Horizon Discovery

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.

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

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

• Gene editing reagents
• CRISPR Cas9 tools
• RNAi silencing reagents
• Engineered cell lines
• Base editing platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Cambridge

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core 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

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Revvity (Parent Company)coreOthersHorizon 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 LaboratoriesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGIPZ 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)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGIPZ 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)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTRC 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)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHuman 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

Direct 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

• Xx.com/hzd_cellmodels
• Facebookfacebook.com/801774256513261

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds6 records

Investors10 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A5 records

Investments1 record

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Horizon Discovery