Horizon provides assay development and drug screening services powered by our precision gene-editing and human isogenic cell-line platforms.

Clients are able to access our patient-relevant X-MAN™ genetically defined cell lines to study how specific cancer genes and mutations affect sensitivity to therapeutic compounds. We also offer research services using standard non-isogenic cancer cell lines to supplement our isogenic cell line offering, and have a bank of over 120 lines ready to use.

Our range of optimized cellular assays has applications at many points during the drug discovery process including:

Of particular value are several assays designed to recreate the tumor microenvironment, enabling analysis of parameters such as hypoxia, 3-dimensional growth, senescence, autophagy and drug resistant pathway responses. These assays, particularly when deploying isogenic X-MAN™ cell lines, clearly demonstrate the role that endogenous mutations play in driving disease and reinforce the importance of placing these cells under tumor relevant conditions in order to illicit the true disease phenotypes and drug responses seen in the clinic.

In combination with CrownBio Incorporated we can provide an integrated solution that can include both in vitro and in vivo studies.

Horizon is also able to develop customized assays specificly designed to address key scientific questions.  For example, assays utilizing activity-dead cell lines to determine whether known effect is based on structural or functional causes.

Horizon has successfully completed over 300 projects using isogenic and standard cancer cell line models. Below are just a few examples:

• Successful target validation program for large pharmaceutical company resulting in internalisation of the project with resourcing for a full drug discovery effort
• Study profiling lead compounds across a large panel of XMAN^TM isogenic cell lines in order to design a focused Phase 1 trial on patients most likely to respond
• Support of a lead optimisation program for a virtual drug discovery organisation through a range of cellular assays including ELISA, migration and invasion and siRNA assays, enabling the client to progress to partnering discussions
• Compound profiling study leading to the company in-licencing a broad range of our XMAN^TM isogenic cell lines
• Target validation program, including discovery services assays as well as GENESIS^TM custom cell line engineering, allowing functional and genetic validation of the target

Projects can be carried out on either a fee-for-service (FFS) or full-time equivalent (FTE) basis depending on your requirements.

Below are a few examples and guide prices for FFS projects. Project costs can vary significantly depending on individual project requirements however, so please contact us to discuss your specific needs further.

Our service provides more than just data points. Our skilled team is drawn from both academic (disease biology) and industrial (drug discovery and development) backgrounds, ensuring that we apply strong scientific rationale and rigor to all projects within the framework of a timeline-driven industrial setting. We have completed over 300 studies ranging from large multi-stage projects for large pharmaceutical companies to small projects for academic researchers.

As the most experienced users of X-MAN™ isogenic cell lines, we can advise our clients on how best to apply them to address a diverse range of research questions. An example of our expertise lies in Horizon’s own successful program which identified and validated HD001, a first-in-class novel kinase that interacts with the K-Ras pathway.

Horizon is in regular contact with customers throughout projects, offering advice, providing milestone updates and presenting a detailed final report at the conclusion. Below are two examples of final reports:

• Example report: Compound screening in a 3D assay, change title to Evaluation of PI3K inhibitor in 3D phenotypic assay.
• Example report: 2D colony forming growth assay, change title to Studying PARP inhibitors in BRCA2 isogenic cell line colony forming assay.