U.S. Patent Office Grants Geron Corporation’s Request for an Interference With U.S. Patent No. 7,510,876 to Novocell

MENLO PARK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Geron Corporation (Nasdaq:GERN) today announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences, has granted Geron’s request to declare an interference between a patent application owned by Geron and U.S. Patent No. 7,510,876 (the ‘876 patent) owned by Novocell, Inc. The patent filings cover technology for the differentiation of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) into the precursors of numerous endoderm cell types, including pancreatic islet cells.