bit.bio Announced as Inaugural Partner of Ginkgo Bioworks’ New Technology Network

CAMBRIDGE, England & BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- bit.bio, the company coding human cells for novel cures, and Ginkgo Bioworks (NYSE: DNA), which is building the leading platform for cell programming and biosecurity, today announced bit.bio as an inaugural partner of the Ginkgo Technology Network. The Network, launched today, is a groundbreaking ecosystem of cutting edge technology partners, committed to collaborating with Ginkgo to provide new, integrated capabilities to drive success in customer R&D programs.

As a Network partner, bit.bio’s ioCells portfolio of human cells for research and drug discovery can be integrated into Ginkgo’s platform ecosystem. bit.bio’s ioCells products are precision reprogrammed from iPSCs using bit.bio’s opti-ox^TM technology. They are defined human cells that have inherent experimental scalability, offer unparallelled consistency and are simple to handle and culture.

Jason Kelly, CEO and co-founder, Ginkgo Bioworks said:

“We’re very excited to partner with bit.bio to enable more disease-relevant results for our customers. With bit.bio’s unique ioCells portfolio of human cells, our customers will be able to conduct research and drug development on physiologically-relevant human cell models across our ecosystem. We’re hopeful that use of these robust human cell models may increase the potential for successful translation of our customers’ therapeutic candidates from early drug discovery, preclinical research through clinical trials, to ultimately deliver the next generation of lifesaving therapeutics. We’re proud to put the full force of our automated Foundry behind bit.bio’s ioCells product portfolio.”

bit.bio and Ginkgo believe that their products and services complement each other, yielding better R&D results for customers. Ginkgo’s customers will be able to benefit from the use of ioCells to conduct research into disease mechanisms and screen for novel therapeutic targets. There are almost 30 products in the ioCells range with many more expected to be launched in 2024 and beyond.

Mark Kotter, CEO and founder, bit.bio said:

“I am excited to see two leading synthetic biology companies join forces to bring unique technologies to our customers and increase research and development efficiency. Ginkgo has a unique capability within its ecosystem to integrate diverse experimental and computational technologies that deliver on complex customer needs. We are excited to add ioCells to that offering. Our opti-ox programmed human cell products are unrivalled with regard to cell function, scalability and consistency. This enables significantly increased experimental accuracy for our customers - product features which Ginkgo’s clients can now access through our new Technology Network.”

Ginkgo is uniquely positioned to act as a “systems integrator” for the biotech ecosystem, offering customers a much more unified experience. As a platform company, Ginkgo makes customer-driven infrastructure investments and is incentivised to make its tools and capabilities available to customers. Ginkgo’s programs require the integration of both existing capabilities and new techniques and approaches. This approach to biology allows customers to access a range of technical approaches rather than feel constrained by the status quo.

Notes to Editors

About the Ginkgo Technology Network

Read the full press release on the Network, including all inaugural partners here https://www.ginkgobioworks.com/2024/02/28/ginkgo-technology-network-launches-providing-an-integrated-rd-experience-with-capabilities-from-over-25-inaugural-partners/

About bit.bio

bit.bio is a synthetic biology company focused on human cells that is advancing medicine (UN SDG9) and enabling curative treatments (UN SDG3). The company does this by industrialising the manufacture of human cells and making them more accessible. The company was spun out of the University of Cambridge in 2016 and has since raised approximately $200m from investors such as Arch Venture, Foresite Capital, Milky Way, Charles River Laboratories, National Resilience, Tencent, Verition Fund and Puhua Capital.

bit.bio’s opti-ox™ precision cell programming and manufacturing technology enables conversion of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) into any desired human cell type in a single step. This can be achieved within days and at industrial scale, while maintaining exceptional purity and unparalleled consistency.

Our discovery platform extends this approach to any desired cell type by identifying the transcription factor combinations that define cell states (including identity, cell subtype identity, maturity) using high throughput screens and advanced data analysis. We believe that opti-ox can revolutionise regenerative medicine similarly to how CRISPR is unlocking gene therapy.

bit.bio’s cell therapy pipeline, based on txCells™, is focused on serious diseases that lack effective treatments. Our current therapeutic development areas include metabolism and endocrinology, immunology and neurology. Our lead candidate, bbHEP01 based on txHepatocytes, is in development as a treatment for patients suffering from acute liver failure (ALF) and acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF). Complementing our internal pipeline, we have a collaboration with BlueRock Therapeutics (a wholly owned independently operated subsidiary of Bayer AG) focused on regulatory T cell (Treg) based cell therapies.

In addition, our extensive ioCells™ research cell product portfolio, which includes ioWild Type Cells™, ioDisease Model Cells™ and ioCRISPR-Ready Cells™, is opening up new possibilities for studying human biology and developing new medicines in both research and high-throughput and high-content drug discovery.

For more information, please visit www.bit.bio

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 @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 Ginkgo’s cell programming platform and the capabilities and potential growth of the Ginkgo Technology Network. 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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