“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 M. Leproust, Ph.D., CEO and co-founder of Twist Bioscience. “This collaboration bringing together our antibody discovery expertise with Ono’s experience in drug development has the potential to lead to future breakthrough treatment options for patients with autoimmune diseases.”

Under the terms of the agreement, Twist will utilize the Twist Biopharma Solutions Library of Libraries to conduct research activities to discover novel antibodies against targets identified by Ono. Twist’s Library of Libraries is an expansive collection of synthesized antibody libraries based on naturally occurring sequences that harness innovative structural and developability features to cover a wide range of drug targets. 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 utilize the scientific expertise of the Biopharma Solutions team and Twist’s Premium Project Management services to evaluate new targets and generate comprehensive discovery campaigns. Ono will be responsible for the development, manufacturing and commercialization 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. We are very pleased to collaborate with Twist at this time in the area of autoimmune diseases and are confident that their expertise in antibody discovery and their impressive collection of diverse and highly specific antibody libraries will bring us potential functional antibodies,” 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.”