License Awarded for Exclusive Distribution of Modified T-Cell Lines

A line of modified T-cell lines is to be commercialized and made available to biotech and life science researchers.

The X-MAN (gene X- Mutant and Normal) cell lines from the University of Minnesota (Minneapolis, USA) will be marketed by Horizon Discovery (Cambridge, United Kingdom). This arrangement was finalized by the University of Minnesota awarding a worldwide exclusive distribution license to Horizon Discovery. Under the terms of the license agreement, Horizon Discovery will pay the University of Minnesota upfront and ongoing royalty payments, in return for worldwide exclusive rights to distribute the cell lines.

The cell lines include several rAAV (recombinant adeno-associated virus) engineered T-cell lines, which will extend the X-MAN product line into virology. These cell lines represent powerful new tools for the study the AIDS virus, HIV-1, the related virus HTLV-1, and both virus-associated and nonviral T-cell leukemias and lymphomas.

Horizon Discovery has also announced that it has extended its existing agreement with the University of Minnesota to license a further panel of X-MAN cell lines relating to DNA repair.

Dr. Rob Howes, principal scientist at Horizon Discovery, said, “We are very excited to expand our X-MAN disease models into a new therapeutic area. By providing these new disease models we aim to help the development of new therapies for the treatment of AIDS and T-cell leukemia.”

Dr. Reuben Harris, associate professor of biochemistry at the University of Minnesota, said, “We are delighted to partner with Horizon to ensure that the cell lines we have worked hard to develop will be used more broadly to fight HIV/AIDS and T cell cancers.”

Related Links:
University of Minnesota
Horizon Discovery