TwinStrand and University of Washington Win $245.2 Million Final Judgment Against Guardant Health in Duplex Sequencing Patent Case
核心洞察
The U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware entered final judgment on Aug. 21, 2026, in favor of TwinStrand Biosciences (搜索) and the University of Washington in their patent infringement suit against Guardant Health.
The judgment preserves a November 2023 jury verdict finding Guardant Health willfully infringed two Duplex Sequencing patents across 11 royalty-bearing products and services.
TwinStrand and UW were awarded more than $245.2 million in damages, accrued royalties, and interest, with a 6% royalty ordered on covered sales through patent expiration on March 15, 2033.
TwinStrand Biosciences (搜索), the Seattle-based pioneer of Duplex Sequencing technology, announced that the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware entered final judgment on Aug. 21, 2026, in favor of TwinStrand and the University of Washington (UW) in their patent infringement suit against Guardant Health, Inc. (Nasdaq: GH). The final judgment preserves a November 2023 jury verdict finding that Guardant Health willfully infringed two core patents underlying TwinStrand's Duplex Sequencing technology across 11 royalty-bearing products and services, and awards TwinStrand and UW more than $245.2 million in damages, accrued royalties, and interest for infringement that occurred through May 31, 2026.
Damages and Royalty Structure
The judgment upholds the jury's $83.4 million damages award for infringement through June 30, 2023, and follows the court's June 16, 2026, ruling resolving the parties' post-trial motions. The court awarded an additional $19.5 million in supplemental damages for sales between July 1, 2023, and Feb. 5, 2024, and $119.4 million in accrued royalties at a rate of 6% for sales between Feb. 5, 2024, and May 31, 2026. The court also awarded $22.9 million in pre-judgment and post-judgment interest.
In determining past damages, the jury applied a 6% royalty to revenue attributed to the covered products and services, which represented approximately 90% of Guardant Health's total revenue during the relevant infringement period. Going forward, the court ordered Guardant Health to pay this 6% royalty on sales of the covered products and services adjudicated at trial from June 1, 2026, through expiration of the patents on March 15, 2033, payable quarterly. Interest also continues to accrue on the unpaid judgment.
The Duplex Sequencing Technology
TwinStrand is a precision genomics company advancing highly accurate DNA sequencing through its patented TwinStrand Duplex Sequencing technology, originally developed at the University of Washington. Duplex Sequencing achieves more than 10,000-fold greater accuracy than conventional next-generation sequencing by independently sequencing and comparing both complementary strands of each DNA molecule.
"Duplex Sequencing solved an accuracy problem the sequencing field had worked on for years, and this judgment affirms the jury's finding that Guardant Health built products on that invention without a license," said Chad Waite, chair of the TwinStrand board of directors. "We remained steadfast in our conviction that the facts would prevail, and they have. We intend to see this through and stand firmly behind the intellectual property at the core of our technology."
Patent Validity Upheld
The final judgment also upholds the validity of the asserted claims of both TwinStrand patents at issue in the case, US Patent Nos. 10,287,631 and 10,760,127. In doing so, the court adopted TwinStrand's proposed language on validity over Guardant Health's proposal that no judgment on validity be entered. Patent-related proceedings regarding the patents remain ongoing before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, respectively, and neither patent has been invalidated.
"We have been confident in these patents since the day they issued," Waite added. "The court's decision to enter judgment in our favor on validity is particularly meaningful and reinforces the strength of our intellectual property at the core of Duplex Sequencing. We will continue to defend these patents and the innovation they protect for the researchers and clinicians worldwide who rely on the accuracy our technology makes possible."
The court previously denied Guardant Health's post-trial efforts to overturn the verdict or obtain a new trial. All of Guardant Health's counterclaims against TwinStrand were either dismissed by the court or withdrawn by Guardant Health before trial.