As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 13, 2025

Registration No. 333-   

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM S-8

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

Under

The Securities Act of 1933

CANDEL THERAPEUTICS, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Candel Therapeutics, Inc. 2021 Stock Option and Incentive Plan

Candel Therapeutics, Inc. 2021 Employee Stock Purchase Plan

(Full title of the plans)

Paul Peter Tak, M.D., Ph.D.

President and Chief Executive Officer

Candel Therapeutics, Inc.

117 Kendrick St, Suite 450

Needham, MA 02494

(Name and address of agent for service)

(617) 916-5445

(Telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

Copies to:

William D. Collins, Esq.

Finnbarr D. Murphy, Esq.

Goodwin Procter LLP

100 Northern Avenue

Boston, Massachusetts 02210

(617) 570-1000

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

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 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act. ☐

EXPLANATORY NOTE

This registration statement on Form S-8 relating to the 2021 Stock Option and Incentive Plan (the “2021 Plan”) and the 2021 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (“the “2021 ESPP”) (together, the “Plans”) of Candel Therapeutics, Inc. is being filed for the purpose of registering additional securities of the same class as other securities for which a registration statement on Form S-8 relating to the Plans has previously been filed and is effective. Accordingly, pursuant to General Instruction E, the information contained in the registrant’s registration statements on Form S-8 (File Nos. 333-258279, 333-263961, 333-270967 and 333-278294) is hereby incorporated by reference and made a part of this registration statement, except as presented below in Part II, Item 8. Exhibits.

Part II

INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT

EXHIBIT INDEX

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the Town of Needham, State of Massachusetts, on this 13th day of March, 2025.

POWER OF ATTORNEY AND SIGNATURES

KNOW ALL BY THESE PRESENT, that each individual whose signature appears below hereby constitutes and appoints each of Paul Peter Tak, M.D., Ph.D. and Charles Schoch, as such person’s true and lawful attorney-in-fact and agent with full power of substitution and resubstitution, for such person in such person’s name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign any and all amendments (including post-effective amendments) to this Registration Statement on Form S-8, and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto, and all documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission granting unto each said attorney-in-fact and agent full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done in and about the premises, as fully to all intents and purposes as such person might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that any said attorney-in-fact and agent, or any substitute or substitutes of any of them, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this Registration Statement has been signed by the following person in the capacities and on the date indicated.

EXHIBIT 5.1

				Goodwin Procter LLP 100 Northern Avenue Boston, MA 02210 goodwinlaw.com +1 617 570 1000

March 13, 2025

Candel Therapeutics, Inc.

117 Kendrick St, Suite 450

Needham, MA 02494

We have acted as your counsel in connection with your filing of a Registration Statement on Form S-8 (the “Registration Statement”) pursuant to the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), on or about the date hereof relating to an aggregate of 2,165,419 shares (the “Shares”) of Common Stock, par value $0.01 per share (“Common Stock”), of Candel Therapeutics, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), that may be issued pursuant to the Company’s 2021 Stock Option and Incentive Plan and 2021 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (collectively, the “Plans”).

We have reviewed such documents and made such examination of law as we have deemed appropriate to give the opinion set forth below. We have relied, without independent verification, on certificates of public officials and, as to matters of fact material to the opinion set forth below, on certificates of officers of the Company.

For purposes of the opinion set forth below, we have assumed that, at the time Shares are issued, the total number of then unissued Shares, when added to the number of shares of Common Stock issued, subscribed for, or otherwise committed to be issued, does not exceed the number of shares of Common Stock authorized by the Company’s certificate of incorporation.

The opinion set forth below is limited to the Delaware General Corporation Law.

Based on the foregoing, we are of the opinion that the Shares have been duly authorized and, when delivered against payment therefor in accordance with the terms of the Plans, will be validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable.

This opinion letter and the opinion it contains shall be interpreted in accordance with the Core Opinion Principles as published in 74 Business Lawyer 815 (Summer 2019).

Candel Therapeutics, Inc.

March 13, 2025

Page 2

We hereby consent to the inclusion of this opinion as Exhibit 5.1 to the Registration Statement. In giving our consent, we do not admit that we are in the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Securities Act or the rules and regulations thereunder.

Exhibit 23.1

Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

We consent to the use of our report dated March 13, 2025, with respect to the consolidated financial statements of Candel Therapeutics, Inc., incorporated herein by reference.

/s/ KPMG LLP

Boston, Massachusetts

March 13, 2025

KPMG LLP, a Delaware limited liability partnership and a member firm of

the KPMG global organization of independent member firms affiliated with

KPMG International Limited, a private English company limited by guarantee.

Exhibit 107

CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

Form S-8

(Form Type)

Candel Therapeutics, Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Newly Registered Securities