Invitae is set to build its offerings for high-volume, low-cost blood testing in prenatal screening and other uses through the acquisition of privately held Singular Bio for $55 million.
Invitae has been offering noninvasive prenatal screening in early pregnancy for detecting genetic abnormalities at the price of $99 -- including screening for Down syndrome, Edwards syndrome, and Patau syndrome, with add-on tests included at no additional cost, such as for predicting fetal sex. Invitae said that Singular Bio's technology will allow it to expand its activities in this area and that it is exploring applications for noninvasive genetic testing in other areas, such as liquid biopsy.
Singular Bio differentiates its technology based on its ability to look at single molecules of an individual person's DNA, as opposed to looking at an aggregate signal from a sample. The company's employees are set to stay on following the deal with Invitae.
