New terms provide Twist with key license to long DNA technology and assets

Ginkgo to continue ordering from Twist with no purchase minimums

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. & BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 8, 2025-- Twist Bioscience Corporation (NASDAQ: TWST), a core mid-cap growth and value equity company in the life sciences segment of the health care sector, and Ginkgo Bioworks (NYSE: DNA), which is building the leading platform for cell programming and biosecurity, today announced that the companies have entered into an updated collaboration renegotiated from a prior contract signed in 2022.

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Under the terms of the revised three-year $15 million agreement, Ginkgo will continue to be a valued customer of Twist and will prepay annually for orders of Twist’s high-quality DNA products, underscoring the enduring value and reliability of Twist’s synthesis capabilities. Ginkgo will receive preferential pricing for DNA products with no required minimum purchase volume. As credit against the agreement signed in 2022, Twist receives licenses and assignments for certain long DNA and other technology as well as related reagents to complement its existing DNA synthesis portfolio of products, while Ginkgo retains the rights to practice the IP transferred to Twist. This strategic acquisition complements Twist's existing comprehensive portfolio of DNA synthesis products, further strengthening its position as a leader in the field.

“Ginkgo has been a trusted customer of Twist since the early days of our synbio offering. As our customers proceed along their journeys and adapt their strategies, we continue to find innovative ways to serve them well,” said Emily M. Leproust, Ph.D., CEO and co-founder of Twist Bioscience. “With the updated agreement, we will continue to supply Ginkgo with DNA and also gain IP for writing long DNA, that gives us optionality to incorporate on our own platform.”

“DNA synthesis is a core technology for synthetic biology and we’re happy to combine some of our long DNA technology with Twist to hopefully see more and varied offerings in the market,” said Jason Kelly, CEO of Ginkgo Bioworks. “Twist has been an amazing and close partner over many years for Ginkgo and this updated agreement enables us to keep that close relationship while having more flexibility in when and how we order DNA from Twist.”

About Ginkgo Bioworks

Ginkgo Bioworks is the leading horizontal platform for cell programming, providing flexible, end-to-end services that solve challenges for organizations across diverse markets, from food and agriculture to pharmaceuticals to industrial and specialty chemicals. Ginkgo Biosecurity is building and deploying the next-generation infrastructure and technologies that global leaders need to predict, detect, and respond to a wide variety of biological threats. For more information, visit ginkgobioworks.com and ginkgobiosecurity.com, read our blog, or follow us on social media channels such as X (@Ginkgo and @Ginkgo_Biosec), Instagram (@GinkgoBioworks), Threads (@GinkgoBioworks), or LinkedIn.

Forward-Looking Statements of Ginkgo Bioworks

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws, including statements regarding the capabilities and potential success of the partnership and Ginkgo's cell programming platform. These forward-looking statements generally are identified by the words "believe," "can," "project," "potential," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "intend," "strategy," "future," "opportunity," "plan," "may," "should," "will," "would," "will be," "will continue," "will likely result," and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are predictions, projections and other statements about future events that are based on current expectations and assumptions and, as a result, are subject to risks and uncertainties. Many factors could cause actual future events to differ materially from the forward-looking statements in this press release, including but not limited to: (i) our ability to realize near-term and long-term cost savings associated with our site consolidation plans, including the ability to terminate leases or find sub-lease tenants for unused facilities, (ii) volatility in the price of Ginkgo's securities due to a variety of factors, including changes in the competitive and highly regulated industries in which Ginkgo operates and plans to operate, variations in performance across competitors, and changes in laws and regulations affecting Ginkgo's business, (iii) the ability to implement business plans, forecasts, and other expectations, and to identify and realize additional business opportunities, including with respect to our solutions and tools offerings, (iv) the risk of downturns in demand for products using synthetic biology, (v) the uncertainty regarding the demand for passive monitoring programs and biosecurity services, (vi) changes to the biosecurity industry, including due to advancements in technology, emerging competition and evolution in industry demands, standards and regulations, (vii) the outcome of any pending or potential legal proceedings against Ginkgo, (viii) our ability to realize the expected benefits from and the success of our Foundry platform programs and Codebase assets, (ix) our ability to successfully develop engineered cells, bioprocesses, data packages or other deliverables, (x) the product development, production or manufacturing success of our customers, (xi) our exposure to the volatility and liquidity risks inherent in holding equity interests in other operating companies and other non-cash consideration we may receive for our services, (xii) the potential negative impact on our business of our restructuring or the failure to realize the anticipated savings associated therewith and (xiii) the uncertainty regarding government budgetary priorities and funding allocated to government agencies. The foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive. You should carefully consider the foregoing factors and the other risks and uncertainties described in the "Risk Factors" section of Ginkgo's annual report on Form 10-K filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") on February 25, 2025 and other documents filed by Ginkgo from time to time with the SEC. These filings identify and address other important risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events and results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements, and Ginkgo assumes no obligation and does not intend to update or revise these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. Ginkgo does not give any assurance that it will achieve its expectations.

About Twist Bioscience Corporation

At Twist Bioscience, we work in service of customers who are changing the world for the better. In fields such as medicine, agriculture, industrial chemicals and defense, by using our synthetic DNA tools, our customers are developing ways to better lives and improve the sustainability of the planet. The faster our customers succeed, the better for all of us, and Twist Bioscience is uniquely positioned to help accelerate their efforts.

Our innovative silicon-based DNA Synthesis Platform provides precision at a scale that is otherwise unavailable to our customers. Our platform technologies overcome inefficiencies and enable cost-effective, rapid, precise, high-throughput synthesis, sequencing and therapeutics discovery, providing both the quality and quantity of the tools they need to most rapidly realize the opportunity ahead. For more information about our products and services, please visit www.twistbioscience.com.

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Twist Bioscience Legal Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical facts contained herein 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, including statements regarding the potential benefits of the arrangement with Ginkgo. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other important factors that may cause Twist’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 ability to attract new customers and retain and grow sales from existing customers; the ability of Twist to achieve sufficient revenue to achieve or maintain positive cash flow from operations or profitability in any given period; ability to obtain financing when necessary; risks and uncertainties of rapidly changing technologies and extensive competition in synthetic biology that could make the products Twist is developing obsolete or non-competitive; ability to expand DNA synthesis manufacturing capacity; dependence on one supplier for a critical component; dependence on key personnel; additional regulations that could increase Twist’s costs and delay commercialization efforts; and the ability to maintain and enforce intellectual property protection. For a 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’s business in general, see Twist’s risk factors set forth in Twist’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended September 30, 2024 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on November 18, 2024 and subsequent filings with the SEC. Any forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date hereof, and Twist 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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TWIST CONTACTS:

For Investors:
Angela Bitting
SVP, Corporate Affairs
925-202-6211
abitting@twistbioscience.com

For Media:
Amanda Houlihan
Communications Manager
774-265-5334
ahoulihan@twistbioscience.com

GINKGO CONTACTS:

For Investors:
investors@ginkgobioworks.com

For Media:
press@ginkgobioworks.com

Source: Twist Bioscience Corporation