Ono Pharmaceutical Enters Drug Discovery Collaboration Agreement with Twist Bioscience

Ono Pharmaceutical announced on Aug. 31, 2023 that it has entered into a drug discovery collaboration agreement with Twist Bioscience to discover and develop innovative antibodies for autoimmune diseases.

Twist Bioscience is a synthetic biology and genomics company that has developed a DNA synthesis platform to industrialize the engineering of biology, which is a new method of this process by “writing” DNA on a silicon chip.

The agreement states that Twist will utilize the Twist Biopharma Solutions Library of Libraries to conduct research activities to discover novel antibodies against therapeutic target(s) that are identified by Ono, according to the press release. Further, Twist’s Library of Libraries is defined as a collection of synthesized antibody libraries based on naturally occurring sequences that harness innovative structural and developability features to cover a range of drug targets.

In addition, Ono will retain the exclusive rights to develop, manufacture, and commercialize therapeutic antibody drugs generated through the collaboration. The company will also pay Twist for research fees and success-based clinical and regulatory milestones, according to the press release.

“We are actively working to create biologics like antibodies to address unmet medical needs for a wide range of diseases including autoimmune diseases. We are very pleased to collaborate with Twist this time in 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, in a press release. “We believe that this new collaboration will enhance our biologics drug discovery efforts and bring innovative drugs for patients with autoimmune diseases as soon as possible.”

“Ono has a strong and proven track record in developing antibody candidates in areas of need, including the anti-PD-1 antibody Opdivo, which has had a tremendous impact for patients and researchers,” said Emily M. Leproust, PhD, CEO and co-founder of Twist Bioscience, in a press release. “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.”

Source: Ono Pharmaceutical