Twist Bioscience Announces Antibody Discovery Agreement with Bayer Worth Up to $188 Million
Twist Bioscience Corporation (NASDAQ: TWST), a leader in synthetic DNA has announced an Antibody Discovery, Option, and License Agreement with Bayer, a global leader in pharmaceuticals and life sciences. Under the terms of this agreement, Twist Biopharma Solutions, a division of Twist Bioscience, will harness its Library of Libraries to initiate antibody discovery campaigns aimed at discovery targets to be jointly determined by both companies. Moreover, Bayer will have the option to secure licensing agreements for the antibodies discovered through this collaborative effort.
Emily M. Leproust, Ph.D., CEO, and co-founder of Twist Bioscience expressed her enthusiasm, saying, “Our ongoing partnership with Bayer leverages the full suite of our Twist Biopharma Solutions offering of antibody discovery services to identify the best antibodies for Bayer’s specific targets. By combining the scientific and technical strengths of each organization, and importantly the level of mutual trust built over several years working together, we look forward to identifying and developing new therapies in multiple disease areas to positively impact patients who need it the most.”
The partnership comes with a structured financial arrangement. Beyond upfront research fees, if the antibodies discovered through this collaboration advance to clinical development, Twist becomes eligible for success-based clinical and commercial milestone payments, in addition to royalties from product sales. The potential financial impact is substantial, as Twist could receive up to $188 million in clinical and commercial milestone payments, along with royalties. In exchange, Bayer will hold exclusive rights to license these antibodies for commercialization.
Twist Biopharma Solutions, has extensive experience integrating high-throughput DNA synthesis technology with extensive proficiency in antibody engineering. This synergy enables the provision of comprehensive antibody discovery solutions across the preclinical spectrum, tailored to the unique requirements of its partners. Twist’s Library of Libraries allows for the construction of proprietary antibody libraries, with the option to initiate discovery from in vivo or in vitro sources, providing partners with an invaluable, unbiased resource for antibody therapeutic development and optimization. This approach significantly reduces risk, accelerates the pace of antibody discovery, and lowers failure rates, which are common challenges in therapeutic antibody development. Twist Biopharma Solutions also leverages sophisticated bioinformatics and software expertise to expedite antibody discovery. In vivo approaches, such as single B cell screening and hybridoma discovery, run in parallel with other technology methods, creating a diverse panel of antibody leads with high affinity. The division further provides essential development capabilities, including IgG conversion, expression, purification, biophysical characterization, and functional assessment.