Gingko adds fungal expression platform through Dutch DNA buy

Gingko adds large-scale protein production capabilities outside the US through its acquisition of fungal platform technology company Dutch DNA.

Boston, Massachusetts-based Gingko Bioworks is expanding its operations beyond the US through its acquisition of Dutch DNA Biotech, which is based in Utrecht, The Netherlands.

Gingko will acquire 100% of Dutch DNA shares in cash and equity, though no further financial details were divulged. However, there is potential for specific stakeholders to receive earn-outpayments dependent on commercialization and technical milestones.

Image/iStock: AndreyPopov

“Ginkgo is gaining Dutch DNA’s proprietary fungal platform technology, which supports the production of enzymes, proteins and organic acids,” Patrick Boyle, head of codebase, Ginkgo Bioworks told us. “We are particularly excited about their low viscosity fungal strains, which have benefits for ease of manufacturing. In addition, we’ll be integrating Dutch DNA’s full team, assets and operations into the broader Ginkgo platform.”

Boyle added: “We believe their expertise in developing and engineering filamentous fungi strains, combined with Ginkgo’s automated and high-throughput Foundry, will help us provide the best-in-class production hosts for our customers developing protein and enzyme products, unlike anything currently available on the market.”

In addition to Gingko gaining Dutch DNA’s assets, it will also retain its staff and a European facility that will allow the firm to expand its technical operations internationally.

Code-base capabilities

Gingko is creating a platform to accelerate growth of biotechnology across different markets ranging from agriculture to pharmaceuticals.

The company’s mission is to make biology easier to engineer and Boyle said it anticipates Dutch DNA’s assets for large-scale production of proteins will “add a valuable set of tools to the platform for Ginkgo’s customers across markets to access, allowing us to develop complex cell programs more effectively. We think it will enable more efficient and sustainable production of a variety of products, not confined to any specific industry.”

According to Gingko, its codebase is consistently growing different strains, enzymes, genetic programs, and cells.

“Every new addition to the platform helps us to improve our cell engineering capabilities — meaning we can deliver higher-quality, more efficient and effective custom organisms that in turn, help our customers produce better products, faster and at a lower cost,” said Boyle.

“We see the Dutch DNA strains as the potential basis of a Fungal CDK (Cell Development Kit) that will complement protein expression CDKs in other host species.”