Exhibit 10.1

SECURITIES PURCHASE AGREEMENT

This Securities Purchase Agreement (this “Agreement”) is dated as of November 26th, 2021, between Biostage, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), and David Green (the “Purchaser”).

WHEREAS, subject to the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement and pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirements of Section 5 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) contained in Section 4(a)(2) thereof and/or Regulation D thereunder, the Company desires to issue and sell to Purchaser, and Purchaser desires to purchase from the Company, securities of the Company as more fully described in this Agreement.

NOW, THEREFORE, IN CONSIDERATION of the mutual covenants contained in this Agreement, and for other good and valuable consideration the receipt and adequacy of which are hereby acknowledged, the Company and Purchaser agree as follows:

ARTICLE I.
DEFINITIONS

1.1           Definitions. In addition to the terms defined elsewhere in this Agreement, for all purposes of this Agreement, the following terms have the meanings set forth in this Section 1.1:

“Acquiring Person” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 4.5.

“Action” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 3.1(j).

“Affiliate” means any Person that, directly or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, controls or is controlled by or is under common control with a Person as such terms are used in and construed under Rule 405 under the Securities Act.

“Board of Directors” means the board of directors of the Company.

“Business Day” means any day except any Saturday, any Sunday, any day which is a federal legal holiday in the United States or any day on which banking institutions in the State of New York are authorized or required by law or other governmental action to close.

“Closing” means the closing of the purchase and sale of the Securities pursuant to Section 2.1.

“Closing Date” means the Trading Day on which all of the Transaction Documents have been executed and delivered by the applicable parties thereto, and all conditions precedent to (i) the Purchaser’s obligation to pay the Subscription Amount and (ii) the Company’s obligations to deliver the Securities, in each case, have been satisfied or waived.

“Commission” means the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.

“Common Stock” means the common stock of the Company, par value $0.01 per share, and any other class of securities into which such securities may hereafter be reclassified or changed.

“Common Stock Equivalents” means any securities of the Company or the Subsidiaries which would entitle the holder thereof to acquire at any time Common Stock, including, without limitation, any debt, preferred stock, right, option, warrant or other instrument that is at any time convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for, or otherwise entitles the holder thereof to receive, Common Stock.

“Company Counsel” means Burns & Levinson LLP, with offices located at 125 High Street, Boston, MA 02110.

“Evaluation Date” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 3.1(s).

“Exchange Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.

“FCPA” means the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended.

“FDA” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 3.1(dd).

“FDCA” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 3.1(dd).

“GAAP” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 3.1(h).

“Intellectual Property Rights” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 3.1(p).

“Liens” means a lien, charge, pledge, security interest, encumbrance, right of first refusal, preemptive right or other restriction.

“Material Adverse Effect” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 3.1(b).

“Material Permits” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 3.1(n).

 “Per Share Purchase Price” equals $3.45.

“Person” means an individual or corporation, partnership, trust, incorporated or unincorporated association, joint venture, limited liability company, joint stock company, government (or an agency or subdivision thereof) or other entity of any kind.

“Pharmaceutical Product” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 3.1(dd).

“Proceeding” means an action, claim, suit, investigation or proceeding (including, without limitation, an informal investigation or partial proceeding, such as a deposition), whether commenced or threatened.

“Purchaser Party” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 4.7.

“Required Approvals” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 3.1(e).

“Rule 144” means Rule 144 promulgated by the Commission pursuant to the Securities Act, as such Rule may be amended or interpreted from time to time, or any similar rule or regulation hereafter adopted by the Commission having substantially the same purpose and effect as such Rule.

“Rule 424” means Rule 424 promulgated by the Commission pursuant to the Securities Act, as such Rule may be amended or interpreted from time to time, or any similar rule or regulation hereafter adopted by the Commission having substantially the same purpose and effect as such Rule.

“SEC Reports” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 3.1(h).

“Securities” means the Shares, the Warrants, and the Warrant Shares.

“Securities Act” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in the recitals.

“Shares” means the shares of Common Stock issued or issuable to Purchaser pursuant to this Agreement.

“Short Sales” means all “short sales” as defined in Rule 200 of Regulation SHO under the Exchange Act (but shall not be deemed to include the location and/or reservation of borrowable shares of Common Stock). 

“Subscription Amount” means the aggregate amount to be paid for Shares and Warrants, purchased hereunder as specified below Purchaser’s name on the signature page of this Agreement and next to the heading “Subscription Amount,” in United States dollars and in immediately available funds.

“Subsidiary” means any subsidiary of the Company as set forth in the SEC Reports, and shall, where applicable, also include any direct or indirect subsidiary of the Company formed or acquired after the date hereof.

“Trading Day” means a day on which the principal Trading Market is open for trading.

“Trading Market” means any of the following markets or exchanges on which the Common Stock is listed or quoted for trading on the date in question: the NYSE MKT, the Nasdaq Capital Market, the Nasdaq Global Market, the Nasdaq Global Select Market, the New York Stock Exchange, OTCQB or OTCQX (or any successors to any of the foregoing).

“Transaction Documents” means this Agreement, the Warrants and any other documents or agreements executed in connection with the transactions contemplated hereunder.

“Transfer Agent” means Computershare, the current transfer agent of the Company, and any successor transfer agent of the Company.

“Warrants” means the warrant delivered to the Purchaser at the Closing in accordance with Section 2.2(a) hereof, in the form of Exhibit A attached hereto.

“Warrant Shares” means the shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrants.

ARTICLE II.
PURCHASE AND SALE

2.1           Closing. On the Closing Date, upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth herein, the Company agrees to sell, and the Purchaser agrees to purchase, $250,000 of Shares and Warrants in accordance with Section 2.2(a). The Company shall deliver to Purchaser its Shares and a Warrant as determined pursuant to Section 2.2(a), and the Company and Purchaser shall deliver the other items set forth in Section 2.2 deliverable at the Closing.

2.2           Deliveries.

(a)          On or prior to the Closing Date, the Company agrees to deliver or cause to be delivered to Purchaser the following (which may be waived, in whole or in part, but only in writing signed by Purchaser):

(i)          this Agreement duly executed by the Company;

(ii)       Shares registered in the name of Purchaser equal to Purchaser’s Subscription Amount divided by the Per Share Purchase Price (and the result rounded down to the nearest whole share number), registered in the name of Purchaser;  

(iii)     a Warrant registered in the name of Purchaser to purchase up to a number of shares of Common Stock equal to 50% of the aggregate amount of Purchaser’s Shares acquired hereunder, with an exercise price equal to $3.45, subject to adjustment therein; and

(iv)       the Company shall have provided Purchaser with the Company’s wire instructions.

(b)          On or prior to the Closing Date, Purchaser shall deliver or cause to be delivered to the Company, as applicable, the following (which may be waived, in whole or in part, but only in writing signed by the Company):

(i)          this Agreement duly executed by Purchaser; and

(ii)          Purchaser’s Subscription Amount, which shall be delivered to the Company on or prior to the Closing Date.

ARTICLE III.
REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES

3.1           Representations and Warranties of the Company. Company hereby represents and warrants as of the date hereof and as of the Closing Date to Purchaser as follows (unless as of a specific date therein, in which case they shall be accurate as of such date):

(a)            Subsidiaries. The Company has no subsidiaries except for its international subsidiaries disclosed in the SEC Reports, which are not individually or in the aggregate material to the business or operations of the Company.

(b)           Organization and Qualification. The Company and each of the Subsidiaries is an entity duly incorporated or otherwise organized, validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation or organization, with the requisite power and authority to own and use its properties and assets and to carry on its business as currently conducted. Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary is in violation nor default of any of the provisions of its respective certificate or articles of incorporation, bylaws or other organizational or charter documents. Each of the Company and the Subsidiaries is duly qualified to conduct business and is in good standing as a foreign corporation or other entity in each jurisdiction in which the nature of the business conducted or property owned by it makes such qualification necessary, except where the failure to be so qualified or in good standing, as the case may be, could not have or reasonably be expected to result in: (i) a material adverse effect on the legality, validity or enforceability of any Transaction Document, (ii) a material adverse effect on the results of operations, assets, business, prospects or condition (financial or otherwise) of the Company and the Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, or (iii) a material adverse effect on the Company’s ability to perform in any material respect on a timely basis its obligations under any Transaction Document (any of (i), (ii) or (iii), a “Material Adverse Effect”) and no Proceeding has been instituted in any such jurisdiction revoking, limiting or curtailing or seeking to revoke, limit or curtail such power and authority or qualification.

(c)           Authorization; Enforcement. The Company has the requisite corporate power and authority to enter into and to consummate the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and each of the other Transaction Documents and otherwise to carry out its obligations hereunder and thereunder. The execution and delivery of this Agreement and each of the other Transaction Documents by the Company and the consummation by it of the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby have been duly authorized by all necessary action on the part of the Company and no further action is required by the Company, the Board of Directors or the Company’s stockholders in connection herewith or therewith other than in connection with the Required Approvals. This Agreement and each other Transaction Document to which it is a party has been (or upon delivery will have been) duly executed by the Company and, when delivered in accordance with the terms hereof and thereof, will constitute the valid and binding obligation of the Company enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms, except: (i) as limited by general equitable principles and applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium and other laws of general application affecting enforcement of creditors’ rights generally, (ii) as limited by laws relating to the availability of specific performance, injunctive relief or other equitable remedies and (iii) insofar as indemnification and contribution provisions may be limited by applicable law.

(d)           No Conflicts. The execution, delivery and performance by the Company of this Agreement and the other Transaction Documents to which it is a party, the issuance and sale of the Securities and the consummation by it of the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby do not and will not: (i) conflict with or violate any provision of the Company’s or any Subsidiary’s certificate or articles of incorporation, bylaws or other organizational or charter documents, or (ii) conflict with, or constitute a default (or an event that with notice or lapse of time or both would become a default) under, result in the creation of any Lien upon any of the properties or assets of the Company or any Subsidiary, or give to others any rights of termination, amendment, acceleration or cancellation (with or without notice, lapse of time or both) of, any agreement, credit facility, debt or other instrument (evidencing a Company or Subsidiary debt or otherwise) or other understanding to which the Company or any Subsidiary is a party or by which any property or asset of the Company or any Subsidiary is bound or affected, or (iii) subject to the Required Approvals, conflict with or result in a violation of any law, rule, regulation, order, judgment, injunction, decree or other restriction of any court or governmental authority to which the Company or a Subsidiary is subject (including federal and state securities laws and regulations), or by which any property or asset of the Company or a Subsidiary is bound or affected; except in the case of each of clauses (ii) and (iii), such as could not have or reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.

(e)            Filings, Consents and Approvals. The Company is not required to obtain any consent, waiver, authorization or order of, give any notice to, or make any filing or registration with, any court or other federal, state, local or other governmental authority or other Person in connection with the execution, delivery and performance by the Company of the Transaction Documents, other than: (i) the filings required pursuant to Section 4.4 of this Agreement, (ii) application(s) to the applicable Trading Market for the listing of the Shares and Warrant Shares for trading thereon in the time and manner required thereby and (iii) such filings as are required to be made under applicable state securities laws (collectively, the “Required Approvals”).

(f)            Issuance of the Securities. The Securities are duly authorized and, when issued and paid for in accordance with the applicable Transaction Documents, will be duly and validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable, free and clear of all Liens imposed by the Company. The Warrant Shares, when issued in accordance with the terms of the Transaction Documents, will be validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable, free and clear of all Liens imposed by the Company. The Company has reserved from its duly authorized capital stock a sufficient number of shares of Common Stock for issuance of the Warrant Shares.

(g)           Capitalization. The capitalization of the Company is as set forth in the SEC Reports as of the time of filing of such SEC Reports. The Company has not issued any capital stock since its most recently filed periodic report under the Exchange Act, other than issuances disclosed in the SEC reports, issuances of the Company’s equity securities to the Company’s officers, directors, employees or consultants in the ordinary course of business, pursuant to the grant of equity awards or the exercise of employee stock options under the Company’s stock option or equity incentive plans, the issuance of shares of Common Stock to employees pursuant to the Company’s employee stock purchase plans and pursuant to the conversion and/or exercise of Common Stock Equivalents outstanding as of the date of the most recently filed periodic report under the Exchange Act. No Person has any right of first refusal, preemptive right, right of participation, or any similar right to participate in the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents. Except (i) as a result of the purchase and sale of the Securities, (ii) as set forth in the SEC reports and (iii) equity securities of the Company issued to officers, directors, employees or consultants in the ordinary course of business as described above in this clause (g), there are no outstanding options, warrants, scrip rights to subscribe to, calls or commitments of any character whatsoever relating to, or securities, rights or obligations convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for, or giving any Person any right to subscribe for or acquire, any shares of Common Stock or the capital stock of the Company or any Subsidiary, or contracts, commitments, understandings or arrangements by which the Company or any Subsidiary is or may become bound to issue additional shares of Common Stock or Common Stock Equivalents or capital stock of the Company or any Subsidiary. The issuance and sale of the Securities will not obligate the Company or any Subsidiary to issue shares of Common Stock or other securities to any Person (other than the Purchaser) and will not result in a right of any holder of Company securities to adjust the exercise, conversion, exchange or reset price under any of such securities. The Company does not have any stock appreciation rights or “phantom stock” plans or agreements or any similar plan or agreement. All of the outstanding shares of capital stock of the Company are duly authorized, validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable, have been issued in compliance with all federal and state securities laws, and none of such outstanding shares was issued in violation of any preemptive rights or similar rights to subscribe for or purchase securities. No further approval or authorization of any stockholder, the Board of Directors or others is required for the issuance and sale of the Securities. There are no stockholders’ agreements, voting agreements or other similar agreements with respect to the Company’s capital stock to which the Company is a party or, to the knowledge of the Company, between or among any of the Company’s stockholders.

(h)           SEC Reports; Financial Statements. The Company has filed all reports, schedules, forms, statements and other documents required to be filed by the Company under Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act for the two years preceding the date hereof (or such shorter period as the Company was required by law or regulation to file such material) (the foregoing materials, including the exhibits thereto and documents incorporated by reference therein, being collectively referred to herein as the “SEC Reports”) on a timely basis, except with respect to the Company’s Form 8-K filed August 31, 2020, or has received a valid extension of such time of filing and has filed any such SEC Reports prior to the expiration of any such extension. As of their respective dates, the SEC Reports complied in all material respects with the requirements of the Exchange Act, and none of the SEC Reports, when filed, contained any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. The Company has never been an issuer subject to Rule 144(i) under the Securities Act. The financial statements of the Company included in the SEC Reports comply in all material respects with applicable accounting requirements and the rules and regulations of the Commission with respect thereto as in effect at the time of filing. Such financial statements have been prepared in accordance with United States generally accepted accounting principles applied on a consistent basis during the periods involved (“GAAP”), except as may be otherwise specified in such financial statements or the notes thereto and except that unaudited financial statements may not contain all footnotes required by GAAP, and fairly present in all material respects the financial position of the Company and its consolidated Subsidiaries as of and for the dates thereof and the results of operations and cash flows for the periods then ended, subject, in the case of unaudited statements, to normal, immaterial, year-end audit adjustments.

(i)             Material Changes; Undisclosed Events, Liabilities or Developments. Since the date of the latest financial statements included within the SEC Reports: (i) and except as disclosed in the SEC Reports, there has been no event, occurrence or development that has had or that could reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect, (ii) and except as disclosed in the SEC Reports, the Company has not incurred any liabilities (contingent or otherwise) other than (A) trade payables and accrued expenses incurred in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice and (B) liabilities not required to be reflected in the Company’s financial statements pursuant to GAAP or disclosed in filings made with the Commission, (iii) the Company has not altered its method of accounting, (iv) the Company has not declared or made any dividend or distribution of cash or other property to its stockholders or purchased, redeemed or made any agreements to purchase or redeem any shares of its capital stock and (v) the Company has not issued any equity securities to any officer, director or Affiliate, except pursuant to existing Company stock option, equity incentive or stock purchase plans. The Company does not have pending before the Commission any request for confidential treatment of information.

(j)             Litigation. Except as disclosed in the SEC Reports, there is no action, suit, inquiry, notice of violation, proceeding or investigation pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened against or affecting the Company, any Subsidiary or any of their respective properties before or by any court, arbitrator, governmental or administrative agency or regulatory authority (federal, state, county, local or foreign) (collectively, an “Action”) which (i) adversely affects or challenges the legality, validity or enforceability of any of the Transaction Documents or the Securities or (ii) could, if there were an unfavorable decision, have or reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect. Except as disclosed in the SEC Reports, neither the Company nor any Subsidiary, nor any director or officer thereof, is or has been the subject of any Action involving a claim of violation of or liability under federal or state securities laws or a claim of breach of fiduciary duty. There has not been, and to the knowledge of the Company, there is not pending or contemplated, any investigation by the Commission involving the Company or any current or former director or officer of the Company. The Commission has not issued any stop order or other order suspending the effectiveness of any registration statement filed by the Company or any Subsidiary under the Exchange Act or the Securities Act.

(k)           Labor Relations. No labor dispute exists or, to the knowledge of the Company, is imminent with respect to any of the employees of the Company, which could reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect. None of the Company’s or its Subsidiaries’ employees is a member of a union that relates to such employee’s relationship with the Company or such Subsidiary, and neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries is a party to a collective bargaining agreement, and the Company and its Subsidiaries believe that their relationships with their employees are good. To the knowledge of the Company, no executive officer of the Company or any Subsidiary, is, or is now expected to be, in violation of any material term of any employment contract, confidentiality, disclosure or proprietary information agreement or non-competition agreement, or any other contract or agreement or any restrictive covenant in favor of any third party, and the continued employment of each such executive officer does not subject the Company or any of its Subsidiaries to any liability with respect to any of the foregoing matters. The Company and its Subsidiaries are in compliance with all U.S. federal, state, local and foreign laws and regulations relating to employment and employment practices, terms and conditions of employment and wages and hours, except where the failure to be in compliance could not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

(l)            Compliance. Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary: (i) is in default under or in violation of (and no event has occurred that has not been waived that, with notice or lapse of time or both, would result in a default by the Company or any Subsidiary under), nor has the Company or any Subsidiary received notice of a claim that it is in default under or that it is in violation of, any indenture, loan or credit agreement or any other agreement or instrument to which it is a party or by which it or any of its properties is bound (whether or not such default or violation has been waived), (ii) is in violation of any judgment, decree or order of any court, arbitrator or other governmental authority or (iii) is or has been in violation of any statute, rule, ordinance or regulation of any governmental authority, including without limitation all foreign, federal, state and local laws relating to taxes, environmental protection, occupational health and safety, product quality and safety and employment and labor matters, except in the case of clause (iii) as could not have or reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.

(m)          Environmental Laws. The Company and its Subsidiaries (i) are in compliance with all federal, state, local and foreign laws relating to pollution or protection of human health or the environment (including ambient air, surface water, groundwater, land surface or subsurface strata), including laws relating to emissions, discharges, releases or threatened releases of chemicals, pollutants, contaminants, or toxic or hazardous substances or wastes (collectively, “Hazardous Materials”) into the environment, or otherwise relating to the manufacture, processing, distribution, use, treatment, storage, disposal, transport or handling of Hazardous Materials, as well as all authorizations, codes, decrees, demands, or demand letters, injunctions, judgments, licenses, notices or notice letters, orders, permits, plans or regulations, issued, entered, promulgated or approved thereunder (“Environmental Laws”); (ii) have received all permits licenses or other approvals required of them under applicable Environmental Laws to conduct their respective businesses; and (iii) are in compliance with all terms and conditions of any such permit, license or approval where in each clause (i), (ii) and (iii), the failure to so comply could be reasonably expected to have, individually or in the aggregate, a Material Adverse Effect.

(n)           Regulatory Permits. The Company and the Subsidiaries possess all certificates, authorizations and permits issued by the appropriate federal, state, local or foreign regulatory authorities necessary to conduct their respective businesses as described in the SEC Reports (“Permits”) except where the failure to possess such permits could not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect, and neither the Company nor any Subsidiary has received any notice of proceedings relating to the revocation or modification of any Permit.

(o)           Title to Assets. The Company and the Subsidiaries have good and marketable title in fee simple to all real property owned by them and good and marketable title in all personal property owned by them in each case free and clear of all Liens, except for (i) Liens as do not materially affect the value of such property and do not materially interfere with the use made and proposed to be made of such property by the Company and the Subsidiaries and (ii) Liens for the payment of federal, state or other taxes, for which appropriate reserves have been made therefor in accordance with GAAP and, the payment of which is neither delinquent nor subject to penalties. Any real property and facilities held under lease by the Company and the Subsidiaries are held by them under valid, subsisting and enforceable leases with which the Company and the Subsidiaries are in compliance.

(p)           Intellectual Property. The Company and the Subsidiaries have, or have rights to use, all patents, patent applications, trademarks, trademark applications, service marks, trade names, trade secrets, inventions, copyrights, licenses and other intellectual property rights and similar rights necessary or required for use in connection with their respective businesses as described in the SEC Reports (collectively, the “Intellectual Property Rights”). None of, and neither the Company nor any Subsidiary has received a notice (written or otherwise) that any of, the Intellectual Property Rights has expired, terminated or been abandoned, or is expected to expire or terminate or be abandoned, within two (2) years from the date of this Agreement. Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary has received, since the date of the latest audited financial statements included within the SEC Reports, a written notice of a claim or otherwise has any knowledge that the Intellectual Property Rights violate or infringe upon the rights of any Person. To the knowledge of the Company, all such Intellectual Property Rights are enforceable and there is no existing infringement by another Person of any of the Intellectual Property Rights. The Company and its Subsidiaries have taken reasonable security measures to protect the secrecy, confidentiality and value of all of their intellectual properties.

(q)           Insurance. The Company and the Subsidiaries are insured by insurers of recognized financial responsibility against such losses and risks and in such amounts as are prudent and customary in the businesses in which the Company and the Subsidiaries are engaged, including, but not limited to, directors and officers insurance coverage. Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary has any reason to believe that it will not be able to renew its existing insurance coverage as and when such coverage expires or to obtain similar coverage from similar insurers as may be necessary to continue its business without a significant increase in cost.

(r)            Transactions With Affiliates and Employees. Except as set forth in the SEC Reports, none of the officers or directors of the Company or any Subsidiary and, to the knowledge of the Company, none of the employees of the Company or any Subsidiary is presently a party to any transaction with the Company or any Subsidiary (other than for services as employees, officers and directors), including any contract, agreement or other arrangement providing for the furnishing of services to or by, providing for rental of real or personal property to or from, providing for the borrowing of money from or lending of money to or otherwise requiring payments to or from any officer, director or such employee or, to the knowledge of the Company, any entity in which any officer, director, or any such employee has a substantial interest or is an officer, director, trustee, stockholder, member or partner, in each case in excess of $120,000 other than for: (i) payment of salary or consulting fees for services rendered, (ii) reimbursement for expenses incurred on behalf of the Company and (iii) other employee benefits, including stock option agreements under any stock option plan of the Company.

(s)           Sarbanes-Oxley; Internal Accounting Controls. The Company and the Subsidiaries are in compliance with any and all applicable requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 that are effective as of the date hereof, and any and all applicable rules and regulations promulgated by the Commission thereunder that are effective as of the date hereof and as of the Closing Date. The Company and the Subsidiaries maintain a system of internal accounting controls sufficient to provide reasonable assurance that: (i) transactions are executed in accordance with management’s general or specific authorizations, (ii) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP and to maintain asset accountability, (iii) access to assets is permitted only in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization, and (iv) the recorded accountability for assets is compared with the existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences. The Company and the Subsidiaries have established disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) for the Company and the Subsidiaries and designed such disclosure controls and procedures to ensure that information required to be disclosed by the Company in the reports it files or submits under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported, within the time periods specified in the Commission’s rules and forms. The Company’s certifying officers have evaluated the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures of the Company and the Subsidiaries as of the end of the period covered by the most recently filed periodic report under the Exchange Act (such date, the “Evaluation Date”). The Company presented in its most recently filed periodic report under the Exchange Act the conclusions of the certifying officers about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures based on their evaluations as of the Evaluation Date. Since the Evaluation Date, there have been no changes in the internal control over financial reporting (as such term is defined in the Exchange Act) of the Company and its Subsidiaries that have materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the internal control over financial reporting of the Company and its Subsidiaries.

(t)            Certain Fees. No brokerage or finder’s fees or commissions are or will be payable by the Company or any Subsidiary to any broker, financial advisor or consultant, finder, placement agent, investment banker, bank or other Person with respect to the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents. The Purchaser shall have no obligation with respect to any fees or with respect to any claims made by or on behalf of other Persons for fees of a type contemplated in this Section that may be due in connection with the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents.

(u)           Investment Company. The Company is not, and is not an Affiliate of, and immediately after receipt of payment for the Securities, will not be or be an Affiliate of, an “investment company” within the meaning of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended. The Company shall conduct its business in a manner so that it will not become an “investment company” subject to registration under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.

(v)           Registration Rights. Except for the Registration Rights Agreement between the Company and Aspire Capital Fund, LLC, dated as of December 15, 2015, filed as an exhibit to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K on December 15, 2015, no Person has any right to cause the Company or any Subsidiary to effect the registration under the Securities Act of any securities of the Company or any Subsidiary.

(w)           Listing and Maintenance Requirements. The Common Stock is registered pursuant to Section 12(b) or 12(g) of the Exchange Act, and the Company has taken no action designed to, or which to its knowledge is likely to have the effect of, terminating the registration of the Common Stock under the Exchange Act nor has the Company received any notification that the Commission is contemplating terminating such registration. Except as disclosed in the SEC Reports, the Company has not, in the 12 months preceding the date hereof, received notice from any Trading Market on which the Common Stock is or has been listed or quoted to the effect that the Company is not in compliance with the listing or maintenance requirements of such Trading Market. The Common Stock is currently eligible for electronic transfer through the Depository Trust Company or another established clearing corporation and the Company is current in payment of the fees to the Depository Trust Company (or such other established clearing corporation) in connection with such electronic transfer.

(x)            Application of Takeover Protections. The Company and the Board of Directors have taken all necessary action, if any, in order to render inapplicable any control share acquisition, business combination, poison pill (including any distribution under a rights agreement) or other similar anti-takeover provision under the Company’s certificate of incorporation (or similar charter documents) or the laws of its state of incorporation that is or could become applicable to the Purchaser as a result of the Purchaser and the Company fulfilling their obligations or exercising their rights under the Transaction Documents, including without limitation as a result of the Company’s issuance of the Securities and the Purchaser’s ownership of the Securities.

(y)         Tax Status. Except for matters that would not, individually or in the aggregate, have or reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect, the Company and its Subsidiaries each (i) has made or filed all United States federal, state and local income and all foreign income and franchise tax returns, reports and declarations required by any jurisdiction to which it is subject, (ii) has paid all taxes and other governmental assessments and charges that are material in amount, shown or determined to be due on such returns, reports and declarations and (iii) has set aside on its books provision reasonably adequate for the payment of all material taxes for periods subsequent to the periods to which such returns, reports or declarations apply. There are no unpaid taxes in any material amount claimed to be due by the taxing authority of any jurisdiction, and the officers of the Company or of any Subsidiary know of no basis for any such claim.

(z)         Foreign Corrupt Practices. Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary, nor to the knowledge of the Company or any Subsidiary, any agent or other person acting on behalf of the Company or any Subsidiary, has: (i) directly or indirectly, used any funds for unlawful contributions, gifts, entertainment or other unlawful expenses related to foreign or domestic political activity, (ii) made any unlawful payment to foreign or domestic government officials or employees or to any foreign or domestic political parties or campaigns from corporate funds, (iii) failed to disclose fully any contribution made by the Company or any Subsidiary (or made by any person acting on its behalf of which the Company is aware) which is in violation of law or (iv) violated in any material respect any provision of FCPA.

(aa)        [Reserved].

(bb)   Acknowledgement Regarding Purchaser’s Purchase of Securities. The Company acknowledges and agrees that the Purchaser is acting solely in the capacity of an arm’s length purchaser with respect to the Transaction Documents and the transactions contemplated thereby. The Company further acknowledges that Purchaser is not acting as a financial advisor or fiduciary of the Company (or in any similar capacity) with respect to the Transaction Documents and the transactions contemplated thereby and any advice given by Purchaser or any of its respective representatives or agents in connection with the Transaction Documents and the transactions contemplated thereby is merely incidental to the Purchaser’s purchase of the Securities. The Company further represents to Purchaser that the Company’s decision to enter into this Agreement and the other Transaction Documents has been based solely on the independent evaluation of the transactions contemplated hereby by the Company.

(cc)         Regulation M Compliance.  The Company has not, and to its knowledge no one acting on its behalf has, (i) taken, directly or indirectly, any action designed to cause or to result in the stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of any of the Securities, (ii) sold, bid for, purchased, or, paid any compensation for soliciting purchases of, any of the Securities, or (iii) paid or agreed to pay to any Person any compensation for soliciting another to purchase any other securities of the Company.

(dd)         FDA. As to each product subject to the jurisdiction of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, as amended, and the regulations thereunder (“FDCA”) that is manufactured, packaged, labeled, tested, distributed, sold, and/or marketed by or on behalf of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries (each such product, a “Pharmaceutical Product”), such Pharmaceutical Product is being manufactured, packaged, labeled, tested, distributed, sold and/or marketed by the Company or on behalf of in compliance in all material respects with all applicable requirements under FDCA and similar laws, rules and regulations relating to registration, investigational use, premarket clearance, licensure, or application approval, good manufacturing practices, good laboratory practices, good clinical practices, product listing, quotas, labeling, advertising, record keeping and filing of reports. There is no pending, completed or, to the Company's knowledge, threatened, action (including any lawsuit, arbitration, or legal or administrative or regulatory proceeding, charge, complaint, or investigation) against the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, and none of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries has received any notice, warning letter or other communication from the FDA or any other governmental entity, which (i) contests the premarket clearance, licensure, registration, or approval of, the uses of, the distribution of, the manufacturing or packaging of, the testing of, the sale of, or the labeling and promotion of any Pharmaceutical Product, (ii) withdraws its approval of, requests the recall, suspension, or seizure of, or withdraws or orders the withdrawal of advertising or sales promotional materials relating to, any Pharmaceutical Product, (iii) imposes a clinical hold on any clinical investigation by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, (iv) enjoins production at any facility of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, (v) enters or proposes to enter into a consent decree of permanent injunction with the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, or (vi) otherwise alleges any violation of any laws, rules or regulations by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries. The properties, business and operations of the Company have been and are being conducted in all material respects in accordance with all applicable laws, rules and regulations of the FDA.  The Company has not been informed by the FDA that the FDA will prohibit the marketing, sale, license or use in the United States of any product proposed to be developed, produced or marketed by the Company nor has the FDA expressed any concern as to approving or clearing for marketing any product being developed or proposed to be developed by the Company.

(ee)           Office of Foreign Assets Control. Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary nor, to the Company's knowledge, any director, officer, agent, employee or affiliate of the Company or any Subsidiary is currently subject to any U.S. sanctions administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Treasury Department (“OFAC”).

(ff)            U.S. Real Property Holding Corporation. The Company is not and has never been a U.S. real property holding corporation within the meaning of Section 897 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and the Company shall so certify upon Purchaser’s request.

(gg)          Bank Holding Company Act. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries or Affiliates is subject to the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, as amended (the “BHCA”) and to regulation by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (the “Federal Reserve”). Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries or Affiliates owns or controls, directly or indirectly, five percent (5%) or more of the outstanding shares of any class of voting securities or twenty-five percent or more of the total equity of a bank or any entity that is subject to the BHCA and to regulation by the Federal Reserve. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries or Affiliates exercises a controlling influence over the management or policies of a bank or any entity that is subject to the BHCA and to regulation by the Federal Reserve.

(hh)           Money Laundering. The operations of the Company and its Subsidiaries are and have been conducted at all times in compliance with applicable financial record-keeping and reporting requirements of the Currency and Foreign Transactions Reporting Act of 1970, as amended, applicable money laundering statutes and applicable rules and regulations thereunder (collectively, the “Money Laundering Laws”), and no Action or Proceeding by or before any court or governmental agency, authority or body or any arbitrator involving the Company or any Subsidiary with respect to the Money Laundering Laws is pending or, to the knowledge of the Company or any Subsidiary, threatened.

(ii)         Private Placement. Assuming the accuracy of the Purchaser’s representations and warranties set forth in Section 3.2, no registration under the Securities Act is required for the offer and sale of the Securities by the Company to the Purchaser as contemplated hereby.

(jj)         No General Solicitation. Neither the Company nor any person acting on behalf of the Company has offered or sold any of the Securities by any form of general solicitation or general advertising. The Company has offered the Shares, the Warrants and the Warrant Shares for sale only to the Purchaser.

(kk)         No Disqualification Events.  With respect to the Securities to be offered and sold hereunder in reliance on Rule 506 under the Securities Act, none of the Company, any of its predecessors, any affiliated issuer, any director, executive officer, other officer of the Company participating in the offering hereunder, any beneficial owner of 20% or more of the Company’s outstanding voting equity securities, calculated on the basis of voting power, nor any promoter (as that term is defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act) connected with the Company in any capacity at the time of sale (each, an "Issuer Covered Person" and, together, "Issuer Covered Persons") is subject to any of the "Bad Actor" disqualifications described in Rule 506(d)(1)(i) to (viii) under the Securities Act (a "Disqualification Event"), except for a Disqualification Event covered by Rule 506(d)(2) or (d)(3). The Company has exercised reasonable care to determine whether any Issuer Covered Person is subject to a Disqualification Event. The Company has complied, to the extent applicable, with its disclosure obligations under Rule 506(e).

(ll) The foregoing representations and warranties set forth in this Section 3.1 shall be deemed renewed by the Company at the Closing as if made at such time.

3.2           Representations and Warranties of the Purchaser. Purchaser hereby represents and warrants as of the date hereof and as of the Closing Date to the Company as follows (unless as of a specific date therein, in which case they shall be accurate as of such date):

(a)          Organization; Authority. Purchaser is an individual or an entity duly incorporated or formed, validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation or formation with full right, corporate, partnership, limited liability company or similar power and authority to enter into and to consummate the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and each of the other Transaction Documents and otherwise to carry out its obligations hereunder and thereunder. The execution and delivery of the Transaction Documents and performance by Purchaser of the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate, partnership, limited liability company or similar action, as applicable, on the part of Purchaser. Each Transaction Document to which it is a party has been duly executed by Purchaser, and when delivered by Purchaser in accordance with the terms hereof, will constitute the valid and legally binding obligation of Purchaser, enforceable against it in accordance with its terms, except: (i) as limited by general equitable principles and applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium and other laws of general application affecting enforcement of creditors’ rights generally, (ii) as limited by laws relating to the availability of specific performance, injunctive relief or other equitable remedies and (iii) insofar as indemnification and contribution provisions may be limited by applicable law.

(b)          Understandings or Arrangements. Purchaser is acquiring the Securities as principal for his, her or its own account and has no direct or indirect arrangement or understandings with any other persons to distribute or regarding the distribution of such Securities (this representation and warranty not limiting Purchaser’s right to sell the Securities in compliance with applicable federal and state securities laws). Purchaser is acquiring the Securities hereunder in the ordinary course of its business.  Purchaser understands that the Shares, the Warrants and the Warrant Shares are “restricted securities” and have not been registered under the Securities Act or any applicable state securities law and is acquiring such Securities as principal for its own account and not with a view to or for distributing or reselling such Securities or any part thereof in violation of the Securities Act or any applicable state securities law, has no present intention of distributing any of such Securities in violation of the Securities Act or any applicable state securities law and has no direct or indirect arrangement or understandings with any other persons to distribute or regarding the distribution of such Securities in violation of the Securities Act or any applicable state securities law (this representation and warranty not limiting Purchaser’s right to sell such Securities pursuant to a registration statement or otherwise in compliance with applicable federal and state securities laws).

(c)          Purchaser Status. At the time Purchaser was offered the Securities, it was, and as of the date hereof it is, and on each date on which it exercises any Warrants, it will be an “accredited investor” as defined in Rule 501(a)(1), (a)(2), (a)(3), (a)(7) or (a)(8) under the Securities Act.

(d)          Experience of Purchaser. Purchaser, either alone or together with its representatives, has such knowledge, sophistication and experience in business and financial matters so as to be capable of evaluating the merits and risks of the prospective investment in the Securities, and has so evaluated the merits and risks of such investment. Purchaser is able to bear the economic risk of an investment in the Securities and, at the present time, is able to afford a complete loss of such investment.

(e)          Access to Information. Purchaser acknowledges that it has had the opportunity to review the Transaction Documents (including all exhibits and schedules thereto) and the SEC Reports and has been afforded (i) the opportunity to ask such questions as it has deemed necessary of, and to receive answers from, representatives of the Company concerning the terms and conditions of the offering of the Securities and the merits and risks of investing in the Securities; (ii) access to information about the Company and its financial condition, results of operations, business, properties, management and prospects sufficient to enable it to evaluate its investment; and (iii) the opportunity to obtain such additional information that the Company possesses or can acquire without unreasonable effort or expense that is necessary to make an informed investment decision with respect to the investment.

(f)          Certain Transactions and Confidentiality. Other than consummating the transactions contemplated hereunder, Purchaser has not, nor has any Person acting on behalf of or pursuant to any understanding with Purchaser, directly or indirectly executed any purchases or sales, including Short Sales, of the securities of the Company during the period commencing as of the time that Purchaser first received a term sheet (written or oral) from the Company or any other Person representing the Company setting forth the material pricing terms of the transactions contemplated hereunder and ending immediately prior to the execution hereof. Other than to other Persons party to this Agreement or to Purchaser’s representatives, including, without limitation, its officers, directors, partners, legal and other advisors, employees, agents and Affiliates, Purchaser has maintained the confidentiality of all disclosures made to it in connection with this transaction (including the existence and terms of this transaction). Notwithstanding the foregoing, for avoidance of doubt, nothing contained herein shall constitute a representation or warranty, or preclude any actions, with respect to the identification of the availability of, or securing of, available shares to borrow in order to effect Short Sales or similar transactions in the future.

The Company acknowledges and agrees that the representations contained in this Section 3.2 shall not modify, amend or affect Purchaser’s right to rely on the Company’s representations and warranties contained in this Agreement or any representations and warranties contained in any other Transaction Document or any other document or instrument executed and/or delivered in connection with this Agreement or the consummation of the transaction contemplated hereby.

ARTICLE IV.
OTHER AGREEMENTS OF THE PARTIES

4.1           Removal of Legends.

(a)          The Securities may only be disposed of in compliance with state and federal securities laws. In connection with any transfer of Securities other than pursuant to an effective registration statement or Rule 144, to the Company or to an Affiliate of Purchaser or in connection with a pledge as contemplated in Section 4.1(b), the Company may require the transferor thereof to provide to the Company an opinion of counsel selected by the transferor and reasonably acceptable to the Company, the form and substance of which opinion shall be reasonably satisfactory to the Company, to the effect that such transfer does not require registration of such transferred Securities under the Securities Act.

(b)           The Purchaser agrees to the imprinting, so long as is required by this Section 4.1, of a legend on any of the Securities in the following form:

NEITHER THIS SECURITY NOR THE SECURITIES INTO WHICH THIS SECURITY IS EXERCISABLE HAS BEEN REGISTERED WITH THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION OR THE SECURITIES COMMISSION OF ANY STATE IN RELIANCE UPON AN EXEMPTION FROM REGISTRATION UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED (THE “SECURITIES ACT”), AND, ACCORDINGLY, MAY NOT BE OFFERED OR SOLD EXCEPT PURSUANT TO AN EFFECTIVE REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OR PURSUANT TO AN AVAILABLE EXEMPTION FROM, OR IN A TRANSACTION NOT SUBJECT TO, THE REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE SECURITIES ACT AND IN ACCORDANCE WITH APPLICABLE STATE SECURITIES LAWS. THIS SECURITY AND THE SECURITIES ISSUABLE UPON EXERCISE OF THIS SECURITY MAY BE PLEDGED IN CONNECTION WITH A BONA FIDE MARGIN ACCOUNT WITH A REGISTERED BROKER-DEALER OR OTHER LOAN WITH A FINANCIAL INSTITUTION THAT IS AN “ACCREDITED INVESTOR” AS DEFINED IN RULE 501(a) UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OR OTHER LOAN SECURED BY SUCH SECURITIES.

The Company acknowledges and agrees that Purchaser may from time to time pledge pursuant to a bona fide margin agreement with a registered broker-dealer or grant a security interest in some or all of the Securities to a financial institution that is an “accredited investor” as defined in Rule 501(a) under the Securities Act and who agrees to be bound by the provisions of this Agreement and, if required under the terms of such arrangement, Purchaser may transfer pledged or secured Securities to the pledgees or secured parties. Such a pledge or transfer would not be subject to approval of the Company and no legal opinion of legal counsel of the pledgee, secured party or pledgor shall be required in connection therewith. Further, no notice shall be required of such pledge. At the appropriate Purchaser’s expense, the Company will execute and deliver such reasonable documentation as a pledgee or secured party of Securities may reasonably request in connection with a pledge or transfer of the Securities.

(c)          Certificates evidencing the Shares or the Warrant Shares shall not contain any legend (including the legend set forth in Section 4.1(b) hereof): (i) while a registration statement covering the resale of such security is effective under the Securities Act, or (ii) following any sale of such Securities pursuant to Rule 144, or (iii) if such Securities are eligible for sale under Rule 144, without the requirement for the Company to be in compliance with the current public information required under Rule 144 as to such Securities and without volume or manner-of-sale restrictions, or (iv) if such legend is not required under applicable requirements of the Securities Act (including judicial interpretations and pronouncements issued by the staff of the Commission) (the “Effective Date”). The Company shall cause its counsel to issue a legal opinion to the Transfer Agent promptly after the Effective Date if required by the Transfer Agent to effect the removal of the legend hereunder to the extent the circumstances described above are applicable and customary representation letters and certificates to support such opinion are provided. If all or any portion of such Securities is exercised at a time when there is an effective registration statement to cover the resale of such Securities, or if such Securities may be sold under Rule 144 and the Company is then in compliance with the current public information required under Rule 144, or if such Securities may be sold under Rule 144 without the requirement for the Company to be in compliance with the current public information required under Rule 144 as to such Securities and without volume or manner-of-sale restrictions or if such legend is not otherwise required under applicable requirements of the Securities Act (including judicial interpretations and pronouncements issued by the staff of the Commission) then such Securities shall be issued free of all legends. The Company agrees that following the Effective Date or at such time as such legend is no longer required under this Section 4.1(c), it will, no later than three Trading Days following the delivery by Purchaser to the Company or the Transfer Agent of a certificate representing such Securities, as applicable, issued with a restrictive legend (such third Trading Day, the “Legend Removal Date”), deliver or cause to be delivered to Purchaser a certificate representing such shares that is free from all restrictive and other legends. The Company may not make any notation on its records or give instructions to the Transfer Agent that enlarge the restrictions on transfer set forth in this Section 4.

4.2           Furnishing of Information. Until Purchaser does not own Securities, the Company covenants to timely file (or obtain extensions in respect thereof and file within the applicable grace period) all reports required to be filed by the Company after the date hereof pursuant to the Exchange Act.

4.3           Integration. The Company shall not sell, offer for sale or solicit offers to buy or otherwise negotiate in respect of any security (as defined in Section 2 of the Securities Act) that would be integrated with the offer or sale of the Securities for purposes of the rules and regulations of any Trading Market such that it would require shareholder approval prior to the closing of such other transaction unless shareholder approval is obtained before the closing of such subsequent transaction.

4.4           Securities Laws Disclosure; Publicity. To the extent required by applicable laws or regulations, Company shall by 9:00 a.m. (New York City time) within four (4) Trading Days immediately following the date hereof, file a Current Report on Form 8-K, including the Transaction Documents as exhibits thereto, with the Commission within the time required by the Exchange Act. Effective upon the issuance of such press release, the Company acknowledges and agrees that any and all confidentiality or similar obligations under any agreement, whether written or oral, between the Company, any of its Subsidiaries or any of their respective officers, directors, agents, employees or Affiliates on the one hand, and the Purchaser or any of its Affiliates on the other hand, shall terminate. The Company and Purchaser shall consult with each other in issuing any other press releases with respect to the transactions contemplated hereby, and neither the Company nor Purchaser shall issue any such press release nor otherwise make any such public statement without the prior consent of the Company, with respect to any press release of Purchaser, or without the prior consent of Purchaser, with respect to any press release of the Company, which consent shall not unreasonably be withheld or delayed, except if such disclosure is required by law, in which case the disclosing party shall promptly provide the other party with prior notice of such public statement or communication.

4.5           Shareholder Rights Plan. No claim will be made or enforced by the Company or, with the consent of the Company, any other Person, that Purchaser is an “Acquiring Person” under any control share acquisition, business combination, poison pill (including any distribution under a rights agreement) or similar anti-takeover plan or arrangement in effect or hereafter adopted by the Company, or that Purchaser could be deemed to trigger the provisions of any such plan or arrangement, by virtue of receiving Securities under the Transaction Documents or under any other agreement between the Company and the Purchaser or other acquisition of securities of the Company including purchases on the open market.

 4.6            Exercise Procedures. The terms and provisions expressly described in each Warrant, including the form of Notice of Exercise included in the Warrants, set forth the totality of the procedures required of the Purchaser in order to exercise the Warrants. Without limiting the preceding sentences, no ink-original Notice of Exercise shall be required, nor shall any medallion guarantee (or other type of guarantee or notarization) of any Notice of Exercise form be required in order to exercise the Warrants. No additional legal opinion, other information or instructions shall be required of the Purchaser to exercise its Warrants. The Company shall honor exercises of the Warrants, properly submitted in accordance with the respective terms thereof, and in each such case shall deliver Warrant Shares in accordance with the terms, conditions and time periods set forth in the Transaction Documents.

4.7        Indemnification of Purchaser. Subject to the provisions of this Section 4.7, the Company will indemnify and hold Purchaser and its directors, officers, shareholders, members, managers, partners, employees and agents (and any other Persons with a functionally equivalent role of a Person holding such titles notwithstanding a lack of such title or any other title), each Person who controls Purchaser (within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act and Section 20 of the Exchange Act), and the directors, officers, shareholders, agents, members, managers, partners or employees (and any other Persons with a functionally equivalent role of a Person holding such titles notwithstanding a lack of such title or any other title) of such controlling persons (each, a “Purchaser Party”) harmless from any and all losses, liabilities, obligations, claims, contingencies, damages, costs and expenses, including all judgments, amounts paid in settlements, court costs and reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs of investigation that any such Purchaser Party may suffer or incur as a result of or relating to (a) any breach of any of the representations, warranties, covenants or agreements made by the Company in this Agreement or in the other Transaction Documents or (b) any action instituted against the Purchaser Parties in any capacity, or any of them or their respective Affiliates, by any stockholder of the Company who is not an Affiliate of such Purchaser Party, with respect to any of the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents (unless such action is based upon a breach of such Purchaser Party’s representations, warranties or covenants under the Transaction Documents or any agreements or understandings such Purchaser Party may have with any such stockholder or any violations by such Purchaser Party of state or federal securities laws or any conduct by such Purchaser Party which constitutes fraud, gross negligence, willful misconduct or malfeasance). If any action shall be brought against any Purchaser Party in respect of which indemnity may be sought pursuant to this Agreement, such Purchaser Party shall promptly notify the Company in writing (provided that the failure to provide such notice shall only affect the Company’s obligations under this Section 4.7 if and only to the extent that the Company is prejudiced by the failure to provide such notice) , and the Company shall have the right to assume the defense thereof with counsel of its own choosing reasonably acceptable to the Purchaser Party. Any Purchaser Party shall have the right to employ separate counsel in any such action and participate in the defense thereof, but the fees and expenses of such counsel shall be at the expense of such Purchaser Party except to the extent that (i) the employment thereof has been specifically authorized by the Company in writing, (ii) the Company has failed after a reasonable period of time to assume such defense and to employ counsel or (iii) in such action there is, in the reasonable opinion of counsel, a material conflict on any material issue between the position of the Company and the position of such Purchaser Party, in which case the Company shall be responsible for the reasonable fees and expenses of no more than one such separate counsel (plus any reasonably necessary local counsel). The Company will not be liable to any Purchaser Party under this Agreement (y) for any settlement by Purchaser Party effected without the Company’s prior written consent, which shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed; or (z) to the extent, but only to the extent that a loss, claim, damage or liability is attributable to any Purchaser Party’s breach of any of the representations, warranties, covenants or agreements made by such Purchaser Party in this Agreement or in the other Transaction Documents. The indemnification required by this Section 4.7 shall be made by periodic payments of the amount thereof during the course of the investigation or defense, as and when bills are received or are incurred. The indemnity agreements contained herein shall be in addition to any cause of action or similar right of any Purchaser Party against the Company or others and any liabilities the Company may be subject to pursuant to law.

4.8           Reservation of Common Stock. As of the Closing Date the Company will have reserved, and the Company shall continue to reserve and keep available at all times, free of preemptive rights, a sufficient number of shares of Common Stock for the purpose of enabling the Company to issue Shares pursuant to this Agreement and Warrant Shares pursuant to any exercise of the Warrants.  

4.9         Listing of Common Stock. The Company hereby agrees to use best efforts to maintain the quotation of the Common Stock on the Trading Market on which it is currently listed. The Company further agrees, if the Company applies to have the Common Stock traded on any other Trading Market, it will then include in such application all of the Shares and Warrant Shares, and will take such other action as is necessary to cause all of the Shares and Warrant Shares to be listed or quoted on such other Trading Market as promptly as possible.

4.10         Certain Transactions and Confidentiality. Purchaser covenants that until such time as the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, and any other material non-public information that may be in the Purchaser’s possession, are publicly disclosed by the Company, including pursuant to the initial press release as described in Section 4.4, Purchaser will maintain the confidentiality of the existence and terms of this transaction and the information included in the disclosure schedules attached hereto, and such other information, if any.  Notwithstanding the foregoing and notwithstanding anything contained in this Agreement to the contrary, the Purchaser expressly acknowledges and agrees that Purchaser will not engage in effecting transactions in any securities of the Company unless such transactions are in compliance with all applicable laws, including without limitation, federal and state securities laws and regulations.

4.11         Form D; Blue Sky Filings. The Company agrees to timely file a Form D with respect to the Securities as required under Regulation D and to provide a copy thereof, promptly upon request of Purchaser. The Company shall take such action as the Company shall reasonably determine is necessary in order to obtain an exemption for, or to qualify the Securities for, sale to the Purchaser at the Closing under applicable securities or “Blue Sky” laws of the states of the United States, and shall provide evidence of such actions promptly upon request of Purchaser.

4.12         Reverse Stock Split. The Purchaser acknowledges that the Company may seek to have its Common Stock listed on a national Trading Market (such as the Nasdaq Capital Market), and in connection with satisfying the applicable listing requirements, it may seek stockholder approval to effect a reverse stock split and thereafter effectuate such reverse stock split.

ARTICLE V.
MISCELLANEOUS

5.1           Fees and Expenses. Except as expressly set forth in the Transaction Documents, each party shall pay the fees and expenses of its advisers, counsel, accountants and other experts, if any, and all other expenses incurred by such party incident to the negotiation, preparation, execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement. The Company shall pay all Transfer Agent fees (including, without limitation, any fees required for same-day processing of any instruction letter delivered by the Company and any exercise notice delivered by Purchaser), stamp taxes and other taxes and duties levied in connection with the delivery of any Securities to the Purchaser.

5.2           Entire Agreement. The Transaction Documents, together with the exhibits and schedules thereto, contain the entire understanding of the parties with respect to the subject matter hereof and thereof and supersede all prior agreements and understandings, oral or written, with respect to such matters, which the parties acknowledge have been merged into such documents, exhibits and schedules.

5.3           Notices. Any and all notices or other communications or deliveries required or permitted to be provided hereunder shall be in writing and shall be deemed given and effective on the earliest of: (a) the date of transmission, if such notice or communication is delivered via facsimile or email attachment at the facsimile number or email address as set forth on the signature pages attached hereto at or prior to 5:30 p.m. (New York City time) on a Trading Day, (b) the next Trading Day after the date of transmission, if such notice or communication is delivered via facsimile or email attachment at the facsimile number or email address as set forth on the signature pages attached hereto on a day that is not a Trading Day or later than 5:30 p.m. (New York City time) on any Trading Day, (c) the second (2^nd) Trading Day following the date of mailing, if sent by U.S. nationally recognized overnight courier service or (d) upon actual receipt by the party to whom such notice is required to be given. The address for such notices and communications shall be as set forth on the signature pages attached hereto. To the extent that any notice provided pursuant to any Transaction Document constitutes, or contains, material, non-public information regarding the Company or any Subsidiaries, the Company shall simultaneously file such notice with the Commission pursuant to a Current Report on Form 8-K.

5.4           Amendments; Waivers. No provision of this Agreement may be waived, modified, supplemented or amended except in a written instrument signed, in the case of an amendment, by the Company and Purchaser or, in the case of a waiver, by the party against whom enforcement of any such waived provision is sought. No waiver of any default with respect to any provision, condition or requirement of this Agreement shall be deemed to be a continuing waiver in the future or a waiver of any subsequent default or a waiver of any other provision, condition or requirement hereof, nor shall any delay or omission of any party to exercise any right hereunder in any manner impair the exercise of any such right.

5.5           Headings. The headings herein are for convenience only, do not constitute a part of this Agreement and shall not be deemed to limit or affect any of the provisions hereof.

5.6           Successors and Assigns. This Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the parties and their successors and permitted assigns. The Company may not assign this Agreement or any rights or obligations hereunder without the prior written consent of Purchaser (other than by merger). Purchaser may assign any or all of its rights under this Agreement to any Person to whom Purchaser assigns or transfers any Securities, provided that such transferee agrees in writing to be bound, with respect to the transferred Securities, by the provisions of the Transaction Documents that apply to the “Purchaser.”

5.7           No Third-Party Beneficiaries. This Agreement is intended for the benefit of the parties hereto and their respective successors and permitted assigns and is not for the benefit of, nor may any provision hereof be enforced by, any other Person, except as otherwise set forth in Section 4.7.

5.8           Governing Law. All questions concerning the construction, validity, enforcement and interpretation of the Transaction Documents shall be governed by and construed and enforced in accordance with the internal laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, without regard to the principles of conflicts of law thereof. Each party agrees that all legal Proceedings concerning the interpretations, enforcement and defense of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and any other Transaction Documents (whether brought against a party hereto or its respective affiliates, directors, officers, shareholders, partners, members, employees or agents) shall be commenced exclusively in the state and federal courts sitting in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Each party hereby irrevocably submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of the state and federal courts sitting in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for the adjudication of any dispute hereunder or in connection herewith or with any transaction contemplated hereby or discussed herein (including with respect to the enforcement of any of the Transaction Documents), and hereby irrevocably waives, and agrees not to assert in any Action or Proceeding, any claim that it is not personally subject to the jurisdiction of any such court, that such Action or Proceeding is improper or is an inconvenient venue for such Proceeding. Each party hereby irrevocably waives personal service of process and consents to process being served in any such Action or Proceeding by mailing a copy thereof via registered or certified mail or overnight delivery (with evidence of delivery) to such party at the address in effect for notices to it under this Agreement and agrees that such service shall constitute good and sufficient service of process and notice thereof. Nothing contained herein shall be deemed to limit in any way any right to serve process in any other manner permitted by law. If any party shall commence an Action or Proceeding to enforce any provisions of the Transaction Documents, then, in addition to the obligations of the Company under Section 4.7, the prevailing party in such Action or Proceeding shall be reimbursed by the non-prevailing party for its reasonable attorneys’ fees and other costs and expenses incurred with the investigation, preparation and prosecution of such Action or Proceeding.

5.9           Survival. The representations and warranties contained herein shall survive the Closing and the delivery of the Securities.

5.10         Execution. This Agreement may be executed in two or more counterparts, all of which when taken together shall be considered one and the same agreement and shall become effective when counterparts have been signed by each party and delivered to each other party, it being understood that the parties need not sign the same counterpart. In the event that any signature is delivered by facsimile transmission or by e-mail delivery of a “.pdf” format data file, such signature shall create a valid and binding obligation of the party executing (or on whose behalf such signature is executed) with the same force and effect as if such facsimile or “.pdf” signature page were an original thereof.

5.11         Severability. If any term, provision, covenant or restriction of this Agreement is held by a court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, illegal, void or unenforceable, the remainder of the terms, provisions, covenants and restrictions set forth herein shall remain in full force and effect and shall in no way be affected, impaired or invalidated, and the parties hereto shall use their commercially reasonable efforts to find and employ an alternative means to achieve the same or substantially the same result as that contemplated by such term, provision, covenant or restriction. It is hereby stipulated and declared to be the intention of the parties that they would have executed the remaining terms, provisions, covenants and restrictions without including any of such that may be hereafter declared invalid, illegal, void or unenforceable.

 5.12       Rescission and Withdrawal Right. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in (and without limiting any similar provisions of) any of the other Transaction Documents, whenever Purchaser exercises a Warrant and the Company does not timely perform its related obligations in connection with such exercise within the periods therein provided, then Purchaser may rescind or withdraw, in its sole discretion from time to time upon written notice to the Company, any such relevant exercise notice, demand or election in whole or in part without prejudice to its future actions and rights; provided, however, that in the case of a rescission of an exercise of a Warrant, the Purchaser shall be required to return any shares of Common Stock subject to any such rescinded exercise notice concurrently with the return to Purchaser of the aggregate exercise price paid to the Company for such shares (in the case of a Warrant) and the restoration of Purchaser’s right to acquire such shares pursuant to Purchaser’s Warrant (including, issuance of a replacement warrant certificate evidencing such restored right).

5.13         Replacement of Securities. If any certificate or instrument evidencing any Securities is mutilated, lost, stolen or destroyed, the Company shall issue or cause to be issued in exchange and substitution for and upon cancellation thereof (in the case of mutilation), or in lieu of and substitution therefor, a new certificate or instrument, but only upon receipt of evidence reasonably satisfactory to the Company of such loss, theft or destruction. The applicant for a new certificate or instrument under such circumstances shall also provide a customary indemnity associated with the issuance of such replacement Securities which indemnity by the applicant the Company agrees shall be sufficient.

5.14         Remedies. In addition to being entitled to exercise all rights provided herein or granted by law, including recovery of damages, the Purchaser and the Company will be entitled to specific performance under the Transaction Documents. The parties agree that monetary damages may not be adequate compensation for any loss incurred by reason of any breach of obligations contained in the Transaction Documents and hereby agree to waive and not to assert in any Action for specific performance of any such obligation the defense that a remedy at law would be adequate and agree that it shall not be necessary to post a bond or other security.

5.15         Payment Set Aside. To the extent that the Company makes a payment or payments to Purchaser pursuant to any Transaction Document or Purchaser enforces or exercises its rights thereunder, and such payment or payments or the proceeds of such enforcement or exercise or any part thereof are subsequently invalidated, declared to be fraudulent or preferential, set aside, recovered from, disgorged by or are required to be refunded, repaid or otherwise restored to the Company, a trustee, receiver or any other Person under any law (including, without limitation, any bankruptcy law, state or federal law, common law or equitable cause of action), then to the extent of any such restoration the obligation or part thereof originally intended to be satisfied shall be revived and continued in full force and effect as if such payment had not been made or such enforcement or setoff had not occurred.

5.16         Saturdays, Sundays, Holidays, etc.  If the last or appointed day for the taking of any action or the expiration of any right required or granted herein shall not be a Business Day, then such action may be taken or such right may be exercised on the next succeeding Business Day.

5.17         Construction. The parties agree that each of them and/or their respective counsel have reviewed and had an opportunity to revise the Transaction Documents and, therefore, the normal rule of construction to the effect that any ambiguities are to be resolved against the drafting party shall not be employed in the interpretation of the Transaction Documents or any amendments thereto. In addition, each and every reference to share prices and shares of Common Stock in any Transaction Document shall be subject to adjustment for reverse and forward stock splits, stock dividends, stock combinations and other similar transactions of the Common Stock that occur after the date of this Agreement.

(Signature Pages Follow)

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Securities Purchase Agreement to be duly executed by their respective authorized signatories as of the date first indicated above.

[REMAINDER OF PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK

SIGNATURE PAGE FOR PURCHASER FOLLOWS]

[PURCHASER SIGNATURE PAGE TO BIOSTAGE SECURITIES PURCHASE AGREEMENT]

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned have caused this Securities Purchase Agreement to be duly executed by its respective authorized signatories as of the date first indicated above.

Exhibit 10.2

EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT

This EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT (“Agreement”) is made as of the 26th day of November, 2021, to be effective as of the Commencement Date (as defined below), between Biostage, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), and David Green (“Executive”). For purposes of this Agreement the “Company” shall refer to the Company and any of its predecessors.

WHEREAS, the Company desires to employ Executive and Executive desires to be employed by the Company on the terms contained herein.

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual covenants and agreements herein contained and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which is hereby acknowledged, the parties agree as follows:

1. Employment. The term of this Agreement shall extend from November 26, 2021 (the “Commencement Date”) until terminated by the Company or the Executive in accordance herewith. The term of this Agreement shall be subject to termination as provided in Paragraph 6 and may be referred to herein as the “Period of Employment.”

2. Position and Duties. During the Period of Employment, Executive shall serve as the Interim Chief Executive Officer of the Company and shall have such powers and duties as may from time to time be prescribed by the Board of Directors (the “Board”) of the Company, provided that such duties are consistent with Executive’s position or other positions that he may hold from time to time.  Executive shall devote his full working time and efforts to the business and affairs of the Company. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Executive may: (a) serve on other boards of directors, with the approval of the Board; (b) manage Executive’s personal investments on Executive’s own personal time, including, without limitation the right to make passive investments in the securities of (i) any entity which Executive does not control, directly or indirectly, and which does not compete with Company, or (ii) any publicly held entity, so long as Executive’s aggregate direct and indirect interest does not exceed two percent (2%) of the issued and outstanding securities of any class of securities of such publicly held entity; and (c) Executive’s participation in civic and charitable activities, including as a member of a board of a civic or charitable organization, as long as in each case such management, ownership, or service does not materially interfere with Executive’s performance of his duties to the Company as provided in this Agreement or otherwise breach any obligations of Executive to the Company.

3. Compensation and Related Matters.

(a) Base Salary. Executive’s initial annual base salary shall be $2,964 per month, which annualizes to Thirty Five Thousand Five Hundred Sixty Eight Dollars ($35,568). Executive’s base salary shall be reviewed annually by the Board or a Committee thereof; provided, however that the annual base salary shall not be lower than $35,568 without the Executive’s consent. Such base salary in effect at any given time is referred to herein as “Base Salary.” The Base Salary shall be payable in substantially equal installments on a bi-weekly or more frequent basis, subject to tax and other applicable withholdings.

(b) Options. Subject to the terms and conditions of the Company’s Amended and Restated Equity Incentive Plan (the “Plan”), and the Executive’s timely execution of a stock option agreement evidencing the option grant, the Company will grant the Executive as of the Commencement Date (i) an option to purchase 106,884 shares of Common Stock (the “Time Based Grant”) and (ii) an option to purchase up to 267,210 shares of Common Stock (the “Milestone Grant”). With respect to the Time Based Grant, the option shall vest monthly in twelve (12) equal monthly installments on each monthly anniversary of the Commencement Date. With respect to the Milestone Grant, the option shall vest in three (3) increments, two for 30% of the shares each and the third for the remaining 40% of the shares, each such vesting subject to certain performance milestones to be determined by the Board of Directors. The options that comprise the Time Based Grant and the Milestone Grant shall be non-qualified stock options, and such grants shall each be subject to the Plan and this Agreement.

(c) Expenses. Executive shall be entitled to receive prompt reimbursement for all reasonable expenses incurred by him in performing services hereunder during the Period of Employment, in accordance with the policies and procedures then in effect and established by the Company for its senior executive officers. All reimbursements provided under this Agreement shall be made or provided in accordance with the requirements of Section 409A (“Section 409A”) of the Code and the rules and regulations thereunder, including, where applicable, the requirement that (i) any reimbursement is for expenses incurred during Executive’s lifetime (or during a shorter period of time specified in this Agreement); (ii) the amount of expenses eligible for reimbursement during a calendar year may not affect the expenses eligible for reimbursement in any other calendar year; (iii) the reimbursement of an eligible expense shall be made no later than the last day of the calendar year following the year in which the expense is incurred; and (iv) the right to reimbursement or in kind benefits is not subject to liquidation or exchange for another benefit.

(d) Other Benefits. Executive shall be eligible to participate in such other incentive compensation plans as the Board or a Committee thereof shall determine from time to time for key management or highly compensated employees of the Company under Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the Executive may decline coverage under any Employee Benefit Plan of the Company to which he might otherwise be entitled, except as otherwise required by law.

(e) Vacations. Executive shall be entitled to twenty (20) paid vacation days in each calendar year, which shall be accrued ratably during the calendar year.  Unless otherwise expressly permitted by the Company, any unused vacation days at the end of the calendar year shall be forfeited. Executive shall also be entitled to all paid holidays provided by the Company to its executives. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, Executive shall be paid any accrued and unused vacation upon his separation of employment with the Company, if and as protected by applicable law.

(f)  Directors and Officers Insurance and Indemnification. The Company shall also carry reasonable and customary D&O liability insurance coverage for the benefit of its officers and directors, including Executive, during the entire term of this Agreement and for a customary tail period following the termination of Executive’s employment or service as a member of the Board. Executive shall be entitled to be indemnified by the Company to the fullest extent permitted by the applicable state law and consistent with Company’s Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, and Amended and Restated By-laws, each as amended.

4. Unauthorized Disclosure.

(a) Confidential Information. Executive acknowledges that in the course of his employment with the Company (and, if applicable, its predecessors), he has been allowed to become, and will continue to be allowed to become, acquainted with the Company’s business affairs, information, trade secrets, and other matters which are of a proprietary or confidential nature, including but not limited to the Company’s and its affiliates’ and predecessors’ operations, business opportunities, price and cost information, finance, customer information, business plans, various sales techniques, manuals, letters, notebooks, procedures, reports, products, processes, services, and other confidential information and knowledge concerning the Company’s and its affiliates’ and predecessors’ business (collectively the “Confidential Information”). The Company agrees to provide on an ongoing basis such Confidential Information as the Company deems necessary or desirable to aid Executive in the performance of his duties. Executive understands and acknowledges that such Confidential Information is confidential, and he agrees not to disclose such Confidential Information to anyone outside the Company except to the extent that (i) Executive deems such disclosure or use reasonably necessary or appropriate in connection with performing his duties on behalf of the Company; (ii) Executive is required by order of a court of competent jurisdiction (by subpoena or similar process) to disclose or discuss any Confidential Information, provided that in such case, Executive shall inform the Company of such event within 24 hours of receiving notice of the court order, shall cooperate with the Company in attempting to obtain a protective order or to otherwise restrict such disclosure, and shall only disclose Confidential Information to the minimum extent necessary to comply with any such court order; (iii) such Confidential Information becomes generally known to and available for use in any industry in which the Company does business (including without limitation the regenerative medicine industry, the “Industry”), other than as a result of any action or inaction by Executive; or (iv) such information has been rightfully received by a member of the Industry or has been published in a form generally available to the Industry prior to the date Executive proposes to disclose or use such information. Executive further agrees that he will not during his employment with the Company and/or at any time thereafter use such Confidential Information in competing, directly or indirectly, with the Company. At such time as Executive shall cease to be employed by the Company, he will immediately turn over to the Company all Confidential Information, including papers, documents, writings, electronically stored information, other property, and all copies of them provided to or created by him during the course of his employment with the Company.

(b) Heirs, successors, and legal representatives. The foregoing provisions of this Paragraph 4 shall be binding upon Executive’s heirs, successors, and legal representatives. The provisions of this Paragraph 4 shall survive the termination of this Agreement for any reason.

(c)  Defend Trade Secrets Act Whistleblower Immunity. Executive acknowledges and understand that Executive shall not be held criminally or civilly liable under any Federal or State trade secret law for the disclosure of a trade secret that (A) is made (i) in confidence to a Federal, State, or local government official, either directly or indirectly, or to an attorney; and (ii) solely for the purpose of reporting or investigating a suspected violation of law; or (B) is made in a complaint or other document filed in a lawsuit or other proceeding, if such filing is made under seal. Also, if Executive files a lawsuit for retaliation by an employer for reporting a suspected violation of law, Executive may disclose the trade secret to Executive’s attorney and use the trade secret information in the court proceeding, provided that Executive files any document containing the trade secret under seal and do not disclose the trade secret, except pursuant to court order.

5. Covenant Not to Compete or Solicit or Hire. In consideration for Executive’s employment by the Company under the terms provided in this Agreement and as a means to aid in the performance and enforcement of the terms of the provisions of Paragraph 4, Executive agrees that

(a) during the term of Executive’s employment with the Company and for a period of twelve (12) months thereafter (the “Non-Competition Period”), Executive will not, directly or indirectly, as an owner, director, principal, agent, officer, employee, partner, consultant, servant, or otherwise, carry on, operate, manage, control, or become involved in any manner with any business, operation, corporation, partnership, association, agency, or other person or entity which is engaged in a business that produces or develops products that compete or may compete directly with any of the Company’s products which are produced or being developed by the Company or any affiliate of the Company during the last two (2) years of your employment by the Company or which the Company or any affiliate of the Company has active plans to produce or develop as of the date of Executive’s termination of employment with the Company during the last two (2) years of your employment by the Company, in any area or territory in which Executive performed services on behalf of the Company or had a material presence or influence in the two years immediately preceding the termination of your employment with the Company or in which the Company or any affiliate of the Company conducts or has active plans to conduct operations as of the date of the Executive’s termination of employment with the Company; provided, however, that the foregoing shall not prohibit Executive from owning up to one percent (1%) of the outstanding stock of a publicly held company engaged in the Industry. This Section 5(a) shall not apply to you in the event Executive’s employment is terminated by the Company without Cause. In consideration of your agreement not to compete during the Non-Competition Period, the Company shall pay you an amount equal to fifty percent (50%) of your highest annualized base salary in the two years immediately preceding the commencement of the Non-Competition Period, to be paid in accordance with the Company’s normal payroll practices. For the purposes of this subsection 5(a), “highest annualized base salary” shall mean the highest averaged amount of compensation paid to Executive for any twelve month period during the two year period immediately preceding commencement of the Non-Competition Period, but shall not include any other form of compensation, including but not limited to, commissions, bonuses, reimbursement of expenses, travel discounts or other fringe benefits; and

(b) during the term of Executive’s employment with the Company and for a period of twelve (12) months thereafter, regardless of the reason for termination of employment, Executive will not directly or indirectly solicit or induce any employee of the Company or any affiliate of the Company to accept employment with Executive or with any business, operation, corporation, partnership, association, agency, or other person or entity with which Executive may be associated, and Executive will not hire or employ or cause any business, operation, corporation, partnership, association, agency, or other person or entity with which Executive may be associated to hire or employ any employee of the Company.

Should Executive violate any of the provisions of this Paragraph, then in addition to all other rights and remedies available to the Company at law or in equity, the duration of this covenant shall automatically be extended for the period of time from which Executive began such violation until he permanently ceases such violation. Executive acknowledges and agrees that the terms and conditions of this Paragraph 5 are reasonable with respect to its duration, geographic area and scope.

Executive acknowledges that full compliance with the terms of this Agreement is necessary to protect the significant value of the Confidential Information and the customer and business goodwill of the Company. Executive acknowledges that if he breaches this Agreement, the Company will be irreparably harmed and money damages will not be an adequate remedy. As a result, Executive agrees that, in the event Executive breaches or threatens to breach any of the terms or provisions of this Agreement, the Company shall be entitled to a preliminary or permanent injunction, without posting a bond or other security, in order to prevent the continuation of such harm. Executive acknowledges that nothing in this Agreement will prohibit the Company from also pursuing any other remedy and all remedies are cumulative. Executive agrees that the one-year restrictive period under Sections 5(a) and (b) shall be respectively tolled for the same period in the event that Executive engages in the prohibited conduct prior to the Company’s discovery of such violation. If Executive breaches his fiduciary duty to the Company or unlawfully takes, physically, or electronically, property belonging to the Company, the one year restrictive period set forth in Sections 5(a) and (b) shall be extended to twenty-four (24) months.

6.  Termination. 

(a)       At any time during the Period of Employment, the Company or the Executive may terminate Executive’s employment hereunder.  Any termination of Executive’s employment by the Company or any such termination by Executive shall be communicated by written notice of termination (“Notice of Termination”) to the other party hereto and shall be effective on the Date of Termination, which shall mean the date on which Notice of Termination is given or such later date as the Company or Executive delivering the Notice of Termination may specify in the Notice of Termination.

(b)       Separation from Service. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, to the extent necessary to comply with Section 409A of the Code, no event shall constitute a “termination of employment” in this Agreement, unless such event is also a “separation from service,” as that term is defined for purposes of Section 409A and Treasury Regulation §1.409A-3(a)(1). For the avoidance of any doubt, in the event of termination of Executive’s employment for any reason other than death or disability, Executive shall remain a director of the Company following such termination and shall continue to provide service to the Company in connection with such role.

(c)       Resignation. Upon termination of the Executive’s employment hereunder for any reason, the Executive shall be deemed to have resigned from all positions that the Executive holds as an officer of the Company or any of its subsidiaries and a director of any of such subsidiaries (but for the avoidance of any doubt, not as a director of the Company), and the Executive will execute any resignation that may be requested by the Company supplement this Agreement as evidence of such resignation. For the avoidance of any doubt, in the event of termination of Executive’s employment for any reason other than death or disability, Executive shall remain a director of the Company following such termination.

7. Compensation Upon Termination. If Executive’s employment terminates for any reason, Company shall pay the Executive, within sixty (60) days of the Date of Termination or as required by applicable law, Executive’s (a) accrued and unpaid Base Salary to the Date of Termination, (b) accrued and unused vacation, and (c) the amount of any expenses properly incurred by Executive on behalf of Company prior to any such termination and has not yet been reimbursed (collectively, the “Accrued Obligations”). 

8. Notice. For purposes of this Agreement, notices and all other communications provided for in the Agreement shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been duly given when delivered or mailed by United States certified mail, return receipt requested, postage prepaid, addressed as follows:

if to the Executive:

At his home address as shown

in the Company’s personnel records;

if to the Company:

Biostage, Inc.

84 October Hill Road, Suite 11

Holliston, Massachusetts 01746

Attention: Board of Directors of Biostage, Inc.

with a copy to:

Josef B. Volman

Burns & Levinson LLP

125 High Street

Boston, MA 02110

or to such other address as either party may have furnished to the other in writing in accordance herewith, except that notices of change of address shall be effective only upon receipt.

9. Successor to Company. The Company shall require any successor (whether direct or indirect, by purchase, merger, consolidation or otherwise) to all or substantially all of the business or assets of the Company expressly to assume and agree to perform this Agreement to the same extent that the Company would be required to perform it if no succession had taken place. Failure of the Company to obtain an assumption of this Agreement at or prior to the effectiveness of any succession shall be a breach of this Agreement.

10. Miscellaneous. No provisions of this Agreement may be modified, waived, or discharged unless such waiver, modification, or discharge is agreed to in writing and signed by Executive and such officer of the Company as may be specifically designated by the Board. No waiver by either party hereto of, or compliance with, any condition or provision of this Agreement to be performed by such other party shall be deemed a waiver of similar or dissimilar provisions or conditions at the same or at any prior or subsequent time. No agreements or representations, oral or otherwise, express or implied, unless specifically referred to herein, with respect to the subject matter hereof have been made by either party which are not set forth expressly in this Agreement. The validity, interpretation, construction, and performance of this Agreement shall be governed by the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (without regard to principles of conflicts of laws).

11. Validity. The invalidity or unenforceability of any provision or provisions of this Agreement shall not affect the validity or enforceability of any other provision of this Agreement, which shall remain in full force and effect. The invalid portion of this Agreement, if any, shall be modified by any court having jurisdiction to the extent necessary to render such portion enforceable.

12. Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in several counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original but all of which together will constitute one and the same instrument.

13. Arbitration; Other Disputes. In the event of any dispute or controversy arising under or in connection with this Agreement, the parties shall first promptly try in good faith to settle such dispute or controversy by mediation under the applicable rules of the American Arbitration Association before resorting to arbitration. In the event such dispute or controversy remains unresolved in whole or in part for a period of thirty (30) days after it arises, the parties will settle any remaining dispute or controversy exclusively by final, binding, and confidential arbitration in Boston, Massachusetts, in accordance with the rules of the American Arbitration Association then in effect. Judgment may be entered on the arbitrator’s award in any court having jurisdiction. Notwithstanding the above, the Company shall be entitled to seek a restraining order or injunction or other equitable relief without the need to post a bond or provide other security in the Superior Court or business litigation session located in Suffolk County or at the option of the Company, in the county where the Executive resides to prevent any continuation of any violation of Paragraph 4, 5, 21, 22 or 23 any court of competent jurisdiction to prevent any continuation of any violation of Paragraph 4 or 5 hereof. 

14. Third-Party Agreements and Rights. Executive represents to the Company that Executive’s execution of this Agreement, Executive’s employment with the Company and the performance of Executive’s proposed duties for the Company will not violate any obligations Executive may have to any employer or other party, and Executive will not bring to the premises of the Company any copies or other tangible embodiments of confidential information belonging to or obtained from any such previous employment or other party.

15. Litigation and Regulatory Cooperation. During and after Executive’s employment, Executive shall reasonably cooperate with the Company in the defense or prosecution of any claims or actions now in existence or which may be brought in the future against or on behalf of the Company which relate to events or occurrences that transpired while Executive was employed by the Company so long as such cooperation shall not materially and adversely affect Executive or expose Executive to civil or criminal litigation. Executive’s cooperation in connection with such claims or actions shall include, but not be limited to, being reasonably available to meet with counsel to prepare for discovery or trial and to act as a witness on behalf of the Company at mutually convenient times. During and after Executive’s employment, Executive also shall cooperate fully with the Company in connection with any investigation or review of any federal, state or local regulatory authority as any such investigation or review relates to events or occurrences that transpired while Executive was employed by the Company. The Company shall also provide Executive with compensation on an hourly basis at a rate equivalent to the hourly rate of the Company’s existing Chief Executive Officer at the time of such cooperation calculated using a forty (40) hour week over fifty-two (52) weeks for requested litigation and regulatory cooperation that occurs after his termination of employment, and reimburse Executive for all reasonable costs and expenses incurred in connection with his performance under this Paragraph 15, including, but not limited to, reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs.

16. Section 409A of the Code.

(a) Anything in this Agreement to the contrary notwithstanding, if at the time of the Executive’s separation from service within the meaning of Section 409A of the Code, the Company determines that the Executive is a “specified employee” within the meaning of Section 409A(a)(2)(B)(i) of the Code, then to the extent any payment or benefit that the Executive becomes entitled to under this Agreement on account of the Executive’s separation from service would be considered deferred compensation subject to the 20 percent additional tax imposed pursuant to Section 409A(a) of the Code as a result of the application of Section 409A(a)(2)(B)(i) of the Code, such payment shall not be payable and such benefit shall not be provided until the date that is the earlier of (A) six months and one day after the Executive’s separation from service, or (B) the Executive’s death. Each payment of severance pay or other compensation under this Agreement is a separate payment for purposes of section 409A of the Code. To the extent necessary to comply with Section 409A, if the period for considering and executing the Release under this Agreement spans or could span two calendar years, then the severance or payment will not be made or commence until the later calendar year.

(b) The parties intend that any deferred compensation payable under this Agreement will be administered in accordance with Section 409A of the Code. To the extent that any provision of this Agreement is ambiguous as to its compliance with Section 409A of the Code, the provision shall be read in such a manner so that all payments hereunder comply with Section 409A of the Code. The parties agree that this Agreement may be amended, as reasonably requested by either party, and as may be necessary to fully comply with Section 409A of the Code and all related rules and regulations in order to preserve the payments and benefits provided hereunder without additional cost to either party.

(c) The Company makes no representation or warranty and shall have no liability to the Executive or any other person if any provisions of this Agreement are determined to constitute deferred compensation subject to Section 409A of the Code but do not satisfy an exemption from, or the conditions of, such Section. The parties agree to reasonably cooperate and work together to adopt amendments to this Agreement to the extent necessary to comply with Section 409A of the Code with the intent to place Executive in the same or a substantially equivalent economic position.

(d) Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, if Section 409A of the Code is applicable to any deferred compensation hereunder, no event shall constitute a “termination of employment” in this Agreement, unless such event is also a “separation from service,” as that term is defined for purposes of Section 409A of the Code, and Treasury Regulation §1.409A-3(a)(1) and §1.409A-1(h).

17. Recoupment. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, Executive may be required to forfeit or repay any or all compensation received by Executive under this Agreement pursuant to the terms of any compensation recovery, recoupment or claw-back policy that may be adopted by or applicable to Company executives with respect to or under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.

18. Survival. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, the provisions of Sections 4, 5, 7, 8, 20, 21, 22 and 23 of this Agreement, and any other Sections of this Agreement that must survive the termination of employment or expiration of the Agreement in order to effectuate the intent of the parties, shall survive termination of Executive’s employment or expiration of the Agreement.

19. Review. Executive understands that he has the right to consult with counsel prior to signing this Agreement and has either availed himself of that right or knowingly, willfully and freely decided not to do so. Executive acknowledges that this Agreement was provided to Executive before or with the formal offer of employment.

20. Binding Nature of Agreement. This Agreement shall be binding upon the Executive and upon his heirs, administrators, representatives, executors, successors and assigns, and shall inure to the benefit of the Executive and the Company and to their heirs, administrators, representatives, executors, successors, and assigns.

21. Ownership of Inventions and Works of Authorship. Executive acknowledges that all ideas, developments, processes, discoveries, inventions, improvements, suggestions, derivations, modifications, methods, programs, concepts, works, reports, procedures, data, documentation, writings, and applications, whether they are patentable or not, which are made, devised, conceived, reduced to practice, developed or perfected by Executive alone or with any other person or persons during the term of Executive’s employment by the Company which relate to or arise out of the actual and/or anticipated business activities of the Company and which were created using any Company resources of any kind, including other employees or by virtue of having access to and/or using Confidential Information (“Inventions”) will be the sole and exclusive property of the Company. Executive further acknowledges that all Inventions and original works of authorship which are made by Executive (solely or jointly with others) within the scope of and during the period of his or her employment with the Company and which are protectable by copyright are “works made for hire,” as that term is defined in the United States Copyright Act (“Works”) and are solely and exclusively owned by the Company. Executive agrees to disclose to the Company promptly and fully all Inventions and Works. For all Inventions, and to the extent that any Works are not “works made for hire,” Executive hereby assigns and agrees to assign to the Company all Executive’s right, title and interest in and to all Inventions and such Works and all associated goodwill. Executive understands and agrees that the decision whether or not to commercialize or market any Invention is within the Company’s sole discretion and for the Company’s sole benefit, and that no royalty will be due to Executive as a result of the Company’s efforts to commercialize or market any such invention. Executive agrees to cooperate with and assist the Company, or its designee, in every proper way to secure the Company’s rights in the Inventions and any copyrights, patents, mask work rights or other intellectual property rights relating thereto in any and all countries which the Company shall deem necessary in order to apply for and obtain such rights and in order to assign and convey to the Company, its successors, assigns, and nominees the sole and exclusive rights, title and interest in and to such Inventions and related goodwill, and any copyrights, patents, mask work rights or other intellectual property rights relating thereto. Executive agrees that Executive’s obligation to execute or cause to be executed, when it is in Executive’s power to do so, any such instrument or papers shall continue after the termination of this Agreement. If the Company is unable because of Executive’s mental or physical incapacity or for any other reason to secure Executive’s signature to apply for or to pursue any application for any United States or foreign patents or copyright registrations covering Inventions or original works of authorship assigned to the Company as above, then Executive hereby irrevocably designates and appoints the Company’s duly authorized officers as Executive’s agent and attorney in fact, to act for and on Executive’s behalf and stead to execute and file any such applications and to do all other lawfully permitted acts to further the prosecution and issuance of letters patent or copyright registrations thereon with the same legal force and effect as if executed by Executive. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any provision in this Agreement requiring Executive to assign or license, or to offer to assign or license, Executive’s rights in any Development to the Company does not apply to an invention or work of authorship that Executive developed entirely on Executive’s own time without using or referring to the Company’s resources, equipment, supplies, facilities, or Confidential Information, except for those inventions or works of authorship that either: (a) at the time of creation, conception or reduction to practice of the work or invention relate to the Company’s business, or to actual or demonstrably anticipated research or development of the Company, or (b) result from any work performed by Executive for the Company; in which cases such provisions do apply. Executive acknowledges that Executive bears the burden of proving that an invention or work of authorship is so exempt from the assignment provisions of this Agreement. Executive agrees to promptly disclose to the Company, in confidence, all inventions or works of authorship made solely by Executive or jointly with others at any time during the term of Executive’s employment with the Company, for a review process under which the Company may determine such issues as may arise, including the Company’s rights and Executive’s rights in such inventions or works of authorship. For the avoidance of any doubt, the Executive’s intellectual property rights pertaining to his Zero Carbon business are not Inventions or Works hereunder.

22. Third-Party Agreements and Rights. The Executive hereby confirms, that the Executive is not bound by the terms of any agreement with any previous employer or other party which restricts in any way the Executive's use or disclosure of information or the Executive's engagement in any business. The Executive represents to the Company that the Executive's execution of this Agreement, the Executive's employment with the Company and the performance of the Executive's proposed duties for the Company will not violate any obligations the Executive may have to any such previous employer or other party. In the Executive's work for the; Company, the Executive will not disclose or make use of any information in violation of any agreements with or rights of any such previous employer or other party, and the Executive will not bring to the premises of the Company any copies or other tangible embodiments of non-public information belonging to or obtained from any such previous employment or third party.

23. Return of Company Property. Upon termination of Executive’s employment with the Company or upon earlier demand by the Company, Executive agrees to immediately return all Company property, including, but not limited to, any computer equipment, mobile phones, smartphones, iPhones, iPads and similar electronic devices, office keys, credit and telephone cards, ID and access cards, and all original and duplicate copies of your work product and of files, calendars, books, records, notes, notebooks, manuals, computer disks, diskettes, external drives, thumb drives, memory cards and sticks, and any other digital, magnetic and other media materials Executive has in his or her possession or control belonging to the Company, or containing Confidential Information.

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have executed this Agreement effective on the date and year first above written.