Concentric by Ginkgo and Illumina collaborate to deploy biosurveillance technologies around the world

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Jan 15, 2024, 07:00 ET

The companies plan to join forces to set up pathogen monitoring programs utilizing Illumina technology across Concentric's global network

BOSTON and SAN DIEGO, Jan. 15, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Concentric by Ginkgo, the biosecurity and public health unit of Ginkgo Bioworks (NYSE: DNA), which is building the leading platform for cell programming and biosecurity, today announced that it has entered into a Co-Marketing Agreement with Illumina, Inc. (Nasdaq: ILMN), a global leader in DNA sequencing and array-based technologies, to partner on expanding biosecurity capabilities globally.

Concentric is building a global pathogen monitoring network—a "bioradar" system —in countries around the world to detect, characterize, and rapidly respond to biological threats and help drive informed decision-making in support of global health objectives. With over a dozen countries actively scoping and hosting biosecurity programs with Concentric's platform of integrated services, the bioradar network can serve to bolster national security and early warning capabilities for countries. Illumina is a global leader in DNA sequencing and array-based technologies, serving customers in the research, clinical, and applied markets. Illumina offers a range of leading next-generation sequencing instruments, consumables, and software to understand pathogens in ways not previously possible. These solutions can be leveraged to interrogate many different types of specimens, to enable stakeholders with a full understanding of circulating threats.

Under the agreement, the partners aim to demonstrate the use of Illumina products with Concentric's bioradar, to accelerate the expansion of the pathogen monitoring network in a way that empowers countries, as well as increase the scale and scope of pathogen genomic surveillance globally. Concentric and Illumina will work together to market their solutions, with the aim to enhance early warning of emerging and novel pathogens and fill gaps in global biosurveillance infrastructure.

"Without sustained investments in global early detection, we remain deeply vulnerable to the next novel pathogen threat. Through this relationship with Illumina, Concentric aims to accelerate deployment of our early warning and bioradar programs for governments worldwide as they seek to modernize defenses against biological threats," said Matt McKnight, General Manager for Biosecurity at Ginkgo Bioworks. "Sustained genomic monitoring capacity is urgently needed to drive risk identification and collective response ahead of potential pandemics and emerging biothreats."

The shared goal is to help build local capacity for biosurveillance to empower countries rather than having to outsource biosecurity to unreliable third parties. Together, Concentric and Illumina are working to help ensure that nations worldwide are equipped and empowered, locally and sustainably.

"We now have the sequencing solutions available to ask valuable and complex questions of samples, to really understand the nature of circulating pathogens with a holistic, comprehensive approach," said Luke Hickey, Vice President of Marketing at Illumina. "Illumina is proud to partner with Concentric by Ginkgo to empower countries to protect the health of their citizens from infectious threats."

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 (formerly known as Twitter) (@Ginkgo and @ConcentricByGinkgo), Instagram (@GinkgoBioworks and @ConcentricByGinkgo), 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 partnership and Ginkgo's biosecurity 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.

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SOURCE Ginkgo Bioworks