Horizon Discovery
Horizon Discovery, a Cambridge, UK-based subsidiary of Revvity operating under the Dharmacon brand, supplies CRISPR-Cas9, base editing, RNAi, and engineered cell line reagents to life sciences researchers and pharmaceutical/biotech discovery groups globally.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2007
- HeadquartersCambridge, United Kingdom
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Horizon Discovery does
Horizon Discovery, operating under the Revvity Discovery Limited legal entity and the Dharmacon brand, is a Cambridge, UK-based life sciences tools company that designs and supplies gene editing and gene modulation reagents for research applications. Its technology portfolio spans CRISPR-Cas9 systems (Edit-R), base editing (Pin-point), RNAi (ON-TARGETplus siRNA and SMARTpool), CRISPRa/CRISPRi modulation (CRISPRmod), engineered cell lines, screening libraries, and reference standards (Mimix), plus custom synthesis services. Core platforms include a proprietary modular three-component base editing architecture, the SMARTselection siRNA design algorithm, and a ~30-year Dharmacon brand legacy in synthetic oligonucleotide chemistry.
The company's technology stack encompasses algorithmically-designed guide RNAs, chemically-modified siRNAs with reduced off-target activity through seed-region destabilization, dual-regulated inducible CRISPR systems (Strict-R), and self-delivering Accell siRNAs for difficult-to-transfect cells. Collaborations with Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Harvard (Steve Elledge), The RNAi Consortium, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and Profluent support both reagent content and AI-engineered base editing enzymes.
Horizon generates revenue primarily through direct-to-consumer e-commerce sales of catalog reagents and custom synthesis services to academic, pharmaceutical, and biotech research customers, with pay-as-you-go one-time/perpetual licensing. Distribution is supported by a PhD-staffed scientific support team, an enterprise sales channel, and eProcurement integration for institutional buyers. Operating geographies cover North America and the UK, with the company functioning as a subsidiary within Revvity's Life Sciences segment.
Horizon Discovery firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Horizon Discovery
- Legal name
- Revvity Discovery Limited
- Website
- https://horizondiscovery.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2007
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Horizon Discovery, a Cambridge, UK-based subsidiary of Revvity operating under the Dharmacon brand, supplies CRISPR-Cas9, base editing, RNAi, and engineered cell line reagents to life sciences researchers and pharmaceutical/biotech discovery groups globally.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Horizon Discovery industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Life Sciences Research Reagents
- NAICS
- Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (54171)
- SIC
- Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- CRISPR & Functional Genomics Screening Platforms (pooled/arrayed screens, perturb-seq) (HLAAAIAG)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Target Identification & Validation Platforms (omics-driven, chemoproteomics, genetic validation) (HLAAAIAI)
Keywords
Where Horizon Discovery is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Cambridge
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Horizon Discovery business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Research Reagents Sales: Sale of gene editing reagents (CRISPR guide RNAs, Cas9 nucleases), gene modulation reagents (siRNA, shRNA, microRNA), engineered cell lines, reference standards, and custom synthesis services. Products are sold as catalog items and custom orders through the company website with per-transaction pricing.
- Custom Synthesis Services: Custom oligonucleotide synthesis including single-strand RNA, custom siRNA, custom antisense oligonucleotides, custom DNA, and custom microRNA modulation tools. Provides flexible scale and purity options for experimental needs.
- Screening Library Products: Pre-defined and custom CRISPR and RNAi screening libraries sold in various formats (pooled, arrayed) for functional genomic screening applications.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Research-use-only reagents and custom synthesis services |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels10 records
Horizon Discovery product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Horizon Discovery designs, manufactures, and sells functional genomics tools for life sciences research, including CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing reagents (Edit-R), high-specificity siRNA reagents (ON-TARGETplus), modular base editing reagents (Pin-point), CRISPR modulation tools (CRISPRmod), and engineered cell lines. The company also provides custom oligonucleotide synthesis services and functional genomic screening services. Operating primarily under the Dharmacon brand, Horizon serves academic researchers, pharmaceutical/biotech companies, and precision medicine researchers globally.
Product overview
Horizon Discovery, operating under the Dharmacon™ brand, offers a comprehensive portfolio of gene editing and modulation tools for life sciences research. The product ecosystem centers on the Dharmacon™ brand as the primary umbrella, encompassing Edit-R™ CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing systems for precise genome modifications, ON-TARGETplus™ siRNA reagents for gene knockdown studies, Pin-point™ base editing technology for single-nucleotide changes without double-strand breaks, and CRISPRmod CRISPRa/CRISPRi tools for gene expression regulation. These core product lines are complemented by engineered cell lines (including HAP1 knockout and Cas9-stable variants), genome-wide and targeted CRISPR screening libraries in pooled or arrayed formats, LentiBOOST™ transduction enhancer for improved viral delivery, and custom synthesis services for specialized reagent needs. The portfolio spans from individual gene-level reagents to complete screening solutions for functional genomics research.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Pin-point: Pin-point base editing platform offering a unique and powerful approach for safe and more effective complex genetic engineering
- Dharmacon
- ON-TARGETplus
- Edit-R
- CRISPRmod
- SMARTvector
- Accell
- siGENOME
- Lincode
- miRIDIAN
- Mimix
Products and services
- Edit-R CRISPR-Cas9 Gene Editing System
Quantifiable outcome
- SMARTpool siRNA reagents guaranteed to silence target gene expression by at least 75% at mRNA level
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Horizon Discovery
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Horizon Discovery technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature7 records
Horizon Discovery partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Revvity (Parent Company)coreHorizon Discovery operates as a brand under Revvity, a global life sciences company. The company transitioned emails to the Revvity.com domain while maintaining unchanged billing information. Dharmacon Reagents are branded as 'a Revvity brand'. Revvity provides the parent infrastructure and portfolio breadth supporting Horizon's gene editing and modulation products.
- Cold Spring Harbor LaboratoriesminorGIPZ and TRIPZ shRNA collections were developed in collaboration with Gregory Hannon of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratories. These microRNA-adapted shRNA technologies provide efficient gene silencing with minimized cellular toxicity.
- Harvard (Steve Elledge)minorGIPZ and TRIPZ shRNA collections were developed in collaboration with Steve Elledge of Harvard. The partnership contributed to the development of microRNA-adapted shRNA design for improved gene silencing.
- The RNAi Consortium (TRC)minorTRC lentiviral shRNA collection is sourced from The RNAi Consortium, providing standardized human and mouse shRNA reagents for the research community.
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (CCSB)minorHuman ORFeome v8.1 Library and CCSB Human ORFeome Collections are sourced from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute's Center for Cancer Systems Biology (CCSB), providing sequence-verified open reading frames for gene expression studies.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Horizon Discovery competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Synthego: Synthego provides synthetic guide RNAs, CRISPR libraries, and engineered cell lines, directly competing with Horizon's Edit-R and screening library offerings for gene editing applications.
- GenScript: GenScript offers CRISPR reagents, gene synthesis, and cell line engineering services that overlap significantly with Horizon's product portfolio across research and preclinical applications.
- Takara Bio: Takara Bio offers CRISPR reagents, gene editing tools, and cell line engineering products that compete with Horizon's offerings, particularly strong in Asia-Pacific markets.
- Integrated DNA Technologies (IDT): IDT is a leading manufacturer of custom oligonucleotides and CRISPR reagents, directly competing with Horizon's Dharmacon brand across guide RNAs, Cas9 nucleases, and custom synthesis services.
- Merck KGaA (MilliporeSigma): Merck's life science division offers a competing portfolio of CRISPR tools, gene editing reagents, and functional genomics products under the MilliporeSigma brand, serving similar pharma and academic customers.
Emerging players
- VectorBuilder: VectorBuilder offers custom viral vectors, lentiviral shRNA reagents, and gene synthesis services, competing with Horizon's SMARTvector lentiviral shRNA and custom synthesis offerings.
- Caribou Biosciences: Caribou develops CRISPR-based tools for cell therapy and therapeutic applications, representing an emerging competitor in the CRISPR technology space adjacent to Horizon's reagent focus.
Broad incumbents
- Lonza: Lonza provides cell line engineering and gene editing services as part of its broader biologics manufacturing portfolio, with overlap in engineered cell models and bioproduction cell lines.
- Charles River Laboratories: Charles River provides cell line engineering, PDX models, and drug discovery services, overlapping with Horizon's engineered cell models and screening service offerings.
- Thermo Fisher Scientific (Invitrogen): Thermo Fisher's Invitrogen brand offers CRISPR reagents, gene synthesis, and cell line engineering as part of a broader life sciences portfolio, competing across multiple Horizon product categories.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Horizon Discovery social profiles
Digital presenceHorizon Discovery financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Horizon Discovery leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Horizon Discovery funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds6 records
Investors10 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Horizon Discovery M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A5 records
Investments1 record
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Horizon Discovery
What does Horizon Discovery do?
Horizon Discovery designs, manufactures, and sells functional genomics tools for life sciences research, including CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing reagents (Edit-R), high-specificity siRNA reagents (ON-TARGETplus), modular base editing reagents (Pin-point), CRISPR modulation tools (CRISPRmod), and engineered cell lines. The company also provides custom oligonucleotide synthesis services and functional genomic screening services. Operating primarily under the Dharmacon brand, Horizon serves academic researchers, pharmaceutical/biotech companies, and precision medicine researchers globally.
Is Horizon Discovery a public or private company?
Horizon Discovery is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Horizon Discovery founded?
Horizon Discovery was founded in 2007. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Horizon Discovery based?
Horizon Discovery is headquartered in Cambridge, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Horizon Discovery make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Research Reagents Sales are the primary driver. The others are custom Synthesis Services and screening Library Products.
Who are Horizon Discovery's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Synthego, GenScript, Takara Bio, Integrated DNA Technologies (IDT) and Merck KGaA (MilliporeSigma). Emerging players are VectorBuilder and Caribou Biosciences. Broad incumbents are Lonza, Charles River Laboratories and Thermo Fisher Scientific (Invitrogen).
Does Horizon Discovery have an API?
No public API is recorded for Horizon Discovery.
What industry is Horizon Discovery in?
Horizon Discovery's product category is Life Sciences Research Reagents. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAAAIAG, CRISPR & Functional Genomics Screening Platforms (pooled/arrayed screens, perturb-seq), with a secondary code of HLAAAIAI, Target Identification & Validation Platforms (omics-driven, chemoproteomics, genetic validation). Its NAICS code is 541714 and its SIC code is 8731.