SEC Form PRE 14A filed by Precision BioSciences Inc.

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April [ ], 2025

Dear Fellow Stockholders:

On behalf of the Board of Directors, I cordially invite you to attend the 2025 annual meeting of stockholders (the “Annual Meeting”) of Precision BioSciences, Inc. (the “Company”), which will be held on Wednesday, May 28, 2025, beginning at 11:00 a.m., Eastern Time. The Annual Meeting will be a completely virtual meeting, which will be conducted via live webcast.

Attached to this letter are a Notice of Annual Meeting of Stockholders and Proxy Statement, which describe the business to be conducted at the meeting. We have elected to provide access to our proxy materials over the Internet under the Securities and Exchange Commission’s “notice and access” rules. We believe that providing our proxy materials over the Internet expedites stockholders’ receipt of proxy materials, lowers costs and reduces the environmental impact of the Annual Meeting.

Your vote is important to us. Please act as soon as possible to vote your shares. It is important that your shares be represented at the meeting whether or not you plan to attend the Annual Meeting via the Internet. Please vote electronically over the Internet, by telephone or by returning your signed proxy card in the envelope provided. You may also vote your shares online during the Annual Meeting. Instructions on how to vote while participating at the meeting live via the Internet are posted at www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/DTIL2025.

On behalf of the Board of Directors and management, it is my pleasure to express our appreciation for your continued support.

/s/ Kevin J. Buehler

Kevin J. Buehler

This Notice of Annual Meeting and Proxy Statement are first being distributed or made available, as the case may be, on or about April [ ], 2025.

These items of business are described in the Proxy Statement that follows this notice. Holders of record of our common stock as of the close of business on April 8, 2025 are entitled to notice of and to vote at the Annual Meeting, or any continuation, postponement or adjournment thereof.

Your vote is important. Voting your shares will ensure the presence of a quorum at the Annual Meeting and will save us the expense of further solicitation. Please promptly vote your shares by completing, signing, dating and returning your proxy card or by Internet or telephone voting as described on your proxy card.

By Order of the Board of Directors

/s/ Dario Scimeca

Dario Scimeca

Durham, North Carolina

April [ ], 2025

Important Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials for the Stockholder Meeting: This Proxy Statement and our Annual Report are available free of charge at www.proxyvote.com.

This proxy statement (the “Proxy Statement”) and our annual report for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024 (the “Annual Report” and, together with this Proxy Statement, the “proxy materials”) are being furnished in connection with the solicitation by and on behalf of the board of directors (the “Board” or “Board of Directors”) of Precision BioSciences, Inc. (the “Company,” “Precision,” “we,” “us,” or “our”), in connection with our 2025 annual meeting of stockholders (the “Annual Meeting”). The Notice of Annual Meeting and this Proxy Statement are first being distributed or made available, as the case may be, on or about April [ ], 2025.

Additional information regarding the Q&A session will be available in the “Rules of Conduct” available on the Annual Meeting webpage for stockholders that have accessed the Annual Meeting as a stockholder (rather than a “Guest”) by following the procedures outlined above in “How can I attend and vote at the Annual Meeting?”.

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, as currently in effect (“Certificate of Incorporation”) provides that the number of directors shall be established from time to time by our Board of Directors. We currently have six directors serving on the Board.

Our Certificate of Incorporation provides that the Board be divided into three classes, designated as Class I, Class II and Class III. Each class should consist, as nearly as may be possible, of one-third of the total number of directors constituting the entire Board. Each class of directors must stand for re-election no later than the third annual meeting of stockholders subsequent to their initial appointment or election to the Board, provided that the term of each director will continue until the election and qualification of his or her successor and is subject to his or her earlier death, resignation or removal. Generally, vacancies or newly created directorships on the Board will be filled only by vote of a majority of the directors then in office and will not be filled by the stockholders, unless the Board determines by resolution that any such vacancy or newly created directorship will be filled by the stockholders. A director appointed by the Board to fill a vacancy will hold office until the next election of the class for which such director was chosen, subject to the election and qualification of his or her successor and his or her earlier death, resignation or removal.

Our current directors and their respective classes and terms are set forth below.

Kevin J. Buehler and Shari Lisa Piré have been nominated by the Board to stand for election. As directors assigned to Class III, Mr. Buehler and Ms. Piré’s current terms of service will expire at the Annual Meeting. If elected by the stockholders at the Annual Meeting, Mr. Buehler and Ms. Piré will each serve for a term expiring at our annual meeting of stockholders to be held in 2028 (the “2028 Annual Meeting”) and the election and qualification of their successors or until their earlier death, resignation or removal. Each person nominated for election has agreed to serve if elected, and management has no reason to believe that either nominee will be unable to serve. If, however, prior to the Annual Meeting, the Board of Directors should learn that either nominee will be unable to serve for any reason, the proxies that otherwise would have been voted for this nominee will be voted for a substitute nominee as selected by the Board. Alternatively, the proxies, at the Board’s discretion, may be voted for that no nominees as results from the inability of either nominee to serve. The Board has no reason to believe that either of the nominees will be unable to serve.

The following pages contain certain biographical information as of April [ ], 2025 for each nominee for director and each director whose term as a director will continue after the Annual Meeting, including all positions he or she holds, his or her principal occupation and business experience for the past five years, and the names of other publicly-held companies of which the director or nominees currently serves as a director or has served as a director during the past five years.

We believe that all of our directors and the nominees have or display: personal and professional integrity; satisfactory levels of education and/or business experience; broad-based business acumen; an appropriate level of understanding of our business and its industry and other industries relevant to our business; the ability and willingness to devote adequate time to the work of our Board of Directors and its committees, as applicable; skills and personality that complement those of our other directors that helps build a board that is effective, collegial and responsive to the needs of our Company; strategic thinking and a willingness to share ideas; a diversity of experiences, expertise and background; and the ability to represent the interests of all of our stockholders.

PROPOSAL NO. 2

The audit committee appoints our independent registered public accounting firm. In this regard, the audit committee evaluates the qualifications, performance and independence of our independent registered public accounting firm and determines whether to re-engage our current firm. As part of its evaluation, the audit committee considers, among other factors, the quality and efficiency of the services provided by the firm, including the performance, technical expertise, industry knowledge and experience of the lead audit partner and the audit team assigned to our account; the overall strength and reputation of the firm; the firm’s global capabilities relative to our business; and the firm’s knowledge of our operations. Deloitte & Touche LLP has served as our independent registered public accounting firm since 2017. Neither the accounting firm nor any of its members has any direct or indirect financial interest in or any connection with us in any capacity other than as our auditors and providing audit and permissible non-audit related services. Upon consideration of these and other factors, the audit committee has appointed Deloitte & Touche LLP to serve as our independent registered public accounting firm for the year ending December 31, 2025

Although ratification is not required by our amended and restated by-laws (“Bylaws”) or otherwise, the Board is submitting the selection of Deloitte & Touche LLP to our stockholders for ratification because we value our stockholders’ views on the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm and it is a good corporate governance practice. If our stockholders do not ratify the selection, it will be considered as notice to the Board and the audit committee to consider the selection of a different firm. Even if the selection is ratified, the audit committee, in its discretion, may select a different independent registered public accounting firm during the year if it determines that such a change would be in the best interests of the Company and its stockholders.

Representatives of Deloitte & Touche LLP are expected to attend the Annual Meeting and to have an opportunity to make a statement and be available to respond to appropriate questions from stockholders.

The following table sets forth the fees of Deloitte & Touche LLP, our independent registered public accounting firm, billed to Precision in each of the last two fiscal years (in thousands).

Audit fees consisted of the following:

Tax fees consisted of fees for tax compliance, tax advice, and tax planning services.

All other fees consisted of subscription fees for accounting research software.

The formal written charter for our audit committee requires that the audit committee pre-approve all audit services to be provided to us, whether provided by our principal auditor or other firms, and all other services (review, attest and non-audit) to be provided to us by our independent registered public accounting firm, other than de minimis non-audit services approved in accordance with applicable SEC rules.

The audit committee has adopted a policy (the “Pre-Approval Policy”) that sets forth the procedures and conditions pursuant to which audit and non-audit services proposed to be performed by our independent registered public accounting firm may be pre-approved. The Pre-Approval Policy generally provides that the audit committee will not engage an independent registered public accounting firm to render any audit, audit-related, tax or permissible non-audit service unless the service is either (i) explicitly approved by the audit committee (“specific pre-approval”) or (ii) entered into pursuant to the pre-approval policies and procedures described in the Pre-Approval Policy (“general pre-approval”). Unless a type of service to be provided by our independent registered public accounting firm has received general pre-approval under the Pre-Approval Policy, it requires specific pre-approval by the audit committee or by a designated member of the audit committee to whom the committee has delegated the authority to grant pre-approvals. Any member of the audit committee to whom the committee delegates authority to make pre-approval decisions must report any such pre-approval decisions to the audit committee at its next scheduled meeting. If circumstances arise where it becomes necessary to engage the independent registered public accounting firm for additional services not contemplated in the original pre-approval categories or above the pre-approved amounts, the audit committee requires pre-approval for such additional services or such additional amounts. Any proposed services exceeding pre-approved cost levels or budgeted amounts will also require specific pre-approval. For both types of pre-approval, the audit committee will consider whether such services are consistent with the rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on auditor independence.

On an annual basis, the audit committee reviews and generally pre-approves the services (and related fee levels or budgeted amounts) that may be provided by our independent registered accounting firm without first obtaining specific pre-approval from the audit committee. The audit committee may revise the list of general pre-approved services from time to time, based on subsequent determinations.

The above-described services provided to us by Deloitte & Touche LLP were provided in accordance with our pre-approval policies and procedures.

The audit committee operates pursuant to a charter which is reviewed annually by the audit committee. Additionally, a brief description of the primary responsibilities of the audit committee is included in this Proxy Statement under the discussion of “Corporate Governance— Audit Committee.” Management is responsible for the preparation, presentation and integrity of the Company’s financial statements, the appropriateness of accounting principles and financial reporting policies and for establishing and maintaining our internal control over financial reporting. The independent registered public accounting firm is responsible for auditing our financial statements and expressing an opinion as to their conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States.

In the performance of its oversight function, the audit committee reviewed and discussed with management and Deloitte & Touche LLP, as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm, the Company’s audited financial statements for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024. The audit committee also discussed with the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm the matters required to be discussed by the applicable requirements of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (the “PCAOB”) and the SEC. In addition, the audit committee received and reviewed the written disclosures and the letters from the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm required by applicable requirements of the PCAOB, regarding such independent registered public accounting firm’s communications with the audit committee concerning independence, and discussed with the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm their independence from the Company.

Based upon the review and discussions described in the preceding paragraph, the audit committee recommended to the Board that the Company’s audited financial statements be included in its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024 filed with the SEC.

Submitted by the audit committee of the Company’s Board of Directors:

Melinda Brown (Chair)

Kevin J. Buehler

Geno Germano

Our Board of Directors is providing our stockholders with an advisory vote on our executive compensation pursuant to the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Consumer Protection Act, or Dodd-Frank Act, as required by Section 14A(a)(1) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). This advisory vote, commonly known as a say-on-pay vote, is a non-binding vote on the compensation paid to our named executive officers as identified pursuant to Item 402 of Regulation S-K, as set forth in the “Executive Compensation” section of this proxy statement, including in the accompanying compensation tables and the corresponding narrative discussion and footnotes.

Because we no longer qualify as an “emerging growth company” as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act, or JOBS Act, this is our first year holding a say-on-pay vote in connection with our annual meeting of stockholders. In addition, our stockholders have the opportunity in Proposal No. 5 to indicate whether they prefer that we hold future advisory votes on executive compensation every one, two, or three years, or they may abstain from that vote.

This vote is not intended to address any specific item of compensation, but rather the overall compensation of our named executive officers and the framework, policies, and procedures described in this Proxy Statement. Because this is an advisory vote, it will not be binding upon the Company. However, the compensation committee, which is responsible for the design and administration of our executive compensation program, will carefully review and consider the voting results when making future decisions regarding our executive compensation program.

We have designed our executive compensation to attract, motivate, reward and retain the senior management talent required to achieve our corporate objectives and to increase long-term stockholder value. Our executive compensation program rewards results relevant to our short-term and long-term success based on both corporate and individual performance. Our compensation committee is guided in its design and administration of our executive compensation program by several principles and factors, with our fundamental executive compensation philosophy being the alignment of executive pay with performance, as our compensation committee believes that aligns the interests of our executives with those of our stockholders. We encourage you to carefully review the “Executive Compensation” section of this Proxy Statement for additional details on the Company’s executive compensation for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024.

We are asking our stockholders to vote “FOR” the following advisory resolution for the compensation of our named executive officers as described in this Proxy Statement:

“RESOLVED, that the Company’s stockholders approve, on an advisory (non-binding) basis, the compensation of the Company’s named executive officers as described in the Proxy Statement for the 2025 Annual Meeting pursuant to the compensation disclosure rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission.”

Our stockholders have an opportunity this year to vote on the frequency of future advisory votes on executive compensation. Assuming our stockholders indicate a preference to hold a say-on-pay vote every one year, in alignment with our Board of Director’s recommendation, the next say-on-pay vote would occur in 2026 in connection with our annual meeting of stockholders to be held in 2026 (the “2026 Annual Meeting”).

Our Board of Directors is providing our stockholders with an advisory vote on the frequency of future advisory votes on executive compensation, or say-on-pay votes, such as that provided for in Proposal No. 4. This non-binding advisory vote is required to be conducted every six years under Section 14A of the Exchange Act pursuant to the Dodd-Frank Act. Prior to this year, we were exempt from submitting a say-on-pay proposal for a vote by our stockholders as a result of our “emerging growth company” status under the JOBS Act. At the Annual Meeting, our stockholders may indicate whether they prefer that we hold a say-on-pay vote every one, two, or three years, or they may abstain from this vote.

Our compensation committee and our Board of Directors will take into consideration the outcome of this vote in making a determination about the frequency of future advisory votes on the compensation of our named executive officers. However, because this vote is advisory and non-binding, our compensation committee and our Board of Directors may decide that it is in our best interest and the best interests of our stockholders to hold the advisory vote to approve named executive officer compensation more or less frequently (but no less frequently than once every three years, as required by the Dodd-Frank Act).

We believe that it is important to give our stockholders the opportunity to provide input on our executive compensation in a consistent and meaningful manner. Our compensation committee and our Board of Directors believes that annual votes will facilitate the highest level of accountability to our stockholders and is consistent with our efforts to engage in an ongoing dialogue with stockholders on executive compensation and corporate governance matters.

Article SEVENTH of our Certificate of Incorporation currently provides for the Company to limit the monetary liability of directors in certain circumstances pursuant to and consistent with the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (the “DGCL”). Effective August 1, 2022, Section 102(b)(7) of the DGCL was amended to extend similar protections to certain officers (the “Section 102(b)(7) Amendment”). Previously, exculpation was only available to directors. However, the Section 102(b)(7) Amendment now permits Delaware corporations to exculpate certain officers for personal liability for breaches of the duty of care in certain circumstances. Such officers include (i) the president, chief executive officer, chief operating officer, chief financial officer, chief legal officer, controller, treasurer and chief accounting officer of the corporation at any time during the course of conduct alleged in the action or proceeding to be wrongful, (ii) any person who is or was identified in the corporation’s public filings with the SEC because such person is or was one of the most highly compensated executive officers of the corporation, and (iii) any person who has consented to service of process in Delaware by written agreement (the “Covered Officers”). For both directors and Covered Officers, the liability limitation does not apply to breaches of the duty of loyalty, acts or omissions not in good faith or acts or omissions that involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law, or any transaction in which the director or officer derived an improper personal benefit. In addition, for Covered Officers, amended Section 102(b)(7) only permits exculpation for direct claims brought by stockholders, as opposed to claims brought by or on behalf of the Company (e.g., derivative claims).

Our Board of Directors desires to amend our Certificate of Incorporation to maintain provisions consistent with the governing statutes contained in the DGCL. Adopting an officer exculpation provision that aligns with the protections afforded under the DGCL could reduce insurance costs and help prevent protracted or otherwise meritless litigation that distracts from our primary objective of creating long-term stockholder value. The nature of the roles of directors and officers often requires them to make decisions on crucial matters. Frequently, directors and officers must make decisions in response to time-sensitive opportunities and challenges, which can create substantial risk of investigations, claims, actions, suits or proceedings seeking to impose liability on the basis of hindsight, especially in the current litigious environment and regardless of merit. Our Board of Directors believes that limiting concern about personal liability will empower officers to best exercise their business judgment in furtherance of stockholder interests without the distraction of potentially being subject to claims following actions taken in good faith.

In addition, our Board of Directors believes it is important to provide protection to Covered Officers to the extent permitted by the DGCL to attract and retain key executive talent. This protection has long been afforded to directors, and Delaware law now permits expansion to Covered Officers. Many other public companies have updated their governing documents in response to the Section 102(b)(7) Amendment, and we expect this practice to continue. Therefore, our ability to attract and retain highly qualified officer candidates may be adversely impacted if we do not implement the expanded protections now offered under Delaware law. Accordingly, our Board of Directors has determined it advisable and in the best interests of the Company and its stockholders to seek stockholders’ approval of this Proposal No. 5.

The proposed officer exculpation amendment is not being proposed in response to any specific resignation, threat of resignation, or refusal to serve by any officer or as a result of any pending or threatened litigation. Our stockholders should be aware that certain of our officers have interests in Proposal No. 5 that may be different from, or in addition to, the interests of our stockholders more generally since those officers will receive the liability exculpation protections afforded by Proposal No. 5. Our Board of Directors was aware of these interests and considered them, among other matters, in reaching its decision to approve Proposal No. 5. The amendment reflected in Proposal No. 5 was unanimously approved by the disinterested members of our Board of Directors, with each interested director abstaining.

This Proposal No. 5 requests that stockholders approve amendments to Article SEVENTH of the Certificate of Incorporation to extend the exculpation provision to certain officers as permitted by Section 102(b)(7) of the DGCL, as amended. The proposed officer exculpation amendment, marked below to show the proposed changes, would amend Article SEVENTH of our current Certificate of Incorporation to read in its entirety as follows (insertions are shown in underlined italics):

“SEVENTH: Except to the extent that the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware prohibits the elimination or limitation of liability of directors or officers for breaches of fiduciary duty, no director or officer of the Corporation shall be personally liable to the Corporation or its stockholders for monetary damages for any breach of fiduciary duty as a director or officer, as applicable, notwithstanding any provision of law imposing such liability. No amendment to or repeal of this provision shall apply to or have any effect on the liability or alleged liability of any director or officer of the Corporation for or with respect to any acts or omissions of such director or officer occurring prior to such amendment or repeal. If the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware is amended to permit further elimination or limitation of the personal liability of directors or officers, then the liability of a director or officer of the Corporation shall be eliminated or limited to the fullest extent permitted by the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware as so amended.”

A complete copy of the proposed charter amendment is attached as Annex A to this proxy statement.

If the proposed amendment to the Certificate of Incorporation is approved by our stockholders, our Board of Directors has authorized our officers to file a Certificate of Amendment with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware, which we anticipate doing as soon as practicable following stockholder approval of Proposal No. 5 at the Annual Meeting, and the Certificate of Amendment would become effective upon acceptance by the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware. Other than the replacement of the existing Article SEVENTH by the proposed Article SEVENTH, the remainder of our Certificate of Incorporation will remain unchanged after effectiveness of the amendment.

If the proposed amendment to the Certificate of Incorporation is not approved by our stockholders, our Certificate of Incorporation will remain unchanged. In accordance with the DGCL, our Board of Directors may elect to abandon the proposed amendment to the Certificate of Incorporation without further action by the stockholders at any time prior to the effectiveness of its filing with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware, notwithstanding stockholder approval.

The approval of this proposal requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the outstanding shares of common stock entitled to vote on the matter. Abstentions and broker non-votes will have the same effect on the outcome of this proposal as a vote “AGAINST” this proposal.

The table below identifies and sets forth certain biographical and other information regarding our executive officers as of April [  ], 2025. There are no family relationships among any of our executive officers or directors.

See page 12 of this Proxy Statement for the biography of Michael Amoroso.

Our Board of Directors has adopted Corporate Governance Guidelines. A copy of these Corporate Governance Guidelines can be found in the “Corporate Governance” section of the “Investors” page of our website located at www.precisionbiosciences.com, or by writing to our General Counsel and Secretary at our offices at 302 East Pettigrew Street, Suite A-100, Durham, North Carolina, 27701. Among the topics addressed in our Corporate Governance Guidelines are:

Our Corporate Governance Guidelines provide our Board of Directors with flexibility to combine or separate the positions of Chairperson of the Board and Chief Executive Officer in accordance with its determination that utilizing one or the other structure would be in the best interests of the Company and its stockholders. If the Chairperson of the Board is a member of management or does not otherwise qualify as independent, our Corporate Governance Guidelines provide for the appointment by the independent directors of a lead independent director (the “Lead Director”). The Lead Director’s responsibilities include, but are not limited to: presiding over all meetings of the Board at which the Chairperson of the Board is not present, including any executive sessions of the independent directors; approving Board meeting schedules and agendas; and acting as the liaison between the independent directors and the Chief Executive Officer and Chairperson of the Board. Our Corporate Governance Guidelines provide that, at such times as the Chairperson of the Board qualifies as independent, the Chairperson of the Board may serve as Lead Director.

The positions of our Chair of the Board and our Chief Executive Officer and President are currently served by two separate persons. Mr. Buehler serves as Chair of the Board, and Mr. Amoroso serves as our Chief Executive Officer and President. In his capacity as the independent Chair of the Board, Mr. Buehler performs the functions of the Lead Director.

At this time, the Board believes that our current leadership structure of Chief Executive Officer and Chair of the Board being held by two separate individuals is in the best interests of the Company and its stockholders and strikes the appropriate balance between the Chief Executive Officer and President’s responsibility for the strategic direction, day-to day-leadership and performance of our Company and the Chair of the Board’s responsibility to guide overall strategic direction of our Company and provide oversight of our corporate governance and guidance to our Chief Executive Officer and President and to set the agenda for and preside over Board meetings. We recognize that different leadership structures may be appropriate for companies in different situations and believe that no one structure is suitable for all companies. Accordingly, the Board will continue to periodically review our leadership structure and make such changes in the future as it deems appropriate and in the best interests of the Company and its stockholders.

Under our Corporate Governance Guidelines and the applicable Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (“Nasdaq”) rules (the “Nasdaq rules”), a director is not independent unless the Board affirmatively determines that he or she does not have a relationship with us that could compromise his or her ability to exercise independent judgement in carrying out his or her responsibilities as a director. In addition, the director must not be precluded from qualifying as independent under the per se bars set forth by the Nasdaq rules.

Our Board has undertaken a review of its composition, the composition of its committees and the independence of our directors and considered whether any director has a material relationship with us that could compromise his or her ability to exercise independent judgment in carrying out his or her responsibilities. Based upon information requested from and provided by each director concerning his or her background, employment and affiliations, including family relationships, our Board of Directors has determined that none of Melinda Brown, Kevin J. Buehler, Stanley R. Frankel, M.D., Geno Germano, or Shari Lisa Piré, representing five of our six directors, has a relationship that would interfere with the exercise of independent judgment in carrying out the responsibilities of a director and that each of these directors qualifies as “independent” as that term is defined under the Nasdaq rules.

In making this determination, our Board of Directors considered the relationships that each non-employee director has with us and all other facts and circumstances our Board of Directors deemed relevant in determining their independence, including the director’s beneficial ownership of our common stock and the relationships of our non-employee directors with certain of our significant stockholders.

Our Board of Directors has four standing committees: an audit committee, a compensation committee, a nominating and corporate governance committee and a science and technology committee, each of which has the composition and the responsibilities described below. In addition, from time to time, special committees may be established under the direction of our Board when necessary to address specific issues. Each of the audit committee, the compensation committee, the nominating and corporate governance committee and the science and technology committee operates under a written charter.

Our audit committee is responsible for, among other things:

Our audit committee currently consists of Melinda Brown, Kevin J. Buehler and Geno Germano, with Ms. Brown serving as chair. All members of our audit committee meet the requirements for financial literacy under the applicable Nasdaq rules and regulations. Our Board of Directors has affirmatively determined that each member of our audit committee qualifies as “independent” under Nasdaq’s additional standards applicable to audit committee members and Rule 10A-3 of the Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) applicable to audit committee members. In addition, our Board of Directors has determined that each of Ms. Brown, Mr. Buehler and Mr. Germano qualify as an “audit committee financial expert,” as such term is defined in Item 407(d)(5) of Regulation S-K.

Our compensation committee is responsible for, among other things:

Our compensation committee currently consists of Geno Germano and Shari Lisa Piré, with Mr. Germano serving as chair. Our Board of Directors has determined that each member of our compensation committee qualifies as “independent” under Nasdaq’s additional standards applicable to compensation committee members and is a “non-employee director” as defined in Section 16b-3 of the Exchange Act.

The compensation committee generally considers the Chief Executive Officer’s recommendations when making decisions regarding the compensation of non-employee directors and executive officers (other than the Chief Executive Officer). Pursuant to the compensation committee’s charter, the compensation committee has the authority to retain or obtain the advice of compensation consultants, legal counsel and other advisors to assist in carrying out its responsibilities. Before selecting any such consultant, counsel or advisor, the compensation committee reviews and considers the independence of such consultant, counsel or advisor in accordance with applicable Nasdaq rules. We must provide appropriate funding for payment of reasonable compensation to any advisor retained by the compensation committee.

The compensation committee has the authority under its charter to retain outside consultants or advisors, as it deems necessary or advisable. In accordance with this authority, the compensation committee has engaged the services of Aon as its independent outside compensation consultants.

As requested by the compensation committee, in 2024, Aon’s services to the compensation committee included assisting in developing our peer group composition, analyzing benchmarking data with respect to our executives’ overall individual compensation and providing information regarding current trends and developments in executive compensation, equity-based awards, severance agreements and employee stock purchase programs based on our peer group.

All executive compensation services provided by Aon during 2024 were conducted under the direction or authority of the compensation committee, and all work performed by Aon was pre-approved by the compensation committee. Neither Aon nor any of its affiliates maintains any other direct or indirect business relationships with us or any of our subsidiaries. The compensation committee evaluated whether any work provided by Aon raised any conflict of interest for services performed during 2024 and determined that it did not.

Additionally, during 2024, a subsidiary of Aon served as broker for our directors and officers insurance policy. The aggregate fees incurred with Aon in 2024 for determining or recommending the amount or form of executive and director compensation were $45,442, and the aggregate fees paid to the Aon subsidiary in 2024 in connection with serving as broker for our directors and officers insurance policy were $225,000. The engagement of the Aon subsidiary to serve as broker for our directors and officers insurance policy was recommended by management and approved by the Board.

Our nominating and corporate governance committee is responsible for, among other things:

Our nominating and corporate governance committee currently consists of Kevin J. Buehler and Shari Lisa Piré, with Ms. Piré serving as Chair. Our Board has determined that each member of our nominating and corporate governance committee qualifies as “independent” under applicable Nasdaq rules applicable to nominating and corporate governance committee members.

Our science and technology committee is responsible for, among other things:

Our science and technology committee currently consists of Stanley R. Frankel, M.D. and Geno Germano, with Dr. Frankel serving as chair.

During the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024, our Board of Directors met seven times; the audit committee met four times; the compensation committee met three times; the nominating and corporate governance committee met two times; and the science and technology committee met six times. During the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024, each incumbent director attended at least 75% of the aggregate of (i) all meetings of the Board of Directors and (ii) all meetings of the committees on which the director served, during the period in which he or she served as a director.

Executive sessions, which are meetings of the non-management members of the Board, are regularly scheduled throughout the year. In addition, at least twice a year, the independent directors meet in a private session that excludes management and any non-independent directors. Each executive session of the independent directors are presided over by the Chair of the Board, if the Chair of the Board qualifies as independent, or by the lead director, if the Chair of the Board does not qualify as independent.

We do not have a formal policy regarding the attendance of our Board members at our annual meetings of stockholders, but we expect all directors to make every effort to attend any meeting of stockholders. All directors attended our annual meeting of stockholders held in 2024.

The nominating and corporate governance committee is responsible for recommending candidates to serve on the Board and its committees. In considering whether to recommend any particular candidate to serve on the Board or its committees or for inclusion in the Board’s slate of recommended director nominees for election at the annual meeting of stockholders, the nominating and corporate governance committee considers the criteria set forth in our Corporate Governance Guidelines. Specifically, the nominating and corporate governance committee may take into account many factors, including personal and professional integrity, ethics and values; experience in corporate management, such as serving as an officer or former officer of a publicly held company; strong finance experience; relevant social policy concerns; experience relevant to the Company’s industry; experience as a board member or executive officer of another publicly held company; relevant academic expertise or other proficiency in an area of the Company’s operations; diversity of expertise and experience in substantive matters pertaining to the Company’s business relative to other board members; diversity of background and perspective, including, but not limited to, with respect to age, gender, race, place of residence and specialized experience, gender identification or identification as an underrepresented minority or as LGBTQ+; practical and mature business judgment, including, but not limited to, the ability to make independent analytical inquiries; and any other relevant qualifications, attributes or skills. In determining whether to recommend a director for re-election, the nominating and corporate governance committee may also consider potential conflicts of interest with the candidates, other personal and professional pursuits, the director’s past attendance at meetings and participation in and contributions to the activities of the Board.

We consider diversity, such as gender, race, ethnicity and membership of an underrepresented communities, among those meaningful factors in identifying and considering director nominees, but do not have a formal diversity policy. The Board evaluates each individual in the context of the Board as a whole, with the objective of assembling a group that can best perpetuate the success of the business and represent stockholder interests through the exercise of sound judgment using its diversity of experience and background in these various areas.

In identifying prospective director candidates, the nominating and corporate governance committee may seek referrals from other members of the Board, management, stockholders and other sources, including third party recommendations. The nominating and corporate governance committee uses the same criteria for evaluating candidates regardless of the source of the referral or recommendation. When considering director candidates, the nominating and corporate governance committee seeks individuals with backgrounds and qualities that, when combined with those of our incumbent directors, provide a blend of skills and experience to further enhance the Board’s effectiveness. In connection with its annual recommendation of a slate of nominees, the nominating and corporate governance committee also may assess the contributions of those directors recommended for re-election in the context of the Board evaluation process and other perceived needs of the Board.

Mr. Buehler and Ms. Piré, the director nominees to be elected at the Annual Meeting, were each initially recommended for reelection to our Board by other members of the Board serving at the time and by members of management.

In determining to nominate each director nominee at this Annual Meeting, the nominating and corporate governance committee and Board evaluated each nominee in accordance with our standard review process for director candidates in connection with a director’s initial appointment and his or her nomination for election or re-election, as applicable, at the Annual Meeting.

When considering whether the directors and nominees have the experience, qualifications, attributes and skills, taken as a whole, to enable the Board to satisfy its oversight responsibilities effectively in light of our business and structure, the Board focused primarily on the information discussed in each of the board member’s biographical information set forth above. We believe that our directors provide an appropriate mix of experience and skills relevant to the size and nature of our business. This process resulted in the Board’s nomination of the incumbent directors named in this Proxy Statement and proposed for election by you at the Annual Meeting.

The nominating and corporate governance committee will consider director candidates recommended by stockholders, and such candidates will be considered and evaluated under the same criteria described above. Any recommendation submitted to the Company should be in writing and should include any supporting material the stockholder considers appropriate in support of that recommendation, but must include information that would be required under the rules of the SEC to be included in a proxy

statement soliciting proxies for the election of such candidate and a written consent of the candidate to serve as one of our directors if elected and must otherwise comply with the requirements under our Bylaws for stockholders to recommend director nominees. Stockholders wishing to propose a candidate for consideration may do so by submitting the above information to the attention of the General Counsel and Secretary, Precision BioSciences, Inc., 302 East Pettigrew Street, Suite A-100, Durham, North Carolina 27701. All recommendations for director nominations received by the General Counsel and Secretary that satisfy our Bylaw requirements relating to such director nominations will be presented to the nominating and corporate governance committee for its consideration. Stockholders also must satisfy the notification, timeliness, consent and information requirements set forth in our Bylaws. These timing requirements are also described under the caption “Stockholder Proposals and Director Nominations.”

Our Board of Directors believes that a diverse board is better able to effectively oversee our management and strategy, and position us to deliver long-term value for our stockholders. Our Board of Directors considers diversity, including gender and ethnic diversity, as adding to the overall mix of perspectives of our Board of Directors as a whole. With the assistance of the nominating and corporate governance committee, our Board of Directors regularly reviews trends in board composition, including on director diversity.

The Board of Directors has overall responsibility for risk oversight, including, as part of regular Board and committee meetings, general oversight of executives’ management of risks relevant to the Company. A fundamental part of risk oversight is not only understanding the material risks a company faces and the steps management is taking to manage those risks, but also understanding what level of risk is appropriate for the Company. The involvement of the Board of Directors in reviewing our business strategy is an integral aspect of the Board’s assessment of management’s tolerance for risk and its determination of what constitutes an appropriate level of risk for the Company. While the full Board has overall responsibility for risk oversight, it is supported in this function by its audit committee, compensation committee and nominating and corporate governance committee. Each of the committees regularly reports to the Board.

The audit committee assists the Board in fulfilling its risk oversight responsibilities by periodically reviewing our accounting, reporting and financial practices, including the integrity of our financial statements, the surveillance of administrative and financial controls, and our compliance with financial and reporting related legal and regulatory requirements and discussing the Company’s policies with respect to risk assessment and risk management, financial, cybersecurity and information security risks. Through its regular meetings with management, including the finance, legal, tax and information technology functions, the audit committee reviews and discusses financial, cybersecurity and information security risks. The compensation committee assists the Board by overseeing and evaluating risks related to the Company’s compensation structure and compensation programs, including the formulation, administration and regulatory compliance with respect to compensation matters, and coordinating, along with the Board’s Chair, succession planning discussions. The nominating and corporate governance committee assists the Board by overseeing and evaluating programs and risks associated with Board organization, membership and structure, and corporate governance. In addition, our Board receives periodic detailed operating performance reviews from management. Our science and technology committee supports the Board in its oversight of our risk management involving areas affecting or related to our R&D, technology and intellectual property.

Our Corporate Governance Guidelines, charters of the audit committee, compensation committee and nominating and corporate governance committee and other corporate governance information are available under the Corporate Governance section of the Investors page of our website located at www. precisionbiosciences.com, or by writing to our General Counsel and Secretary at our offices at 302 East Pettigrew Street, Suite A-100, Durham, North Carolina 27701.

We have adopted a code of business conduct and ethics (the “Code of Conduct”) that applies to all of our directors, officers and employees, including our principal executive officer, principal financial officer and principal accounting officer or controller or persons performing similar functions. Our Code of Conduct is available under the Corporate Governance section of the Investors page of our website at www.precisionbiosciences.com. In addition, we intend to post on our website all disclosures that are required by law or the Nasdaq rules concerning any amendments to, or waivers of, any provisions of our Code of Conduct.

Our Board of Directors has adopted an Insider Trading Compliance Policy (the “Insider Trading Policy”), which applies to all of our directors, officers and employees. Our Insider Trading Policy prohibits any person subject to the policy from engaging in any transaction involving any of our securities during any period in which he or she possesses material nonpublic information concerning the Company, subject to certain exceptions set forth in the policy, and from making improper disclosure of material nonpublic information concerning the Company to others. Our Insider Trading Policy also prohibits our directors, officers and employees from purchasing financial instruments, such as prepaid variable forward contracts, equity swaps, collars, and exchange funds, or otherwise engaging in transactions that hedge or offset, or are designed to hedge or offset, any decrease in the market value of our equity securities. All such transactions involving our equity securities, whether such securities were granted as compensation or are otherwise held, directly or indirectly, are prohibited. Our Insider Trading Policy has been filed as an exhibit to our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024.

Our Board of Directors has adopted a Policy for Recovery of Erroneously Awarded Compensation (the “Clawback Policy”), which applies to incentive-based compensation that is erroneously awarded to any current or former executive officers within the three completed fiscal years preceding the date on which the Company is required to prepare an accounting restatement. The Clawback Policy applies in the case of an accounting restatement due to the material noncompliance of the Company with any financial reporting requirement under the securities laws, including any required accounting restatement to correct an error in previously issued financial statements that is material to the previously issued financial statements, or that would result in a material misstatement if the error were corrected in the current period or left uncorrected in the current period. The compensation committee has sole discretion to determine the manner of recovery under the Clawback Policy.

Any stockholder or any other interested party who desires to communicate with our Board of Directors, our non-management directors or any specified individual director, may do so by directing such correspondence to the attention of the General Counsel and Secretary, Precision BioSciences, Inc., 302 East Pettigrew Street, Suite A-100, Durham, North Carolina, 27701. The General Counsel and Secretary will forward the communication to the appropriate director or directors as appropriate.

This section discusses the material components of our 2024 compensation program for our principal executive officer and next two most highly compensated executive officers who are named in the Summary Compensation Table below. These “named executive officers” and their positions are:

The following table sets forth information concerning the compensation of our named executive officers for the years presented: