S-3/A

As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 6, 2024

Registration No. 333-277123

 

 

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

PRE-EFFECTIVE AMENDMENT NO.1 TO

FORM S-3

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

 

 

PRELUDE THERAPEUTICS INCORPORATED

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

 

 

Delaware   81-1384762

(State or other jurisdiction of

incorporation or organization)

 

(IRS Employer

Identification No.)

175 Innovation Boulevard

Wilmington, Delaware 19805

(302) 467-1280

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

 

 

Krishna Vaddi, Ph.D.

Chief Executive Officer

Prelude Therapeutics Incorporated

175 Innovation Boulevard

Wilmington, Delaware 19805

(302) 467-1280

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

 

 

Copies to:

 

Effie Toshav, Esq.

Robert A. Freedman, Esq.

Julia Forbess, Esq.

Fenwick & West LLP

401 Union St, 5th Floor

Seattle, WA 98101

(206) 389-4510

 

Krishna Vaddi, Ph.D.

Bryant D. Lim

Prelude Therapeutics Incorporated

175 Innovation Boulevard

Wilmington, Delaware 19805

(302) 467-1280

 

 

From time to time after the effective date of this registration statement.

(Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public)

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 earliest 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. (Check one):

 

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. ☐

 

 

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

The purpose of this Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1 (this “Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1”) to the Registration Statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-277123) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) by the Registrant on February 16, 2024 (the “Registration Statement”) is solely to update the auditors’ consent filed with the Registration Statement as Exhibit 23.1. Accordingly, this Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1 consists only of the facing page, this explanatory note, Part II of the Registration Statement, and an updated Exhibit 23.1. The prospectus is unchanged and has been omitted.


PART II

INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS

Item 14. Other Expenses of Issuance and Distribution

The following table sets forth estimated expenses in connection with the issuance and distribution of the shares of common stock being registered hereby.

 

     Amount to be
Paid
 

SEC registration fee

   $  3,315.25  

FINRA filing fee

     *  

Printing and engraving*

     *  

Legal fees and expenses*

     *  

Accounting fees and expenses*

     *  

Transfer agent and registrar fees and expenses*

     *  

Miscellaneous expenses*

     *  
  

 

 

 

Total

   $ *  
  

 

 

 

 

*

Except for the SEC registration fee, estimated expenses are not presently known. The foregoing sets forth the general categories of expenses that we anticipate we will incur in connection with the offering of shares of common stock under this registration statement on Form S-3. To the extent required, any applicable prospectus supplement will set forth the estimated aggregate amount of expenses payable in respect of any offering of shares of common stock under the registration statement.

Discounts, concessions, commissions and similar selling expenses attributable to the sale of shares of our common stock covered by this prospectus will be borne by the selling stockholders. We will pay all expenses (other than discounts, concessions, commissions and similar selling expenses) relating to the registration of the shares with the SEC, as estimated in the table above.

Item 15. Indemnification of Directors and Officers

Section 145 of the Delaware General Corporation Law authorizes a court to award, or a corporation’s board of directors to grant, indemnity to directors and officers under certain circumstances and subject to certain limitations. The terms of Section 145 of the Delaware General Corporation Law are sufficiently broad to permit indemnification under certain circumstances for liabilities, including reimbursement of expenses incurred, arising under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act.

As permitted by the Delaware General Corporation Law, the registrant’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation contains a provision that eliminates, to the fullest extent permitted by law, the personal liability of a directors and officers for monetary damages resulting from breach of his or her fiduciary duties as a director or officer, except for liability:

 

   

for any breach of the director’s or officer’s duty of loyalty to the registrant or its stockholders;

 

   

for acts or omissions not in good faith or that involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law;

 

   

under Section 174 of the Delaware General Corporation Law (regarding unlawful dividends, stock purchases or redemptions); or

 

   

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


As permitted by the Delaware General Corporation Law, the registrant’s amended and restated bylaws provide that:

 

   

the registrant is required to indemnify its directors and officers to the fullest extent permitted by the Delaware General Corporation Law, subject to certain very limited exceptions;

 

   

the registrant may indemnify its other employees and agents as set forth in the Delaware General Corporation Law;

 

   

the registrant is required to advance expenses, as incurred, to its directors and officers in connection with a legal proceeding to the fullest extent permitted by the Delaware General Corporation Law, subject to certain very limited exceptions; and

 

   

the rights conferred in the amended and restated bylaws are not exclusive.

The registrant has entered, and intends to continue to enter, into indemnification agreements with each of its directors and executive officers to provide these directors and executive officers additional contractual assurances regarding the scope of the indemnification set forth in the registrant’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws and to provide additional procedural protections. At present, there is no pending litigation or proceeding involving a director or executive officer of the registrant for which indemnification is sought. The indemnification provisions in the registrant’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation, amended and restated bylaws and the indemnification agreements entered into or to be entered into between the registrant and each of its directors and executive officers may be sufficiently broad to permit indemnification of the registrant’s directors and executive officers for liabilities arising under the Securities Act.

The registrant currently carries liability insurance for its directors and officers.

ITEM 16. Exhibits

The exhibits listed below are filed (except where otherwise indicated) as part of this registration statement.

 

         

Incorporated by Reference

Exhibit
Number

  

Description of Document

  

Form

  

File No.

  

Exhibit

  

Filing Date

  

Filed
Herewith

3.1    Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation    10-Q    001-39527    3.1    8/3/2023   
3.2    Amended and Restated Bylaws    10-Q    001-39527    3.1    1/23/2023   
4.1    Form of Common Stock Certificate    S-1/A    333-248628    4.1    9/16/2020   
4.2    Amended and Restated Investors’ Rights Agreement, dated August  21, 2020, by and among Prelude Therapeutics Incorporated and certain of its stockholders    S-1/A    333-248628    4.2    9/04/2020   
4.3    Form of Amended and Restated Registration Rights Agreement by and among Prelude Therapeutics Incorporated and certain Investors.    10-K    001-39527    4.4    2/15/2024   
4.4    Form of Pre-Funded Warrant    8-K    001-39527    4.1    12/11/2023   
10.1    Form of Securities Purchase Agreement, by and among Prelude Therapeutics Incorporated and certain Investors    10-K    001-39527    10.13    2/15/2024   
5.1    Opinion of Fenwick & West LLP    S-3    333-277123    5.1    2/16/2024   
23.1    Consent of Ernst & Young LLP                X
23.2    Consent of Fenwick & West LLP (included in Exhibit 5.1)    S-3    333-277123    5.1    2/16/2024   
24.1    Power of Attorney    S-3    333-277123       2/16/2024   
107    Filing Fee Table    S-3    333-277123    107    2/16/2024   

 


ITEM 17. UNDERTAKINGS

(a) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes:

(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;

(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 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 subparagraphs (i), (ii), and (iii) 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 Exchange Act 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, 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 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) 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)(1)(i), (vii), or (x) for the purpose of providing the information required by Section 10(a) of the Securities Act 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 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.

(b) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each filing of the registrant’s annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plan’s annual report pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act) 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.

(c) Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act 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 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 and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.


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 Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1 to the Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Wilmington, State of Delaware, on May 6, 2024.

 

PRELUDE THERAPEUTICS INCORPORATED
By:  

/s/ Krishna Vaddi, Ph.D.

  Krishna Vaddi, Ph.D.
  Chief Executive Officer

POWER OF ATTORNEY

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

 

Signature

  

Title

  

Date

/s/ Krishna Vaddi, Ph.D.

Krishna Vaddi, Ph.D.

  

Chief Executive Officer and Director

(Principal Executive Officer)

   May 6, 2024

/s/ Bryant Lim

Bryant Lim

  

Chief Legal Officer, Corporate Secretary, and Interim Chief Financial Officer

(Principal Financial Officer and Principal Accounting Officer)

   May 6, 2024

*

Paul A. Friedman, M.D.

   Director    May 6, 2024

*

Martin Babler

   Director    May 6, 2024

*

Julian Baker

   Director    May 6, 2024

*

David Bonita, M.D.

   Director    May 6, 2024

*

Mardi C. Dier

   Director    May 6, 2024

*

Victor Sandor, M.D.C.M

   Director    May 6, 2024

 

* By Attorney-in-Fact
By:  

/s/ Krishna Vaddi, Ph.D.

  Krishna Vaddi, Ph.D.
EX-23.1

Exhibit 23.1

Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

We consent to the reference to our firm under the caption “Experts” and to the use of our report dated February 15, 2024, in Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1 to the Registration Statement (Form S-3 No. 333-277123) and related Prospectus of Prelude Therapeutics Incorporated for the registration of 7,936,759 shares of its common stock.

/s/ Ernst & Young LLP

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

May 6, 2024