Ginkgo Bioworks and Illumina Collaborate for Global Pathogen Monitoring Programs

Published On: January 16, 2024 2:09 am

Concentric by Ginkgo and Illumina join forces to enhance global biosecurity efforts: Concentric by Ginkgo, the biosecurity and public health unit of Ginkgo Bioworks (NYSE:DNA), has entered into a co-marketing agreement with Illumina (NASDAQ:ILMN). The partnership aims to expand biosecurity capabilities worldwide.
Leveraging Illumina products for pathogen monitoring: The collaboration aims to demonstrate the use of Illumina products with Concentric’s bioradar to accelerate the expansion of the pathogen monitoring network. This effort is designed to empower countries and increase the scale and scope of pathogen genomic surveillance globally.
Empowering local biosurveillance: The shared goal is to help build local capacity for biosurveillance, allowing countries to modernize their defenses against biological threats rather than depending on unreliable third parties.
Accelerating deployment of early warning and bioradar programs: Matt McKnight, General Manager for Biosecurity at Ginkgo Bioworks, expressed, “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 the deployment of our early warning and bioradar programs for governments worldwide.”
Market response: Ginkgo Bioworks stock price traded marginally higher by 0.77% in Tuesday’s pre-market trading.