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http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Geron-Provides-Update-on-bw-4046364498.html?x=0&.v=1
MENLO PARK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Geron Corporation (Nasdaq:GERN - News) today announced that the activities of TA Therapeutics, its joint venture with Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), are being fully consolidated into Geron.
TA Therapeutics, Ltd. (TAT) was established in 2005 to further the development of small molecule telomerase activators identified in a scientific collaboration between scientists at Geron and HKUST. The company was established as a 50/50 joint venture with Geron contributing intellectual property rights and HKUST providing operating capital. In a 2007 restructuring, Geron’s ownership interest increased to 75%. Under the new arrangement, the telomerase activator program will continue as an internal Geron program, and all intellectual property of TAT has been assigned to Geron. HKUST will be entitled to receive a royalty on future sales of drugs covered by that intellectual property.
Several telomerase activator drug candidates have been advanced into early efficacy studies, including animal models of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and in vitro studies employing immune cells from HIV patients. Geron plans to continue those studies in order to advance a compound to the clinic.
“We have very much appreciated our partnership with HKUST, which dates from 2000 on the discovery of small molecule telomerase activators by screening libraries of natural product extracts,” said David L. Greenwood, Geron’s executive vice president and chief financial officer. “The ongoing preclinical development of drug candidates will be funded and conducted by Geron, and it is an appropriate time for us to conclude the joint venture.”
Controlled activation of the enzyme telomerase may restore the regenerative and functional capacity of cells in various organ systems impacted by senescence, injury or chronic disease. Geron scientists and collaborators have investigated potential therapeutic application of small molecule activators using in vitro and in vivo models of human disease, including:
Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF): IPF is a chronic, progressive disease of the lung characterized by inflammation and fibrosis of the organ. There are currently no drugs that have been shown to slow the fibrotic process in lung disease or other organs. Administration of a small molecule telomerase activator in an animal model of IPF resulted in increased telomerase activity in the lung tissue, reduced inflammation, preserved functional lung tissue, slowed disease progression and attenuated loss of pulmonary function. This is the first demonstration that a telomerase activator can affect fibrotic disease progression in a model system. The data were presented at the American Thoracic Society 2010 International Conference in New Orleans, LA by Geron collaborator Dr. Claude Jourdan Le Saux from the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.
HIV/AIDS: Most non-dividing cells show little or no telomerase activity, but telomerase is up-regulated by cells that must repeatedly divide, such as T-cells responding to viral antigens. However, during chronic HIV-1 infection, T-cells exhaust their ability to up-regulate telomerase, leading to critically short telomeres and other changes associated with replicative senescence, reducing their antiviral activity. In vitro studies showed that human CD8+ T-cells from HIV-infected donors exposed to a small molecule telomerase activator exhibited increased telomerase activity, resulting in retardation of telomere shortening, an increase in T-cell proliferation, and enhancement of critical antiviral functions against HIV-1. These studies were conducted by Dr. Rita B. Effros and colleagues at UCLA in collaboration with Geron scientists and published in the November 15, 2008 issue of the Journal of Immunology.
Maybe they felt like they needed to say something like that to balance out the people who were saying that the announcement to allow exchange rate flexibility was significant.
It's been a roller coaster for sure. I wanted to double my position under $2 but I'm already overweight and the wife argued against concentrating too much of a portfolio in one position.
Some of their science seems to be a little underwhelming (telomerase), but the spinal cord stem cells should hopefully give us a nice pop soon.
I don't think that you owe if you weren't short on the seventh. If I didn't go long until the 15th, I certainly wouldn't expect to collect a dividend that was payable on 6-20 to shareholders of record on 5-7. How about that GERN!
As you say, Maine, the record date was May 7. If youi were short on that date, you owe.
http://www.bp.com/extendedsectiongenericarticle.do?categoryId=137&contentId=7038569
Bullz have BALLZ! <g>
The longs cut 'em off...
Zab, We just came thru the worst gloom and doom in several generations... Usually, after something like that, we can expect an equal amount of "TO THE MOON!!!"
OT Naw... Been working in the yard....
Or a week or two from now...
Sharp, hard corrections are a sign of a BULL market...
Some places, if they find a wad of cash in your car, they just confiscate it and use it for what they want.
http://www2.statesville.com/content/2010/feb/17/new-patrol-cars-be-paid-seized-drug-money/
I think that adage applies to the return expected from sometime in May until the fall, maybe October or November, not just May. In any case, I like markets that go up.
Crazytown? I guess that sounds better than Bartertown... "Two men enter - One man leaves. Two men enter - One man leaves."
Where is everyone today? Ihub functional?
Been taking that trade every day for a while, see no reason to stop until it quits working...
OT How would the workings of the sun and sunspots be influenced by anything human beings have done? Is there any theory that supports this?
So what's an S-3 and what's it imply?
Update on AACR presentations...
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Geron-Gives-Five-bw-27896764.html?x=0&.v=1
MENLO PARK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Geron Corporation (Nasdaq:GERN - News) today announced five presentations by Geron scientists and collaborators on the company’s telomerase inhibitor, imetelstat sodium (GRN163L), including the drug’s activity against cancer stem cells, at the 101st American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) annual meeting held in Washington D.C. Telomerase was a featured topic of over 30 presentations, including two dedicated sessions, underlining, as in previous AACR annual meetings, the importance of telomerase as a cancer target.
Geron plans to initiate four Phase 2 clinical trials of imetelstat in 2010 – two randomized trials in non-small cell lung cancer and breast cancer, and two single arm trials in multiple myeloma and essential thrombocythemia.
The randomized Phase 2 trial in non-small cell lung cancer will examine the impact of imetelstat on progression-free survival when used in the maintenance setting, after remission-induction by first line chemotherapy. The randomized Phase 2 trial in breast cancer will examine the effect on progression-free survival achieved by adding imetelstat to the first line chemotherapy combination of paclitaxel and bevacizumab. These studies plan to enroll over 250 patients in up to 70 U.S. medical centers.
“The data presented at AACR by Geron and our collaborators once again highlight the importance of telomerase as a cancer stem cell target and the broad anti-cancer stem cell properties of imetelstat in preclinical models,” said Stephen M. Kelsey, M.D., Geron’s executive vice president and chief medical officer, oncology. “We are excited about our Phase 2 clinical program for imetelstat, which targets malignancies that are thought to be driven, at least in part, by cancer stem cells and we look forward to initiating our first randomized Phase 2 trial in non-small cell lung cancer in the coming months.”
In Vivo and In Vitro Inhibition of Multiple Types of Cancer Stem Cells by the Novel Telomerase Inhibitor Imetelstat (GRN163L)
A series of preclinical study results showing efficacy of imetelstat against cancer stem cells from multiple tumor types were presented by Geron scientists and collaborators William Matsui, M.D., at the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, Baltimore; Caterina La Porta, Ph.D., at the Department of Biomolecular Science and Biotechnology, University of Milan, Italy; Uri Tabori, M.D., at The Arthur and Sonia Labatt Brain Tumour Research Centre, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto; Harley Kornblum, M.D., Ph.D., at UCLA’s Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center and Brittney-Shea Herbert, Ph.D., at the Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Cancer Center and IU School of Medicine, Indianapolis.
Preclinical studies have shown that in nine out of nine tumor types tested, imetelstat exhibits potent activity against cancer stem cells derived from primary patient samples or cancer cell lines. The current presentation highlighted the effects of imetelstat on myeloma, melanoma, breast, pancreatic, pediatric glioma, neuroblastoma, and glioblastoma stem cells. Imetelstat inhibited cancer stem cell proliferation, clonogenic capacity and spheroid formation in vitro and significantly reduced the establishment and growth of tumors in xenograft models. The data provide strong rationale for the clinical use of imetelstat to target cancer stem cells in multiple tumor types.
Cancer stem cells are small populations of cells within tumors believed to be responsible for initiating tumor growth, recurrence and metastasis. Cancer stem cells are capable of indefinite self-renewal because of high telomerase activity, and can differentiate into all malignant cells found in a particular tumor type. Cancer stem cells often show resistance to standard therapies resulting in renewed proliferation and differentiation, leading to disease relapse.
Role of Telomerase in Normal and Neoplastic Stem Cells
An oral presentation was delivered by Geron collaborator Prof. Jerry Shay, Ph.D., from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, as part of the Major Symposium: Role of Telomeres and Telomerase in Chromosomal Stability and Disease. A recorded webcast of this presentation will be available for replay from the AACR website, http://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.aacr.org&esheet=6260293&lan=en_US&anchor=www.aacr.org&index=1&md5=50c75419692695d9e0da005a5a6bf93e, approximately 15 business days after the end of the conference.
The presentation included data from studies using immortalized and transformed human bronchial epithelial cells as an experimental model of lung cancer that suggests a single multipotent stem cell origin of lung cancers. The presentation also included data demonstrating the utility of imetelstat for targeting cancer stem cells in model systems. Preclinical studies showed in vitro and in vivo efficacy of imetelstat against human brain tumor stem cells, including the drug’s ability to penetrate the blood-brain tumor barrier in an orthotopic xenograft model. Prof. Shay also reviewed Geron’s current clinical oncology program using imetelstat highlighting the company's pioneering role in targeting telomerase as a potential anti-cancer therapy.
Imetelstat Inhibits Telomerase Activity in Xenograft Tumors and Bone Marrow Cells and Inhibits Tumor Growth in Xenograft Models at Plasma Levels Equivalent to Those Achieved in Geron’s Phase 1 Trials
Imetelstat has been shown to inhibit telomerase activity and reduce tumor growth in a dose-dependent fashion in multiple xenograft models of human cancer. The data presented by Geron scientists from in vivo xenograft studies showed the relationship between inhibition of telomerase and reduction of tumor growth, and plasma concentrations of imetelstat. When compared to interim pharmacokinetic analyses of the Phase 1 trial in patients with solid tumors, the data showed that plasma concentrations of imetelstat achieved in patients are higher than plasma concentrations at which efficacy was observed in xenograft models. In addition, telomerase inhibition has been observed during preliminary pre- and post-treatment analyses of target (bone marrow) and surrogate (peripheral blood mononuclear cells) patient tissue samples from the Phase 1 trials in multiple myeloma and solid tumors, respectively.
Sensitivity and Resistance of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer to the Telomerase Inhibitor Imetelstat
Preclinical study data presented by Geron collaborators Ms. Robin Frink and colleagues at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas showed that continued treatment of NSCLC cell lines with imetelstat inhibited telomerase activity, resulting in decreases in telomere lengths and slowed cell growth rates in vitro.
Lung cancer is the most frequent cause of cancer-related deaths in the U.S., according to the American Cancer Society, and telomerase is essential for sustained cell proliferation in virtually all lung cancers. A Geron-sponsored randomized Phase 2 clinical trial will be initiated in the coming months to explore the impact of imetelstat used in the maintenance setting after first-line induction chemotherapy for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
Telomerase Inhibition Affects Fludarabine Sensitivity in Quiescent Primary Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Lymphocytes
Telomerase activity and telomere length have been shown to be strong prognostic factors in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), the most common adult leukemia. Geron has conducted a Phase 1 study of imetelstat in patients with chronic lymphoproliferative disease (CLD).
CLL exists in patients as slowly accumulating resting, as well as proliferating lymphocytes. Data presented by May Shawi, Ph.D. and colleagues at McGill University and Lady David Institute, Montreal in collaboration with Geron scientists showed in vitro that while telomerase activity is not required for the survival of quiescent primary CLL lymphocytes, telomerase is required after treatment with fludarabine (standard treatment for CLL). These results suggest that imetelstat in combination with fludarabine may be a strategy to decrease tumor burden in CLL.
About Telomerase and Imetelstat (GRN163L)
Telomerase is a critical and broadly applicable tumor target. The enzyme is expressed in a wide range of malignant tumors, and its activity is essential for the indefinite replicative capacity of cancer that enables malignant cell growth. Telomerase is absent or expressed only transiently at low levels in most normal adult tissues.
Imetelstat is a short chain oligonucleotide that binds with high affinity and specificity to the catalytic site of telomerase, resulting in competitive inhibition of enzyme activity. Proprietary manufacturing chemistry and the addition of a 5' lipid chain have enabled the molecule to penetrate cells and tissues throughout the body.
Imetelstat has been tested in six Geron-sponsored Phase 1 clinical trials at 22 U.S. medical centers treating over 180 patients to examine the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of the drug, alone or in combination with other standard therapies in patients with different hematological and solid tumors. Four of the trials have completed patient enrollment. Two randomized Phase 2 clinical trials for imetelstat will start this year in non-small cell lung and breast cancer, and two single arm Phase 2 clinical trials will begin in multiple myeloma and essential thrombocythemia – all malignancies in which cancer stem cells have been shown to play an important role in relapse after standard therapy.
About Geron
Geron is developing first-in-class biopharmaceuticals for the treatment of cancer and chronic degenerative diseases, including spinal cord injury, heart failure and diabetes. The company is advancing an anti-cancer drug and a cancer vaccine that target the enzyme telomerase through multiple clinical trials in different cancers. For more information, visit http://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.geron.com&esheet=6260293&lan=en_US&anchor=www.geron.com&index=2&md5=0f3595ad351bfa4f662368260ccf4bc0.
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 statements in this press release regarding potential applications of Geron’s oncology/telomerase technology constitute forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, risks inherent in the development and commercialization of potential products, uncertainty of clinical trial results or regulatory approvals or clearances, need for future capital, dependence upon collaborators 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 annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2009.
Interesting... I've seen you mention "signposts" in the past... In your experience, are they reliable enough to trade on?
It doesn't seem very meaningful unless that is at or near the low of the day, and that's not likely.
I expect that the LOD will be substantially below that.
My data calls the low at 2027.73
Hello, Biopearl,
GernTalk is back up. Some areas are under construction, but the Blog is functional.
Here's what Mr. John Galt had to say about the situation...
Technical Issues:
Dear Gern Talk Members,
As you may have noticed, we experienced a technical issue this past week. I want to assure you we are making every effort to return to full capacity shortly. The fixes to the main Gern Talk blog are nearly complete, however, at this time, the forum is still undergoing repairs.
Here is a quick Situation Report:
The technical issue was caused by the web provider where we host our site: WebHost4life. The company is one of the major hosting services on the web hosting over 60,000 domains but from what we understand they recently changed ownership. For reasons still unknown to us, WebHost4Life decided to migrate a mass of websites, including Gern Talk, to a new infrastructure. This migration was a disaster which left both the old servers and new servers non-functional.
We were left last week with no email, no websites, no way to post a note, and no way to access our data in order to set up on another service. We just had to grit our teeth and 'take it' as WebHost4Life blithely unwound the mess they themselves created. For the most part they were completely unresponsive to our appeals for help and there was no perceivable change in the pace of their work from either requests or threats.
Needless to say, we do not recommend WebHost4Life for your webhosting needs.
We are working hard to restore the forum and hope to have it up and running soon.
Our full apologies for the sudden outage Gern Talkers, rest assured we will not let this bump in the road keep us down. We will be back to 100% soon
John Galt
I have no knowledge or connections related to the administrators of the site, but I also miss the information and discussion that has been available there.
Pickens just said that his 82nd birthday is coming up shortly... Gives a whole new meaning to the word stamina...
Gerntalk must be having issues. I cannot connect either. Perhaps someone there will notice our posts and work on it.
Good luck Zab
Stops... Can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em...
GERN... a little short covering in the cards?
Ah well, maybe later...
One of these days, Geron is gonna take off and never look back...
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Presentations-on-Gerons-bw-250515117.html?x=0&.v=1
OT - Doesn't sound possible... Your hatred of Bush sounded complete and total...
Hey Lee You might need to start watching CNBC a little closer. They just posted a screen with the mini futures and said they were going to start reporting on them regularly. Isn't that what you trade? CNBC might become indespensible to you.
Probably be about enough to buy the groceries and a six-pack on Friday night.
The United States Census Bureau considers a baby boomer to be someone born during the demographic birth boom between 1946 and 1964. So your point rings true, but the effect will last substantially longer than 9 years.
I see that the Nasdaq 100 is up about 82% since the bottom in March, but QLD is up about 215%. Pretty impressive.
Do you find such comparisons useful (profitable)? It seems a lot like saying "First day after MLK holiday has seen cold wet weather in the last 10 years." Would that be a valid basis for forcasting Tuesday's weather? Is it your experience that such market comparisons are valid trading signals?
Another Apple First...
Apple announced today that it has developed a breast implant that can store and play music. The iTit will cost from $499 to $699, depending on cup and speaker size. This is considered a major social breakthrough, because women are always complaining about men staring at their breasts and not listening to them.