Fate Therapeutics News & Events

Fate Therapeutics Receives Red Herring’s North America 100 Award for Advancing Stem Cell Technology and New Medicines

Mon, 28 Jun 2010 10:44:59 -0700

San Diego, CA and Ottawa, Canada – June 28, 2010 – Therapeutics, Inc. announced today that the Company received Red Herring's North America 100 award, a prestigious list honoring the year’s most promising private and innovative companies from the North American business region. The nominees were evaluated by the Red Herring editorial team on both quantitative and qualitative criteria, such as financial performance, technology innovation, quality of management, execution of strategy and integration into their respective industries. Fate Therapeutics was recognized for advancing a therapeutic pipeline with substantial potential to meet large unmet medical needs and for accelerating the industrialization of induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology. Fate’s award-winning, proprietary iPSC technology platform utilizes the most advanced reprogramming and differentiation technologies to generate cell types of interest to elucidate disease biology and identify targets for therapeutic intervention.

To find out more and read the full press release, please visit our website. You can also sign up to be on our email list to have news delivered to your inbox and follow us on Twitter @fatetherapeutic

Fate Therapeutics Expands Scientific Advisory Board to Advance iPSC Technology and Stem Cell Modulator Pipeline

Tue, 11 May 2010 06:01:19 -0700

San Diego, CA and Ottawa, Canada – May 11, 2010 – Fate Therapeutics, Inc. announces the appointment of six respected research leaders to the Company’s Scientific Advisory Board (SAB). The new SAB members bring deep experience and expertise in systems biology, epigenetics, gene regulation, expression analysis and adult stem cell and developmental biology. The combined interdisciplinary expertise will further support Fate’s interrogations of adult stem cell biology and advancement of induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology. Fate recreates and quantifies adult stem cell niche environments for the discovery of “stem cell modulators,” small molecule or biologic compounds that guide cell fate in vivo for therapeutic benefit. Fate’s iPSC technology platform incorporates minimally invasive reprogramming and differentiation methods with quantitative biology detection and analysis tools to recapitulate human physiology for commercial scale drug discovery and therapeutic use.

To find out more and read the full press release, please visit our website. You can also sign up to be on our email list to have news delivered to your inbox and follow us on Twitter @fatetherapeutic

Fate Therapeutics Appoints Tom Novak, Ph.D., as Vice President of Research and Drug Discovery

Mon, 10 May 2010 06:20:33 -0700

San Diego, CA and Ottawa, Canada - May 10, 2010 - Fate Therapeutics, Inc. announces the appointment of Tom Novak, Ph.D., as vice president of research and drug discovery. Dr. Novak brings to Fate more than 15 years of experience working with large pharmaceutical companies, including Roche and Wyeth, to apply transformative technologies to advance exploratory research and drug discovery efforts. Dr. Novak will be responsible for Fate’s drug discovery and development activities focused on advancing the Company’s pipeline of "stem cell modulators," small molecules or biologics that guide cell fate in vivo for therapeutic benefit.

To find out more and read the full press release, please visit our website. You can also sign up to be on our email list to have news delivered to your inbox and follow us on Twitter @fatetherapeutic

Fate wins "Buzz of BIO"! Here is where you can find Fate at BIO International Convention.

Mon, 3 May 2010 11:36:00 -0700

Buzz of BIO Presentation at the Business Fourm

Wednesday, May 5 9:00 - 9:15am Room 4
PANELS

John Mendlein, chairman of the board of directors of Fate Therapeutics will be speaking on the first three panels below. Scott Wolchko, CFO of Fate, will be speaking on the last panel.

Wednesday May 5, 2010

High Hanging Fruit: Drugging the Undruggable Targets
Time: 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM Location: McCormick Place, Chicago Room: S401-AB Description: Description: In an era where pharmaceutical companies are desperately seeking to populate pipelines depleted by patent erosion and competition from drugs of the same chemical class, one simple solution exists: discover ways to modulate known drug targets that have been historically intractable. This panel will explain some of the distinct methods of accessing difficult to drug targets of interest. We’ll examine undruggable GPCRS, which have been known for years, but are intractable through traditional approaches; a new approached to target Hsp90; an visionary approach to integrate transformative chemistry and biology to unlock the pathways reveled through genomic medicine; and gaseous transmitters and glial cell therapies, new modalities whose significance is clear, but tractability far from obvious. The featured companies believe they may have the tools to reach these targets and will share their approaches with the audience.

Building Shareholder Value: Innovation in Science and Business

Time: 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM Location: McCormick Place, Chicago Room: S405A Description: How do you create shareholder value in a biotechnology company? The last decade provides little guidance as the vast majority of IPO’s are underwater and venture returns have been anemic at best. The business model inherent to therapeutics development is very challenging and risky, but the rewards can be spectacular: a decade or more of 90+% gross margins on a billion or more of annual revenue. When 95%+ of product candidates fail pre-commercially and those that make it to market take 10 years and $250+ million to get there, how does one not only do excellent research but also build a real business and reward shareholders? This panel will discuss various approaches that start-ups and their investors have taken trying to create successful products, businesses and shareholder returns, ranging from non-dilutive capital to different types of shareholders, to synergistic M&A and beyond.

Goose with the Golden Egg: A Look Back at Biotech's M&A Success Stories

Time: 8:00 AM - 9:30 AM Location: McCormick Place, Chicago Room: S405A Description: In the messy world of biopharma M&A, where it often seems that companies are trading milking cows for magic beans, there have been a few deals over the past few years that stand out as clear cut win-win situations. In these transactions a company is able to command a multiple of value that handsomely rewards their stakeholders while the acquirer is able to leverage the technology to increase its value well beyond the initial investment. What’s the secret? This panel will feature a number of the leaders of these "golden egg" companies who will discuss how they managed their resources to generate enviable returns while successfully integrating their technology into the acquiring companies’ R&D platform and corporate culture. The discussion will cover understanding opportunities within the industry, building an IP platform, recruiting talent, managing deals and licensing and maybe even where to find a beanstalk. No promises on that last part, though.
Thursday May 6, 2010

The Biotech Sandbox: Putting Aside Competition to Advance Transformational Technologies

Time: 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM Location: McCormick Place, Chicago Room: N427-BC Description: Today’s economic environment has influenced a renewed level of innovative deal making to fund the development of important enabling technologies and platforms that may otherwise not get developed. In several cases, competitors have seen the light and are working together to advance potentially transformational technologies. Through flexible precompetitive partnering models, biotech and pharmaceutical companies are generating opportunities that work for all parties to create shared risks and rewards and make use of non-cash assets. What new strategies are being used? Join this panel led by a group of leaders working on innovative partnerships, and see what is behind this new trend.

Vote for Fate to be Buzz of BIO

Wed, 14 Apr 2010 08:45:29 -0700

Fate was recently nominated as a candidate for the "Buzz of BIO." BIO is the largest annual international conference for biotech companies and will take place May 2-5 in Chicago. As a candidate for Buzz of BIO, Fate is being recognized as an innovative biotech company that is R&D-intensive, has strength and depth in its pipeline and has developed strategic partnerships within the industry.

We would appreciate your help in becoming the Buzz of BIO. Voting takes no more than 30 seconds and does not require registration.

Voting closes Monday, April 19th.

Thanks for your support!

Fate Therapeutics Expands Stem Cell Modulator Pipeline with Acquisition of Verio Therapeutics

Thu, 8 Apr 2010 08:27:11 -0800

Fate Therapeutics, Inc. announced today a definitive agreement to acquire Verio Therapeutics Inc., a privately held biotechnology company based in Ottawa, Ontario, which is developing drug candidates targeting the activation of endogenous stem cells. Verio Therapeutics is advancing the work of several of Canada’s leading stem cell scientists, including Michael Rudnicki, Ph.D., FRSC, and Lynn Arthur Megeney, Ph.D., who have made breakthrough discoveries relating to muscle and pancreatic regeneration. Under the terms of the agreement, Fate Therapeutics has formed a Canadian subsidiary, which will continue Verio’s discovery and development operations in Ottawa. The transaction has been approved on behalf of the boards of directors of both companies. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. To find out more and read the full press release, please visit our website. You can also sign up to be on our email list to have news delivered to your inbox and follow us on Twitter @fatetherapeutic

Fate Therapeutics Named One of the 50 Most Innovative Companies in the World By MIT's Technology Review

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 06:27:11 -0800

We are pleased to announce that Technology Review named Fate one of the 50 most innovative companies in the world. Joining the ranks with companies like Apple, Amazon.com, Google, Twitter, Fate is included in the TR50 Private Biomedicine Companies. Press release and link to the article are below. Pharmaceutical Professionals I also wanted to let you know that Fate has two local talks coming up in March. The first will take place Saturday, March 13th as a half-day forum at Institute of Americas, UCSD. The forum is hosted by the Sino-American Biomedical and Association (SABPA) and entitled, “Breakthroughs in Stem Cell Research and Clinical Applications.” Dan Shoemaker, CTO of Fate Therapeutics, will be presenting along with representatives from California Stem Cell, Novocell, Pfizer, Stemgent and UCSD. The second will take place Wednesday, March 31st from 5:15 pm – 8:30 pm at Biogen Idec and is hosted by Xconomy and entitled San Diego Life Sciences 2030. John Mendlein, chairman of Fate Therapeutics, will be moderating a panel with Paul Schimmel, TSRI, Dan Bradbury, Amylin, and Rusty Gage, Salk/Brain Cells Inc. In addition, Ambryx, Biogen Idec New Ventures, Helixis, Receptos and VentiRx Pharmaceuticals will be giving brief corporate overviews.
To find out more and read the full press release, please visit our website. You can also sign up to be on our email list to have news delivered to your inbox and follow us on Twitter @fatetherapeutic

Fate Therapeutics Receives Allowance of First U.S. Patent for Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Technology

Thu, 4 Feb 2010 05:45:58 -0800

Fate Therapeutics, Inc. received a Notice of Allowance from the United States Patent and Trademark Office for U.S. Patent Application Number 10/997,146 entitled “Methods for Reprogramming Somatic Cells.” Upon issuance, the patent will cover foundational induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology for identifying agents that enable the reprogramming of human somatic cells, including pluripotency genes, small molecules and biologics. The invention by Rudolf Jaenisch, M.D., founding member of the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research and scientific founder of Fate Therapeutics, has a priority date of November 26, 2003 and is believed to be the earliest art that describes broad methods and key agents to reprogram human somatic cells to a pluripotent state. Fate Therapeutics holds an exclusive license to the application in commercial fields, including for drug discovery and therapeutic purposes.
To find out more and read the full press release, please visit our website. You can also sign up to be on our email list to have news delivered to your inbox and follow us on Twitter @fatetherapeutic

Fate Therapeutics' Protein iPS Cell Technology Named the Number One Top Technology of 2009 by The Scientist

Fri, 4 Dec 2009 08:52:02 -0800

The Scientist, one of the top life science magazines, named protein iPS cell technology the number one top technology of 2009! The magazine interviewed both Sheng Ding, Ph.D., who created the technology and is co-founder of Fate Therapeutics and assistant professor at The Scripps Research Institute and Scott Wolchko, CFO of Fate Therapeutics, to discuss the technology. The top technologies and rankings were chosen by an independent panel of judges.
Link to the article can be found on our website by following the link provided. You can also sign up to be on our email list to have news delivered to your inbox.

Fate Therapeutics Closes $30 Million Series B Financing

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:09:17 -0800

Led by OVP Venture Partners and Includes Syndicate of Corporate Investors
Nov. 16, 2009 -- Fate Therapeutics, Inc. announced that it has completed a $30 million Series B financing led by OVP Venture Partners. Joining OVP Venture Partners in the financing is a syndicate of corporate investors, including Astellas Venture Management, Genzyme Ventures and a third undisclosed corporate investor. The three co-leaders of the Company’s Series A financing, ARCH Venture Partners, Polaris Venture Partners and Venrock, also participated in the latest round of financing. In conjunction with the funding, Carl Weissman, managing director at OVP Venture Partners, joined the Company’s board of directors.

To find out more and read the full press release, please visit our website. You can also sign up to be on our email list to have news delivered to your inbox.

Fate Therapeutics Announces Creation of Small Molecule Platform for Commercial Scale Reprogramming

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 09:51:43 -0700

Fate Therapeutics, Inc. announced today the generation of human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) using a combination of small molecules that significantly improves the speed and efficiency of reprogramming. The discoveries, which were made by Sheng Ding, Ph.D., under a research collaboration between Fate Therapeutics and The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI), represent a more than 200 fold improvement in reprogramming efficiency and reduce the reprogramming period to two weeks as compared to methods using only the four reprogramming factors (Oct 3/4, Sox2, Klf4 and c-Myc). This latest advancement has broad implications for the creation of “pharmaceutical grade” iPSCs, reprogrammed cells that can be produced without genetic modification at commercial scale quantity, quality and consistency and continues to bolster the leadership position of Fate Therapeutics in industrialized iPSC technology. The Company is developing minimally invasive techniques for reprogramming and differentiation and has exclusively in-licensed from TSRI and the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research an intellectual property portfolio related to iPSC technology dating back to November 2003.

Fate Therapeutics to Present Data on Stimulation of Osteogenic Activity Using Small Molecule Modulators of Wnt Pathway

Wed, 8 Jul 2009 07:37:54 -0700

Fate Therapeutics, Inc. announced today the presentation of data from its research on small molecule modulators of the Wnt pathway for osteo-regeneration at the 7th Annual Meeting of the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) in Barcelona, Spain. In its findings, the Company demonstrated that selected Wnt activators induce the differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells to mature, bone-forming osteoblasts. The study highlights the potential for using small molecule Wnt activators as osteogenic agents. Because osteogenic agents stimulate positive bone growth, they may offer an improved course of action in clinical settings ranging from orthopedics to osteoporosis as compared to current medications aimed at preventing bone decay.

To find out more and read the full press release, please visit our website.

Fate Therapeutics Granted Exclusive License by The Regents of the University of California to Stem Cell Modulators for Osteo-Regeneration

Wed, 1 Jul 2009 05:52:36 -0700

Fate Therapeutics, Inc. announced today that it has acquired exclusive intellectual property rights covering small molecule compositions and methods for inducing bone formation from The Regents of the University of California. These proprietary osteogenic agents were developed by Farhad Parhami, Ph.D., professor of medicine at University of California, Los Angeles, in collaboration with Michael Jung, Ph.D., professor of chemistry and biochemistry, and have been shown in vivo to exhibit osteo-regenerative activity. While many current medications aimed at addressing bone deficiencies work by preventing further decay, osteogenic agents stimulate positive bone growth and may offer an improved course of action in orthopedic medicine ranging from bone fractures to osteoporosis. The exclusive rights acquired today by Fate Therapeutics continue to bolster the Company’s platform of Stem Cell Modulators (SCMs) – small molecules and biologics that seek to modulate adult stem cells within the body to guide cell fate for therapeutic purposes.

To find out more and read the full press release, please visit our website.

Fate Therapeutics Announces First Patient Treated in Phase 1b Clinical Trial of FT1050 for Hematopoietic Stem Cell Support

Wed, 27 May 2009 07:17:17 -0700

Fate Therapeutics, Inc. announced today that the first patient has been treated in a Phase 1b clinical trial of FT1050, a small molecule Stem Cell Modulator (SCM) designed to increase hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) number and function through its activation of key pathways that guide cell fate. The study, which is being conducted at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, Massachusetts, will determine the safety and tolerability of introducing FT1050 during the standard course of dual umbilical cord blood transplant in adult patients with hematologic malignancies, such as leukemia and lymphoma, who have undergone nonmyeloablative conditioning therapy. Fate Therapeutics is developing FT1050 to improve the overall efficiency of HSC treatment by enhancing HSC proliferation and homing to the bone marrow.

To find out more and read the full press release, please visit our website.

Fate Therapeutics Adds Pratik Multani, M.D., M.S., as Vice President Clinical Development to Advance Upcoming Clinical Programs of Stem Cell Modulators

Mon, 18 May 2009 08:00:00 -0700

Fate Therapeutics, Inc. announced today that it has further expanded the Company’s executive team with the addition of Pratik Multani, M.D., M.S., as vice president clinical development. With more than a decade of clinical development experience, Dr. Multani will lead Fate Therapeutics’ upcoming clinical trials of Stem Cell Modulators (SCMs), small molecules and biologics that guide cell fate for therapeutic purposes. SCMs can potentially be applied in many areas, including regenerative medicine, hematological diseases, metastatic cancer, traumatic injury and degenerative diseases.

To find out more and read the full press release, please visit our website.

Fate Therapeutics Granted Exclusive License for Stem Cell Modulators by Children's Hospital Boston and Massachusetts General Hospital

Fri, 15 May 2009 05:55:31 -0700

Fate Therapeutics, Inc. announced today that it has acquired exclusive intellectual property rights jointly owned by Children's Hospital Boston and Massachusetts General Hospital. This intellectual property covers compositions and methods for supporting hematopoietic stem cells. These proprietary technologies developed by Leonard Zon, M.D., director of the Stem Cell Program at Children's Hospital Boston and a scientific founder of Fate Therapeutics, expand the Company's broad intellectual property portfolio for modulating the activity and state of stem cells. Fate Therapeutics is utilizing its adult stem cell biology engine and induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell technology platform to develop Stem Cell Modulators (SCMs) - small molecules and biologics that guide cell fate for therapeutic purposes.

To find out more about Catalyst and read the full press release, please visit our website.

Fate Therapeutics and Stemgent Launch Catalyst: a Unique Industry Program for First Access to the Most Advanced Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Technology

Thu, 23 Apr 2009 09:20:01 -0700

Fate Therapeutics, Inc. and Stemgent, Inc. announced today the formation of Catalyst, a collaborative one-of-a-kind program to provide pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies with the most advanced induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell technology platform for drug discovery and development. Catalyst will include the revolutionary protein-based reprogramming technology pioneered by Sheng Ding, Ph.D., published for the first time today in Cell Stem Cell. Dr. Ding, an associate professor of The Scripps Research Institute and scientific founder of Fate Therapeutics and Stemgent, is the first to report the creation of iPS cells using cell-penetrating proteins, a technique that effectively eliminates any risk of genetic modification. Catalyst will also include pioneering discoveries by Rudolf Jaenisch, M.D., a founding member of the Whitehead Institute, scientific founder of Fate Therapeutics and scientific advisory board member of Stemgent, who last month produced the first Parkinson's disease patient-derived iPS cells free of viral reprogramming factors.

To find out more about Catalyst and read the full press release, please visit our website.

Fate Therapeutics Further Expands Executive Management Team to Advance Discovery and Development of Stem Cell Therapeutics

Thu, 12 Mar 2009 07:20:25 -0700

Fate Therapeutics, Inc. announced the continued expansion of its executive management team with the addition of Ken Batchelor, Ph.D., as the Company’s chief scientific officer. Dr. Batchelor brings more than 28 years of experience in drug discovery and development, serving most recently as senior vice president at GlaxoSmithKline. During his career, he has advanced 11 drug candidates from target identification to positive completion of Phase 2 clinical studies. Dr. Batchelor will lead the Company’s pursuit of discovering and developing small molecules and biologics to guide cell fate for therapeutic purposes.

To read the full press release, please visit our website.

Fate Therapeutics Adds Cell State Detection Expert to Executive Management Team

Tue, 3 Mar 2009 06:00:03 -0800

In its continued interrogation of stem cell biology to guide cell fate for therapeutic benefit, Fate Therapeutics, Inc. has expanded its management team through the addition of Dan Shoemaker, Ph.D., as its chief technology officer. Under Shoemaker’s leadership, Fate Therapeutics is developing and implementing innovative molecular detection technologies to identify, characterize and quantify cell state. Fate Therapeutics is developing small molecules to activate the body’s own cells for regenerative medicine and to create and differentiate virus-free induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells for drug discovery and therapeutic development.

To read the full press release, please visit our website.

Pioneering Stem Cell Biologist Rudolf Jaenisch, M.D., Joins Founding Scientific Team of Fate Therapeutics

Mon, 2 Mar 2009 11:19:49 -0800

Fate Therapeutics, Inc. announced today that Rudolf Jaenisch, M.D., founding member of the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research and professor in the Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has joined the Company’s internationally recognized team of scientific founders dedicated to understanding stem cell biology in human physiology and disease. Dr. Jaenisch is credited with being one of the first to discover the revolutionary mechanisms for "reprogramming" fully-mature adult cells to a stem-like state.
To read the full press release, please visit our website.