FATE

Fate Therapeutics, Inc.

A San Diego biotech that grows "off-the-shelf" cell therapies for cancer and autoimmune disease. Using induced pluripotent stem cells — adult cells rewound to an early, flexible state — it programs batches of immune cells (natural killer and T cells) that can be stored and given to many patients, unlike therapies made from each person's own cells. Founded in 2007 by stem-cell scientists, the name comes from its mission to "direct the fate" of cells into specific immune fighters. Its ticker symbol on the stock market is fittingly FATE.