Ginkgo Bioworks (NYSE: DNA), which is building the leading platform for cell programming and biosecurity, announced the acquisition of AgBiome’s platform assets, including over 115,000 fully sequenced and isolated strains, over 500 million unique gene sequences, and relevant functional data and metadata, as well as AgBiome’s development pipeline. These assets will be integrated into Ginkgo Ag Biologicals Services, established by acquiring a Bayer agricultural biologicals R&D facility in 2022, and expand Ginkgo’s proprietary unified metagenomics database. Combined, this creates one of the most profound and most advanced ag biological discovery and development platforms, as well as a rich resource for developing AI models for biological R&D. 

Since its founding in 2012, AgBiome has worked to generate an extensive collection of biological products and technologies – from agricultural products to bioactive ingredients to gene editing tools – through its Genesis Discovery Platform. AgBiome has successfully commercialised multiple biological products, including the Howler and Theia product lines, which are not included in the acquisition. AgBiome has developed a massive microbial strain library from over 8,000 geographically diverse environmental samples. These isolates have been fully sequenced, producing a rich library with over 500 million unique gene sequences. Also included in the acquisition is a robust product concept pipeline, including a dozen product candidates with greenhouse or field validation – these validated assets create a rich foundation for future partnered programs, as well as a diverse resource of metagenomic data for genomic mining and AI model training.

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