Geron says telomerase activation program has equal potential to cancer program

By Jennifer Lanning Drey

Portland, Ore., Nov. 8 - Geron Corp. believes its telomerase activation program may have as much upside in chronic disease as its telomerase inhibitor programs have in oncology, president and chief executive officer Dr. Thomas B. Okarma said at the Rodman & Renshaw 8th Annual Healthcare Conference in New York on Wednesday.

The company's first target for the program is HIV/AIDS, and Geron's first drug candidate is TAT002, a small molecule telomerase activator that the company believes may be able to indefinitely postpone the conversion of HIV infection to AIDS.

Geron is currently conducting in vitro efficacy testing of the drug and toxicology studies in animals and expects to file an Investigational New Drug application for TAT002 in the second half of 2007, Okarma said.

In its cancer program, Geron is preparing to file an Investigational New Drug application to begin clinical trials of Grnvac1, a telomerase cancer vaccine, in acute myelogenous leukemia. The company plans to conduct a phase 1/2 clinical trial of the drug that will study its safety, disease residual burden, immunological response and clinical remission.

Geron believes Grnvac1 has the potential to become a universal cancer vaccine, Okarma said.

The company is also studying a second cancer product candidate, telomerase inhibitor GRN163L, in a phase 1/2 trial in chronic lymphocytic leukemia and a separate phase 1 trial in solid tumor malignancies.

The company will present data from the studies at upcoming cancer meetings, Okarma said.

Geron is also developing drugs for spinal cord injury, heart failure and diabetes.

Geron is a Menlo Park, Calif.-based biopharmaceutical company that develops various cancer drugs.

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