Horizon Discovery is striving to provide drug discovery researchers with key missing tools that will accelerate the search for new and more effective ‘targeted’ or ‘personalised’ drugs. Central to realizing this vision is the creation and utilization of genetically-defined ‘isogenic’ cell-lines, which represent accurate laboratory based models of human genetic diseases and their matched normal cell-types. Isogenic cell-lines speed-up and reduce the cost of discovering novel ‘personalised’ drugs that target the fundamental causes of diseases such as cancer.

We are looking for a post-doctoral researcher to be based in our state-of-art Gene Engineering Lab at the Molecular Biotechnology Centre in Torino (Italy). The focus of research will be the exploitation of an innovative technology to engineer isogenic cell-line pairs carrying specific cancer mutations and will involve many aspects of molecular and cell-biology. Part of the job will involve working closely with the Laboratory of Professor Alberto Bardelli located at the Department of Oncological Sciences-IRCC in Candiolo (Torino).

The candidate should ideally hold a PhD in cancer biology or genetics with 3+ years of post-doctoral experience. Experience of cell culture techniques is essential. Genetic cell-engineering experience, for example use of virally mediated gene targeting, is desirable but not required.

To apply or for more information contact Dr Rob Howes, R&D Director.

Closing date 31st July 2008.

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The 12 month program will see Horizon screen a compound library for agents that selectively kill cell-types harboring genes or pathways that are found to be activated in cancer stem cells. The focus will be on the mutant PI3K and β-catenin genotypes as pathways that have been well characterized to have a major influence over cancer cell migration, metastasis, cell-viability and drug resistance – all primary hallmarks of the cancer stem cell compartment.

Screens will be performed on a panel of human cancer cell-lines produced using Horizons proprietary gene engineering technology ‘GENESIS’. This technique allows the creation of human cell-line pairs harboring a specific mutated cancer allele versus a matched isogenic normal genetic background.

The research program began on June 9th 2008.

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He holds a PhD in Biology from the University of Cambridge and held post-doctoral positions at Stanford University, California and the University of Cambridge. He is the author of 15 peer-reviewed papers, many of which are on small molecule drug discovery and, has spoken at many international conferences with a focus on assay development and screening of oncology targets.

He takes up his new post from 1st June 2008 and will be responsible for: managing the company’s gene engineering facility in Torino; liaising with screening service partners Caliper Life Science & Hypoxium and; delivering on commerical R&D contracts in place with Cancer Research UK. Genentech and the Migrating Cancer Stem Cell’s Framework-6 consortium.

Rob Howes says “I am very pleased to join Horizon Discovery at this exciting time in the company’s development. Having worked with Chris Torrance previously at Vernalis, I know we make a great team who along with the company’s other principles can take Horizon to the next level”.

VIMCAD will apply leading-edge in vitro cellular modeling and imaging techniques to translate molecular and cell-based observations on cellular senescence into a viable drug discovery strategy.

The key objectives of the VIMCAD research program are: the identification critical paths for cellular senescence with a focus on human melanoma; development of genetically defined ‘isogenic’ human tumour cell-lines with matched normal gentetic backgrounds to rationally screen for novel compounds that modulate senescence and; the identification of small molecules & miRNA target leads for drug development & pathway manipulation.

VIMCAD is being funded by Cancer Research UK for an initial period of 24months and will be the repository for valuable new intellectual property. Following this period an industrial partner will be sought by Cancer Research UK to develop the new intellectual property.

Horizon will contribute a valuable component of the research program, namely the development of genetically defined (by target patient genotype) human isogenic cancer cell-lines that can be used to find new drug candidates in high-content screens.

In return for its involvement Horizon will receive a six-figure fee and retain ownership of the developed isogenic cell-lines, which will allow the dissemination of these unique tools to its academic, biotech and pharmaceutical customers. Horizon will also be an equal shareholder in VIMCAD and the intellectual property contained within it.

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Hypoxium will provide a key resource in this process by enabling pharmaceutical and academic researchers to profile their targets and drug candidates on these isogenic paired cell lines using a range of off-the-shelf and bespoke cell biology assays; from simple cell viability assays to complex mechanism of action studies, under either normal or pathological growth conditions.

Dan Cowell, CEO of Hypoxium said, “Working with Horizon Discovery is an excellent fit with our strategy of increasing our oncology focused cell biology offering with technologies that will benefit our clients’ discovery programs. By working with leaders in the field such as Horizon, we can continue to expand the tools available to researchers in cancer”.

The new offering is available now to pharmaceutical and biotech customers on standard commercial terms with a special scheduled monthly service for academic organisations that allows large numbers of individual research groups to send small numbers of compounds for affordable drug profiling.

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Horizon Discovery Limited (Horizon) announces the opening of its Gene Engineering Laboratory at the Molecular Biotechnology Center in downtown Torino, Italy.

The center, funded by the Italian government, houses state-of-art laboratories, central service and full conference facilities that will house a team of molecular biologists who will expand Horizon’s unique panel of genetically-defined human disease models called ‘isogenic’ cell lines. In addition, staff at the center will also support ongoing R&D collaborations with cancer drug discovery groups around the world.

The location of the facility puts Horizon scientists in close proximity with its exclusive academic collaborator and Chief Scientific Advisor Professor Alberto Bardelli whose world-renowned cancer research group is based at the Department of Oncological Sciences, University of  Torino School of Medicine -IRCC.

“The alliance with Horizon Discovery adds significant value to existing CDAS offerings and illustrates Caliper’s commitment to providing accurate in vitro and in vivo models for oncology research,” said David Manyak, Executive Vice President of Drug Discovery Services, Caliper Life Sciences. “The addition of Horizon’s isogenic cell lines to our existing oncology cell proliferation panel, and the ability to correlate results from these isogenic cell lines to efficacy in specific patient populations, further solidifies Caliper’s in vitro-in vivo-human (IIH) bridge.

The new offering is available now on standard Caliper commercial terms.

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Cambridge Enterprise Seed Funds first supported Horizon Discovery with a convertible loan in July 2007. Dr Geraldine Rodgers, Head of Seed Funds, said “Horizon Discovery has achieved a great amount to date. We have high hopes for the success and profitability of Horizon Discovery in the future.”

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Chris Torrance, Horizon CEO says: “We are delighted to have AstraZeneca as an early-adopter of our cell-lines and look forward to a long and fruitful relationship with AstraZeneca”.

Chris Torrance, Horizon CEO says: “We are delighted to have Genentech as an early-adopter of the OncoGene panel. The licensed cell-lines in this panel represent novel drug discovery tools that accurately model specific genetic mutations observed in real human cancer cells”.