Document:

EX-10.22

 Exhibit 10.22 

Acer Therapeutics Inc. 

Consulting Agreement 

THIS AGREEMENT effective as of the 5th day of February, 2016, by and between Acer
Therapeutics Inc., a Delaware corporation having a place of business at 222 Third Street, Suite 2240, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA (the “Company”), and Harry Palmin having an address at
                                 (the “Consultant”). 

W I T N E S S E T H: 
 WHEREAS,
Consultant possesses the necessary expertise to serve as a consultant to the Company; 
 WHEREAS, the Company wishes to retain Consultant to
perform services for and on behalf of the Company; and 
 WHEREAS, Consultant is willing to perform such services for the consideration and
on the terms set forth in this Agreement; 
 NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises and the mutual promises set forth below, the
parties agree as follows: 
 1. Scope of Work. 

Consultant shall perform such consulting and advisory services in furtherance of the business purposes of the Company as described on
Exhibit A (the “Work”), as well as any other work that is reasonably requested by the Company. Consultant shall perform the Work under the direction of such person(s) as the Company may designate. During the term of this
Agreement, Consultant shall perform the Work as mutually agreed by Consultant and Company and shall use Consultant’s best efforts in performing the Work. 

2. Compensation. 
 Compensation. As
full consideration for any Services performed hereunder, the Company shall compensate Consultant in accordance with and subject to the terms set forth in the attached Exhibit B. Consultant shall not be entitled to any benefits, coverages or
privileges, including, without limitation, social security, unemployment, medical or pension payments, made available to employees of Company. In addition, the Company shall reimburse Consultant for all reasonable out-of-pocket expenses actually incurred by Consultant in furtherance of performing the Work that were approved in advance by the Company. In no event shall Consultant be entitled to compensation,
reimbursement of expenses or costs, except as provided in this Section 2 and Exhibit B, or any fees or other compensation on the basis of quantum meruit, promissory estoppel, or detrimental reliance. 

  

					
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 3. Consultant’s Warranties. 

(a) Consultant represents and warrants that Consultant has disclosed to the Company, and shall, on request, during the term of this Agreement
disclose to the Company, the identities of all other persons or entities with which Consultant is affiliated as an employee, independent contractor, shareholder, officer, director, partner or otherwise, and any existing or contemplated activity that
might involve a conflict of interest; and Consultant shall recognize and avoid any situation that might involve a conflict of interest, including, without limitation, performing any portion of the Work during Consultant’s normal working hours
for, or by using any of the equipment or facilities of, any other person or entity with which Consultant has a consulting or employment relationship. 

(b) Consultant represents and warrants that Consultant is authorized to enter into and perform this Agreement, and Consultant is not subject
to, and shall not in the future enter into, any contract or agreement with any person, corporation, government agency or other entity that could, in any manner, impede or prevent Consultant from giving, and the Company from receiving, the benefit of
the Work to be performed under this Agreement. 
 (c) Consultant represents and warrants that no information to be disclosed to the Company
in performance of this Agreement was or shall be acquired by Consultant pursuant to any relationship in which Consultant was obligated to hold such information in confidence for the benefit of any third party or by any unlawful or otherwise improper
means. 
 (d) Consultant represents and warrants that, to the knowledge of Consultant, no information, materials or other products or results
of the Work delivered to the Company under this Agreement shall infringe upon, conflict with or violate any patent rights, copyrights, trade secrets or other proprietary rights, however denominated, of any person or entity. 

(e) Consultant represents and warrants that Consultant is not and has not been excluded from participation in any federal, provincial or state
health care program, debarred by the Food and Drug Administration, of any other applicable regulatory authority or otherwise debarred from contracting. The Consultant represents, warrants and covenants that Consultant has not been convicted of or
plead no contest to any felony, or to any federal or state legal violation relating to prescription drug products. To the extent any Services will be performed in the United States, Consultant further represents, warrants and covenants that the
Consultant has and shall continue to have throughout the term of this Agreement, the right and authority to perform the Services hereunder in the United States and will not require the sponsorship by Company. 

4. Rights in Intellectual Property. 
 (a)
Consultant agrees that all discoveries, developments, inventions, ideas, concepts, research and other information, processes, products, methods and improvements or parts thereof, whether or not patentable or subject to copyright protection or other
forms of proprietary protection, however denominated, and whether or not reduced to tangible form, memorialized or reduced to practice, that are written, conceived, developed, reduced to practice or otherwise made by Consultant, whether alone or
jointly with others, in the course of, relating to or arising out of any of the Work (hereinafter collectively referred to as the “Developments”) shall be the sole 

  

					
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property of the Company. Consultant further agrees that the originals and all copies of all notebooks, disks, tapes, computer programs, reports, proposals and other documents and materials
evidencing, incorporating, constituting, representing, memorializing, embodying, capable of performing or displaying, or recording any Development or Confidential Information (as hereinafter defined) or of any other information or materials
furnished to Consultant by the Company, however and whenever produced (whether by Consultant or others), shall be the sole property of the Company. 

(b) Consultant agrees that all of the Developments, including, without limitation, all parts thereof, and any memorialization thereof by
electronic or manual storage, transcription, or recording, and any display, performance or modification thereof or derivative work based thereon, is work made for hire under the copyright laws of the United States especially ordered and commissioned
by the Company. The Company shall be deemed the sole author, creator, and inventor, as the case may be, of the Developments. 
 (c)
Consultant agrees to and hereby does, assign, to the Company all of Consultant’s right, title and interest throughout the world in all Developments and to anything tangible which evidences, incorporates, constitutes, represents, memorializes,
embodies, performs, displays or records any such Development. Consultant hereby assigns and, to the extent any such assignment cannot be made at present, Consultant hereby agrees to assign to the Company all copyrights, patents, trademarks and other
proprietary rights, however denominated, Consultant may have in any such Developments, together with the right to file for or own wholly without restriction United States and foreign copyrights, patents, trademarks and other proprietary rights,
however denominated, with respect thereto. 
 (d) Consultant specifically agrees and acknowledges that the foregoing assignment covers all
results, outputs and products of his Work prior to the date hereof that related to the Company, in any capacity and all related copyrights, patents, trademarks or other proprietary rights, however denominated, and that all such results, outputs and
products shall be Developments hereunder and the sole property of the Company. 
 (e) Consultant hereby undertakes, without payment of any
consideration to Consultant in addition to the compensation described in Section 2, to promptly assign all Developments to the Company; assist the Company in every reasonable manner to obtain thereon patents, copyrights, and other forms of
proprietary protections, however denominated, in any and all countries for the Company’s benefit; execute all such patent applications, patent or copyright assignments, registrations and applicants that may be required for other forms of
proprietary protection, however denominated, and other lawful documents, and to take all such other actions, as the Company may request to obtain for the Company all right, title and interest in and to any of the Developments or otherwise to carry
out the purposes of this Agreement. Without limiting the foregoing, if Consultant is called upon after termination of this Agreement or performance of the Work to assist the Company as provided herein (other than as provided in this
Section 4(e)), Consultant shall be entitled to reasonable fees for services rendered in providing such assistance. The out-of-pocket cost of prosecuting patent
applications and obtaining copyright registration shall be borne by the Company. 

  

					
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 (f) Notwithstanding the warranties set forth in Section 3, if Consultant incorporates into
any Developments any information, materials or other technology owned by Consultant or in which Consultant has any interest, Consultant hereby grants, and to the extent any such grant cannot be made at the present, Consultant agrees to grant to the
Company a non-exclusive, royalty-free, irrevocable, perpetual, transferable worldwide license, with the right to sublicense, to make, use, refrain from using, sell, offer for sale, import, modify, delete, add
to, reproduce, create derivative works based upon, distribute, perform, display or exploit in any way, such information, materials or other technology, in whole or in part, by any means, now known or later developed, in all languages. 

(g) It is understood that Sections 4 and 5 of this Agreement apply, without limitation, to any and all oral communications and writings,
including, without limitation, notes, drawings, specifications, sales, marketing and financial plans, and studies and reports that are prepared, compiled or acquired by Consultant during the term of this Agreement. 

5. Non-Disclosure and Confidentiality. 

(a) The Company shall provide Consultant with such information about the Company, its business, products and services as the Company, in its
sole discretion, shall deem necessary or appropriate to enable Consultant to carry out Consultant obligations under this Agreement. Consultant agrees that Consultant shall not seek any additional information about the Company from employees of the
Company or otherwise. 
 (b) Consultant acknowledges that in the course of performing Work relating to the Company, Consultant shall receive
information about, and access to, trade secrets and other confidential and proprietary information (including, without limitation, the information and materials described in Section 4 of this Agreement) which are vital to the competitive
position and success of the Company. During the term of this Agreement and thereafter, Consultant shall hold strictly confidential and shall not disclose to any person or entity outside of the Company any of the Confidential Information except with
the prior written direction or permission of a duly authorized officer of the Company. Consultant shall not use any of the Confidential Information other than as necessary to conduct the Work and for the sole benefit of the Company. 

(c) The term “Confidential Information” as used throughout this Agreement shall mean all Developments and all trade secrets,
confidential or proprietary information and other data or information (and any tangible evidence, record or representation thereof), whether prepared, conceived or developed by an employee or consultant of the Company (including Consultant) or
received by the Company from an outside source, which is in the possession of the Company (whether or not the property of the person) and which is maintained in secrecy or confidence by the Company or which might permit the Company or any of its
customers to obtain a competitive advantage over competitors who do not have access to such Developments, trade secrets, confidential or proprietary information or other data or information. 

(d) Consultant understands that the Company from time to time has in its possession information (including product and development plans and
specifications) which is claimed by others to be proprietary and which the Company has agreed to keep confidential. Consultant 

  

					
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agrees that all such information shall be Confidential Information for purposes of this Agreement. 

6. Non-Competition, Non-Solicitation. 

(a) During the term of this Agreement and for a period of one year after the termination thereof, Consultant shall not, directly or indirectly,
provide services which are substantially similar to the services that the Consultant provided to the Company, whether as owner, stockholder, director, officer, manager, employee, agent or consultant or otherwise to any individual, business, firm or
corporation which is in competition or intends at any time to compete with any products or services similar to any products or services provided, or proposed to be provided by the Company at the time of such termination (each, a “Competing
Company”) unless with the express written agreement of the Company. Such express written agreement is not required in the event Consultant provides services to a Competing Company for a product or service that does not compete with
Company’s products or services. 
 (b) During the term of this Agreement and for a period of one year after the termination thereof,
Consultant shall not, in any capacity, directly or indirectly, request, cause, solicit, induce, attempt to hire or hire any employee of the Company (or any other person who may have been employed by the Company during the term of this Agreement) to
perform work or services for any person or entity other than the Company, or assist in such hiring by any other person or business entity or encourage any such employee to terminate his or her employment with the Company. 

(c) During the term of this Agreement and for a period of one year after the termination thereof, Consultant shall not, in any capacity,
directly or indirectly, on his own behalf or on behalf of any other person or entity, solicit or accept business from, or provide services that are substantially similar to the services the Consultant provided to the Company to any customer with
whom the Company had business dealings at the time of such termination or any prospective customer of the Company that was served or solicited by Consultant during the term of this Agreement. 

7. Relationship of the Parties. 
 This
Agreement shall not create any relationship of employment, principal and agent, partnership or joint ventures between the Company and Consultant. Consultant shall have full responsibility for payment of, and shall pay, all compensation, social
security, unemployment, withholding and other taxes and charges for all persons engaged by him in the performance of services hereunder, as and when the same become due and payable, and the Company shall have no obligation to pay or make available
any employee benefit to Consultant or any person employed by or associated with Consultant. 
 8. Term and Termination. 

(a) This Agreement shall be effective as of the date first above written and shall continue for a term of three months, or this Agreement is
terminated by the Company as provided in this Section 8. 

  

					
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 (b) The Company may terminate this Agreement by sending a fourteen (14) day written notice
of termination to Consultant at any time. Following any such termination, the Company shall have no further liability or obligation to Consultant. 

(c) The Consultant may terminate this agreement by sending a thirty (30) day written notice of termination to Company at any time.
Following any such termination, the Consultant shall have no further obligation to Company. 
 (d) This Agreement shall terminate
automatically if a petition in bankruptcy or seeking reorganization is filed by or against Consultant, if an assignment for the benefit of creditors is made by Consultant or if a receiver is appointed to take charge of all or part of
Consultant’s assets or properties. 
 (e) The Company may withhold final payment under this Agreement until its receipt of all
information, materials and other property required to be returned or delivered to the Company by Consultant hereunder, accompanied by a certificate of Consultant, certifying that the information, materials and other property actually delivered to
the Company constitute all information, materials and other property required to be returned or delivered hereunder. 
 (f) Consultant
understands and agrees that Consultant’s obligations under Sections 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 9 hereof and this Section 8 shall survive and shall not be affected by any expiration or earlier termination of this Agreement. 

9. Miscellaneous. 
 (a) Any notice
required or permitted to be given under this Agreement shall be given in writing and sent by certified mail or email to the party at the address set forth below or to such other address as such party shall have designated in writing: 

 

			
	If to the Company:	  	Acer Therapeutics Inc.
		  	222 Third Street, Suite 2240
		  	Cambridge, MA 02142
		  	Attn: Chris Schelling, Interim CEO, COO
		  	Phone:
		  	Email:
		
	If to Consultant:	  	Harry S. Palmin
		  	Address:
		  	Phone:
		  	Email:

 (b) This Agreement sets forth the entire agreement and understanding between the parties with respect to
the subject matter hereof, and supersedes all prior oral and written agreements and understandings between them relating thereto. In the event of any inconsistency between this Agreement and any other contract between the Company and Consultant, the
provisions of this Agreement shall prevail. 

  

					
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 (c) No waiver or amendment of any of the provisions of this Agreement shall be binding unless
made in writing and signed by the parties. No failure on the part of any party to exercise, or delay in exercising, any right or remedy hereunder shall operate as a waiver thereof, nor shall any single or partial exercise of any such right or remedy
by such party preclude any other or further exercise thereof or the exercise of any other right or remedy. A waiver on one occasion shall not constitute a waiver on any further occasion. All rights and remedies hereunder are cumulative and in
addition to and not exclusive of any other rights and remedies provided by law. 
 (d) This Agreement is personal to Consultant, and
Consultant shall not delegate or assign any of their rights, duties or obligations hereunder. Any purported assignment or delegation thereof by Consultant shall be void and ineffective. Consultant shall perform Consultant’s duties and
obligations hereunder alone or in cooperation with employees of the Company only, and shall not retain, or use other persons to assist Consultant, or work with other persons, in performing such duties and obligations. 

(e) This Agreement shall be binding upon, and inure to the benefit of, the parties and their respective heirs, legal representatives,
successors and assigns. 
 (f) Consultant acknowledges that money damages alone shall not adequately compensate the Company for breach of any
of Consultant’s obligations under Sections 4, 5, and 6 hereof and, therefore, agrees that in the event of any breach or threatened breach of any such obligation, in addition to all other remedies available to the Company, at law, in equity or
otherwise, the Company shall be entitled to injunctive relief compelling specific performance of, or other compliance with, the terms of such Sections. Monetary damages shall be limited to total cash compensation paid by the Company to Consultant,
for the recovery of such damages by the Company. 
 (g) In the event that any provision of this Agreement shall be determined to be
unenforceable by reason of its extension for too great a period of time or over too large a geographic area or over too great a range of activities, it shall be interpreted to extend only over the maximum period of time, geographic area or range of
activities as to which it may be enforceable. If, after application of the immediately preceding sentence, any provision of this Agreement shall be determined to be invalid, illegal or otherwise unenforceable by any court of competent jurisdiction,
the validity, legality and enforceability of the other provisions of this Agreement shall not be affected thereby. Except as otherwise provided in this Section 9(g), any invalid, illegal or unenforceable provision of this Agreement shall be
severable, and after any such severance all other provisions hereof shall remain in full force and effect. 
 (h) This Agreement shall be
governed by, and construed and enforced in accordance with, the substantive laws of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, without regard to its principles of conflicts of laws. 

  

					
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 (i) This Agreement may be executed in more than one counterpart and signature pages may be
exchanged by facsimile or pdf. For purposes of this Agreement, a signed copy shall have the same force and effect as an original signed agreement. 

[remainder of this page intentionally left blank] 

  

					
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 IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have executed this Agreement under seal as of the day and
year first above written. 
  

			
	Acer Therapeutics Inc.
		
	By:	 	 /s/ Christopher Schelling

	Name: Christopher Schelling
	Title: Interim CEO, COO
	
	Date: February 5, 2016
	
	Consultant
		
	By:	 	 /s/ Harry S. Palmin

	Name: Harry Palmin
	
	Date: February 5, 2016

  

					
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 Exhibit A 

Description of the Work 
 Provide support
for the business operations and finance 
 Help transition key information and processes to Acer management or Executive Assistant 

  

					
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 Exhibit B 

Description of Compensation 
 $20,000
per month, for three (3) months, payable via Acer payroll (distributed every other week, and subject to normal taxes and withholdings). All compensation and expense reimbursements to be paid under this Agreement shall be paid
to the Consultant in U.S. Dollars. 

  

					
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 Exhibit 10.23 

Acer Therapeutics Inc. 

First Amendment to Consulting Agreement 

This FIRST AMENDMENT TO CONSULTING AGREEMENT is made effective as of May 5, 2016 (the “Effective Date”) by and between Acer
Therapeutics Inc. (the “Company”) and Harry Palmin (the “Consultant”). 
 WITNESSETH 

WHEREAS, the Company and the Consultant are parties to a Consulting Agreement made as of February 5, 2016 (the “Agreement”);
and 
 WHEREAS, the Company and the Consultant desire to amend the Agreement as set forth herein. 

NOW THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual covenants contained herein, the Company and the Consultant agree that Section 8(a), Exhibit
A and Exhibit B of the Agreement are deleted in their entirety and the following Section 8(a) and Exhibits shall be inserted in lieu thereof: 

Section 8(a): 
 This Agreement was originally
effective as of February 5, 2016, continued until May 5, 2016, and shall now continue for an additional six-month term until November 5, 2016, unless this Agreement is terminated as provided in
this Section 8 (the “Term”). For avoidance of doubt, Sections 8(b)-(f) remain unchanged. The Company and Consultant may subsequently extend the Term in six month increments by mutual written agreement via email. 

EXHIBIT A 
 Description of the Work 

Consultant is hereby retained as a consultant to the Company in the capacity of Acting Chief Financial Officer, reporting to the Chief Executive Officer. The
scope of these services includes but is not limited to: finance and business operations; financial reporting, business controls, treasury and risk management; business and financial planning; collaboration with senior management; administering and
implementing online portals (Citizens Bank, ADP, Box, QuickBooks, Expensify, Boardvantage, etc.); assisting the CEO with strategic and/or financing transactions and board interactions. 

EXHIBIT B 
 Description of Compensation 

$20,000 per month, until the earlier of June 30, 2016 or the Term of this Agreement, payable via Acer payroll (payable at $10,000 twice per month, mid and
month-end, and subject to normal taxes and withholdings). $22,000 per month, starting with July 1, 2016 and during the Term of this Agreement (payable at $11,000 twice per month, mid and month-end). All compensation and expense reimbursements to be paid under this Agreement shall be paid to the Consultant in U.S. Dollars. 

  

					
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 IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have executed this First Amendment as of the Effective
Date. 
  

	
	ACER THERAPEUTICS INC.
	
	By: /s/ Chris Schelling                                
	Name: Chris Schelling
	Title:   President and CEO
	
	Date: May 20, 2016
	
	CONSULTANT
	
	By: /s/ Harry S. Palmin                                
	Name: Harry Palmin
	
	Date:   May 20, 2016

  

					
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