BOSTON, Feb. 28,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Ginkgo Bioworks
(NYSE: DNA), which is building the leading platform for cell
programming and biosecurity, announced the acquisition of Patch
Biosciences, which has built an AI platform for sequence design
that enables more effective, specific, and durable genetic
medicines and was backed by Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) Bio +
Health, Casdin Capital, and S32. The acquisition is intended to
strengthen Ginkgo's Gene Therapy Services, Cell Therapy Services,
and RNA Therapeutics Services.
Ginkgo does not have a product portfolio or drug pipeline.
Instead, Ginkgo provides R&D services to customers who are
looking to innovate across industries, including many world-class
partners in biopharma. Ginkgo will incorporate Patch's machine
learning models and downstream assays into its existing platform,
making new capabilities in synthetic promoter and untranslated
region (UTR) engineering available to partners. Additionally,
Patch's validated muscle promoters and robust RNA UTRs complement
Ginkgo's circular RNA and promoter screening platform technology,
which is already accelerating customer program progress.
Jason Kelly, CEO and
co-founder of Ginkgo Bioworks: "Patch has built an excellent
team and platform which we are excited to welcome to Ginkgo.
Integrating Patch's capabilities, libraries, and datasets is
immediately valuable to our on-going programs and augments the
genetic medicine toolkit we have built for our customers. We want
to bring a unified R&D experience to our customers and offering
integrated services that include specialized assets like Patch's
allow our customers to tap into a broader-than-ever capability
set."
This strategic move follows Ginkgo's collaborations with Pfizer,
based around the discovery of RNA-based drug candidates, with the
aim of achieving efficient production, circularization, improved
stability, and enhanced translation of each RNA construct. Ginkgo
is also working with Sensible Biotechnologies to develop an in vivo
microbial mRNA manufacturing platform.
Additionally, Ginkgo announced the successful completion of a
manufacturing optimization program with Biogen, redefining the
industry standard for manufacturing recombinant adeno-associated
virus (AAV)-based vectors. The collaboration achieved its goals of
enhancing the AAV production titers of Biogen's gene therapy
manufacturing processes.
The addition of Patch's assets can help Ginkgo further expand
its pipeline of gene therapy, cell therapy, and RNA programs and
has the potential to immediately accelerate progress on current
programs.
JB Michel, CEO and co-founder of Patch Biosciences:
"Joining Ginkgo Bioworks represents an exciting step in our journey
to engineer better genetic medicines. The shared vision and unique
expertise of both teams can unlock new frontiers in programmable
medicines, which we see as the future of medicine. We are excited
to contribute our AI/ML capabilities to the impressive Ginkgo
platform, and look forward to engineering better genetic medicines
for Ginkgo's customers in RNA therapeutics, gene therapy, and
beyond."
Reach out to us at genetherapy@ginkgobioworks.com and learn more
about Ginkgo's services in genetic medicines on our website:
- Gene Therapy Services
- Cell Therapy Services
- RNA Therapeutics Services
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's biosecurity and public health unit, Concentric
by Ginkgo, is building global infrastructure for biosecurity to
empower governments, communities, and public health leaders to
prevent, detect and respond to a wide variety of biological
threats. For more information, visit ginkgobioworks.com
and concentricbyginkgo.com, read our blog, or follow us
on social media channels such as X (@Ginkgo and @ConcentricByGBW),
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
acquisition 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) 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, (ii) the
ability to implement business plans, forecasts, and other
expectations, and to identify and realize additional business
opportunities, (iii) the risk of downturns in demand for products
using synthetic biology, (iv) the uncertainty regarding the demand
for passive monitoring programs and biosecurity services, (v)
changes to the biosecurity industry, including due to advancements
in technology, emerging competition and evolution in industry
demands, standards and regulations, (vi) our ability to realize the
expected benefits of merger and acquisition transactions, (vii) the
outcome of any legal proceedings against Ginkgo, including as a
result of recent acquisitions, (viii) our ability to realize the
expected benefits from and the success of our Foundry platform
programs, (ix) our ability to successfully develop engineered
cells, bioprocesses, data packages or other deliverables, and (x)
the product development or commercialization success of our
customers. 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 quarterly report on Form 10-Q filed with the U.S.
Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") on November 8, 2023 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.
GINKGO BIOWORKS INVESTOR
CONTACT:
investors@ginkgobioworks.com
GINKGO BIOWORKS MEDIA
CONTACT:
press@ginkgobioworks.com
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SOURCE Ginkgo Bioworks