Horizon Discovery

Gene editing is the process by which specific changes are made to the sequence of a gene within the context of a host cell. By editing the code of a patient-derived cell to introduce or repair a genetic change believed to drive disease, a patient’s disease can be reproduced in a laboratory setting, letting researchers ask important biological questions of potential drugs or cell therapies earlier in the drug discovery process.

Through its gene editing platform, Horizon is able to alter genes in most human or mammalian cell lines. Horizon now offers over 23,000 cell line pairs that model the mutations found in genetically based diseases.

These ‘patients-in-a-test-tube’ are may be used to identify the effect of individual or compound genetic mutations on drug activity, patient responsiveness, and resistance, which may lead to prediction of which patient sub-groups will respond to currently available and future drug treatments.

Once built, engineered cells can act as product manufacturing engines, yielding related cell and reagent products that can be used as research tools or molecular diagnostic reference standards or as a means to generate advanced in vivo models.