BOSTON and LEXINGTON, Mass., Feb. 15,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Defense Threat
Reduction Agency's (DTRA) Joint Science and Technology Office
(JSTO) for the Chemical and Biological Defense (CBD) Program has
awarded, through the Medical CBRN [Chemical, Biological,
Radiological, and Nuclear] Defense Consortium (MCDC) requirement
22-05, "Adjuvant Activity to Vaccines Prototype," a 5-year contract
totaling up to $31 million including
program options to the team of Ginkgo Bioworks, Inc. (NYSE: DNA)
and SaponiQx, Inc. (a subsidiary of Agenus Inc., NASDAQ:AGEN) to
discover and develop next-generation vaccine adjuvants. Partners in
adjuvant discovery and development since 2021, Ginkgo, which is
building the leading platform for cell programming and biosecurity,
and SaponiQx, developing a visionary adjuvant development platform,
will use a combination of high-throughput empirical and artificial
intelligence/machine learning approaches, including Generative
Molecular Design (GMD), to develop superior novel saponin-based
adjuvants.
Adjuvants are components of vaccines that help to enhance the
magnitude, breadth, and duration of the immune response to
vaccination. Currently, only a handful of adjuvants are available
for human use in licensed vaccines. SaponiQx's STIMULON™ QS-21 is a
key adjuvant component in market-leading vaccines for shingles,
malaria, and respiratory syncytial virus. Novel adjuvants with
enhanced properties, including tailored humoral and cellular immune
responses, could pave the way for a new wave of innovative vaccines
against existing and emerging pathogens.
"The COVID-19 pandemic revealed the critical need for safe,
effective, and accessible vaccines against emerging biothreat
agents," said Jennifer Wipf, SVP,
Head of Commercial Cell Engineering at Ginkgo Bioworks. "Imagine a
future where vaccines are not only more affordable but also provide
consistent protection in fewer doses, without causing discomfort or
requiring refrigeration. We're very excited by this opportunity to
strengthen and expand the SaponiQx–Ginkgo partnership and to work
with DTRA to make that future a reality."
"Building on our achievements with STIMULON QS-21, SaponiQx is
excited to realize our company's founding vision of harnessing the
potential of Generative Molecular Design to dramatically increase
access to lifesaving vaccines around the world," said Rebecca Kurnat, Head of Operations at
SaponiQx.
The partners aim to demonstrate in the laboratory and in animal
studies the ability of these novel adjuvants to protect against
challenges from biothreat agents, such as the plague, and to
provide lower cost, sustainable and scalable manufacturing
processes by leveraging Ginkgo's leading platform for cell
programming. The partners intend to design candidate adjuvants
using SaponiQx's leading platform for adjuvant generation, and to
identify additional candidates by screening natural extracts for
previously uncharacterized saponins and creating non-natural
saponins with enzyme-based techniques. Harnessing a
first-of-its-kind "data lake" for adjuvants, they plan to use
iterative GMD to propose and optimize adjuvant structures against
eight functional parameters. Adjuvant candidates will be put
through in-depth testing, first in the laboratory for immune and
toxicity responses, and then in studies of their effectiveness in
protecting vaccinated animals from pathogens; QS-21 and the related
QS-7 will serve as benchmarks.
By leveraging Ginkgo's leading platform for cell programming,
the partners also intend to develop more affordable, sustainable,
and scalable adjuvant manufacturing processes. Ginkgo will develop
a first-generation Adjuvant Development Candidate (ADC) production
method, using a heterologous production strain such as brewers'
yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Ginkgo's platform powers iterative
Design–Build–Test–Learn-driven cell engineering to enable the rapid
prototyping, optimization, and development of proteins, enzymes,
metabolic pathways, and whole organisms under commercial-scale
manufacturing conditions. Development of a first-generation ADC
production method could facilitate further development of a
sustainable mass-production manufacturing process for these complex
adjuvants.
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 and
@ConcentricByGinkgo), Threads (@GinkgoBioworks)
or LinkedIn.
About SaponiQx
Founded in 2021, SaponiQx, a subsidiary of Agenus Inc., stands
at the forefront of saponin-based adjuvant discovery and
manufacturing. Its mission is to provide scalable and affordable
vaccine adjuvants to enhance global health. Its proprietary
adjuvant, STIMULON QS-21, forms an integral part of the AS01
adjuvant used in several leading vaccines. STIMULON is a trademark
of Agenus Inc., the parent company of SaponiQx Inc.
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. 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.
GINKGO BIOWORKS INVESTOR CONTACT:
investors@ginkgobioworks.com
GINKGO BIOWORKS MEDIA CONTACT:
press@ginkgobioworks.com
Forward-Looking Statements of SaponiQx
This press release includes forward-looking statements, subject
to risks and uncertainties, concerning the development of vaccines
and adjuvants. Refer to the Risk Factors in Agenus' latest
Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q or Annual Report on Form 10-K filed
with the SEC for a detailed discussion of these risks.
SAPONIQX MEDIA CONTACT:
communications@saponiqx.com
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