Geron Announces Dismissal of Patent Interference Appeals
MENLO PARK, Calif., Sept. 6, 2006 –– Geron Corporation (Nasdaq: GERN) today announced the dismissal of appeals of two patent interference decisions pending before the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and relating to patents covering nuclear transfer (cloning) technology.
Geron acquired rights to this technology from the Roslin Institute in 1999 and subsequently initiated patent interferences with conflicting patents held by the University of Massachusetts. The Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences of the U.S. Patent Office ruled in favor of Geron on all counts in both interferences, and the university and its licensee, Advanced Cell Technology (ACT), filed appeals. Both of those appeals have now been dismissed with prejudice by the university and ACT.
In 2005, Geron and Exeter Life Sciences established a joint venture company, stART Licensing, Inc., to manage and license intellectual property rights for animal reproductive technologies. Geron has retained all rights to the technology for use in human cells. The dismissals of the patent interference appeals were part of an agreement reached between stART Licensing, the university and ACT.
Geron is a Menlo Park, Calif.–based biopharmaceutical company that is developing and intends to commercialize first–in–class therapeutic products for the treatment of cancer and degenerative diseases, including spinal cord injury, heart failure, diabetes and HIV/AIDS. Geron’s products are based on the company’s core expertise in telomerase biology and human embryonic stem cells. For more information, visit www.geron.com.
This news release may contain forward–looking statements made pursuant to the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Investors are cautioned that such forward–looking statements in this press release regarding Geron’s intellectual property rights constitute forward–looking statements involving risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, risks inherent in the development and commercialization of potential products, need for additional capital, reliance on collaborators, need for regulatory approvals or clearances, and maintenance of our intellectual property rights. Actual results may differ materially from the results anticipated in these forward–looking statements. Additional information on potential factors that could affect our results and other risks and uncertainties are detailed from time to time in Geron’s periodic reports, including the quarterly report on Form 10–Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2006.
CONTACTS:
Media: David Schull, Noonan Russo, 858–546–4810, david.schull@eurorscg.com
