Our Heritage
Horizon was founded in 2007 by Dr Chris Torrance and Professor Alberto Bardelli, both graduates of the Vogelstein laboratory, the most-cited oncology research group in the world. The company builds on a long-heritage in gene-engineering, cancer research and translational medicine and draws on intellectual property and know-how from: the University of Washington; the Johns Hopkins University; the University of Maryland, Baltimore and; the Department of Oncological Sciences at the University of Torino.
The focus of this expertise is the application of a proprietary gene-engineering technology, GENESIS to create the ‘worlds’ first source of genetically-defined and patient-relevant human X-MAN (Mutant And Normal) cell lines. X-MAN lines can be deployed to discover drugs that are ‘targeted’ or ‘personalised’ to the unique genetic mutations that define a patients disease genotype and drug response.
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 and progression; and consequently its 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 clinical trials on 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 trialled). These data were subsequently confirmed in prospective trials performed by the pharmaceutical companies developing these drugs and the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) has now mandated the compulsory testing of all colon cancer patients for these resistance genes before any EGFR-targeted drugs can be prescribed. The American Society of Clinical Oncologists (ASCO) is similarly petitioning for these guidelines to be adopted in the U.S.
Horizon is the only commercial source of X-MAN cell-lines (150 genotypes across 7 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 world-leading pharmaceutical companies like Genentech, Millennium, Novartis and OSI to enable their development of rational next-generation medicines.
Moreover, recent publications by Horizon’s scientific partners in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (Di Nicolantonio et al., December 2008 and Ho Park et al., January 2009) have exemplified the power of X-MAN models to predict which patient sub-groups may respond to currently-available or future drug treatments.
Horizon’s technology and business model has been recognized by the Medical Futures Innovation Awards as the Best Cancer Drug Discovery Innovation and Best Business Proposition of 2008.