STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY	9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2022
Stockholders' Equity Note [Abstract]
STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY	6. STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY Public Offering On April 1, 2022, we completed an underwritten public offering of 53,333,334 shares of our common stock and a pre-funded warrant to purchase 18,095,238 shares of our common stock, also known as the 2022 pre-funded warrant, together with accompanying warrants to purchase 35,714,286 shares of our common stock, also known as the 2022 stock purchase warrants. The shares of common stock and the 2022 pre-funded warrant were immediately separable from the 2022 stock purchase warrants. All of the securities were issued separately. The combined public offering price of the common stock and accompanying 2022 stock purchase warrants was $1.05 per share. The 2022 stock purchase warrants have an exercise price of $1.45 per share and are exercisable immediately. The term of the 2022 stock purchase warrants expires on the earlier to occur of (a) the date that is 30 business days following the date on which we first issue a press release disclosing, if applicable, that the United States Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, has accepted for filing a New Drug Application submitted to the FDA for imetelstat in Low or Intermediate-1 risk myelodysplastic syndromes and (b) April 1, 2027. The combined public offering price of the 2022 pre-funded warrant and accompanying 2022 stock purchase warrant was $1.049 per share. The 2022 pre-funded warrant has an exercise price of $0.001 per share and may be exercised at any time until the 2022 pre-funded warrant is exercised in full. As of September 30, 2022, none of the 2022 pre-funded warrant and 2022 stock purchase warrants have been exercised. The net cash proceeds from this offering were $69,916,000, after deducting the underwriting discount and other offering expenses paid by us, and exclude any future proceeds from the exercise of the 2022 pre-funded warrant and 2022 stock purchase warrants. Upon the issuance of the 2022 pre-funded warrant and 2022 stock purchase warrants, we evaluated the terms of each warrant to determine the appropriate accounting and classification pursuant to FASB Accounting Standards Codification Topic 480, Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity, and FASB Accounting Standards Codification Topic 815, Derivatives and Hedging. Warrants are classified as liabilities when the warrant terms allow settlement of the warrant exercise in cash and classified as equity when the warrant terms only allow settlement in shares of common stock. The terms of the 2022 pre-funded warrant and the 2022 stock purchase warrants include certain provisions related to fundamental transactions and a cashless exercise provision in the event registered shares are not available, and do not include any mandatory redemption provisions. Based on our evaluation, we concluded the 2022 pre-funded warrant and the 2022 stock purchase warrants should be classified as equity with no subsequent remeasurement as long as such warrants continue to be classified as equity. Warrant Exercises In the third quarter of 2022, warrants to purchase 2,798,003 shares of Geron common stock were exercised for net cash proceeds of approximately $3,638,000. The warrants were issued in connection with an underwritten public offering of common stock and a pre-funded warrant, together with accompanying stock purchase warrants in May 2020. As of September 30, 2022, the pre-funded warrant to purchase 8,335,239 shares of our common stock was outstanding and stock purchase warrants to purchase 52,975,463 shares of our common stock associated with the May 2020 public offering remained outstanding. 2018 Inducement Award Plan In December 2018, our board of directors approved the adoption of the 2018 Inducement Award Plan, or the Inducement Plan, to be used exclusively for grants of inducement awards to individuals who were not previously our employees or non-employee directors, other than following a bona fide period of non-employment. In July 2022, our Compensation Committee approved an amendment to increase the reserve under the Inducement Plan by 5,000,000 shares. As of September 30, 2022, a total of 21,100,000 shares of our common stock had been reserved (subject to customary adjustments in the event of a change in capital structure) under the Inducement Plan. The Inducement Plan provides for the grant of nonstatutory stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock awards, restricted stock units and other stock awards, and all awards under the Inducement Plan are intended to meet the standards under Rule 5635(c)(4) of the Nasdaq Listing Rules. The terms and conditions of the Inducement Plan and the inducement awards to be granted thereunder are substantially similar to our stockholder-approved 2018 Equity Incentive Plan.

STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2022

Stockholders' Equity Note [Abstract]

6. STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

Public Offering

On April 1, 2022, we completed an underwritten public offering of 53,333,334 shares of our common stock and a pre-funded warrant to purchase 18,095,238 shares of our common stock, also known as the 2022 pre-funded warrant, together with accompanying warrants to purchase 35,714,286 shares of our common stock, also known as the 2022 stock purchase warrants. The shares of common stock and the 2022 pre-funded warrant were immediately separable from the 2022 stock purchase warrants. All of the securities were issued separately. The combined public offering price of the common stock and accompanying 2022 stock purchase warrants was $1.05 per share. The 2022 stock purchase warrants have an exercise price of $1.45 per share and are exercisable immediately. The term of the 2022 stock purchase warrants expires on the earlier to occur of (a) the date that is 30 business days following the date on which we first issue a press release disclosing, if applicable, that the United States Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, has accepted for filing a New Drug Application submitted to the FDA for imetelstat in Low or Intermediate-1 risk myelodysplastic syndromes and (b) April 1, 2027. The combined public offering price of the 2022 pre-funded warrant and accompanying 2022 stock purchase warrant was $1.049 per share. The 2022 pre-funded warrant has an exercise price of $0.001 per share and may be exercised at any time until the 2022 pre-funded warrant is exercised in full. As of September 30, 2022, none of the 2022 pre-funded warrant and 2022 stock purchase warrants have been exercised. The net cash proceeds from this offering were $69,916,000, after deducting the underwriting discount and other offering expenses paid by us, and exclude any future proceeds from the exercise of the 2022 pre-funded warrant and 2022 stock purchase warrants.

Upon the issuance of the 2022 pre-funded warrant and 2022 stock purchase warrants, we evaluated the terms of each warrant to determine the appropriate accounting and classification pursuant to FASB Accounting Standards Codification Topic 480, Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity, and FASB Accounting Standards Codification Topic 815, Derivatives and Hedging. Warrants are classified as liabilities when the warrant terms allow settlement of the warrant exercise in cash and classified as equity when the warrant terms only allow settlement in shares of common stock. The terms of the 2022 pre-funded warrant and the 2022 stock purchase warrants include certain provisions related to fundamental transactions and a cashless exercise provision in the event registered shares are not available, and do not include any mandatory redemption provisions. Based on our evaluation, we concluded the 2022 pre-funded warrant and the 2022 stock purchase warrants should be classified as equity with no subsequent remeasurement as long as such warrants continue to be classified as equity.

Warrant Exercises

In the third quarter of 2022, warrants to purchase 2,798,003 shares of Geron common stock were exercised for net cash proceeds of approximately $3,638,000. The warrants were issued in connection with an underwritten public offering of common stock and a pre-funded warrant, together with accompanying stock purchase warrants in May 2020. As of September 30, 2022, the pre-funded warrant to purchase 8,335,239 shares of our common stock was outstanding and stock purchase warrants to purchase 52,975,463 shares of our common stock associated with the May 2020 public offering remained outstanding.

2018 Inducement Award Plan

In December 2018, our board of directors approved the adoption of the 2018 Inducement Award Plan, or the Inducement Plan, to be used exclusively for grants of inducement awards to individuals who were not previously our employees or non-employee directors, other than following a bona fide period of non-employment. In July 2022, our Compensation Committee approved an amendment to increase the reserve under the Inducement Plan by 5,000,000 shares. As of September 30, 2022, a total of 21,100,000 shares of our common stock had been reserved (subject to customary adjustments in the event of a change in capital structure) under the Inducement Plan.

The Inducement Plan provides for the grant of nonstatutory stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock awards, restricted stock units and other stock awards, and all awards under the Inducement Plan are intended to meet the standards under Rule 5635(c)(4) of the Nasdaq Listing Rules. The terms and conditions of the Inducement Plan and the inducement awards to be granted thereunder are substantially similar to our stockholder-approved 2018 Equity Incentive Plan.