- Abcam to license in VHH phage library(1) from Twist,
complementing in-house recombinant antibody capabilities
- Abcam to develop and commercialize antibodies for diagnostic
and research use, with Twist retaining rights for therapeutic
applications
- Reinforces Abcam’s commitment to consistently improve
industry standards and support the sector with best-in-class
reagents
Twist Bioscience Corporation (NASDAQ:TWST), a company enabling
customers to succeed through its offering of high-quality synthetic
DNA using its silicon platform, and Abcam (AIM:ABC; NASDAQ:ABCM), a
global innovator in life sciences reagents and tools, today
announced a licensing agreement under which Abcam will use a
proprietary Twist VHH phage library for antibody discovery,
development and commercialization for diagnostic and research
applications.
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the full release here:
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Phage display complements other antibody discovery methods, and
offers several benefits for tackling challenging targets. The
synthetic nature and the diversity of each Twist library (up to 10
billion variants) enable the rapid identification of antibodies
against challenging targets that would otherwise fail due to
toxicity or lack of immunogenicity. The recombinant format enables
easier genetic engineering and maximizes in vitro manufacturing
ensuring batch-to-batch reproducibility and scalability from bench
to bedside.
Alejandra Solache, Ph.D., SVP R&D at Abcam said,
“Twist’s phage library complements our leading recombinant antibody
discovery capabilities, adding further scale and diversity and
increasing the likelihood of identifying antibodies with the
desired properties against emerging or established targets. The
partnership supports Abcam and Twist’s commitment to deliver
antibodies that have the potential to accelerate the development of
innovative research tools, diagnostics and therapeutics.”
Under the terms of the agreement, Twist Bioscience grants Abcam
the right to engage in research and development activities using
Twist single domain (VHH) synthetic antibody library. Abcam has the
option to nominate, license and commercialize antibody sequences
for diagnostic and research use, in return for license fees and
commercial milestone payments. Twist retains the rights to the same
sequences for therapeutic application.
Emily M. Leproust, Ph.D., CEO and co-founder of
Twist said, “This partnership is an important
milestone in Twist’s journey as it allows us to access the research
and diagnostic market through Abcam’s commitment to advance
discovery, development and commercialization of the resulting
antibodies. In addition, this agreement lays the foundations for a
long term collaboration with Abcam to drive new commercial
opportunities. Importantly, because Twist retains the rights to
develop the sequences for therapeutic uses, this partnership has
the potential to benefit our internal pipeline as well.”
VHH Antibody Libraries
Antibodies contain two variable domains, the heavy and the light
chains. A VHH antibody, also known as a nanobody or single domain
antibody, is the antigen binding domain of the heavy chain, with
three complementary determining regions (CDRs), or areas where
antigens bind to the antibody. Twist’s VHH library uses novel
methods that combine synthetic and natural approaches to maximize
diversity in the 10 billion antibody library, creating high quality
VHH libraries for use against any protein target. The small size of
the VHH antibodies allow them to access targets that traditional
antibodies cannot, with tight binding affinity. The modular nature
of VHH antibodies supports creation of bi- or multi-specific
antibodies ideal for developing next generation therapies specific
to oncology, autoimmune disease and virology.
About Abcam plc
As a global life sciences company, Abcam identifies, develops,
and distributes high-quality biological reagents and tools that are
crucial to research, drug discovery and diagnostics. Working across
the industry, the Company supports life scientists to achieve their
mission, faster.
Abcam partners with life sciences organizations to co-create
novel binders for use in drug discovery, in vitro diagnostics and
therapeutics, driven by the Company’s proprietary discovery
platforms and world-leading antibody expertise.
By constantly innovating its binders and assays, Abcam is
helping advance the global understanding of biology and causes of
disease, which enables new treatments and improved health. The
Company’s pioneering data-sharing approach gives scientists
increased confidence in their results by providing validation, user
comments and peer-reviewed citations for its 90,000 products.
With 14 sites globally, many of Abcam’s over 1,700-strong team
are located in the world’s leading life sciences research hubs,
complementing a global network of service and support.
To find out more, please visit www.abcam.com and
corporate.abcam.com.
Abcam’s Forward-Looking Statements
This announcement contains forward-looking statements within the
meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
Any express or implied statements contained in this announcement
that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be
forward-looking statements, including, without limitation,
statements regarding Abcam's portfolio and ambitions, as well as
statements that include the words “expect,” “intend,” “plan,”
“believe,” “project,” “forecast,” “estimate,” “may,” “should,”
“anticipate” and similar statements of a future or forward-looking
nature. Forward-looking statements are neither promises nor
guarantees, but involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties
that could cause actual results to differ materially from those
projected, including, without limitation: a regional or global
health pandemic, including the novel coronavirus (“COVID-19”),
which has adversely affected elements of our business, could
severely affect our business, including due to impacts on our
operations and supply chains; challenges in implementing our
strategies for revenue growth in light of competitive challenges;
developing new products and enhancing existing products, adapting
to significant technological change and responding to the
introduction of new products by competitors to remain competitive;
failing to successfully identify or integrate acquired businesses
or assets into our operations or fully recognize the anticipated
benefits of businesses or assets that we acquire; if our customers
discontinue or spend less on research, development, production or
other scientific endeavours; failing to successfully use, access
and maintain information systems and implement new systems to
handle our changing needs; cyber security risks and any failure to
maintain the confidentiality, integrity and availability of our
computer hardware, software and internet applications and related
tools and functions; failing to successfully manage our current and
potential future growth; any significant interruptions in our
operations; if our products fail to satisfy applicable quality
criteria, specifications and performance standards; failing to
maintain our brand and reputation; our dependence upon management
and highly skilled employees and our ability to attract and retain
these highly skilled employees; and the important factors discussed
under the caption “Risk Factors” in Abcam's prospectus pursuant to
Rule 424(b) filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
(“SEC”) on 22 October 2020, which is on file with the SEC and is
available on the SEC website at www.sec.gov, as such factors may be
updated from time to time in Abcam's other filings with the SEC.
Any forward-looking statements contained in this announcement speak
only as of the date hereof and accordingly undue reliance should
not be placed on such statements. Abcam disclaims any obligation or
undertaking to update or revise any forward-looking statements
contained in this announcement, whether as a result of new
information, future events or otherwise, other than to the extent
required by applicable law.
About Twist Biopharma
By leveraging our unique ability to manufacture DNA at scale, we
can construct proprietary antibody libraries precisely designed to
match sequences that occur in the human body. The library of
libraries gives our partners an integral and unbiased resource for
antibody therapeutic discovery and optimization. This precise and
rational approach to library fabrication combined with
sophisticated bioinformatics and software expertise expedites
antibody discovery by decreasing risk, increasing speed, and
lowering the failure rate for antibody therapeutic development.
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.
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Twist’s Legal Notice Regarding Forward-Looking
Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements. All
statements other than statements of historical facts contained
herein, including without limitation Twist’s ability to discover
novel therapeutic antibodies and to receive annual licensing fees
or royalties, and to generate new antibody libraries, 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.
Such 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
risks and uncertainties of the ability to attract new customers and
retain and grow sales from existing customers; risks and
uncertainties of rapidly changing technologies and extensive
competition in synthetic biology could make the products Twist
Bioscience is developing obsolete or non-competitive; the retention
of employees of acquired companies and the ability of Twist
Bioscience to successfully integrate acquired companies and to
achieve expected benefits, 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 further 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 Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission on November 23, 2021 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.
View source
version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220201005441/en/
For media queries regarding Abcam, contact: Alex
Bannister Pierre Peotta external.comms@abcam.com
For media queries regarding Twist Bioscience, contact:
Angela Bitting SVP, Corporate Affairs 925- 202-6211
abitting@twistbioscience.com
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