NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) – Horizon Discovery said today that Genentech will use its technology to develop cancer models for drug discovery programs.
The Cambridge, UK-based company said Genentech will be able to use its GENESIS gene-engineering platform to develop genetically defined human cancer models for cancer studies.
These mutant and normal cell lines, called X-MAN, provide a source of human cell-types that hold specific cancer causing genes plus a matched normal cell as a control. This method could enable development of novel drugs or treatments that target specific patient populations, said Horizon.
Horizon said that under the three-year agreement Genentech will pay it an undisclosed, up-front fee, as well as milestones and renewable fees, as it has in previous agreements between the two companies.
Horizon CEO Chris Torrance said the company’s platform enables users to generate a range of disease models that are “difficult or impossible” to generate using other gene-engineering techniques.