Tollen

INTRODUCTION

19 In this PSLRA securities action, lead plaintiffs move to certify a class. They also move 20 for appointment as class representatives and for appointment of lead counsel. To the extent 21 stated below, the motion is GRANTED.

STATEMENT

23 A prior order detailed the facts of the operative complaint (Dkt. Nos. 103, 124). In brief, 24 court-appointed lead plaintiffs Julia and Richard Junge invested in defendant Geron 25 Corporation. At all material times, defendants Geron and its President and CEO John A. 26 Scarlett worked to develop a single drug, imetelstat. Defendants hoped that imetelstat could 27 improve quality of life and/or survival for patients with myelofibrosis, a cancer affecting bone marrow (Amd. Compl. ¶¶ 51, 52). The putative class period (March 19, 2018, through September 26, 2018) covered the late stages of Geron’s phase-two clinical trial, which was titled IMbark. To conduct the trial, Geron partnered with Janssen Biotech Inc. The companies sought to measure whether imetelstat could improve certain health markers, known as study “endpoints.” Three of the endpoints were total symptom score (TSS),…