Lineage Cell Therapeutics Raises $35.9 Million From Sales of Marketable Securities Holdings and an At-the-Market Equity Offering

On March 8, 2021 Lineage Cell Therapeutics, Inc. (NYSE American and TASE: LCTX), a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing allogeneic cell therapies for unmet medical needs, reported that it raised $11 million in new capital from sales of its holdings of marketable securities, including shares of OncoCyte Corporation (Nasdaq: OCX) and Hadasit Bio-Holdings (TASE: HDST), as well as $25 million in gross proceeds from its at-the-market ("ATM") offering (Press release, Lineage Cell Therapeutics, MAR 8, 2021, View Source [SID1234576196]). Lineage expects its approximately $57 million of cash and cash equivalents as of March 5, 2021 to fund operations well into 2023, by which time the Company expects to have achieved value-creating clinical and product development milestones. Lineage’s strengthened balance sheet also provides it with strategic flexibility in its ongoing partnership discussions.

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"During the past six months, appreciation in our share price and that of marketable securities we owned has provided us with opportunities to monetize our investments and raise additional capital through our ATM offering," stated Brian Culley, Lineage’s CEO. "These sales underscore that Lineage has created substantial value for its shareholders over time not only by advancing our product candidates toward later-stage clinical trials, but also by making and now harvesting significant early investments in OncoCyte and Hadasit and from aggressive and prudent expense reductions we previously reported. We expect that Lineage is now funded well into 2023, by which time we expect to have reached additional significant milestones, explored new areas to deploy our technology, and moved Lineage ever closer to our goal of becoming the preeminent allogeneic cell transplant company. Our stronger balance sheet also can provide us with optionality with respect to our ongoing partnership discussions."

Cash and cash equivalents as of December 31, 2020 were $32.6 million and reflected $5.1 million in gross proceeds from sales on the ATM (which excluded $0.3 million in cash in transit related to 2020 sales that settled in 2021) and $0.8 million in gross proceeds from sales of Hadasit shares during the fourth quarter. From January 1, 2021 through March 5, 2021, Lineage raised an additional $19.9 million in gross proceeds through the ATM offering (which included $0.3 million in cash in transit related to 2020 sales that settled in 2021), as well as $10.1 million in gross proceeds from sales of OncoCyte shares and $21,000 in gross proceeds from sales of Hadasit shares. Lineage incubated OncoCyte and funded its initial product development before spinning it out as a separate public company in January 2016. As of March 5, 2021, OncoCyte’s market capitalization was over $300 million and Lineage has realized $32.5 million in total sales of its OncoCyte shares over time. The Company continues to hold 1,122,401 shares of OncoCyte stock valued at approximately $4.2 million and 169,167 shares of Hadasit stock valued at approximately $330,000, in each case based on the closing prices of those shares on March 5, 2021. Previously, Lineage also incubated and funded the initial product development of AgeX Therapeutics (NYSE American: AGE), and subsequently spun it out as a separate public company in November 2018, ultimately raising nearly $50 million from sales of its securities. Lineage believes that its broad technology platform and intellectual property portfolio may allow it to create additional value for shareholders through the advancement of its own novel pipeline as well as through the incubation and development of other products and companies, and through strategic corporate partnerships.