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Exosome Diagnostics Inks RNA-Seq Collaboration With Takeda

NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) – Exosome Diagnostics (ExoDx) today announced it has entered into a collaboration with Takeda Pharmaceuticals to develop an exosomal RNA sequencing platform for biomarker discovery.

Under the terms of the agreement, Cambridge, Massachusetts-based ExoDx and Takeda will develop a platform for analyzing gene expression patterns of cancers and other diseases. ExoDx will apply its exosomal RNA isolation technology, RNA sequencing-based biomarker discovery platform, informatics, and signal enhancement technology, among other methods.

Financial and other details of the collaboration were not disclosed.

"Analysis of RNAs in exosomes may provide an innovative biomarker tool for longitudinal patient characterization to select patients, monitor disease, and track drug response over time of therapy without the need for multiple tissue biopsies," Takeda VP of Translational & Biomarker Research Andy Dorner said in a statement.

ExoDx is a privately held company developing fluid-based diagnostics. The firm's ExoLution platform can use plasma, urine, or saliva samples. The firm is actively seeking to turn exosomal biomarker signatures into clinical diagnostics.

To this end, the firm raised $60 million in a Series B financing in April.

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