As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on October 7, 2004
                                                        Registration No. 333-
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                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

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                                    FORM S-8
                             REGISTRATION STATEMENT
                                      UNDER
                           THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

                               ------------------

                                GERON CORPORATION
             (Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

               Delaware                                    75-2287752
   (State or Other Jurisdiction of                     (I.R.S. Employer
    Incorporation or Organization)                   Identification Number)

                               ------------------

                             230 Constitution Drive
                          Menlo Park, California 94025
         (Addresses of Principal Executive Offices including Zip Codes)

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                           2002 EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN
                            (Full Title of the Plan)

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              Thomas B. Okarma                             Copy to:
    President and Chief Executive Officer           Alan C. Mendelson, Esq.
             Geron Corporation                       Latham & Watkins LLP
           230 Constitution Drive                   135 Commonwealth Drive
        Menlo Park, California 94025             Menlo Park, California 94025
              (650) 473-7700                            (650) 328-4600

          (Name and Address, Including Zip Code, and Telephone Number,
                   Including Area Code, of Agent for Service)

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                                                 CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                   Proposed          Proposed         
                                                 Amount             Maximum           Maximum
                                                  to be          Offering Price      Aggregate           Amount of
  Title of Securities to be Registered      Registered (1)(2)     Per Share (3)   Offering Price (3)  Registration Fee
------------------------------------------- ------------------ ------------------ ------------------ ------------------
                                                                                         
Common Stock, $0.001 par value per share,
issuable under the 2002 Equity Incentive
Plan (4)...............................          579,603            $6.27            $3,634,110.81        $460.44
------------------------------------------- ------------------ ------------------ ------------------ ------------------
Total..................................          579,603            $6.27            $3,634,110.81        $460.44
------------------------------------------- ------------------ ------------------ ------------------ ------------------


(1)  The 2002 Equity Incentive Plan (the "Plan") authorizes the issuance of
     7,579,603 shares of common stock, par value $0.001 per share (the "Common
     Stock"), of Geron Corporation (the "Company"), of which 579,603 shares are
     being registered hereunder.

(2)  This registration statement shall also cover any additional shares of
     Common Stock which become issuable under the Plan by reason of any stock
     dividend, stock split, recapitalization or any other similar transaction
     effected without the receipt of consideration which results in an increase
     in the number of the outstanding shares of the Company's Common Stock.

(3)  Estimated solely for the purposes of calculating the registration fee
     pursuant to Rule 457(h) and (c) under the Securities Act of 1933, as
     amended (the "Securities Act of 1933"), and is based on the average ($6.27)
     of the high ($6.53) and low ($6.00) sales price of the Common Stock, as
     reported on the Nasdaq National Market on October 4, 2004.

(4)  Each share of Common Stock being registered hereunder, if issued prior to
     the termination the Company of its Rights Agreement dated as of July 20,
     2001, will include one preferred share purchase right. Prior to the
     occurrence of certain events, the preferred share purchase rights will not
     be exercisable or evidenced separately from the Common Stock.

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       Proposed sale to take place as soon after the effective date of the
     registration statement as options granted under the Plan are exercised.

                                  Total Pages 6
                             Exhibit Index on Page 4



                      REGISTRATION OF ADDITIONAL SECURITIES

     On July 3, 2002, Geron Corporation, a Delaware corporation (the "Company")
filed a Registration Statement on Form S-8, Registration No. 333-91916 (the
"Prior Registration Statement"), with the Securities and Exchange Commission
relating to an aggregate of 7,000,000 shares of the Company's common stock, par
value $0.001 per share (the "Common Stock"), to be offered and sold under the
2002 Equity Incentive Plan (the "Plan"). The contents of the Prior Registration
Statement are incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement. The
Company is hereby registering an additional 579,603 shares of Common Stock
issuable under the Plan, none of which has been issued as of the date of this
Registration Statement.


Item 8.  Exhibits

     A list of exhibits filed with this Registration Statement is set forth in
the Exhibit Index on page 4 and is incorporated herein by reference.





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                                   SIGNATURES

     Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the registrant
certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the
requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this registration
statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly
authorized, in the City of Menlo Park, State of California, on October 7, 2004.

                                           GERON CORPORATION

                                           By: /s/ David L. Greenwood
                                               ---------------------------------
                                               David L. Greenwood
                                               Executive Vice President and
                                               Chief Financial Officer


                                POWER OF ATTORNEY

     KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENT, that each person whose signature appears
below constitutes and appoints Thomas B. Okarma, David L. Greenwood and William
D. Stempel, and each of them, his true and lawful attorneys-in-fact and agents,
each with full power of substitution and resubstitution, for him and in his
name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign any and all amendments
(including post-effective amendments) to this registration statement, and to
file the same, with all exhibits thereto and other documents in connection
therewith, with the Commission, granting unto said attorneys-in-fact and agents,
and each of them, full power and authority to do and perform each and every act
and thing requisite and necessary to be done in order to effectuate the same as
fully, to all intents and purposes, as he might or could do in person, hereby
ratifying and confirming all that each of said attorneys-in-fact and agents, or
any of them, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

     Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this
registration statement has been signed by the following persons in the
capacities indicated as of October 7, 2004.




Signature                               Title                                          Date
---------                               -----                                          ----
                                                                                 

/s/ Thomas B. Okarma                    President, Chief Executive Officer and         October 7, 2004
-------------------------------         Director (Principal Executive Officer)
Thomas B. Okarma


/s/ David L. Greenwood                  Executive Vice President and Chief Financial   October 7, 2004
-------------------------------         Officer (Principal Financial and Accounting
David L. Greenwood                      Officer)


/s/ Alexander E. Barkas                 Director                                       October 7, 2004
-------------------------------
Alexander E. Barkas


/s/ Edward V. Fritzky                   Director                                       October 7, 2004
-------------------------------
Edward V. Fritzky


/s/ Thomas D. Kiley                     Director                                       October 7, 2004
-------------------------------
Thomas D. Kiley


/s/ John P. Walker                      Director                                       October 7, 2004
-------------------------------
John P. Walker


/s/ Patrick J. Zenner                   Director                                       October 7, 2004
-------------------------------
Patrick J. Zenner





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                                  EXHIBIT INDEX

EXHIBIT                                                                     PAGE
-------                                                                     ----

  4.1+     2002 Equity Incentive Plan                                        N/A

  4.2++    Rights Agreement dated as of July 20, 2001, between Geron         N/A
           Corporation and U.S. Stock Transfer Corporation, as Rights
           Agent

  5.1      Opinion of Latham & Watkins LLP                                     5

 23.1      Consent of Latham & Watkins LLP (included in Exhibit 5.1)           5

 23.2      Consent of Ernst & Young LLP, Independent Registered Public
           Accounting Firm                                                     6

 24.1      Powers of Attorney (included on the signature page to this
           Registration Statement)                                             3

 (+)   Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.5 to the Company's Annual Report
       on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2003 filed on
       February 27, 2004.

(++)   Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to the Company's Current Report
       on Form 8-K filed on July 23, 2001.



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