect to our units, we will follow the procedures as described in the applicable prospectus supplement.

 

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PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

We may sell securities:

 

through underwriters;

 

through dealers;

 

through agents;

 

directly to purchasers; or

 

through a combination of any of these methods or any other method permitted by law.

In addition, we may issue the securities as a dividend or distribution or in a subscription rights offering to our existing security holders.

We may directly solicit offers to purchase securities, or agents may be designated to solicit such offers. In the prospectus supplement relating to such offering, we will name any agent that could be viewed as an underwriter under the Securities Act and describe any commissions that we must pay to any such agent. Any such agent will be acting on a best efforts basis for the period of its appointment or, if indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement, on a firm commitment basis. This prospectus may be used in connection with any offering of our securities through any of these methods or other methods described in the applicable prospectus supplement.

The distribution of the securities may be effected from time to time in one or more transactions:

 

at a fixed price, or prices, which may be changed from time to time;

 

at market prices prevailing at the time of sale;

 

at prices related to such prevailing market prices; or

 

at negotiated prices.

Each prospectus supplement will describe the method of distribution of the securities and any applicable restrictions.

The prospectus supplement with respect to the securities of a particular series will describe the terms of the offering of the securities, including the following:

 

the name of the agent or any underwriters;

 

the public offering or purchase price;

 

any discounts and commissions to be allowed or paid to the agent or underwriters;

 

all other items constituting underwriting compensation;

 

any discounts and commissions to be allowed or paid to dealers; and

 

any exchanges on which the securities will be listed.

If any underwriters or agents are used in the sale of the securities in respect of which this prospectus is delivered, we will enter into an underwriting agreement, sales agreement or other agreement with them at the time of sale to them, and we will set forth in the prospectus supplement relating to such offering the names of the underwriters or agents and the terms of the related agreement with them.

In connection with the offering of securities, we may grant to the underwriters an option to purchase additional securities with an additional underwriting commission, as may be set forth in the accompanying prospectus supplement. If we grant any such option, the terms of such option will be set forth in the prospectus supplement for such securities.

If a dealer is used in the sale of the securities in respect of which the prospectus is delivered, we will sell such securities to the dealer, as principal. The dealer, who may be deemed to be an “underwriter” as that term is defined in the Securities Act, may then resell such securities to the public at varying prices to be determined by such dealer at the time of resale.

23


 

If we offer securities in a subscription rights offering to our existing security holders, we may enter into a standby underwriting agreement with dealers, acting as standby underwriters. We may pay the standby underwriters a commitment fee for the securities they commit to purchase on a standby basis. If we do not enter into a standby underwriting arrangement, we may retain a dealer-manager to manage a subscription rights offering for us.

Agents, underwriters, dealers and other persons may be entitled under agreements which they may enter into with us to indemnification by us against certain civil liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, and may be customers of, engage in transactions with or perform services for us in the ordinary course of business.

If so indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement, we will authorize underwriters 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 the 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 the 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 not be subject to any conditions except that:

 

the purchase by an institution of the securities covered under that contract shall not at the time of delivery be prohibited under the laws of the jurisdiction to which that institution is subject; and

 

if the securities are also being sold to underwriters acting as principals for their own account, the underwriters shall have purchased such securities not sold for delayed delivery. The underwriters and other persons acting as our agents will not have any responsibility in respect of the validity or performance of delayed delivery contracts.

Offered securities may also be offered and sold, if so indicated in the prospectus supplement, in connection with a remarketing upon their purchase, in accordance with a redemption or repayment pursuant to their terms, or otherwise, by one or more remarketing firms, acting as principals for their own accounts or as agents for us. Any remarketing firm will be identified and the terms of its agreement, if any, with us and its compensation will be described in the applicable prospectus supplement. Remarketing firms may be deemed to be underwriters in connection with their remarketing of offered securities.

Certain agents, underwriters and dealers, and their associates and affiliates, may be customers of, have borrowing relationships with, engage in other transactions with, or perform services, including investment banking services, for us or one or more of our respective affiliates in the ordinary course of business.

In order to facilitate the offering of the securities, any underwriters may engage in transactions that stabilize, maintain or otherwise affect the price of the securities or any other securities the prices of which may be used to determine payments on such securities. Specifically, any underwriters may overallot in connection with the offering, creating a short position for their own accounts. In addition, to cover overallotments or to stabilize the price of the securities or of any such other securities, the underwriters may bid for, and purchase, the securities or any such other securities in the open market. Finally, in any offering of the securities through a syndicate of underwriters, the underwriting syndicate may reclaim selling concessions allowed to an underwriter or a dealer for distributing the securities in the offering if the syndicate repurchases previously distributed securities in transactions to cover syndicate short positions, in stabilization transactions or otherwise. Any of these activities may stabilize or maintain the market price of the securities above independent market levels. Any such underwriters are not required to engage in these activities and may end any of these activities at any time.

We may engage in at the market offerings into an existing trading market in accordance with Rule 415(a)(4) under the Securities Act. In addition, we may enter into derivative transactions with third parties, or sell securities not covered by this prospectus to third parties in privately negotiated transactions. If the applicable prospectus supplement so indicates, in connection with those derivatives, the third parties may sell securities covered by this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement, including in short sale transactions. If so, the third party may use securities pledged by us or borrowed from us or others to settle those sales or to close out any related open borrowings of stock, and may use securities received from us in settlement of those derivatives to close out any related open borrowings of stock. The third party in such sale transactions will be an underwriter and, if not identified in this prospectus, will be named in the applicable prospectus supplement (or a post-effective amendment). In addition, we may otherwise loan or pledge securities to a financial institution or other third party that in turn may sell the securities short using this prospectus and an applicable prospectus supplement. Such financial institution or other third party may transfer its economic short position to investors in our securities or in connection with a concurrent offering of other securities.

Under Rule 15c6-1 of the Exchange Act, trades in the secondary market generally are required to settle in three business days, unless the parties to any such trade expressly agree otherwise. The applicable prospectus supplement may provide that the original issue date for your securities may be more than three scheduled business days after the trade date for your securities. Accordingly, in such a

24


 

case, if you wish to trade securities on any date prior to the third business day before the original issue date for your securities, you will be required, by virtue of the fact that your securities initially are expected to settle in more than three scheduled business days after the trade date for your securities, to make alternative settlement arrangements to prevent a failed settlement.

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. We can make no assurance as to the liquidity of or the existence of trading markets for any of the securities.

The specific terms of any lock-up provisions in respect of any given offering will be described in the applicable prospectus supplement.

The underwriters, dealers and agents may engage in transactions with us, or perform services for us, in the ordinary course of business for which they receive compensation.

The anticipated date of delivery of offered securities will be set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement relating to each offer.

25


 

LEGAL MATTERS

Certain legal matters in connection with this offering will be passed upon for us by Goodwin Procter LLP, San Francisco, California. Any underwriters will also be advised about the validity of the securities and other legal matters by their own counsel, which will be named in the prospectus supplement.

EXPERTS

Ernst & Young LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, has audited our consolidated financial statements included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018, as set forth in their report, which is incorporated by reference in this prospectus and elsewhere in the registration statement. Our financial statements are incorporated by reference in reliance on Ernst & Young LLP’s report, given on their authority as experts in accounting and auditing.

WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

This prospectus is part of a registration statement that we have filed with the SEC. Certain information in the registration statement has been omitted from this prospectus in accordance with the rules of the SEC. We are subject to the information requirements of the Exchange Act and, in accordance therewith, file annual, quarterly and special reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. You may read and copy any document we file at the SEC’s Public Reference Room at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. You may call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for further information on the operation of the Public Reference Room. These documents also may be accessed through the SEC’s electronic data gathering, analysis and retrieval system, or EDGAR, via electronic means, including the SEC’s home page on the Internet (www.sec.gov).

We have the authority to designate and issue more than one class or series of stock having various preferences, conversion and other rights, voting powers, restrictions, limitations as to dividends, qualifications, and terms and conditions of redemption. See “Description of Capital Stock.” We will furnish a full statement of the relative rights and preferences of each class or series of our stock which has been so designated and any restrictions on the ownership or transfer of our stock to any stockholder upon request and without charge. Written requests for such copies should be directed to aTyr Pharma, Inc., 3545 John Hopkins Court, Suite 250, San Diego, CA 92121, Attention: Secretary, or by telephone request to (858) 731-8389. Our website is located at www.atyrpharma.com. Information contained on our website is not incorporated by reference into this prospectus and, therefore, is not part of this prospectus or any accompanying prospectus supplement.

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

The SEC allows us to incorporate by reference the information and reports we file with it, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to these documents. The information incorporated by reference is an important part of this prospectus, and information that we file later with the SEC will automatically update and supersede the information already incorporated by reference. We are incorporating by reference the documents listed below, which we have already filed with the SEC, and any future filings we make with the SEC under Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, including all filings made after the date of the filing of this registration statement and prior to the effectiveness of this registration statement, except as to any portion of any future report or document that is not deemed filed under such provisions, after the date of this prospectus and prior to the termination of this offering:

 

Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018;

 

The information specifically incorporated by reference into our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018 from our definitive proxy statement on Schedule 14A (other than information furnished rather than filed), which was filed with the SEC on March 28, 2019;

 

Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the SEC for the quarter ended March 31, 2019;

 

Current Reports on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on February 8, 2019, April 11, 2019,  May 10, 2019 and May 22, 2019 respectively; and

 

The description of our common stock contained in our registration statement on Form 8-A (Registration No. 001-37378) filed with the SEC on May 6, 2015 under Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act, including any amendments or reports filed for the purpose of updating such description.  

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Upon request, we will provide, without charge, to each person, including any beneficial owner, to whom a copy of this prospectus is delivered, a copy of the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus but not delivered with the prospectus. You may request a copy of these filings, and any exhibits we have specifically incorporated by reference as an exhibit in this prospectus, at no cost by writing or telephoning us at the following address: aTyr Pharma, Inc., 3545 John Hopkins Court, Suite 250, San Diego, CA 92121, Attention: Secretary, or by telephone request to (858) 731-8389.

You may also access these documents, free of charge on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov or on our website at www.atyrpharma.com. Information contained on our website is not incorporated by reference into this prospectus, and you should not consider any information on, or that can be accessed from, our website as part of this prospectus or any accompanying prospectus supplement.

This prospectus is part of a registration statement we filed with the SEC. We have incorporated exhibits into this registration statement. You should read the exhibits carefully for provisions that may be important to you.

You should rely only on the information incorporated by reference or provided in this prospectus or any prospectus supplement. We have not authorized anyone to provide you with different information. We are not making an offer of these securities in any state where the offer is not permitted. You should not assume that the information in this prospectus or in the documents incorporated by reference is accurate as of any date other than the date on the front of this prospectus or those documents.

27


 

 

 

$20,000,000

 

Common Stock

Preferred Stock

Debt Securities

Warrants

Units

 

 

PROSPECTUS

 

 

            , 2019

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 securities 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.  

 


 

SUBJECT TO COMPLETION,

DATED JUNE 18, 2019

 

 

The information in this preliminary prospectus is not complete and may be changed. These securities may not be sold until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This preliminary prospectus is not an offer to sell nor does it seek an offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.

 

 

PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT

 

 

 

 

 

Up to $3,300,000

Common Stock

 

 

We have entered into a common stock sales agreement, or the sales agreement, with H.C. Wainwright & Co., LLC, or Wainwright, dated May 21, 2019 as amended June 18, 2019, relating to shares of our common stock offered by this prospectus supplement.  In accordance with the terms of the sales agreement, we may offer and sell shares of our common stock having an aggregate offering price of up to $10,000,000 from time to time through or to Wainwright acting as our sales agent, as agent or principal.  This prospectus supplement is offering up to an aggregate of $3,300,000 in shares of our common stock.  We will be required to file another prospectus supplement in the event we want to offer more than $3,300,000 in shares of our common stock in accordance with the sales agreement.  

As of June 17, 2019, the aggregate market value of our outstanding Common Stock held by non-affiliates, or our public float, was approximately $26,717,450, which amount is based on 47,214,424 shares of common stock outstanding, of which 39,290,368 shares of common stock were held by non-affiliates, and a per share price of $0.68, which was the last reported sale price of our Common Stock on April 26, 2019. Pursuant to General Instruction I.B.6. of Form S-3, so long as our public float remains below $75.0 million, in no event will we sell securities with a value of more than one-third of our public float in any 12-month period under the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. During the previous 12 calendar months prior to and including the date of this prospectus supplement, we have offered and sold securities with an aggregate value of $5,531,723 pursuant to General Instruction I.B.6 of Form S-3, including gross proceeds of $531,723 for the sale of 1,346,073 shares of our common stock pursuant to the sales agreement with Wainwright.

Our common stock is traded on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “LIFE”. The last reported sales price of our common stock on the Nasdaq Capital Market on June 17, 2019 was $0.3471 per share.

Sales of our common stock, if any, under this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus may be made in sales deemed to be an “at the market offerings” as defined in Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act. Wainwright is not required to sell any specific number or dollar amount of securities,

 


 

but will act as our sales agent on a commercially reasonable efforts basis consistent with its normal trading and sales practices. There is no arrangement for funds to be received in any escrow, trust or similar arrangement.

Wainwright will be entitled to compensation at a fixed commission rate equal to 3.0% of the gross proceeds per share sold under the sales agreement. In connection with the sale of the common stock on our behalf, Wainwright will be deemed to be an “underwriter” within the meaning of the Securities Act and the compensation of Wainwright will be deemed to be underwriting commissions or discounts. We have also agreed to provide indemnification and contribution to Wainwright with respect to certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. 

You should read carefully this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus before you invest.

 

 

Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should review carefully the risks and uncertainties referenced under the heading “Risk Factors” on page S-4 of this prospectus supplement, page 2 of the accompanying prospectus, as well as the documents we file with the Securities and Exchange Commission that are incorporated by reference herein for more information.

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus supplement is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

 

 

H.C. Wainwright & Co.

The date of this prospectus supplement is                , 2019.

 

 

 

 

 


 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

 

 Prospectus Supplement

 

Page

About this Prospectus Supplement

S-1

Prospectus Supplement Summary

S-2

The Offering

S-3

Risk Factors

S-4

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

S-6

Use of Proceeds

S-8

Dilution

S-9

Plan of Distribution

S-10

Legal Matters

S-11

Experts

S-11

Where You Can Find More Information

S-11

Information Incorporated by Reference

S-11

 

 

 

 


 

ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT

This document is in two parts. The first part is this prospectus supplement, which describes the terms of this offering of our common stock and also adds to and updates the information contained in the accompanying prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus. The second part is the accompanying prospectus, which provides more general information about our common stock and other securities that do not pertain to this offering of common stock. Before buying any of the common stock that we are offering, we urge you to carefully read this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus, and the information incorporated by reference as described under the headings “Where You Can Find More Information” and “Information Incorporated by Reference” in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus. These documents contain important information that you should consider when making your investment decision.

Generally, when we refer to this prospectus, we are referring to both parts of this document combined. To the extent there is a conflict between the information contained in this prospectus supplement, on the one hand, and the information contained in the accompanying prospectus or any document incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement that was filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, before the date of this prospectus supplement, on the other hand, you should rely on the information in this prospectus supplement. If any statement in one of these documents is inconsistent with a statement in another document having a later date—for example, a document incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement—the statement in the document having the later date modifies or supersedes the earlier statement.

We have not authorized anyone to provide you with information in addition to or different from that contained in this prospectus supplement, any applicable prospectus supplement and any related free writing prospectus. We take no responsibility for, and can provide no assurances as to the reliability of, any information not contained in this prospectus supplement. This prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus is an offer to sell only the securities offered hereby, but only under circumstances and in jurisdictions where it is lawful to do so. You should assume that the information in this prospectus supplement is accurate only as of the date on the front of the document and that any information incorporated by reference is accurate only as of the date of the document incorporated by reference, regardless of the time of delivery of this prospectus supplement or any sale of a security.

This prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus contain summaries of certain provisions contained in some of the documents described herein, but reference is made to the actual documents for complete information. All of the summaries are qualified in their entirety by the actual documents. Copies of some of the documents referred to herein have been filed, will be filed or will be incorporated by reference as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus supplement is a part, and you may obtain copies of those documents as described below under the heading “Where You Can Find More Information”.

Unless the context otherwise indicates, references in this prospectus to “aTyr Pharma”, “we”, “our”, “us” and “the Company” refer, collectively, to aTyr Pharma, Inc., a Delaware corporation.

 

 

S-1

 


 

PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT SUMMARY

This summary highlights certain information about us, this offering and selected information contained elsewhere in or incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus. This summary is not complete and does not contain all of the information that you should consider before deciding whether to invest in our common stock. For a more complete understanding of our company and this offering, we encourage you to read and consider carefully the more detailed information in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, including the information incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement, including the information under the heading “Risk Factors” in this prospectus supplement on page S-4 and in the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement.

The Company

We are a biotherapeutics company engaged in the discovery and clinical development of innovative medicines based on novel immunological pathways. We have concentrated our research and development efforts on a newly discovered area of biology, the extracellular functionality of tRNA synthetases. Built on more than a decade of foundational science on extracellular tRNA synthetase biology and its effect on immune responses, we have built a global intellectual property estate directed to all 20 human tRNA synthetases.  

Within our synthetase platform, we are primarily focused on the therapeutic translation of the Resokine pathway, comprised of extracellular proteins derived from the histidyl tRNA synthetase (HARS) gene family, one of the 20 tRNA synthetase genes. Our clinical stage product candidate, ATYR1923, is a fusion protein comprised of the immuno-modulatory domain of HARS fused to the FC region of a human antibody. ATYR1923 is also a selective modulator of Neuropilin-2 (NRP-2) that downregulates the innate and adaptive immune response in inflammatory disease states. We are developing ATYR1923 as a potential therapeutic for patients with interstitial lung diseases (ILDs), a group of immune-mediated disorders that cause progressive fibrosis of the lung tissue.  We selected pulmonary sarcoidosis as our first ILD indication and initiated a Phase 1b/2a proof-of-concept clinical trial in December 2018. The study has been designed to evaluate the safety, tolerability and immunogenicity of multiple doses of ATYR1923 and to evaluate established clinical endpoints and certain biomarkers to assess preliminary activity of ATYR1923. The results of this study will guide future development of ATYR1923 in pulmonary sarcoidosis and provide insight for the potential of ATYR1923 in other ILDs, such as chronic hypersensitivity pneumonitis and connective tissue disease ILD.

Corporate Information

We were incorporated under the laws of the State of Delaware in September 2005. Our principal executive office is located at 3545 John Hopkins Court, Suite 250, San Diego, CA 92121 and our telephone number is (858) 731-8389. Our website address is www.atyrpharma.com. The information on, or that can be accessed through, our website does not constitute part of this prospectus supplement, and you should not rely on any such information in making the decision whether to purchase our common stock. Our common stock trades on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “LIFE”.

 

S-2

 


 

THE OFFERING

 

 

 

 

 

Common stock offered by us

  

Shares of our common stock having an aggregate offering price of up to $3,300,000.

 

 

Common stock to be outstanding immediately after this offering(1)

  

Up to 46,007,535 shares (as more fully described in the notes following this table), assuming sales of 9,507,346 shares of our common stock in this offering at an offering price of $0.3471 per share, which was the last reported sale price of our common stock on the Nasdaq Capital Market on June 17, 2019. The actual number of shares issued will vary depending on the sales price under this offering.

 

 

Manner of offering

  

“At the market offering” that may be made from time to time through or to our sales agent, as agent or principal, H.C. Wainwright & Co., LLC. See “Plan of Distribution” on page S-11.

 

 

Use of proceeds

  

We currently intend to use the net proceeds from this offering primarily for general corporate purposes. See “Use of Proceeds” on page S-9 of this prospectus supplement.

 

 

Risk factors

  

Investing in our common stock involves significant risks. See “Risk Factors” on page S-4 of this prospectus supplement, and under similar headings in other documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement.

 

 

Nasdaq Capital Market symbol

  

“LIFE”

______________________________________

(1) The number of shares of our common stock to be outstanding immediately after this offering is based on 36,500,189 shares of common stock outstanding as of March 31, 2019 and excludes as of that date:

 

 

9,242,143 shares of common stock issued in a registered direct offering on April 12, 2019 at a purchase price of $0.541 per share;

 

1,346,073 shares of common stock of common stock issued under the sales agreement with Wainwright through June 17, 2019 at a weighted average price of $0.3950 per share;

 

5,381,737 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of stock options outstanding as of March 31, 2019 at a weighted average exercise price of $3.77 per share;

 

6,682,708 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of warrants outstanding as of March 31, 2019 at a weighted average exercise price of $4.64 per share;

 

2,178,136 shares of common stock reserved for future issuance under our 2015 Stock Option and Incentive Plan;

 

1,145,095 shares of common stock reserved for future issuance under our 2015 Employee Stock Purchase Plan; and

 

8,219,805 shares of common stock issuable upon the conversion of 1,643,961 shares of convertible preferred stock. outstanding as of March 31, 2019.

 

 

S-3

 


 

RISK FACTORS

Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider the risks and uncertainties described in the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus and any applicable prospectus supplement, as well as other information we include or incorporate by reference into this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus and any applicable prospectus supplement, before making an investment decision. Our business, financial condition or results of operations could be materially adversely affected by the materialization of any of these risks. The trading price of our securities could decline due to the materialization of any of these risks, and you may lose all or part of your investment. This prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus and the documents incorporated herein by reference also contain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of certain factors, including the risks described in the documents incorporated herein by reference, including our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018 and our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2019, which are on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, and are incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement, and other documents we file with the SEC that are deemed incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement.

Risks Related to this Offering

Our management team may invest or spend the proceeds of this offering in ways with which you may not agree or in ways which may not yield a significant return.

Our management will have broad discretion over the use of proceeds from this offering. The net proceeds from this offering will be used for general corporate purposes, which may include, among other things, research, development, manufacturing, and general and administrative expenses. Our management will have considerable discretion in the application of the net proceeds, and you will not have the opportunity, as part of your investment decision, to assess whether the proceeds are being used appropriately. The net proceeds may be used for corporate purposes that do not increase our operating results or enhance the value of our common stock.

You may experience dilution.

The offering price per share in this offering may exceed the net tangible book value per share of our common stock outstanding prior to this offering. Assuming that an aggregate of 9,507,346 shares of our common stock are sold at a price of $0.3471 per share, the last reported sale price of our common stock on the Nasdaq Capital Market on June 17, 2019, for aggregate gross proceeds of $3,300,000, and after deducting commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us, you may not experience immediate dilution. However, you will experience dilution once the sale price per share exceeds $0.79 per share based on the difference between our as adjusted net tangible book value per share as of March 31, 2019 after giving effect to this offering and the assumed offering price. The exercise of outstanding stock options and warrants may result in further dilution of your investment. See the section titled “Dilution” below for a more detailed illustration of the dilution you would incur if you participate in this offering.

You may experience future dilution as a result of future equity offerings.

In order to raise additional capital, we may in the future offer additional shares of our common stock or other securities convertible into or exchangeable for our common stock at prices that may not be the same as the price per share in this offering. We may sell shares or other securities in any other offering at a price per share that is less than the price per share paid by investors in this offering, and investors purchasing shares or other securities in the future could have rights superior to existing stockholders. The price per share at which we sell additional shares of our common stock, or securities convertible or exchangeable into common stock, in future transactions may be higher or lower than the price per share paid by investors in this offering.

If we fail to meet all applicable Nasdaq Capital Market requirements and Nasdaq determines to delist our common stock, the delisting could adversely affect the market liquidity of our common stock, impair the value of your investment and adversely affect our ability to raise needed funds.        

Our common stock is currently listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market. In order to maintain that listing, we must satisfy minimum financial and other continued listing requirements and standards. One such requirement is that we maintain a minimum bid price of at least $1.00 per share for our common stock. On August 9, 2018, we received a letter (the “Notice”) from the Listing Qualifications Department of the Nasdaq Stock Market (“Nasdaq”) advising us that for 30 consecutive trading days preceding the date of the Notice, the bid price of our common stock had closed below the $1.00 per share minimum required for continued listing on the Nasdaq Global Select Market pursuant to Nasdaq Listing Rule 5450(a)(1) (the “Minimum Bid Price Requirement”). In accordance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5810(c)(3)(A), we were provided 180 calendar days, or until February 5, 2019, to regain compliance with the Minimum Bid Price

S-4

 


 

Requirement. On February 4, 2019, we filed a transfer application to transfer the listing of our common stock from the Nasdaq Global Select Market to the Nasdaq Capital Market. On February 7, 2019, we received approval from Nasdaq for the market transfer. This transfer was effective at the opening of business on February 11, 2019.  In connection with the market transfer, we were granted an additional 180-day grace period to regain compliance with the Minimum Bid Price Requirement. To regain compliance and qualify for continued listing on the Nasdaq Capital Market, the minimum bid price per share of our common stock must be at least $1.00 for at least ten consecutive business days during the additional 180-day grace period, which will end on August 5, 2019.

If we fail to regain compliance during this grace period, our common stock will be subject to delisting by Nasdaq.  We have provided written notice of our intention to cure the minimum bid price deficiency during the second grace period by carrying out a reverse stock split, if necessary. At our Annual Meeting of Stockholders held in May 2019, our stockholders approved an amendment to our Restated Certificate of Incorporation to effect a reverse stock split of our common stock at a ratio in the range of one-for-three (1:3) to one-for-fifteen (1:15), such ratio to be determined in the sole discretion of our Board of Directors.

There can be no assurance that we will be able to regain compliance with the $1.00 minimum bid price requirement or comply with Nasdaq’s other continued listing standards in the future. Under certain circumstances, Nasdaq could require that the minimum bid price exceed $1.00 for more than ten consecutive days before determining that a company complies.

In the event that our common stock is not eligible for continued listing on Nasdaq or another national securities exchange, trading of our common stock could be conducted in the over-the-counter market or on an electronic bulletin board established for unlisted securities such as the Pink Sheets or the OTC Bulletin Board. In such event, it could become more difficult to dispose of, or obtain accurate price quotations for, our common stock, and there would likely also be a reduction in our coverage by security analysts and the news media, which could cause the price of our common stock to decline further. Also, it may be difficult for us to raise additional capital if we are not listed on a major exchange.

If we fail to meet all applicable Nasdaq Capital Market requirements in the future and Nasdaq determines to delist our common stock, the delisting could adversely affect the market liquidity of our common stock and adversely affect our ability to obtain financing for the continuation of our operations. This delisting could also impair the value of your investment.

The common stock offered hereby will be sold in "at-the-market" offerings, and investors who buy shares at different times will likely pay different prices.

        Investors who purchase shares in this offering at different times will likely pay different prices, and so may experience different outcomes in their investment results. We will have discretion, subject to market demand, to vary the timing, prices, and numbers of shares sold, and there is no minimum or maximum sales price. Investors may experience a decline in the value of their shares as a result of share sales made at prices lower than the prices they paid.

The actual number of shares we will issue under the sales agreement, at any one time or in total, is uncertain.

        Subject to certain limitations in the sales agreement and compliance with applicable law, we have the discretion to deliver a sales notice to Wainwright at any time throughout the term of the sales agreement. The number of shares that are sold by Wainwright after delivering a sales notice will fluctuate based on the market price of the common shares during the sales period and limits we set with Wainwright. Because the price per share of each share sold will fluctuate based on the market price of our common stock during the sales period, it is not possible at this stage to predict the number of shares that will be ultimately issued.

 

S-5

 


 

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, including the documents that we incorporate by reference herein, contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act. Any statements about our expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance are not historical facts and may be forward-looking. These statements are often, but are not always, made through the use of words or phrases such as “may,” “will,” “could,” “should,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “predicts,” “projects,” “potential,” “continue,” and similar expressions, or the negative of these terms, or similar expressions. Accordingly, these statements involve estimates, assumptions, risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in them. Any forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by reference to the factors discussed throughout this prospectus supplement, and in particular those factors referenced in the section “Risk Factors.”

This prospectus supplement, including the sections titled “About this Prospectus Supplement” and “Risk Factors,” contains forward-looking statements that are based on our management’s belief and assumptions and on information currently available to our management. These statements relate to future events or our future financial performance, and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements about:

 

the success, cost and timing of our clinical trials and whether the results of our trials will be sufficient to support domestic or foreign regulatory approvals;

 

whether our existing capital resources will be sufficient to enable us to complete any particular portion of our planned clinical development of our product candidates;

 

the likelihood and timing of regulatory approvals for our product candidates;

 

our ability to identify and discover additional product candidates;

 

our ability to obtain, maintain, defend and enforce intellectual property rights protecting our product candidates;

 

our estimates of our expenses, ongoing losses, future revenue, capital requirements and our needs for or ability to obtain additional financing;

 

the performance of third-party service providers and independent contractors upon whom we rely to conduct our clinical trial and to manufacture our product candidates or certain components of our product candidates;

 

our ability to develop sales and marketing capabilities or to enter into strategic partnerships to develop and commercialize our product candidates;

 

the timing and success of the commercialization of our product candidates;

 

the rate and degree of market acceptance of our product candidates;

 

the size and growth of the potential markets for our product candidates and our ability to serve those markets;

 

regulatory developments in the United States and foreign countries;

 

the success of competing therapies that are or may become available;

 

our ability to attract and retain key scientific, medical or management personnel;

 

a potential reverse stock split if we are unable to maintain a stock price above $1.00 per share of common stock; and

 

other risks and uncertainties, including those described under the section entitled “Risk Factors” herein and in our filings with the SEC.

These forward-looking statements are neither promises nor guarantees of future performance due to a variety of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by these forward-looking statements, including, the risks discussed in the “Risk Factors” section and under “—Risks Related to Our Business” in this prospectus supplement, and the risk factors and cautionary statements described in other documents that we file from time to time with the SEC, specifically under “Item 1A: Risk Factors” and elsewhere in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K for the period ended December 31, 2018, our most recent Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2019, and our Current Reports on Form 8-K.

S-6

 


 

Given these uncertainties, readers should not place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which the statements were made and are not guarantees of future performance. Except as may be required by applicable law, we do not undertake to update any forward-looking statements after the date of this prospectus supplement or the respective dates of documents incorporated by reference herein or therein that include forward-looking statements

S-7

 


 

 

USE OF PROCEEDS

We may offer and sell shares of our common stock having aggregate sales proceeds of up to $3,300,000 from time to time pursuant to this sales agreement prospectus. Because there is no minimum offering amount required as a condition to close this offering, the actual total public offering amount, commissions and proceeds to us, if any, are not determinable at this time. We estimate that the net proceeds from the sale of the shares of common stock that we are offering may be up to approximately $3,010,000, after deducting Wainwright’s commission and estimated offering expenses payable by us.

We currently intend to use the net proceeds from this offering primarily for general corporate purposes. General corporate purposes may include research and development and clinical development costs to support the advancement of our product candidates and the expansion of our product candidate pipeline; repayment and refinancing of debt; working capital; and capital expenditures.

 

 


S-8

 


 

DILUTION

Our net tangible book value as of March 31, 2019 was approximately $29.5 million, or $0.81 per share. Net tangible book value per share is determined by dividing our total tangible assets, less total liabilities, by the number of shares of our common stock outstanding as of March 31, 2019. Dilution with respect to net tangible book value per share represents the difference between the amount per share paid by purchasers of shares of common stock in this offering and the net tangible book value per share of our common stock immediately after this offering.

After giving effect to the assumed sale of 9,507,346 shares of our common stock in this offering at an assumed offering price of $0.3471 per share, the last reported sale price of our common stock on the Nasdaq Capital Market on June 17, 2019, and after deducting commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us, our as adjusted net tangible book value as of March 31, 2019 would have been approximately $32.5 million, or $0.7063 per share. This represents an immediate decrease in net tangible book value of $0.1015 per share to existing stockholders. Investors purchasing our common stock in this offering will have paid $0.3592 less than the as adjusted net tangible book value per share after this offering. The following table illustrates this on a per share basis:

 

Assumed offering price per share

 

 

 

 

 

$

0.3471

 

Net tangible book value per share as of March 31, 2019

 

$

0.8077

 

 

 

 

 

Decrease per share attributable to new investors

 

$

(0.1015)

 

 

 

 

 

As adjusted net tangible book value per share after this offering

 

$

 

 

 

 

0.7063

 

Decrease in as-adjusted net tangible book value per share after this offering to the assumed offering price per share

 

 

 

 

 

$

(0.3592)

 

_________________________

 

The above discussion and table are based on 36,500,189 shares outstanding as of March 31, 2019, and excludes as of that date

 

9,242,143 shares of common stock issued in a registered direct offering on April 12, 2019 at a purchase price of $0.541 per share;

 

1,346,073 shares of common stock issued under the sales agreement with Wainwright through June 17, 2019 at a weighted average price of $0.3590 per shares;

 

5,381,737 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of stock options outstanding as of March 31, 2019 at a weighted average exercise price of $3.77 per share;

 

6,682,708 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of warrants outstanding as of March 31, 2019 at a weighted average exercise price of $4.64 per share;

 

2,178,136 shares of common stock reserved for future issuance under our 2015 Stock Option and Incentive Plan;

 

1,145,095 shares of common stock reserved for future issuance under our 2015 Employee Stock Purchase Plan; and

 

8,219,805 shares of common stock issuable upon the conversion of 1,643,961 shares of convertible preferred stock. outstanding as of March 31, 2019.

In addition, we may choose to raise additional capital due to market conditions or strategic considerations, even if we believe we have sufficient funds for our current or future operating plans. To the extent that additional capital is raised through the sale of equity or convertible debt securities, the issuance of these securities could result in further dilution to our shareholders.


S-9

 


 

PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

We have entered into a sales agreement with Wainwright, under which we may issue and sell from time to time shares of our common stock having an aggregate offering price of not more than $10,000,000 through or to Wainwright as our sales agent, as agent or principal. However, due to the offering limitations applicable to us under General Instruction I.B.6. of Form S-3, based on our public float as of the date of this prospectus supplement, and in accordance with the terms of the sales agreement, we are offering up to an aggregate of $3,300,000 in shares of our common stock pursuant to this prospectus. If our public float increases such that we may sell additional amounts in excess of $3,300,000 in shares of our common stock under the sales agreement and the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, we will file another prospectus supplement prior to making additional sales. Sales of the common stock, if any, will be made by any method permitted by law deemed to be an "at the market offering" as defined in Rule 415 promulgated under the Securities Act. Wainwright may also purchase shares of our common stock as principal if expressly authorized to do by us.

Wainwright will offer our common stock at prevailing market prices subject to the terms and conditions of the sales agreement as agreed upon by us and Wainwright. We will designate the number of shares which we desire to sell, the time period during which sales are requested to be made, any limitation on the number of shares that may be sold in one day and any minimum price below which sales may not be made. Subject to the terms and conditions of the sales agreement, Wainwright will use its commercially reasonable efforts consistent with its normal trading and sales practices and applicable law and regulations to sell on our behalf all of the shares of common stock requested to be sold by us. We or Wainwright may suspend the offering of the common stock being made through Wainwright under the sales agreement upon proper notice to the other party.

Settlement for sales of common stock will occur on the second business day or such shorter settlement cycle as may be in effect under Exchange Act Rule 15c6-1 from time to time, following the date on which any sales are made, or on some other date that is agreed upon by us and Wainwright in connection with a particular transaction, in return for payment of the net proceeds to us. Sales of our common stock as contemplated in this prospectus will be settled through the facilities of The Depository Trust Company or by such other means as we and Wainwright may agree upon. There is no arrangement for funds to be received in an escrow, trust or similar arrangement.

We will pay Wainwright in cash, upon each sale of our shares of common stock pursuant to the sales agreement, a commission equal to 3.0% of the gross proceeds from each sale of shares of our common stock. Because there is no minimum offering amount required as a condition to this offering, the actual total public offering amount, commissions and proceeds to us, if any, are not determinable at this time. Pursuant to the terms of the sales agreement, we agreed to reimburse Wainwright for the documented fees and costs of its legal counsel reasonably incurred in connection with entering into the transactions contemplated by the sales agreement in an amount not to exceed $50,000 in the aggregate. Additionally, pursuant to the terms of the sales agreement, we agreed to reimburse Wainwright for the documented fees and costs of its legal counsel reasonably incurred in connection with Wainwright's ongoing diligence, drafting and other filing requirements arising from the transactions contemplated by the sales agreement in an amount not to exceed $10,000 in the aggregate per calendar year. We estimate that the total expenses of the offering payable by us, excluding commissions payable to Wainwright under the sales agreement, will be approximately $290,000. We will report at least quarterly the number of shares of common stock sold through Wainwright under the sales agreement and the net proceeds to us in connection with the sales of common stock.

In connection with the sales of common stock on our behalf, Wainwright will be deemed to be an "underwriter" within the meaning of the Securities Act, and the compensation paid to Wainwright will be deemed to be underwriting commissions or discounts. We have agreed in the sales agreement to provide indemnification and contribution to Wainwright against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act.

The offering of our shares of common stock pursuant to the sales agreement will terminate upon the earlier of the (i) sale of all of our shares of common stock provided for in the sales agreement, or (ii) termination of the sales agreement as permitted therein.

Wainwright and its affiliates may in the future provide various investment banking and other financial services for us and our affiliates, for which services they may in the future receive customary fees. To the extent required by Regulation M, Wainwright will not engage in any market making activities involving our shares of common stock while the offering is ongoing under this prospectus supplement. This summary of the material provisions of the sales agreement does not purport to be a complete statement of its terms and conditions. We will file a copy of the sales agreement with the SEC on a Current Report on Form 8-K within the time required by the Exchange Act.

This prospectus in electronic format may be made available on a website maintained by Wainwright and Wainwright may distribute this prospectus electronically.

S-10

 


 

LEGAL MATTERS

The validity of the issuance of the securities offered hereby will be passed upon for us by Goodwin Procter LLP, San Francisco, California. Wainwright is being represented in this offering by Duane Morris, LLP, New York, New York.

EXPERTS

Ernst & Young LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, has audited our consolidated financial statements included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018, as set forth in their report, which is incorporated by reference in this prospectus and elsewhere in the registration statement. Our financial statements are incorporated by reference in reliance on Ernst & Young LLP’s report, given on their authority as experts in accounting and auditing.

WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

This prospectus supplement is part of a registration statement that we have filed with the SEC. Certain information in the registration statement has been omitted from this prospectus supplement in accordance with the rules of the SEC. We are subject to the information requirements of the Exchange Act and, in accordance therewith, file annual, quarterly and special reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. You may read and copy any document we file at the SEC’s Public Reference Room at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. You may call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for further information on the operation of the Public Reference Room. These documents also may be accessed through the SEC’s electronic data gathering, analysis and retrieval system, or EDGAR, via electronic means, including the SEC’s home page on the Internet (www.sec.gov).

We have the authority to designate and issue more than one class or series of stock having various preferences, conversion and other rights, voting powers, restrictions, limitations as to dividends, qualifications, and terms and conditions of redemption. See “Description of Capital Stock.” We will furnish a full statement of the relative rights and preferences of each class or series of our stock which has been so designated and any restrictions on the ownership or transfer of our stock to any stockholder upon request and without charge. Written requests for such copies should be directed to aTyr Pharma, Inc., 3545 John Hopkins Court, Suite 250, San Diego, CA 92121, Attention: Secretary, or by telephone request to (858) 731-8389. Our website is located at www.atyrpharma.com. Information contained on our website is not incorporated by reference into this prospectus and, therefore, is not part of this prospectus supplement.

INFORMATION INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

The SEC allows us to “incorporate by reference” the information we file with it, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to those documents instead of having to repeat the information in this prospectus supplement. The information incorporated by reference is considered to be part of this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, and later information that we file with the SEC will automatically update and supersede this information. We incorporate by reference the documents listed below:

 

Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018, filed with the SEC on March 26, 2019;

 

The information specifically incorporated by reference into our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018 from our definitive proxy statement on Schedule 14A (other than information furnished rather than filed), which was filed with the SEC on March 28, 2019;

 

Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the SEC for the quarter ended March 31, 2019, filed with the SEC on May 14, 2019;

 

Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on February 8, 2019, Apri1 11, 2019, May 10, 2019 and May 22, 2019; and

 

The description of our common stock contained in our registration statement on Form 8-A (Registration No. 001-37378) filed with the SEC on May 6, 2015 under Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act, including any amendments or reports filed for the purpose of updating such description.

Upon request, we will provide, without charge, to each person, including any beneficial owner, to whom a copy of this prospectus supplement is delivered, a copy of the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus but not delivered with the prospectus supplement. You may request a copy of these filings, and any exhibits we have specifically incorporated by reference as an exhibit in this prospectus supplement, at no cost by writing or telephoning us at the following address:

S-11

 


 

aTyr Pharma, Inc., 3545 John Hopkins Court, Suite 250, San Diego, CA 92121, Attention: Secretary, or by telephone request to (858) 731-8389.

You may also access these documents, free of charge on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov or on our website at www.atyrpharma.com. Information contained on our website is not incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement, and you should not consider any information on, or that can be accessed from, our website as part of this prospectus supplement.

This prospectus supplement is part of a registration statement we filed with the SEC. We have incorporated exhibits into this registration statement. You should read the exhibits carefully for provisions that may be important to you.

You should rely only on the information incorporated by reference or provided in this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus. We have not authorized anyone to provide you with different information. We are not making an offer of these securities in any state where the offer is not permitted. You should not assume that the information in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus or in the documents incorporated by reference is accurate as of any date other than the date on the front of this prospectus supplement or those documents.

S-12

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Up to $3,300,000

Common Stock

 

 

PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT

 

 

 

H.C. Wainwright & Co.

 

 

 

                , 2019

 

 

 

 


 

PART II—INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS

 

Item 14.

Other Expenses of Issuance and Distribution

The expenses payable by aTyr Pharma, Inc. (the “Registrant” or the “Company”) in connection with the issuance and distribution of the securities being registered (other than underwriting discounts and commissions, if any) are set forth below. Each item listed is estimated, except for the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) registration fee and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) filing fee.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Securities and Exchange Commission registration fee

  

$      2,424

    

  

FINRA filing fee

  

500

 

 

Legal fees and expenses

  

 

*

 

Accounting fees and expenses

  

 

*

 

Printing fees and expenses

  

 

*

 

Transfer agent and trustee fees

  

 

*

 

Miscellaneous

  

 

*

 

 

  

 

 

 

Total

  

$

*

  

 

*

Estimated expenses not presently known

 

Item 15.

Indemnification of Directors and Officers

Section 145 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, or the DGCL, authorizes a corporation to indemnify its directors and officers against liabilities arising out of actions, suits and proceedings to which they are made or threatened to be made a party by reason of the fact that they have served or are currently serving as a director or officer to a corporation. The indemnity may cover expenses (including attorneys’ fees) judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by the director or officer in connection with any such action, suit or proceeding. Section 145 permits corporations to pay expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred by directors and officers in advance of the final disposition of such action, suit or proceeding. In addition, Section 145 provides that a corporation has the power to purchase and maintain insurance on behalf of its directors and officers against any liability asserted against them and incurred by them in their capacity as a director or officer, or arising out of their status as such, whether or not the corporation would have the power to indemnify the director or officer against such liability under Section 145.

We have adopted provisions in our restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws that limit or eliminate the personal liability of our directors to the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL, as it now exists or may in the future be amended. Consequently, a director will not be personally liable to us or our stockholders for monetary damages or breach of fiduciary duty as a director, except for liability for:

 

any breach of the director’s duty of loyalty to us or our stockholders;

 

any act or omission not in good faith or that involves intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law;

 

any unlawful payments related to dividends or unlawful stock purchases, redemptions or other distributions; or

 

any transaction from which the director derived an improper personal benefit.  

These limitations of liability do not alter director liability under the federal securities laws and do not affect the availability of equitable remedies such as an injunction or rescission.

In addition, our bylaws provide that:

 

we will indemnify our directors, officers and, in the discretion of our board of directors, certain employees to the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL, as it now exists or may in the future be amended; and

 

we will advance reasonable expenses, including attorneys’ fees, to our directors and, in the discretion of our board of directors, to our officers and certain employees, in connection with legal proceedings relating to their service for or on behalf of us, subject to limited exceptions.

II-1


 

We have entered into indemnification agreements with each of our directors and certain of our executive officers. These agreements provide that we will indemnify each of our directors, certain of our executive officers and, at times, their affiliates to the fullest extent permitted by Delaware law. We will advance expenses, including attorneys’ fees (but excluding judgments, fines and settlement amounts), to each indemnified director, executive officer or affiliate in connection with any proceeding in which indemnification is available and we will indemnify our directors and officers for any action or proceeding arising out of that person’s services as a director or officer brought on behalf of the Company or in furtherance of our rights. Additionally, certain of our directors may have certain rights to indemnification, advancement of expenses or insurance provided by their affiliates, which indemnification relates to and might apply to the same proceedings arising out of such director’s services as a director referenced herein. Nonetheless, we have agreed in the indemnification agreements that the Company’s obligations to those same directors are primary and any obligation of the affiliates of those directors to advance expenses or to provide indemnification for the expenses or liabilities incurred by those directors are secondary. We also maintain a general liability insurance policy which covers certain liabilities of directors and officers of our Company arising out of claims based on acts or omissions in their capacities as directors or officers, including liabilities under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

Item 16.

Exhibits

A list of exhibits filed with this registration statement on Form S-3 is set forth on the Exhibit Index and is incorporated herein by reference.

 

Item 17.

Undertakings

The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes:

(a) (1) To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this registration statement:

(i) To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933;

(ii) To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of the registration statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than a 20 percent change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in the effective registration statement; and

(iii) To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the registration statement or any material change to such information in the registration statement;

provided, however, that paragraphs (a)(1)(i), (a)(l)(ii) and (a)(1)(iii) of this section do not apply if the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in reports filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission by the registrant pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that are incorporated by reference in the registration statement, or is contained in a form of prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) that is part of the registration statement;

(2) That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof;

(3) To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering;

(4) That, for the purpose of determining liability under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser:

(i) Each prospectus filed by the registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b)(3) shall be deemed to be part of the registration statement as of the date the filed prospectus was deemed part of and included in the registration statement; and

II-2


 

(ii) Each prospectus required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424(b)(2), (b)(5), or (b)(7) as part of a registration statement in reliance on Rule 430B relating to an offering made pursuant to Rule 415(a)(l)(i), (vii), or (x) for the purpose of providing the information required by Section 10(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 shall be deemed to be part of and included in the registration statement as of the earlier of the date such form of prospectus is first used after effectiveness or the date of the first contract of sale of securities in the offering described in the prospectus. As provided in Rule 430B, for liability purposes of the issuer and any person that is at that date an underwriter, such date shall be deemed to be a new effective date of the registration statement relating to the securities in the registration statement to which that prospectus relates, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof; provided, however, that no statement made in a registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement or made in a document incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference into the registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement will, as to a purchaser with a time of contract of sale prior to such effective date, supersede or modify any statement that was made in the registration statement or prospectus that was part of the registration statement or made in any such document immediately prior to such effective date;

(5) That, for the purpose of determining liability of the registrant under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser in the initial distribution of the securities, the undersigned registrant undertakes that in a primary offering of securities of the undersigned registrant pursuant to this registration statement, regardless of the underwriting method used to sell the securities to the purchaser, if the securities are offered or sold to such purchaser by means of any of the following communications, the undersigned registrant will be a seller to the purchaser and will be considered to offer or sell such securities to such purchaser:

(i) Any preliminary prospectus or prospectus of the undersigned registrant relating to the offering required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424;

(ii) Any free writing prospectus relating to the offering prepared by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant or used or referred to by the undersigned registrant;

(iii) The portion of any other free writing prospectus relating to the offering containing material information about the undersigned registrant or its securities provided by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant; and

(iv) Any other communication that is an offer in the offering made by the undersigned registrant to the purchaser;

 

(6) That, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each filing of the registrant’s annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plan’s annual report pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) that is incorporated by reference in the registration statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof;

(7) Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act of 1933 and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act of 1933 and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue; and

(8) To file an application for the purpose of determining the eligibility of the trustee to act under subsection (a) of Section 310 of the Trust Indenture Act of 1939 in accordance with the rules and regulations prescribed by the Securities and Exchange Commission under Section 305(b)(2) of the Trust Indenture Act of 1939.

 

II-3


 

EXHIBIT INDEX

 

Exhibit No.

  

Description

 

 

  1.1*

  

Form of Underwriting Agreement

 

 

 

  1.2

 

Common Stock Sales Agreement, dated May 21, 2019, between registrant and H.C. Wainwright & Co., LLC (filed as Exhibit 10.1 to the registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on May 22, 2019 and incorporated herein by reference)

 

 

  1.3

 

Amendment No. 1 to Common Stock Sales Agreement, dated June 18, 2019, between registrant and Wainwright & Co., LLC

 

 

 

  3.1

  

Restated Certificate of Incorporation (filed as Exhibit 3.2 to the registrant’s Registration Statement on Form S-1/A (File No. 333-203272) filed with the SEC on May 1, 2015 and incorporated herein by reference)

 

 

  3.2

  

Amended and Restated Bylaws (filed as Exhibit 3.4 to the registrant’s Registration Statement on Form S-1/A (File No. 333-203272) filed with the SEC on April 27, 2015 and incorporated herein by reference)

 

 

  3.3

 

Certificate of Designation of Preferences, Rights and Limitations of Class X Convertible Preferred Stock (filed as Exhibit 3.1 to the registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on August 31, 2017 and incorporated herein by reference)

 

 

  4.1

  

Specimen Common Stock Certificate (filed as Exhibit 4.1 to the registrant’s Registration Statement on Form S-1/A (File No. 333-203272) filed with the SEC on April 27, 2015 and incorporated herein by reference)

 

 

  4.2

  

Form of indenture for subordinated debt securities and the related form of subordinated debt security (previously filed as Exhibit 4.2 to this Registration Statement filed with the SEC on May 22, 2019)

 

 

  4.3

  

Form of indenture for senior debt securities and the related form of senior debt security (previously filed as Exhibit 4.3 to this Registration Statement filed with the SEC on May 22, 2019)

 

 

  4.4*

  

Form of Certificate of Designations

 

 

  4.5*

  

Form of Warrant Agreements

 

 

  4.6*

  

Form of Unit Certificate

 

 

  4.7*

  

Form of Unit Agreement

 

 

  4.8*

  

Form of Preferred Stock Certificate

 

 

  4.9

  

Registration and Voting Rights Agreement by and among the registrant and the stockholders named therein, dated March 31, 2015 (filed as Exhibit 10.11 to the registrant’s Registration Statement on Form S-1/A (File No. 333-203272) filed with the SEC on April 27, 2015 and incorporated herein by reference)

 

 

  5.1

  

Opinion of Goodwin Procter LLP (previously filed as Exhibit 5.1 to this Registration Statement filed with the SEC on May 22, 2019)

 

 

 

  5.2

 

Opinion of Goodwin Procter LLP

 

 

12.1*

  

Computation of Ratio of Earnings to Fixed Charges

 

 

23.1

  

Consent of Ernst & Young LLP, Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

 

 

23.2

  

Consent of Goodwin Procter LLP (included in Exhibit 5.1 of this Registration Statement filed with the SEC on May 22, 2019)

II-4


 

 

 

 

23.3

 

Consent of Goodwin Procter LLP (included in Exhibit 5.2 hereto)

 

 

24.1

  

Power of Attorney (included on the signature pages to this registration statement)

 

 

25.1**

  

Form T-1 Statement of Eligibility of Trustee for Senior Indenture under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939

 

 

25.2**

  

Form T-1 Statement of Eligibility of Trustee for Subordinated Indenture under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939

 

*

To be filed, if necessary, by amendment or as an exhibit to a document to be incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference in this registration statement, including a Current Report on Form 8-K.

 

**

To be filed pursuant to Section 305(b)(2) of the Trust Indenture Act of 1939.

II-5


 

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-3 and has duly caused this registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in City of San Diego, State of California, on June 18, 2019.

 

 

 

 

 

 

ATYR PHARMA, INC.

 

 

By:

 

/s/ Sanjay S. Shukla

 

 

Sanjay S. Shukla, M.D., M.S.

President and Chief Executive Officer

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this registration statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Signature

  

Title

 

Date

 

 

 

/s/ Sanjay S. Shukla

Sanjay S. Shukla, M.D., M.S.

  

President, Chief Executive Officer and Director (Principal

Executive Officer)

 

June 18, 2019

 

 

 

/s/ Jill M. Broadfoot

Jill M. Broadfoot

  

Chief Financial Officer

(Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)

 

June 18, 2019

 

 

 

/s/ John K. Clarke*

John K. Clarke

  

Chairman of the Board and Director

 

June 18, 2019

 

 

 

/s/ James C. Blair*

James C. Blair, Ph.D.

  

Director

 

June 18, 2019

 

 

 

/s/ Timothy P. Coughlin*

Timothy P. Coughlin

  

Director

 

June 18, 2019

 

 

 

/s/ Jeffrey S. Hatfield*

Jeffrey S. Hatfield

  

Director

 

June 18, 2019

 

 

 

/s/ John D. Mendlein*

John D. Mendlein, Ph.D.

  

Director

 

June 18, 2019

 

 

 

/s/ Paul Schimmel*

Paul Schimmel, Ph.D.

  

Director

 

June 18, 2019

 

 

 

 

 

 

* Pursuant to Power of Attorney

 

By: /s/ Jill M. Broadfoot

Jill M. Broadfoot

 

 

 

 

 

II-6

life-ex13_6.htm

 

Exhibit 1.3

 

AMENDMENT NO. 1 TO COMMON STOCK SALES AGREEMENT

June 18, 2019

 

H.C. Wainwright & Co., LLC

430 Park Avenue

New York, NY 10022

 

 

Ladies and Gentlemen:

 

aTyr Pharma, Inc. (the “Company”) and H.C. Wainwright & Co., LLC (the “Agent”) are parties to that certain Common Stock Sales Agreement dated May 21, 2019 (the “Original Agreement”). All capitalized terms not defined herein shall have the meanings ascribed to them in the Original Agreement. The parties, intending to be legally bound, hereby amend the Original Agreement as follows:

 

 

1.Reference to the “Registration Statement” in the Original Agreement shall refer to the registration statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-231658), originally filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 22, 2019, as amended on June 18, 2019 (“New Registration Statement”), when the New Registration Statement is declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission.

 

2.All references to “May 21, 2019” set forth in Schedule 1 and Exhibit 7(m) of the Original Agreement are revised to read “May 21, 2019 (as amended by Amendment No. 1 to Common Stock Sales Agreement, dated June 18, 2019)”.

 

3.Except as specifically set forth herein, all other provisions of the Original Agreement shall remain in full force and effect.

 

4.This Amendment No. 1 to the Common Stock Sales Agreement shall become effective upon the date that the New Registration Statement is declared effective under the Securities Act.

 

5.Entire Agreement; Amendment; Severability. This Amendment No. 1 to the Original Agreement together with the Original Agreement (including all schedules and exhibits attached hereto and thereto and Placement Notices issued pursuant hereto and thereto) constitutes the entire agreement and supersedes all other prior and contemporaneous agreements and undertakings, both written and oral, among the parties hereto with regard to the subject matter hereof. All references in the Original Agreement to the “Agreement” shall mean the Original Agreement as amended by this Amendment No. 1; provided, however, that all references to “date of this Agreement” in the Original Agreement shall continue to refer to the date of the Original Agreement.

 

6.Applicable Law; Consent to Jurisdiction. This amendment shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the internal laws of the State of New York without regard to the principles of conflicts of laws. Each party hereby irrevocably submits to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the state and federal courts sitting in the City of New York, borough of Manhattan, for the adjudication of any dispute hereunder or in connection with any transaction contemplated hereby, and hereby irrevocably waives, and agrees not to assert in any suit, action or proceeding, any claim that it is not personally subject to the jurisdiction of any such court, that such suit, action or proceeding is brought in an inconvenient forum or that the venue of such suit, action or proceeding is improper. Each party hereby irrevocably waives personal service of process and consents to process being served in any such suit, action or proceeding by mailing a copy thereof (certified or registered mail, return receipt requested) to such party at the address in effect for notices to it under this

 


 

amendment and agrees that such service shall constitute good and sufficient service of process and notice thereof.  Nothing contained herein shall be deemed to limit in any way any right to serve process in any manner permitted by law.

 

7.Waiver of Jury Trial. The Company and the Agent each hereby irrevocably waives any right it may have to a trial by jury in respect of any claim based upon or arising out of this amendment or any transaction contemplated hereby.

 

8.Counterparts. This amendment may be executed in two or more counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original, but all of which together shall constitute one and the same instrument. Delivery of an executed amendment by one party to the other may be made by facsimile transmission.

 

 

[Remainder of Page Intentionally Blank]

 

2

 


 

If the foregoing correctly sets forth the understanding among the Company and the Agent, please so indicate in the space provided below for that purpose, whereupon this letter shall constitute a binding amendment to the Original Agreement between the Company and the Agent.  

Very truly yours,

 

 

 

Atyr pharma, inc.

 

By: /s/ Sanjay S. Shukla

Name: Sanjay S. Shukla, M.D., M.S.

Title:President and Chief Executive Officer

 

 

 

H.C. WAINWRIGHT & cO., LLC

 

 

 

By:  /s/ Mark W. Viklund

Name: Mark W. Viklund

Title:  Chief Executive Officer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Signature page to Amendment No. 1 to Common Stock Sales Agreement]

life-ex52_40.htm

 

 

 

 

Exhibit 5.2

June 18, 2019

 

aTyr Pharma, Inc.

3545 John Hopkins Court, Suite 250

San Diego, CA 92121

 

Re:Securities Registered under Registration Statement on Form S-3

 

Ladies and Gentlemen:

 

We have acted as counsel to you in connection with your filing of a Registration Statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-231658) (as amended or supplemented, the “Registration Statement”) filed on May 21, 2019 and amended on June 18, 2019 with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) pursuant to the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), relating to the registration of the offering by aTyr Pharma, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”) of up to $20,000,000 of any combination of securities of the types specified therein.  Reference is made to our opinion letter dated May 21, 2019 and included as Exhibit 5.1 to the Registration Statement. We are delivering this supplemental opinion letter in connection with the prospectus supplement (the “Prospectus Supplement”) contained in the Registration Statement.  The Prospectus Supplement relates to the offering by the Company of up to $3,300,000 in shares (the “Shares”) of the Company’s common stock, par value $0.001 per share (“Common Stock”) covered by the Registration Statement.  The Shares are being offered and sold by the sales agent named in, and pursuant to, a sales agreement, dated May 21, 2019 and amended on June 18, 2019, between the Company and such sales agent (the “Sales Agreement”).

 

We have reviewed such documents and made such examination of law as we have deemed appropriate to give the opinion set forth below.  We have relied, without independent verification, on certificates of public officials and, as to matters of fact material to the opinion set forth below, on certificates of officers of the Company.

 

For purposes of the opinion set forth below, we have assumed that the Shares are issued for a price per share equal to or greater than the minimum price authorized by the Company’s board of directors prior to the date hereof (the “Minimum Price”) and that no event occurs that causes the number of authorized shares of Common Stock available for issuance by the Company to be less than the number of then unissued Shares that may be issued for the Minimum Price.

For purposes of the opinion set forth below, we refer to the following as “Future Approval and Issuance”: (a) the approval by the Company’s board of directors (or a duly authorized committee of the board of directors) of the issuance of the Shares (the “Approval”) and (b) the issuance of the Shares in accordance with the Approval and the receipt by the

 


 

 

 

 

Company of the consideration (which shall not be less than the par value of such Shares) to be paid in accordance with the Approval.

The opinion set forth below is limited to the Delaware General Corporation Law.

 

Based on the foregoing, we are of the opinion that the Shares have been duly authorized and, upon Future Approval and Issuance, will be validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable.   

 

We hereby consent to the inclusion of this opinion as Exhibit 5.2 to the Registration Statement and to the reference to our firm under the caption “Legal Matters” in the Registration Statement. In giving our consent, we do not admit that we are in the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Securities Act or the rules and regulations thereunder.

 

Very truly yours,

 

/s/ Goodwin Procter LLP

 

GOODWIN PROCTER LLP

 

life-ex231_39.htm

 

Exhibit 23.1

 

Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

We consent to the reference to our firm under the caption “Experts” in this Amendment No.1 to the Registration Statement (Form S-3 No. 333-231658) and related Prospectuses of aTyr Pharma, Inc. for the registration of common stock, preferred stock, debt securities, warrants and units of aTyr Pharma, Inc. and to the incorporation by reference therein of our report dated March 26, 2019, with respect to the consolidated financial statements of aTyr Pharma, Inc., included in its Annual Report (Form 10-K) for the year ended December 31, 2018, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

/s/ Ernst & Young LLP

San Diego, CA

June 18, 2019