UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): May 24, 2023

Pyxis Oncology, Inc.

(Exact name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

Delaware	001-40881	83-1160910
(State or Other Jurisdiction of Incorporation)	(Commission File Number)	(IRS Employer Identification No.)
321 Harrison Avenue
Boston, Massachusetts		02118
(Address of Principal Executive Offices)		(Zip Code)

Registrant’s Telephone Number, Including Area Code:617-221-9059

(Former Name or Former Address, if Changed Since Last Report)

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

☒Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

☐Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

☐Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

☐Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

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

Title of each class	Trading Symbol(s)	Name of each exchange on which registered
Common Stock, par value $0.001 per share	PYXS	The Nasdaq Global Select Market

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§ 230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§ 240.12b-2 of this chapter).

Emerging growth company ☒

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. ☒

Item 7.01 Regulation FD Disclosure.

On May 24, 2023, Pyxis Oncology, Inc. (the "Company") and Apexigen, Inc. ("Apexigen") held a conference call to discuss the proposed transaction (the "Joint Conference Call"). A copy of the investor presentation of the Joint Conference Call is furnished herewith as Exhibit 99.1.

The information contained in this Item 7.01, including Exhibit 99.1, shall not be deemed “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that section, nor shall it be deemed incorporated by reference into any of the Company’s filing with the SEC made by the Company, regardless of any general incorporation language in such filings, except to the extent expressly set forth by reference in such filing.

Additional Information and Where to Find It

This Current Report on Form 8-K is not a proxy statement or solicitation of a proxy, consent or authorization with respect to any securities or in respect of the proposed business combination and shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities nor shall there be any sale of securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation, or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction. No offer of securities shall be made except by means of a prospectus meeting the requirements of Section 10 of the Securities Act. Pyxis Oncology plans to file with the SEC a Registration Statement on Form S-4 in connection with the transactions and Apexigen plans to file with the SEC and mail to Apexigen stockholders a Proxy Statement/Prospectus in connection with the transactions. INVESTORS AND SECURITY HOLDERS ARE URGED TO READ THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT, PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS AND ANY OTHER RELEVANT DOCUMENTS THAT MAY BE FILED WITH THE SEC, AS WELL AS ANY AMENDMENTS OR SUPPLEMENTS TO THESE DOCUMENTS, CAREFULLY AND IN THEIR ENTIRETY IF AND WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE BECAUSE THEY CONTAIN OR WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROPOSED TRANSACTION. Investors and security holders will be able to obtain free copies of the Registration Statement and the Proxy Statement/Prospectus and other documents filed with the SEC by Pyxis Oncology and Apexigen through the web site maintained by the SEC at www.sec.gov. In addition, investors and security holders will be able to obtain free copies of the Registration Statement and the Proxy Statement/Prospectus from Pyxis Oncology by contacting ir@pyxisoncology.com or from Apexigen by contacting ir@apexigen.com.

Participants in the Solicitation

Pyxis Oncology and Apexigen, and their respective directors and executive officers, may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies in respect of the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement. Information regarding Pyxis Oncology’s directors and executive officers is contained in Pyxis Oncology’s proxy statement, filed with the SEC on April 28, 2023. Information regarding Apexigen’s directors and executive officers is contained in Apexigen’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed with the SEC on February 22, 2023. Additional information regarding the persons who may be deemed participants in the proxy solicitation and a description of their direct and indirect interests in the proposed business combination will be available in the Registration Statement and the Proxy Statement/Prospectus.

Forward Looking Statements

This Current Report on Form 8-K contains forward-looking statements for the purposes of the safe harbor provisions under The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and other federal securities laws. These statements are often identified by the use of words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “can,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “likely,” “may,” “might,” “objective,” “ongoing,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “to be,” “will,” “would,” or the negative or plural of these words, or similar expressions or variations, although not all forward-looking statements contain these words. We cannot assure you that the events and circumstances reflected in the forward-looking statements will be achieved or occur and actual results could differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, those identified herein, and those discussed in the section titled “Risk Factors” set forth in Pyxis Oncology’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022, Pyxis Oncology’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2023, Apexigen’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022, and Apexigen’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2023, each of which is on file with the SEC. Among other things, there can be no guarantee that the proposed business combination will be completed in the anticipated timeframe or at all, that the conditions required to complete the proposed business combination will be met, that the combined company will realize the expected benefits of the proposed business combination, if any, that the clinical stage assets will progress on anticipated timelines or at all, or that the combined company will be successful in progressing its pipeline through development and the regulatory approval process. These risks are not exhaustive. New risk factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for our management to predict all risk factors, nor can we assess the impact of all factors on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. In addition, statements that “we believe” and similar statements reflect our beliefs and opinions on the relevant subject. These statements are based upon information available to us as of the date hereof and while we believe such information forms a reasonable basis for such statements, such information may be limited or incomplete, and our statements should not be read to indicate that we have conducted an exhaustive inquiry into, or review of, all potentially available relevant information. These statements are inherently uncertain, and investors are cautioned not to unduly rely upon these statements. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of such statements.

Item 9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits.

(d) Exhibits
Exhibit No.	Description
99.1	Investor Presentation of Pyxis Oncology, Inc. and Apexigen, Inc. dated May 24, 2023
104	Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within the Inline XBRL document)

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements 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.

			Pyxis Oncology, Inc.
Date:	May 24, 2023	By:	/s/ Pam Connealy
			Pam Connealy Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer