AstraZeneca and Horizon Discovery agree cancer research alliance

AstraZeneca has announced an exclusive collaboration and license agreement with Horizon Discovery to explore the potential of a new cancer therapy.

The collaboration will focus on investigating Horizon's first-in-class kinase target programme HD-001 as a means of developing novel therapies for multiple cancer types, including colon and lung cancer.

Based on modulation of a novel kinase, this new therapy target has been shown to play a key role in K-Ras mutant tumours, a form of cancer associated with poor patient outcomes.

Under the terms of the agreement, Horizon will receive undisclosed upfront and preclinical milestone payments and will also be eligible for clinical and approval milestones of up to $75 million (49.11 million pounds), plus tiered royalties.

Susan Galbraith, head of the oncology innovative medicines unit at AstraZeneca, said: "AstraZeneca has a proven track record of collaborating on early-stage discovery projects with innovative organizations like Horizon, partnering their cutting-edge science with our strong oncology expertise to bring new medicines to cancer patients."