Horizon Discovery Group plc establishes Scientific Advisory Board for Horizon Diagnostics

Drawing on key opinion leaders from both the clinic and industry, this SAB will recommend improvements needed in laboratories adopting Companion Diagnostic assays, to improve patient care and suggest guidelines for assay standardization.

Horizon Diagnostics will utilize these guidelines to further evolve its strategy for personalized medicine, which has already delivered a suite of Molecular Reference Standards. These products are genetically defined, quantitative and highly reproducible, allowing for improved companion diagnostic development, performance and ultimately testing.

The SAB comprises experts in each of the four main molecular diagnostics testing fields of immunohistochemistry (IHC), Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), next-generation sequencing (NGS), and quantitative PCR (qPCR). Also joining the SAB will be Dr Paul Morrill (PhD), Senior Vice President, Products at Horizon Discovery Group, and Dr Karin Schmitt (PhD), R & D Director, Products at Horizon Discovery Group.

Dr Shashikant Kulkarni (PhD) is Director of Cytogenomics and Molecular Pathology, Medical Director, Genomics and Pathology Services (GPS), Associate Professor of Pathology and Immunology, Pediatrics and Genetics, and Program Director, Clinical Genomics Fellowship Training Program at Washington University School of Medicine at St Louis. Dr Kulkarni’s laboratory’s principal research interest is in delineation of novel genomic structural and single nucleotide variants in cancer. Dr Kulkarni uses genome-wide tools for comprehensive molecular characterization of genomic aberrations associated with cancer, including cytogenetics, FISH, chromosomal microarray (CMA), molecular barcoding and NGS.

Dr Regan Fulton (MD, PhD) is Attending Pathologist and Director of Contract Research, PhenoPath Laboratories. Dr. Fulton has extensive knowledge and experience in the use of diagnostic IHC, surgical pathology and quality assurance. He is active in expert consultation and surgical pathology, development and validation of new antibodies, and implementation of clinical research studies. Dr. Fulton currently serves on the College of American Pathologists IHC Committee, as well as the Workgroup for IHC Validation Guidelines.

Dr Ben Ho Park (MD, PhD) is Associate Professor of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Dr Park’s laboratory is focused on discovery and development of novel treatments for breast cancer. The lab is developing techniques to identify genes involved with hormonal and chemotherapeutic drug resistance, as well as analyzing the genetic effectors of growth and hormone receptor mediated breast carcinogenesis.

Paul Kinnon is CEO, Transgenomic. Paul has more than 20 years of global leadership experience in innovative life science and diagnostics companies. Paul has previously provided consulting services to Horizon Diagnostics, whilst a Partner at Arch Global Research. He was previously President, Chief Executive Officer and a Director of ZyGEM Corporation Limited, where he transformed the company from a regional enzyme provider into a leader in integrated microfluidic technologies for forensic and clinical diagnostic applications. He has also held leadership rolls within Invitrogen Corporation (now Life Technologies), and business, sales and marketing roles at Guava Technologies, Inc., Cellomics, Inc. as well as other life science companies.

Dr. Paul Morrill, Senior Vice President, Products, Horizon Discovery Group, commented: “We are pleased to announce the appointment of the new scientific advisory board for the Diagnostics Business Unit. Horizon Diagnostics is passionate about and committed to making a difference in cancer healthcare and we are delighted to have secured such eminent SAB members to further help reach the goal of better patient outcomes through better testing.”

Horizon Diagnostics’ suite of Molecular Reference Standards offer a sustainable source of reference material to laboratories, proficiency schemes and manufacturers, providing an unprecedented level of control. The reference materials include standards for the increasing number of ‘rare’ mutations being targeted for cancer therapeutics, which by definition are hard to find in clinical samples.




About Horizon Diagnostics

Horizon Diagnostics, a business unit of Horizon Discovery Group plc, is a leading provider of genetically defined, human genomic reference standards, including FFPE cell line sections and purified genomic DNA. HDx™ Reference Standards offer a sustainable source of reference material to laboratories, proficiency schemes and manufacturers, providing an unprecedented level of control.

Variability in DNA extraction from tumour biopsies and a lack of standardisation are currently major sources of error in molecular laboratories. The availability of genetically defined reference materials provides an industry standard for development and quality control of molecular assays, directly improving their accuracy.

Horizon Diagnostics’ suite of reference material includes standards for the increasing number of ‘rare’ mutations being targeted for cancer therapeutics, which by definition are hard to find in clinical samples.

Drawing upon Horizon Discovery’s proprietary genome editing platform, GENESIS™, Horizon Diagnostics reconstitutes clinically relevant cancer genes in human cell lines, exactly as they occur in patient tumours. Horizon Diagnostics is able to define virtually every characteristic of its reference standards, from the molecular constitution of the genome to the diameter, width and DNA output associated with each product batch. These standards have been made available in a variety of formats including genomic DNA (gDNA) aliquots, Formalin-Fixed Paraffin-Embedded (FFPE) slices and fluorescent in-situ hybridization (FISH) material.  Horizon Diagnostics is also adapting the technology to support immunohistochemistry (IHC) assays.

 

About Horizon Discovery Group plc

Horizon is a revenue-generating life science company supplying research tools to organizations engaged in genomics research and the development of personalized medicines. Horizon has a diverse and international customer base approaching 1,000 organizations across nearly 50 countries, including major pharmaceutical, biotechnology and diagnostic companies as well as leading academic research centers. The Company supplies its products and services into multiple markets, estimated to total in excess of £29 billion by 2015.

Horizon’s core capabilities are built around its proprietary translational genomics platform, GENESIS™, a high-precision and flexible suite of gene-editing tools able to alter almost any endogenous gene sequence of human or mammalian cell-lines. Horizon offers almost 11,500 products, almost all of which are based on the application of GENESIS™ to generate cell lines that accurately model the disease-causing mutations found in genetically based diseases. These ‘patients-in-a-test-tube’ are being used by customers to identify the effect of individual or compound genetic mutations on drug activity, patient responsiveness, and resistance, which may lead to the successful prediction of which patient sub-groups will respond to currently available and future drug treatments.

In addition, Horizon provides GENASSIST™ CRISPR and rAAV gene-editing tools, custom cell line generation services for research and bioproduction applications, in vivo models, quantitative molecular reference standards, contract research and custom screening services, custom shRNA development services and off-the-shelf validated shRNA (through Horizon’s partner Sirion), and haploid cell lines (through Horizon’s partner Haplogen).  These latter partnerships provide Horizon with almost 11,000 further products for our customers.

Horizon is headquartered in Cambridge, UK, and is listed on the London Stock Exchange’s AIM market under the ticker “HZD”, for further information please visit: www.horizondiscovery.com


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For further information from Horizon Discovery Group Plc, please contact:
Zyme Communications (Trade and Regional Media)
Katie Odgaard
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Email: katie.odgaard@zymecommunications.com

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Amber Bielecka / Mary-Jane Elliott / Jessica Hodgson / Matthew Neal
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Email: horizon@consilium-comms.com
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