Twist Bioscience Announces Technology Early Access of Enhanced Whole Genome Sequencing Solution at AGBT

Additional sequencing applications and reference standards to be highlighted at the conference

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.--()--Twist Bioscience Corporation (NASDAQ: TWST), a company enabling customers to succeed through its offering of high-quality synthetic DNA using its silicon platform, today announced technology early access of the Twist enhanced Whole Genome Sequencing (eWGS) solution focused on non-human genomics applications, at the Advances in Genome Biology and Technology (AGBT) 2023 General Meeting in Hollywood, Florida. eWGS is a novel solution that enables researchers to obtain simultaneous low-pass whole genome data together with deep coverage of selected regions, in a high-throughput and cost-effective workflow.

In agricultural genomics, researchers constantly have to make a tradeoff between cost and insight. Deep sequencing across entire genomes is cost prohibitive, forcing researchers to turn to less costly approaches like genotyping by sequencing, microarrays, or low-pass WGS. These methods impose limits on the resolution, accuracy, or flexibility of experiments,” said Emily M. Leproust, Ph.D., CEO and co-founder of Twist Bioscience. “With our eWGS solution, researchers can now get all the information they need without compromising on cost or data, enabling our customers to push new boundaries in trait selection, breeding and other applications.”

The eWGS workflow starts with a modified Twist 96-plex library preparation kit that prepares 96 samples for sequencing in a single tube. This is followed by single-tube 96-plex enrichment on an aliquot of the library, using a customized panel to further enrich targets requiring more coverage. The original and enriched libraries are then combined into a single sequencer-ready pool that has both low whole genome coverage between 0.5x and 4x as well as high target-specific coverage. Researchers can tune the differential in coverage between low-pass and high-pass sites to fit their needs. Preparing and enriching 96 samples at a time for sequencing in a single pool can enable a high-throughput workflow and may reduce costs by using less materials and resources.

In addition to the technology early access of eWGS, Twist will have three posters highlighting applications of Twist’s next-generation sequencing (NGS) tools and reference standards available for viewing at the conference.

Details of the posters are as follows:

Poster: Use of synthetic CNV fragments to mimic copy number alterations for ctDNA reference standards
Time: Tuesday, February 7, 1:30 – 3:30 PM ET

Poster: An RNA exome panel used to enrich transcript variants using cDNA libraries
Time: Tuesday, February 7, 1:30 – 3:30 PM ET

Poster: Methylation Controls to detect for methylation level quantification in the Twist Targeted Methylation Sequencing workflow
Time: Wednesday, February 8, 4:45 – 6:10 PM ET

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 statements regarding the anticipated capabilities of the eWGS solution to enable researchers to obtain simultaneous low-pass whole genome data together with deep coverage of selected regions. 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 relating to COVID-19; 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 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, including Abveris, and to achieve expected benefits from acquisitions; supply chain and other disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic or otherwise; 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 Securities and Exchange Commission on November 28, 2022 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.

Contacts

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

Contacts

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