Horizon Discovery signs development agreement with Ventanta

The AIM-traded firm said the agreement covers the development, manufacture and commercialisation of cell line derivative materials for use as IHC Reference Standards in cancer tissue diagnostics to support the development and validation of IHC assays.

Its board described Ventana as a “global leader in tissue diagnostics” including immunohistochemistry, providing products used in clinical histology and drug development research laboratories.

To support the development and validation of IHC assays, Ventana has partnered with Horizon as a provider of highly characterised ‘Reference Standards’.

Under the terms of the agreement, Ventana has the option to commission projects from Horizon, whereupon Horizon will develop the applicable cell lines and the associated derivative Reference Standard materials.

Horizon will retain primary responsibility for commercialising the Reference Standards and will serve as the primary distribution channel to end-customers in the tissue diagnostics market, providing the company with additional ongoing revenue streams.

Ventana will hold the option to co-distribute any developed Reference Standards.

“By securing this agreement, Horizon's Reference Standards will now be used increasingly in the IHC market, continuing the company's successful strategy of embedding OTS products into established and emerging workflows, delivering reliable revenue streams at high margin,” said Horizon CEO Dr Darrin Disley.

Paul Morrill, president of products at Horizon said the company is excited to continue to strengthen its relationship with Ventana, developing Reference Standards in areas of significant need and exploring the opportunity for follow-on OEM agreements.