Horizon will support Boehringer Ingelheim’s oncology programmes by using its Discovery Toolbox for research projects and profiling of compounds at the hit-to-lead, lead optimization and pre-clinical stages to elucidate their anti-cancer properties and help guide drug discovery programmes.
Under the terms of the collaboration, Horizon will evaluate compounds across a broad panel of X-MAN isogenic models and selected 2D/3D phenotypic assays, and will provide an FTE and access to its custom cell line generation services to support the programmes.
Horizon will also apply its proprietary genome editing technology GENESIS™ to develop human isogenic disease model cell lines, according to Boehringer Ingelheim’s specifications. Using GENESIS, Horizon is able to alter any endogenous gene sequence of human or mammalian cell lines quickly, reliably and without unwanted and confounding genotypes and/or phenotypes. The resulting high quality cell lines accurately model the disease-causing mutations found in patients.
Kam Dhaliwal, Vice President of Sales, Horizon, said “We are delighted that Boehringer Ingelheim has selected Horizon as a partner for its drug discovery programmes, in recognition of the value our X-MAN cell lines and drug discovery services can add to the search for novel treatments for cancer."
Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
About Horizon Discovery http://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. The Company’s proprietary technology, GENESIS, is the world’s most precise genome editing technology. Using GENESIS, 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 harnessed 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 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.
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Contacts:
At Horizon:
Kam Dhaliwal
Vice President of Sales
Tel: +44 (0)1223 655 580
Email: Kam.Dhaliwal@horizondiscovery.com
Media enquiries:
Katie Odgaard
Zyme Communications
Tel: +44 (0)7787 502 947
Email katie.odgaard@zymecommunications.com
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