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Bullet Proof X-MANTM: Horizon Secures
World-Wide Exclusive Patent Position on core GENESISTM Platform
Cambridge, UK, November 27th 2008 –
Horizon Discovery (Horizon) today announced it has secured world-wide exclusive
rights to a key genetic process behind its GENESIS platform used to create
highly patient-relevant disease models, called X-MAN cell-lines.
Horizon’s rapidly expanding number (100+) of X-MANTM (Mutant And Normal) cell
models allow drug discovery researchers to understand how cancer manifests
itself in real patients and develop personalised medicines, diagnostics and
theranostic tests that will enable future doctors to tailor individual treatment
regimes and follow-up care to the specific needs of cancer patient.
Underlying GENESIS, is a novel viral-based gene-engineering technology
discovered and patented by the University of Washington, which is absolutely
essential to generating X-MAN lines efficiently and reproducibly; and now
Horizon have exclusive rights to it.
The use of adeno-associated viruses (AAV) in gene engineering was first
considered as a means to perform gene-therapy in humans, but Horizon founders,
Chris Torrance and Alberto Bardelli, have now brought this technology more
widely into the drug discovery process by using it to create accurate patient
models; which will help rationalize all aspects of drug development, and
therefore the final cost of new cancer therapies.
Chris Torrance, CEO of Horizon Discovery say “Drug discovery researchers are
rapidly realizing the power of our X-MAN models, as evidenced by the number and
size of deals we have been able to sign with leading Pharma players in the short
space of time since the company's inception. It was our aim moving forward to
ensure we are not deflected from our mission to bring greater benefits to cancer
patients who need new and cheaper personalized medicines, by securing our
technology base at an early stage. In 2009, we will disseminate our technology
(and the products and services based upon it) to all levels of academic,
industrial and clinical research and begin the process of co-opting the support
of healthcare and political leaders; critical in implementing changes in how
personalized treatments are discovered and administered"
Dr Darrin M Disley, Commercial Director of Horizon says “we are delighted to
have secured an exclusive world-wide license for GENESIS covering our core
business applications in drug discovery, biomarker discovery and diagnostic
development across the therapeutic spectrum. The use of AAV in the development
of patient predictive disease models is gaining wide-spread adoption in
academia, Biotech and Pharma. Recent announcements by Pharma giants like
Novartis covering the deployment of in-vitro disease models to predict
measurable markers and responses that could apply in areas like oncology and
genetic diseases is significant as they have made the link that deployment of
patient-relevant human isogenic somatic models could allow mid-stage trials to
be shortened or even, in some cases, omitted completely resulting in a
significant shortening of the expensive clinical trials process. Genesis and
X-MAN technology will enable this approach to be adopted widely across an
industry that is ready to adopt a more rational and patient-centric approach to
early to mid-stage drug discovery”
About Horizon Discovery
Horizon Discovery is a translational genomics company founded in June 2007 and
is headquartered at the Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge, UK and with
additional research laboratories in Torino, Italy. Horizon’s goal is to convert
new information on the genetic causes of cancer into laboratory models that will
facilitate the discovery of drugs that target these defects. Central to this aim
is Horizon Discovery’s offering of isogenic cell-lines, which represent accurate
models of defined cancer patient populations and their matched normal genetic
backgrounds – a missing link in the rational and efficient development of novel
targeted anti-cancer agents.
Contact: Dr Darrin M Disley on +44 (0)1223 303049 or +44 (0)7786 133893
www.horizondiscovery.com
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