Gritstone Announces Private Placement Financing of $55.0 Million
Gritstone bio, Inc. (Nasdaq: GRTS) announced a $55 million private investment in public equity (PIPE) financing by selling 5 million shares at $11.00 each. The financing, led by Frazier Life Sciences Public Fund, aims to support the company's growth in immunotherapy and vaccine development, particularly for infectious diseases. The closing is expected by September 17, 2021, subject to customary conditions. Gritstone has committed to filing a registration statement for the resale of these shares. The company develops next-gen immunotherapies through its proprietary Gritstone EDGE™ platform.
- Successful $55 million PIPE financing to bolster corporate growth.
- Investment led by reputable entities like Frazier Life Sciences and Gilead Sciences.
- Funds to accelerate development of next-gen immunotherapies and vaccines.
- None.
EMERYVILLE, Calif., Sept. 16, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Gritstone bio, Inc. (Nasdaq: GRTS), a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing next generation cancer and infectious disease immunotherapies and vaccines, today announced a
“As long-term backers of Gritstone, we continue to be impressed by the company’s progress and emergence as a leader in development of next generation immunotherapies and vaccines for cancer and infectious diseases,” said Jamie Brush, M.D., General Partner and Portfolio Manager of the Frazier Life Sciences Public Fund. “We believe Gritstone’s EDGE™ platform and integrated vaccine manufacturing capabilities uniquely position the company to rapidly expand into infectious disease vaccine development with a potentially refrigerator stable self-amplifying mRNA vaccine platform. This financing will help ensure Gritstone has the resources to move quickly in this exciting new area, and we are excited to support the company in its next phase of growth.”
The closing of the PIPE financing is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to close by September 17, 2021. Cowen served as the sole placement agent for the PIPE financing.
The securities sold in this private placement have not been registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold in the U.S. except pursuant to an effective registration statement or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements. Gritstone bio has agreed to file a registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission registering the resale of the shares of common stock issued in this private placement.
This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy these securities, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or other jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to the registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or other jurisdiction.
About Gritstone
Gritstone bio, Inc. (Nasdaq: GRTS), a clinical-stage biotechnology company, is developing the next generation of immunotherapies against multiple cancer types and infectious diseases. Gritstone develops its products by leveraging two key pillars—first, a proprietary machine learning-based platform, Gritstone EDGE™, which is designed to predict antigens that are presented on the surface of cells, such as tumor or virally-infected cells, that can be seen by the immune system; and, second, the ability to develop and manufacture potent immunotherapies utilizing these antigens to potentially drive the patient’s immune system to specifically attack and destroy disease-causing cells. The company’s lead oncology programs include an individualized neoantigen-based immunotherapy, GRANITE, and an “off-the-shelf” shared neoantigen-based immunotherapy, SLATE, which are being evaluated in clinical studies. Within its infectious disease pipeline, Gritstone is advancing CORAL, a COVID-19 program to develop a second-generation vaccine, with support from departments within the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and through a license agreement with La Jolla Institute for Immunology. Additionally, the company has a global collaboration, option and license agreement for the research and development of a vaccine-based immunotherapy for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection with Gilead Sciences. For more information, please visit gritstone.com.
Gritstone Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, statements related to the potential of Gritstone’s therapeutic programs; the advancements in the company’s ongoing clinical trials; the timing of data announcements related to ongoing clinical trials, the initiation of future clinical trials and the timing of the expected closing of the PIPE. Such forward-looking statements involve substantial risks and uncertainties that could cause Gritstone’s research and clinical development programs, future results, performance or achievements to differ significantly from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, among others, the uncertainties inherent in the drug development process, including Gritstone’s programs’ early stage of development, the process of designing and conducting preclinical and clinical trials, the regulatory approval processes, the timing of regulatory filings, the challenges associated with manufacturing drug products, Gritstone’s ability to successfully establish, protect and defend its intellectual property and other matters that could affect the sufficiency of existing cash to fund operations. Gritstone undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements. For a further description of the risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ from those expressed in these forward-looking statements, as well as risks relating to the business of the company in general, see Gritstone’s most recent Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed on August 5, 2021 and any current and periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Contacts
Media:
Dan Budwick
1AB
(973) 271-6085
dan@1abmedia.com
Investors:
Tim McCarthy
tim@lifesciadvisors.com
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