Twist Bioscience Powers Ahead: Q1 2026 Revenue Jumps 17%, Fueled by AI-Driven Discovery Boom
SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – February 2, 2026 – Twist Bioscience Corporation (NASDAQ: TWST), a company enabling customers to succeed through its leading silicon-based DNA synthesis platform, today reported strong financial results for the first quarter of fiscal 2026, demonstrating continued execution on its growth strategy.
The company posted revenue of $103.7 million, a 17% increase compared to the first quarter of fiscal 2025. Gross margin expanded to 52%, up approximately four percentage points year-over-year. This performance marks Twist's twelfth consecutive quarter of revenue growth, underpinned by significant traction in its AI-enabled discovery services and across its next-generation sequencing (NGS) portfolio.
"Our first quarter provides a strong start to the fiscal year and extends our pattern of consistent, profitable growth," said Dr. Emily Leproust, CEO and co-founder of Twist Bioscience. "The strategic investments we've made in our platform are paying off, particularly as we see the AI-enabled therapeutics discovery market move from exploration to production. Our ability to deliver high-quality data at scale and speed is becoming a critical infrastructure piece for this emerging ecosystem."
AI as a Growth Catalyst
A standout theme from the quarter was the accelerating demand linked to artificial intelligence in life sciences. The company's DNA synthesis and protein solutions revenue grew 27% year-over-year to $51.1 million, largely driven by customers building and training AI models for drug discovery. Dr. Patrick Finn, President and COO, detailed that what began as exploratory work in early 2025 is now transitioning into repeat, production-level workflows with large pharmaceutical companies, major technology firms, and well-funded biotechs.
"The constraint in AI-driven discovery is shifting from algorithm development to the speed and economics of generating high-quality experimental data," Finn explained. "Our platform allows customers to move from design to data in days, not months, which is uniquely suited to this need." The company estimates an immediately serviceable market of $1.5 billion for antibody discovery services and $700 million for protein expression within this domain.
Financial Discipline and Path to Profitability
Despite making targeted investments in commercial expansion and digital capabilities, Twist Bioscience improved its adjusted EBITDA loss to $13.4 million, a $2.8 million improvement year-over-year. CFO Adam Laponis emphasized the company's disciplined approach, noting that approximately 75-80% of incremental revenue continues to drop through to gross margin.
"We are managing the business with a clear focus on our core financial priorities: revenue growth, gross margin expansion, and achieving adjusted EBITDA breakeven in 2026," Laponis stated. "We have accelerated operating expenses to capture growth opportunities, but we are doing so without putting our profitability timeline at risk." The company ended the quarter with a strong cash position of $197.9 million.
Based on the strong start and visibility into demand, Twist raised its full-year fiscal 2026 revenue guidance to a range of $435 million to $440 million, representing approximately 16% growth at the midpoint.
Analyst and Investor Commentary
The results and commentary sparked immediate reaction from the investment community.
Dr. Anya Sharma, Biotech Equity Analyst at Horizon Capital: "Twist is executing flawlessly on its 'NPI machine' strategy. The expansion into AI-driven discovery isn't just a niche; it's a validation of their platform's scalability and a major total addressable market expander. The raised guidance suggests management has high confidence in the durability of this demand."
Marcus Thorne, Managing Partner at Apex Life Sciences Fund: "The gross margin holding above 52% while they invest aggressively is the real story here. It shows the underlying leverage in their silicon-based model. They're not just growing; they're growing efficiently and building a moat. The path to breakeven EBITDA looks more concrete than ever."
Janet Kowalski, Editor of 'The Biotech Skeptic' Newsletter: "Let's not get carried away. 'AI-enabled discovery' is the buzzword du jour, and everyone is rushing to attach their story to it. Twist is booking orders now, but what happens when the AI hype cycle cools or these tech companies hit internal roadblocks? Their guidance raise is modest, and the profitability promise has been 'just around the corner' for a while. Show me the sustained profits, not just the promise."
Professor Aris Dimitriou, Synthetic Biology Researcher, Stanford University: "From a scientific standpoint, Twist's pivot to providing data, not just DNA, is profound. It positions them as an essential partner in the iterative design-build-test-learn cycle that defines modern biology. If they can maintain quality at the scale they're discussing, they become embedded in the R&D infrastructure of the industry."
Twist Bioscience plans to host an Investor Day in May to provide a deeper dive into its long-term strategy, product roadmap, and financial framework beyond EBITDA breakeven.