DLA Piper advises Brookline Capital Acquisition Corp. in the closing of its business combination with Apexigen, Inc.

DLA Piper advised Brookline Capital Acquisition Corp., a special purpose acquisition company, in the closing of its business combination with Apexigen, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company. The combined, publicly traded company will operate under the name Apexigen, and its common stock commenced trading on the Nasdaq Capital Market on August 1, 2022 under the ticker symbol “APGN.”

Apexigen is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focusing on the discovery and development of innovative antibody-based therapeutics for the treatment of cancer with a focus on immuno-oncology. The company’s pipeline of immuno-oncology therapeutic candidates is led by sotigalimab, which is currently in Phase 2 clinical development, and also includes several preclinical stage immuno-oncology programs.

“On behalf of our deal team, it was an honor working with Brookline Capital Acquisition and combining our SPAC M&A capabilities with our experience in the healthcare sector to support this transaction and Apexigen’s future growth,” said Jeffrey Selman, chair of DLA Piper’s SPAC Transactional practice and the partner who led the firm’s deal team.

“We are very pleased to have worked with the exceptional team at DLA Piper, led by Jeff Selman and James Kelly. Their guidance and focus was instrumental in the timely completion of this complex transaction, and for that we are thankful,” said Samuel Wertheimer, Chairman and CEO of Brookline Capital Acquisition Corp.

“Congratulations to Brookline Capital Acquisition and Apexigen on this deal. This is a significant milestone for Apexigen as it continues to unlock innovative solutions in the oncology space, and we’re grateful to be a part of it,” said James Kelly, head of DLA Piper’s New York Private Equity practice.

In addition to Selman (San Francisco) and Kelly (New York), the DLA Piper team representing Brookline Capital Acquisition included partners Peter Ekberg (Minneapolis), Alan Seem, Carole Bellis (both in Silicon Valley) and Ilya Bubel (New York), and associates Spencer Hodson (Sacramento), Wei Li (Silicon Valley) and Peter Phillips (New York).

With more than 1,000 corporate lawyers globally, DLA Piper helps clients execute complex transactions seamlessly while supporting clients across all stages of development. The firm has been rated number one in global M&A volume for 12 consecutive years, according to Mergermarket.

The firm’s Healthcare sector consists of a multidisciplinary legal team with niche experience in health-related business and legal issues. The team regularly works with corporations and financial institutions, private investors, private equity groups, venture capital funds, institutional investors and portfolio companies in all types of healthcare transactions.