Teloquant Telomere length assay kit launched.

MENLO PARK, Calif.--(BW HealthWire)--June 30, 1997--Geron Corporation (NASDAQ:GERN) and PharMingen, a wholly owned subsidiary of Becton Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX), announced today the launch of TeloQuant(TM), a proprietary telomere length measurement assay to be marketed by PharMingen under license from Geron.

Telomeres, repeated DNA sequences at the ends of chromosomes stabilize the chromosomes, protecting against degradation and fusion with other chromosomes. When a normal cell divides, however, telomere segments are lost. Once the telomeres reach a critically short length, the cell stops dividing and becomes senescent. Telomeres therefore serve as a marker of cell aging.

TeloQuant(TM) is the first research kit available to measure chromosomal telomere length. The kit utilizes a sensitive chemoluminescent detection system that provides a fast and accurate measure of telomere length in cells. The kit will be an important tool for researchers in oncology and gerontology to study the relationship between telomere length and disease states.

"Use of this kit will generate important data on telomere length at various stages in the progression of different cancers," said Calvin Harley, Ph.D., Geron chief scientific officer. "The kit will also facilitate analysis of telomere length in senescent cells. This information will add significantly to our understanding of the relationship between telomeres and changes in gene expression in senescent cells, which we believe is a causal factor in age-related diseases."

"This kit allows us to provide our customers with a reproducible and accurate method to measure telomere length in various cell types without using radioactivity," said Craig Monell, Ph.D., director of cell biology at PharMingen.

The launch of TeloQuant(TM) follows the release of two proprietary telomerase detection assays TRAP-eze(TM) by Oncor and Telomerase PCR ELISA by Boehringer Mannheim, both under license from Geron.

Geron Corporation is a biopharmaceutical company exclusively focused on discovering and developing therapeutic and diagnostic products based upon fundamental biological mechanisms underlying cancer and other age-related diseases.

PharMingen, headquartered in San Diego, develops, manufactures and sells high quality antibodies and reagents for immunology, cell biology, and molecular biology research. Becton Dickinson and Company manufactures and sells a broad range of medical supplies and devices and diagnostic systems for use by health care professionals, medical research institutions and the general public. -0-

Note: This press release may contain forward-looking statements which are subject to change. Actual results may differ materially from those described in any forward-looking statements. Additional information on potential factors that could affect the company's results are included in the company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 1997.

CONTACT: Geron Corporation

David Greenwood, 415/473-7700 (Chief Financial Officer)

or

PharMingen

Brad Kraft, 619/812-8807 (Vice President, General

Manager)