Insider filing report for Changes in Beneficial Ownership
- Schedule 13G & 13D forms are used to report a party's ownership of stock which exceeds 5% of a company's total stock issue.
- Schedule 13G is a shorter version of Schedule 13D with fewer reporting requirements.
- Peter Lynch
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UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
SCHEDULE 13G/A
Under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
(Amendment No. 4)*
GERON CORPORATION
(Name of Issuer)
Common Stock, $0.001 par value per share
(Title of Class of Securities)
374163103
(CUSIP Number)
September 30, 2024
(Date of Event Which Requires Filing of this Statement)
Check the appropriate box to designate the rule pursuant to which this Schedule is filed:
¨ Rule 13d-1(b)
x Rule 13d-1(c)
¨ Rule 13d-1(d)
*The remainder of this cover page shall be filled out for a reporting person’s initial filing on this form with respect to the subject class of securities, and for any subsequent amendment containing information which would alter the disclosures provided in a prior cover page.
The information required in the remainder of this cover page shall not be deemed to be “filed” for the purpose of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (“Act”) or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that section of the Act but shall be subject to all other provisions of the Act (however, see the Notes).
CUSIP No. 374163103
| 1 |
NAMES OF REPORTING PERSONS I.R.S. IDENTIFICATION NOS. OF ABOVE PERSONS (ENTITIES ONLY)
RA Capital Management, L.P. |
| 2 |
CHECK THE APPROPRIATE BOX IF A MEMBER OF A GROUP (SEE INSTRUCTIONS) (a) ¨ (b) ¨ |
| 3 |
SEC USE ONLY
|
| 4 |
CITIZENSHIP OR PLACE OF ORGANIZATION
Delaware |
|
NUMBER OF SHARES BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH REPORTING PERSON WITH: |
5 |
SOLE VOTING POWER
0 |
| 6 |
SHARED VOTING POWER
63,319,553 | |
| 7 |
SOLE DISPOSITIVE POWER
0 | |
| 8 |
SHARED DISPOSITIVE POWER
63,319,553 |
| 9 |
AGGREGATE AMOUNT BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH REPORTING PERSON
63,319,553 |
| 10 |
CHECK BOX IF THE AGGREGATE AMOUNT IN ROW (9) EXCLUDES CERTAIN SHARES (SEE INSTRUCTIONS) ¨
|
|
PERCENT OF CLASS REPRESENTED BY AMOUNT IN ROW 9
9.99% | |
| 12 |
TYPE OF REPORTING PERSON (SEE INSTRUCTIONS)
IA, PN |
CUSIP No. 374163103
| 1 |
NAMES OF REPORTING PERSONS I.R.S. IDENTIFICATION NOS. OF ABOVE PERSONS (ENTITIES ONLY)
Peter Kolchinsky |
| 2 |
CHECK THE APPROPRIATE BOX IF A MEMBER OF A GROUP (SEE INSTRUCTIONS) (a) ¨ (b) ¨ |
| 3 |
SEC USE ONLY
|
| 4 |
CITIZENSHIP OR PLACE OF ORGANIZATION
United States of America |
|
NUMBER OF SHARES BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH REPORTING PERSON WITH: |
5 |
SOLE VOTING POWER
0 |
| 6 |
SHARED VOTING POWER
63,319,553 | |
| 7 |
SOLE DISPOSITIVE POWER
0 | |
| 8 |
SHARED DISPOSITIVE POWER
63,319,553 |
| 9 |
AGGREGATE AMOUNT BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH REPORTING PERSON
63,319,553 |
| 10 |
CHECK BOX IF THE AGGREGATE AMOUNT IN ROW (9) EXCLUDES CERTAIN SHARES (SEE INSTRUCTIONS) ¨
|
| 11 |
PERCENT OF CLASS REPRESENTED BY AMOUNT IN ROW 9
9.99% |
| 12 |
TYPE OF REPORTING PERSON (SEE INSTRUCTIONS)
IN, HC |
CUSIP No. 374163103
| 1 |
NAMES OF REPORTING PERSONS I.R.S. IDENTIFICATION NOS. OF ABOVE PERSONS (ENTITIES ONLY)
Rajeev Shah |
| 2 |
CHECK THE APPROPRIATE BOX IF A MEMBER OF A GROUP (SEE INSTRUCTIONS) (a) ¨ (b) ¨ |
| 3 |
SEC USE ONLY
|
| 4 |
CITIZENSHIP OR PLACE OF ORGANIZATION
United States of America |
|
NUMBER OF SHARES BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH REPORTING PERSON WITH: |
5 |
SOLE VOTING POWER
0 |
| 6 |
SHARED VOTING POWER
63,319,553 | |
| 7 |
SOLE DISPOSITIVE POWER
0 | |
| 8 |
SHARED DISPOSITIVE POWER
63,319,553 |
| 9 |
AGGREGATE AMOUNT BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH REPORTING PERSON
63,319,553 |
| 10 |
CHECK BOX IF THE AGGREGATE AMOUNT IN ROW (9) EXCLUDES CERTAIN SHARES (SEE INSTRUCTIONS) ¨
|
| 11 |
PERCENT OF CLASS REPRESENTED BY AMOUNT IN ROW 9
9.99% |
| 12 |
TYPE OF REPORTING PERSON (SEE INSTRUCTIONS)
IN, HC |
CUSIP No. 374163103
| 1 |
NAMES OF REPORTING PERSONS I.R.S. IDENTIFICATION NOS. OF ABOVE PERSONS (ENTITIES ONLY)
RA Capital Healthcare Fund, L.P. |
| 2 |
CHECK THE APPROPRIATE BOX IF A MEMBER OF A GROUP (SEE INSTRUCTIONS) (a) ¨ (b) ¨ |
| 3 |
SEC USE ONLY
|
| 4 |
CITIZENSHIP OR PLACE OF ORGANIZATION
Delaware |
|
NUMBER OF SHARES BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH REPORTING PERSON WITH: |
5 |
SOLE VOTING POWER
0 |
| 6 |
SHARED VOTING POWER
63,319,553 | |
| 7 |
SOLE DISPOSITIVE POWER
0 | |
| 8 |
SHARED DISPOSITIVE POWER
63,319,553 |
| 9 |
AGGREGATE AMOUNT BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH REPORTING PERSON
63,319,553 |
| 10 |
CHECK BOX IF THE AGGREGATE AMOUNT IN ROW (9) EXCLUDES CERTAIN SHARES (SEE INSTRUCTIONS) ¨
|
| 11 |
PERCENT OF CLASS REPRESENTED BY AMOUNT IN ROW 9
9.99% |
| 12 |
TYPE OF REPORTING PERSON (SEE INSTRUCTIONS)
PN |
| Item 1(a). | Name of Issuer: |
Geron Corporation (the “Issuer”)
| Item 1(b). | Address of Issuer’s Principal Executive Offices: |
919 East Hillsdale Boulevard, Suite 250, Foster City, CA 94404
| Item 2(a). | Names of Persons Filing: |
The names of the persons filing this report (collectively, the “Reporting Persons”) are:
RA Capital Management, L.P. (“RA Capital”)
Peter Kolchinsky
Rajeev Shah
RA Capital Healthcare Fund, L.P. (the “Fund”)
| Item 2(b). | Address of Principal Business Office or, if None, Residence: |
The address of the principal business office of each of the Reporting Persons is:
c/o RA Capital Management, L.P., 200 Berkeley Street, 18th Floor, Boston MA 02116
| Item 2(c). | Citizenship: |
RA Capital and the Fund are Delaware limited partnerships. Dr. Kolchinsky and Mr. Shah are United States citizens.
| Item 2(d). | Title of Class of Securities: |
Common Stock, $0.001 par value per share (“Common Stock”)
| Item 2(e). | CUSIP Number: |
374163103
| Item 3. | If this statement is filed pursuant to §§ 240.13d-1(b) or 240.13d-2(b) or (c), check whether the person filing is a: |
Not applicable.
| Item 4. | Ownership. |
The Fund directly holds (i) 32,285,755 shares of Common Stock and (ii) 59,433,145 Pre-funded warrants (“Pre-Funded Warrants”) through which it has a right to acquire 59,433,145 shares of Common Stock subject to a Beneficial Ownership Blocker (as defined below).
The shares reported herein for the Reporting Persons represent (i) 32,285,755 shares of Common Stock held directly, and (ii) 31,033,798 shares of Common Stock that the Reporting Persons beneficially own based on the right to acquire, upon the exercise of Pre-Funded Warrants. The Pre-Funded Warrants contain a provision (the “Beneficial Ownership Blocker”) which precludes the exercise of the warrants to the extent that, following exercise, the Reporting Person, together with its affiliates and other attribution parties, would own more than 9.99% of the Common Stock outstanding. The Reporting Person is currently prohibited from exercising the warrants to the extent that such exercise would result in beneficial ownership of more than 63,319,553 shares of Common Stock.
The information required by this item with respect to each Reporting Person is set forth in Rows 5 through 9 and 11 of the cover page to this Schedule 13G/A. The beneficial ownership percentages reported are based on (i) 602,795,563 outstanding shares of Common Stock, as reported in the Issuer’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2024 filed on August 8, 2024, plus (ii) 31,033,798 shares of Common Stock of which the Reporting Person may acquire beneficial ownership upon the exercise of Pre-Funded Warrants, as limited by the Beneficial Ownership Blocker.
RA Capital Healthcare Fund GP, LLC is the general partner of the Fund. The general partner of RA Capital is RA Capital Management GP, LLC, of which Dr. Kolchinsky and Mr. Shah are the controlling persons. RA Capital serves as investment adviser for the Fund and may be deemed a beneficial owner, for purposes of Section 13(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Act”), of any securities of the Issuer held by the Fund. The Fund has delegated to RA Capital the sole power to vote and the sole power to dispose of all securities held in the Fund’s portfolio, including the shares of the Issuer’s Common Stock reported herein. Because the Fund has divested voting and investment power over the reported securities it holds and may not revoke that delegation on less than 61 days’ notice, the Fund disclaims beneficial ow nership of the securities it holds for purposes of Section 13(d) of the Act. As managers of RA Capital, Dr. Kolchinsky and Mr. Shah may be deemed beneficial owners, for purposes of Section 13(d) of the Act, of any securities of the Issuer beneficially owned by RA Capital. RA Capital, Dr. Kolchinsky, and Mr. Shah disclaim beneficial ownership of the securities reported in this Schedule 13G/A other than for the purpose of determining their obligations under Section 13(d) of the Act, and the filing of this Schedule 13G/A shall not be deemed an admission that either RA Capital, Dr. Kolchinsky, or Mr. Shah is the beneficial owner of such securities for any other purpose.
| Item 5. | Ownership of Five Percent or Less of a Class. |
If this statement is being filed to report the fact that as of the date hereof the Reporting Persons have ceased to be the beneficial owner of more than five percent of the class of securities, check the following ¨.
| Item 6. | Ownership of More than Five Percent on Behalf of Another Person. |
Not applicable.
| Item 7. | Identification and Classification of the Subsidiary Which Acquired the Security Being Reported on by the Parent Holding Company or Control Person. |
Not applicable.
| Item 8. | Identification and Classification of Members of the Group. |
Not applicable.
| Item 9. | Notice of Dissolution of Group. |
Not applicable.
| Item 10. | Certification. |
By signing below I certify that, to the best of my knowledge and belief, the securities referred to above were not acquired and are not held for the purpose of or with the effect of changing or influencing the control of the issuer of the securities and were not acquired and are not held in connection with or as a participant in any transaction having that purpose or effect, other than activities solely in connection with a nomination under § 240.14a–11.
Exhibit List
Exhibit 1: Joint Filing Agreement
SIGNATURE
After reasonable inquiry and to the best of its knowledge and belief, each of the undersigned certifies that the information set forth in this statement is true, complete and correct.
Date: November 14, 2024
| RA CAPITAL MANAGEMENT, L.P. | |||
| By: | /s/ Peter Kolchinsky | ||
| Name: | Peter Kolchinsky | ||
| Title: | Authorized Signatory | ||
| PETER KOLCHINSKY | |||
| /s/ Peter Kolchinsky | |||
| RAJEEV SHAH | |||
| /s/ Rajeev Shah | |||
| RA CAPITAL HEALTHCARE FUND, L.P. | |||
| By: | RA Capital Healthcare Fund GP, LLC | ||
| Its: | General Partner | ||
| By: | /s/ Peter Kolchinsky | ||
| Name: | Peter Kolchinsky | ||
| Title: | Manager | ||