Genprex (GNPX) S-3Shelf registration

As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 21, 2023

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Registration No. 333-

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM S-3

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

GENPREX, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

3300 Bee Cave Road, #650-227

Austin, TX 78746

Telephone: (512) 537-7997

(Address, including zip code, and telephone number,

including area code, of registrant’s principal executive offices)

J. Rodney Varner

Chief Executive Officer

Genprex, Inc.

3300 Bee Cave Road, #650-227

Austin, TX 78746

Telephone: (512) 537-7997

(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number,

including area code, of agent for service)

Copies of all communications, including communications sent to the agent for service, to:

Alan Wovsaniker, Esq.

Kate Basmagian, Esq.

Lowenstein Sandler LLP

One Lowenstein Drive

Roseland, New Jersey 07068

Tel: (212) 262-6700

Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public: From time to time after this Registration Statement becomes effective.

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 earlier 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.

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 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 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

Genprex, Inc. has previously filed on June 12, 2020, and as amended on July 1, 2020, a Registration Statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-239134) (the “Prior Registration Statement”) to register securities in an aggregate amount of $200,000,000. The Prior Registration Statement is set to expire on July 17, 2023. This registration statement is being filed to replace the Prior Registration Statement and includes $158,914,546.32 of unsold securities (the “Unsold Securities”) previously registered on the Prior Registration Statement.  During the grace period afforded by Rule 415(a)(5) under the Securities Act, we may continue to offer and sell under the Prior Registration Statement the Unsold Securities being registered hereunder. Pursuant to Rule 415(a)(6) under the Securities Act, the offering of Unsold Securities under the Prior Registration Statement will be deemed terminated as of the date of effectiveness of this registration statement.

The information in this prospectus is not complete and may be changed. A registration statement relating to these securities has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These securities may not be sold until the registration statement is effective. This prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and does not solicit an offer to buy these securities in any state or other jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.

Subject to completion, dated April 21, 2023

PROSPECTUS

Genprex, Inc.

$200,000,000

Common Stock

Preferred Stock

Warrants

Debt Securities

Subscription Rights

Units

We may offer, issue and sell from time to time together or separately, in one or more offerings, any combination of (i) our common stock, (ii) our preferred stock, which we may issue in one or more series, (iii) warrants, (iv) senior or subordinated debt securities, (v) subscription rights and (vi) units. The debt securities may consist of debentures, notes, or other types of debt. The debt securities, preferred stock, warrants and subscription rights may be convertible into, or exercisable or exchangeable for, common or preferred stock or other securities of ours. The units may consist of any combination of the securities listed above.

The aggregate public offering price of the securities that we are offering will not exceed $200,000,000. We will offer the securities in an amount and on terms that market conditions will determine at the time of the offering. Our common stock is listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “GNPX.” The last reported sale price for our common stock on April 20, 2023 as quoted on the Nasdaq Capital Market was $1.10 per share. You are urged to obtain current market quotations of our common stock. We have no preferred stock, warrants, debt securities, subscription rights or units listed on any market. Each prospectus supplement will indicate if the securities offered thereby will be listed on any securities exchange.

Investing in our securities involves risk. You should carefully consider the risks that we refer you to under the section captioned “Risk Factors” in this prospectus on page 5 before buying our securities.

Should we offer any of the securities described in this prospectus, we will provide you with the specific terms of the particular securities being offered in supplements to this prospectus. You should read this prospectus and any supplement, together with additional information described under the headings “Additional Information” and “Incorporation of Certain Information by Reference” carefully before you invest. This prospectus may not be used to sell securities unless accompanied by a prospectus supplement.

We may sell these securities directly to our stockholders or to other purchasers or through agents on our behalf or through underwriters or dealers as designated from time to time. If any agents or underwriters are involved in the sale of any of these securities, the applicable prospectus supplement will provide the names of the agents or underwriters and any applicable fees, commissions or discounts.

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

The date of this prospectus is                             , 2023

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS

This prospectus is part of a registration statement that we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) using a “shelf” registration process. Under this shelf registration process, we may from time to time offer and sell, in one or more offerings, any or all of the securities described in this prospectus, separately or together, up to an aggregate offering price of $200,000,000. This prospectus provides you with a general description of our securities being offered. When we issue the securities being offered by this prospectus, 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 additional information described under the heading “Additional Information” and “Incorporation of Certain Information by Reference.”

You may only rely on the information contained in this prospectus and the accompanying prospectus supplement or in any free writing prospectus prepared by or on behalf of us or to which we have referred you to. We have not authorized anyone to provide you with different information. This prospectus and any prospectus supplement do not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities other than the securities offered by this prospectus and the prospectus supplement. This prospectus and any prospectus supplement do not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities in any circumstances in which such offer or solicitation is unlawful. Neither the delivery of this prospectus or any prospectus supplement nor any sale made hereunder shall, under any circumstances, create any implication that there has been no change in our affairs since the date of this prospectus or such prospectus supplement or that the information contained by reference to this prospectus or any prospectus supplement is correct as of any time after its date.

Genprex, Inc. is referred to herein as “Genprex,” “the Company,” “we,” “us,” and “our,” unless the context indicates otherwise.

PROSPECTUS SUMMARY

The following summary highlights some information from this prospectus. It is not complete and does not contain all of the information that you should consider before making an investment decision. You should read this entire prospectus, including the “Risk Factors” section on page 5 and the disclosures to which that section refers you, the financial statements and related notes and the other more detailed information appearing elsewhere or incorporated by reference into this prospectus before investing in any of the securities described in this prospectus.

About Us

We are a clinical stage gene therapy company pioneering the development of gene-based therapies for large patient populations with unmet medical needs. Our oncology platform utilizes our non-viral ONCOPREX® Nanoparticle Delivery System. Using this system, plasmids containing tumor suppressor genes, which are deleted early in the development of cancer, are encapsulated within lipid nanoparticles and administered intravenously to the patient to re-express the deleted tumor suppressor genes. Our diabetes technology is designed to work in Type 1 diabetes by transforming alpha cells in the pancreas into functional beta-like cells, which can produce insulin but are distinct enough from beta cells to evade the body’s immune system. In Type 2 diabetes, our technology is believed to work by replenishing and rejuvenating the beta cells that make insulin.

Oncology Platform

Our lead oncology drug candidate, REQORSA® Immunogene Therapy (generic name: quaratusugene ozeplasmid), previously referred to as GPX-001, is initially being developed in combination with top selling cancer drugs to treat Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (“NSCLC”) and Small Cell Lung Cancer (“SCLC”). The active agent in REQORSA is a plasmid that expresses a tumor suppressor gene named TUSC2. REQORSA has a multimodal mechanism of action whereby it interrupts cell signaling pathways that cause replication and proliferation of cancer cells, re-establishes pathways for apoptosis, or programmed cell death, in cancer cells, and modulates the immune response against cancer cells. REQORSA has been shown to be complementary with targeted drugs and immunotherapies. We believe REQORSA’s unique attributes position REQORSA to provide treatment for patients with NSCLC, SCLC, and possibly other cancers, and that it can improve on current therapies.

Acclaim – 1: We currently are enrolling and treating patients in the Phase 1 dose escalation portion of our Phase 1/2 Acclaim-1 clinical trial. The Acclaim-1 trial uses a combination of REQORSA and AstraZeneca PLC’s Tagrisso® in patients with late-stage NSCLC that has activating epidermal growth factor receptor (“EGFR”) mutations and progression after treatment with Tagrisso. In August 2022, the Acclaim-1 Safety Review Committee (“Acclaim-1 SRC”) approved escalating the dose from 0.06 mg/kg in the first cohort of patients to 0.09 mg/kg in the second cohort of patients and in December 2022, the SRC approved escalating the dose from 0.09 mg/kg in the second cohort to 0.12 mg/kg in the third and final cohort. We are thus enrolling and treating patients at the 0.12 mg/kg dose level. We expect enrollment in the dose escalation portion of the study to be completed within the several days following the March 31, 2023 filing of the Company's Annual Report. Once the dose escalation portion of the study is complete and the maximum tolerated dose ("MTD") or recommended Phase 2 dose ("RP2D") is established, we will proceed into the dose expansion portion of the study. The Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) has granted Fast Track Designation for the Acclaim-1 treatment combination of REQORSA and Tagrisso in NSCLC patients who have progressed after Tagrisso treatment.

Acclaim – 2: We currently are enrolling and treating patients in the Phase 1 dose escalation portion of our Phase 1/2 Acclaim-2 clinical trial. The Acclaim-2 trial uses a combination of REQORSA and Merck & Co.’s Keytruda® in patients with late-stage NSCLC whose disease has progressed after treatment with Keytruda. Patients are currently being treated at the 0.06 mg/kg dose level in the first cohort of patients and, subject to the Acclaim-2 Safety Review Committee ("Acclaim-2 SRC") approval, will be treated at successive dose levels of 0.09 mg/kg and 0.12 mg/kg. We expect enrollment in the dose escalation portion of the study to be completed by the end of 2023. We will then evaluate patients in the dose expansion portion of the study at the MTD or RP2D. The FDA has granted Fast Track Designation for the Acclaim-2 treatment combination of REQORSA and Keytruda in NSCLC patients who have progressed after Keytruda treatment.

The dose expansion portion of Acclaim-2 is a Phase 2 study and the dose expansion portion of Acclaim-1 will be considered a Phase 2 study upon the filing with the FDA of an upcoming protocol amendment. The dose expansion provides us the advantage of early insight into drug effectiveness in defined and distinct patient populations at the MTD or RP2D in order to better evaluate efficacy and increase the likelihood of a successful randomized Phase 2 trial which will follow the dose expansion portion of each study.

Acclaim – 3: In November 2022, we filed with the FDA our protocol for our Phase 1/2 Acclaim-3 clinical trial using a combination of REQORSA and Genentech, Inc.’s Tecentriq® as maintenance therapy in patients with extensive stage small cell lung cancer (“ES-SCLC”) who did not develop tumor progression after receiving Tecentriq and chemotherapy as initial standard treatment. We expect to dose the first patient in Acclaim-3 by the end of the third quarter of 2023. Patients will be treated with REQORSA and Tecentriq until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity is experienced.

The TUSC2 gene is one of a series of genes on the short arm of Chromosome 3 whose therapeutic use is covered by our exclusive worldwide licenses from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center ("MD Anderson"). We believe that our ONCOPREX Nanoparticle Delivery System allows for delivery of a number of cancer-fighting genes, alone or in combination with other cancer therapies, to combat multiple types of cancer and are in early stages of discovery programs to identify early-stage candidates. In August 2022, we entered into a sponsored research agreement with MD Anderson to support further pre-clinical studies of TUSC2 and other tumor suppressor genes.

Diabetes Gene Therapy

In diabetes, we have exclusively licensed from the University of Pittsburgh of the Commonwealth System of Higher Education (“University of Pittsburgh”) multiple technologies relating to the development of a gene therapy product for each of Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. The same general novel approach is used in each of Type 1 and Type 2 whereby an adeno-associated virus (“AAV”) vector containing the Pdx1 and MafA genes is administered directly into the pancreatic duct. In humans, this can be done with a routine endoscopy procedure. Our diabetes product candidates are currently being evaluated in preclinical studies at the University of Pittsburgh. GPX-002 is being developed for the treatment of Type 1 diabetes and GPX-003 is being developed for the treatment of Type 2 diabetes. GPX-002 is designed to work by transforming alpha cells in the pancreas into functional beta-like cells, which can produce insulin but are distinct enough from beta cells to evade the body’s immune system. GPX-003 is believed to work by replenishing and rejuvenating the beta cells that make insulin. In August 2022, we entered into a one-year sponsored research agreement with the University of Pittsburgh for the use of GPX-003 in a non-human primate (“NHP”) model in Type 2 diabetes and we expect data from this study to be reported by the end of 2023. In February 2023, the Company’s research collaborators at the University of Pittsburgh presented preclinical data in a NHP model of Type 1 diabetes highlighting the therapeutic potential of GPX-002 at the 16th International Conference on Advanced Technologies & Treatments for Diabetes (ATTD 2023) in Berlin, Germany. The statistically significant study results showed the treated animals had decreased insulin requirements, increased c-peptide levels, and improved glucose tolerance compared to baseline.

Implications of Being an Emerging Growth Company

We qualify as an “emerging growth company” as the term is used in The Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 ("JOBS Act"), and therefore, we may take advantage of certain exemptions from various public company reporting requirements, including:

●         a requirement to only have two years of audited financial statements and only two years of related selected financial data and management’s discussion and analysis;

●         exemption from the auditor attestation requirement on the effectiveness of our internal controls over financial reporting;

●         reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation; and

●         exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory stockholder vote on executive compensation and any golden parachute payments.

We expect that our eligibility to qualify as an “emerging growth company” will end on December 31, 2023, the last day of our fiscal year following the fifth anniversary of the date of our initial public offering. For so long as we remain an emerging growth company, we may choose to take advantage of some, but not all, of the available benefits of the JOBS Act. We have taken advantage of some of the reduced reporting requirements in our filings with the SEC, including our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and the other documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus. Accordingly, the information contained or incorporated by reference herein may be different than the information you receive from other public companies in which you hold stock. In addition, the JOBS Act provides that an emerging growth company can delay adopting new or revised accounting standards until such time as those standards apply to private companies. We have irrevocably elected not to avail ourselves of this exemption from new or revised accounting standards and, therefore, we will be subject to the same new or revised accounting standards as other public companies that are not emerging growth companies.

Corporate Information

We were incorporated in Delaware in April 2009. Our principal executive offices are located at 3300 Bee Cave Road, #650-227, Austin, TX 78746, and our telephone number is (877) 774-4679. Our website address is www.genprex.com. Our website and the information contained on, or that can be accessed through, our website shall not be deemed to be incorporated by reference in, and are not considered part of, this prospectus. You should not rely on any such information in making your decision whether to purchase our securities.

RISK FACTORS

Before purchasing any of the securities you should carefully consider the risk factors incorporated by reference in this prospectus from our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and any subsequent updates described in our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K, as well as the risks, uncertainties and additional information set forth in our SEC reports on Forms 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K and in the other documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus. For a description of these reports and documents, and information about where you can find them, see “Additional Information” and “Incorporation of Certain Information By Reference.” Additional risks not presently known or that we presently consider to be immaterial could subsequently materially and adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations, business and prospects.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This prospectus, including the documents that we incorporate by reference, contains forward-looking statements as that term is defined in the federal securities laws. The events described in forward-looking statements contained in this prospectus, including the documents that we incorporate by reference, may not occur. Generally, these statements relate to our business plans or strategies, projected or anticipated benefits or other consequences of our plans or strategies, financing plans, projected or anticipated benefits from acquisitions that we may make, or projections involving anticipated revenues, earnings or other aspects of our operating results or financial position, and the outcome of any contingencies. Any such forward-looking statements are based on current expectations, estimates and projections of management. We intend for these forward-looking statements to be covered by the safe-harbor provisions for forward-looking statements. Words such as “may,” “expect,” “believe,” “anticipate,” “project,” “plan,” “intend,” “estimate,” and “continue,” and their opposites and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. We caution you that these statements are not guarantees of future performance or events and are subject to a number of uncertainties, risks and other influences, many of which are beyond our control that may influence the accuracy of the statements and the projections upon which the statements are based. Factors that may affect our results include, but are not limited to, the risks and uncertainties discussed in the “Risk Factors” section on page 5 of this prospectus, in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022 or in other reports we file with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Any one or more of these uncertainties, risks and other influences could materially affect our results of operations and whether forward-looking statements made by us ultimately prove to be accurate. Our actual results, performance and achievements could differ materially from those expressed or implied in these forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether from new information, future events or otherwise.

You should rely only on the information in this prospectus. We have not authorized any other person to provide you with different information. If anyone provides you with different or inconsistent information, you should not rely upon it. 

USE OF PROCEEDS

Unless we inform you otherwise in the prospectus supplement relating to a particular offering of securities, we will use the net proceeds from the sale of the securities offered by this prospectus and the exercise price from the exercise of any convertible securities, if any, for working capital and general corporate purposes, which could include, without limitation, application towards purposes and uses such as capital expenditures, research and development expenditures, regulatory affairs expenditures, clinical trial expenditures, acquisitions of new technologies and investments, business combinations and the repayment, refinancing, redemption or repurchase of indebtedness or capital stock.

When particular securities are offered, the prospectus supplement relating to that offering will set forth our intended use of the net proceeds received from the sale of those securities we sell. Pending the application of the net proceeds for these purposes, we expect to invest the proceeds in short-term, interest-bearing instruments or other investment-grade securities.

THE SECURITIES WE MAY OFFER

General

The descriptions of the securities contained in this prospectus, together with the applicable prospectus supplements, summarize all of the material terms and provisions of the various types of securities that we may offer. We will describe in the applicable prospectus supplement relating to any securities the particular terms of the securities offered by that prospectus supplement. If we indicate in the applicable prospectus supplement, the terms of the securities may differ from the terms we have summarized below. We may also include in the prospectus supplement information about material United States federal income tax considerations relating to the securities, and the securities exchange, if any, on which the securities will be listed.

We may sell from time to time, in one or more offerings:

In this prospectus, we refer to the common stock, preferred stock, debt securities, subscription rights, warrants and units collectively as “securities.” The total dollar amount of all securities that we may sell will not exceed $200,000,000.

If we issue debt securities at a discount from their original stated principal amount, then, for purposes of calculating the total dollar amount of all securities issued under this prospectus, we will treat the initial offering price of the debt securities as the total original principal amount of the debt securities.

This prospectus may not be used to consummate a sale of securities unless it is accompanied by a prospectus supplement.

DESCRIPTION OF CAPITAL STOCK

General

Our authorized capital stock consists of:

As of close of business on March 15, 2023, 51,974,078 shares of our common stock were issued and outstanding and no shares of our preferred stock were issued and outstanding.

The additional shares of our authorized capital stock available for issuance may be issued at times and under circumstances so as to have a dilutive effect on earnings per share and on the equity ownership of the holders of our common stock. The ability of our board of directors to issue additional shares of stock could enhance the board’s ability to negotiate on behalf of the stockholders in a takeover situation but could also be used by the board to make a change-in-control more difficult, thereby denying stockholders the potential to sell their shares at a premium and entrenching current management. The following description is a summary of the material provisions of our capital stock. You should refer to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and bylaws, both of which are on file with the SEC as exhibits to previous SEC filings, for additional information. The summary below is qualified by provisions of applicable law.

Common Stock

Description of Common Stock

The following description of the Company’s Common Stock is a summary and does not purport to be complete. It is subject to and qualified in its entirety by reference to the Company’s Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation  (the “Certificate of Incorporation”) and the Company’s Amended and Restated Bylaws (the “Bylaws” and together with the Certificate of Incorporation, the “Charter Documents”), each of which is incorporated by reference as an exhibit to the Annual Report on Form 10-K. The Company encourages you to read its Certificate of Incorporation, Bylaws, and the applicable provisions of the Delaware General Corporation Law (the “DGCL”), for additional information.

Authorized Capital Shares

The Company’s authorized capital shares consist of 200,000,000 shares of Common Stock and 10,000,000 shares of preferred stock, $0.001 par value per share (“Preferred Stock”). As of March 15, 2023, there were 51,974,078 shares of Common Stock issued and outstanding and no shares of Preferred Stock issued and outstanding.

Voting Rights

Holders of the Company’s Common Stock are entitled to one vote per share on each matter properly submitted to the stockholders of the Company for their vote; provided, however, that except as otherwise required by law, that holders of Common Stock are not entitled to vote on any amendments to the Certificate of Incorporation relating solely to the terms of one or more outstanding series of Preferred Stock if the holders of such affected series of Preferred Stock are entitled, either separately or together as a class with the holders of one or more other series of Preferred Stock to vote thereon by law or pursuant to the Certificate of Incorporation. The Company’s Charter Documents do not provide for cumulative voting in the election of directors.

Dividend Rights

Holders of the Company’s Common Stock are entitled, subject to the rights, privileges, restrictions and conditions attaching to any other class of shares ranking in priority to the Common Stock, to receive any dividend declared by the Company’s board of directors out of the Company’s assets which are legally available. Such dividends may be paid in cash, in property, or in shares of the Company’s capital stock, subject to the provisions of the Certificate of Incorporation and applicable law.

The Company has never declared or paid cash dividends on its capital stock.  The Company currently intends to retain all available funds and any future earnings for use in the operation of its business and does not anticipate paying any dividends on the Company's Common Stock in the foreseeable future.  Any future determination to declare dividends will be made at the discretion of the Company's board of directors and will depend on, among other factors, the Company's financial condition, operating results, capital requirements, contractual restrictions, general business conditions and other factors that the Company's board of directors may deem relevant.

Liquidation Rights

Upon the Company’s liquidation, dissolution or winding-up, holders of the Company’s Common Stock are entitled to share in all assets remaining after payment of all liabilities and the liquidation preferences of any of the Company’s outstanding shares of Preferred Stock. 

Preemptive, Conversion and Subscription Rights

Holders of the Company’s Common Stock have no preemptive, conversion or subscription rights. 

Anti-takeover effects of our Charter Documents and Delaware law

Set forth below is a summary of the provisions of the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws and the DGCL that could have the effect of delaying or preventing a change in control of the Company. The following description is only a summary, and it is qualified by reference to the Certificate of Incorporation, Bylaws and relevant provisions of the DGCL.

Delaware Anti-Takeover Law

The Company is subject to Section 203 of the DGCL (“Section 203”) which generally prohibits a publicly held Delaware corporation from engaging in a “business combination” transaction with an “interested stockholder” for a period of three years following the time that such stockholder became an interested stockholder, unless:

Section 203 defines a "business combination" to include:

In general, Section 203 defines an “interested stockholder” a person who, together with affiliates and associates, owns or, within three years prior to the determination of interested stockholder status, owned 15% or more of a corporation’s outstanding voting securities.

Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws

Board of Directors Vacancies

The Company’s Charter Documents provide that, except as otherwise required by law, and subject to the rights of the holders of any series of Preferred Stock, all vacancies, and any newly created directorships, unless the Board of Directors determines that any such vacancies or newly created directorships shall be filled by the stockholders, shall,  be filled only by the affirmative vote of a majority of directors then in office, even if less than a quorum. Further, the Company’s directors may only be removed with cause and by the affirmative vote of the holders of at least 66-2/3% of the voting power of all of the Company’s then outstanding capital stock. In addition, pursuant to the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation, the number of directors constituting the Company’s board of directors may be changed only by resolution of the Company’s board of directors.

Limits on Ability of Stockholders to Act by Written Consent or Call a Special Meeting 

The Company’s Charter Documents require that any action to be taken by our stockholders must be effected at a duly called annual or special meeting of stockholders and not be taken by written consent. In addition, pursuant to the Company’s Bylaws, special meetings of the Company’s stockholders may be called only by the chairman of the board, the Company’s Chief Executive Officer or by the board of directors pursuant to a resolution adopted by a majority of the total number of authorized directors.

Stockholder Proposals

The Company’s Bylaws provide that stockholders seeking to present proposals before a meeting of stockholders or to nominate candidates for election as directors at a meeting of stockholders must provide notice in writing in a timely manner and also specify requirements as to the form and content of a stockholder’s notice.  These advance notice procedures may have the effect of precluding the conduct of certain business at a meeting if the proper procedures are not followed and may also discourage or deter a potential acquirer from conducting a solicitation of proxies to elect its own slate of directors or otherwise attempt to obtain control of our company.

Staggered Board

The Company’s Charter Documents provide that the Company’s board of directors shall be divided into three classes and that directors shall be elected for a term of three years.  Our classified board of directors may tend to discourage a third party from making a tender offer or otherwise attempting to obtain control of us because it generally makes it more difficult for stockholders to replace a majority of the directors.

Issuance of Undesignated Preferred Stock

As discussed above, our board of directors has the ability to designate and issue preferred stock with voting or other rights or preferences that could deter hostile takeovers or delay changes in our control or management.

No Cumulative Voting

The DGCL provides that stockholders are not entitled to the right to cumulate votes in the election of directors unless our certificate of incorporation provides otherwise. Our Charter Documents do not expressly provide for cumulative voting. Without cumulative voting, a minority stockholder may not be able to gain as many seats on our board of directors as the stockholder would be able to gain if cumulative voting were permitted. The absence of cumulative voting makes it more difficult for a minority stockholder to gain a seat on our board of directors to influence our board of directors’ decision regarding a takeover.

Exclusive Forum

The Company’s Charter Documents provide that unless the Company consents in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware shall be the sole and exclusive forum for: (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on behalf of the Company, (ii)  any action asserting a claim for breach of any fiduciary duty owed by any director, officer, or other employee of the Company to the Company or the Company’s stockholders, (iii) any action  asserting a claim against the Company or any director or officer or other employee of the Company arising pursuant to any provision of the DGCL or the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation or Bylaws or (iv) any action asserting a claim against the Company or any of the Company’s directors, officers or other employees governed by the internal affairs doctrine. This exclusive forum provision would not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), or the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction. To the extent that any such claims may be based upon federal law claims, Section 27 of the Exchange Act creates exclusive federal jurisdiction over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Exchange Act or the rules and regulations thereunder. Furthermore, Section 22 of the Securities Act creates concurrent jurisdiction for federal and state courts over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Securities Act or the rules and regulations thereunder.

Transfer Agent and Registrar

The Company’s transfer agent and registrar is VStock Transfer, LLC whose address is 18 Lafayette Place, Woodmere, New York 11598.

Listing

The Company’s Common Stock is listed on The Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “GNPX.”

Description of Preferred Stock

We are authorized to issue up to 10,000,000 shares of preferred stock, all of which are undesignated. Our board of directors has the authority, within the limitations and restrictions prescribed by law and without stockholder approval, to provide by resolution for the issuance of shares of preferred stock, and to fix the rights, preferences, privileges and restrictions thereof, including dividend rights, conversion rights, voting rights, terms of redemption, liquidation preference and the number of shares constituting any series of the designation of such series, by delivering an appropriate certificate of amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation to the Delaware Secretary of State pursuant to the Delaware General Corporation Law, or the DGCL. The issuance of preferred stock could have the effect of decreasing the market price of the common stock, impeding or delaying a possible takeover and adversely affecting the voting and other rights of the holders of our common stock.

Transfer Agent and Registrar for Preferred Stock

The transfer agent and registrar for any series or class of preferred stock will be set forth in each applicable prospectus supplement.

DESCRIPTION OF STOCK WARRANTS

We summarize below some of the provisions that will apply to the warrants unless the applicable prospectus supplement provides otherwise. This summary may not contain all information that is important to you. The complete terms of the warrants will be contained in the applicable warrant certificate and warrant agreement. These documents have been or will be included or incorporated by reference as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. You should read the warrant certificate and the warrant agreement. You should also read the prospectus supplement, which will contain additional information and which may update or change some of the information below.

General

We may issue warrants to purchase our debt or equity securities or securities of third parties or other rights, including rights to receive payment in cash or securities based on the value, rate or price of one or more specified commodities, currencies, securities or indices, or any combination of the foregoing. Warrants may be issued independently or together with any other securities and may be attached to, or separate from, such securities. Each series of warrants will be issued under a separate warrant agreement to be entered into between us and a bank, trust company or other financial institution, as warrant agent, or we may issue warrants directly to investors. A description of the terms and material provisions of any warrants we may issue will be set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement.

The applicable prospectus supplement will describe the following terms of any warrants in respect of which this prospectus is being delivered:

Transfer Agent and Registrar

The transfer agent and registrar, if any, for any warrants will be set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement.

DESCRIPTION OF DEBT SECURITIES

This prospectus describes certain general terms and provisions of debt securities that we may offer. The debt securities may be issued pursuant to, in the case of senior debt securities, a senior indenture, and in the case of subordinated debt securities, a subordinated indenture, in each case in the forms filed as exhibits to this registration statement, which we refer to as the “indentures.” The indentures will be entered into between us and a trustee to be named prior to the issuance of any debt securities, which we refer to as the “trustee.” The indentures will not limit the amount of debt securities that can be issued thereunder and will provide that the debt securities may be issued from time to time in one or more series pursuant to the terms of one or more securities resolutions or supplemental indentures creating such series.

We have summarized below the material provisions of the indentures and the debt securities or indicated which material provisions will be described in the related prospectus supplement for any offering of debt securities. These descriptions are only summaries, and you should refer to the relevant indenture for the particular offering of debt securities itself which will describe completely the terms and definitions of the offered debt securities and contain additional information about the debt securities.

Terms

When we offer to sell a particular series of debt securities, we will describe the specific terms of the securities in a prospectus supplement. The prospectus supplement will set forth the following terms, as applicable, of the debt securities offered thereby:

Debt securities of any series may be issued as registered debt securities or uncertificated debt securities, in such denominations as specified in the terms of the series.

Securities may be issued under the indentures as Discounted Debt Securities to be offered and sold at a substantial discount from the principal amount thereof. Special United States federal income tax and other considerations applicable thereto will be described in the prospectus supplement relating to such Discounted Debt Securities. “Discounted Debt Security” means a security where the amount of principal due upon acceleration is less than the stated principal amount.

We are not obligated to issue all debt securities of one series at the same time and, unless otherwise provided in the prospectus supplement, we may reopen a series, without the consent of the holders of the debt securities of that series, for the issuance of additional debt securities of that series. Additional debt securities of a particular series will have the same terms and conditions as outstanding debt securities of such series, except for the date of original issuance and the offering price, and will be consolidated with, and form a single series with, such outstanding debt securities.

Ranking

The senior debt securities will rank equally with all of our other senior and unsubordinated debt. Our secured debt, if any, will be effectively senior to the senior debt securities to the extent of the value of the assets securing such debt. The subordinated debt securities will be subordinate and junior in right of payment to all of our present and future senior indebtedness to the extent and in the manner described in the prospectus supplement and as set forth in the board resolution, officer’s certificate or supplemental indenture relating to such offering.

We have only a stockholder’s claim on the assets of our subsidiaries. This stockholder’s claim is junior to the claims that creditors of our subsidiaries have against our subsidiaries. Holders of our debt securities will be our creditors and not creditors of any of our subsidiaries. As a result, all the existing and future liabilities of our subsidiaries, including any claims of their creditors, will effectively be senior to the debt securities with respect to the assets of our subsidiaries. In addition, to the extent that we issue any secured debt, the debt securities will be effectively subordinated to such secured debt to the extent of the value of the assets securing such secured debt.

The debt securities will be obligations exclusively of Genprex, Inc. To the extent that our ability to service our debt, including the debt securities, may be dependent upon the earnings of our subsidiaries, our ability to do so will be dependent on the ability of our subsidiaries to distribute those earnings to us as dividends, loans or other payments.

Certain Covenants

Any covenants that may apply to a particular series of debt securities will be described in the prospectus supplement relating thereto.

Successor Obligor

The indentures provide that, unless otherwise specified in the securities resolution or supplemental indenture establishing a series of debt securities, we shall not consolidate with or merge into, or transfer all or substantially all of our assets to, any person in any transaction in which we are not the survivor, unless:

In such event, the successor will be substituted for us, and thereafter all of our obligations under the relevant indenture, the debt securities and any coupons will terminate.

The indentures provide that these limitations shall not apply if our board of directors makes a good faith determination that the principal purpose of the transaction is to change our state of incorporation.

Exchange of Debt Securities

Registered debt securities may be exchanged for an equal aggregate principal amount of registered debt securities of the same series and date of maturity in such authorized denominations as may be requested upon surrender of the registered debt securities at an agency of the Company maintained for such purpose and upon fulfillment of all other requirements of such agent.

Default and Remedies

Unless the securities resolution or supplemental indenture establishing the series otherwise provides (in which event the prospectus supplement will so state), an “Event of Default” with respect to a series of debt securities will occur if:

The term “Bankruptcy Law” means Title 11 of the United States Code or any similar Federal or State law for the relief of debtors. The term “Custodian” means any receiver, trustee, assignee, liquidator or a similar official under any Bankruptcy Law.

“Default” means any event which is, or after notice or passage of time would be, an Event of Default. A Default under subparagraph (3) above is not an Event of Default until the trustee or the holders of at least 25% in principal amount of the series notify us of the Default and we do not cure the Default within the time specified after receipt of the notice.

The trustee may require indemnity satisfactory to it before it enforces the indentures or the debt securities of the series. Subject to certain limitations, holders of a majority in principal amount of the debt securities of the series may direct the trustee in its exercise of any trust or power with respect to such series. Except in the case of Default in payment on a series, the trustee may withhold from securityholders of such series notice of any continuing Default if the trustee determines that withholding notice is in the interest of such securityholders. We are required to furnish the trustee annually a brief certificate as to our compliance with all conditions and covenants under the indentures.

The indentures do not have cross-default provisions. Thus, a default by us on any other debt, including any other series of debt securities, would not constitute an Event of Default.

Amendments and Waivers

The indentures and the debt securities or any coupons of the series may be amended, and any Default may be waived as follows:

Unless the securities resolution or supplemental indenture otherwise provides (in which event the applicable prospectus supplement will so state), the debt securities and the indentures may be amended with the consent of the holders of a majority in principal amount of the debt securities of all series affected voting as one class. Unless the securities resolution or supplemental indenture otherwise provides (in which event the applicable prospectus supplement will so state), a Default other than a Default in payment on a particular series may be waived with the consent of the holders of a majority in principal amount of the debt securities of the series. However, without the consent of each securityholder affected, no amendment or waiver may:

Without the consent of any securityholder, the indentures or the debt securities may be amended to:

Conversion Rights

Any securities resolution or supplemental indenture establishing a series of debt securities may provide that the debt securities of such series will be convertible at the option of the holders thereof into or for our common stock or other equity or debt instruments. The securities resolution or supplemental indenture may establish, among other things, (1) the number or amount of shares of common stock or other equity or debt instruments for which $1,000 aggregate principal amount of the debt securities of the series is convertible, as may be adjusted pursuant to the terms of the relevant indenture and the securities resolution; and (2) provisions for adjustments to the conversion rate and limitations upon exercise of the conversion right. The indentures provide that we will not be required to make an adjustment in the conversion rate unless the adjustment would require a cumulative change of at least 1% in the conversion rate. However, we will carry forward any adjustments that are less than 1% of the conversion rate and take them into account in any subsequent adjustment of the conversion rate.

Legal Defeasance and Covenant Defeasance

Debt securities of a series may be defeased in accordance with their terms and, unless the securities resolution or supplemental indenture establishing the terms of the series otherwise provides, as set forth below. We at any time may terminate as to a series all of our obligations (except for certain obligations, including obligations with respect to the defeasance trust and obligations to register the transfer or exchange of a debt security, to replace destroyed, lost or stolen debt securities and coupons and to maintain paying agencies in respect of the debt securities) with respect to the debt securities of the series and any related coupons and the relevant indenture, which we refer to as legal defeasance. We at any time may terminate as to a series our obligations with respect to any restrictive covenants which may be applicable to a particular series, which we refer to as covenant defeasance.

We may exercise our legal defeasance option notwithstanding our prior exercise of our covenant defeasance option. If we exercise our legal defeasance option, a series may not be accelerated because of an Event of Default. If we exercise our covenant defeasance option, a series may not be accelerated by reference to any covenant which may be applicable to a series.

To exercise either defeasance option as to a series, we must (1) irrevocably deposit in trust with the trustee (or another trustee) money or U.S. Government Obligations (as defined below), deliver a certificate from a nationally recognized firm of independent accountants expressing their opinion that the payments of principal and interest when due on the deposited U.S. Government Obligations, without reinvestment, plus any deposited money without investment will provide cash at such times and in such amounts as will be sufficient to pay the principal and interest when due on all debt securities of such series to maturity or redemption, as the case may be; and (2) comply with certain other conditions. In particular, we must obtain an opinion of tax counsel that the defeasance will not result in recognition of any gain or loss to holders for federal income tax purposes.

“U.S. Government Obligations” means direct obligations of the United States or any agency or instrumentality of the United States, the payment of which is unconditionally guaranteed by the United States, which, in either case, have the full faith and credit of the United States pledged for payment and which are not callable at the issuer’s option, or certificates representing an ownership interest in such obligations.

Regarding the Trustee

Unless otherwise indicated in a prospectus supplement, the trustee will also act as depository of funds, transfer agent, paying agent and conversion agent, as applicable, with respect to the debt securities. In certain circumstances, we or the securityholders may remove the trustee as the trustee under a given indenture. The indenture trustee may also provide additional unrelated services to us as a depository of funds, registrar, trustee and similar services.

Governing Law

The indentures and the debt securities will be governed by New York law, except to the extent that the Trust Indenture Act of 1939 is applicable.

DESCRIPTION OF SUBSCRIPTION RIGHTS

We may issue subscription rights to purchase our equity or debt securities. These subscription rights may be offered independently or together with any other security offered hereby and may or may not be transferable by the stockholder receiving the subscription rights in such offering. In connection with any offering of subscription rights, we may enter into a standby arrangement with one or more underwriters or other purchasers pursuant to which the underwriters or other purchasers may be required to purchase any securities remaining unsubscribed for after such offering.

The prospectus supplement relating to any subscription rights we offer, if any, will, to the extent applicable, include specific terms relating to the offering, including some or all of the following:

DESCRIPTION OF UNITS

We may issue units comprised of one or more of the other securities described in this prospectus in any combination. Each unit will be issued so that the holder of the unit is also the holder of each security included in the unit. Thus, the holder of a unit will have the rights and obligations of a holder of each included security (but, to the extent convertible securities are included in the units, the holder of the units will be deemed the holder of the convertible securities and not the holder of the underlying securities). The unit agreement under which a unit is issued, if any, may provide that the securities included in the unit may not be held or transferred separately, at any time or at any time before a specified date. The applicable prospectus supplement may describe:

This summary of certain general terms of units and any summary description of units in the applicable prospectus supplement do not purport to be complete and are qualified in their entirety by reference to all provisions of the applicable unit agreement and, if applicable, collateral arrangements and depositary arrangements relating to such units. The forms of the unit agreements and other documents relating to a particular issue of units will be filed with the SEC each time we issue units, and you should read those documents for provisions that may be important to you.

FORMS OF SECURITIES

Each debt security and, to the extent applicable, warrant, subscription right and unit, will be represented either by a certificate issued in definitive form to a particular investor or by one or more global securities representing the entire issuance of securities. Certificated securities in definitive form and global securities will be issued in registered form. Definitive securities name you or your nominee as the owner of the security, and in order to transfer or exchange these securities or to receive payments other than interest or other interim payments, you or your nominee must physically deliver the securities to the trustee, registrar, paying agent or other agent, as applicable. Global securities name a depositary or its nominee as the owner of the debt securities or warrants represented by these global securities. The depositary maintains a computerized system that will reflect each investor’s beneficial ownership of the securities through an account maintained by the investor with its broker/dealer, bank, trust company or other representative, as we explain more fully below.

Global Securities

Registered Global Securities. We may issue the registered debt securities and, to the extent applicable, warrants, subscription rights and units in the form of one or more fully registered global securities that will be deposited with a depositary or its nominee identified in the applicable prospectus supplement and registered in the name of that depositary or nominee. In those cases, one or more registered global securities will be issued in a denomination or aggregate denominations equal to the portion of the aggregate principal or face amount of the securities to be represented by registered global securities. Unless and until it is exchanged in whole for securities in definitive registered form, a registered global security may not be transferred except as a whole by and among the depositary for the registered global security, the nominees of the depositary or any successors of the depositary or those nominees.

If not described below, any specific terms of the depositary arrangement with respect to any securities to be represented by a registered global security will be described in the prospectus supplement relating to those securities. We anticipate that the following provisions will apply to all depositary arrangements.

Ownership of beneficial interests in a registered global security will be limited to persons, called participants, that have accounts with the depositary or persons that may hold interests through participants. Upon the issuance of a registered global security, the depositary will credit, on its book-entry registration and transfer system, the participants’ accounts with the respective principal or face amounts of the securities beneficially owned by the participants. Any dealers, underwriters or agents participating in the distribution of the securities will designate the accounts to be credited. Ownership of beneficial interests in a registered global security will be shown on, and the transfer of ownership interests will be effected only through, records maintained by the depositary, with respect to interests of participants, and on the records of participants, with respect to interests of persons holding through participants. The laws of some states may require that some purchasers of securities take physical delivery of these securities in definitive form. These laws may impair your ability to own, transfer or pledge beneficial interests in registered global securities.

So long as the depositary, or its nominee, is the registered owner of a registered global security, that depositary or its nominee, as the case may be, will be considered the sole owner or holder of the securities represented by the registered global security for all purposes under the applicable indenture or warrant agreement. Except as described below, owners of beneficial interests in a registered global security will not be entitled to have the securities represented by the registered global security registered in their names, will not receive or be entitled to receive physical delivery of the securities in definitive form and will not be considered the owners or holders of the securities under the applicable indenture or warrant agreement. Accordingly, each person owning a beneficial interest in a registered global security must rely on the procedures of the depositary for that registered global security and, if that person is not a participant, on the procedures of the participant through which the person owns its interest, to exercise any rights of a holder under the applicable indenture or warrant agreement. We understand that under existing industry practices, if we request any action of holders or if an owner of a beneficial interest in a registered global security desires to give or take any action that a holder is entitled to give or take under the applicable indenture or warrant agreement, the depositary for the registered global security would authorize the participants holding the relevant beneficial interests to give or take that action, and the participants would authorize beneficial owners owning through them to give or take that action or would otherwise act upon the instructions of beneficial owners holding through them.

Principal, premium, if any, and interest payments on debt securities and any payments to holders with respect to warrants represented by a registered global security registered in the name of a depositary or its nominee will be made to the depositary or its nominee, as the case may be, as the registered owner of the registered global security. None of the Company, the trustees, the warrant agents or any other agent of the Company, agent of the trustees or agent of the warrant will have any responsibility or liability for any aspect of the records relating to payments made on account of beneficial ownership interests in the registered global security or for maintaining, supervising or reviewing any records relating to those beneficial ownership interests.

We expect that the depositary for any of the securities represented by a registered global security, upon receipt of any payment of principal, premium, interest or other distribution of underlying securities or other property to holders on that registered global security, will immediately credit participants’ accounts in amounts proportionate to their respective beneficial interests in that registered global security as shown on the records of the depositary. We also expect that payments by participants to owners of beneficial interests in a registered global security held through participants will be governed by standing customer instructions and customary practices, as is now the case with the securities held for the accounts of customers in bearer form or registered in “street name,” and will be the responsibility of those participants.

If the depositary for any of these securities represented by a registered global security is at any time unwilling or unable to continue as depositary or ceases to be a clearing agency registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), and a successor depositary registered as a clearing agency under the Exchange Act is not appointed by us within 90 days, we will issue securities in definitive form in exchange for the registered global security that had been held by the depositary. Any securities issued in definitive form in exchange for a registered global security will be registered in the name or names that the depositary gives to the relevant trustee or warrant agent or other relevant agent of ours or theirs. It is expected that the depositary’s instructions will be based upon directions received by the depositary from participants with respect to ownership of beneficial interests in the registered global security that had been held by the depositary.

PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

Initial Offering and Sale of Securities

Unless otherwise set forth in a prospectus supplement accompanying this prospectus, we may sell the securities being offered hereby, from time to time, by one or more of the following methods:

Offerings of securities covered by this prospectus also may be made into an existing trading market for those securities in transactions at other than a fixed price, either:

Those at-the-market offerings, if any, will be conducted by underwriters acting as principal or agent of the Company, who may also be third-party sellers of securities as described above. The prospectus supplement with respect to the offered securities will set forth the terms of the offering of the offered securities, including:

The distribution of the securities may be effected from time to time in one or more transactions:

Each prospectus supplement will set forth the manner and terms of an offering of securities including:

In addition, we may enter into derivative or hedging transactions with third parties, or sell securities not covered by this prospectus to third parties in privately negotiated transactions. The applicable prospectus supplement may indicate, in connection with such a transaction, that the third parties may sell securities covered by and pursuant to this prospectus and an applicable prospectus supplement. If so, the third party may use securities pledged by us or borrowed from us or others to settle such sales and may use securities received from us to close out any related short positions. We may also loan or pledge securities covered by this prospectus and an applicable prospectus supplement to third parties, who may sell the loaned securities or, in an event of default in the case of a pledge, sell the pledged securities pursuant to this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement.

Sales Through Underwriters

If underwriters are used in the sale of some or all of the securities covered by this prospectus, the underwriters will acquire the securities for their own account. The underwriters may resell the securities, either directly to the public or to securities dealers, at various times in one or more transactions, including negotiated transactions, at a fixed public offering price or at varying prices determined at the time of sale. The obligations of the underwriters to purchase the securities will be subject to certain conditions. Unless indicated otherwise in a prospectus supplement, the underwriters will be obligated to purchase all the securities of the series offered if any of the securities are purchased.

Any public offering price and any concessions allowed or reallowed to dealers may be changed intermittently.

Sales Through Agents

Unless otherwise indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement, when securities are sold through an agent, the designated agent will agree, for the period of its appointment as agent, to use specified efforts to sell the securities for our account and will receive commissions from us as will be set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement.

Securities bought in accordance with a redemption or repayment under their terms also may be offered and sold, if so indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement, in connection with a remarketing by one or more firms acting as principals for their own accounts or as agents for us. Any remarketing firm will be identified and the terms of its agreement, if any, with us and its compensation will be described in the prospectus supplement. Remarketing firms may be deemed to be underwriters in connection with the securities remarketed by them.

If so indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement, we may authorize agents, underwriters or dealers to solicit offers by certain specified institutions to purchase securities at a price set forth in the prospectus supplement pursuant to delayed delivery contracts providing for payment and delivery on a future date specified in the prospectus supplement. These contracts will be subject only to those conditions set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement, and the prospectus supplement will set forth the commissions payable for solicitation of these contracts.

Direct Sales

We may also sell offered securities directly to institutional investors or others. In this case, no underwriters or agents would be involved. The terms of such sales will be described in the applicable prospectus supplement.

General Information

Broker-dealers, agents or underwriters may receive compensation in the form of discounts, concessions or commissions from us and/or the purchasers of securities for whom such broker-dealers, agents or underwriters may act as agents or to whom they sell as principal, or both. This compensation to a particular broker-dealer might be in excess of customary commissions.

Underwriters, dealers and agents that participate in any distribution of the offered securities may be deemed “underwriters” within the meaning of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), so any discounts or commissions they receive in connection with the distribution may be deemed to be underwriting compensation. Those underwriters and agents may be entitled, under their agreements with us, to indemnification by us against certain civil liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, or to contribution by us to payments that they may be required to make in respect of those civil liabilities. Certain of those underwriters or agents may be customers of, engage in transactions with, or perform services for, us or our affiliates in the ordinary course of business. We will identify any underwriters or agents, and describe their compensation, in a prospectus supplement. Any institutional investors or others that purchase offered securities directly, and then resell the securities, may be deemed to be underwriters, and any discounts or commissions received by them from us and any profit on the resale of the securities by them may be deemed to be underwriting discounts and commissions under the Securities Act.

We will file a supplement to this prospectus, if required, pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act, if we enter into any material arrangement with a broker, dealer, agent or underwriter for the sale of securities through a block trade, special offering, exchange distribution or secondary distribution or a purchase by a broker or dealer. Such prospectus supplement will disclose:

In order to facilitate the offering of certain securities under this prospectus or an applicable prospectus supplement, certain persons participating in the offering of those securities may engage in transactions that stabilize, maintain or otherwise affect the price of those securities during and after the offering of those securities. Specifically, if the applicable prospectus supplement permits, the underwriters of those securities may over-allot or otherwise create a short position in those securities for their own account by selling more of those securities than have been sold to them by us and may elect to cover any such short position by purchasing those securities in the open market.

In addition, the underwriters may stabilize or maintain the price of those securities by bidding for or purchasing those securities in the open market and may impose penalty bids, under which selling concessions allowed to syndicate members or other broker-dealers participating in the offering are reclaimed if securities previously distributed in the offering are repurchased in connection with stabilization transactions or otherwise. 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. The imposition of a penalty bid may also affect the price of securities to the extent that it discourages resales of the securities. No representation is made as to the magnitude or effect of any such stabilization or other transactions. Such transactions, if commenced, may be discontinued at any time.

In order to comply with the securities laws of certain states, if applicable, the securities must be sold in such jurisdictions only through registered or licensed brokers or dealers. In addition, in certain states the securities may not be sold unless they have been registered or qualified for sale in the applicable state or an exemption from the registration or qualification requirement is available and is complied with.

Under Rule 15c6-1 of the Exchange Act, unless the parties to any such trade expressly agree otherwise. trades in the secondary market generally are required to settle (a) in two business days, prior to May 28, 2024 and (b) in one business day starting on May 28, 2024. The applicable prospectus supplement may provide that the original issue date for your securities may be more than two scheduled business days after the trade date for your securities. Accordingly, in such a case, if you wish to trade securities on any date prior to the third business day (prior to May 28, 2024) or second business day (on or after May 28, 2024) before the original issue date for your securities, you will be required, by virtue of the fact that your securities initially are expected to settle in more than three scheduled business days after the trade date for your securities, to make alternative settlement arrangements to prevent a failed settlement.

This prospectus, any applicable prospectus supplement and any applicable pricing supplement in electronic format may be made available on the Internet sites of, or through other online services maintained by, us and/or one or more of the agents and/or dealers participating in an offering of securities, or by their affiliates. In those cases, prospective investors may be able to view offering terms online and, depending upon the particular agent or dealer, prospective investors may be allowed to place orders online.

Other than this prospectus, any applicable prospectus supplement and any applicable pricing supplement in electronic format, the information on our website or the website of any agent or dealer, and any information contained in any other website maintained by any agent or dealer:

There can be no assurance that we will sell all or any of the securities offered by this prospectus.

This prospectus may also be used in connection with any issuance of common stock or preferred stock upon exercise of a warrant if such issuance is not exempt from the registration requirements of the Securities Act.

In addition, we may issue the securities as a dividend or distribution or in a subscription rights offering to our existing securityholders. In some cases, we or dealers acting with us or on our behalf may also purchase securities and reoffer them to the public by one or more of the methods described above. This prospectus may be used in connection with any offering of our securities through any of these methods or other methods described in the applicable prospectus supplement.

LEGAL MATTERS

Unless otherwise indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement, the validity of the securities offered hereby will be passed upon for us by Lowenstein Sandler LLP, Roseland, New Jersey. If the validity of the securities offered hereby in connection with offerings made pursuant to this prospectus are passed upon by counsel for the underwriters, dealers or agents, if any, such counsel will be named in the prospectus supplement relating to such offering.

EXPERTS

Our financial statements as of and for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 have been audited by Daszkal Bolton LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, as set forth in their report thereon appearing in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022, and incorporated by reference herein.  Such financial statements are incorporated by reference herein in reliance of such report given on the authority of such firm as experts in accounting and auditing.  

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

We have filed with the SEC a registration statement on Form S-3 under the Securities Act with respect to the securities offered by this prospectus. This prospectus, which is part of the registration statement, omits certain information, exhibits, schedules and undertakings set forth in the registration statement. For further information pertaining to us and our securities, reference is made to our SEC filings and the registration statement and the exhibits and schedules to the registration statement. Statements contained in this prospectus as to the contents or provisions of any documents referred to in this prospectus are not necessarily complete, and in each instance where a copy of the document has been filed as an exhibit to the registration statement, reference is made to the exhibit for a more complete description of the matters involved.

In addition, registration statements and certain other filings made with the SEC electronically are publicly available through the SEC’s web site at http://www.sec.gov. The registration statement, including all exhibits and amendments to the registration statement, has been filed electronically with the SEC.

We are subject to the information and periodic reporting requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and, in accordance with such requirements, will file periodic reports, proxy statements, and other information with the SEC. These periodic reports, proxy statements, and other information will be available for inspection and copying at the web site of the SEC referred to above. We also maintain a website at www.genprex.com, at which you may access these materials free of charge as soon as reasonably practicable after they are electronically filed with, or furnished to, the SEC. The information contained in, or that can be accessed through, our website is not part of, and is not incorporated into, this prospectus. We have included our website address in this prospectus solely as an inactive textual reference.

You should rely only on the information in this prospectus and the additional information described above and under the heading “Incorporation of Certain Information by Reference” below. We have not authorized any other person to provide you with different information. If anyone provides you with different or inconsistent information, you should not rely upon it. We are not making an offer to sell these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted. You should assume that the information in this prospectus was accurate on the date of the front cover of this prospectus only. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since that date.

INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN INFORMATION BY REFERENCE

The SEC allows us to “incorporate by reference” information that we file with it into this prospectus, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to those documents. The information incorporated by reference is an important part of this prospectus. The information incorporated by reference is considered to be a part of this prospectus, and information that we file later with the SEC will automatically update and supersede information contained in this prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement.

We incorporate by reference the documents listed below that we have previously filed with the SEC:

All reports and other documents that we file with the SEC under Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act after the date of this prospectus but prior to the termination of the offering of the securities hereunder will also be considered to be incorporated by reference into this prospectus from the date of the filing of these reports and documents, and will supersede the information herein; provided, however, that all reports, exhibits and other information that we “furnish” to the SEC will not be considered incorporated by reference into this prospectus. Any statement contained in a document incorporated by reference in this prospectus or any prospectus supplement shall be deemed to be modified or superseded to the extent that a statement contained herein, therein or in any other subsequently filed document that also is incorporated by reference herein or therein modifies or supersedes such statement. Any statement so modified or superseded shall not be deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part of this prospectus or any prospectus supplement.

We will provide you without charge, upon your oral or written request, with a copy of any or all reports, proxy statements and other documents we file with the SEC, as well as any or all of the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus or the registration statement (other than exhibits to such documents unless such exhibits are specifically incorporated by reference into such documents). Requests for such copies should be directed to Genprex, Inc., Attn: Chief Financial Officer, 3300 Bee Cave Road, #650-227, Austin, Texas 78746. You may also direct any requests for documents to us by telephone at (512) 537-7997 or e-mail at rconfer@genprex.com.

$200,000,000 

Common Stock

Preferred Stock

Warrants

Debt Securities

Subscription Rights

Units

PROSPECTUS

, 2023

PART II

INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS

Item 14. Other Expenses of Issuance and Distribution

The following table sets forth the costs and expenses payable by us in connection with the sale and distribution of the securities being registered. All amounts are estimates except the SEC registration fee and FINRA fee.

Item 15. Indemnification of Directors and Officers

The Registrant is incorporated under the laws of the State of Delaware. Section 145 of the Delaware General Corporation Law (the “DGCL”) provides that a Delaware corporation may indemnify any person who was, is, or is threatened to be made, a party to any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative (other than an action by or in the right of such corporation), by reason of the fact that such person is or was an officer, director, employee or agent of such corporation, or is or was serving at the request of such corporation as an officer, director, employee or agent of another corporation or enterprise. Such indemnity may include expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by such person in connection with such action, suit or proceeding, provided that such person acted in good faith and in a manner he or she reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the corporation’s best interests and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe that his or her conduct was unlawful. Furthermore, pursuant to Section 145 of the DGCL, a Delaware corporation may indemnify any person who was, is, or is threatened to be made, a party to any threatened, pending or completed action or suit by or in the right of the corporation to procure a judgment in its favor by reason of the fact that such person is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of such corporation, or is or was serving at the request of such corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation or enterprise. For such actions by or in the right of the corporation, the indemnity may only include expenses (including attorneys’ fees) actually and reasonably incurred by such person in connection with the defense or settlement of such action or suit, provided such person acted in good faith and in a manner he or she reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the corporation’s best interests, except that no indemnification is permitted in respect of any claim, issue or matter as to which such person shall have been adjudged to be liable to the corporation unless and only to the extent that the Court of Chancery or the court in which such action or suit was brought shall determine upon application that, despite the adjudication of liability but in view of all the circumstances of the case, such person is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity for such expenses which the Court of Chancery or such other court shall deem proper. In addition, where a present or former officer or director is successful on the merits or otherwise in the defense of any action referred to above, the corporation must indemnify him or her against the expenses (including attorneys’ fees) actually and reasonably incurred by such person in connection therewith. For mandatory indemnification with respect to actions occurring after December 31, 2020 and as to which a director or officer is successful on the merits or otherwise, references to “officer” is limited to certain officers of the corporation as specified in Section 145(c) of the DGCL.

The Registrant’s Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation and Amended and Restated Bylaws provide for the indemnification of its directors and officers to the fullest extent permitted under the DGCL, provided, however, the Registrant is not required under the Amended and Restated Bylaws to indemnify any director or officer in connection with any proceeding (or part thereof) initiated by such person unless (i) such indemnification is expressly required by law or the Amended and Restated Bylaws, (ii) the proceeding was authorized by the board of directors of the Registrant or (iii) such indemnification is provided by the Registrant, in its sole discretion, pursuant to the powers vested in the Registrant under the DGCL or any other applicable law.

Section 102(b)(7) of the DGCL permits a corporation to provide in its certificate of incorporation that a director of the corporation shall not be personally liable to the corporation or its stockholders for monetary damages for breach of fiduciary duties as a director, except for liability for any:

In addition, Section 102(b)(7) of the DGCL permits a corporation to provide in its certificate of incorporation that certain officers of the corporation (as specified in Section 102(b)(7) of the DGCL) shall not be personally liable to the corporation or its stockholders for monetary damages for breach of fiduciary duties as an officer, subject to certain exceptions.

The Registrant’s Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation provides that the monetary liability of a director of the Registrant shall be eliminated to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law. The Registrant’s Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation does not currently include a provision eliminating or limiting the liability of officers of the Registrant.

The Registrant’s Amended and Restated Bylaws provide that the Registrant shall advance to any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative, by reason of the fact that he is or was a director or officer, of the Registrant, or is or was serving at the request of the Registrant as a director or officer of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, prior to the final disposition of the proceeding, promptly following request therefor, all expenses incurred by any director or officer in connection with such proceeding provided, however, that an advancement of expenses incurred by a director or officer in his or her capacity as a director or officer (and not in any other capacity in which service was or is rendered by such indemnitee, including, without limitation, service to an employee benefit plan) shall be made only upon delivery to the Registrant of an undertaking (hereinafter an “undertaking”), by or on behalf of such indemnitee, to repay all amounts so advanced if it shall ultimately be determined by final judicial decision from which there is no further right to appeal that such indemnitee is not entitled to be indemnified for such expenses under the Registrant’s Amended and Restated Bylaws or otherwise.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, unless otherwise determined pursuant to the Registrant’s Amended and Restated Bylaws, no advance shall be made by the Registrant to an officer of the Registrant (except by reason of the fact that such officer is or was a director of the Registrant in which event this paragraph shall not apply) in any action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative, if a determination is reasonably and promptly made (i) by a majority vote of directors who were not parties to the proceeding, even if not a quorum, or (ii) by a committee of such directors designated by a majority vote of such directors, even though less than a quorum, or (iii) if there are no such directors, or such directors so direct, by independent legal counsel in a written opinion, that the facts known to the decision-making party at the time such determination is made demonstrate clearly and convincingly that such person acted in bad faith or in a manner that such person did not believe to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Registrant.

Section 174 of the DGCL provides, among other things, that, in case of any willful or negligent unlawful payment of dividends or unlawful stock purchase or redemption, the directors under whose administration the same may happen may be held personally liable for such actions. A director who was either absent when the unlawful actions were approved, or dissented at the time, may be exonerated from such liability by causing his or her dissent to such actions to be entered on the books containing minutes of the proceedings of the board of directors at the time such action occurred or immediately after such absent director receives notice of the same.

As permitted by the DGCL, the Registrant has entered into indemnification agreements with each of its directors and executive officers (each an “indemnitee”), that require the Registrant to indemnify such persons against any and all costs and expenses (including attorneys’, witness or other professional fees) actually and reasonably incurred by such persons in connection with any action, suit or proceeding (including derivative actions), whether actual or threatened, to which any such person may be made a party by reason of the fact that such person is or was a director or officer of the Registrant or an agent of the Registrant or is or was, at the request of the Registrant, acting or serving as an officer, director, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or another enterprise, so long as the indemnitee acted in good faith and in a manner the indemnitee reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Registrant and, in the case of a criminal proceeding had no reasonable cause to believe that indemnitee’s conduct was unlawful.. With respect to third-party actions, the indemnification agreements require the Registrant to also indemnify the indemnitee against judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement that are actually and reasonably incurred by indemnitee or on indemnitee’s behalf in connection with such proceedings or any claim, issue or matter therein, if the indemnitee acted in good faith and in a manner indemnitee reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Registrant and, in the case of a criminal proceeding had no reasonable cause to believe that indemnitee’s conduct was unlawful. Under these agreements, the Registrant is not required to provide indemnification for certain matters, including:

The indemnification agreements also provide for the advancement of expenses of the indemnitee to the fullest extent not prohibited by law in connection with any proceeding (or part thereof) not initiated by indemnitee or any proceeding initiated by indemnitee with the prior approval of the board of directors of Registrant as set forth in the terms of the indemnification agreements, provided that advancement is not applicable to any claim made by indemnitee for which indemnification is specifically prohibited as set forth above in the immediately preceding paragraph hereof. Notwithstanding the foregoing the Registrant is also required to advance expenses of the indemnitee, if so requested by indemnitee, to the extent not prohibited by law, for expenses which are incurred by or on behalf of indemnitee in connection with any action brought by indemnitee for advancement of expenses from the Registrant under the indemnification agreement or under any directors’ and officers’ liability insurance policies maintained by the Registrant.

The indemnification agreements also set forth certain procedures that will apply in the event of a claim for indemnification or advancement thereunder.

The Registrant has insurance policies in place that cover its officers and directors with respect to certain liabilities, including liabilities arising under the Securities Act, or otherwise.

Item 16. Exhibits

Item 17. Undertakings

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:

(a) To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933;

(b) 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 Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than 20% change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in the effective registration statement.

(c) 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 paragraphs (1)(a), (1)(b) and (1)(c) above do not apply if the registration statement is on Form S-3 and the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in reports filed with or furnished to the Commission by the Registrant pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 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 of 1933, 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 of 1933 to any purchaser:

(a) If the Registrant is relying on Rule 430B:

(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 of 1933 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 of 1933 to any purchaser in the initial distribution of the securities: the Registrant undertakes that in a primary offering of securities of the 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 Registrant will be a seller to the purchaser and will be considered to offer or sell such securities to such purchaser:

(a) Any preliminary prospectus or prospectus of the Registrant relating to the offering required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424;

(b) Any free writing prospectus relating to the offering prepared by or on behalf of the Registrant or used or referred to by the Registrant;

(c) The portion of any other free writing prospectus relating to the offering containing material information about Registrant or its securities provided by or on behalf of the Registrant; and

(d) Any other communication that is an offer in the offering made by the Registrant to the purchaser.

(6) The Registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each filing of the Registrant’s annual report pursuant to section 13(a) or section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plan’s annual report pursuant to section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) 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.

(7) The Registrant hereby undertakes to file an application for the purpose of determining the eligibility of the trustee to act under subsection (a) of Section 310 of the Trust Indenture Act in accordance with the rules and regulations prescribed by the Commission under Section 305(b)(2) of the Act.

(8) Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the Registrant pursuant to the forgoing 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 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 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 Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Austin, State of Texas on April 21, 2023.

KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS, that each person whose signature appears below constitutes and appoints J. Rodney Varner and Ryan Confer, and each of them, each with full power to act without the other, his true and lawful attorneys-in-fact and agents, each with full power of substitution and resubstitution, for such person and in his name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign any amendments to this Registration Statement, and to sign any registration statement for the same offering covered by this Registration Statement, including post-effective amendments or registration statements filed pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act of 1933, and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto and other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, hereby ratifying and confirming that each of said such attorneys-in-fact and agents or his substitute or substitutes, may do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this registration statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.