Aldevron’s Collaboration with Ginkgo Bioworks Yields Manufacturing Breakthrough for Vaccinia Capping Enzyme Used for Manufacturing of mRNA Vaccines
Aldevron, a leading research to GMP biomanufacturer of plasmid DNA, mRNA, and proteins, and Ginkgo Bioworks, Inc. (“Ginkgo”) 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., 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.”