Horizon joins cell consortium

Waterbeach personalised medicine company Horizon Discovery has joined a consortium – funded by the European Union – of 12 groups from nine countries.

The ‘4D Cell Fate’ consortium aims to shed light on how stem cell reprogramming and differentiation is regulated at the epigenetic level.

Horizon, based at the Cambridge Research Park, will generate cell lines for the consortium, which includes academics, research-intensive small and medium enterprises, and pharmaceutical companies.

“Generating stem cells and differentiated cell types with greater precision, definition and safety are essential for delivering on the great promise that stem cell-based therapies could bring to many disease areas,” said Horizon chief scientific officer Dr Chris Torrance.

“Horizon’s genome editing technology will play a pivotal role in helping to dissect key biological pathways in the fate of stem cells as part of the 4D Cell Fate project. Through this process, new and important approaches to disease therapy will be determined.”