Geron Quits the Embryonic Stem Cell Industry
By Pete Shanks
| 11. 16. 2011
Geron has quit on embryonic stem cells. The company is abandoning
its world-leading clinical trial, aimed at using stem cells to treat
people paralyzed with spinal-cord injuries. It is laying off more than a third of its staff, and is writing off about $8 million. It has also repaid
the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) a loan of more
than $6 million, plus interest. Geron will continue to monitor the four
patients currently enrolled in the phase 1 clinical trial, and says it
is looking for another company to take it over.
The decision to terminate the trial seems to be all business, a
departure from past practices that seemed motivated more by hype and
wishful thinking. Geron's stock has been plummeting (down from $6.34 to $1.60
over the year), and new management is conducting triage. The ESC trial
is only in phase 1, a safety trial, in which severely injured patients
receive low doses of treatments that are frankly unlikely to do much
good; the point is to ensure that they do no harm. Results from that...
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Following a long-standing CGS tradition, we present a selection of our favorite Biopolitical Times posts of the past year.
In 2025, we published up to four posts every month, written by 12 authors (staff, consultants and allies), some in collaboration and one simply credited to CGS.
These titles are presented in chronological order, except for three In Memoriam notices, which follow. Many more posts that are worth your time can be found in the archive. Scroll down and “VIEW...
