Collaboration brings together Absci's Generative AI drug creation platform with Twist's DNA synthesis platform to accelerate the design of a novel therapeutic antibody

VANCOUVER, Wash. and SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Oct. 31, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Absci Corporation (NASDAQ: ABSI) a data-first generative AI drug creation company, and Twist Bioscience Corporation (NASDAQ: TWST) a company enabling customers to succeed through its offering of high-quality synthetic DNA using its silicon platform, today unveiled a collaboration to design a novel therapeutic using generative AI.

"Bringing together two leaders in biotechnology innovation represents an opportunity to accelerate pharmaceutical R&D," said Absci Founder & CEO Sean McClain. "We are excited to strengthen our relationship with Twist and leverage the power of our shared platforms to bring better biologics to patients faster."

Through this new collaboration, Absci and Twist will design a novel therapeutic candidate against an undisclosed target using Absci's advanced generative AI platform and Twist's synthetic DNA platform. The program will leverage Absci's AI de novo design capabilities and Twist's silicon-based synthesis platform, including its Multiplexed Gene Fragments for the testing and validation of antibody candidates designed using Absci's generative AI technology platform. Twist and Absci intend to seek a partner for human clinical development and commercialization.

"We have been working with Absci for several years and look forward to extending our collaboration beyond a preferred supplier to leverage their AI platform along with Twist's capabilities to discover antibodies to a key biological target that potentially impacts multiple disease areas," said Emily M. Leproust, Ph.D., CEO and cofounder of Twist Bioscience.

This program adds to Absci's growing portfolio of collaboration programs with industry-leading pharmaceutical companies such as AstraZeneca and Merck, as well as with leading academic institutes such as Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. In addition to its partnered programs, Absci continues to advance an internal pipeline of multiple drug candidates.

For this program, Twist will apply products from its SynBio portfolio developed for antibody discovery including Multiplexed Gene Fragments, Express portfolio and synthesis of long DNA. This partnership illustrates the value of Twist's platform from individual pieces of DNA all the way through antibody discovery.

About Absci
Absci is a data-first generative AI drug creation company that combines AI with scalable wet lab technologies to create better biologics for patients, faster. Our Integrated Drug Creation platform unlocks the potential to accelerate time to clinic and increase the probability of success by simultaneously optimizing multiple drug characteristics important to both development and therapeutic benefit. With the data to train, the AI to create, and the wet lab to validate, we can screen billions of cells per week, allowing us to go from AI-designed antibodies to wet lab-validated candidates in as little as six weeks. Absci's headquarters is in Vancouver, WA, with our AI Research Lab in New York City and an Innovation Center in Zug, Switzerland. Visit and follow us on LinkedIn (@absci), X (Twitter) (@Abscibio), and YouTube.

About Twist Bioscience Corporation
Twist Bioscience is a leading and rapidly growing synthetic biology and genomics company that has developed a disruptive DNA synthesis platform to industrialize the engineering of biology. The core of the platform is a proprietary technology that pioneers a new method of manufacturing synthetic DNA by "writing" DNA on a silicon chip. Twist is leveraging its unique technology to manufacture a broad range of synthetic DNA-based products, including synthetic genes, tools for next-generation sequencing (NGS) preparation, and antibody libraries for drug discovery and development. Twist is also pursuing longer-term opportunities in digital data storage in DNA and biologics drug discovery. Twist makes products for use across many industries including healthcare, industrial chemicals, agriculture and academic research. Follow us on LinkedIn | X | YouTube | Instagram

Absci Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements in this press release that are not historical facts are considered forward-looking within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, including statements containing the words "will," "may," "pursues," "anticipates," "plans," "believes," "aims," "potential," "forecast," "estimates," "extends," "expects," and "intends," or similar expressions. We intend these forward-looking statements, including statements regarding the capabilities of our Integrated Drug Creation platform, our technology development efforts and the application of those efforts, the potential benefits of our partnership with Twist, the plans and success of our current and future partnerships and the ability to generate advancements towards treating disease using generative AI drug creation to accelerate the development of novel candidate therapies, the anticipated value to us under our partnerships, and our internal therapeutic asset programs, to be covered by the safe harbor provisions for forward-looking statements contained in Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act, and we make this statement for purposes of complying with those safe harbor provisions. These forward-looking statements reflect our current views about our plans, intentions, expectations, strategies, and prospects, which are based on the information currently available to us and on assumptions we have made. We can give no assurance that the plans, intentions, expectations, or strategies will be attained or achieved, and furthermore, actual results may differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements and will be affected by a variety of risks and factors that are beyond our control, including, without limitation, risks and uncertainties relating to our ability to effectively collaborate on research, drug discovery and development activities with our partners or potential partners, our dependence on third parties to support our internal development programs, including for the manufacture and supply of preclinical and clinical supplies of our product candidates or components thereof, our existing and potential partners' ability and willingness to pursue the development and commercialization of programs or product candidates under the terms of our partnership agreements, and overall market conditions and regulatory developments that may affect our and our partners' activities under these agreements, along with those risks set forth in our most recent periodic report filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, as well as discussions of potential risks, uncertainties, and other important factors in our subsequent filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Except as required by law, we assume no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

Twist Bioscience Legal Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical facts contained herein are forward-looking statements reflecting the current beliefs and expectations of management made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements regarding the potential benefits of our partnership with Absci and the success of our partnership and the ability to generate advancements towards treating disease using generative AI drug creation to accelerate the development of novel candidate therapies. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other important factors that may cause Twist Bioscience's actual results, performance, or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, among others, the ability to achieve the expected benefits of Twist Bioscience's restructuring activities and reduced investments in DNA data storage; the ability to attract new customers and retain and grow sales from existing customers; the ability of Twist Bioscience to achieve sufficient revenue to achieve or maintain positive cash flow from operations or profitability in any given period will depend heavily on the success of our existing products and the development and commercialization of additional products in the synthetic biology, biologic drug and data storage industries; risks and uncertainties of rapidly changing technologies and extensive competition in synthetic biology that could make the products Twist Bioscience is developing obsolete or non-competitive; uncertainties of the retention of significant customers; the ability of Twist Bioscience to successfully integrate acquired companies and to achieve expected benefits from acquisitions; supply chain and other disruptions; risks of third party claims alleging infringement of patents and proprietary rights or seeking to invalidate Twist Bioscience's patents or proprietary rights; and the risk that Twist Bioscience's proprietary rights may be insufficient to protect its technologies. For a description of the risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ from those expressed in these forward-looking statements, as well as risks relating to Twist Bioscience's business in general, see Twist Bioscience's risk factors set forth in Twist Bioscience's Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on November 21, 2023 and subsequent filings with the SEC. Any forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date hereof, and Twist Bioscience specifically disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Absci Investor Contact
Alex Khan
VP, Finance & Investor Relations
investors@absci.com

Absci Media Contact
press@absci.com

Twist Investor Contact:
Angela Bitting
SVP, Corporate Affairs
925-202-6211
abitting@twistbioscience.com

Twist Media Contact:
Amanda Houlihan
Communications Manager
774-265-5334
ahoulihan@twistbioscience.com