Exhibit 99.1

         SANGAMO BIOSCIENCES ANNOUNCES THE APPOINTMENT OF DAVID ICHIKAWA
                 AS SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

    POINT RICHMOND, Calif., Jan. 4 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Sangamo
BioSciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: SGMO) announced today the appointment of David
Ichikawa as Senior Vice President, Business Development.  Mr. Ichikawa will
have responsibility for all licensing and business development activities for
the company and will report to Edward Lanphier, Sangamo's president and chief
executive officer.

    "We are very pleased to have David join our management team," said Edward
Lanphier. "He brings significant experience in both operations and business
development from a successful career in the biotechnology industry and we expect
him to play a key role developing and implementing our strategy to secure the
commercial success of our ZFP Therapeutics."

    Mr. Ichikawa was most recently Chief Business Officer for Sagres Discovery,
where he was responsible for corporate strategy and business development
activities. While at Sagres he negotiated a major collaboration with Boehringer
Ingelheim, the strategic acquisition of MemRx Corporation and played a critical
role in the acquisition of Sagres by Chiron Corporation. He has more than 20
years of industry experience with both pharmaceutical and biotechnology
companies in various commercial areas. Prior to Sagres Discovery, David held
several positions with Chiron Corporation including Vice President, R&D Business
Development and Finance. Mr. Ichikawa earned his M.B.A. degree from the
University of California at Berkeley and a B.S. degree from the University of
California at Davis.

    "The power of Sangamo's proprietary ZFP technology lies in its versatility
and broad applicability. The ability to target specific DNA sequences in the
genome to achieve activation, repression or modification of therapeutically
relevant genes provides significant opportunities to develop novel
therapeutics," said Mr. Ichikawa. "Increasingly, pharmaceutical companies are
identifying 'validated targets' that prove to be 'non-druggable' using their
conventional small molecule drug and recombinant protein approaches. I believe
that Sangamo's technology will provide therapeutic approaches to such
intractable problems and allow us to address these unmet medical needs. I am
very pleased to be joining Sangamo and am looking forward to the opportunity to
lead efforts to develop and commercialize this novel technology."

    About Sangamo
    Sangamo BioSciences, Inc. is focused on the research and development of
novel DNA-binding proteins for therapeutic gene regulation and modification. The
company's most advanced therapeutic development program, currently in a Phase I
clinical trial, involves the use of transcription factors for the treatment of
peripheral artery disease. Other therapeutic development programs are focused on
diabetic neuropathy, ischemic heart disease, congestive heart failure, cancer,
neuropathic pain, and infectious and monogenic diseases. Sangamo's core
competencies enable the engineering of a class of DNA-binding proteins known as
zinc finger DNA-binding proteins (ZFPs). By engineering ZFPs that recognize a
specific DNA sequence Sangamo has created ZFP transcription factors (ZFP TFs)
that can control gene expression and, consequently, cell



function. Sangamo is also developing sequence-specific  ZFP-Nucleases (ZFNs) for
therapeutic gene  modification as a treatment and possible cure for a variety of
monogenic  diseases such as sickle cell anemia and for infectious  diseases such
as HIV. For more  information  about  Sangamo,  visit the  company's web site at
www.sangamo.com or www.expressinglife.com.

    This press release may contain forward-looking statements based on Sangamo's
current expectations. These forward-looking statements include, without
limitation, references to the research and development of novel ZFP TFs and
applications of Sangamo's ZFP TF technology platform. Actual results may differ
materially from these forward-looking statements due to a number of factors,
including technological challenges, Sangamo's ability to develop commercially
viable products and technological developments by our competitors. See the
company's SEC filings, and in particular, the risk factors described in the
company's Annual Report on Form 10-K and its most recent 10-Q. Sangamo
BioSciences, Inc. assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking
information contained in this press release.

SOURCE  Sangamo BioSciences, Inc.
    -0-                             01/04/2005
    /CONTACT:  Elizabeth Wolffe, Ph.D, of Sangamo BioSciences, Inc.,
+1-510-970-6000, ext. 271, or ewolffe@sangamo.com; or media, Kathy Nugent,
+1-212-213-0006, or investors, John Cummings, +1-415-532-6262, both of Burns
McClellan, Inc., for Sangamo BioSciences, Inc./
    /Web site:  http://www.sangamo.com