Wrongful Termination: Lessons From the Geron Clinical Trial

• DOI: 10.5966/sctm.2014-0147
• Publication Date: 2014-10-09T06:57:09Z
• Authors: Christopher Thoma...; David Magnus
• Keywords: Frontier; Corporation

Summary Geron Corporation is a publically traded company that launched phase I clinical trial of human embryonic stem cell-based therapy for spinal cord injury. The enrolled the first patient in October 2010 and stopped 1 year later. fifth had been but not transplanted when announced trial's end. After discussions with staff family, an agreement was reached to add her cohort proceed transplant. Two half years later, research still waiting restart. With this background mind, we discuss major ethical social questions raised by case. We offer recommendations institutional review boards sites as they deliberate approvals early-phase trials frontier medicine.