BOSTON, April 2,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Ginkgo Bioworks (NYSE:
DNA), which is building the leading platform for cell programming
and biosecurity, announced the acquisition of Modulus Therapeutics'
cell therapy platform assets, including their chimeric antigen
receptor (CAR) and switch receptor libraries.
Modulus Therapeutics is a cell engineering company focused on
the design of next-generation cell therapies for autoimmune
diseases. In contrast to legacy cell therapy design, the company
uses a combinatorial approach to build and screen cell therapy
components that work in concert with one another to yield novel
cell behaviors.
Modulus has used its platform to develop and screen libraries of
novel NK-specific and T-cell specific CAR and switch receptor
designs, which enable improved control and performance of immune
cell-based therapies. This technology has the potential to improve
the safety and efficacy of cell therapies by allowing for more
precise control over activation and targeting. Modulus' CAR-NK and
CAR-T components are designed to enhance proliferation and
cytotoxicity, even in inhospitable cellular environments, providing
a deeper and more durable response against target cells.
Modulus' assets complement Ginkgo's extensive cell therapy
capabilities. With this addition, Ginkgo looks forward to
supporting its customers who are improving the performance of
T-cell and NK-cell based CAR therapies to treat solid tumors,
autoimmune, and other diseases.
Jason Kelly, CEO and
co-founder of Ginkgo Bioworks: "Modulus Therapeutics has built
an array of incredible cell therapy assets that we are excited to
add into the significant cell therapy capabilities Ginkgo has
developed to date. Modulus' CAR and switch receptor designs and
libraries seamlessly integrate into our existing infrastructure and
offerings. We are excited to put these new assets to work for our
customers and contribute to the transformative advancements in CAR
and cell therapies."
Max Darnell, CEO and
co-founder of Modulus Therapeutics: "At Modulus, we have always
been motivated by enhancing access to cutting-edge cell therapy
innovation. We're very pleased that Ginkgo Bioworks shares this
commitment and can leverage our technology to help transform
oncology and autoimmune cell therapies. We are thrilled to
contribute our innovative designs to the Ginkgo ecosystem, and look
forward to seeing these tools deployed across a range of
Ginkgo-partnered programs."
Ginkgo's platform works to enable its partners to sample CAR
domains with a variety of functional roles and structural
positions, sourced from diverse immune cell types. This approach to
cell therapy discovery allows partners to thoroughly sample the
breadth of therapeutic activities a CAR can produce. Last year,
Ginkgo entered a partnership with the Wisconsin Alumni Research
Foundation (WARF) to discover and develop next-generation CAR-T
cell therapies. Ginkgo also presented new data on its high
throughput pooled screening method to discover novel CAR-T designs
for solid tumors at the 37th Annual Meeting of the Society for
Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) in 2022, as well as data on its
high-throughput screening platform for chimeric antigen receptor
(CAR) libraries at the 26th American Society of Gene & Cell
Therapy (ASGCT) Annual Meeting in 2023. The poster highlighted
Ginkgo's Foundry-enabled methods for large-scale, combinatorial
library design and screening of CAR domains for improved
persistence. Ginkgo expects Modulus' cell therapy assets to help
Ginkgo continue to strengthen its CAR-T research & development
offerings.
Learn more about Ginkgo Cell Therapy Services here.
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.
GINKGO BIOWORKS INVESTOR
CONTACT:
investors@ginkgobioworks.com
GINKGO BIOWORKS MEDIA
CONTACT:
press@ginkgobioworks.com
About Modulus Therapeutics
Modulus is engineering next-generation immune cell therapies. By
leveraging modern molecular engineering tools, deployed in a cell
therapy-specific context, Modulus is rewiring immune cells to
achieve unique sense-and-respond capabilities without the need for
synthetic gene circuits. Modulus is focused on novel
context-responsive CAR-NK cells in autoimmunity that feed
themselves off of the autoimmune microenvironment for enhanced
safety and efficacy. For more information, find us on LinkedIn.
MODULUS THERAPEUTICS CONTACT:
info@modulustherapeutics.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
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) 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 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