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 3, 2016

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CAPRICOR THERAPEUTICS, INC.

(Exact name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)

(310) 358-3200

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

Not Applicable

(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:

Capricor Therapeutics, Inc., a Delaware corporation, has been informed by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (“CIRM”) that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Capricor, Inc., has been recommended for a grant award in the amount of approximately $3.38 million to fund its Phase I/II HOPE-Duchenne clinical trial investigating CAP-1002 for the treatment of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy-related cardiomyopathy.  The award is subject to final approval being given by the Application Review Subcommittee of the Independent Citizens’ Oversight Committee of CIRM and the satisfaction of other conditions.  The terms of the award and the disbursement schedule have not yet been determined. 

The information contained in this Current Report on Form 8-K is being furnished and shall not be deemed to be “filed” 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 and shall not be incorporated by reference in any filing under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Exchange Act, except as shall be expressly set forth by specific reference in such filing.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Statements in this Current Report on Form 8-K regarding the potential receipt of a grant award and any other statements about Capricor’s management team’s future expectations, beliefs, goals, plans or prospects constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Any statements that are not statements of historical fact (including statements containing the words “believes,” “plans,” “could,” “anticipates,” “expects,” “estimates,” “should,” “target,” “will,” “would” and similar expressions) should also be considered to be forward-looking statements. There are a number of important factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements. More information about these and other risks that may impact Capricor’s business are set forth in Capricor’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 16, 2015, in its Registration Statement on Form S-3, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 28, 2015, and in its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2015, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on November 13, 2015. All forward-looking statements in this Current Report on Form 8-K are based on information available to Capricor as of the date hereof, and Capricor assumes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements.

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.