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To: wlheatmoon who wrote (243)	1/5/2000 9:13:00 AM
From: wlheatmoon	Respond to of 2850

biotech may be a good place to be for the year. another gem...GERN...remember GERN? based nicely around 9-10 forever....minimal downside. recent news published in one of the most respected scientific journals. Tuesday December 7, 7:30 am Eastern Time Company Press Release Research Study Confirms In Vitro Effectiveness of Telomerase Inhibition in Cancer MENLO PARK, Calif.--(BW HealthWire)--Dec. 7, 1999--Geron Corporation (Nasdaq:GERN - news) announced today that specific researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas have confirmed that inhibitors of telomerase can remortalize human cancer cells, ultimately leading to their cell death. The research, published in the December 7, 1999 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, was funded in part by Geron Corporation, the National Institutes of Health, and the National Cancer Institute. The data presented in the paper confirm that potent and specific inhibitors targeted to an essential component of the enzyme telomerase cause telomere shortening and ultimately death of transformed human breast epithelial cells and human prostate cancer cells in culture. Telomeres, the regions at the ends of chromosomes, shorten throughout a cell's replicative lifespan. When telomeres reach a critically short length, cells stop dividing and senesce. In cancer, however, Geron and collaborating researchers have shown that malignant cells achieve replicative immortality through telomerase activation. Telomerase activity is detectable in over 30 different human cancer types. Since telomerase has been found to be essential for cancer progression, and is expressed in human cancer cells, it represents an excellent target for anticancer therapies. ``This research provides further evidence for the potential efficacy of telomerase inhibition in treating cancer in humans,' commented Dr. Calvin Harley, Geron's chief scientific officer. ``In addition, the fact that no surviving tumor cells were observed in this study suggests that telomerase is the primary mechanism for maintaining telomere length in human cancers. We therefore expect that treating cancers with a telomerase inhibitor should induce tumor regression after telomere shortening.' The telomerase inhibitors used in this study were oligonucleotides directed towards the essential RNA component (hTR) of human telomerase. Scientists at Geron cloned the gene for hTR in 1994 and published the first evidence of specific telomerase inhibition leading to tumor cell death in 1995 (Feng, et al., Science 269:1236 - 1241). This latest work confirms and extends these and other observations by independent laboratories that oligonucleotide and genetic approaches targeting either hTR or hTERT (the catalytic protein component of human telomerase), can cause specific tumor cell death. Geron scientists and collaborators at the University of Colorado, Boulder, were the first to publish the cloning of hTERT in 1997 (Nakamura, et al., Science 277: 955-959). Geron has an extensive portfolio of issued patents and pending patent applications relating to telomerase and telomerase inhibition. On September 28, 1999, the US Patent Office issued U.S. patent No. 5,958,680 to Geron, with claims relating to methods of inhibiting telomerase activity in human cells using inhibitors of the type used in the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center research. Geron Corporation is a biopharmaceutical company focusing on discovering, developing and commercializing therapeutic and diagnostic products to treat cancer and other age-related chronic degenerative diseases. Geron's technology platform includes the discovery of small molecule inhibitors of telomerase for cancer therapy; telomere and telomerase-based research and diagnostic tools; telomerase activation to extend the replicative lifespan of normal cells; and complementary stem cell, gene therapy and nuclear transfer approaches to restore the function of degenerating organs. Statements in this press release regarding future applications of Geron's technology constitute forward-looking statements that are subject to certain risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from the results anticipated in these forward-looking statements. Additional information on potential factors that could affect the company's results is included in the company's quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 1999. To receive an index and copies of recent press releases, call Geron's News On Demand toll-free fax service, 1-800-782-3279. Additional information about Geron Corporation can be obtained at geron.com.