Geron Corporation (NASDAQ:GERN) today announced that GE Healthcare has launched the first human cellular assay product for use in drug discovery and toxicity screening, developed under a license and alliance agreement between the two companies.

This first commercially available product is human cardiomyocytes, or heart muscle cells, for testing potential cardiac toxicity of candidate drug compounds in development.

Assessing the effects of a drug candidate on heart function is an important and universal step in drug development. Cardiac side effects are a common reason for termination of late stage clinical trials or for drugs to be withdrawn from the market. More accurate and earlier predictors of cardiac toxicities would contribute to reduced drug development costs and minimize patient exposure to potentially harmful compounds.

The cardiomyocytes for toxicity screening available from GE Healthcare are derived from NIH-approved human embryonic stem cells. This technology platform allows for the production of well-characterized master cell banks from which a continuous supply of human cardiomyocytes can be manufactured without the use of genetic modification. The GE Healthcare cell product has biochemical and electrophysiological properties analogous to normal cardiomyocytes present in the human body.

Comparative studies conducted by ChanTest, an acknowledged leader in ion channel screening services, have demonstrated that GE Healthcare’s cardiomyocytes show a greater sensitivity to known ion channel blockers than current animal cell-based assays, enabling more reliable and earlier assessment of potential human toxicities in the development of pharmaceutical compounds.

For further information on the cardiomyocyte product please visit the GE Healthcare website at www.gelifesciences.com/stemcells.

The GE Healthcare press release is available at http://www.genewscenter.com/Content/Detail.aspx?ReleaseID=11106&NewsAreaID=2&ClientID=12.

About Geron

Geron is developing first-in-class biopharmaceuticals for the treatment of cancer and chronic degenerative diseases, including spinal cord injury, heart failure and diabetes. The company is advancing an anti-cancer drug and a cancer vaccine that target the enzyme telomerase through multiple clinical trials in different cancers. For more information, visit www.geron.com.

This news release may contain forward-looking statements made pursuant to the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Investors are cautioned that statements in this press release regarding potential applications of Geron’s human embryonic stem cell technology constitute forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, risks inherent in the development and commercialization of potential products, uncertainty of clinical trial results or regulatory approvals or clearances, need for future capital, dependence upon collaborators and protection of our intellectual property rights. Actual results may differ materially from the results anticipated in these forward-looking statements. Additional information on potential factors that could affect our results and other risks and uncertainties are detailed from time to time in Geron’s periodic reports, including the quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2010.