Twist Bioscience, a US-based producer of synthetic DNA backed by corporates Kangmei, Illumina, WuXi PharmaTech and Institut Mérieux, raised $50m in funding on Monday from unnamed investors.
Founded in 2013, Twist has developed a silicon-based DNA synthesis platform that has applications in areas such as healthcare, agriculture, industrial chemicals and data storage.
The funding will partially go towards strengthening Twist’s position in data storage and drug discovery.
Twist has raised a total of $259m, most recently closing a $60m round in June 2017 raised over two tranches, with an initial $33m obtained from unnamed investors in March 2017.
Pharmaceuticals provider Kangmei Group then joined the $27m extension, as did Biomatics Capital, Reinet Fund, FIS, NFT Investment, Bay City Capital GF Xinde Life Science Investment Fund, 3W Partners Capital and Ditch Plains Capital Management.
Genomics company Illumina had previously led a $37m series C round in 2015, taking part alongside financial services group Fidelity Management and Research, Foresite Capital Management, Tao Invest, Arch Venture Partners, Paladin Capital and Yuri Milner.
The same investors also contributed to a $61m series D round in 2016 that further included WuXi Healthcare Ventures and Mérieux Développement, respective investment units of biotechnology firms WuXi PharmaTech and Institut Mérieux, Arch Overage Fund, Cormorant Asset Management and Boris Nikol.