Ginkgo Bioworks Acquires Patch Biosciences, Expanding Suite of Genetic Medicine Capabilities Available to Customers

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 [email protected] 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:
[email protected] 

GINKGO BIOWORKS MEDIA CONTACT:
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SOURCE Ginkgo Bioworks