SECONDAMENDMENT TO LOAN AND SECURITY AGREEMENT

[ * ] = CERTAIN CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS DOCUMENT, MARKED BY BRACKETS, HAS BEEN OMITTED AND FILED SEPARATELY WITH THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION PURSUANT TO RULE 24b-2 OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934, AS AMENDED.

Exhibit 10.1

SECOND AMENDMENT TO

LOAN AND SECURITY AGREEMENT

THIS SECOND AMENDMENT to Loan and Security Agreement (this “Amendment”) is entered into as of September 29, 2015, by and between OXFORD FINANCE LLC, a Delaware limited liability company with an office located at 133 North Fairfax Street, Alexandria, Virginia 22314 (“Oxford”), as collateral agent (in such capacity, “Collateral Agent”), the Lenders listed on Schedule 1.1 of the Loan Agreement (as defined below) or otherwise party thereto from time to time (each a “Lender” and collectively, the “Lenders”) including Oxford in its capacity as a Lender and CERUS CORPORATION, a Delaware corporation with offices located at 2550 Stanwell Drive, Concord, CA 94520 (“Borrower”).

RECITALS

A. Collateral Agent, Lenders and Borrower have entered into that certain Loan and Security Agreement dated as of June 30, 2014, as amended by that certain First Amendment to Loan and Security Agreement dated as of January 30, 2015 (as the same may from time to time be amended, modified, supplemented or restated, the “Loan Agreement”).

B. Lenders have extended credit to Borrower for the purposes permitted in the Loan Agreement.

C. Borrower has requested that Collateral Agent and Lenders (i) modify the repayment terms and (ii) make certain other revisions to the Loan Agreement as more fully set forth herein.

D. Collateral Agent and Lenders have agreed to modify such consent and to amend certain provisions of the Loan Agreement, but only to the extent, in accordance with the terms, subject to the conditions and in reliance upon the representations and warranties set forth below.

AGREEMENT

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the foregoing recitals and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and adequacy of which is hereby acknowledged, and intending to be legally bound, the parties hereto agree as follows:

1. Definitions. Capitalized terms used but not defined in this Amendment shall have the meanings given to them in the Loan Agreement.

2. Amendments to Loan Agreement.

2.1 Section 2.2 (Term Loans). Section 2.2(b) of the Loan Agreement hereby is amended and restated in its entirety to read as follows:

“(b) Repayment. Borrower shall make monthly payments of interest only commencing on the first (1^st) Payment Date following the Funding Date of each Term Loan, and continuing on the Payment Date of each successive month thereafter through and including the Payment Date immediately preceding the Amortization Date. Borrower agrees to pay, on the Funding Date of each Term Loan, any initial partial monthly interest payment otherwise due for the period between the Funding Date of such Term Loan and the first Payment Date thereof. Commencing on the Amortization Date, and continuing on the Payment Date of each month thereafter, Borrower shall make consecutive equal monthly payments of principal and interest, in arrears, to each Lender, as calculated by Collateral Agent (which calculations shall be deemed correct absent manifest error) based upon: (1) the amount of such Lender’s Term Loan, (2) the effective rate of interest, as determined in Section 2.3(a), and (3) a repayment schedule equal to (x) if the Amortization Date is July 1, 2016, then thirty-six (36) months and (y) if the Amortization

Date is January 1, 2017, then thirty (30) months. All unpaid principal and accrued and unpaid interest with respect to each Term Loan is due and payable in full on the Maturity Date. Each Term Loan may only be prepaid in accordance with Sections 2.2(c) and 2.2(d).”

2.2 Section 6.2 (Financial Statements, Reports, Certificates). Section 6.2(b) of the Loan Agreement hereby is amended and restated in its entirety to read as follows:

“(b) Concurrently with the delivery of the financial statements specified in Section 6.2(a)(i)(x) above but no later than [ * ] days after the last day of the last month of each fiscal quarter, deliver to each Lender, a duly completed Compliance Certificate signed by a Responsible Officer.”

2.3 Section 13.1 (Definitions). The following terms and their respective definitions hereby are added or amended and restated in their entirety, as applicable, to Section 13.1 of the Loan Agreement as follows:

“Amortization Date” is, with respect to each Term Loan, July 1, 2016; provided that if Collateral Agent and Lenders receive evidence, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to Collateral Agent and Lenders, of the occurrence of the Interest Only Extension Event, then the “Amortization Date” shall be January 1, 2017.

“Interest Only Extension Event” is receipt of evidence by, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to, Collateral Agent and Lenders, Borrower’s achievement on a consolidated basis of trailing six (6) months’ revenue of at least [ * ] ($[ * ]) for the period ending May 31, 2016.

“Third Draw Period” is the period commencing on the date of the occurrence of the Term C Loan Revenue Event and ending on the earlier of (i) June 30, 2016, (ii) the date sixty (60) days after the date of the Term C Loan Revenue Event and (iii) the occurrence of an Event of Default; provided, however, that the Third Draw Period shall not commence if on the date of the occurrence of the PMA Event an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing; provided further, however, that the Third Draw Period shall not commence if Borrower has not achieved the Term C Loan Revenue Event for the period otherwise ending immediately prior to the Funding Date of the Term C Loan.

3. Limitation of Amendment.

3.1 The amendments set forth in Section 2 above, are effective for the purposes set forth herein and shall be limited precisely as written and shall not be deemed to (a) be a consent to any amendment, waiver or modification of any other term or condition of any Loan Document, or (b) otherwise prejudice any right or remedy which Collateral Agent or any Lender may now have or may have in the future under or in connection with any Loan Document.

3.2 This Amendment shall be construed in connection with and as part of the Loan Documents and all terms, conditions, representations, warranties, covenants and agreements set forth in the Loan Documents, except as herein amended, are hereby ratified and confirmed and shall remain in full force and effect.

4. Representations and Warranties. To induce Collateral Agent and Lenders to enter into this Amendment, Borrower hereby represents and warrants to Collateral Agent and Lenders as follows:

4.1 Immediately after giving effect to this Amendment (a) the representations and warranties contained in the Loan Documents are true, accurate and complete in all material respects as of the date hereof (except to the extent such representations and warranties relate to an earlier date, in which case they are true and correct as of such date), and (b) no Event of Default has occurred and is continuing;

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[ * ] = CERTAIN CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS DOCUMENT, MARKED BY BRACKETS, HAS BEEN OMITTED AND FILED SEPARATELY WITH THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION PURSUANT TO RULE 24b-2 OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934, AS AMENDED.

4.2 Borrower has the power and authority to execute and deliver this Amendment and to perform its obligations under the Loan Agreement, as amended by this Amendment;

4.3 The organizational documents of Borrower delivered to Collateral Agent and Lenders on the Effective Date, or subsequent thereto, remain true, accurate and complete and have not been amended, supplemented or restated and are and continue to be in full force and effect;

4.4 The execution and delivery by Borrower of this Amendment and the performance by Borrower of its obligations under the Loan Agreement, as amended by this Amendment, have been duly authorized;

4.5 The execution and delivery by Borrower of this Amendment and the performance by Borrower of its obligations under the Loan Agreement, as amended by this Amendment, do not and will not contravene (a) any law or regulation binding on or affecting Borrower, (b) any contractual restriction with a Person binding on Borrower, (c) any order, judgment or decree of any court or other governmental or public body or authority, or subdivision thereof, binding on Borrower, or (d) the organizational documents of Borrower;

4.6 The execution and delivery by Borrower of this Amendment and the performance by Borrower of its obligations under the Loan Agreement, as amended by this Amendment, do not require any order, consent, approval, license, authorization or validation of, or filing, recording or registration with, or exemption by any governmental or public body or authority, or subdivision thereof, binding on Borrower; and

4.7 This Amendment has been duly executed and delivered by Borrower and is the binding obligation of Borrower, enforceable against Borrower in accordance with its terms, except as such enforceability may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, liquidation, moratorium or other similar laws of general application and equitable principles relating to or affecting creditors’ rights.

5. Counterparts. This Amendment may be executed in any number of counterparts and all of such counterparts taken together shall be deemed to constitute one and the same instrument.

6. Effectiveness. This Amendment shall be deemed effective upon (i) the due execution and delivery to Collateral Agent and Lenders of this Amendment by each party hereto, (ii) Borrower’s payment to Oxford, of an amendment fee in an amount equal to Fifty Thousand Dollars ($50,000), which may be debited from any of Borrower’s accounts and (iii) Borrower’s payment of all Lenders’ Expenses incurred through the date of this Amendment.

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[ * ] = CERTAIN CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS DOCUMENT, MARKED BY BRACKETS, HAS BEEN OMITTED AND FILED SEPARATELY WITH THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION PURSUANT TO RULE 24b-2 OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934, AS AMENDED.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Amendment to be duly executed and delivered as of the date first written above.

COLLATERAL AGENT AND LENDER:

OXFORD FINANCE LLC

BORROWER:

CERUS CORPORATION

[Signature Page to Second Amendment to Loan and Security Agreement]

[ * ] = CERTAIN CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS DOCUMENT, MARKED BY BRACKETS, HAS BEEN OMITTED AND FILED SEPARATELY WITH THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION PURSUANT TO RULE 24b-2 OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934, AS AMENDED.