David has been Non-Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors of Horizon Discovery since 2009. During this time he oversaw the company’s growth from 15 to 80 FTE’s, a compound annual revenue growth rate of >120% and a 6 times increase in valuation. An entrepreneurial accountant who has been involved in various organizations in the diagnostics and life sciences fields including BBI, IDS and DxS, David has a strong track record in both executive and non-executive roles.
Dr Darrin M Disley, CEO of Horizon, said: “On behalf of Horizon’s Management Team and Board of Directors I would like to thank David for his integrity, hard work and unwavering support. He remains a significant investor, trusted advisor and friend of the company and we wish him well. As interim Chairman Ian’s commercial and investor relations experience will be greatly valued, as Horizon continues to develop as a world-leading translational genomics organization.”
David Evans commented: “It has been a pleasure to work with Horizon, one of the leading lights of the British biotech industry. The company has a strong future ahead, and I look forward to seeing its growth over the coming years.”
Ian Gilham was appointed Non-Executive Director of Horizon Discovery in August 2013. He is also non-executive chairman of Multiplicom NV and Biosurfit SA, and Director of Stowheath Ltd. Ian has previously been CEO of Axis-Shield plc and Vice President, Pharmacogenetics and Diagnostics at GSK, as well as holding various positions within Abbott Laboratories.
Horizon’s mission is to provide its customers with cutting-edge biological tools and services that will accelerate the pace of development of ‘personalized’ medicines.
About Horizon Discovery
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.
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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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David Evans steps down as Chairman of the Board for Horizon Discovery
23 October 2013
Horizon Discovery, a leading provider of research tools to support the development of personalised medicines, today announced Mr David Evans has stepped down as Chairman of the Board. Dr Ian Gilham, who was recently appointed as a non-executive director for Horizon Discovery, will act as interim Chairman. Horizon is actively seeking a high profile non-executive with international standing to act as Chairman, who will work closely with the Board of Directors and CEO.