The joint, voluntary COVID-19 testing program
successfully identified Omicron sublineages BA.2 and BA.3 weeks
before the next reported U.S. detections
BOSTON, March 23,
2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Concentric by Ginkgo, the public
health and biosecurity initiative of Ginkgo Bioworks (NYSE: DNA),
today released new findings from its joint SARS-CoV-2 monitoring
program with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
and XpresCheck®, a subsidiary of XpresSpa Group, Inc
(Nasdaq: XSPA). The findings, published in a preprint yesterday on
medRxiv, outline how this voluntary Traveler-Based SARS-CoV-2
Genomic Surveillance program operates as an early warning system
and closes a gap in national public health security. The program
was the first in the nation to identify Omicron sublineages BA.2
and BA.3, weeks before they were reported elsewhere in the United States.
In partnership with CDC's Travelers' Health Branch and
XpresCheck, Concentric enrolls international travelers arriving at
select U.S. airports from multiple countries on a voluntary basis,
and samples them using nasal swabs. Samples that test positive for
SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, undergo viral genomic
sequencing to detect and monitor SARS-CoV-2 variants. The paper's
authors conclude that the initial results of the program's
operations demonstrate that the program is an effective model for a
traveler-based pathogen genomic surveillance system. The authors
suggest that expansion of the program can be used as an early
warning system to detect new or emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants and
facilitate response to future travel-associated outbreaks and
pandemics.
Despite layered mitigation measures, international travel during
the COVID-19 pandemic continues to facilitate global spread of
SARS-CoV-2, including novel variants of concern (VOCs). Travelers
represent a key population for monitoring new and emerging
infectious diseases, due to their mobility, their potential for
exposure to diseases during travel, and the possibility that they
can spread diseases from one place to another in a short amount of
time. Conducting traveler-based surveillance enabled this
program to detect two Omicron sublineages, BA.2 and BA.3, seven and
forty-three days, respectively, before they were reported elsewhere
in the United States and
North America.
"This SARS-CoV-2 traveler-based genomic surveillance program
helps fill a critical gap in achieving public health priorities.
Early detection and sequencing of new variants entering
the United States can provide
vital information about transmissibility and virulence of the virus
as well as the effectiveness of existing vaccines, diagnostics and
therapeutics, which can guide our public health response," said Dr.
Cindy Friedman, Chief of CDC's
Travelers' Health Branch.
Ezra Ernst, the Chief Executive
Officer of XpresCheck, stated, "We are gratified that XpresCheck's
joint epidemiologic surveillance program with the CDC and Ginkgo
Bioworks has been shown to be such an effective model for detecting
new variants entering our borders. This program was able to provide
a sample of BA.2 to CDC for early viral characterization. As we
know, speed is essential in our fight against COVID-19 and having
this program in place saves time and acts as an early warning
system for the country. These promising results further underscore
the importance of monitoring for COVID-19 across our nation's
airports, and we are thankful to all the travelers who have
participated in our program as well as our dedicated staff and
partners at Ginkgo, CDC, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and
the Port Authority."
"Returning to pre-pandemic movement of people, goods, and
services requires a comprehensive, large-scale, and interconnected
approach to pathogen monitoring, including viral genomic sequencing
and characterization," said Matt
McKnight, General Manager, Biosecurity at Ginkgo.
"Concentric strives to use proactive pathogen monitoring to build a
weather map of how pathogens are evolving and spreading—a powerful
tool to help us all prepare for future outbreaks and pandemics.
This program has demonstrated the value of public-private
partnership in building an effective and scalable model for the
biosecurity infrastructure we need."
Currently, the program is operating at four of the busiest
international airports in the country: John F. Kennedy
International Airport (JFK), Newark Liberty International Airport
(EWR), San Francisco International
Airport (SFO), and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
(ATL). The results published today represent aggregate data from
thousands of travelers who voluntarily participated in the program
by giving a sample at the airport between September 2021 and January
2022.
Concentric by Ginkgo is building a next-generation biosecurity
and public health platform with the aim of providing pathogen
biomonitoring capabilities at scale to help identify and mitigate
the next new variant or novel pathogen. Its lab network currently
has enough contracted and validated labs to serve millions of
individuals with test results every week. Concentric is continuing
to scale its viral sequencing capabilities to contribute to the
nation's capacity for genomic epidemiology and empower communities
with timely and predictive data.
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 has also actively supported a number of COVID-19 response
efforts, including K-12 pooled testing, vaccine manufacturing
optimization and therapeutics discovery. For more information,
visit www.ginkgobioworks.com.
About XpresSpa Group, Inc.
XpresSpa Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: XSPA) is a leading global
health and wellness holding company operating three distinct
brands: XpresCheck®, XpresSpa®, Treat™.
XpresCheck is a leading on-site airport provider of Covid-19
screening and testing with 15 locations in 12 domestic
airports. XpresSpa is a leading airport retailer of spa
services and related health and wellness products, with 45
locations in 21 airports globally. Treat is a travel health and
wellness brand that is providing on-demand access to healthcare
through technology and personalized services. The Company also
recently acquired HyperPointe, a leading digital healthcare and
data analytics relationship marketing agency servicing the global
healthcare and pharmaceutical industry.
To learn more about XpresSpa Group, visit:
www.XpresSpaGroup.com
To learn more about XpresCheck, visit: www.XpresCheck.com
To learn more about XpresSpa, visit www.XpresSpa.com
To learn more about Treat, visit: www.Treat.com
To learn more about HyperPointe, visit:
www.Hyperpointe.com
Twitter: @xprescheck and Instagram: @realxprescheck
Twitter: @XpresSpa and Instagram: @XpresSpa
Twitter: @Treat_Care and Instagram: @treat_care
Ginkgo Bioworks Contacts:
Media:
press@ginkgobioworks.com
Investor Relations:
investors@ginkgobioworks.com
XpresSpa Group Contacts:
Media:
Julie Ferguson
Julie@jfprmedia.com
(312) 385-0098
Investor Relations:
ICR
Raphael Gross
ir@xpresspagroup.com
(203) 682-8253
Ginkgo Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains certain forward-looking statements
within the meaning of the federal securities laws, including
statements regarding the potential of Ginkgo's biosecurity
capabilities and partnership with XpresSpa Group, Inc. These
forward-looking statements generally are identified by the words
"believe," "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 document, including but not
limited to: (i) the effect of the business combination with Soaring
Eagle Acquisition Corp. ("Soaring Eagle") on Ginkgo's business
relationships, performance, and business generally, (ii) risks that
the business combination disrupts current plans of Ginkgo and
potential difficulties in Ginkgo's employee retention, (iii) the
outcome of any legal proceedings that may be instituted against
Ginkgo related to its business combination with Soaring Eagle, (iv)
volatility in the price of Ginkgo's securities now that it is a
public company 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, (v) the ability to
implement business plans, forecasts, and other expectations after
the completion of the business combination, and identify and
realize additional opportunities, and (vi) 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 Ginkgo's quarterly report on Form
10-Q filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the
"SEC") on November 15, 2021 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.
Forward-Looking Statements of XpresSpa Group, Inc.
This press release may contain "forward-looking" statements
within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933,
and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These
include statements preceded by, followed by or that otherwise
include the words "believes," "expects," "anticipates,"
"estimates," "projects," "intends," "should," "seeks," "future,"
"continue," or the negative of such terms, or other comparable
terminology. Forward-looking statements relating to expectations
about future results or events are based upon information available
to XpresSpa Group as of today's date and are not guarantees of the
future performance of the Company, and actual results may vary
materially from the results and expectations discussed. Additional
information concerning these and other risks is contained in
XpresSpa Group's most recently filed Annual Report on Form 10-K,
Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K, and
other Securities and Exchange Commission filings. All subsequent
written and oral forward-looking statements concerning XpresSpa
Group, or other matters attributable to XpresSpa Group or any
person acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their
entirety by the cautionary statements above. XpresSpa Group does
not undertake any obligation to publicly update any of these
forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that
may arise after the date hereof.
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SOURCE Ginkgo Bioworks