Christopher J. Melsha

Christopher enjoys working with privately and publicly held emerging businesses—often in the biopharma, medical technology and other life sciences industries—in capital raising transactions, securities compliance and general corporate matters.

He frequently serves as outside general and corporate counsel for his clients, advising them on a range of transactions and legal matters, including public and private securities offerings, venture capital and strategic financings, convertible note and other early-stage financings, SEC reporting and compliance, corporate governance, mergers and acquisitions, equity compensation matters, general commercial and business agreements, clinical trial and research agreements, and general corporate matters. He has also represented both financial and strategic investors making equity investments in privately and publicly held companies in the life sciences, technology and manufacturing industries.

Christopher is a member of the firm's Public Companies & Capital Markets, Venture Capital, Start Up and Rapid Growth Enterprises (SURGE), and Corporate Governance groups. He is also active in the management of the firm, currently serving as chair of the firm's Business Division and previously as chair of the Corporate & Securities Department.

Venture Capital & Private Equity Financings

• Represented ByHeart, Inc., an infant nutrition company, in connection with its $70 million Series A Preferred Stock financing led by several leading healthcare and consumer VC investors
• Represented Kronos Bio, Inc., a biotech company, in connection with its $105 million Series A Preferred Stock financing led by several leading life sciences venture capital investors
• Represented Vyriad, Inc., a biotech company focused on development of oncolytic viral therapies, in connection with its $24 million Series B Preferred Stock financing led by a strategic investor
• Represented 4C Medical Technologies, Inc. in connection with its $17 million Series A Preferred Stock financing led by a major Asian medical technology company
• Represented Neogene Therapeutics, Inc., a biotech company, in connection with its $15 million Series Seed Preferred Stock financing
• Represented Kite Pharma, Inc. in connection with its $35 million Series A Preferred Stock financing led by a leading healthcare venture capital investor
• Represented Talon Therapeutics, Inc. in connection with a series of related convertible preferred stock investments totaling $69 million by a leading global private equity investor in between 2010 and 2012

PIPE Offerings

• Represented Arno Therapeutics, Inc. in connection with its 2012 offering of convertible debentures and warrants resulting in gross proceeds of approximately $14.9 million and its 2013 offering of common stock and warrants resulting in gross proceeds of approximately $30.7 million
• Represented Nile Therapeutics, Inc. in connection with its 2009 and 2011 offerings of common stock and warrants resulting in gross proceeds of approximately $6 million
• Represented Arno Therapeutics, Inc. in connection with its 2010 private placement of Series A Convertible Preferred Stock and warrants resulting in gross proceeds of approximately $15 million
• Represented Talon Therapeutics, Inc. in connection with its 2009 offering of common stock and warrants resulting in gross proceeds of $16 million and its October 2005 offering of common stock and warrants resulting in gross proceeds of approximately $16 million

Public Offerings & Capital Markets Transactions

• Represented Nephros, Inc. in its 2020 follow-on confidentially marketed public offering and in connection with several PIPE offerings
• Represented Lake Street Capital Markets and B. Riley & Co. in connection with underwritten, registered direct and PIPE offerings
• Represented Nile Therapeutics, Inc. in its 2010 and 2012 public offerings of common stock and warrants
• Represented Cougar Biotechnology, Inc. in connection with two 2007 private placements of common stock resulting in total gross proceeds of $137 million

Mergers & Acquisitions

• Represented Medtronic plc in connection with several structured transactions involving up-front investments in development stage medical technology companies in exchange for negotiated acquisition options
• Represented Liberty Diversified International in its acquisitions of several privately-held businesses and in its disposition of a business unit
• Represented Talon Therapeutics, Inc., a publicly-traded biotechnology company, in its sale to Spectrum Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
• Represented Foss Swim Schools and its founders in its sale to a private equity portfolio company
• Represented Galena Biopharma, Inc. in connection with its April 2011 acquisition of Apthera, Inc., resulting in RXi’s transformation as a research-focused company into a development company, as well as its 2014 acquisition of Mills Pharma, LLC and its 2014 license with MonoSol Rx, LLC for commercial rights to a specialty pharma product
• Represented Cougar Biotechnology, Inc. in connection with its 2006 reverse merger and related $46 million private placement of common and preferred stock

General Corporate

• Has served as outside general counsel for several early-stage and emerging biopharmaceutical companies, both publicly-traded and privately-held, including: Nephros, Inc.; Vyriad, Inc.; 4C Medical Technologies, Inc.; Gila Therapeutics, Inc.; Cougar Biotechnology, Inc. (until its 2009 sale to Johnson & Johnson); Talon Therapeutics, Inc. (f/k/a Hana Biosciences, Inc.); Arno Therapeutics, Inc.; and Kite Pharma, Inc.
• Advise biopharmaceutical companies in connection with the negotiation of clinical trial, sponsored research, CMC services, confidentiality and other commercial agreements

Education

• William Mitchell College of Law, J.D., 1996, summa cum laude, Co-Valedictorian
• St. John’s University, B.A., Government, 1993, cum laude

Admissions

• Minnesota, 1996
• U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota, 1997

• Best Lawyers in America, Securities / Capital Markets Law, 2024
• Minnesota Super Lawyers Rising Star, 2004, 2006-2008