Olaparib

Mr. Rath brings senior leadership experience in business development across a range of biopharmaceutical companies FOSTER CITY, Calif., July 13, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Geron Corporation (Nasdaq: GERN), a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company aiming to change lives by changing the course of blood cancer, today announced the appointment of Chinmaya Rath as Chief Business Officer. “Chinmaya is an experienced business development leader who will bring strategic insights and further executional focus to our team,” said Harout Semerjian, President and Chief Executive Officer of Geron. “His appointment underscores our continued dedication to maximizing the value of RYTELO across the globe and evaluating opportunistic innovation to build a leading hematology company.” “RYTELO’s best-in-class profile, strong commercial performance in lower-risk myelodysplastic syndromes, along with the management team’s commitment to operational excellence, position Geron well for continued growth,” said Mr. Rath. “I am honored to join Geron at this exciting time in the company’s evolution and look forward to working with the team to make a meaningful impact on the lives of people with blood cancers.” Mr. Rath brings over 25 years of U.S. and global biopharma leadership experience to Geron. He spent a significant portion of his career at Novartis, advancing through roles of increasing responsibility with substantial experience leading high-impact, enterprise-wide strategic initiatives, including the integrations of GSK Oncology and Alcon. Most recently, he served as Head of Pharma Solutions at Cellworks and Chief Business Officer at GlycoMimetics. He also served as Founder CEO of CelluRx, and as Vice President of Innovation and Strategic Alliances at Omega Therapeutics. He has been instrumental in major U.S. launches across both hematology (Tasigna ® TFR, Ped) and solid tumors (Lynparza ® ovarian cancer, co-promotion with Merck). He formerly served as Head of Strategy and Operations for the Novartis U.S. Oncology Business Unit. Additionally, as a Venture Partner with Social Impact Capital, he represents the firm on the Board of Directors at Catena Biosciences and as a Board Observer at Menten AI. Mr. Rath received his MBAs from Warwick Business School in the United Kingdom and Army Institute of Management studies in India. He completed his undergraduate studies in Life Science with honors from Ravenshaw University, India. About Geron Geron is a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company aiming to change lives by changing the course of blood cancer. Our first-in-class telomerase inhibitor RYTELO ® (imetelstat) is approved in the United States and the European Union for the treatment of certain adult patients with lower-risk myelodysplastic syndromes with transfusion dependent anemia. We are also conducting a pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial of imetelstat in JAK-inhibitor relapsed/refractory myelofibrosis, as well as studies in other hematologic malignancies. Inhibiting telomerase activity, which is increased in malignant stem and progenitor cells in the bone marrow, aims to potentially reduce proliferation and induce death of malignant cells. To learn more, visit or follow us on LinkedIn . Use of Forward-Looking Statements Except for the historical information contained herein, this press release contains forward-looking statements made pursuant to the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Investors are cautioned that such statements, include, without limitation, those regarding: (i) Geron’s ability to advance its strategy to build a leading, sustainable hematology company; (ii) Geron’s commercial strategy positioning it for long term sustainable growth; (iii) Geron delivering on its strategic priorities and driving value creation for patients and shareholders; and (iv) and other statements that are not historical facts, constitute forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that can cause actual results to differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties, include, without limitation, risks and uncertainties related to: (a) whether Geron is successful in commercializing RYTELO for the treatment of certain patients with lower-risk MDS with transfusion dependent anemia and achieves market acceptance across the breadth of the eligible patient segments in RYTELO’s approved indication; (b) whether the FDA and European Commission will approve imetelstat for other indications on the timelines expected, or at all; (c) Geron’s plans to commercialize RYTELO outside of the U.S. and risks related to operating outside of the U.S.; (d) Geron’s future opportunities and plans, including the uncertainty of future revenues, expenses and other financial performance and results; (e) whether Geron overcomes potential delays and other adverse impacts that may be caused by enrollment, clinical, safety, efficacy, technical, scientific, intellectual property, manufacturing, regulatory and healthcare challenges in order to have the financial resources for and meet expected timelines and planned milestones; (f) whether regulatory authorities permit the further development of imetelstat on a timely basis, or at all, without any clinical holds; (g) whether any future safety or efficacy results of RYTELO treatment cause its benefit-risk pro become unacceptable; (h) whether imetelstat actually demonstrates disease-modifying activity in patients and the ability to target the malignant stem and progenitor cells of the underlying disease; (i) whether Geron meets its post-marketing requirements and commitments for RYTELO; and (j) whether there are failures or delays in manufacturing or supplying sufficient quantities of RYTELO (imetelstat) or other clinical trial materials that impact commercialization of RYTELO or the continuation of clinical trials. Additional information on the above risks and uncertainties and additional risks, uncertainties and factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements are contained in Geron’s filings and periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission under the heading “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in such filings and reports, including Geron’s annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025. Undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they are made, and the facts and assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements may change. Except as required by law, Geron disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements to reflect future information, events, or circumstances. Investors and Media Dawn Schottlandt Senior Vice President, Investor Relations and Corporate Affairs dschottlandt@geron.com

Researchers found that the common blood pressure drug telmisartan can significantly improve the performance of the cancer drug olaparib, potentially expanding its benefits beyond patients with BRCA-related tumors. The combination is already being tested in human clinical trials after showing strong immune-boosting and anticancer effects in preclinical studies.A medication that has long been used to treat high blood pressure could also help make an important class of cancer drugs much more effective, according to new research from Dartmouth Cancer Center (DCC). The study found that the FDA approved drug telmisartan significantly boosted the cancer killing activity of the targeted therapy olaparib, raising the possibility that more patients could benefit from the treatment. The findings were published in The Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer. "This study shows that a common, safe, tolerable, convenient, and inexpensive drug may significantly improve how well an important class of cancer therapies works," said Tyler J. Curiel, MD, MPH, FACP, the study's senior and lead author. Making PARP Inhibitors Work for More Patients Olaparib belongs to a group of targeted cancer drugs known as PARP inhibitors. These medicines work by taking advantage of defects in the way certain cancer cells repair damaged DNA. They are especially effective against tumors with problems in homologous recombination DNA damage repair, including cancers linked to BRCA gene mutations. Many cancers, however, do not have those DNA repair defects, which means PARP inhibitors are not effective for a large number of patients. Even when the drugs initially work, tumors often become resistant over time. The Dartmouth team found that telmisartan can make tumors more sensitive to PARP inhibitors, even if they do not have the DNA repair weaknesses that these drugs typically rely on. Stronger Immune Response Against Tumors In preclinical experiments, combining telmisartan with olaparib increased DNA damage inside cancer cells while also activating important immune defenses. The treatment combination boosted production of type I interferons, signaling molecules that help the immune system identify and attack cancer. "This immune activation appears to be a key reason the combination works so well," Curiel said. A Unique Effect Among Blood Pressure Medications Telmisartan is part of the angiotensin II receptor blocker (ARB) family of drugs, which are widely prescribed to treat hypertension. Researchers compared telmisartan with other ARBs and found that its cancer enhancing effects were unique within the class. The drug also lowered levels of PD-L1 inside tumor cells. PD-L1 is a protein that many cancers use to avoid detection by the immune system, making this additional effect another potential advantage. "Telmisartan has several distinct anticancer effects that, together with targeted therapy, could make tumors more responsive to distinct types of treatments," Curiel said. "We showed the improved efficacy with PARP inhibitors in this study, but we also have good data showing that telmisartan improves efficacy of distinct chemotherapy classes and immunotherapies in many other cancer types through related mechanisms." Early Clinical Trials Are Already Underway Because telmisartan is taken by mouth, has an established safety record, and is well tolerated even by people without hypertension, researchers believe it is well suited for rapid testing in cancer patients. Curiel and colleagues at DCC have already launched two clinical trials to evaluate the combination. One study is testing telmisartan with olaparib in men with metastatic, castration-resistant prostate cancer. According to Curiel, the first participant experienced an exceptional response to treatment. A second trial recently enrolled its first patient with platinum-resistant ovarian cancer. "We are encouraged by what we are seeing so far," Curiel said. "Our goal is to determine whether this combination approach can help more patients benefit from greater effectiveness of PARP inhibitors and other cancer treatment classes and potentially overcome resistance to these drugs." Support from the Guyre fund and Gmelich fund at DCC played a key role in completing the research and launching the clinical trials.