Twist Bioscience Launches Synthetic RNA Control for H5N1 Influenza A
Twist Bioscience (NASDAQ: TWST) has introduced a synthetic RNA control for H5N1 Influenza A, a key contributor to Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI). The new control covers 99.9% of the hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA) genome regions, facilitating enhanced research without the need for live viruses.
CEO Emily M. Leproust highlighted the importance of providing innovative tools for global monitoring and vaccine development. The synthetic control allows work to be undertaken in BSL-1 labs, speeding up research while maintaining high biosecurity standards.
This launch is part of Twist's broader portfolio of synthetic viral controls and research tools, aimed at supporting next-generation sequencing (NGS) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays. The company also offers products for other viral and respiratory diseases, including a comprehensive viral research panel for detecting H5N1 in wastewater.
- Twist Bioscience launched a synthetic RNA control for H5N1 Influenza A, covering 99.9% of the HA and NA genome regions.
- The new synthetic control accelerates research by enabling work in BSL-1 labs, bypassing the need for live viruses.
- The launch strengthens Twist's portfolio of synthetic viral controls, enhancing their market position.
- The synthetic RNA control supports the development, verification, and validation of NGS and PCR assays, critical for vaccine development.
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The introduction of synthetic RNA control for H5N1 Influenza A by Twist Bioscience is significant for the medical research community. H5N1 is a highly pathogenic avian influenza virus that poses a global health risk. The availability of a synthetic control covering 99.9% of HA and NA genome regions greatly facilitates research by enabling safe, precise and rapid testing without needing live virus samples.
This control can be used in BSL-1 laboratories, which are more accessible and cost-effective than higher-level containment labs. This drastically broadens the scope of research, allowing more institutions to participate in critical surveillance and vaccine development efforts. Given the ongoing threat of zoonotic viruses, such tools are invaluable in identifying, monitoring and responding to potential pandemics.
From a market perspective, Twist Bioscience's launch of the synthetic RNA control for H5N1 Influenza A strengthens its position in the synthetic biology market. The company's focus on creating high-quality synthetic DNA and RNA products positions it well in a sector that emphasizes rapid innovation and biosecurity. The new product caters to a growing demand for advanced research tools, particularly in infectious disease research and vaccine development.
Investors may see this as a strategic move to capitalize on the increasing need for reliable and efficient viral controls. The fact that this product can be used in BSL-1 labs further enhances its market potential, enabling a wider range of research institutions to adopt it. This could translate into increased revenue streams and market share for Twist Bioscience in the short to medium term.
Financially, the launch of the synthetic RNA control for H5N1 could be seen as a positive indicator for Twist Bioscience. As the company expands its product portfolio, it may attract more research institutions and pharmaceutical companies, potentially leading to an increase in sales. This aligns well with the company's existing strategy of providing comprehensive solutions for genetic research and synthetic biology.
However, it is important to consider the competitive landscape. Twist Bioscience operates in a market with several key players and maintaining a technological edge is vital for sustained growth. Investors should monitor the company's ability to innovate and its financial health, including revenue growth and R&D expenditure, to gauge long-term viability. The move to provide essential tools for infectious disease research is well-timed and could yield favorable financial outcomes.
NGS-verified synthetic control covers
“As agricultural and infectious disease researchers around the world continue to monitor the spread of H5N1, we continue our unwavering commitment to responding rapidly to threats to public health by providing innovative and critical tools to safeguard our global community and enable monitoring and surveillance as well as vaccine and assay development,” said Emily M. Leproust, Ph.D., CEO and co-founder of Twist Bioscience. “Our synthetic controls, including the H5N1 Influenza A control, enable broader research access without the need for live viruses. This allows critical work to be conducted in BSL-1 labs, accelerating research and development efforts. Importantly, we maintain biosecurity as a core tenet across all our products and processes. By empowering global research with safe, synthetic tools, we're advancing science while upholding the highest safety standards.”
Positive controls provide quality control measures for the development, verification, and ongoing validation of both next-generation sequencing (NGS) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays. The Twist control contains synthetic RNA segments of the complete H5N1 HA and NA genome regions, which determine the subtype of the strain.
Twist provides a suite of research tools and NGS products, including custom controls and reference standards for H5N1 Influenza A, mpox, respiratory diseases including coronaviruses, influenza viruses, paramyxoviruses and enteroviruses as well as cfDNA controls for liquid biopsy assay and cancer research. Twist also offers the Twist Comprehensive Viral Research Panel, featured in a recent scientific publication for the detection of H5N1 in wastewater, which contains over one million probes for the targeted enrichment of over three thousand viral human pathogens.
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 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, but not limited to, statements regarding the ability of our synthetic control products to accelerate research and vaccine and assay development. 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.
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Source: Twist Bioscience Corporation
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