Horizon Discovery (Horizon) signed a commercial service agreement with global pharmaceutical company; GlaxoSmithKline relating to its X-MAN technology.

Horizon's X-MAN (Mutant And Normal) cell-line technology provides the first genetically-defined and patient-relevant in vitro models of human cancer. These models are being used by a growing number of Pharma and Biotech companies to accelerate and economize the discovery on new 'targeted' or 'personalised' cancer medicines.

The agreement contributes to the identification and characterization of novel biomarkers, disease signatures and therapeutic targets in the field of cancer 'metabolomics'; a rapidly growing area of translational cancer research.

"Dr Chris Torrance, CEO of Horizon said, "Horizon uses the power of 'isogenic' human cancer models to define how tumours in specific cancer patient-populations become dependent on certain nutrient sources and whether they generate unique metabolite signatures that can be secreted into the bloodstream. In this way, we aim to develop early-detection methods and new classes of 'personalised' therapeutics that may starve cancers into submission."

Horizon Discovery (Horizon) is striving to provide researchers with the gold-standard tools that will accelerate the search for new and effective 'targeted' or 'personalised' medicines.