TGen, Horizon Discovery partner in development of novel cancer cell-lines

Feb 3 2010

The Translational Genomics Research Institute partners with Cambridge, UK, firm in cancer research

The Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) and Horizon Discovery today announced plans to develop human disease models for use in TGen's cancer research.

A research-collaboration and sub-licensing agreement will allow TGen investigators to use Horizon's GENESIS- and X-MAN- technologies to accelerate the search for new drug targets, biomarkers and anti-cancer agents, which could provide patients with more effective treatments.

Dr. Daniel Von Hoff, TGen's Physician-In-Chief and senior investigator will head the effort at TGen. Dr. Von Hoff is a leading advocate of developing precision cancer therapies. Dr. Von Hoff also is a leader in clinical trial design for agents that are based on an understanding of the cancer genes in patients' tumors.

"TGen is eager to partner with Horizon in the use of these new technologies, which should enhance our research efforts to provide patients with significantly better outcomes,'' Dr. Von Hoff said.

Horizon's core gene-targeting technology and human isogenic cell-lines are expected to enable TGen to create a key center of excellence in translational medicine for generating and applying predictive human disease models in drug discovery.

"Our over-arching mission is to speed up the research, development and prescription of more rational therapies that target the root causes of cancer development in each patient's tumor," said Dr. Chris Torrance, CEO of Horizon, based in Cambridge, U.K. "TGen investigators are visionaries in this respect and we are honored to enable them with Horizon's GENESIS technology to generate a novel pipeline of X-MAN cancer models to support cutting-edge translational oncology research."

Under terms of the collaboration, TGen will use Horizon proprietary technology and know-how to develop a panel of novel cancer cell-lines, which will be licensed back to Horizon for future licensing to the broader academic, biotech and pharma research communities. The parties also have agreed to share, publish and commercialize data from the research program, subject to future commercial terms.

This type of open-source relationship will be replicated in the future by Horizon at selected centers of excellence for translational research with the aim of deciphering the genetic links to cancer and other debilitating diseases.