Our Heritage
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Horizon was founded in July 2007 by Dr Chris Torrance and Professor Alberto Bardelli. The company builds on a long-heritage in gene-engineering, cancer research and translational medicine and draws on core intellectual property and know-how from: the University of Washington; the Johns Hopkins University; the University of Minnesota and; the Department of Oncological Sciences at the University of Torino Medical School.
The focus of this expertise is in the use and application of GENESIS™ a revolutionary gene-targeting platform, to create the ‘worlds’ first source of genetically-defined and patient-relevant human cell lines known as XMAN™ cell lines. Patient-relevant in-vitro disease models have been a missing link in the discovery of novel treatments that are ‘targeted’ or ‘personalised’ to the unique genetic mutations that define a patient’s disease type, progression; and consequently their inherent or acquired drug sensitivity and resistance profiles.
The growing need for such genetically-defined models in the field of cancer has been driven by Professor Bardelli’s studies, published in the Journal of Cancer Research (March 2007) and the Journal of Clinical Oncology (October 2008). These studies retrospectively analyzed tissue samples from the clinical trials performed for the novel ‘EGFR’ targeting colorectal cancer drugs; Erbitux and Vectibix and found that the majority of patients that carry a secondary mutant gene (KRAS and BRAF) are resistant to these drugs (in a combined total of 52% of patients trialed). These data were subsequently confirmed in prospective trials performed by the pharmaceutical companies developing these drugs; and the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have now mandated the compulsory testing of all colon cancer patients for their mutant KRAS status before Erbitux and Vectibix can be prescribed. The American Society of Clinical Oncologists (ASCO) had determined that KRAS testing has saved the global healthcare industry $750 million in mis-prescription of these drugs.
A follow-on study, published by Professor Alberto Bardelli (University of Torino) and Sabine Tejpar (University of Leuven) in the Journal of The American Medical Association (October 2010) used X-MAN cell lines to drive a detailed retrospective analysis of colon cancer patients who are prescribed, or excluded from Erbitux therapy based on the presence or absence of ‘mutant KRAS’.
Specifically, the study found that patients carrying a particular and relatively common (20% of mutant KRAS cases) form of mutant KRAS (the G13D variant) are not resistant to Erbitux therapy, as previously thought. The in vitro, in-vivo and cliniucal sample data correlated closely therefore suggesting that further analysis of specific mutant KRAS variants in prospective clinical trials are required to study the impact of specific mutant KRAS variants on Erbitux therapy.
Horizon is the only commercial source of X-MAN cell-lines (350+ genotypes across 20 parental backgrounds) that provide a means of testing putative cancer drugs against, what are in effect, ‘patients in a test-tube’. These tools represent a key missing link in the personalised drug discovery puzzle and have been adopted by most of the worlds leading pharmaceutical companies in the development of rational next-generation medicines.
Over 400 publications relating to the use of X-MAN cell line pair’s generated using adeno-associated virus (AAV) gene targeting (GENESIS) have been made by Horizon founders, scientific advisers, technology licensors and research collaborators. The abstracts for these publications in such leading peer-reviewed journals as; Science, Nature, Nature Biotech., PNAS, Cancer Cell, Cancer Research and The Journal of Clinical Oncology can be found in the reference library section of this web-site.
Moreover, recent publications by Horizon's scientific partners (e.g.Ashworth et al., EMBO Mol Med. September 2009, Di Nicolantonio et al., December 2008 and Ho Park et al., January 2009) have exemplified the powerof X-MAN models to predict which patient sub-groups may respond to currently-available or future drug treatments.
Recognition
- 2010 - East of England Business Awards: Young Company of the Year award
- 2009 - East of England Business Awards: Killer Technology award
- 2009 - UK Govt. iawards: Best UK Tech. Startup and Most Innovative UK Company
- 2008 - Medical Futures Awards: Best Cancer Drug Discovery Innovation & Best Business
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