PDS Biotechnology (PDSB) 424B5Prospectus supplement for primary offering

This prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus form part of a registration statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-240011) that we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, utilizing a “shelf” registration process, which registration statement became effective on July 31, 2020. This document contains two parts. The first part consists of this prospectus supplement, which provides you with specific information about this offering. The second part, the accompanying prospectus, provides more general information, some of which may not apply to this offering. Generally, when we refer only to the “prospectus,” we are referring to both parts combined. This prospectus supplement may add, update or change information contained in the accompanying prospectus. To the extent that any statement we make in this prospectus supplement is inconsistent with statements made in the accompanying prospectus or any documents incorporated by reference herein or therein, the statements made in this prospectus supplement will be deemed to modify or supersede those made in the accompanying prospectus and such documents incorporated by reference herein and therein. You should read this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, including the information incorporated by reference herein and therein, and any related free writing prospectus that we have authorized for use in connection with this offering.

You should rely only on the information that we have included or incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus, and any related free writing prospectus that we may authorize to be provided to you. We have not authorized any dealer, salesman, or other person to give any information or to make any representation other than those contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus, or any related free writing prospectus that we may authorize to be provided to you. You must not rely upon any information or representation not contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus, or any related free writing prospectus.

This prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus, and any related free writing prospectus, do not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities other than the registered securities to which they relate, nor do this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus, or any related free writing prospectus constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities in any jurisdiction to any person to whom it is unlawful to make such offer or solicitation in such jurisdiction.

You should not assume that the information contained in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus, or any related free writing prospectus is accurate on any date subsequent to the date set forth on the front of the document or that any information we have incorporated by reference herein or therein is correct on any date subsequent to the date of the document incorporated by reference, even though this prospectus supplement, accompanying prospectus, or any related free writing prospectus is delivered, or securities are sold, on a later date.

This prospectus supplement contains or incorporates by reference 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 or will be filed or have been or will be incorporated by reference as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus supplement forms a part, and you may obtain copies of those documents as described in this prospectus supplement under the heading “Where You Can Find More Information.”

Certain matters discussed in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, including matters discussed under the heading “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” incorporated by reference herein, may constitute forward-looking statements for purposes of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act, and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from the future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. We may, in some cases, use terms such as “predicts,” “believes,” “potential,” “continue,” “estimates,” “anticipates,” “expects,” “plans,” “intends,” “may,” “could,” “might,” “will,” “should,” or other words that convey uncertainty of future events or outcomes to identify these forward-looking statements. Our actual results may differ materially from the results anticipated in these forward-looking statements due to a variety of factors, including, without limitation, those discussed under the headings “Risk Factors,” “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and elsewhere in this prospectus supplement and the documents incorporated by reference herein, as well as other factors which may be identified from time to time in our other filings with the SEC, or in the documents where such forward-looking statements appear. All written or oral forward-looking statements attributable to us are expressly qualified in their entirety by these cautionary statements.

In particular, our statements regarding trends and potential future results are examples of such forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements include risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, the success, timing and cost of our ongoing clinical trials and anticipated clinical trials for our current product candidates, including statements regarding the timing of initiation and completion of the trials, futility analyses and receipt of interim results; the timing of and our ability to obtain and maintain U.S. Food and Drug Administration or other regulatory authority approval of, or other action with respect to, our product candidates; our ability to successfully defend our intellectual property or obtain the necessary licenses at a cost acceptable to us, if at all; the successful implementation of our research and development programs and collaborations; the success of our license agreements; the acceptance by the market of our product candidates, if approved; and other factors, including general economic conditions and regulatory developments, including the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, that are not within our control and that are discussed under the heading “Risk Factors,” including those risk factors that are incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus.

The forward-looking statements contained in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus reflect our views and assumptions only as of the date of this prospectus supplement. Except as required by law, we assume no responsibility for updating any forward-looking statements.

We qualify all of our forward-looking statements by these cautionary statements. In addition, with respect to all of our forward-looking statements, we claim the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.

Our business requires significant funding, and we currently invest available funds and earnings in product development. Therefore, we do not anticipate paying any cash dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable future. We currently plan to invest all available funds and future earnings in the development and growth of our business. As a result, capital appreciation, if any, of our common stock will be your sole source of potential gain for the foreseeable future.

This prospectus is a part of a registration statement on Form S-3 that we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) utilizing a “shelf” registration process. Under the shelf registration process, we may sell any combination of the securities described in this prospectus in one or more transactions up to a total dollar amount of $100,000,000.

The rules and regulations of the SEC allow us to omit from this prospectus certain information that is included in the registration statement. For further information about us and our securities, you should review the registration statement and the exhibits filed with the registration statement. In addition, the SEC allows us to incorporate by reference into this prospectus information in the reports and other documents that we file with the SEC, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to those reports and other documents. The information incorporated by reference is considered to be part of this prospectus, and information that we later file with the SEC will automatically update and, where applicable, modify or supersede that information. You may read the registration statement (including its exhibits) and the reports and other documents that we file with the SEC at the SEC’s website, www.sec.gov.

This prospectus provides you with a general description of the securities we may offer. Each time we offer securities under this shelf registration, we will provide a prospectus supplement that will contain specific information about the terms of that offering. The prospectus supplement may also add, update or change information contained in this prospectus. You should read both this prospectus and any prospectus supplement together with the additional information described under the heading “Incorporation of Certain Information by Reference.” To the extent that any information in the prospectus supplement is inconsistent with the information in this prospectus, the information in the prospectus supplement will modify or supersede this prospectus.

This prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement do not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities other than the registered securities to which they relate, nor do this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities in any jurisdiction to any person to whom it is unlawful to make such offer or solicitation in such jurisdiction.

You should not assume that the information contained in this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement is accurate as of any date subsequent to the date set forth on the front of the document or that any information we have incorporated by reference is correct as of any date subsequent to the date of the document incorporated by reference, even though this prospectus and any applicable prospectus supplement is delivered or securities are sold on a later date. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since those dates.

You should rely only on the information contained in this prospectus, in the applicable prospectus supplement and in any documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement. We have not authorized any salesperson, dealer or other person to provide you with information different from that contained in this prospectus, in the applicable prospectus supplement or in any documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus or the applicable prospectus supplement, and you are not entitled to rely upon any such different information.

Throughout this prospectus, the terms “PDS,” “we,” “us,” “our,” and “our company” refer to PDS Biotechnology Corporation, a Delaware corporation.

We are a clinical-stage immunotherapy company developing a growing pipeline of cancer immunotherapies and infectious disease vaccines designed to overcome the well-established limitations of current immunotherapy technologies. PDS owns Versamune^®, a proprietary T-cell activating platform designed to train the immune system to better attack and destroy disease. When paired with an antigen, a disease-related protein that is recognizable by the immune system, Versamune^® has been shown to induce, in vivo, large quantities of high-quality, highly potent polyfunctional CD8+ killer T-cells, a specific sub-type of CD8+ killer T-cell that is more effective at killing infected or target cells.

The induction of CD8+ (killer) T-cells is important to achieving robust long-term efficacy in most infectious disease vaccines and efficacy in cancer immunotherapy. Current preventive and prophylactic vaccine approaches and technologies predominantly focus on creating strong induction of antibody responses. However, the induction of T-cell responses, in addition to antibody responses, is now believed to provide more durable and broad protection against several viral infections. Similarly, it is well documented that the most critical attribute of an effective cancer immunotherapy is induction of high levels of active antigen-specific CD8+ (killer) T-cells. Priming adequate levels of active CD8+ T-cells in-vivo continues to be a major obstacle impeding the achievement of durable efficacy of immunotherapy.

PDS’s lead clinical stage program, PDS0101, has demonstrated unique in-vivo induction of high levels of active HPV-specific CD8+ T-cells in humans, confirming impressive preclinical CD8+ T-cell study results, as well as successful induction of CD8+ T-cells against a viral target (HPV). This strong CD8+ T-cell induction data, coupled with preclinical data demonstrating the induction of high levels of neutralizing antibody responses, suggested strong potential to successfully develop and progress novel Versamune^®-based vaccines to treat infectious diseases, and thus informed PDS’ subsequent pipeline expansion into multiple infectious disease indications.

Versamune^® activates an important immunological signaling pathway, critical to induction of robust and sustained anti-viral and anti-tumor immune responses, known as the Type I interferon (IFN) signaling pathway. Versamune^® has demonstrated the following:

Finally, Versamune^®’s immunostimulatory properties have been confirmed in preclinical studies when administered with a diverse array of antigens, including recombinant proteins, peptides, DNA and RNA antigens.

We believe that the Versamune^® platform has shown strong potential to become an industry-leading immunotherapy technology; it is the platform technology underpinning PDS’ robust pipeline of infectious disease vaccines and cancer immunotherapies. We expect substantial value accretion as our pipeline products successfully progress through Phase 2 clinical trials; two of the three currently planned PDS0101 clinical trials have been delayed, primarily as a result of the adverse impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on clinical trial operations for cancer indications in the United States.

The unique combination of high potency and excellent safety of the Versamune^® platform observed in preclinical studies appears to have been corroborated in the successfully-completed 12-patient PDS0101 Phase 1/2a clinical trial. On September 19, 2019, PDS reported retrospective clinical outcome data from this study. Despite most of the patients being infected with multiple HPV strains other than HPV 16, regression was seen in 8 out of 10 patients, with complete regression of pre-cancerous lesions documented in 6 out of 10 patients at their first post-treatment evaluation, which occurred within 1-3 months of completing treatment. In addition, the fact that no disease recurrence occurred over the two-year evaluation period strongly suggested a robust and durable therapeutic immune response due to the induction of T-cells by PDS0101 administration that were clinically active. As a result of this information strongly suggesting the unique ability of PDS0101 to generate potent and biologically active CD8+ T-cells in-vivo, PDS focused its clinical strategy on areas of more severe unmet medical need in which PDS0101 is combined with other immune-modulating agents, including checkpoint inhibitors and standard of care e.g. chemoradiotherapy, to provide improved clinical benefit to patients.

We believe that rational design of combination immunotherapies using agents that promote synergy with each other and reduce the potential for compounded toxicity would substantially improve potential for combination therapies to deliver improved clinical benefit for cancer patients. Versamune^® appears to activate the appropriate combination of immunological pathways to promote strong CD8+ T-cell induction, while also altering the tumor microenvironment to make tumors more susceptible to T-cell attack, which PDS believes makes it an ideal complement to checkpoint inhibitors and other immune-modulating agents by enhancing their potency as part of combination therapies. In addition, the differences in mechanism of action between Versamune^® and checkpoint inhibitors, as well as the initial demonstrated safety profile of Versamune^®, suggests that these combinations may be much better tolerated by patients than many or most other combination therapies involving checkpoint inhibitors and other cancer treatments such as immune-cytokines and chemotherapy.

On October 28, 2019, we entered into an amendment to an existing clinical trial collaboration agreement with a subsidiary of Merck (known as MSD outside the United States and Canada) to evaluate a combination of our lead Versamune^®-based immunotherapy, PDS0101, with Merck's anti-PD-1 therapy, KEYTRUDA^® (pembrolizumab), in a Phase 2 clinical trial. The planned clinical trial will evaluate the efficacy and safety of this therapeutic combination as a first-line treatment in patients with recurrent or metastatic head and neck cancer and high-risk human papillomavirus-16 (HPV16) infection. This amendment, primarily related to a modification to the original clinical trial design to evaluate PDS0101 in combination with KEYTRUDA^® as first-line treatment, was the result of the FDA’s approval, on June 10, 2019, for first line treatment of patients with metastatic or unresectable recurrent head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) using KEYTRUDA^® in combination

PDS previously announced a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with the National Cancer Institute (NCI) for development of the PDS0101 HPV cancer immunotherapy in combination with other immune-modulating agents as a potential treatment for advanced HPV-related cancers. Preclinical study results arising from this CRADA were recently published in the Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer, Immunomodulation to enhance the efficacy of and HPV therapeutic vaccine (Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer 2020;8:e000612. doi:10.1136/ jitc-2020-000612), indicating that PDS0101 generated both human papillomavirus (HPV)-specific T-cells and an associated antitumor response when used as a monotherapy. When PDS0101 was combined with two other novel development-stage anti-cancer agents, Bintrafusp alfa (M7824) and NHS-IL12, preclinical data suggested that all three therapeutic agents worked synergistically to provide enhanced tumor regression and T-cell response when compared to any of the agents alone.

In June 2020, the first patient was dosed under this PDS0101 CRADA, in a NCI-led Phase 2 clinical study evaluating PDS0101, NHS-IL12, and M7824, owned by EMD Serono (Merck KGaA). The study will evaluate the objective response rate of this novel triple combination in approximately 30 patients with advanced HPV-associated cancers.

In April 2020, the PDS0101 CRADA was expanded to include clinical and preclinical development of PDS0103. PDS0103 is an investigational immunotherapy owned by PDS and designed to treat cancers associated with the mucin-1 (MUC-1) oncogenic C-terminal region antigen such as ovarian, breast, colorectal and lung cancers. PDS0103 combines Versamune^® with novel highly immunogenic agonist epitopes of MUC-1 developed by the NCI. PDS0103 is currently in late preclinical development.

We anticipate initiation, in the near term, of a third PDS0101 Phase 2 clinical study with The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center . This clinical study will investigate the safety and anti-tumor efficacy of PDS0101 in combination with standard-of-care chemo-radiotherapy (CRT), and their correlation with critical immunological biomarkers in patients with locally advanced cervical cancer. PDS believes that Versamune^®’s strong T-cell induction has potential to meaningfully enhance efficacy of the current standard of care CRT treatment in this indication.

PDS believes that the key differentiating attributes of the Versamune® platform technology, strong induction of CD8+ and CD4+ T-cells and antibodies, can also be leveraged to improve treatment and preventive options in several infectious disease indications. Specifically, the emerging COVID-19 pandemic has provided a unique opportunity to highlight Versamune^®’s transformative immunostimulatory activities. Our newly-expanded infectious diseases pipeline now cover an expansive range of pathogens:

On December 4, 2019, we entered into an Amended and Restated Material Transfer Agreement (MTA) with the Brazilian pharmaceutical company Farmacore Biotechnology to develop a novel tuberculosis (TB) immunotherapy based on a combination of Farmacore’s proprietary TB antigens with Versamune^®. A preceding

PDS is advancing development of PDS0203, our leading COVID-19 vaccine candidate, which will combine Versamune^® with SARS-CoV-2-specific proteins. Our goal is to advance a COVID-19 vaccine into human trials as quickly as possible; we are currently in active discussions with both government agencies and non-governmental organizations to determine the most accelerated path to advance PDS0203 into clinical trials.

PDS0203 is being designed to potentially provide long-term and broad protection against infection from COVID-19 and its potential mutations, based on Versamune^®‘s ability to prime the immune system to generate both antibodies for near term protection and T-cell responses for long term protection against pathogens. This broader projected range of effective immunity is a result of Versamune^®‘s unique ability to specifically activate Type I interferons (IFNs) critical to developing effective anti-viral immune responses, and also to promote presentation of the unique disease-associated protein or peptide to the appropriate compartment of the dendritic cells of the immune system. As a result of this capability, Versamune^® has demonstrated enhanced immunogenicity in the context of dose sparing of both flu and COVID-19 antigens through strong induction of neutralizing antibodies. Finally, the simple chemical composition of PDS0203 is expected to permit rapid manufacturing scale-up for global deployment

Based on the key characteristics of Versamune^® described above, we are progressing development of PDS0202, a universal influenza vaccine, which combines Versamune^® with novel influenza vaccine antigens. PDS0202 development is being supported by an agreement with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Collaborative Influenza Vaccine Innovation Centers (CIVICs) program, with a goal of rapidly progressing into a human clinical trial. Preclinical development studies will be performed at three sites: PDS’ Princeton, NJ laboratories, The University of Kentucky School of Medicine, and the CIVICs Center for Influenza Vaccine Research for High-Risk Populations (CIVR-HRP). We anticipate that PDS0202 could provide broad and long-term protection against multiple influenza strains.

Since our inception in 2005, we have devoted substantially all our resources to developing our Versamune^® platform, advancing preclinical programs, conducting clinical trials, manufacturing PDS0101 for clinical trials, and providing general and administrative support. We have funded our operations primarily from the issuance of common stock. We have not generated any product revenue.

We have never been profitable and have incurred net losses in each year since our inception. Our net losses were $7.0 million and $3.8 million for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively. As of March 31, 2020, we had an accumulated deficit of $32.9 million. Substantially all of our net losses have resulted from costs incurred in connection with its research and development programs and from general and administrative costs associated with these operations.

Information concerning our company is contained in the documents that we file with the SEC as a reporting company under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, which are accessible at www.sec.gov, and on our website at www.pdsbiotech.com. The information contained on, or that can be accessed through, our website is not a part of this prospectus. Investors should not rely on any such information in deciding whether to purchase our common stock. We have included our website address in this prospectus solely as an inactive textual reference. Information on our website is not, and should not be considered, part of this prospectus.

Our principal executive offices are located at 25B Vreeland Road, Florham Park NJ 07932, and our telephone number is (800) 208-3343.

Investment in any securities offered pursuant to this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement involves a high degree of risk. Prior to making a decision about investing in our securities, you should carefully consider the risk factors described in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and in any subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q or Current Reports on Form 8-K that we file with the SEC after the date of this prospectus, all of which are incorporated by reference into this prospectus, in addition to the risk factor described below. You should also carefully review all other information contained in or incorporated by reference into this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement, including the information contained below under the heading “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements,” as updated by our subsequent filings under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. The occurrence of any of these risks might cause you to lose all or part of your investment in the offered securities.

This prospectus and the documents incorporated herein by reference contain forward-looking statements, and we anticipate that the applicable prospectus supplement will contain forward-looking statements. These statements relate to future events or to our future financial performance and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results to be materially different from any future results expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by the use of words such as “believe,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “plan,” “estimate,” “may,” “could,” “anticipate,” “predict,” or “expect” and similar expressions. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements since they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that are, in many cases, beyond our control. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance. Actual events or results may differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors. Except as required by applicable law, we do not undertake any obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.

Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those reflected in our forward-looking statements include, among others:

All written and verbal forward-looking statements attributable to us or any person acting on our behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements contained or referred to in this section. We caution investors not to rely too heavily on the forward-looking statements we make or that are made on our behalf.

In addition, you should refer to the documents we have incorporated by reference for a discussion of other important factors that may cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by our forward-looking statements. As a result of these factors, we cannot assure you that the forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate. Furthermore, if our forward-looking statements prove to be inaccurate, the

We may discuss certain of these risks and uncertainties in greater detail in any prospectus supplement under the heading “Risk Factors.” Additional cautionary statements or discussions of risks and uncertainties that could affect our results or the achievement of the expectations described in forward-looking statements may also be contained in the documents we incorporate by reference into this prospectus, including our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the SEC.

Unless we state otherwise in the applicable prospectus supplement, we intend to use the net proceeds from the sale of securities described in this prospectus for the further development and commercialization of our product candidates and for general corporate purposes, which may include, among other things, reducing indebtedness, acquiring other companies (although we currently have no agreement to acquire any other company), purchasing or licensing other assets or lines of business, repurchasing our common stock and making capital expenditures, as well as for working capital. Until we use the net proceeds for these purposes, we intend to invest the net proceeds in investment-grade, interest-bearing securities. We have not determined the amounts we plan to spend on any of these areas or the timing of these expenditures. As a result, our management will have broad discretion regarding the application of the net proceeds from the sale of securities described in this prospectus.

We, directly or through underwriters, dealers or agents designated by us from time to time, may offer, issue and sell, together or separately, up to $100,000,000 in the aggregate of:

The common stock, the preferred stock, the debt securities, the warrants, the units, and the rights to purchase shares of our common stock, shares of our preferred stock, warrants, debt securities or units collectively are referred to in this prospectus as the “securities.”

We have summarized below the material terms of the various types of securities that we may offer. We will describe in the applicable prospectus supplement the detailed terms of the securities offered by that supplement. If indicated in the prospectus supplement, the terms of the offered securities may differ from the terms summarized below.

This prospectus may not be used to sell our securities unless it is accompanied by the applicable prospectus supplement.

We are presently authorized to issue 75,000,000 shares common stock, par value $0.00033 per share. As of March 31, 2020, we had issued and outstanding 15,361,619 shares of common stock.

We have one class of common stock. Holders of our common stock are entitled to one vote per share on all matters to be voted upon by stockholders and do not have cumulative voting rights in the election of directors. Holders of shares of common stock are entitled to receive on a pro rata basis such dividends, if any, as may be declared from time to time by our board of directors in its discretion from funds legally available for that use, subject to any preferential dividend rights of outstanding preferred stock. They are also entitled to share on a pro rata basis in any distribution to our common stockholders upon our liquidation, dissolution or winding up, subject to the prior rights of any outstanding preferred stock. Common stockholders do not have preemptive rights to subscribe to any additional stock issuances by us, and they do not have the right to require the redemption of their shares or the conversion of their shares into any other class of our stock. The rights, preferences and privileges of holders of common stock are subject to, and may be adversely affected by, the rights of the holders of any series of preferred stock that we may designate and issue in the future.

Provisions of our eighth amended and restated certificate of incorporation and second amended and restated bylaws may delay or discourage transactions involving an actual or potential change of control or change in our management, including transactions in which stockholders might otherwise receive a premium for their shares, or transactions that our stockholders might otherwise deem to be in their best interests. Therefore, these provisions could adversely affect the price of our common stock. Among other things, our eighth amended and restated certificate of incorporation and second amended and restated bylaws:

In addition, we are subject to the provisions of Section 203 of the General Corporation Law of Delaware. Section 203 prohibits a publicly held Delaware corporation from engaging in a “business combination” with an “interested stockholder” for a period of three years after the date of the transaction in which the person became

The transfer agent and registrar of our common stock is Computershare Trust Company, N.A. The address of our transfer agent and registrar is 1290 Avenue of the Americas, 9th Floor, New York, NY 10104, and its telephone number is (212) 805-7100.

We have authority to issue 5,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.00033 per share. As of March 31, 2020, we did not have any shares of preferred stock issued or outstanding.

Under our certificate of incorporation, our board of directors has the authority, without further action by stockholders, to designate one or more series of preferred stock and to fix the voting powers, designations, preferences, limitations, restrictions and relative rights granted to or imposed upon the preferred stock, including dividend rights, conversion rights, voting rights, rights and terms of redemption, liquidation preference and sinking fund terms, any or all of which may be preferential to or greater than the rights of the common stock.

Our board of directors may authorize the issuance of preferred stock with voting or conversion rights that could adversely affect the voting power or other rights of the holders of the common stock. The issuance of preferred stock, while providing flexibility in connection with possible acquisitions and other corporate purposes, could, among other things, have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change in our control and may adversely affect the market price of the common stock and the voting and other rights of the holders of common stock.

We will describe in a prospectus supplement relating to any series of preferred stock being offered the following terms:

The following is a general description of the terms of debt securities we may issue from time to time unless we provide otherwise in the applicable prospectus supplement. Particular terms of any debt securities we offer will be described in the prospectus supplement relating to such debt securities.

As required by Federal law for all bonds and notes of companies that are publicly offered, any debt securities we issue will be governed by a document called an “indenture,” the form of which is filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. We have summarized the general features of the debt securities to be governed by the indenture. The summary is not complete. An indenture is a contract between us and a financial institution acting as trustee on behalf of the holders of the debt securities, and is subject to and governed by the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended. The trustee has two main roles. First, the trustee can enforce holders’ rights against us if we default. There are some limitations on the extent to which the trustee acts on holders’ behalf, described in the second paragraph under “Description of Debt Securities—Events of Default.” Second, the trustee performs certain administrative duties, such as sending interest and principal payments to holders.

Because this section is a summary, it does not describe every aspect of any debt securities we may issue or the indenture governing any such debt securities. Particular terms of any debt securities we offer will be described in the prospectus supplement relating to such debt securities, and we urge you to read the applicable executed indenture, which will be filed with the SEC at the time of any offering of debt securities, because it, and not this description, will define the rights of holders of such debt securities.

A prospectus supplement will describe the particular terms of any series of debt securities we may issue, including some or all of the following:

The debt securities may be secured or unsecured obligations. Unless the prospectus supplement states otherwise, principal, interest and premium, if any, will be paid by us in immediately available funds.

The indenture may provide that any debt securities proposed to be sold under this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement relating to such debt securities (“offered debt securities”) and any debt securities issuable upon conversion or exchange of other offered securities (“underlying debt securities”) may be issued under the indenture in one or more series.

For purposes of this prospectus, any reference to the payment of principal of, or interest or premium, if any, on, debt securities will include additional amounts if required by the terms of the debt securities.

Debt securities issued under an indenture, when a single trustee is acting for all debt securities issued under the indenture, are called the “indenture securities.” The indenture may also provide that there may be more than one trustee thereunder, each with respect to one or more different series of securities issued thereunder. See “Description of Debt Securities—Resignation of Trustee” below. At a time when two or more trustees are acting under an indenture, each with respect to only certain series, the term “indenture securities” means the one or more series of debt securities with respect to which each respective trustee is acting. In the event that there is more than one trustee under an indenture, the powers and trust obligations of each trustee described in this prospectus will extend only to the one or more series of indenture securities for which it is trustee. If two or more trustees are acting under an indenture, then the indenture securities for which each trustee is acting would be treated as if issued under separate indentures.

We refer you to the applicable prospectus supplement relating to any debt securities we may issue from time to time for information with respect to any deletions from, modifications of or additions to the Events of Default or covenants that are described below, including any addition of a covenant or other provision providing event risk or similar protection, that will be applicable with respect to such debt securities.

We have the ability to issue indenture securities with terms different from those of indenture securities previously issued and, without the consent of the holders thereof, to reopen a previous issue of a series of indenture securities and issue additional indenture securities of that series unless the reopening was restricted when that series was created.

If any debt securities are convertible into or exchangeable for other securities, the related prospectus supplement will explain the terms and conditions of the conversion or exchange, including the conversion price or exchange ratio (or the calculation method), the conversion or exchange period (or how the period will be determined), if conversion or exchange will be mandatory or at the option of the holder or us, provisions for

We will pay interest to the person listed in the applicable trustee’s records as the owner of the debt security at the close of business on a particular day in advance of each due date for interest, even if that person no longer owns the debt security on the interest due date. That day, often approximately two weeks in advance of the interest due date, is called the “record date.” Because we will pay all the interest for an interest period to the holders on the record date, holders buying and selling debt securities must work out between themselves the appropriate purchase price. The most common manner is to adjust the sales price of the debt securities to prorate interest fairly between buyer and seller based on their respective ownership periods within the particular interest period. This prorated interest amount is called “accrued interest.”

Holders of debt securities of any series will have rights if an Event of Default occurs in respect of the debt securities of such series and is not cured, as described later in this subsection. The term “Event of Default” in respect of the debt securities of any series means any of the following:

An Event of Default for a particular series of debt securities does not necessarily constitute an Event of Default for any other series of debt securities issued under the same or any other indenture. The trustee may withhold notice to the holders of debt securities of any default, except in the payment of principal, premium or interest, if it considers the withholding of notice to be in the best interests of the holders.

If an Event of Default has occurred and has not been cured or waived, the trustee or the holders of not less than 25% in principal amount of the debt securities of the affected series may declare the entire principal amount of all the debt securities of that series to be due and immediately payable. This is called a declaration of acceleration of maturity. A declaration of acceleration of maturity may be canceled by the holders of a majority in principal amount of the debt securities of the affected series if the default is cured or waived and certain other conditions are satisfied.

Except in cases of default, where the trustee has some special duties, the trustee typically is not required to take any action under an indenture at the request of any holders unless the holders offer the trustee reasonable protection from expenses and liability (called an “indemnity”). If reasonable indemnity is provided, the holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of the relevant series may direct the time, method and place of conducting any lawsuit or other formal legal action seeking any remedy available to the trustee. The trustee may refuse to follow those directions in certain circumstances.

However, a holder is entitled at any time to bring a lawsuit for the payment of money due on its debt securities on or after the due date. Each year, we will furnish to each trustee a written statement of certain of our officers certifying that to their knowledge we are in compliance with the indenture and the debt securities, or else specifying any default.

The holders of a majority in principal amount of the relevant series of debt securities may waive a default for all such series of debt securities. If this happens, the default will be treated as if it had not occurred. No one can waive a payment default on a holder’s debt security, however, without the holder’s approval.

Under the terms of an indenture, we may be permitted to consolidate or merge with another entity. We may also be permitted to sell all or substantially all of our assets to another entity. However, typically we may not take any of these actions unless all the following conditions are met:

First, there are changes that we cannot make to debt securities without specific approval of all of the holders. The following is a list of the types of changes that may require specific approval:

The second type of change does not require any vote by the holders of the debt securities. This type is limited to clarifications and certain other changes that would not adversely affect holders of the outstanding debt securities in any material respect, including the addition of covenants and guarantees. We also do not need any approval to make any change that affects only debt securities to be issued under the indenture after the change takes effect.

The holders of a majority in principal amount of all of the series of debt securities issued under an indenture, voting together as one class for this purpose, may waive our compliance obligations with respect to some of our covenants in that indenture. However, we cannot obtain a waiver of a payment default or of any of the matters covered by the bullet points included above under “Description of Debt Securities—Modification or Waiver—Changes Requiring Approval.”

When taking a vote on proposed changes to the indenture and the debt securities, we expect to use the following rules to decide how much principal to attribute to a debt security:

We generally will be entitled to set any day as a record date for the purpose of determining the holders of outstanding indenture securities that are entitled to vote or take other action under the indenture. If we set a record date for a vote or other action to be taken by holders of one or more series, that vote or action may be taken only by persons who are holders of outstanding indenture securities of those series on the record date and must be taken within 11 months following the record date.

Book-entry and other indirect holders will need to consult their banks or brokers for information on how approval may be granted or denied if we seek to change the indenture or the debt securities or request a waiver.

The following provisions will be applicable to each series of debt securities unless we state in the applicable prospectus supplement that the provisions of covenant defeasance and legal defeasance will not be applicable to that series.

We can make the deposit described below and be released from some of the restrictive covenants in the indenture under which the particular series was issued. This is called “covenant defeasance.” In that event, the holders would lose the protection of those restrictive covenants but would gain the protection of having money and government securities set aside in trust to repay holders’ debt securities. If applicable, a holder also would be released from the subordination provisions described under “Description of Debt Securities—Indenture Provisions—Subordination” below. In order to achieve covenant defeasance, we must do the following:

If we accomplish covenant defeasance, holders can still look to us for repayment of the debt securities if there were a shortfall in the trust deposit or the trustee is prevented from making payment. In fact, if one of the remaining Events of Default occurred (such as our bankruptcy) and the debt securities became immediately due and payable, there might be a shortfall. Depending on the event causing the default, holders may not be able to obtain payment of the shortfall.

As described below, we can legally release ourselves from all payment and other obligations on the debt securities of a particular series (called “legal defeasance”), (1) if there is a change in U.S. Federal tax law that allows us to effect the release without causing the holders to be taxed any differently than if the release had not occurred, and (2) if we put in place the following other arrangements for holders to be repaid:

If we ever did accomplish legal defeasance, as described above, holders would have to rely solely on the trust deposit for repayment of the debt securities. Holders could not look to us for repayment in the unlikely event of any shortfall. Conversely, the trust deposit would most likely be protected from claims of our lenders and other creditors if we ever became bankrupt or insolvent. If applicable, holders would also be released from the subordination provisions described later under “Description of Debt Securities—Indenture Provisions—Subordination.”

Each trustee may resign or be removed with respect to one or more series of indenture securities provided that a successor trustee is appointed to act with respect to such series. In the event that two or more persons are acting as trustee with respect to different series of indenture securities under the indenture, each of the trustees will be a trustee of a trust separate and apart from the trust administered by any other trustee.

Upon any distribution of our assets upon our dissolution, winding up, liquidation or reorganization, the payment of the principal of (and premium, if any) and interest on any indenture securities denominated as subordinated debt securities is to be subordinated to the extent provided in the indenture in right of payment to the prior payment in full of all Senior Indebtedness (defined below), but our obligation to holders to make payment of the principal of (and premium, if any) and interest on such subordinated debt securities will not otherwise be affected. In addition, no payment on account of principal (or premium, if any), interest or sinking fund, if any, may be made on such subordinated debt securities at any time unless full payment of all amounts due in respect of the principal (and premium, if any), interest and sinking fund, if any, on Senior Indebtedness has been made or duly provided for in money or money’s worth.

In the event that, notwithstanding the foregoing, any payment from us is received by the trustee in respect of subordinated debt securities or by the holders of any of such subordinated debt securities before all Senior Indebtedness is paid in full, the payment or distribution must be paid over to the holders of the Senior Indebtedness or on their behalf for application to the payment of all the Senior Indebtedness remaining unpaid until all the Senior Indebtedness has been paid in full, after giving effect to any concurrent payment or distribution to the holders of the Senior Indebtedness. Subject to the payment in full of all Senior Indebtedness, the holders of such subordinated debt securities will be subrogated to the rights of the holders of the Senior Indebtedness to the extent of payments made to the holders of the Senior Indebtedness out of the distributive share of such subordinated debt securities.

By reason of this subordination, in the event of a distribution of our assets upon our insolvency, certain of our senior creditors may recover more, ratably, than holders of any subordinated debt securities. The related indenture will provide that these subordination provisions will not apply to money and securities held in trust under the defeasance provisions of the indenture.

“Senior Indebtedness” will be defined in an applicable indenture as the principal of (and premium, if any) and unpaid interest on:

We intend to name the indenture trustee for each series of indenture securities in the related prospectus supplement.

Debt securities denominated or payable in foreign currencies may entail significant risks. These risks include the possibility of significant fluctuations in the foreign currency markets, the imposition or modification of foreign exchange controls and potential illiquidity in the secondary market. These risks will vary depending upon the currency or currencies involved and will be more fully described in the applicable prospectus supplement.

We may issue warrants for the purchase of shares of our common stock, preferred stock or debt securities. We may issue warrants independently or together with other securities, and the warrants may be attached to or separate from any offered securities. If a series of warrants will be issued under a separate warrant agreement to be entered into between us and the investors or a warrant agent, we will so specify in the applicable prospectus supplement. The following summary of the material provisions of the warrants and warrant agreements is subject to, and qualified in its entirety by reference to, all the provisions of the warrants and any warrant agreement applicable to a particular series of warrants. The terms of any warrants offered under a prospectus supplement may differ from the terms described below. We urge you to read the applicable prospectus supplement, as well as the complete warrants and warrant agreements that contain the terms of the warrants.

The material terms of any issue of warrants will be described in the prospectus supplement relating to the issue. Those terms may include:

Each warrant will entitle its holder to purchase the principal amount of debt securities or the number of shares of preferred stock or common stock at the exercise price set forth in, or calculable as set forth in, the applicable prospectus supplement. Unless we otherwise specify in the applicable prospectus supplement, holders of the warrants may exercise the warrants at any time up to the specified time on the expiration date that we set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement. After the close of business on the expiration date, unexercised warrants will become void.

A holder of warrant certificates may exchange them for new warrant certificates of different denominations, present them for registration of transfer and exercise them at the corporate trust office of the warrant agent or

We may issue units consisting of any combination of common stock, preferred stock, debt securities or warrants to purchase shares of our common stock, shares of our preferred stock or debt securities offered under this prospectus in one or more series. We may elect to evidence each series of units by unit certificates that we will issue under a separate unit agreement. We may enter into unit agreements with a unit agent. Each unit agent will be a bank or trust company that we select. We will indicate the name and address of the unit agent in the applicable prospectus supplement relating to a particular series of units.

The following description, together with the additional information included in any applicable prospectus supplement, summarizes the general features of the units that we may offer under this prospectus. You should read any prospectus supplement related to the series of units being offered, as well as the complete unit agreements that contain the terms of the units. Specific unit agreements will contain additional important terms, and we will file as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, or will incorporate by reference from another report that we file with the SEC, the form of each unit agreement relating to units offered under this prospectus.

If we offer any units, certain terms of that series of units will be described in the applicable prospectus supplement, including, without limitation, the following, as applicable:

The following is a general description of the terms of the rights we may issue from time to time unless we provide otherwise in the applicable prospectus supplement. Particular terms of any rights we offer will be described in the prospectus supplement relating to such rights.

We may issue rights to purchase common stock, preferred stock, debt securities or units. Rights may be issued independently or together with other securities and may or may not be transferable by the person purchasing or receiving the rights. In connection with any rights offering to our stockholders, we may enter into a standby underwriting, backstop or other arrangement with one or more underwriters or other persons pursuant to which such underwriters or other persons would purchase any offered securities remaining unsubscribed for after such rights offering. In connection with a rights offering to our stockholders, we would distribute certificates evidencing the rights and a prospectus supplement to our stockholders on or about the record date that we set for receiving rights in such rights offering.

Each right will entitle the holder to purchase for cash or other consideration such shares of stock or principal amount of securities at the subscription price as shall in each case be set forth in, or be determinable as set forth in, the prospectus supplement relating to the rights offered thereby. Rights may be exercised as set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement beginning on the date specified therein and continuing until the close of business on the expiration date set forth in the prospectus supplement relating to the rights offered thereby. After the close of business on the expiration date, unexercised rights will become void.

Upon receipt of payment and a subscription certificate properly completed and duly executed at the corporate trust office of the subscription agent or any other office indicated in the prospectus supplement, we will, as soon as practicable, forward the securities purchasable upon such exercise. If less than all of the rights represented by such subscription certificate are exercised, a new subscription certificate will be issued for the remaining rights. If we so indicate in the applicable prospectus supplement, holders of the rights may surrender securities as all or part of the exercise price for rights.

Prior to exercising their rights, holders of rights will not have any of the rights of holders of the securities purchasable upon subscription, including, in the case of rights to purchase common stock or preferred stock, the right to receive dividends, if any, or payments upon our liquidation, dissolution or winding up or to exercise any voting rights or, in the case of rights to purchase debt securities, the right to receive principal, premium, if any, or interest payments, on the debt securities purchasable upon exercise or to enforce covenants in the applicable indenture.

We may sell the securities covered by this prospectus from time to time pursuant to underwritten public offerings, negotiated transactions, block trades or a combination of these methods or through underwriters or dealers, through agents and/or directly to one or more purchasers. The securities may be distributed from time to time in one or more transactions:

Each time that we sell securities covered by this prospectus, we will provide a prospectus supplement or supplements that will describe the method of distribution and set forth the terms and conditions of the offering of such securities, including the offering price of the securities and the proceeds to us, if applicable.

Offers to purchase the securities being offered by this prospectus may be solicited directly. Agents may also be designated to solicit offers to purchase the securities from time to time. Any agent involved in the offer or sale of our securities will be identified in a prospectus supplement.

If a dealer is utilized in the sale of the securities being offered by this prospectus, the securities will be sold to the dealer, as principal. The dealer may then resell the securities to the public at varying prices to be determined by the dealer at the time of resale.

If an underwriter is utilized in the sale of the securities being offered by this prospectus, an underwriting agreement will be executed with the underwriter at the time of sale and the name of any underwriter will be provided in the prospectus supplement that the underwriter will use to make resales of the securities to the public. In connection with the sale of the securities, we or the purchasers of securities for whom the underwriter may act as agent, may compensate the underwriter in the form of underwriting discounts or commissions. The underwriter may sell the securities to or through dealers, and those dealers may receive compensation in the form of discounts, concessions or commissions from the underwriters and/or commissions from the purchasers for which they may act as agent. Unless otherwise indicated in a prospectus supplement, an agent will be acting on a best efforts basis and a dealer will purchase securities as a principal, and may then resell the securities at varying prices to be determined by the dealer.

Any compensation paid to underwriters, dealers or agents in connection with the offering of the securities, and any discounts, concessions or commissions allowed by underwriters to participating dealers, will be described in the applicable prospectus supplement. Underwriters, dealers and agents participating in the distribution of the securities may be deemed to be underwriters within the meaning of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and any discounts and commissions received by them and any profit realized by them on resale of the securities may be deemed to be underwriting discounts and commissions. We may enter into agreements to indemnify underwriters, dealers and agents against civil liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, or to contribute to payments they may be required to make in respect thereof and to reimburse those persons for certain expenses.

Any common stock issued by us will be traded on The Nasdaq Capital Market unless we specify otherwise in the prospectus supplement, but any other securities may or may not be publicly traded or listed on a national securities exchange. To facilitate the offering of securities, certain persons participating in the offering may engage in transactions that stabilize, maintain or otherwise affect the price of the securities. This may include over-allotments or short sales of the securities, which involve the sale by persons participating in the offering of more securities than were sold to them. In these circumstances, these persons would cover such over-allotments or short positions by making purchases in the open market or by exercising their over-allotment option, if any. In addition, these persons may stabilize or maintain the price of the securities by bidding for or purchasing securities in the open market or by imposing penalty bids, whereby selling concessions allowed to dealers participating in the offering may be reclaimed if securities sold by them are repurchased in connection with stabilization transactions. The effect of these transactions may be to stabilize or maintain the market price of the securities at a level above that which might otherwise prevail in the open market. These transactions may be discontinued 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. 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.

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 validity of the securities offered by this prospectus will be passed upon for us by DLA Piper LLP (US), Philadelphia, PA. Additional legal matters may be passed upon for us or any underwriters, dealers or agents by counsel that we will name in the applicable prospectus supplement.

Our consolidated financial statements as of December 31, 2019 and for the year ended December 31, 2019, have been incorporated by reference herein and in the registration statement in reliance upon the report of KPMG LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, incorporated by reference herein, and upon the authority of said firm as experts in accounting and audit.

The financial statements of the private company PDS Biotechnology Corporation as of December 31, 2018, have been incorporated by reference herein and in the registration statement by reference to our Annual Report on Form 10-K dated March 27, 2020. Such financial statements are incorporated herein by reference in reliance upon such reports given on the authority of Haynie & Company as experts in accounting and auditing.

We are subject to the information and periodic reporting requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) and, in accordance with that act, file periodic reports and other information with the SEC. The SEC maintains an Internet site that contains all reports and other information that we file electronically with the SEC. The address of that website is www.sec.gov.

This prospectus is part of a registration statement on Form S-3 that we have filed with the SEC under the Securities Act for the securities offered under this prospectus (the “Form S-3 Registration Statement”). The Form S-3 Registration Statement, including the exhibits to the Form S-3 Registration Statement, contains additional information about us and the securities offered by this prospectus. The rules and regulations of the SEC allow us to omit from this prospectus certain information that is included in the Form S-3 Registration Statement. For further information about us and our securities, you should review the Form S-3 Registration Statement and the exhibits filed with the Form S-3 Registration Statement.

The SEC allows us to incorporate into this prospectus by reference the information we file with it, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to the documents containing that information. The information incorporated by reference is considered to be part of this prospectus, and information that we later file with the SEC will automatically update and, where applicable, modify or supersede that information.

We incorporate by reference the following documents previously filed with the SEC:

Notwithstanding the foregoing, no portion of any document that is “furnished” but not “filed” in accordance with SEC rules under Exchange Act shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference into this prospectus. Any statement contained in this prospectus or in a document incorporated by reference into this prospectus will be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this prospectus to the extent that a statement contained in this prospectus or in any other subsequently filed document that is incorporated by reference herein modifies or supersedes the statement. Any statement so modified or superseded will not be deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part of this prospectus.

You may request a copy of any of these filings from us at no cost by writing or calling our Corporate Secretary at the following address or telephone number: PDS Biotechnology Corporation, 25B Vreeland Road, Florham Park NJ 07932; Telephone: (800) 208-3343.