<SEC-DOCUMENT>0001206774-16-007196.txt : 20160919
<SEC-HEADER>0001206774-16-007196.hdr.sgml : 20160919
<ACCEPTANCE-DATETIME>20160919080028
ACCESSION NUMBER:		0001206774-16-007196
CONFORMED SUBMISSION TYPE:	8-K
PUBLIC DOCUMENT COUNT:		1
CONFORMED PERIOD OF REPORT:	20160915
ITEM INFORMATION:		Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement
FILED AS OF DATE:		20160919
DATE AS OF CHANGE:		20160919

FILER:

	COMPANY DATA:	
		COMPANY CONFORMED NAME:			GERON CORP
		CENTRAL INDEX KEY:			0000886744
		STANDARD INDUSTRIAL CLASSIFICATION:	PHARMACEUTICAL PREPARATIONS [2834]
		IRS NUMBER:				752287752
		STATE OF INCORPORATION:			DE
		FISCAL YEAR END:			1231

	FILING VALUES:
		FORM TYPE:		8-K
		SEC ACT:		1934 Act
		SEC FILE NUMBER:	000-20859
		FILM NUMBER:		161890768

	BUSINESS ADDRESS:	
		STREET 1:		149 COMMONWEALTH DRIVE
		STREET 2:		SUITE 2070
		CITY:			MENLO PARK
		STATE:			CA
		ZIP:			94025
		BUSINESS PHONE:		6504737700

	MAIL ADDRESS:	
		STREET 1:		149 COMMONWEALTH DRIVE
		STREET 2:		SUITE 2070
		CITY:			MENLO PARK
		STATE:			CA
		ZIP:			94025

	FORMER COMPANY:	
		FORMER CONFORMED NAME:	GERON CORPORATION
		DATE OF NAME CHANGE:	19960521
</SEC-HEADER>
<DOCUMENT>
<TYPE>8-K
<SEQUENCE>1
<FILENAME>geron3126132-8k.htm
<DESCRIPTION>CURRENT REPORT
<TEXT>

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<P align=center><B><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=2>UNITED STATES
<BR></FONT></B><B><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=2>SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE
COMMISSION<BR>WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549 <BR>___________<BR></FONT></B></P>
<P align=center><B><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=2>FORM 8-K </FONT></B></P>
<P align=center><B><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=2>CURRENT
REPORT<BR></FONT></B><B><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=2>PURSUANT TO SECTION
13 OR 15(d) OF THE<BR>SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934</FONT></B><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=2> </FONT></P>
<P align=center><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=2>Date of Report (Date of
earliest event reported): </FONT><B><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=2>September 15, 2016 </FONT></B></P>
<P align=center><B><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=2>GERON
CORPORATION</FONT></B><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=2> <BR></FONT><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=2>(Exact name of registrant as specified in its
charter) </FONT></P>
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    <TD noWrap style="text-align: center" width="35%"><B><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=2>Delaware</FONT></B></TD>
    <TD noWrap style="text-align: center" width="34%"><B><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=2>0-20859</FONT></B></TD>
    <TD noWrap style="text-align: center" width="30%"><B><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=2>75-2287752</FONT></B></TD></TR>
  <TR vAlign=bottom>
    <TD noWrap style="text-align: center" width="35%"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=2>(State or other jurisdiction</FONT></TD>
    <TD noWrap style="text-align: center" width="34%"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=2>(Commission File Number)</FONT></TD>
    <TD noWrap style="text-align: center" width="30%"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=2>(IRS
      Employer</FONT></TD></TR>
  <TR vAlign=bottom>
    <TD noWrap style="text-align: center" width="35%"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=2>of
      incorporation)</FONT></TD>
    <TD noWrap style="text-align: center" width="34%"></TD>
    <TD noWrap style="text-align: center" width="30%"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=2>Identification No.)</FONT></TD></TR></TABLE><BR>
<P align=center><B><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=2>149 COMMONWEALTH DRIVE,
SUITE 2070<BR>MENLO PARK, CALIFORNIA 94025 <BR></FONT></B><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=2>(Address of principal executive offices, including
zip code) </FONT></P>
<P align=center><B><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=2>(650)
473-7700<BR></FONT></B><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=2>(Registrant&#146;s
telephone number, including area code) </FONT></P>
<P align=left><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=2>Check the appropriate box
below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing
obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions: </FONT></P>
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    <TD NOWRAP WIDTH="3%" STYLE="text-align: left; vertical-align: top"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=2>&#9744;</FONT></TD>
    <TD WIDTH="96%" STYLE="text-align: left; vertical-align: top"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=2>Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the
      Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)</FONT></TD></TR>
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    <TD vAlign=top noWrap align=left width="3%"></TD>
    <TD vAlign=top align=left width="96%">&nbsp;</TD></TR>
  <TR vAlign=bottom   style="LINE-HEIGHT: 12pt">
    <TD NOWRAP WIDTH="3%" STYLE="text-align: left; vertical-align: top"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=2>&#9744;</font></TD>
    <TD WIDTH="96%" STYLE="text-align: left; vertical-align: top"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=2>Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the
      Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)</FONT></TD></TR>
  <TR>
    <TD vAlign=top noWrap align=left width="3%"></TD>
    <TD vAlign=top align=left width="96%">&nbsp;</TD></TR>
  <TR vAlign=bottom   style="LINE-HEIGHT: 12pt">
    <TD NOWRAP WIDTH="3%" STYLE="text-align: left; vertical-align: top"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=2>&#9744;</FONT></TD>
    <TD WIDTH="96%" STYLE="text-align: left; vertical-align: top"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=2>Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b)
      under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))</FONT></TD></TR>
  <TR vAlign=bottom>
    <TD vAlign=top noWrap align=left width="3%"></TD>
    <TD vAlign=top align=left width="96%">&nbsp;</TD></TR>
  <TR vAlign=bottom   style="LINE-HEIGHT: 12pt">
    <TD NOWRAP WIDTH="3%" STYLE="text-align: left; vertical-align: top"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=2>&#9744;</FONT></TD>
    <TD WIDTH="96%" STYLE="text-align: left; vertical-align: top"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=2>Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c)
      under the Exchange Act (17 CFR
240.13e-4(c))</FONT></TD></TR></TABLE><BR>
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<DIV style="PAGE-BREAK-BEFORE: always"></DIV><BR>
<P align=left><B><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=2>Item 1.01 Entry into a
Material Definitive Agreement.</FONT></B></P>
<P ALIGN="LEFT" STYLE="text-indent: 15pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=2>On September 15, 2016 (the
&#147;Execution Date&#148;), Geron Corporation (&#147;Geron&#148; or the </FONT><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=2>&#147;Company&#148;) and Janssen
Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (&#147;Janssen Pharmaceuticals&#148;), entered into a license
agreement (the &#147;License Agreement&#148;) granting Janssen Pharmaceuticals exclusive
worldwide rights (the &#147;Exclusive License&#148;) under Geron&#146;s proprietary patents and
related know-how for the development and commercialization of products based on
specialized oligonucleotide backbone chemistry, as well as novel amidates for
ribonucleic acid interference, or RNAi, for the prevention, treatment and/or
diagnosis of any and all human disorders, excluding cancers originating from the
blood or bone marrow, and products whose predominant or primary mechanism of
action is telomerase inhibition.</FONT></P>
<P ALIGN="LEFT" STYLE="text-indent: 15pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=2>In addition to the Exclusive
License, Geron has granted to Janssen Pharmaceuticals a non-exclusive, worldwide
license (the &#147;Non-Exclusive License&#148;) under Geron patent rights covering the
synthesis of monomers, which are the building blocks of oligonucleotides,
necessary for the research, development and commercialization of the
oligonucleotides. The patent rights under the Non-Exclusive License are also
licensed exclusively to Janssen Biotech, Inc., or Janssen Biotech, under the
Collaboration and License Agreement, or CLA, executed by Janssen Biotech and
Geron on November 13, 2014 for the imetelstat program, and the License Agreement
expressly excludes, and is subject to, the rights and licenses granted to
Janssen Biotech under the CLA. </FONT></P>
<P ALIGN="LEFT" STYLE="text-indent: 15pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=2>Janssen Pharmaceuticals is
required to use reasonable efforts to perform research, development and
commercialization activities to obtain at least one licensed product to be
researched, developed and commercialized under the License Agreement, at Janssen
Pharmaceutical&#146;s sole cost. </FONT></P>
<P ALIGN="LEFT" STYLE="text-indent: 15pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=2>Upon the execution of the
License Agreement, Janssen Pharmaceuticals owes to Geron a non-refundable
upfront payment of $5 million. In addition, Geron will be eligible to receive up
to $75 million in development and regulatory milestone payments, as well as
royalties in the low single digit percentage range on aggregate worldwide net
sales of each licensed product. Earned royalties will be subject to royalty
stacking in the event that Janssen Pharmaceuticals is obligated to make royalty
payments to any third party having patent claims covering a licensed product as
a composition of matter.</FONT></P>
<P ALIGN="LEFT" STYLE="text-indent: 15pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=2>Under the terms of the License
Agreement, Geron remains responsible for prosecution and maintenance of the
patent rights under the Exclusive License, with reasonable input provided by
Janssen Pharmaceuticals. The costs of prosecution and maintenance of patent
rights under the Exclusive License will be shared 50/50 by the parties.
Ownership of any intellectual property developed under the License Agreement
will be determined in accordance with U.S. patent laws. Geron remains
responsible for prosecuting and maintaining the patent rights under the
Non-Exclusive License, as set forth in the CLA.</FONT></P>
<P ALIGN="LEFT" STYLE="text-indent: 15pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=2>The License Agreement contains
customary representations, warranties and covenants by Geron and Janssen
Pharmaceuticals. Each of Geron and Janssen Pharmaceuticals is required to
indemnify the other against all claims relating to the indemnifying party&#146;s
negligence or willful misconduct, failure to comply with its obligations under
the License Agreement, breaches of warranties, or violations of law, except to
the extent resulting from negligence or breach by the <FONT face="Times New Roman" size=2>indemnified party. Janssen Pharmaceuticals is also
responsible for indemnifying Geron against any claims arising from the
development, commercialization or manufacture of any licensed product under the
License Agreement, except to the extent resulting from negligence or breach by
Geron. </FONT></FONT></P>
<P align=center><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=2>1</FONT><FONT face="Times New Roman"> </FONT></P>
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<DIV style="PAGE-BREAK-BEFORE: always"></DIV><BR>
<P ALIGN="LEFT" STYLE="text-indent: 15pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=2>The License Agreement will
remain in effect until the expiration of the last-to-expire licensed patent
right, unless terminated earlier. It may be terminated by either Geron or
Janssen </FONT><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=2>Pharmaceuticals in the event
of uncured material breach or insolvency proceeding by the other party. Janssen
Pharmaceuticals also may terminate the License Agreement at will upon prior
written notice to Geron. In the event of early termination, all licenses to
Janssen Pharmaceuticals would terminate. </FONT></P>
<P ALIGN="LEFT" STYLE="text-indent: 15pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=2>The foregoing description of
the License Agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby does not purport
to be complete and is subject to, and qualified in its entirety by reference to,
the complete text of the License Agreement, which will be filed with the
Securities and Exchange Commission (the &#147;SEC&#148;) as an exhibit to the Company&#146;s
Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ending September 30,
2016.</FONT></P>
<P align=left><B><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=2>Use of Forward-Looking
Statements </FONT></B><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=2></FONT></P>
<P ALIGN="LEFT" STYLE="text-indent: 15pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=2>Except for the historical
information contained herein, this Current Report on Form 8-K contains
forward-looking statements made pursuant to the &#147;safe harbor&#148; provisions of the
Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Investors are cautioned that
statements in this Current Report on Form 8-K regarding: (i) the Company&#146;s
receipt of an upfront payment and potential receipt of development and regulatory
milestone payments, as well as royalties on potential sales under the License Agreement;
(ii) that Janssen Pharmaceuticals will exercise reasonable efforts, or any
efforts, to develop at least one licensed product under the License Agreement;
(iii) Janssen Pharmaceuticals&#146; planned activities under the License Agreement; and (iv) other
statements that are not historical facts, constitute forward-looking statements.
These statements involve risks and uncertainties that can cause actual results
to differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. These risks
and uncertainties, include, without limitation, risks and uncertainties related
to: (i) the uncertainty and time consuming nature of product development and
regulatory activities by Janssen Pharmaceuticals; (ii) the fact that Geron may
not receive any upfront, milestone, royalty or other payments from Janssen
Pharmaceuticals; (iii) the ability of Geron to prosecute and maintain the
licensed patent rights that are the subject of the License Agreement; (iv) the
risk that Janssen Pharmaceuticals may breach or terminate the License Agreement and Geron may
not obtain the anticipated financial and other benefits of the License
Agreement; and (v) other risks described in Geron&#146;s SEC filings, including under
the heading &#147;Risk Factors&#148;. Additional information and factors that could cause
actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements
are contained in Geron&#146;s periodic reports filed with the SEC under the heading
&#147;Risk Factors,&#148; including Geron&#146;s quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarter
ended June 30, 2016. Undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking
statements, which speak only as of the date they are made, and the facts and
assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements may change. Except as
required by law, Geron disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking
statements to reflect future information, events or circumstances.</FONT></P>
<P align=center><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=2>2</FONT><FONT face="Times New Roman"> </FONT></P>
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<DIV style="PAGE-BREAK-BEFORE: always"></DIV><BR>
<P align=center><B><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=2>SIGNATURE </FONT></B></P>
<P ALIGN="LEFT" STYLE="text-indent: 15pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=2>Pursuant to the requirements
of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this
report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
</FONT></P>
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    <TD noWrap align=left width="59%"></TD>
    <TD noWrap align=left width="40%" colSpan=2><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=2>GERON CORPORATION</FONT></TD></TR>
  <TR>
    <TD width="99%" colSpan=3>&nbsp;</TD></TR>
  <TR vAlign=bottom>
    <TD noWrap align=left width="59%"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=2>Date: September 19, 2016</FONT></TD>
    <TD noWrap align=left width="1%"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=2>By:</FONT></TD>
    <TD NOWRAP STYLE="text-align: left; width: 39%; border-bottom: Black 1pt solid"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=2>/s/
      Stephen N. Rosenfield</FONT></TD></TR>
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    <TD noWrap align=left width="59%"></TD>
    <TD noWrap align=left width="1%"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=2>Name:&nbsp; </FONT></TD>
    <TD noWrap align=left width="39%"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=2>Stephen N. Rosenfield</FONT></TD></TR>
  <TR vAlign=bottom>
    <TD noWrap align=left width="59%"></TD>
    <TD noWrap align=left width="1%"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=2>Title:</FONT></TD>
    <TD noWrap align=left width="39%"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=2>Executive Vice President,</FONT></TD></TR>
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    <TD noWrap align=left width="59%"></TD>
    <TD noWrap align=left width="1%"></TD>
    <TD noWrap align=left width="39%"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=2>General Counsel and</FONT></TD></TR>
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    <TD noWrap align=left width="59%"></TD>
    <TD noWrap align=left width="1%"></TD>
    <TD noWrap align=left width="39%"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=2>Corporate Secretary</FONT></TD></TR></TABLE><BR>
<P align=center><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=2>3</FONT><FONT face="Times New Roman"> </FONT></P>
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