[PRE 14A] PDS Biotechnology Corp Preliminary Proxy Statement
PDS Biotechnology Corporation is soliciting proxies for its virtual Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be held on August 10, 2026. The Board asks shareholders to vote on the election of two directors, an amendment to increase authorized common shares, ratification of the independent auditor, and an advisory vote on executive compensation.
The record date for voting was June 15, 2026, when 55,815,653 shares of common stock were outstanding. The proxy materials and the 2025 Annual Report on Form 10-K are being made available beginning on or about June 26, 2026. Voting instructions and virtual meeting access details are included in the distributed materials.
Positive
- None.
Negative
- None.
Insights
Board seeks routine approvals and an increase in authorized shares; leadership structure remains split between Chairman and CEO.
The Board is asking stockholders to elect two incumbent directors and to approve an amendment to increase authorized common stock. The company maintains an independent Chairman and a three-committee structure (Audit, Compensation, Nominating).
Key governance items to watch in subsequent filings include final vote tallies and any disclosures tied to the charter amendment; timing of any equity-related actions will depend on the Board’s use of newly authorized shares.
Executive pay is heavily equity-based with suspended cash bonuses for 2025; severance protections are material for senior executives.
2025 CEO base salary was $615,322 and target bonus up to 55%; Compensation Committee exercised discretion to not pay annual cash bonuses for 2025. Equity plans (Third Restated Plan and Inducement Plan) provide significant share reserves and option grants.
Relevant items to monitor after the meeting: shareholder advisory vote on named executive officer pay and any post-meeting equity grants funded by authorized-share increases.
Key Figures
Key Terms
Record Date regulatory
Proxy Statement regulatory
Third Amended and Restated PDS Biotechnology Corporation 2014 Equity Incentive Plan financial
Audit Committee Financial Expert regulatory
Change in Control (Protection Period) regulatory
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☒ | Preliminary Proxy Statement | ||
☐ | Confidential, for Use of the Commission Only (as permitted by Rule 14a-6(e)(2)) | ||
☐ | Definitive Proxy Statement | ||
☐ | Definitive Additional Materials | ||
☐ | Soliciting Material under §240.14a-12 | ||
☒ | No fee required. | ||
☐ | Fee paid previously with preliminary materials. | ||
☐ | Fee computed on table in exhibit required by Item 25(b) per Exchange Act Rules 14a-6(i)(1) and 0-11. | ||
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1. | To elect two Class B directors of the Company, Kamil Ali-Jackson, J.D. and Ilian Iliev, Ph.D., each to hold office until the 2029 Annual Meeting of Stockholders or until their successors shall have been duly elected and qualified; |
2. | To approve an amendment to our Eighth Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, as amended, to increase the number of authorized shares of our common stock from 150,000,000 shares to 300,000,000 shares; |
3. | To ratify the selection of KPMG LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2026; |
4. | To approve, by non-binding, advisory vote, the compensation of our named executive officers; and |
5. | To conduct any other business properly brought before the Annual Meeting or any adjournment thereof. |
By Order of the Board of Directors | |||
/s/ Frank Bedu-Addo, Ph.D. | |||
Chief Executive Officer | |||
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Page | |||
About the Annual Meeting | 1 | ||
Proposal No. 1 – Election of Directors | 8 | ||
Corporate Governance | 12 | ||
Executive Officers | 17 | ||
Executive Compensation | 19 | ||
Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management | 31 | ||
Securities Authorized for Issuance under Equity Compensation Plans as of December 31, 2025 | 32 | ||
Certain Relationships and Related-Party Transactions | 33 | ||
Proposal No. 2 – Approval of an Amendment to our Eight Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation to Increase the Number of Authorized Shares of Our Common Stock | 34 | ||
Proposal No. 3 – Ratification of Selection of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm | 36 | ||
Proposal No. 4 – Advisory Vote on the Compensation of our Named Executive Officers | 38 | ||
Householding of Proxy Materials | 39 | ||
Other Matters | 40 | ||
Appendix A – Certificate of Amendment to the Eighth Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation | A-1 | ||
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• | This proxy statement for the Annual Meeting; |
• | PDS Biotech’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025; and |
• | The proxy card or a voting instruction form for the Annual Meeting, if you have requested that the proxy materials be mailed to you. |
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Proposal 1: | Election of Kamil Ali-Jackson, J.D. and Ilian Iliev, Ph.D. to serve as Class B directors until the 2029 Annual Meeting of Stockholders or until their successors are duly elected and qualified. |
Proposal 2: | To approve an amendment to our Eighth Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, as amended, to increase the number of authorized shares of our common stock from 150,000,000 shares to 300,000,000 shares. |
Proposal 3: | Ratification of the selection by the Board of KPMG LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2026. |
Proposal 4: | To approve, by non-binding advisory vote, the compensation of our named executive officers. |
• | Via Webcast: You may attend the Annual Meeting via the internet and vote during the Annual Meeting. The Annual Meeting can be accessed by visiting www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/PDSB2026 and entering your 16-digit control number which is included in the Notice and Access Card that will be mailed to you. Please have your Notice and Access Card in hand when you access the website and then follow the instructions. |
• | By Mail: You may vote by proxy by filling out the proxy card you may have received and returning it promptly in the envelope provided. If you return your signed proxy card to us before the Annual Meeting, we will vote your shares as you direct. |
• | By Telephone: To vote over the telephone, dial toll-free (800) 690-6903 using a touch-tone phone and follow the recorded instructions. Have your 16-digit control number available when you call. You will be asked to provide the company number and control number from the Notice. Your telephone vote must be received by 11:59 p.m., Eastern Time on August 9, 2026 to be counted. |
• | Via the Internet: To vote through the internet before the Annual Meeting, go to www.proxyvote.com and follow the on-screen instructions. Please have your 16-digit control number found on your Notice and Access Card, proxy card of voting instruction form in hand when you access the website and then follow the instructions. Your internet vote must be received by 11:59 p.m., Eastern Time on August 9, 2026 to be counted. |
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• | “For” the election of each of Kamil Ali-Jackson, J.D. and Ilian Iliev, Ph.D. as directors; |
• | “For” the approval of an amendment to our Eighth Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, as amended, to increase the number of authorized shares of our common stock from 150,000,000 shares to 300,000,000 shares; |
• | “For” the ratification of the selection of KPMG LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm; and |
• | “For” the approval of the compensation of our named executive officers. |
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• | You may submit another properly completed proxy card with a later date. |
• | You may grant a subsequent proxy by telephone or through the internet. |
• | You may send a timely written notice that you are revoking your proxy to our Secretary at PDS Biotechnology Corporation at 303A College Road East, Princeton, NJ 08540. |
• | You may attend the Annual Meeting via the internet and vote online at the meeting. Simply attending the Annual Meeting will not, by itself, revoke your proxy. |
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• | For the elections of Kamil Ali-Jackson, J.D. and Ilian Iliev, Ph.D. as directors, a plurality of the votes cast will be required for election. Plurality means that the individual who receives the largest number of votes cast “For” is elected as a director, however, a nominee is not required to receive a majority of votes “For”. As a result, any shares not voted “For” the nominee (whether as a result of stockholder withholding or a broker non-vote) will not be counted in the nominee’s favor. |
• | To be approved, the approval of an amendment to our Eighth Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, as amended, to increase the number of authorized shares of our common stock from 150,000,000 shares to 300,000,000 must receive “For” votes from the holders of at least a majority of the votes cast at the Annual Meeting and entitled to vote on the matter. Abstentions are not treated as votes cast, and therefore if you “Abstain” from voting, it will have no effect on the vote. Brokers have discretion to vote as this proposal is considered a “routine” matter. Accordingly, if you hold your shares in “street name” and do not provide voting instructions to your broker, bank or other agent that holds your shares, your broker, bank or other agent has discretionary authority to vote your shares on this proposal. |
• | To be approved, the ratification of the selection of KPMG LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2026, must receive “For” votes from the holders of at least a majority of shares present at the Annual Meeting or represented by proxy and entitled to vote on the matter. If you “Abstain” from voting, it will have the same effect as an “Against” vote. Brokers have discretion to vote as this proposal is considered a “routine” matter. Accordingly, if you hold your shares in “street name” and do not provide voting instructions to your broker, bank or other agent that holds your shares, your broker, bank or other agent has discretionary authority to vote your shares on this proposal. |
• | To be approved, the non-binding advisory resolution on the compensation of our named executive officers, must receive “For” votes from the holders of at least a majority of shares present at the Annual Meeting or represented by proxy and entitled to vote on the matter. If you “Abstain” from voting, it will have the same effect as an “Against” vote. Broker non-votes will have no effect. |
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Name | Age | ||
Nominees for Director | |||
(Class B − Term expiring at our annual meeting of stockholders in 2029) | |||
Kamil Ali-Jackson, J.D. | 67 | ||
Ilian Iliev, Ph.D. | 50 | ||
Directors Continuing in Office | |||
(Class C − Term expiring at our annual meeting of stockholders in 2027) | |||
Frank Bedu-Addo, Ph.D. | 61 | ||
Otis Brawley, M.D. | 66 | ||
(Class A − Term expiring at our annual meeting of stockholders in 2028) | |||
Stephen Glover | 66 | ||
Gregory Freitag, J.D., CPA | 64 | ||
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Name | Audit | Compensation | Nominating and Corporate Governance | ||||||
Stephen Glover | X | X* | |||||||
Kamil Ali-Jackson, J.D. | X | X | X* | ||||||
Frank Bedu-Addo, Ph.D. | |||||||||
Otis Brawley, M.D. | |||||||||
Gregory Freitag, J.D., CPA | X* | X | |||||||
Ilian Iliev, Ph.D. | |||||||||
* | Committee Chairperson |
• | hiring an independent registered public accounting firm to conduct the annual audit of our financial statements and monitoring its independence and performance; |
• | reviewing and approving the planned scope of the annual audit and the results of the annual audit; |
• | pre-approving all audit services and permissible non-audit services provided by our independent registered public accounting firm; |
• | reviewing the significant accounting and reporting principles to understand their impact on our financial statements; |
• | reviewing our internal financial, operating and accounting controls with management and our independent registered public accounting firm; |
• | reviewing with management and our independent registered public accounting firm, as appropriate, our financial reports, earnings announcements and our compliance with legal and regulatory requirements; |
• | reviewing potential conflicts of interest under and violations of our Code of Conduct; |
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• | designing and implementing competitive compensation policies to attract and retain key personnel; |
• | reviewing and formulating policy and determining the compensation of our executive officers and employees; |
• | reviewing and recommending to the Board the compensation of our directors; |
• | administering our equity incentive plans and granting equity awards to our employees and directors under these plans; |
• | if required from time to time, reviewing with management our disclosures under the caption “Executive Compensation” and recommending to the full board its inclusion in our periodic reports to be filed with the SEC; |
• | if required from time to time, preparing the report of the Compensation Committee to be included in our annual proxy statement; |
• | engaging advisors it deems appropriate to assist with its duties; and |
• | reviewing and evaluating, at least annually, our Compensation Committee’s charter. |
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• | identifying, reviewing and evaluating candidates to serve on our board; |
• | determining the minimum qualifications for service on our board; |
• | developing and recommending to our board an annual self-evaluation process for our board and overseeing the annual self-evaluation process; |
• | developing, as appropriate, a set of corporate governance principles, and reviewing and recommending to our board any changes to such principles; and |
• | periodically reviewing and evaluating our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee’s charter. |
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Name | Age | Position | ||||
Frank Bedu-Addo, Ph.D. | 61 | President, Chief Executive Officer, Principal Executive Officer and Director | ||||
Gregory L. Conn, Ph.D. | 71 | Chief Scientific Officer | ||||
Kirk Shepard, M.D. | 75 | Chief Medical Officer | ||||
Lars Boesgaard | 56 | Chief Financial Officer, Principal Financial Officer and Principal Accounting Officer | ||||
Stephan Toutain | 60 | Chief Operating Officer | ||||
Spencer Brown | 56 | Senior Vice President, General Counsel, Corporate Secretary, and Compliance Officer | ||||
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Year | Salary $ | Bonus $ | Option Awards(1) $ | All Other Compensation $(2) | Total $ | |||||||||||||
Frank Bedu-Addo, Ph.D. Chief Executive Officer | 2025 | 615,322 | — | 193,500 | 19,485 | 828,307 | ||||||||||||
2024 | 597,000 | — | 1,647,000 | 19,169 | 2,263,569 | |||||||||||||
Kirk Shepard, M.D.(3) Chief Medical Officer | 2025 | 463,500 | — | 193,500 | 20,318 | 677,318 | ||||||||||||
2024 | 426,346 | 45,000 | 840,000 | 14,250 | 1,325,596 | |||||||||||||
Stephan Toutain(4) Chief Operating Officer | 2025 | 463,500 | — | 193,500 | 16,629 | 673,629 | ||||||||||||
2024 | 300,000 | 30,038 | 600,000 | 9,750 | 939,788 | |||||||||||||
(1) | Amounts shown in this column do not reflect actual compensation received by the named executive officers. The amounts reflect the grant date fair value of stock option awards and are calculated in accordance with the provisions of Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 718-Stock Compensation, and assume no forfeiture rate derived in the calculation of the grant date fair value of these awards. Assumptions used in calculating the value of these awards are included in Note 8, “Stock Based Compensation” in the notes to the Company’s financial statements included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025. The executive will only realize compensation to the extent the trading price of the Company’s common stock is greater than the exercise price of such stock options at the time such options are exercised. |
(2) | “All Other Compensation” consists of the Safe Harbor 401(k) match under the Company’s 401(k) plan |
(3) | Dr. Shepard’s employment start date with the Company was January 22, 2024. |
(4) | Mr. Toutain’s employment start date with the Company was May 1, 2024. |
• | key R&D achievements |
• | initiation and progress of clinical trials for our product candidates; |
• | achievement of regulatory milestones; |
• | new business initiatives including financings; |
• | our progress in building out key functions and managing our growth while maintaining a high-performing organization and culture; and |
• | increasing shareholder value. |
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Executive | 2025 Target Bonus | ||
Frank Bedu-Addo, Ph.D. | Up to 55% of Base Salary | ||
Kirk Shepard, M.D. | Up to 40% of Base Salary | ||
Stephan Toutain | Up to 40% of Base Salary | ||
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Name | Grant Date | Number of Securities Underlying the award) | Exercise Price of the Award ($/Sh) | Grant Date Fair Value of the Award | Percentage Change in the Closing Market Price of the Securities Underlying the Award Between the Trading Day Ending Immediately Prior to the Disclosure of Material Nonpublic Information and the Trading Day Beginning Immediately Following the Disclosure of Material Nonpublic Information | ||||||||||
Frank Bedu-Addo, Ph.D. | 6/12/2025 | 150,000 | 1.79 | $193,500 | 6.55% | ||||||||||
Kirk Shepard, M.D. | 6/12/2025 | 150,000 | 1.79 | $193,500 | 6.55% | ||||||||||
Stephan Toutain | 6/12/2025 | 150,000 | 1.79 | $193,500 | 6.55% | ||||||||||
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Executive | Base Salary | Target Bonus | ||||
Frank Bedu-Addo, Ph.D. | $615,322 | Up to 55% of Base Salary | ||||
Kirk Shepard, M.D | $463,500 | Up to 40% of Base Salary | ||||
Stephan Toutain | $463,500 | Up to 40% of Base Salary | ||||
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Option Awards | Stock Awards | ||||||||||||||||||||
Number of Securities Underlying Unexercised Options Exercisable | Number of Securities Underlying Unexercised Options Unexercisable(1) | Option Exercise Price | Grant Date | Option Expiration Date | Number of Shares or Units of Stock That Have Not Vested | Market Value of Shares or Units of Stock That Have Not Vested(2) | |||||||||||||||
Frank Bedu-Addo, Ph.D. | — | — | — | 06/12/2025 | — | 300,000 | $230,940 | ||||||||||||||
— | 150,000 | $1.79 | 06/12/2025 | 06/12/2035 | |||||||||||||||||
138,082 | 161,918 | $5.87 | 02/28/2024 | 02/28/2034 | |||||||||||||||||
287,919 | 97,381 | $11.61 | 01/05/2023 | 01/05/2033 | |||||||||||||||||
287,906 | 3,594 | $6.28 | 01/19/2022 | 01/19/2022 | |||||||||||||||||
707,800 | — | $2.43 | 12/08/2020 | 12/08/2030 | |||||||||||||||||
125,000 | — | $1.45 | 06/23/2020 | 06/23/2030 | |||||||||||||||||
100,000 | — | $5.99 | 06/28/2019 | 06/28/2029 | |||||||||||||||||
53,173 | — | $9.04 | 03/14/2019 | 03/14/2029 | |||||||||||||||||
179,486 | — | $9.04 | 03/14/2019 | 03/14/2029 | |||||||||||||||||
Kirk Shepard, M.D. | — | — | — | 06/12/2025 | — | 100,000 | $76,980 | ||||||||||||||
— | 150,000 | $1.79 | 06/12/2025 | 06/12/2035 | |||||||||||||||||
97,123 | 102,877 | $4.49 | 01/22/2024 | 01/22/2034 | |||||||||||||||||
Stephan Toutain | — | — | — | 06/12/2025 | — | 100,000 | $76,980 | ||||||||||||||
— | 150,000 | $1.79 | 06/12/2025 | 06/12/2035 | |||||||||||||||||
83,425 | 116,575 | $3.61 | 05/24/2024 | 05/24/2034 | |||||||||||||||||
(1) | Except as otherwise noted, options vest with respect to one-fourth of the underlying shares on the first anniversary of the grant date and in equal installments of 1⁄36 of the underlying shares on each monthly anniversary of the grant date thereafter for the subsequent 36 months. |
(2) | The amounts in this column are determined by multiplying (i) the number of restricted stock units (“RSUs”) shown in the previous column by (ii) $0.7698 (the closing price of the Company’s common stock on December 31, 2025). |
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Year | Summary Compensation Table Total for PEO(1)(2) | Compensation Actually Paid to PEO(3) | Average Summary Compensation Table Total for non-PEO NEOs(1)(2) | Average Compensation Actually Paid to non-PEO NEOs(3) | Total Shareholder Return(4) | Net Loss | ||||||||||||
2025 | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ | ($ | ||||||||||||
2024 | $ | ($ | $ | $ | $ | ($ | ||||||||||||
2023 | $ | ($ | $ | ($ | $ | ($ | ||||||||||||
(1) | For each year shown, the principal executive officer (“PEO”) was |
(2) | The values reflected in this column reflect the “Total” compensation set forth in the Summary Compensation Table (“SCT”) above. See the footnotes to the SCT for further detail regarding the amounts in this column. |
(3) | “Compensation Actually Paid” is defined by the SEC and is computed in accordance with SEC rules by subtracting the amounts in the “Option Awards” column of the SCT for each year from the “Total” column of the SCT and then: (i) adding the fair value as of the end of the reported year of all awards granted during the reporting year that are outstanding and unvested as of the end of the reporting year; (ii) adding the amount equal to the change as of the end of the reporting year (from the end of the prior year) in fair value (whether positive or negative) of any awards granted in any prior year that are outstanding and unvested as of the end of the reporting year; (iii) adding, for awards that are granted and vest in the reporting year, the fair value as of the vesting date; (iv) adding the amount equal to the change as of the vesting date (from the end of the prior fiscal year) in fair value (whether positive or negative) of any awards granted in any prior year for which all applicable vesting conditions were satisfied at the end of or during the reporting year; (v) subtracting, for any awards granted in any prior year that are forfeited during the reporting year, the amount equal to the fair value at the end of the prior year; and (vi) adding the value of any dividends (or dividend equivalents) paid in the reporting year on unvested equity awards and the value of accrued dividends (or dividend equivalents) paid on performance awards that vested in the reporting year. The valuation assumptions used to calculate fair values did not materially differ from those disclosed at the time of grant. |
(4) | The cumulative total shareholder return (“TSR”) is based on a fixed $100 investment made on December 31, 2022. |
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PEO | SCT Total Comp | Grant Date Fair Value of Equity Awards Granted in Fiscal Year | Fair Value at Fiscal Year End of Outstanding and Unvested Equity Awards Granted in the Fiscal Year | Change in Fair Value of Outstanding and Unvested Equity Awards Granted in Prior Years | Fair Value at Vesting of Equity Awards Granted and Vested in the Fiscal Year | Change in Fair Value as of the Vesting Date of Equity Awards Granted in Prior Fiscal Years that Vested in the Fiscal Year | Equals Compensation Actually Paid | ||||||||||||||
2025 | $ | ($ | $ | ($ | $ | ($ | $ | ||||||||||||||
2024 | $ | ($ | $ | ($ | $ | ($ | ($ | ||||||||||||||
2023 | $ | ($ | $ | ($ | $ | ($ | ($ | ||||||||||||||
Other NEOs (Average) | SCT Total Comp | Grant Date Fair Value of Equity Awards Granted in Fiscal Year | Fair Value at Fiscal Year End of Outstanding and Unvested Equity Awards Granted in the Fiscal Year | Change in Fair Value of Outstanding and Unvested Equity Awards Granted in Prior Years | Fair Value at Vesting of Equity Awards Granted and Vested in the Fiscal Year | Change in Fair Value as of the Vesting Date of Equity Awards Granted in Prior Fiscal Years that Vested in the Fiscal Year | Fair Value as of the Prior Fiscal Year End of Equity Awards Granted in Prior Fiscal Years that Failed to Meet Vesting Conditions in the Fiscal Year | Equals Compensation Actually Paid | ||||||||||||||||
2025 | $ | ($ | $ | ($ | $ | ($ | $ | $ | ||||||||||||||||
2024 | $ | ($ | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ | ||||||||||||||||
2023 | $ | ($ | $ | ($ | $ | ($ | ($ | ($ | ||||||||||||||||
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Committee | Annual Retainer | ||
Audit Committee Chairperson | $18,500 | ||
Audit Committee Member | $8,000 | ||
Compensation Committee Chairperson | $15,000 | ||
Compensation Committee Member | $7,500 | ||
Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee Chairperson | $8,000 | ||
Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee Member | $4,000 | ||
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Name | Fees Earned Or Paid in Cash $ | Option Awards $(1) | Total $ | ||||||
Gregory Freitag, J.D., CPA(2) | 62,500 | 26,559 | 89,819 | ||||||
Stephen Glover(3) | 93,000 | 26,559 | 120,319 | ||||||
Kamil Ali-Jackson, J.D.(4) | 63,500 | 26,559 | 90,819 | ||||||
Ilian Iliev, Ph.D.(5) | 40,000 | 26,559 | 67,319 | ||||||
Otis Brawley, M.D.(6) | 40,000 | 26,559 | 67,319 | ||||||
(1) | The amounts shown in this column do not reflect actual compensation received by our directors. The amounts reflect the grant date fair value of option awards and are calculated in accordance with the provisions of FASB Accounting Standards Codification Topic 718 Compensation - Stock Compensation and assume no forfeiture rate derived in the calculation of the grant date fair value of these awards. Assumptions used in calculating the value of these awards are included in Note 8, “Stock-Based Compensation” in the notes to the Company’s financial statements included in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K. The director will only realize compensation to the extent the trading price of PDS Biotech’s common stock is greater than the exercise price of such stock options at the time such options are exercised. |
(2) | Mr. Freitag was appointed as a director of our Board on March 15, 2019. Mr. Freitag held an aggregate of 87,918 option awards as of December 31, 2025. |
(3) | Mr. Glover was appointed to our Board on April 2, 2019. Mr. Glover held an aggregate of 76,700 option awards as of December 31, 2025. |
(4) | Ms. Ali-Jackson was appointed to our Board on February 21, 2020. Ms. Ali-Jackson held an aggregate of 70,733 option awards as of December 31, 2025. |
(5) | Dr. Iliev was appointed to our Board on April 8, 2020. Dr. Iliev held an aggregate of 65,074 option awards as of December 31, 2025. |
(6) | Dr. Brawley was appointed to our Board on November 3, 2020. Dr. Brawley held an aggregate of 67,700 option awards as of December 31, 2025. |
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Beneficial Ownership | ||||||
Name of Beneficial Owner | Shares | %(1) | ||||
Greater than 5% Stockholders: | ||||||
— | — | — | ||||
PDS Biotech Named Executive Officers and Directors: | ||||||
Frank Bedu-Addo, Ph.D.(2) | 2,723,880 | 4.9% | ||||
Gregory Freitag(3) | 149,131 | * | ||||
Stephen Glover(4) | 155,551 | * | ||||
Kamil Ali-Jackson, J.D.(5) | 82,497 | * | ||||
Ilian Iliev, Ph.D.(6) | 65,074 | * | ||||
Otis Brawley, M.D.(7) | 67,700 | * | ||||
Kirk Shepard(8) | 172,055 | * | ||||
Stephan Toutain(9) | 158,356 | * | ||||
All current executive officers and directors as a group (11 persons) | 4,664,022 | 8.4% | ||||
* | Less than 1% |
(1) | Percentage ownership is based on 55,815,653 shares of common stock outstanding as of June 15, 2026, together with securities exercisable or convertible into shares of common stock as of August 14, 2026, for each shareholder. Beneficial ownership is determined in accordance with the rules of the SEC and generally includes voting or investment power with respect to securities. |
(2) | Includes 690,866 shares of common stock and 2,033,014 shares subject to outstanding options exercisable within 60 days of June 15, 2026. |
(3) | Includes 61,213 shares of common stock and 87,918 shares subject to outstanding options exercisable within 60 days of June 15, 2026. |
(4) | Includes 78,851 shares of common stock and 76,700 shares subject to outstanding options exercisable within 60 days of June 15, 2026. |
(5) | Includes 11,764 shares of common stock and 70,733 shares subject to outstanding options exercisable within 60 days of June 15, 2026. |
(6) | Includes 65,074 shares subject to outstanding options exercisable within 60 days of June 15, 2026. |
(7) | Includes 67,700 shares subject to outstanding options exercisable within 60 days of June 15, 2026. |
(8) | Includes 172,055 shares subject to outstanding options exercisable within 60 days of June 15, 2026. |
(9) | Includes 158,356 shares subject to outstanding options exercisable within 60 days of June 15, 2026. |
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(A) | (B) | (C) | |||||||
Plan category | Number of securities to be issued upon exercise of outstanding options, warrants and rights | Weighted- average exercise price of outstanding options, warrants and rights | Number of Securities Remaining available for future issuance under equity compensation plans (excluding securities reflected in column (A)) | ||||||
Equity compensation plans approved by security holders | 5,387,318(1) | $4.19 | 3,741,247 | ||||||
Equity compensation plans not approved by security holders | 1,347,706(2) | $6.01 | 1,087,407 | ||||||
Total | 6,735,024 | $4.55 | 4,828,654 | ||||||
(1) | This reflects outstanding stock options (4,587,318) and outstanding RSUs (800,000) issued pursuant to the Third Amended and Restated PDS Biotechnology 2014 Equity Incentive Plan, as amended. |
(2) | This reflects options issued pursuant to the PDS Biotechnology 2019 Inducement Plan, as amended, together with options issued by privately held PDS Biotechnology Corporation (“Private PDS Biotech”) outside of an equity compensation plan prior to the consummation of the reverse merger with the Private PDS Biotech, pursuant to and in accordance with the terms of the Agreement and Plan of Merger and Reorganization, dated as of November 23, 2018, as amended on January 24, 2019, by and among the Company, Echos Merger Sub, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Edge Therapeutics, Inc. (“Merger Sub”), and Private PDS Biotech, whereby Private PDS Biotech merged with and into Merger Sub, with Private PDS Biotech surviving as the Company’s wholly owned subsidiary (the “Merger”). In connection with and immediately following completion of the Merger, Edge Therapeutics, Inc. changed its name to PDS Biotechnology Corporation, and Private PDS Biotech changed its name to PDS Biotech Operating Corporation. |
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• | the amounts exceeded or will exceed the lesser of $120,000 and 1% of the average of PDS Biotech’s total assets at year-end for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024; and |
• | any of the directors, executive officers or holders of more than 5% of the respective capital stock, or any member of the immediate family of the foregoing persons, had or will have a direct or indirect material interest. |
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Fiscal Year Ended 2025 | Fiscal Year Ended 2024 | |||||
Audit Fees | $1,024,224 | $940,000 | ||||
Audit-Related Fees | — | — | ||||
Tax Fees | — | — | ||||
All Other Fees | — | — | ||||
Total Fees | $1,024,224 | $940,000 | ||||
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PDS BIOTECHNOLOGY CORPORATION | ||||||
By: | ||||||
Name: | Frank Bedu-Addo, Ph.D. | |||||
Title: | President and Chief Executive Officer | |||||
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