Collaboration leverages Ginkgo's cell
engineering and screening platform to enhance the potency and
persistence of Universal Cells' iPSC-derived immune cell
therapeutics
BOSTON, Jan. 13,
2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Ginkgo Bioworks (NYSE:
DNA), which is building the leading platform for cell programming
and biosecurity, today announced a research collaboration with
Universal Cells, an Astellas company, to optimize next-generation
induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived cancer cell therapies.
This collaboration underscores Ginkgo's capacity to deploy
high-throughput biological approaches to tackle the complex
challenge set associated with development of therapies targeting
solid tumors.
iPSC-derived cell therapies have the potential to transform
cancer care by offering scalable, 'off-the-shelf' treatment
options. However, bringing efficacious therapies to patients
requires robust design and screening processes to improve
persistence in the patient to enable durable clinical responses. By
combining Universal Cells' proprietary iPSC-derived cell
technologies with Ginkgo's expertise in design and screening large
CAR libraries and its high throughput, multimodal immune cell
engineering platform, the companies aim to accelerate the
development of more potent and durable cell therapies while
maintaining manufacturability at scale.
Ginkgo's approach leverages computational tools, deep expertise
in library assembly and screening, and rigorous statistical
analysis and biological insight to help partners discover and
engineer optimal therapeutic designs with greater speed and
precision. Ginkgo's platform capabilities extend across multiple
dimensions of cell therapy development, including chimeric antigen
receptor (CAR) discovery and optimization, armoring strategies for
enhanced cell survival and persistence, and gene editing tools for
immune cell engineering. Ginkgo employs high-throughput pooled and
arrayed screening methods that enable the simultaneous testing of
numerous CAR designs from transcriptome to cell function. This
approach facilitates discoveries that aim to improve immune cell
persistence and functionality.
"We're excited to embark on this collaboration, which represents
a significant milestone for Ginkgo as we expand our cell therapy
portfolio," said Jason Kelly, CEO
and co-founder of Ginkgo Bioworks. "Teaming up with Universal
Cells, part of Astellas, allows us to bring our comprehensive
immune cell engineering capabilities to a highly respected, global
pharmaceutical leader. We look forward to working together to
optimize iPSC-derived allogeneic cell therapies that have the
potential to improve patient outcomes and reshape how we treat
solid tumors."
"Cell therapies hold immense promise, but realizing their full
potential requires innovation at every step, from design to
delivery," said Dr. Narendra Maheshri, VP, Genetic Medicines at
Ginkgo Bioworks. "Our platform enables partners to rapidly
explore the functional impact of a large number of CAR designs
simultaneously, and then iterate to further refine those designs.
By applying this approach with Universal Cells, we aim to help
accelerate CAR approaches, opening up new possibilities in the
fight against cancer."
To learn more about how you can leverage Ginkgo's capabilities
in cell therapy and gene editing - from CAR-T to CRISPR and beyond
- please visit our website.
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 Biosecurity is building and deploying the
next-generation infrastructure and technologies that global leaders
need to predict, detect, and respond to a wide variety of
biological threats. For more information, visit ginkgobioworks.com
and ginkgobiosecurity.com, read our blog, or follow us on social
media channels such as X (@Ginkgo and @Ginkgo_Biosec), Instagram
(@GinkgoBioworks), Threads (@GinkgoBioworks), or LinkedIn.
GINKGO BIOWORKS INVESTOR
CONTACT:
investors@ginkgobioworks.com
GINKGO BIOWORKS MEDIA
CONTACT:
press@ginkgobioworks.com
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 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) the outcome of any pending
or potential legal proceedings against Ginkgo, (vii) our ability to
realize the expected benefits from and the success of our Foundry
platform programs, (viii) our ability to successfully develop
engineered cells, bioprocesses, data packages or other
deliverables, and (ix) 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 annual report on Form 10-K filed with the U.S.
Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") on February 29, 2024, Ginkgo's most recent quarterly
report on Form 10-Q, 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