Twist Bioscience Corp.

HOUSTON and WALTHAM, Mass., April 17, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Biostate AI, a leading innovator in artificial intelligence for RNA sequencing, today announced a strategic partnership with the Accelerated Cure Project (ACP), a nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating research and improving outcomes for people with multiple sclerosis (MS). The partnership aims to develop next-generation AI models capable of predicting disease progression and treatment response in MS, leveraging transcriptomic data from ACP's extensive biorepository. Continue Reading Under the collaboration, Biostate AI will sequence patient samples from the ACP Repository, one of the world's largest and most comprehensive MS-related collections of biospecimens and clinical data. Utilizing its proprietary barcode-integrated reverse transcription (BIRT) technology, Biostate AI will generate high-resolution RNA expression profiles at scale and train transformer-based AI models to personalize treatment strategies for MS patients. "By partnering with Biostate AI, we're turning data into actionable insights that could revolutionize patient care." Post this "Biostate's RNA sequencing and AI technologies offer a unique opportunity to transform our understanding of MS progression and treatment response," said Sara Loud, CEO of the Accelerated Cure Project. "We are thrilled to collaborate with Biostate AI to unlock the full potential of our biorepository and accelerate innovations leading to better outcomes for people with MS." The ACP Repository includes thousands of blood samples from individuals with MS and controls, including valuable longitudinal samples linked to extensive clinical and demographic data. This rich dataset facilitates the creation of AI systems to detect molecular patterns associated with disease onset, relapse, remission, and treatment responses. "At ACP, we've dedicated years to building a resource designed to advance breakthroughs in MS research," said Dr. Stephanie Buxhoeveden, Chief Scientific Officer at ACP. "By partnering with Biostate AI, we're turning data into actionable insights that could revolutionize patient care." Biostate will sequence the entire ACP Repository and develop a series of AI models addressing a range of clinical and research questions. These models will be designed to improve the prediction of disease progression and identify patients most likely to benefit from therapies across the MS disease spectrum. "Current MS management relies heavily on trial and error due to limited predictive tools," said David Zhang, co-founder and CEO of Biostate AI, and former Associate Professor at Rice University. "By combining high-throughput RNA sequencing with AI, we aim to equip clinicians with precise, data-driven guidance, ensuring patients receive appropriate therapy promptly." This partnership marks Biostate's entry into neuroimmunology and extends its portfolio of disease-specific AI models. Leveraging transcriptomic data, Biostate's platform aims to support personalized medicine at unprecedented scale. "Our goal is creating adaptable disease models tailored to individual patient biology, surpassing existing diagnostics," said Ashwin Gopinath, co-founder and CTO of Biostate AI, and former Assistant Professor at MIT. "MS's complexity and variability make it an ideal candidate for our approach, and we're eager to collaborate with ACP to develop clinically actionable tools." This initiative strengthens ACP's commitment to accelerating cures via collaboration, data sharing, and innovative science, while allowing Biostate to extend its AI capabilities into therapeutic areas with significant unmet needs. About Biostate AI. Biostate AI is a startup building generative AI that predicts the evolution of human disease and drug response based on RNA sequencing data. Its patented wetlab technologies, including BIRT, allow affordable and scalable collection of massive amounts of transcriptomic and genomic data. With sites in Houston, TX, Palo Alto, CA, Bangalore, India, and Shanghai, China, Biostate AI is an international company with collaborations with top hospitals, academic researchers, and biotech/biopharma companies. Biostate AI was founded by serial entrepreneurs and former professors David Zhang (Rice U.) and Ashwin Gopinath (MIT) and is backed by top investors and experts including Accel, Dario Amodei (Anthropic), Emily Leproust (Twist Biosciences), and Mike Schnall-Levin (10X Genomics). About the Accelerated Cure Project for Multiple Sclerosis. The Accelerated Cure Project is a patient-centered nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating research and improving the well-being of people affected by MS. Through its biorepository, research network, and collaborative initiatives, ACP connects people with MS, researchers, and clinicians to advance understanding and drive innovation in MS care. For more information, please contact: Jessie Yang Finance and Business Associate [email protected] SOURCE Biostate AI WANT YOUR COMPANY'S NEWS FEATURED ON PRNEWSWIRE.COM? 440k+ Newsrooms & Influencers 9k+ Digital Media Outlets 270k+ Journalists Opted In GET STARTED

Several brand-name drugmakers believe they will withstand any drug pricing impacts from President Donald Trump’s tariffs — and manufacturers that contract with pharma companies will likely be unaffected, analysts say. Trump’s tariff plans were met with immediate concern from some pharmaceutical industry groups that drug prices in the US would rise and shortages would deepen. But companies like GSK and Novo Nordisk insisted last week they’re well-positioned to absorb any increases in cost, should the tariffs be imposed. And contract development and manufacturing organizations (CDMOs) like Abzena and Lonza are likely too downstream in the supply chain from tariffs, William Blair analyst Max Smock said in an interview with Endpoints News . Any costs would be passed to their pharma company customers to handle. Tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada were delayed by one month after Trump reached deals with both countries’ leaders. Trump on Monday announced additional tariffs on aluminum and steel imports into the US. Meanwhile, tariffs are underway in China, which is a big supplier of APIs. Trump has delayed potential tariffs on small packages under $800 from China. The tariffs will hit generic drugmakers the hardest and could force them out of the market due to low profit margins, Association for Accessible Medicines CEO John Murphy warned . The Trump administration needs to work on incentives for generic manufacturers, Murphy told Endpoints News in an interview. But brand-name heavy hitters like GSK will have “no exposure or minimal exposure” to Trump’s tariffs and can absorb any changes, GSK CEO Emma Walmsley told reporters in a call last week. Merck CFO Caroline Litchfield said during an investor call that she expects “immaterial impact.” Novo Nordisk CEO Lars Fruergaard Jørgensen said Novo is “well-positioned” to handle any impact, but said the company is not “immune,” Reuters reported . Meanwhile, Twist Bioscience said it could use the tariffs to its advantage. The taxes will likely be a headwind for foreign competitors, CEO Emily Leproust said during the company’s earnings call. Compared to generic drug companies, brand-name drugmakers have much higher profit margins, around 70% to 90%, so many will be able to absorb the cost of tariffs, Abzena CEO Matthew Stober told Endpoints. CDMOs are contracted by pharmaceutical companies to manufacture all, or parts of, their drug products in factories. Any increases in cost for manufacturers are likely to be passed onto their pharmaceutical customers, RBC Capital senior healthcare analyst Charles Weston said. He likened this to the rising cost of goods during the pandemic. CDMOs “pretty much all were successful in passing on the cost to customers,” he said. Smock said the tariffs feel like an extension of the Biosecure Act , which benefited some CDMOs. Biosecure is a draft bill that would ban US pharmaceutical companies from working with certain Chinese suppliers, causing pharma companies to look for alternatives . Despite Biosecure being left out of the end-of-year must-pass defense legislation, Stober said his CDMO was still feeling the tailwinds from the bill. Yet some foreign CDMOs are still looking to minimize any potential risks from the tariffs. Korean CDMO Celltrion said it’s planning to buy US-based factories as a means to sidestep the tariffs. The only issue with this is there are limited available sites in the US for CDMOs to absorb, Smock said. Despite concerns that tariffs could cause drug prices to soar, Stober said they could push for more US local manufacturing, which could in turn cushion drug shortages. The US supply chain is vulnerable to geopolitical tensions, especially for raw materials for drugs like antibiotics, which are sourced from China, he added. There’s been a recent push for the US to boost its local manufacturing footprint. But moving operations to the US comes with high costs, and it can take months to years to tech transfer over operations, Weston said. Further, building new capacity can take around three to five years to get online, Murphy said. Some pharma clients have previously requested that their contracted partner, like Lonza, move operations to one of their US sites, Smock said. But this is also costly and time-consuming. Despite the looming pressure of tariffs and the uncertainty of how they will play out, branded drugmakers and their manufacturing partners seem to be likely to escape any major headwinds. Meanwhile, generic producers may struggle to keep their business profitable. Editor’s note: This story was updated with Trump’s announcement on steel and aluminum tariffs.

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO--( BUSINESS WIRE )--Twist Bioscience Corporation (NASDAQ: TWST), a core mid-cap growth and value equity company in the life sciences segment of the health care sector, today announced that Emily M. Leproust, Ph.D., CEO and co-founder of Twist Bioscience, will present at the 43 rd Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference on Monday, January 13, 2025 at 5:15 p.m. Pacific Time in San Francisco, California. The presentation will be webcast live and can be accessed by visiting the “Investor Calendar” page of the investor relations section of the company's website here . A replay of the presentation will be archived for a period of 30 days following the conclusion of the live events. 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