SAN DIEGO, May 27, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Fate Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq:FATE), a biopharmaceutical company engaged in the development of programmed cellular therapeutics for the treatment of severe, life-threatening diseases, today announced the closing of an underwritten public offering of 6,900,000 shares of its common stock, which included 900,000 shares that were issued pursuant to the full exercise of the underwriters' option to purchase additional shares, at a public offering price of $5.00 per share. Net proceeds from this offering were approximately $32 million, after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses. Fate Therapeutics intends to use the net proceeds from the offering for clinical development and research activities, working capital and other general corporate purposes.

Leerink Partners LLC and BMO Capital Markets Corp. acted as joint book-running managers for the offering. Wedbush PacGrow and H.C. Wainwright & Co., LLC acted as co-managers.

The securities described above were offered by Fate Therapeutics pursuant to a shelf registration statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-199107) previously filed with and declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"). A final prospectus supplement related to the offering was filed with the SEC on May 21, 2015 and is available on the SEC's website at http://www.sec.gov. Copies of the final prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus relating to the securities offered may also be obtained from Leerink Partners LLC, Attention: Syndicate Department, One Federal Street, 37th Floor, Boston, MA 02110, or by email at syndicate@leerink.com, or by phone at (800) 808‐7525, ext. 6142; or from BMO Capital Markets Corp. at 3 Times Square, 26th Floor, New York, NY 10036, Attention: Equity Syndicate Department, by telephone at (800) 414-3627 or by email to bmoprospectus@bmo.com.

This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction.

About Fate Therapeutics, Inc.

Fate Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company engaged in the development of programmed cellular therapeutics for the treatment of severe, life-threatening diseases. The Company's approach utilizes established pharmacologic modalities, such as small molecules, to program the fate and function of cells ex vivo. The Company's lead product candidate, PROHEMA®, is an ex vivo programmed hematopoietic cellular therapeutic, which is currently in clinical development for the treatment of hematologic malignancies and rare genetic disorders in patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). The Company is also using its proprietary induced pluripotent stem cell platform to develop ex vivo reprogrammed hematopoietic and myogenic cellular therapeutics. Fate Therapeutics is headquartered in San Diego, CA.

Forward-Looking Statements

This release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements regarding Fate Therapeutics' intended use of proceeds from the offering. These and any other forward-looking statements in this release are based on management's current expectations of future events and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially and adversely from those set forth in or implied by such forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the risks and uncertainties associated with market conditions, as well as risks and uncertainties detailed in the Company's periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including but not limited to the Company's Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2015, and from time to time the Company's other investor communications.  Fate Therapeutics is providing the information in this release as of this date and does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this release as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except to the extent required by law.

CONTACT: Jesse Baumgartner, Stern Investor Relations, Inc.

         212.362.1200, jesse@sternir.com

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