Table of Contents

UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, DC 20549

Form 10-K/A

Amendment No. 1

Commission File Number: 001-37937

XENETIC BIOSCIENCES, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

40 Speen Street, Suite 102

Framingham, Massachusetts 01701

(Address of principal executive offices and zip code)

781-778-7720

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:

None

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act:    Yes  ¨    No   x

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act:    Yes  ¨    No  x

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days):    Yes  x    No  ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files): Yes ☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K (§ 229.405) is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K: ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Exchange Act Rule 12b-2): Yes  ¨    No  x

The aggregate market value of the voting and non-voting common stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant as of June 28, 2019, the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completely second fiscal quarter, based upon the closing price of the registrant’s common stock on the NASDAQ Capital Market on that date of $11.25, was approximately $5,342,529. For purposes of this computation, all officers, directors, and 10% beneficial owners of the registrant are deemed to be affiliates. Such determination should not be deemed to be an admission that such officers, directors or 10% beneficial owners are, in fact, affiliates of the registrant.

As of April 24, 2020, the number of outstanding shares of the registrant’s common stock was 6,284,915.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

None.

EXPLANATORY NOTE

The Registrant is filing this Amendment No. 1 on Form 10-K/A (this “Amendment”) to amend its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019 originally filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on March 26, 2020 (the “Original Filing”) to include the information required by Items 10 through 14 of Part III of Form 10-K. This information was previously omitted from the Original Filing in reliance on General Instruction G(3) to Form 10-K, which permits the information in the above-referenced items to be incorporated in the Form 10-K by reference from our definitive proxy statement if such statement is filed no later than 120 days after our fiscal year-end. We are filing this Amendment to include Part III information in our Form 10-K because our definitive proxy statement will be filed later this year.

Part III of the Original Filing (Items 10 through 14) is being amended and restated in its entirety by this Amendment. In addition, pursuant to Rule 12b-15 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), Part IV, Item 15 of the Original Filing is being amended to contain the currently dated certifications pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, which are attached hereto as Exhibit 31.3 and Exhibit 31.4, respectively. Because no financial statements are included in this Amendment and this Amendment does not contain or amend any disclosure with respect to Items 307 and 308 of Regulation S-K, paragraphs 3, 4, and 5 of the certifications have been omitted. Further, we are amending the cover page to update the number of shares of our stock outstanding and to remove the statement that information is being incorporated by reference from our definitive proxy statement.

Except as described above, this Amendment does not amend or otherwise update any other information in the Original Filing. Accordingly, this Amendment should be read in conjunction with the Original Filing. In addition, this Amendment does not reflect events that may have occurred subsequent to the date of the Original Filing.

As used in this Amendment, unless otherwise indicated, all references herein to “Xenetic,” the “Company,” “we” or “us” refer to Xenetic Biosciences, Inc. and its wholly owned subsidiaries.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PART III

ITEM 10 – DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

Directors and Executive Officers

Set forth below is the name, age, position and brief biographies of each of our executive officers and directors as of April 24, 2020.

____________________________

(1) Member of the Audit Committee

(2) Member of the Compensation Committee

(3) Member of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee  

Jeffrey F. Eisenberg was appointed our Chief Executive Officer on October 26, 2017, after serving as Chief Operating Officer since December 2, 2016, and has served as a member of our Board of Directors (“Board”) since July 2016. Mr. Eisenberg previously worked at Noven Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (“Noven”), a subsidiary of Hisamitsu Pharmaceutical, Inc., where he held various positions of increasing responsibility, most recently serving from 2009-2016 as Noven’s president, chief executive officer and as a member of its board of directors. Mr. Eisenberg previously served as an independent director for Mabvax Therapeutics Holdings, Inc. (“Mabvax”) from February 2016 until his resignation in July 2018. In September 2018, a derivative lawsuit was brought against certain then current and former directors of Mabvax alleging breach of fiduciary duty. In March 2019, the derivative action was stayed as a result of defendant Mabvax initiating bankruptcy proceedings. Mr. Eisenberg obtained his J.D. at Columbia University Law School and a B.S. in Economics from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. We believe Mr. Eisenberg’s significant life science executive experience and leadership experience in the areas of R&D, operations, manufacturing/quality, business development, strategic partnering, product development, commercialization, and human resources provides him with the appropriate set of skills to serve as a member of our Board.

Curtis A. Lockshin, PhD, initially joined us on a part-time basis in March 2014 as our Vice President of Research & Operations and was appointed our Chief Scientific Officer effective January 1, 2017. Dr. Lockshin has held several management positions at development and commercial stage biotechnology companies, with experience including discovery, preclinical and clinical development, as well as commercial manufacturing. Since May 2013, he has held the position of president and chief executive officer of Guardum Pharmaceuticals LLC (“Guardum”), a wholly owned subsidiary of PJSC Pharmsynthez, our controlling stockholder, a position which he continues to hold in addition to his position with us. Dr. Lockshin does not receive a salary for these services but did receive medical benefits and was covered under Guardum’s health plan through July 31, 2018. In addition, Dr. Lockshin has served as an officer or consultant of several biotechnology companies on a part-time basis, including as an officer of a series of related companies following multiple mergers beginning as chief executive officer and director of SciVac Therapeutics, Inc. and its subsidiary SciVac, Ltd., from September 2014 until July 2016. After SciVac Therapeutics, Inc.’s merger with VBI Vaccines, Inc. in July 2016, Dr. Lockshin served as chief technical officer of the merged company until December 2016. Dr. Lockshin is currently serving as a member of the board of directors of Phio Pharmaceuticals Corporation, a publicly traded development-stage RNAi company focused on immune-oncology, a position he has held since April 2013. Dr. Lockshin has an S.B. in Life Sciences and a Ph.D. in Biological Chemistry from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Since April 2004, Dr. Lockshin has also served as a member of the board of directors of the Ruth K. Broad Biomedical Research Foundation, a Duke University Support Corporation that supports basic research related to Alzheimer’s disease and neurodegeneration via intramural, extramural and international grants.

James Parslow was appointed our Chief Financial Officer on April 3, 2017. Mr. Parslow most recently served as Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer and Secretary of World Energy Solutions, Inc., a publicly-traded business-to-business e-commerce company brokering energy and environmental commodities, from 2006 until its acquisition by EnerNOC, Inc. in 2015. Since 2015, he has served as an independent consultant providing interim chief financial officer services to multiple emerging technology companies. Mr. Parslow is a Certified Public Accountant with over 30 years of experience serving private and public companies in the biotech, alternative energy, online auction, and high-tech manufacturing industries. He holds an A.B. in Economics and Accounting from the College of the Holy Cross and an M.B.A. with a concentration in Finance from Bentley University.

Grigory Borisenko, PhD, was appointed to the Board in September 2019. Mr. Borisenko is an Investment Director of RUSNANO Management Company LLC, a venture capital & private equity management company in Russia. Mr. Borisenko has over 20 years of scientific, management and strategic experience in the life science field. Mr. Borisenko has specialized in investment projects in life science since 2012, and from 2009 through 2012, he was a head of the pharmaceutical sector of the Department of Science and Technology Expertise at the state corporation, RUSNANO. Mr. Borisenko currently serves on the Board of Directors for two biotechnology companies, Atea Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Adastra Pharmaceuticals, Inc., and from 2011 to 2014, served on the board of directors of Nearmedic Pharm LLC. Prior to his investment career, Mr. Borisenko held academic appointments with the University of Pittsburgh, Russian State Medical University and Institute of Medico-Biological Problems. He has co-authored over 50 peer-reviewed publications in leading biochemistry and cell biology journals. Mr. Borisenko received his M.S. and Ph.D. from the Russian State Medical University, and is a recipient of Fogarty International and International Fellowship Awards from NIH. We believe Mr. Borisenko’s extensive background in the life sciences and biotechnology industries provide him with the appropriate set of skills to serve as a member of our Board.

James Callaway, PhD was appointed to the Board on August 14, 2017. Dr. Callaway has over 30 years of experience in the execution of product development operations for biotherapeutics and currently serves as an independent Board member of KalGene Pharmaceuticals (“KalGene.”) Dr. Callaway is a seasoned CEO within the venture-backed biotech community and over the course of his career he has built and operated several companies, transforming each from research companies to clinical stage operating entities. He also serves as a Corporate Strategy Consultant to the biotech community at Callaway Innovations. Dr. Callaway has served as CEO of privately-held biotech companies including KalGene a company focused on disease-modifying therapies in Alzheimer’s Disease. ArmaGen, Inc. a BBB transport company and CEBIX, Inc. a diabetic neuropathy company. Prior to these efforts, Dr. Callaway held multiple senior leadership positions at Elan Pharmaceuticals, including simultaneously acting as Head of Development and overseeing the complex partnership with Wyeth Pharmaceuticals in the Alzheimer’s disease immunotherapy program. He has developed antibodies for a wide-range of therapeutic applications over the past two decades, including treatments of multiple sclerosis (Tysabri®: pharmaceutical development), Alzheimer’s disease (bapineuzumab: Program Executive), and blood-brain barrier transport, and has worked with the United States Food and Drug Administration on multiple orphan drug development programs. We believe Dr. Callaway’s significant life sciences executive, leadership and strategic experience in the area of biotherapeutics provides him with the appropriate set of skills to serve as a member of our Board.

Firdaus Jal Dastoor, FCS, was initially appointed as a member of our Board in January 2014 pursuant to terms of the agreement of our acquisition of Xenetic U.K. He has been employed by the Cyrus Poonawalla Group, a conglomerate in India with interests in horse racing and breeding, biotech, engineering and hotels, in business development strategies and operational roles since October 1981. Mr. Dastoor is currently a Group Director in charge of Finance and Corporate Affairs and Company Secretary of the Serum Institute of India Private Limited at the Cyrus Poonawalla Group, one of our significant stockholders. He is a Fellow Member of The Institute of Company Secretaries of India since 1990. Mr. Dastoor is on the board of several private companies operating in the fields of engineering products, life sciences and biotech, international trade, financial services and quality standards certifications. Mr. Dastoor received a B.A. in Commerce from the University of Poona. We believe Mr. Dastoor’s knowledge of investments in the life sciences and biotechnology industries, and his finance and business development background provide him with the appropriate set of skills to serve as a member of our Board.

Dmitry Genkin, MD was appointed to the Board on August 14, 2017. Dr. Genkin previously served on the Company’s Board of Directors from 2004-2016. He has the Russian equivalent of an MD in Internal Therapy and studied drug delivery under Professor Gregory Gregoriadis at The School of Pharmacy, University of London in 1992, as well as the Department of Clinical Pharmacology at Karolinska Hospital, Stockholm from 1992 until 1993. Since 2005, Dr. Genkin has served as Executive Chairman of PJSC Pharmsynthez, a public company and Xenetic’s majority stockholder. Prior to that time, Dr. Genkin headed a number of Russia’s largest pharmaceutical companies including Pharmavit, which had 27% of the Russian pharmaceutical market. In 1998, he was awarded the silver medal by the Russian Natural Science Academy. We believe Dr. Genkin’s significant life sciences, biotechnology and international background provide him with the appropriate set of skills to serve as a member of our Board.

Roger Kornberg, PhD, has served as a member of our Board since February 2016. Dr. Kornberg is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and the Winzer Professor of Medicine in the Department of Structural Biology at Stanford University. He earned his B.S. in chemistry from Harvard University in 1967 and his Ph.D. in chemical physics from Stanford in 1972. He became a postdoctoral fellow at the Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, England and then an assistant professor of biological chemistry at Harvard Medical School in 1976, before moving to his present position as professor of structural biology at Stanford Medical School in 1978. In 2006, Dr. Kornberg was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in recognition for his studies of the molecular basis of Eukaryotic Transcription, the process by which DNA is copied to RNA. Dr. Kornberg is also the recipient of several awards, including the 2001 Welch Prize, the highest award granted in the field of chemistry in the United States, and the 2002 Leopald Mayer Prize, the highest award granted in the field of biomedical sciences from the French Academy of Sciences. We believe Dr. Kornberg’s prior experience serving on the boards of directors of large organizations as well as his scientific background provides him with the appropriate set of skills to serve as a member of our Board.

Adam Logal was appointed to the Board in August 2017. Mr. Logal has over 18 years of experience in the biopharmaceuticals industry. Since April 2014, Mr. Logal has served as Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Accounting Officer and Treasurer of OPKO Health, Inc. and from March 2007 until April 2014 served as OPKO’s Vice President of Finance, Chief Accounting Officer and Treasurer. Mr. Logal served as a director of VBI Vaccines, Inc., a publicly-traded company, from May 2015 through October 2018 and served as its Audit Committee Chairman. Prior to joining OPKO, Mr. Logal served in various financial management roles at Nabi Biopharmaceuticals, a commercial stage biopharmaceutical company. Mr. Logal is a strategic finance executive with extensive experience in SEC compliance and reporting, domestic and international finance, strategic planning, cash flow management, budgeting, taxation, treasury and business development. We believe Mr. Logal’s extensive financial experience with public companies in the life sciences industry provides him with appropriate set of skills to serve as a member of our Board.

Alexey Vinogradov has served as a member of our Board since July 2019. Dr. Vinogradov currently serves as Business Development Director and Operations Director at Cantreva LLC, a Russian company with extensive specialized experience of delivering services in the field of renewable energy (solar, wind, hydro power), performing works on a “turnkey” basis since September 2017. Dr. Vinogradov previously served as General Manager at Togas Middle East LLC in Dubai, UAE from May 2015 to May 2017. Prior to that, Dr. Vinogradov served as branch manager at Togas Group LLC in Russia from March 2012 to November 2016. We believe Dr. Vinogradov’s experience in business communication, international business development and financial analytics provides him with the appropriate set of skills to serve as a member of our Board.

There are no family relationships among any of our directors and executive officers and, to the best of our knowledge, none of our directors or executive officers has, during the past ten years, been involved in any legal proceedings which are required to be disclosed pursuant to the rules and regulations of the SEC.

Board Role in Risk Oversight and Board Leadership

Our management is principally responsible for defining the various risks facing the Company, formulating risk management policies and procedures, and managing our risk exposures on a day-to-day basis. The Board’s principal responsibility in this area is to ensure that sufficient resources, with appropriate technical and managerial skills, are provided throughout the Company to identify, assess and facilitate processes and practices to address material risk and to monitor our risk management processes by informing itself concerning our material risks and evaluating whether management has reasonable controls in place to address the material risks. The involvement of the Board in reviewing our business strategy is an integral aspect of the Board’s assessment of management’s tolerance for risk and its determination of what constitutes an appropriate level of risk for the Company.

The Board of Directors is currently chaired by independent director, Adam Logal, and our Chief Executive Officer, Jeffrey Eisenberg, is our only employee-director. The Chief Executive Officer is responsible for setting the strategic direction for the Company and the day to day leadership and performance of the Company, while the Board Chair is responsible for leading the Board in the execution of its fiduciary duties. The Board Chair presides over meetings of the full Board. While we recognize that different board leadership structures may be appropriate for companies in different situations, we believe our current leadership structure is the optimal structure for the Company at this time.

Our Board of Directors

During fiscal year 2019, the following served as a member of the Company’s Board of Directors: Jeffrey Eisenberg, Dr. Grigory G. Borisenko, Dr. James Callaway, Firdaus Jal Dastoor, Roman Knyazev, Dr. Roger Kornberg, Dr. Dmitry Genkin, Adam Logal and Dr. Alexey Vinogradov. On September 25, 2019, Roman Knyazev resigned as a member of the Board. Drs. Alexey Vinogradov and Grigory G. Borisenko were appointed to the Board in July 2019 and September 2019, respectively. Directors shall hold office for a one-year term or until their successors have been duly elected and qualified. Vacancies on the Board resulting from death, resignation, disqualification, removal, or other causes can be filled by the affirmative vote of a majority of the directors then in office. Any director so elected, shall hold office for the remainder of the full term of the director for which the vacancy was created or occurred and until such director’s successor shall have been duly elected and qualified.

Committees of the Board

The Board has three standing committees: an Audit Committee, a Compensation Committee, and a Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. During 2019, the Board also had two special committees: an Expense Management and Financing Oversight Committee and a Strategic Alternatives Committee, each of which was disbanded in September of 2019. The Company has adopted charters to govern the conduct, authority and responsibilities of each of the Audit Committee, Compensation Committee and Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, which are available to stockholders on the Company’s website at http://ir.xeneticbio.com/.

Audit Committee

The Audit Committee of the Board of Directors was established by the Board in accordance with Section 3(a)(58)(A) of the Exchange Act, to oversee the Company’s corporate accounting and financial reporting processes and audits of its financial statements. For this purpose, the Audit Committee performs several functions. The Audit Committee evaluates the performance of and assesses the qualifications of the independent auditors; determines and approves the engagement of the independent auditors; determines whether to retain or terminate the existing independent auditors or to appoint and engage new independent auditors; reviews and approves the retention of the independent auditors to perform any proposed permissible non-audit services; monitors the rotation of partners of the independent auditors on the Company’s audit engagement team as required by law; reviews and approves or rejects transactions between the Company and any related persons; confers with management and the independent auditors regarding the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting; establishes procedures, as required under applicable law, for the receipt, retention and treatment of complaints received by the Company regarding accounting, internal accounting controls or auditing matters and the confidential and anonymous submission by employees of concerns regarding questionable accounting or auditing matters; and meets to review the Company’s annual audited financial statements and quarterly financial statements with management and the independent auditor, including a review of the Company’s disclosures under the “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” section of the Company’s Annual Report to Stockholders on Form 10-K.

For the fiscal year 2019, the Audit Committee was composed of three directors: Mr. Dastoor, Dr. Callaway, and Mr. Logal (chair). The Audit Committee met seven times during fiscal year 2019. The Board has adopted a written Audit Committee charter that is available to stockholders on the Company’s website at http://ir.xeneticbio.com/.

The Board of Directors reviews the NASDAQ listing standards definition of independence for Audit Committee members on an annual basis and has determined that all current members of our Audit Committee are independent (as independence is currently defined in Rule 5605(c)(2)(A)(i) and (ii) of the NASDAQ listing standards).

The Board of Directors has also determined that Mr. Logal qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert,” as defined in applicable SEC rules. The Board made a qualitative assessment of Mr. Logal’s level of knowledge and experience based on a number of factors, including his formal education and experience as a chief financial officer.

Director Nominations

No material changes have been made to the procedures by which stockholders may recommend nominees to our Board.

Code of Business Conduct and Ethics

We have adopted the Xenetic Biosciences, Inc. Code of Business Conduct and Ethics that applies to all of our employees, officers and directors, including our principal executive officer, principal financial officer and principal accounting officer. The Code of Business Conduct and Ethics is available on our website, www.xeneticbio.com, under “Investors” at “Corporate Governance.” If we make any substantive amendments to the Code of Business Conduct and Ethics or grant any waiver from a provision of the Code of Business Conduct and Ethics to any executive officer or director, we intend to promptly disclose the nature of the amendment or waiver on our website, to the extent required by the applicable rules and exchange requirements.

Delinquent Section 16(a) Reports

Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act requires our directors and executive officers, and persons who own more than ten percent of a registered class of our equity securities, to file with the SEC initial reports of ownership and reports of changes in ownership of our ordinary shares and other equity securities. Such persons are required by SEC regulations to furnish us with copies of all Section 16(a) forms they file.

To our knowledge, based solely on a review of the copies of such reports furnished to us and written representations that no other reports were required, during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019, we believe that all Section 16(a) filing requirements applicable to our executive officers, directors and greater than 10% beneficial owners were complied with, except that one Form 3 report was filed late by Dr. Alexey Vinogradov.

ITEM 11 – EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

Summary Compensation Table

The following table sets forth, for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, the compensation information for Jeffrey Eisenberg, our Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Curtis Lockshin, our Chief Scientific Officer, and James Parslow, our Chief Financial Officer. We refer to Messrs. Eisenberg, Lockshin, and Parslow herein, collectively, as our “named executive officers.”

Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year-End

The following table sets forth certain information with respect to outstanding equity awards held by our named executive officers at December 31, 2019.

Employment Agreements with our Named Executive Officers

Employment Agreement with Mr. Eisenberg

We entered into an employment agreement with Mr. Eisenberg effective as of December 1, 2016 for him to serve as Chief Operating Officer (the “Original Agreement”). The Original Agreement was for an initial term of one year, and automatically renewed for successive one year periods unless either party gave notice to the other no later than 90 days prior to the expiration of the then-applicable term; provided, however, that we could terminate the Original Agreement at any time. Mr. Eisenberg’s annual salary under the Original Agreement was $300,000, and was subject to annual review and upward adjustment only by the Compensation Committee of the Board. Mr. Eisenberg was also eligible to receive a bonus equal to 35% of his annual salary based on the attainment of certain individual and/or Company goals established by the Board or a committee thereto. Mr. Eisenberg was also eligible to participate in our employee benefit, welfare and other plans, as may be maintained by us from time to time, on a basis no less favorable than those provided to other similarly situated executives of the Company. Mr. Eisenberg was also subject to certain customary confidentiality, non-solicitation and non-competition provisions.

Under the Original Agreement, if Mr. Eisenberg’s employment was terminated by us without “Cause” (as defined in the Original Agreement) or if he resigned for “Good Reason” (as defined in the Original Agreement), he was entitled to receive (i) six months of his then current base salary, paid over time in accordance with our payroll practices then in effect if he had been employed by us for six months or less, (ii) 12 months of his then current base salary, paid over time in accordance with our payroll practices then in effect if he had been employed by us for more than six months, (iii) a pro-rated annual bonus and (iv) payment of premiums for continued health benefits under COBRA for up to six months.

On October 26, 2017, the Company amended and restated the Original Agreement in order to employ Mr. Eisenberg as the Chief Executive Officer of the Company, effective as of the same date (the “Amended Agreement”). The terms of the Amended Agreement were substantially similar to the terms of the Original Agreement, except that Mr. Eisenberg is now eligible to receive a bonus equal to 50% of his annual salary based on the attainment of certain individual and/or Company goals established by the Board or a committee thereto, and if Mr. Eisenberg’s employment is terminated by us without “Cause” (as defined in the Amended Agreement) or if he resigns for “Good Reason” (as defined in the Amended Agreement), he will be entitled to receive (i) within thirty days following the date of termination, an amount equal to one times his then current base salary, (ii) a pro-rated annual bonus and (iii) payment of premiums for continued health benefits under COBRA for up to twelve months.

Employment Agreement with Mr. Parslow

We entered into an employment agreement with Mr. Parslow effective as of April 3, 2017 (the “Parslow Employment Agreement”). The Parslow Employment Agreement does not provide for a specified term of employment and Mr. Parslow’s employment will be on an at-will basis. Mr. Parslow will receive an initial annual base salary of $265,000 and is eligible to earn an annual cash incentive bonus, which is initially set at a target aggregate bonus amount of 35% of Mr. Parslow’s base salary, upon achievement of certain individual and/or Company performance goals set by the Compensation Committee. Mr. Parslow is also eligible to participate in the Company’s employee benefit, welfare and other plans, as may be maintained by the Company from time to time, on a basis no less favorable than those provided to other similarly-situated executives of the Company. Mr. Parslow is also subject to certain customary confidentiality, non-solicitation and non-competition provisions.

If Mr. Parslow’s employment is terminated by the Company without “cause” (as defined in the Parslow Employment Agreement) or Mr. Parslow resigns for “good reason” (as defined in the Parslow Employment Agreement), after six months of employment but before his first anniversary with the Company, he will be entitled to receive (i) six months of his then current base salary, paid over time in accordance with the Company’s payroll practices then in effect and (ii) payment of premiums for continued health benefits under COBRA for up to six months. If Mr. Parslow’s employment is terminated by the Company without “cause” (as defined in the Parslow Employment Agreement) or Mr. Parslow resigns for “good reason” (as defined in the Parslow Employment Agreement), after his first anniversary with the Company, he will be entitled to receive (i) one year of his then current base salary, paid over time in accordance with the Company’s payroll practices then in effect and (ii) payment of premiums for continued health benefits under COBRA for up to one year.

Employment Agreement with Dr. Lockshin

We entered into an employment agreement with Dr. Lockshin effective as of January 1, 2017 (the “Lockshin Employment Agreement”). The Lockshin Employment Agreement does not provide for a specified term of employment and Dr. Lockshin’s employment will be on an at-will basis. Dr. Lockshin will receive an initial annual base salary of $250,000 and is eligible to earn an annual performance-based cash incentive bonus, which is initially set at a target aggregate bonus amount of 35% of Dr. Lockshin’s base salary, upon achievement of certain individual and/or Company performance goals established by the Board or a committee thereto. Dr. Lockshin is also eligible to participate in the Company’s employee benefit, welfare and other plans, as may be maintained by the Company from time to time, on a basis no less favorable than those provided to other similarly-situated executives of the Company. Dr. Lockshin is also subject to certain customary confidentiality, non-solicitation and non-competition provisions.

If Dr. Lockshin’s employment is terminated by the Company without “Cause” (as defined in the Lockshin Employment Agreement) or Dr. Lockshin terminates his employment for “Good Reason” (as defined in the Lockshin Employment Agreement) and Dr. Lockshin executes and does not revoke a general release of claims against the Company, then he will be entitled to receive (i) one year of his then current base salary, paid over time in accordance with the Company’s payroll practices then in effect and (ii) payment of premiums for continued health benefits under COBRA for up to twelve months.

Potential Payments Upon Termination or Change of Control

Our named executive officers may be entitled to payments upon termination or change in control. The details of such payments are included in the description of their employment agreements above.

Director Compensation

Each of our non-employee, independent directors is currently entitled to receive an annual retainer of $50,000, payable in equal quarterly installments, an option to acquire 25,000 shares of the Company’s common stock upon initial appointment to the Board, and an additional option to acquire 25,000 shares each year thereafter on the date of the Company’s annual meeting of stockholders. All members of our board are reimbursed for their usual and customary expenses incurred in connection with their service on the Board, including out-of-pocket expenses, transportation, and airfare on the Company’s business.

Director Compensation Table

As our employee director during fiscal 2019, Mr. Eisenberg did not receive any compensation for his Board service during the last completed year. The following table sets forth information for the year ended December 31, 2019 regarding the compensation awarded to, earned by or paid to our non-employee directors:

_______________

See “Certain Related Person Transactions” below for compensation arrangements involving specific members of the Board.

ITEM 12 – SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS

The following table and footnotes set forth certain information known to us regarding beneficial ownership of our capital stock as of March 31, 2020 for:

The number of shares beneficially owned by each entity, person, director or executive officer is determined in accordance with the rules of the SEC, and the information is not necessarily indicative of beneficial ownership for any other purpose. Under such rules, beneficial ownership includes any shares over which the individual has sole or shared voting power or investment power as well as any shares that the individual has the right to acquire within 60 days through the exercise of any stock option, warrants or other rights. Except as otherwise indicated, and subject to applicable community property laws, the persons named in the table have sole voting and investment power with respect to all shares of common stock held by that person or entity.

The percentage of shares beneficially owned is computed on the basis of 6,284,915 shares of our common stock outstanding as of March 31, 2020, on an as-converted basis. Shares of our common stock that a person has the right to acquire within 60 days after March 31, 2020 are deemed outstanding for purposes of computing the percentage ownership of the person or entity holding such rights, but are not deemed outstanding for purposes of computing the percentage ownership of any other person, except with respect to the percentage ownership of all directors and executive officers as a group. Unless otherwise indicated below, the address for each beneficial owner listed is c/o Xenetic Biosciences, Inc., at 40 Speen Street, Suite 102, Framingham, Massachusetts 01701.

Equity Compensation Plan Information

The following table sets forth information as of December 31, 2019 with respect to compensation plans under which equity securities are authorized for issuance:

________________________

ITEM 13 – CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS, AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE

During the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019 and the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018, there was not, nor is there any currently proposed transaction or series of similar transactions to which Xenetic was or is to be a party in which the amount involved exceeded or exceeds the lesser of $120,000 or 1% of the average of our total assets at year end for the last two completed fiscal years and in which any executive officer, director or holder of more than 5% of any class of voting securities of Xenetic and members of that person’s immediate family had, has or will have a direct or indirect material interest, other than as set forth in “Executive Compensation” and “Director Compensation Table” above and disclosed below.

Policy Regarding Related Party Transactions

Our Board has adopted a written related party transaction policy on November 1, 2016 to set forth the policies and procedures for the review and approval or ratification of related party transactions. Any transaction between the Company and its officers, directors, principal stockholders or affiliates is required to be on terms no less favorable to us than could be reasonably obtained in arms-length transactions with independent third-parties, Transactions described in this section that occurred prior to November 1, 2016 were not covered by this policy. On March 16, 2018, our Board formed the Strategic Alternatives Committee (the “SAC”) to evaluate an alternative transaction and other strategic alternatives for the Company should they arise. James Callaway, an independent outside director of the Company, was appointed Chair of the SAC. The SAC had primary oversight over the XCART Technology acquisition and was disbanded in September 2019.

Certain Related Person Transactions

PJSC Pharmsynthez

Pharmsynthez (formerly, OJSC Pharmsynthez) is our largest and controlling stockholder with a share ownership of approximately 6% of the total issued and outstanding common stock at March 31, 2020. In addition to its common stock ownership, Pharmsynthez holds outstanding warrants to purchase our common stock and approximately 1.5 million shares of our issued and outstanding Series B Preferred Stock at March 31, 2020. Pharmsynthez was a related party of SynBio, LLC (“SynBio”), which is related party of ours, and acquired 100% of SynBio in February 2017. The combined ownership of Pharmsynthez and SynBio was approximately 7% at March 31, 2020. In addition, one of our directors, Dr. Dmitry Genkin, is the Executive Chairman of the board of directors of Pharmsynthez, and Dr. Grigory Borisenko, another one of our directors, is employed as an Investment Director of Rusnano LLC, an entity affiliated with Pharmsynthez. Additionally, one of our executive officers, Dr. Curtis Lockshin, is an officer of a wholly-owned subsidiary of Pharmsynthez. In November 2009, the Company entered into a collaborative research and development license agreement with Pharmsynthez (the “Pharmsynthez Arrangement”) pursuant to which the Company granted an exclusive license to Pharmsynthez to develop, commercialize and market six drug candidates based on the Company’s PolyXen and ImuXen technology in certain territories. In exchange, Pharmsynthez granted an exclusive license to the Company to use any preclinical and clinical data developed by Pharmsynthez, within the scope of the Pharmsynthez Arrangement, and to engage in further research, development and commercialization of drug candidates outside of certain territories at the Company’s own expense. 

During the third quarter of 2019, the Company entered into a sponsored research agreement with Pharmsynthez related to experiments identified by the Company to support its efforts as it prepares for initial tech transfer of the XCART methods to a future academic collaborator. Under the agreement, the Company made a $350,000 payment to Pharmsynthez during the third quarter of 2019, which is refundable on a pro rata basis if the project is terminated prematurely as a result of Pharmsynthez failing to perform the work.

During the fourth quarter of 2019, the Company entered into a loan agreement with Pharmsynthez (the “Pharmsynthez Loan”), pursuant to which the Company advanced Pharmsynthez an aggregate principal amount of up to $500,000 to be used for the development of Product A under the Co-Development Agreement (as defined below). The Pharmsynthez Loan has a term of 15-months and shall accrue interest at a rate of 10% per annum. The Pharmsynthez Loan is guaranteed by all of the operating subsidiaries of Pharmsynthez, including SynBio and AS Kevelt, and is secured by all of the equity interests of the Company owned by Pharmsynthez and SynBio.

SynBio LLC

SynBio was a holder of more than 5% of the Company’s outstanding common stock during fiscal 2018 and currently owns approximately 1% of our total outstanding common stock as of March 31, 2020 and all of our outstanding Series A Preferred Stock. In 2017, SynBio became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Pharmsynthez.

In August 2011, SynBio and the Company entered into a stock subscription and collaborative development of pharmaceutical products agreement (the “Co-Development Agreement”). The Company granted an exclusive license to SynBio to develop pharmaceutical products using certain molecule(s) based on SynBio’s technology and the Company’s proprietary technology (PolyXen, OncoHist and ImuXen) that prolongs the active life and/or improves the pharmacokinetics of certain therapeutic proteins and peptides (as well as conventional drugs). In return, SynBio granted an exclusive license to the Company to use the pre-clinical and clinical data generated by SynBio in certain agreed products and engage in the development of commercial candidates.

SynBio and the Company are each responsible for funding their own research activities. There are no milestone or other research-related payments due under the agreement other than fees for the supply of each company’s respective research supplies based on their technology, which, when provided, are due to mutual convenience and not representative of an ongoing or recurring obligation to supply research supplies. Serum Institute of India Limited (“Serum Institute”) has agreed to directly provide the research supplies to SynBio, where the Company is not liable for any failure to supply the research supplies as a result of any act or fault of Serum Institute. Upon successful commercialization of any resultant products, the Company is entitled to receive royalties on sales in certain territories and pay royalties to SynBio for sales outside those certain territories.

Through December 31, 2019, the Company and SynBio continued to engage in research and development activities with no resultant commercial products. The Company did not recognize revenue in connection with the Co-Development Agreement during the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018.

Serum Institute

Serum Institute was a holder of more than 5% of the Company’s outstanding common stock during fiscal 2018 and currently owns approximately 1% of our total outstanding common stock at March 31, 2020. In addition to its common stock ownership, Serum Institute holds outstanding warrants to purchase our common stock. One of our directors, Firdaus Jal Dastoor, is currently a Group Director in charge of Finance and Corporate Affairs and Company Secretary of Serum Institute. In August 2011, we entered into a collaborative research and development agreement with Serum Institute providing Serum Institute an exclusive license to use our PolyXen technology to research and develop one potential commercial product, PSA-EPO. Serum Institute is responsible for conducting all preclinical and clinical trials required to achieve regulatory approvals within the certain predetermined territories at Serum Institute’s own expense. Royalty payments are payable by Serum Institute to us for net sales to certain customers in the Serum Institute sales territory. Royalty payments are payable by us to Serum Institute for net sales received by us over the term of the license. There are no milestone or other research-related payments due under the collaborative arrangement.

Through December 31, 2019, we continued to engage in research and development activities with no resultant commercial products. No royalty revenue or expense was recognized by us related to the Serum Institute arrangement during the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018.

Santersus Agreement

The Company intends to enter into a feasibility agreement and license option with Santersus SA, a Swiss corporation (“Santersus”), regarding the use of OncoHist in a medical device for extracorporeal blood purification. Santersus is an entity controlled by Dr. Genkin.

XCART Technology

On March 1, 2019, the Company entered into an agreement to acquire the novel Chimeric Antigen Receptor (“CAR”) T cell platform technology, referred to herein as “XCART” (the “Transaction”), a proximity-based screening platform capable of identifying CAR constructs that can target patient-specific tumor neoantigens, with a demonstrated proof of mechanism in B-cell Non-Hodgkin lymphomas. The XCART technology, developed by the Scripps Research Institute (the “Institute”) in collaboration with the Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry (“IBCH”), is believed to have the potential to significantly enhance the safety and efficacy of cell therapy for B-cell lymphomas by generating patient- and tumor-specific CAR T cells. The Transaction closed on July 19, 2019.

In connection with the Transaction, on March 1, 2019, the Company entered into the Share Purchase Agreement, as amended (the “Share Purchase Agreement”), with Hesperix S.A., a Swiss Corporation (“Hesperix”), the owners of Hesperix (each, a “Seller” and collectively, the “Sellers”), and Alexey Vinogradov, as the representative of each Seller, pursuant to which the Company purchased from Sellers all of the issued and outstanding shares of capital stock of Hesperix. Upon closing the Transaction, on July 19, 2019, we issued 625,000 shares of our common stock in the Transaction, with approximately 406,250 shares issued to the shareholders of Hesperix and approximately 218,750 shares of common stock issued in connection with the OPKO Assignment Agreement. In connection with the Transaction, Dr. Alexey Vinogradov was appointed to the Board, effective as of the closing of the Transaction. Dr. Vinogradov acquired 186,781 shares of the Company’s common stock in connection the closing of the transaction contemplated by the Share Purchase Agreement. Dr. Vinogradov was also a significant shareholder of Hesperix and a Seller in the Transaction. Additionally, Dr. Dmitry Genkin, one of our directors, was a director and significant shareholder of Hesperix. In addition, in connection with the Transaction, the Company agreed to repay an approximate $225,000 loan that Dr. Genkin entered into with Hesperix.

In connection with the Transaction, Hesperix entered into an assignment agreement (the “Hesperix Assignment Agreement”) with IBCH, Pharmsynthez, and certain other parties thereto (collectively, the “Assignors”), pursuant to which, the Assignors have agreed, among other things, to sell, assign, transfer, and convey unto Hesperix all of their individual right, title, and interest throughout the world in and to patents related to “Articles And Methods Directed To Personalized Therapy Of Cancer,” and the related know-how. Hesperix has agreed to pay each of IBCH and Pharmsynthez a royalty rate in the low single digit range based on the net sales of products in each country in which, in absence of the Hesperix Assignment Agreement, the manufacture, use, offer for sale, sale, or importation of such product would infringe a valid claim of a patent. Dr. Dmitry Genkin, one of our directors, is the Executive Chairman of the board of directors of Pharmsynthez, and Dr. Grigory Borisenko, another one of our directors, is employed as an Investment Director of Rusnano LLC, an entity affiliated with Pharmsynthez. Additionally, one of our executive officers, Dr. Curtis Lockshin, is an officer of a wholly-owned subsidiary of Pharmsynthez.

Also in connection with the Transaction, the Company entered into an assignment agreement (the “OPKO Assignment Agreement”) with OPKO Pharmaceuticals, LLC (“OPKO”), pursuant to which the Company will acquire and accept, all of OPKO’s right, title and interest in and to that certain Intellectual Property License Agreement (the “IP License Agreement”), entered into between the Institute and OPKO regarding certain patents related to “Articles And Methods Directed To Personalized Therapy Of Cancer” and in which the Institute agreed to grant an exclusive royalty-bearing license, to the patent rights owned by the Institute to OPKO, and OPKO has agreed to pay the Institute a royalty rate in the low single digit range based on the net sales of products in each country in which, in absence of the IP License Agreement, the manufacture, use, offer for sale, sale, or importation of such product would infringe a valid claim of a patent or pending application. Mr. Adam Logal, one of our directors, is Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Accounting Officer and Treasurer of OPKO Health, Inc., the parent company of OPKO.

Director Independence

As required under the NASDAQ Stock Market (“NASDAQ”) listing standards, a majority of the members of a listed company’s board of directors must qualify as “independent,” as affirmatively determined by the Board of Directors. The Board consults with advisors to ensure that the Board’s determinations are consistent with relevant securities and other laws and regulations regarding the definition of “independent,” including those set forth in pertinent listing standards of NASDAQ, as in effect from time to time.

Consistent with these considerations, after review of all relevant identified transactions or relationships between each director, or any of his or her family members, and the Company, its senior management and its independent auditors, the Board has affirmatively determined that the following directors were independent directors within the meaning of the applicable NASDAQ listing standards for the period during which they served as a member of the Board during fiscal year 2019: Dr. Callaway, Mr. Dastoor, Dr. Kornberg and Mr. Logal. In addition, the Board also determined that Drs. Alexey Vinogradov and Grigory Borisenko were independent under applicable law and the listing standards of Nasdaq upon the appointment of each to the Board in July 2019 and September 2019, respectively. In making the independence determinations, the Board considered a number of factors and relationships, including without limitation (i) Dr. Grigory Borisenko’s employment as an Investment Director of Rusnano LLC, an entity affiliated with Pharmsynthez, the Company’s largest stockholder with ownership of approximately 7% of the Company’s issued and outstanding common stock, and (ii) the Company’s transactions with Hesperix SA and Dr. Alexey Vinogradov’s former status as a significant shareholder of Hesperix SA.

During fiscal year 2019, all members of our Audit Committee, Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, and Compensation Committee were independent (as independence is currently defined in Rule 5605 of the NASDAQ listing standards).

ITEM 14 – PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING FEES AND SERVICES

The following table represents aggregate fees billed to the Company for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018, by Marcum LLP, the Company’s principal accountant.

Audit Fees

Audit fees include the total fees incurred in connection with the audit of our annual consolidated financial statements for each of the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018.

Audit-Related Fees

Audit related fees during the year ended December 31, 2019 include fees incurred in connection with our S-1, S-3 and S-4 filings throughout 2019. Audit related fees during the year ended December 31, 2018 include fees incurred in connection with our S-3 registration statement filed in September 2018.

Audit and Non-Audit Services Pre-Approval Policy

The Audit Committee pre-approves all audit and non-audit accounting services provided by our independent, registered accounting firm. All audit and non-audit fee services described above were pre-approved by the Audit Committee.

Pursuant to the Board of Directors’ policy, to help ensure the independence of our independent registered public accounting firm, all auditing services and permitted non-audit services (including the terms thereof) to be performed for us by our independent registered public accounting firm must be pre-approved by the Audit Committee, subject to the de-minimus exceptions for non-audit services described in Section 10A(i)(1)(B) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, which are approved by the Audit Committee prior to the commencement of services.

Our Audit Committee approved and retained Marcum LLP to audit our consolidated financial statements for 2019. Our Audit Committee reviewed all services provided by Marcum LLP in 2019 and concluded that the services provided were compatible with maintaining its independence.

PART IV

ITEM 15 – EXHIBITS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES

EXHIBIT INDEX

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.