Geron Grants 821,250 Options to Nine New Hires

Geron Corporation (Nasdaq: GERN) disclosed that it granted stock options to purchase 821,250 shares of common stock to nine newly hired employees. The grants, effective September 17, 2026, were structured as inducements material to the acceptance of employment, a specific provision under Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(c)(4). As reported by GN stocks/nasdaq, these awards are part of the company's strategy to attract talent while adhering to exchange listing requirements.

The options carry an exercise price of $1.32 per share, which equals the closing price of Geron’s common stock on the grant date. Each option has a ten-year term and vests over four years. The vesting schedule requires 12.5% of the underlying shares to vest on the six-month anniversary of the employee’s start date, with the remaining shares vesting in equal monthly installments over the subsequent 42 months, contingent on continued employment.

Compensation Committee Approves Inducement Awards

The Compensation Committee of Geron’s Board of Directors authorized the equity awards. The grants are subject to the terms of Geron’s 2018 Inducement Award Plan and the associated stock option agreement. This mechanism allows the company to provide competitive equity compensation to key personnel without violating Nasdaq rules that typically restrict the issuance of new equity without shareholder approval.

Geron Advances Telomerase Inhibition Strategy

Geron is a hematology-focused biopharmaceutical company developing treatments for blood cancers. Its approved medicine, RYTELO (imetelstat), is indicated for certain patients with lower-risk myelodysplastic syndromes in the United States and the European Union. The company is currently conducting a pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial of imetelstat in myelofibrosis, specifically in patients with JAK-inhibitor relapsed or refractory disease.

Beyond myelofibrosis, Geron is evaluating imetelstat in other hematologic malignancies. The company operates as a commercial-stage entity with offices in Parsippany, New Jersey, and Foster City, California. The recent hiring and equity grants support its ongoing clinical and commercial expansion in the telomerase biology sector.