Horizon will immediately begin using ZFN technology as part of its unique custom cell line generation service, where both ZFN and rAAV technologies will be applied, either independently or in combination, to deliver the full spectrum of genomic modifications as efficiently and cost-effectively as possible. The offering will be marketed under Horizon’s precision gene-editing brand GENESIS™.
Dr Darrin Disley, CEO of Horizon, said: “Horizon is a full service translational genomics company with its business activities encompassing the identification of the genetic drivers of disease, the creation of human disease models and their deployment in the development of targeted molecular therapeutics. I am delighted that we can now apply both ZFN and rAAV gene editing to give our customers a gold standard and technology agnostic cell-line generation service.”
Eric Rhodes, CTO of Horizon who has 15 years’ experience in ZFN and rAAV gene-editing technology, said: “Nuclease based approaches are particularly adept at achieving rapid and efficient knock-out of two or more alleles, making them a perfect complement to Horizon’s proprietary rAAV-based precision gene-editing platform. Our scientists have the expertise and now an unrivalled toolset to help guide customers towards the approach that best answers their biological question and/or suits their timescale and budget.”
Dr Paul Brooks, Global Market Segment Manager at Sigma Life Science, commented: “We are pleased that Horizon will be using their expertise to apply both gene editing technologies side by side for the benefit of the research community. The exploitation of these proven technologies is a key step in capitalizing on the wealth of genomic information now available, and in applying this to real drug discovery and development programs.”
Under the terms of the deal, Horizon will obtain ZFNs manufactured by Sigma for use in commercial development of cell based products and to provide commercial gene editing services.
Financial terms were not disclosed.
About Horizon Discovery www.horizondiscovery.com/
Horizon Discovery Limited (Horizon) is a leading provider of research tools to support translational genomics research and the development of personalized medicines. Using GENESISTM, Horizon is able to alter any endogenous gene sequence of a human or mammalian cell-line quickly, reliably and without introducing unwanted and confounding genotypes and/or phenotypes.
Horizon has applied GENESIS to create over 500 X-MAN™ cell lines, the world’s first source of genetically-defined and patient-relevant human cell lines, accurately modeling the disease-causing mutations found in cancer patients. These ‘patients-in-a-test-tube’ are being used by academic and industry leaders to identify the effect of individual or compound genetic mutations on drug activity, patient responsiveness, and resistance, leading to the successful prediction of which patient sub-groups will respond to currently-available and future drug treatments. This enables the design of shorter, more focused, and less expensive clinical trials, ultimately providing the tools to identify the ‘right drugs’ for the ‘right patients’ based upon the unique genetic mutations that define their disease.
In addition to the X-MAN cell lines, Horizon provides GENESIS and X-MAN™ derived products and services, with industrial application in: bio-pharmaceutical process optimization; clinical diagnostic development; drug discovery & development; and the provision of reference standards for genomic-based clinical research platforms.
GENESIS and X-MAN are registered trademarks of Horizon Discovery Limited.
CompoZr is a registered trademark of Sigma-Aldrich Co. LLC.
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Contacts:
At Horizon:
Dr. Darrin M. Disley, CEO
Email: d.disley@horizondiscovery.com
Media enquiries:
Katie Odgaard
Zyme Communications
Tel: +44 (0)7787 502 947
Email: katie.odgaard@zymecommunications.com
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Horizon Discovery licenses Zinc finger nuclease gene editing technology from Sigma-Aldrich
3 September 2013
Horizon Discovery, a leading provider of research tools to support the development of personalized medicines, today announced it has entered into a non-exclusive license agreement with Sigma-Aldrich (Sigma) for use of their CompoZr ® zinc finger nuclease (ZFN) technology. The deal gives Horizon the commercial freedom to apply the technology alongside its proprietary rAAV technology in its gene-editing service and cell line product business units.