Bioxcel Therapeutics Inc., of Branford, Conn., priced its IPO of about 5.4 million shares at $11 each, the low end of its previously proposed range, for gross proceeds of about $60 million. The company granted underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional 818,181 shares. Barclays Capital Inc., UBS Securities LLC and BMO Capital Markets Corp. are acting as joint book-running managers and Canaccord Genuity Inc. is acting as lead manager. Bioxcel uses artificial intelligence to identify drugs in neuroscience and immuno-oncology indications. The company's shares (NASDAQ:BTAI) began trading Thursday, ending the day at $11.03. (See BioWorld, Feb. 14, 2018)

Briacell Therapeutics Corp., of Berkeley, Calif., said it expects to enter a securities purchase agreement of convertible notes with a group of institutional and family office funds focused on investments in the biotech sector for an investment of $800,000. Concurrent with that note offering, the company also said it intends to complete a nonbrokered private placement of units at a price of 10 cents per unit for aggregate gross proceeds of up to C$4 million (US$3.1 million). The immuno-oncology company intends to use the proceeds to finance its phase IIa trial, support other research opportunities and for working capital and general corporate purposes.

Checkpoint Therapeutics Inc., of New York, a Fortress Biotech company, priced its public offering of 4.6 million shares at $4.35 apiece for gross proceeds of about $20 million. Underwriters have a 45-day option to purchase up to an additional 690,000 shares, which could add about $3 million to the total. The immuno-oncology company will use net proceeds for the continued development of its product candidates, the potential in-licensing, acquisition, development and commercialization of other pharmaceutical products and for general corporate purposes. National Securities Corp. is acting as sole book-running manager. H.C. Wainwright & Co is acting as lead manager, and Lake Street Capital Markets LLC is acting as a qualified independent underwriter. Shares of Checkpoint (NASDAQ:CKPT) closed Thursday at $4.70, down 64 cents, or 12 percent.

Clearside Biomedical Inc., of Alpharetta, Ga., priced its public offering of about 6.5 million shares at $13 apiece for gross proceeds of about $85 million. Clearside granted underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to 980,769 additional shares. J.P. Morgan Securities LLC and Cowen and Co. LLC are acting as joint book-running managers, while Stifel, Nicolaus & Co. Inc. is acting as a passive book-running manager and Needham & Co. LLC and Wedbush Securities Inc. are acting as co-managers for the offering, set to close on or about March 12. Shares of Clearside (NASDAQ:CLSD), which rose earlier this week on positive phase III data with CLS-TA for macular edema associated with non-infectious uveitis, closed Thursday at $13, down $1.28. (See BioWorld, March 6, 2018.)

Corvus Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Burlingame, Calif., priced a public offering of about 7.1 million shares of common stock at $8.50 apiece for gross proceeds of $60 million. The company granted underwriters an option to purchase up to an additional 1.1 million shares, which could add $9 million to the haul. Corvus intends to use proceeds to fund its ongoing clinical development programs in cancer, including CPI-444, and funds will allow the firm to initiate a phase I/Ib trial of CPI-006, support research and development of its ITK program, with any remaining proceeds for working capital and general corporate purposes. Credit Suisse and Jefferies are acting as joint book-running managers, while Guggenheim Securities is acting as lead manager and Wedbush Pacgrow is acting as co-manager for the offering, set to close on or about March 12. Shares of Corvus (NASDAQ:CRVS) closed Thursday at $9.74, up 22 cents.

Cyteir Therapeutics Inc., of Cambridge, Mass., said it closed a $29 million series B round led by Venrock and joined by returning investors, including Celgene Corp., of Summit, N.J., along with new investors Lightstone Ventures and Droia Oncology Ventures. Proceeds will be used to progress the company's lead program focused on selective, small-molecule inhibitors of the protein RAD51 for use in oncology, with the goal of entering initial clinical trials in 2019. Proceeds will also be used to accelerate preclinical development of synthetic lethality therapeutics for autoimmune diseases.

G1 Therapeutics Inc., of Research Triangle Park, N.C., priced its public offering of 3.4 million shares of common stock at $29.50 apiece for gross proceeds of $100.3 million. The company granted underwriters an additional 510,000 shares in overallotments, which could add about $15 million. J.P. Morgan Securities LLC and Cowen and Co. LLC are serving as joint book-running managers, while Needham & Co. LLC and Wedbush Securities Inc. are acting as lead managers and BTIG LLC is acting as co-manager for the offering, set to close March 12. G1 is developing trilaciclib and G1-T38, CDK4/6 inhibitors, in cancer. Shares of G1 (NASDAQ:GTHX) closed Thursday at $31.78, up $1.57.

JW Therapeutics Co. Ltd., of Shanghai, said it completed a $90 million series A financing from a consortium led by Temasek, Sequoia Capital China and Yuanming Capital, joined by other investors, including Oriza Seed Capital, Yipu Capital, Avict Global Holdings, and existing investors Wuxi Apptec Group and Seattle-based Juno Therapeutics Inc. The company, founded in 2016 by Juno and Wuxi Apptec, is developing cell-based therapies. JW initiated development of its first CD19-directed investigational therapy, JWCAR-029, a CAR T therapy being studied for the treatment of B-cell malignancies, initially focusing on relapsed and refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. An IND was recently accepted by the CFDA. (See BioWorld Today, April 11, 2016.)

Tyme Technologies Inc., of New York, closed its public offering of 9 million shares, plus the full underwriter option to purchase an additional 1.35 million shares, for gross proceeds of about $23 million. Funds will support further development of its lead clinical program, SM-88, currently in phase II testing in prostate cancer, and for general corporate purposes, including capital expenditures, working capital and general and administrative expenses. Evercore Group LLC and Stifel served as joint book-running managers and as representatives of the underwriters for the offering. Canaccord Genuity Inc. also acted as bookrunner. H.C. Wainwright & Co. acted as a co-manager.