Akoya BioSciences Inc. filed SEC Form 8-K: Other Events
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
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FORM
CURRENT REPORT
PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d)
OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
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Item 8.01 Other Events
As previously disclosed, on April 28, 2025, Akoya Biosciences, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“Akoya”), entered into an Amended and Restated Agreement and Plan of Merger (the “A&R Merger Agreement”) with Quanterix Corporation, a Delaware corporation (“Quanterix”) and Wellfleet Merger Sub, Inc., a Delaware corporation and wholly owned subsidiary of Quanterix (“Merger Sub”), pursuant to which, subject to the terms and conditions set forth therein, Merger Sub will merge with and into Akoya (the “Merger”), with Akoya surviving such Merger as a wholly owned subsidiary of Quanterix.
On May 20, 2025, Akoya announced that it received an unsolicited acquisition proposal (the “Unsolicited Proposal”) from a third party to acquire Akoya in an all cash tender offer transaction. Under the terms of the Unsolicited Proposal, each share of Akoya common stock would be exchanged for $1.40 in cash at the completion of the transaction contemplated by the Unsolicited Proposal. Akoya’s board of directors, consistent with its fiduciary duties and in consultation with its financial and legal advisors, is carefully reviewing and considering the Unsolicited Proposal. Akoya’s board of directors has determined that the Unsolicited Proposal could reasonably be expected to lead to a “Superior Proposal” as such term is defined in the A&R Merger Agreement and that failure to engage in discussions or negotiations with, or to disclose non-public information relating to Akoya to, the third party who made the Unsolicited Proposal, in each case in connection with the Unsolicited Proposal, would be inconsistent with the fiduciary duties of Akoya’s board of directors under applicable law. There can be no assurances that Akoya will conclude that the Unsolicited Proposal or any subsequent proposal constitutes a Superior Proposal to the Merger.
Notwithstanding its receipt of the Unsolicited Proposal, Akoya’s board of directors continues to recommend the Merger to its stockholders.
Important Additional Information
In connection with the proposed Merger, Quanterix has filed with the SEC a post-effective amendment to its registration statement on Form S-4 (as so amended, the “Registration Statement”), which contains a preliminary proxy statement of Akoya and a preliminary prospectus of Quanterix (the “Proxy Statement/Prospectus”), and each of Quanterix and Akoya have, and may in the future, file with the SEC other relevant documents regarding the proposed Merger. INVESTORS AND SECURITY HOLDERS ARE URGED TO READ THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT AND THE PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS CAREFULLY AND IN THEIR ENTIRETY AND ANY OTHER RELEVANT DOCUMENTS FILED WITH THE SEC BY QUANTERIX AND AKOYA, AS WELL AS ANY AMENDMENTS OR SUPPLEMENTS TO THOSE DOCUMENTS WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT QUANTERIX, AKOYA AND THE PROPOSED MERGER. A definitive copy of the Proxy Statement/Prospectus will be mailed to Akoya stockholders when that document is final. Investors and security holders will be able to obtain the Registration Statement and the Proxy Statement/Prospectus, as well as other filings containing information about Quanterix and Akoya, free of charge from Quanterix or Akoya or from the SEC’s website when they are filed. The documents filed by Quanterix with the SEC may be obtained free of charge at Quanterix’s website, at www.quanterix.com, or by requesting them by mail at Quanterix Investor Relations, 900 Middlesex Turnpike, Billerica, MA 01821. The documents filed by Akoya with the SEC may be obtained free of charge at Akoya’s website, at www.akoyabio.com, or by requesting them by mail at Akoya Biosciences, Inc., 100 Campus Drive, 6th Floor, Marlborough, MA 01752 ATTN: Chief Legal Officer.
Participants in the Solicitation
Quanterix and Akoya and certain of their respective directors and executive officers may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from the stockholders of Akoya in respect of the proposed Merger. Information about Akoya’s directors and executive officers is available in the Proxy Statement/Prospectus and in Amendment No. 1 to Akoya’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for fiscal year ended December 31, 2024, filed with the SEC on April 28, 2025, and other documents filed by Akoya with the SEC. Other information regarding the persons who may, under the rules of the SEC, be deemed participants in the proxy solicitation and a description of their direct and indirect interests, by security holdings or otherwise, is contained in the Proxy Statement/Prospectus and other relevant materials to be filed with the SEC regarding the proposed Merger when they become available. Investors should read the definitive Proxy
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Statement/Prospectus carefully when it becomes available before making any voting or investment decisions. You may obtain free copies of these documents from Quanterix or Akoya as indicated above.
No Offer or Solicitation
This communication shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities or a solicitation of any vote or approval with respect to the Merger, nor shall there be any sale of securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. No offering of securities shall be made except by means of a prospectus meeting the requirements of Section 10 of the Securities Act.
Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
Statements included in this Current Report on Form 8-K which are not historical in nature or do not relate to current facts are intended to be, and are hereby identified as, forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor provided by Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements are based on, among other things, projections as to the anticipated benefits of the Merger as well as statements regarding the impact of the Merger on Quanterix’s and Akoya’s business and future financial and operating results, the amount and timing of synergies from the Merger and the closing date for the Merger. Words and phrases such as “may,” “approximately,” “continue,” “should,” “expects,” “projects,” “anticipates,” “is likely,” “look ahead,” “look forward,” “believes,” “will,” “intends,” “estimates,” “strategy,” “plan,” “could,” “potential,” “possible” and variations of such words and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Quanterix and Akoya caution readers that forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict with regard to, among other things, timing, extent, likelihood and degree of occurrence, which could cause actual results to differ materially from anticipated results. Such risks and uncertainties include, among others, the following possibilities: the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstances that could give rise to the right of one or both of the parties to terminate the Merger Agreement; the outcome of any legal proceedings that may be instituted against Quanterix or Akoya; the failure to obtain approval of Akoya’s stockholders or to satisfy any of the other conditions to the Merger on a timely basis or at all; the possibility that the anticipated benefits and synergies of the Merger are not realized when expected or at all, including as a result of the impact of, or problems arising from, the integration of the two companies or as a result of the strength of the economy and competitive factors in the areas where Quanterix and Akoya do business; the possibility that the Merger may be more expensive to complete than anticipated; diversion of management’s attention from ongoing business operations and opportunities; potential adverse reactions or changes to business or employee relationships, including those resulting from the announcement or completion of the Merger; changes in Quanterix’s share price before the closing of the Merger; risks relating to the potential dilutive effect of shares of Quanterix common stock to be issued in the Merger; the ability of Akoya to repay any Convertible Notes, other factors that may affect future results of Quanterix, Akoya and the combined company and the likelihood that the Unsolicited Proposal will lead to a Superior Proposal. Additional factors that could cause results to differ materially from those described above can be found in the Proxy Statement/Prospectus, and in other documents Quanterix and Akoya file with the SEC, which are available on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.
All forward-looking statements, expressed or implied, included in this Current Report are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements contained or referred to herein. If one or more events related to these or other risks or uncertainties materialize, or if Quanterix’s or Akoya’s underlying assumptions prove to be incorrect, actual results may differ materially from what Quanterix and Akoya anticipate. Quanterix and Akoya caution readers not to place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they are made and are based on information available at that time. Neither Quanterix nor Akoya assumes any obligation to update or otherwise revise any forward-looking statements to reflect circumstances or events that occur after the date the forward-looking statements were made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events except as required by federal securities laws.
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