Celgene Acquires Genomics Specialist …

Celgene will acquire Quanticel Pharmaceuticals, a privately held specialist in cancer drug discovery. The deal will give Celgene access to Quanticel’s platform for the single-cell genomic analysis of human cancer as well as Quanticel’s lead programs targeting specific epigenetic modifiers. The deal caps a 2011 collaboration between the companies, during which time Quanticel generated several drug candidates expected to begin clinical trials next year. Celgene will pay $100 million for Quanticel plus milestone payments of up to $385 million.