Kirkland advised Arya Sciences Acquisition Corp. II (Nasdaq: ARYBU) (“Arya II”), a special purpose acquisition company sponsored by Perceptive Advisors, on its business combination agreement with Cerevel Therapeutics, Inc., a company dedicated to unraveling the mysteries of the brain to treat neuroscience diseases. The combined company is expected to have an initial market capitalization of approximately $1.3 billion. Upon closing of the transaction, Arya II will redomicile as a Delaware corporation and be renamed Cerevel Therapeutics Holdings, Inc. and it is expected that its common shares will be listed on Nasdaq under the ticker symbol “CERE”.  A group of premier healthcare investors has committed to participate in the transaction through a common stock PIPE of approximately $320 million. Completion of the transaction is expected by the fourth quarter of 2020 and is subject to customary closing conditions. Read the press release from Cerevel Therapeutics and Arya Sciences Acquisition Corp II The Kirkland team was led by transactional partners Jonathan Davis and Ryan Brissette and associate David Towarnicky, capital markets partners Christian Nagler and Peter Seligson and associate Aaron Schleicher, tax partner Sara Zablotney and associate Scott Fryman, and executive compensation partner Michael Krasnovsky.