Don Reed’s explanation    

From: Don Reed 
Sent: Tuesday, November 15, 2011 11:31 AM
To: Don Reed 
Subject: WHAT HAPPENED AT GERON, AND WHAT DOES IT MEAN?



Tuesday, November 15, 2011 
  

WHAT HAPPENED AT GERON, AND WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

By Don C. Reed

The embryonic stem cell human trials for spinal cord injury will not be expanding at this point—not with Geron.

Geron Inc. will “discontinue further development of  its stem cell programs”…(and will) “close the GRNOPC1 trial for spinal cord injury to further enrollment, although it will continue to follow all enrolled patients, accruing data and updating FDA and the medical community on their progress. In this trial, GRNOPC1 has been well tolerated with no serious adverse events.”

-“Geron to Focus on its Novel Cancer Programs”, press release, 11/14/2011

What does this mean? Let’s take a look.  

I am not of course privy to the inner workings of the company. What follows is my interpretation of events, nothing more.

First, my gratitude to a great company. As the sponsor of the Roman Reed Spinal Cord Injury Research Act of 1999, which first funded Dr. Hans Keirstead’s groundbreaking work, and as the father of the paralyzed young man whose courage inspired the legislation, I will always be grateful to the men and women of Geron.

They carried the ball forward. Others will make the touchdown, and reap the financial rewards, but Geron will always be the champion who went first.

What happens next?

Listen to Geron’s Chief Executive Officer, John A. Scarlett, M.D..

“(Geron will be)…seeking partners for these novel assets.”

The door has just been opened to somebody huge.

Geron has always fought way above its weight class.  Led by Thomas  Okarma, ferocious and dedicated, this essentially small company had the impact of a giant corporation, which they never were. Sadly, the company will be “eliminating 66 full-time positions, representing 38% of its workforce.” My heart goes out to those people, and I hope they speedily find jobs commensurate with their demonstrated excellence. They changed the field.

The company will be focusing on cancer now. (Their product) “Imetelstat… is currently being evaluated in four Phase 2 clinical oncology studies for… lung cancer, breast cancer, essential thrombocythemia and multiple myeloma. Geron expects top-line data from these trials to be available before the end of the fourth quarter of 2012.”

But their spinal cord injury therapeutic product, GRNOPC1? That remains something shining, and of tremendous value.

When the spine is injured, the insulation around the nerves (a fatty acid called myelin) is damaged. Like the insulation around electrical wire, this causes a “short circuit”, and the message from brain to body can’t get through, and paralysis ensues. But with the re-myelinating properties of the Geron product, those nerves could re-insulate themselves, and the commands go through, and the limbs move once more.

I have seen it work. On  March 1, 2002, I held in my hands the famous rat called Fighter, who had been paralyzed, before receiving the stem cells. I felt those tiny muscles struggling, which had been limp and still before. And when Roman in his wheelchair told me, “Put the rat down, Dad”, it was hard for me to let it go—but then I saw it scampering, tail high, across the purple plastic swimming pool which was its exercise area.

If GRNOPC1 had been around when my son became paralyzed in a college football game, September 10th, 1994, he might not have been in a wheelchair today. If he had been given those cells in the proper amounts (remember these first trials are for safety, and the cells are given only in small amounts) the condition which has always been called “incurable” might have been solved.

We in the stem cell field-- scientists, patients, advocates—have fought through the beginnings, overcoming obstacles at every turn.  

When  the Religious Right attacked the research, we stood firm, because we were fighting for our loved ones.

When there was no money, we found that money. 

When there was litigation hurled at us, we defeated it,

Patient advocates became the emotional muscle behind the research advances, fighting not just for paralysis cure, but to defeat every disease and disability which has been called incurable, and which now drags down the economy. 

In a small but pivotal way, the Roman Reed Spinal Cord Injury Research  Act helped, providing $14 million in state funds and attracting $64 million in add-on grants.

The California stem cell program was the great advance in medical research, led by patient advocates from every condition, from the exemplary leadership of  Bob Klein, to the 1.2 million Californians who signed petitions to get Prop 71 on the ballot, to the magnificent seven million Golden State citizens who voted it into law-- and created the stem cell state.

And our new President, Barrack Obama, reversed the fear-based policies of the past, so America could lead the biomedical revolution, instead of watching the world pass us by.

In farming terms, we pulled the boulders out of the field. We plowed the ground, planted the seeds and irrigated them—now, those green shoots are struggling up through the soil, the earth is bulging with the promise of tomorrow.

All that is necessary is for someone huge, with vision—to help with the harvest.

Stay tuned, folks.  The best is yet to be.


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