Fate: Potentiating stem cells

Fate Therapeutics is taking a pharmaceutical approach to the biology of stem cells. The company initially will focus on developing small molecules and proteins that can prod adult stem cells in vivo to differentiate into cells that can then repair damaged tissues and cells. By doing so, Fate hopes to bypass problems with cell therapies, which have included manufacturing consistency and the difficulty in creating a profitable business model.

"The idea is to do with a drug what others are trying to do using transplanted cells," President Alex Rives told BioCentury...