Twist Bioscience and Ono Pharmaceutical will combine their efforts to discover and develop novel antibodies for the treatment of autoimmune diseases.
Under the terms of the agreement, Twist will use its ‘Library of Libraries’ to conduct research activities to discover novel antibodies against targets identified by Ono.
Twist also recently entered a research collaboration with Cancer Research Horizons.
“Ono has a strong and proven track record in developing antibody candidates in areas of need, including the development of the anti-PD-1 antibody Opdivo, which has had a tremendous impact for patients and researchers,” said Emily Leproust, CEO and Co-founder of Twist Bioscience. “This collaboration… has the potential to lead to future breakthrough treatment options for patients with autoimmune diseases.”
Twist will receive research fees, success-based clinical and regulatory milestones, as well as royalties on product sales. As part of the strategic collaboration, Ono will also utilise the Biopharma Solutions team and Twist’s Premium Project Management services to evaluate new targets. Ono will be responsible for the development, manufacturing and commercialisation of any products resulting from the collaboration.
“We are actively working to create biologics like antibodies in order to address unmet medical needs for a wide range of diseases including autoimmune diseases,” said Dr Toichi Takino, Senior Executive Officer / Executive Director, Discovery and Research of Ono. “We believe that this new collaboration will enhance our biologics drug discovery efforts and bring innovative drugs for patients as soon as possible.”
