Horizon Discovery and Bayer collaborate on oncology programs

UK-based Horizon Discovery, a provider of research tools to support the development of personalized medicines, has signed a collaboration agreement with German drug major Bayer (BAYN: DE)) to develop preclinical cell line models that will support Bayer’s oncology R&D programs, using Horizon’s precision genome editing technology, GENESIS.

The aim of the collaboration - for which financial terms were not disclosed - is to deliver high quality cell lines that more accurately model the disease-relevant mutations found in human tumors.

Using GENESIS, Horizon says it is able to alter any endogenous gene sequence of human or mammalian cell lines quickly, reliably and without unwanted and confounding genotypes and/or phenotypes. With the ability to rapidly introduce one or more significant gain-of-function disease-relevant mutations (common in many forms of cancer), as well as loss-of-function alterations, into any endogenous gene loci of human cells, GENESIS can more accurately reflect patient genotypes in human cancer cell lines derived from human tumors. Under the terms of the agreement, Horizon will apply GENESIS to develop human isogenic cell lines for use in Bayer’s oncology R&D programs.