Twist Bioscience Supplies Centers for Disease Control and Prevention with Custom SARS-CoV-2 Synthetic RNA Controls
January 07 2021 - 7:00AM
Business Wire
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 it will supply the
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) with a
customized version of Twist SARS-CoV-2 Synthetic RNA Controls for
use in the CDC Influenza SARS-CoV-2 (Flu SC2) Multiplex Assay. The
CDC SARS-CoV-2 (Flu SC2) Multiplex Assay tests for influenza A, B
and SARS-CoV-2 simultaneously.
Positive controls provide quality control measures for the
development, verification, and ongoing validation of both
next-generation sequencing (NGS) and reverse
transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assays. In
addition to using the assay at its primary site, CDC intends to
distribute this multiplex assay to additional public health
laboratories for testing across the United States.
“We have partnered with the CDC over the last several months to
optimize these controls to be stable at room temperature for ease
of shipping and storage,” said Emily M. Leproust, Ph.D., CEO and
co-founder of Twist Bioscience. “Integrating our SARS-CoV-2 control
into the Flu SC2 Multiplex Assay supports the accurate detection of
SARS-CoV-2 in specimens from patients exhibiting symptoms that
could result from either COVID-19 or the flu. We remain committed
to using our robust synthesis platform to work with industry and
government agencies to improve health globally and expect to make
these optimized controls widely available to customers later this
month.”
In March 2020, Twist launched synthetic SARS-CoV-2 RNA distinct
reference sequences as positive controls for the development of
both next-generation sequencing (NGS) and reverse
transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assays to test for
SARS-CoV-2. These controls continue to be included in many
different assays worldwide and can be used to determine the limit
of detection, monitor day-to-day test variations, and are included
on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) website as reference
materials for SARS-CoV-2. In June, additional SARS-CoV-2 controls
were released to cover the evolution of the virus, and in December,
Twist announced plans to develop controls for a newly identified
strain known as the UK strain or B1.1.7 lineage, variant under
investigation VUI-202012/01, which it expects to release in
mid-January 2021.
Twist provides custom controls and offers a suite of research
tools including next-generation sequencing (NGS) products for
SARS-CoV-2 as well as a broad respiratory panel and the most
comprehensive viral research panel. For more information on the
Twist products to combat COVID-19, please visit:
https://www.twistbioscience.com/coronavirus-research-tools.
Customers purchasing synthetic controls are subject to Twist’s
leading biosecurity screening protocols and applicable laws and
regulations.
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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Legal Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements. All
statements other than statements of historical facts contained
herein, including without limitation Twist’s ability to deliver
synthetic controls for SARS-CoV-2 to the CDC and its customers and
the wide availability of the optimized controls in January 2021,
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.
Such 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 of 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 could make the products Twist
Bioscience is developing obsolete or non-competitive; uncertainties
of the retention of a significant customer; 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 further
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 Quarterly Report Form 10-K filed with the
Securities and Exchange Commission on November 27, 2020 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.
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210107005078/en/
Angela Bitting SVP, Corporate Affairs 925-202-6211
abitting@twistbioscience.com
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