XML 73 R19.htm IDEA: XBRL DOCUMENT v2.4.0.8
LICENSE AGREEMENTS
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2013
LICENSE AGREEMENTS  
LICENSE AGREEMENTS

12. LICENSE AGREEMENTS

GE Healthcare UK Limited

        In June 2009, we entered into a worldwide exclusive license and alliance agreement with GE Healthcare UK, Limited, or GEHC, to develop and commercialize cellular assay products derived from human embryonic stem cells, or hESCs, for use in drug discovery, development and toxicity screening. We established a multi-year alliance program with GEHC under which scientists from both companies worked to develop hESC-based products for drug discovery. In connection with the agreement, we received upfront non -refundable license payments from GEHC. Under the alliance program, GEHC was responsible for all costs incurred by GEHC and all costs incurred by us for activities undertaken at Geron, including the funding of our scientists who worked on the alliance program.

        The upfront non-refundable license payments under the GEHC agreement were recorded as deferred revenue upon receipt and were recognized ratably as revenue over the alliance program period as a result of our continuing involvement with the collaboration. Funding received for our efforts under the alliance program was recognized as revenue as costs were incurred, which reflected our level of effort over the period of the alliance program.

        In connection with the GEHC agreement, we recognized $300,000 for the year ended December 31, 2011 as revenues from collaborative agreements related to funding under the alliance program. No comparable amounts were recognized in 2013 and 2012 because the collaboration with GEHC concluded in June 2011. We also recognized $825,000 and $350,000 as license fee revenue in our consolidated statements of operations for the years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011, respectively, under the GEHC agreement. License fee revenue in 2012 reflects the full recognition of a license payment from GEHC related to the exercise of an option to expand the scope of their original 2009 license agreement to include exclusive global rights to our intellectual property and know-how for the development and sale of cellular assays derived from induced pluripotent stem cells. No license fee revenue was recognized under the GEHC agreement in 2013.

        Upon the closing of the divestiture of our stem cell assets on October 1, 2013, the GEHC agreement, including any future revenue payments thereunder, was transferred to Asterias. For a further discussion of the divestiture of our stem cell assets, see Note 8 on Divestiture of Stem Cell Assets.

Angiochem, Inc.

        On December 6, 2010, we entered into an exclusive license agreement with Angiochem, Inc., or Angiochem, that provided us with a worldwide exclusive license, with the right to grant sublicenses, to Angiochem's proprietary peptide technology that facilitates the transfer of anti-cancer compounds across the blood-brain barrier to enable the treatment of primary brain cancers and cancers that have metastasized to the brain. As consideration for the license rights, we paid Angiochem an upfront payment of $7,500,000 in cash and agreed to issue to Angiochem $27,500,000 of shares of Geron common stock on or about January 5, 2011. Because further clinical and process development of GRN1005 was required before any viable commercial application could be identified or utilized, we concluded that the technology had no alternative future use, and accordingly, expensed the total upfront payment of $35,000,000 as acquired in-process research and development at the time of acquisition in 2010.

        On January 5, 2011, we issued 5,261,144 shares of common stock to Angiochem as payment of our obligation to issue $27,500,000 of shares of our common stock. In accordance with the exclusive license agreement, the number of shares issued to Angiochem was determined using the five-day volume weighted average closing price of our common stock immediately preceding the issuance date. Consistent with our practice for common stock issuances to consultants and vendors in exchange for services either performed or to be performed, we recorded $28,094,000 for the fair market value of the common stock issued to Angiochem, based on the closing price of our common stock on the issuance date. As a result, in 2011 we recognized additional acquired in-process research and development expense of approximately $594,000 for the excess fair market value resulting from the difference between the five-day volume weighted average closing price of our common stock immediately preceding the issuance date and the closing price of our common stock on January 5, 2011, which has been included in the consolidated statements of operations under research and development expense.

        On December 3, 2012, we announced the decision to discontinue development of GRN1005 and provided Angiochem notice of termination of both the exclusive license agreement under which we received rights to GRN1005 and an associated research collaboration and option agreement. We returned the asset to Angiochem in May 2013 and the license agreement terminated effective June 1, 2013.

Telomerase Activation Sciences, Inc.

        On December 5, 2012, we entered into a Termination and Assignment Agreement, or the Assignment Agreement, with Asia Biotech Corporation, or Asia Biotech, and Telomerase Activation Sciences, Inc., or TA Sciences, pursuant to which we agreed to assign to TA Sciences the intellectual property, including patents previously licensed to Asia Biotech, related to our telomerase activation technology. As consideration for the assignment and fulfillment of the obligations set forth in the Assignment Agreement, we received a non-refundable, upfront payment of $2,500,000 from TA Sciences, which we recognized in full as other income in our consolidated statements of operations for the year ended December 31, 2012, and TA Sciences does not have further payment obligations to us. In addition, Asia Biotech's future royalty obligations under the original license agreement have been terminated.