Horizon Discovery signed a commercial service agreement with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) for cancer research. The deal involves the use of Horizon’s X-Man (mutant and normal) cell-line technology for the identification and characterization of novel biomarkers, disease signatures, and therapeutic targets in the field of metabolomics.
“Horizon uses the power of isogenic human cancer models to define how tumors in specific cancer patient-populations become dependent on certain nutrient sources and whether they generate unique metabolite signatures that can be secreted into the bloodstream,” explains Horizon’s CEO, Chris Torrance Ph.D.
Horizon’s X-Man technology comprises a library of genetically defined and isogenic human cell line pairs, which are identical except for the knock-in or knock-out of cancer-causing mutations. The company claims the technology represents the first genetically defined and patient-relevant platform of in vitro models for human cancer. Over the last six months Horizon has signed a variety of X-Man collaborations and service agreements with companies including Genentech, In Silicos, Janssen Pharmaceutica, DxS, and SuperGen.
