Eric has over 20 years’ experience in technology development and senior executive roles, most notably as Vice President of Business Development at Sangamo Biosciences (NASDAQ:SGMO) between 1998 and 2008 and most recently as Business Development Director for Sigma-Aldrich Corp (NASDAQ:SIAL).
In both roles he was responsible for the commercialization of gene-editing technology for which he closed multimillion dollar strategic licensing deals with over 25 of the top pharma and biotech companies in the world. He also was a part of the senior management team that successfully took Sangamo BioSciences public in 2000.
At Horizon, Eric will be the Company’s primary expert in human and mammalian gene targeting methods, with significant input into R&D and marketing for rAAV-mediated genome editing technology. He will also play a key role in supporting sites participating in Horizon’s Centers of Excellence Program.
Dr Darrin Disley, CEO of Horizon, commented: “Eric has a proven track record of delivery in the biotech industry, backed by a broad knowledge of the gene-editing field, and so brings added perspective to our technology, IP and commercial strategies. I’m delighted to welcome him to Horizon, and look forward to seeing him make an impact within an innovative, dynamic and entrepreneurial environment.”
“Horizon is an exciting company with an exceptional combination of high value technology and in-depth experience in the oncology field which brings unique value to its products and service offering,” said Eric Rhodes. “I’m excited to join the team and look forward to helping to expand upon the range of markets and applications which the company will be addressing over the years ahead.”
About Horizon Discovery http://www.horizondiscovery.com/
Horizon Discovery is a leading provider of research tools to support the development of personalized medicines. The Company’s proprietary virally-mediated precision gene engineering technology, GENESIS, enables any endogenous gene in a human cell line to be altered quickly, reliably and without introducing unwanted and confounding genotypes and/or phenotypes. Using GENESIS, Horizon Discovery has developed X-MAN (gene-X; Mutant And Normal) cell models, which are the world’s first source of genetically-defined and patient-relevant human cell lines.
The Company’s broad panel of over 350 different X-MAN cell lines, which have been referred to as “patients-in-a-test-tube,” accurately model the disease-causing mutations in cancer patients. The X-MAN cell lines are being used by academic and industry leaders to identify the effect of individual mutations on drug activity, patient responsiveness and resistance, and to successfully predict which patient sub-groups will respond to currently available, and future drug treatments. This supports the design of shorter, more focused clinical trials, making it possible to identify the ‘right drugs’ for the ‘right patients’ based upon the unique genetic mutations that define their disease.
Founded by Dr Chris Torrance and Professor Alberto Bardelli, and with headquarters in Cambridge, UK, the company builds on a long heritage in precision gene engineering, cancer research and translational medicine. Horizon’s GENESIS technology has won numerous awards, and there are currently more than 400 scientific papers published relating to the use of GENESIS technology and X-MAN cell line pairs.
GENESIS and X-MAN are both registered trademarks of Horizon Discovery Limited.
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Contacts:
At Horizon:
Dr Darrin M Disley
CEO
Tel: +44 (0) 1223 655 587
Email: d.disley@horizondiscovery.com
Media enquiries:
Katie Odgaard
Zyme Communications
Tel: +44 (0)7787 502 947
Email katie.odgaard@zymecommunications.com