CM Life Sciences II (Nasdaq: CMIIU) and SomaLogic, Inc., a leader
in AI-data driven proteomics technology, and 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 a collaboration aimed at creating
novel antibodies and enabling innovative drug discovery based on
key disease biomarkers. The collaboration will allow Twist to use
the SomaScan® Platform to quickly identify antibodies against
targets resulting from SomaLogic’s industry-leading 7,000-plex
assay, believed to be one of the broadest views of the proteome
available.
”Having access to the SomaScan® Platform provides a rich source
of clinically relevant biomarkers in diverse therapeutic areas,
where we can then take those targets and discover potent antibodies
for the treatment of disease,” said Emily M. Leproust, Ph.D., CEO
and co-founder of Twist Bioscience. “We intend to use the
antibodies discovered for our internal pipeline, moving the most
promising candidates through preclinical development and then
potentially outlicensing to a partner.”
Human blood proteins are the targets for drugs that treat more
than 90 percent of diseases. Determining which of these proteins
has a causal relationship with a specific disease, and which could
be a candidate for a targeted drug, has been a challenge for
researchers. Studies using the SomaScan Platform often generate a
list of proteins involved in a disease process that may differ
significantly from the diseases being studied and provide new
avenues for research into drug targets with potential benefits for
patients. The collaboration between Twist Bioscience and SomaLogic
provides an opportunity to explore targets across a wide range of
therapeutic areas.
In addition, the list of potential protein targets found by the
SomaScan Platform can be enriched for promising drug targets by
using inhibitory SOMAmer® reagents for validating specific drug
targets. These reagents could include SOMAmer reagents used in
the SomaScan® Assay, as well as reagents from affinity-enriched
pools that exist for each protein. This process can be a
useful starting point for drug target validation.
Twist Bioscience leverages its unique technology platform to
manufacture a broad range of synthetic DNA-based products,
including synthetic genes, tools for next-generation sequencing
sample preparation, and antibody libraries for drug discovery,
optimization and development. Additionally, Twist expects its
disruptive DNA synthesis platform will enable new opportunities
including discovery partnerships for biologic drugs, and will
enable new applications such as digital data storage in DNA.
“This collaboration is a strong example of the powerful
connections that can be made leveraging synthetic biology
approaches in both genomics and proteomics,” said SomaLogic Chief
Executive Officer Roy Smythe, M.D. “The vast majority of drugs act
on proteins, and this work with target identification and
validation is directed at facilitating breakthrough discoveries
with significant potential impact in biology and medicine.”
About SomaLogicSomaLogic seeks to deliver
precise, meaningful, and actionable health-management information
that empowers individuals worldwide to continuously optimize their
personal health and wellness throughout their lives. This essential
information, to be provided through a global network of partners
and users, is derived from SomaLogic’s personalized measurement of
important changes in an individual’s proteins over time. For more
information, visit www.somalogic.com and follow
@somalogic on Twitter.
SomaSignal™ tests are developed and their performance
characteristics determined by SomaLogic, Inc. SomaLogic is a
Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) certified, and
College of American Pathologists (CAP) accredited
laboratory.
The SomaScan Platform is for Research Use Only (RUO) and has not
been cleared or approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for
diagnostic or patient management purposes.
SomaLogic’s proprietary SomaScan Platform was designed to be a
universal platform that can be applied across research and
discovery, translational research and biopharmaceutical
development, and clinical applications. SomaLogic can run
approximately 7,000 protein measurements on a single 55 microliter
plasma or serum sample. The company has run more than 450,000
samples to date.
About Twist Bioscience CorporationTwist
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 Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn | YouTube
Legal Notice Regarding Forward-Looking
StatementsThis press release contains forward-looking
statements. All statements other than statements of historical
facts contained herein, including without limitation, the ability
of the collaboration to successfully create new novel antibodies
and enable innovative drug discovery based on key disease
biomarkers, 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 or SomaLogic’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; risks of third party claims alleging infringement
of patents and proprietary rights or seeking to invalidate Twist
Bioscience’s or SomaLogic’s patents or proprietary rights; and the
risk that Twist Bioscience’s or Soma Logic’s proprietary rights may
be insufficient to protect their respective 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-Q
filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission on August 9, 2021 and subsequent filings
with the SEC. For a further description of risks relating to
SomaLogic’s business in general and its proposed business
combination with CM Life Sciences II Inc., see SomaLogic’s and CM
Life Science II’s risk factors set forth in CM Life Science II’s
Registration Statement on Form S-4 (File No. 333-256127) and the
definitive proxy statement/prospectus included therein, and
subsequent filings with the SEC. Any forward-looking
statements contained in this press release speak only as of the
date hereof, and each of Twist Bioscience, SomaLogic and CM
Life Sciences II specifically disclaims any obligation to update
any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new
information, future events or otherwise.
Important Information About the Business Combination and
Where to Find ItA full description of the terms of the
business combination are provided in the Registration Statement,
which include a prospectus with respect to the securities of the
combined entity to be issued in connection with the business
combination and a proxy statement with respect to the Special
Meeting. CM Life Sciences II urges its investors, stockholders and
other interested persons to read the definitive proxy statement/
prospectus included in the Registration Statement, as well as other
documents filed with the SEC, because these documents contain
important information about CM Life Sciences II, SomaLogic and the
business combination. Stockholders may obtain a copy of the
definitive proxy statement/prospectus, and other documents filed
with the SEC, without charge, by directing a request to: c/o Corvex
Management LP, 667 Madison Avenue, New York, New York
10065. The definitive proxy statement/prospectus can also be
obtained, without charge, at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.
Participants in the SolicitationCM Life
Sciences II and SomaLogic and their respective directors and
executive officers may be considered participants in the
solicitation of proxies with respect to the business combination
under the rules of the SEC. A list of the names of those directors
and executive officers and a description of their interests is
contained in the definitive proxy statement/prospectus included in
the Registration Statement and is available free of charge at the
SEC’s website at www.sec.gov or by directing a request to: c/o
Corvex Management LP, 667 Madison Avenue, New York,
New York 10065.
No Offer or SolicitationThis release shall not
constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy
any securities, nor shall there be any sale of securities in any
state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale
would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the
securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction. No offer of
securities shall be made except by means of a prospectus.
Company Contacts |
Emilia
CostalesCorporate Communications at
SomaLogic720-798-5054ecostales@somalogic.com |
Angela
BittingSVP, Corporate Affairs at Twist
Bioscience925-202-6211abitting@twistbioscience.com |
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Investor Contacts |
|
Marissa Bych or Lynn LewisGilmartin Group
LLCinvestors@somalogic.com |
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