HCWB HCW Biologics Inc

 

UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

 

FORM 8-K

 

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): December 17, 2024

 

 

HCW Biologics Inc.

(Exact name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

 

 

Delaware			001-40591	82-5024477
(State or Other Jurisdiction of Incorporation)			(Commission File Number)	(IRS Employer Identification No.)
2929 N. Commerce Parkway
Miramar, Florida				33025
(Address of Principal Executive Offices)				(Zip Code)

 

Registrant’s Telephone Number, Including Area Code: 954 842-2024

 

(Former Name or Former Address, if Changed Since Last Report)

 

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Title of each class		Trading Symbol(s)		Name of each exchange on which registered
Common Stock, par value $0.0001 per share		HCWB		The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§ 230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§ 240.12b-2 of this chapter).

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 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☒

 

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Item 3.01 Notice of Delisting or Failure to Satisfy a Continued Listing Rule or Standard; Transfer of Listing.

As previously disclosed, on June 20, 2024, HCW Biologics Inc. (the “Company”) received written notice from the Listing Qualifications Staff (“Staff”) of the Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (“Nasdaq”) which notified the Company that, for the 30 consecutive business days ended June 17, 2024, the Company’s market value of listed securities (“MVLS”) closed below the $50,000,000 MVLS threshold required for continued listing on the Nasdaq Global Market under Nasdaq Listing Rule 5450(b)(3)(A) (the “MVLS Rule”). In accordance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5810(c)(3)(C), the Company was provided a compliance period of 180 calendar days in which to regain compliance with the MVLS continued listing requirement, or until December 16, 2024 (the “Compliance Date”). The Company did not regain compliance with the MVLS Rule by December 16, 2024 and, accordingly, by letter dated December 17, 2024, the Staff notified the Company that its securities were subject to delisting from Nasdaq unless the Company timely requests a hearing before the Nasdaq Hearing Panel (the “Panel”).

The Company plans to timely request a hearing before the Panel, which request will stay any further action by Nasdaq pending the hearing and the expiration of any extension that may be granted to the Company following the hearing. At the hearing, the Company will present its plan to evidence compliance with all applicable listing criteria, including the MVLS Rule, and request an extension of time to do so. The Panel has the authority to grant the Company an extension of up to 180 days from the date of the Staff’s delist determination. The Company is considering all options available to it to regain compliance with the MVLS Rule; however, there can be no assurance that the Panel will grant the Company’s request for continued listing or that the Company will be able to evidence compliance within the period of time that may be granted by the Panel.

Item 8.01 Other Events.

Pursuant to applicable Nasdaq Rules, the Company issued a press release on December 23, 2024 announcing receipt of the Nasdaq letter, the Rules upon which it was based, and a description of each specific basis and concern identified by Nasdaq in the letter. A copy of the press release is filed herewith as Exhibit 99.1.

CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

 

This Current Report on Form 8-K (“Form 8-K”) contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements contained in this Form 8-K that do not relate to matters of historical fact should be considered forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, statements regarding the Company’s intent to request a hearing before a Panel and the Company’s expectations regarding how long it may remain listed on The Nasdaq Global Market. The Company’s actual results and the timing of events could differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements as a result of these risks and uncertainties, including the risk that the Company may not be successful in its appeal to a Panel, the risk that the Company may not otherwise meet the requirements for continued listing under the Nasdaq Listing Rules, the risk that Nasdaq may not grant the Company relief from delisting if necessary, and the risk that the Company may not ultimately meet applicable Nasdaq requirements if any such relief is necessary, among other risks and uncertainties. These and other important factors discussed under the caption “Risk Factors” in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023 filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), and the Company’s other filings with the SEC, including the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended September 30, 2024, could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by the forward-looking statements made in this Form 8-K. Any forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this Form 8-K and are based on information available to the Company as of the date of this Form 8-K, and the Company assumes no obligation to, and does not intend to, update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

 

Item 9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits.

 

(d) Exhibits

 

Exhibit No.		Description
99.1		Press release dated December 23, 2024.
104		Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within the Inline XBRL document).

 

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SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

			HCW BIOLOGICS INC.
Date:	December 23, 2024	By:	/s/ Hing C. Wong
			Hing C. Wong, Founder and Chief Executive Officer

 

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EXHIBIT 99.1

 

 

 

 

HCW Biologics Inc. Received NASDAQ Staff Determination Letter

 

Company Expected Notice for Continued Deficiency and Delist Letter from the Nasdaq Stock Market

 

Company Intends to Request Hearing to Appeal in a Timely Manner

 

Miramar, FL– December 23, 2024 – HCW Biologics Inc. (the “Company” or “HCW Biologics”) (NASDAQ: HCWB), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing novel immunotherapies to lengthen healthspan by disrupting the link between inflammation and age-related diseases, today reported on December 17, 2024, the Company received written notice from the Listing Qualifications Staff (“Staff”) that it had failed to re-gain compliance for continued listing requirements of the Nasdaq Global Markets. As previously disclosed, on June 20, 2024, the Company received written notice from the Staff, which notified the Company that, for the 30 consecutive business days ended June 17, 2024, the Company’s market value of listed securities (“MVLS”) closed below the $50,000,000 MVLS threshold required for continued listing on the Nasdaq Global Market under Nasdaq Listing Rule 5450(b)(3)(A) (the “MVLS Rule”). In accordance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5810(c)(3)(C), the Company was provided a compliance period of 180 calendar days in which to regain compliance with the MVLS continued listing requirement, or until December 16, 2024 (the “Compliance Date”). The Company did not regain compliance with the MVLS Rule by December 16, 2024 and, accordingly, by letter dated December 17, 2024, the Staff notified the Company that its securities were subject to delisting from Nasdaq unless the Company timely requests a hearing before the Nasdaq Hearing Panel (the “Panel”).

The Company plans to timely request a hearing before the Panel, which request will stay any further action by Nasdaq pending the hearing and the expiration of any extension that may be granted to the Company following the hearing. At the hearing, the Company will present its plan to evidence compliance with all applicable listing criteria, including the MVLS Rule, and request an extension of time to do so. The Panel has the authority to grant the Company an extension of up to 180 days from the date of the Staff’s delist determination. The Company is considering all options available to it to regain compliance with the MVLS Rule; however, there can be no assurance that the Panel will grant the Company’s request for continued listing or that the Company will be able to evidence compliance within the period of time that may be granted by the Panel.

 

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About HCW Biologics:

HCW Biologics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing novel immunotherapies to lengthen healthspan by disrupting the link between chronic, low-grade inflammation, and age-related diseases, such as cancer, cardiovascular, diabetes, neurodegenerative, and autoimmune diseases, as well as other inflammatory conditions such as long-haul COVID-19. The Company has combined a deep understanding of disease-related immunology with its expertise in advanced protein engineering to develop two drug discovery platforms, each with a novel backbone which is used to generate designer, novel multi-functional fusion molecules with immunotherapeutic properties. The Company’s legacy drug discovery platform is its TOBI™ (Tissue factOr-Based fusIon) discovery platform, which has a Tissue-Factor based backbone. It was used to create HCW Biologics’ molecules: HCW9218, HCW9302, HCW9206 and HCW9201. The Company’s second drug discovery platform uses a unique protein-based backbone differentiated from Tissue Factor. Immunotherapeutics created with the Company’s two distinct drug discovery platforms have different characteristics and mechanisms of action, expanding the various pathways for treating senescence-associated disorders.

Forward-Looking Statements:

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements contained in this press release that do not relate to matters of historical fact should be considered forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, statements regarding the Company’s intent to request a hearing before a Panel and the Company’s expectations regarding how long it may remain listed on The Nasdaq Global Market. The Company’s actual results and the timing of events could differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements as a result of these risks and uncertainties, including the risk that the Company may not be successful in its appeal to a Panel, the risk that the Company may not otherwise meet the requirements for continued listing under the Nasdaq Listing Rules, the risk that Nasdaq may not grant the Company relief from delisting if necessary, and the risk that the Company may not ultimately meet applicable Nasdaq requirements if any such relief is necessary, among other risks and uncertainties. These and other important factors discussed under the caption “Risk Factors” in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023 filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), and the Company’s other filings with the SEC, including the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended September 30, 2024, could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by the forward-looking statements made in this press release. Any forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release and are based on information available to the Company as of the date of this press release, and the Company assumes no obligation to, and does not intend to, update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Company Contact:

Rebecca Byam
Chief Financial Officer
HCW Biologics Inc.
RebeccaByam@hcwbiologics.com

 

 

 

 

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v3.24.4

Document And Entity Information	Dec. 17, 2024
Cover [Abstract]
Document Type	8-K
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Document Period End Date	Dec. 17, 2024
Entity Registrant Name	HCW Biologics Inc.
Entity Central Index Key	0001828673
Entity Emerging Growth Company	true
Entity File Number	001-40591
Entity Incorporation, State or Country Code	DE
Entity Tax Identification Number	82-5024477
Entity Address, Address Line One	2929 N. Commerce Parkway
Entity Address, City or Town	Miramar
Entity Address, State or Province	FL
Entity Address, Postal Zip Code	33025
City Area Code	954
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Soliciting Material	false
Pre-commencement Tender Offer	false
Pre-commencement Issuer Tender Offer	false
Entity Ex Transition Period	true
Title of 12(b) Security	Common Stock, par value $0.0001 per share
Trading Symbol	HCWB
Security Exchange Name	NASDAQ

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