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): March 21, 2023

PROTAGENIC THERAPEUTICS, INC.

(Exact name of Company as specified in its charter)

212-994-8200

(Company’s telephone number, including area code)

(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 Company under any of the following provisions:

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

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

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 5.03. Amendments to Articles of Incorporation or Bylaws; Change in Fiscal Year.

As previously disclosed, Protagenic Therapeutics, Inc (the “Company”) held its 2022 annual meeting of stockholders on November 23, 2022 (the “Meeting”). At the Meeting, the Company’s stockholders approved a proposal to amend the Company’s Third Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation to effect a reverse split of the Company’s outstanding shares of common stock, par value $0.0001, within a range of one-for-two (1-for-2) to a maximum of a one-for-four (1-for-4) split, with the exact ratio to be determined by the Company’s board of directors in its sole discretion.

On March 16, 2023, for the purpose of complying with Nasdaq Rule 5550(a)(2) regarding minimum bid price, the board of directors approved a one-for-four (1-for-4) reverse split of the Company’s issued and outstanding shares of common stock (the “Reverse Stock Split”). On March 21, 2023, the Company filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware a certificate of amendment to its third amended and restated certificate of incorporation (the “Certificate of Amendment”) to effect the Reverse Stock Split. The Reverse Stock Split became effective as of 5:01 p.m. Eastern Time on March 22, 2023, and the Company’s common stock is expected to begin trading on a split-adjusted basis when the Nasdaq Stock Market opens on March 23, 2023.

When the Reverse Stock Split becomes effective, every four shares of the Company’s issued and outstanding common stock will automatically be combined, converted and changed into 1 share of the Company’s common stock, without any change in the number of authorized shares or the par value per share. In addition, a proportionate adjustment will be made to the per share exercise price and the number of shares issuable upon the exercise of all outstanding stock options, restricted stock units and warrants to purchase shares of common stock and the number of shares reserved for issuance pursuant to the Company’s equity incentive compensation plans. Any fraction of a share of common stock that would be created as a result of the Reverse Stock Split will be rounded up to the next whole share. Holders of the Company’s common stock held in book-entry form or through a bank, broker or other nominee do not need to take any action in connection with the Reverse Stock Split. Stockholders of record will be receiving information from the Company’s transfer agent regarding their common stock ownership post-Reverse Stock Split.

The Company’s common stock will continue to trade on the Nasdaq Capital Market LLC under the existing symbol “PTIX”, but the security has been assigned a new CUSIP number (74365N202).

The foregoing description of the Certificate of Amendment does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the Certificate of Amendment, which is filed as Exhibit 3.1 to this Current Report on Form 8-K and incorporated by reference herein.

Item 7.01 Regulation FD Disclosure.

On March 22, 2023, the Company issued a press release announcing the Reverse Stock Split. A copy of the press release is attached hereto as Exhibit 99.1, and is incorporated herein by reference.

The information contained in this Item 7.01, including Exhibit 99.1, shall not be deemed to be “filed” with the Securities and Exchange Commission for the purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that section, nor shall it be deemed to be incorporated by reference in any filing under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Exchange Act, except as expressly set forth by specific reference in such filing.

Item 9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits

(d) Exhibits.

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 hereunto duly authorized.