Genscript Bio (01548) shares climbed more than 8% during trading hours, and as of the time of writing, the stock was up 4.79% at HK$24.08, with a trading volume of HK$14.67 billion. The global AI-driven pharmaceutical sector is now entering a phase where returns are being realized.

The US-based company Twist Bioscience reported better-than-expected mid-year results, with AI-related orders doubling year-over-year, prompting an upward revision of its full-year revenue guidance to between $456 million and $457 million. It is understood that Genscript Bio's life sciences business unit covers DNA synthesis, protein production, antibody development, and functional validation, enabling the conversion of AI-generated sequences into tangible proteins and experimental data. The growing demand for AI-driven drug development and multi-antibody drug creation is accelerating the expansion of the gene-to-protein business. In 2025, the life sciences segment posted revenue of $522 million, a 14.8% increase year-over-year, while also expanding automated and digital production capabilities.

The National United Securities and Minsheng Securities believe that the core shift brought by AI-driven drug discovery (AIDD) is an increase in the number of candidate molecules and a scaling up of verification throughput. Companies in the upstream life sciences sector are expected to be the first to benefit as "water sellers" that meet the initial incremental demand. Firms with existing AI business layouts and client collaboration foundations are particularly worth watching.

Huafu Securities argue that AI is transforming traditional drug development paradigms, creating entirely new research demands, and that both contract development and manufacturing organizations (CXOs) and upstream suppliers could systematically benefit from this trend.