Sept. 19 Preclinical Quick Takes: Celsius' single-cell analysis; plus Merck's RSV therapy, glial cell transplant and methylation profiles for tumors

Celsius gets three single-cell analysis partners
Through separate deals, Celsius Therapeutics Inc. partnered with the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Institut Gustave-Roussy and University Health Network to apply its single-cell genomics platform, which includes machine-learning algorithms, to tissue samples from patients receiving checkpoint inhibitor therapies. The collaborations will identify drug discovery targets for triple negative breast cancer, bladder cancer and kidney cancer, respectively.

Spurred by rapid advancements over the last few years, companies have grown eager to incorporate single-cell analysis in every aspect of drug development. Celsius partnered with Janssen Biotech Inc. in July to analyze patient samples in the Phase IIa VEGA trial for ulcerative colitis to find biomarkers predicting therapeutic response (see "The Next Frontier for Single-cell Analysis")...