FARGO, N.D. and BOSTON,
Aug. 10, 2021 /PRNewswire/
-- Aldevron, a leading research to GMP biomanufacturer
of plasmid DNA, mRNA, and proteins, and Ginkgo Bioworks, Inc.
("Ginkgo") today announced a manufacturing breakthrough driven by
their strategic partnership. Aldevron has a successful history of
manufacturing high-quality components that enable breakthroughs in
the emerging field of genetic medicine. Aldevron is currently experiencing a period
of rapid growth, including expanding its manufacturing facilities
and adding new products to its growing catalog. Ginkgo, which
recently announced a business combination with Soaring Eagle
Acquisition Corp. (Nasdaq: SRNG), is building the leading platform
for cell programming, enabling customers across industries to
improve products and manufacturing processes for greater efficiency
and sustainability.
Ginkgo and Aldevron have been working together in a partnership
formed earlier this year to optimize production of mRNA vaccine
components. The partnership has already resulted in significant
breakthrough improvements in manufacturing yield of the
vaccinia capping enzyme (VCE), a component that is often
required to produce mRNA therapies and vaccines. Aldevron has
the exclusive rights to the protocol conditions of the newly
developed manufacturing process, which is over 10-times more
efficient than the previous process.
"Aldevron's industry-leading products and services are the
foundation for some of the most exciting advances in biological
science today," said Jason Kelly,
CEO of Ginkgo Bioworks. "This partnership represents a momentous
growth opportunity for Aldevron as it continues to bolster its
already expansive portfolio of products, and an exciting milestone
for Ginkgo as we continue to expand our capabilities into the
pharmaceutical ecosystem. Aldevron has been a great partner with us
on improving VCE, which we see as a key ingredient to scaling mRNA
production globally."
"I'm very excited about combining the additive strengths of
Ginkgo Bioworks' development expertise and Aldevron's manufacturing
horsepower to yield an optimized manufacturing method for vaccinia
capping enzyme," said Tom Foti,
President of Aldevron's Protein Business Unit. "Historically this
enzyme has been difficult to produce, and we believe this yield
breakthrough will accelerate mRNA therapeutic and vaccine
development for manufacturing teams around the world."
About Aldevron
Aldevron is a premier manufacturing
partner in the global genetic medicine field. Founded in 1998 by
Michael Chambers and John Ballantyne, the company provides critical
nucleic acids and proteins used to make gene and cell therapies,
DNA and RNA vaccines, and gene editing technologies. Aldevron's
700+ employees support thousands of scientists who are
developing revolutionary treatments for millions of people.
Media Contact for Aldevron:
Ellen Shafer
Senior Director of Marketing and Communications
ellen.shafer@aldevron.com
701.297.9256
About Ginkgo Bioworks
Ginkgo is building a platform to
enable customers to program cells as easily as we can program
computers. The company's platform is enabling biotechnology
applications across diverse markets, from food and agriculture to
industrial chemicals to pharmaceuticals. Ginkgo is also actively
supporting a number of COVID-19 response efforts, including K-12
pooled testing, vaccine manufacturing optimization and therapeutics
discovery. In May 2021, Ginkgo
announced a business combination with Soaring Eagle Acquisition
Corp. (Nasdaq: SRNG), which, if completed, will result in Ginkgo,
through a parent entity, Ginkgo Bioworks Holdings, Inc., becoming a
public company. The transaction is expected to close in the third
quarter of 2021, subject to regulatory and shareholder approvals,
and other customary closing conditions. For more information, visit
www.ginkgobioworks.com.
MEDIA CONTACT:
press@ginkgobioworks.com
INVESTOR CONTACT:
investors@ginkgobioworks.com
ADDITIONAL LEGAL INFORMATION
Forward-Looking Statements Legend
This document contains certain forward-looking statements within
the meaning of the federal securities laws with respect to the
proposed transaction between Ginkgo and Soaring Eagle Acquisition
Corp. ("SRNG"), including statements regarding the benefits of the
transaction, the anticipated timing of the transaction, the
services offered by Ginkgo and the markets in which it operates,
and Ginkgo's projected future results. These forward-looking
statements generally are identified by the words "believe,"
"project," "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 document, including but not
limited to: (i) the risk that the transaction may not be completed
in a timely manner or at all, which may adversely affect the price
of SRNG's securities, (ii) the risk that the transaction may not be
completed by SRNG's business combination deadline and the potential
failure to obtain an extension of the business combination deadline
if sought by SRNG, (iii) the failure to satisfy the conditions to
the consummation of the transaction, including the adoption of the
agreement and plan of merger by the shareholders of SRNG and
Ginkgo, the satisfaction of the minimum trust account amount
following redemptions by SRNG's public shareholders and the receipt
of certain governmental and regulatory approvals, (iv) the lack of
a third party valuation in determining whether or not to pursue the
proposed transaction, (v) the occurrence of any event, change or
other circumstance that could give rise to the termination of the
agreement and plan of merger, (vi) the effect of the announcement
or pendency of the transaction on Ginkgo business relationships,
performance, and business generally, (vii) risks that the proposed
transaction disrupts current plans of Ginkgo and potential
difficulties in Ginkgo employee retention as a result of the
proposed transaction, (viii) the outcome of any legal proceedings
that may be instituted against Ginkgo or against SRNG related to
the agreement and plan of merger or the proposed transaction, (ix)
the ability to maintain the listing of SRNG's securities on Nasdaq,
(x) volatility in the price of SRNG's securities due to a variety
of factors, including changes in the competitive and highly
regulated industries in which Ginkgo plans to operate, variations
in performance across competitors, changes in laws and regulations
affecting Ginkgo's business and changes in the combined capital
structure, (xi) the ability to implement business plans, forecasts,
and other expectations after the completion of the proposed
transaction, and identify and realize additional opportunities, and
(xii) the risk of downturns in demand for products using synthetic
biology. 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 SRNG's
proxy statement/prospectus relating to the transaction, and in
SRNG's other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission
(the "SEC"). SRNG and Ginkgo caution that the foregoing list of
factors is not exclusive. SRNG and Ginkgo caution readers not to
place undue reliance upon any forward-looking statements, which
speak only as of the date made. Neither SRNG nor Ginkgo undertake
or accept any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any
updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements to reflect
any change in its expectations or any change in events, conditions
or circumstances on which any such statement is based.
Additional Information and Where to Find It
This document relates to a proposed transaction between Ginkgo
and SRNG. This document does not constitute an offer to sell or
exchange, or the solicitation of an offer to buy or exchange, any
securities, nor shall there be any sale of securities in any
jurisdiction in which such offer, sale or exchange would be
unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the
securities laws of any such jurisdiction. In connection with the
proposed transaction, SRNG filed a registration statement on Form
S-4/A with the SEC on August 3, 2021,
which included a proxy statement of SRNG and a prospectus of SRNG.
The definitive proxy statement/prospectus will be sent to all SRNG
shareholders as of the record date to be established for voting on
the proposed business combination and Ginkgo stockholders. SRNG
also will file other documents regarding the proposed transaction
with the SEC. Before making any voting decision, investors and
security holders of SRNG and Ginkgo are urged to read the
registration statement, the proxy statement/prospectus and all
other relevant documents filed or that will be filed with the SEC
in connection with the proposed transaction as they become
available because they will contain important information about the
proposed transaction.
Investors and security holders may obtain free copies of the
proxy statement/prospectus and all other relevant documents filed
or that will be filed with the SEC by SRNG through the website
maintained by the SEC at www.sec.gov. In addition, the documents
filed by SRNG may be obtained free of charge by written request to
SRNG at 955 Fifth Avenue, New York,
NY, 10075, Attention: Eli
Baker, Chief Financial Officer, (310) 209-7280.
Participants in Solicitation
SRNG's and Ginkgo and their respective directors and officers
may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies
from SRNG's stockholders in connection with the proposed
transaction. Information about SRNG's directors and executive
officers and their ownership of SRNG's securities is set forth in
SRNG's filings with the SEC. To the extent that holdings of SRNG's
securities have changed since the amounts printed in SRNG's proxy
statement, such changes have been or will be reflected on
Statements of Change in Ownership on Form 4 filed with the SEC.
Additional information regarding the interests of those persons and
other persons who may be deemed participants in the proposed
transaction may be obtained by reading the proxy
statement/prospectus regarding the proposed transaction when it
becomes available. You may obtain free copies of these documents as
described in the preceding paragraph.
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SOURCE Ginkgo Bioworks