Ginkgo Bioworks, Novo Nordisk Advance Expression Systems Alliance

Ginkgo Bioworks, which is building a platform for cell programming and biosecurity, has completed the pilot phase of their previously announced partnership with Novo Nordisk to develop expression systems for pharmaceutical products. With the pilot phase completed and the first milestone achieved, the companies will now move into the development phase to make a more effective production process. Achieving this first milestone included extensive modification and testing of a microbial expression system to understand the impact of the modifications on key performance parameters.
 
“Ginkgo’s achievement of the first milestone has both excited and inspired us, giving us the confidence to move into the next phase of this ambitious project,” said Brian Vandahl, Senior Vice President, Global Research Technologies at Novo Nordisk. “This progress is a strong indicator of the potential we have to engineer biological systems that will expand the chemical space of biological medicines.”
 
“We’re excited to continue our work with Novo Nordisk to help provide innovative treatment options for patients with diabetes, obesity, and other serious chronic diseases,” said Jason Kelly, CEO and co-founder, Ginkgo Bioworks. “The next phase of this project will build on our existing microbial design, engineering, and phenotyping expertise while expanding Ginkgo’s capabilities in genome-scale design and engineering. We believe this work will enable us to support even more pharmaceutical products, helping to achieve better outcomes for patients.”