Singlera Genomics Inc. announced a research collaboration with Astellas Pharma Inc. to develop methylation-based tools to better understand biological reactions to pharmaceuticals using Singlera's mTitan platform. mTitan allows for the interrogation of rare circulating cell-free DNA methylation signals, and has previously been utilized to non-invasively detect cancer signals in blood four years prior to patients showing symptoms. By utilizing the platform in a pre-clinical drug development setting, this research collaboration aims to develop tools to obtain insights into biological responses during drug treatment. Under the terms of the agreement, Singlera will design mTitan-based assays to aid in Astellas' preclinical drug development pipeline.

The collaboration has the potential to result in a more rapid pipeline and aid in the development of effective therapies for patients with fewer side effects.