Syngenta Crop Protection, a leader in agricultural innovation, and Ginkgo Bioworks, a pioneering platform in cell programming and biosecurity, have announced a new collaboration to fast-track the launch of a groundbreaking biological solution. This collaboration builds on their previous successful partnership on next-generation seed technology.
In this new initiative, Ginkgo Bioworks will develop and optimize a microbial strain aimed at achieving the productivity targets of a secondary metabolite from Syngenta's Biologicals pipeline. This targeted molecule is considered a pioneering biological solution in agriculture. Efficient, cost-effective, and large-scale production of this metabolite is expected to significantly shorten Syngenta’s time to market for its latest biological innovation.
Ginkgo will leverage its Ag Biologicals capabilities, using theoretical performance calculations and rational strain engineering strategies to develop a robust microbial strain that meets Syngenta’s goals. By harnessing its biological expertise and machine learning capabilities, Ginkgo aims to generate insights from complex data sources to diagnose strain performance limitations and discover new biological features.
“Biologicals are increasingly important in addressing the need for efficient and sustainable agricultural solutions worldwide,” said Camilla Corsi, Global Head of Research at Syngenta Crop Protection. “At Syngenta, we are committed to providing farmers with greater complementary product and technology choices that promote sustainable agricultural practices. We are excited to work with Ginkgo and are confident that their distinctive capabilities will enable us to achieve our productivity goals for our targeted molecule, expediting our time to market.”
Magalie Guilhabert, Head of Ag Biologicals at Ginkgo Bioworks, added, “We are so excited to expand our relationship with Syngenta. We’ve built a successful relationship from our work together on plant traits and now look forward to doing the same with ag biologicals. Ginkgo is proud to put our excellent assets and experience against some of our customer’s toughest challenges. We’ll work to achieve productivity levels to realize commercial viability for Syngenta’s innovative ag biologicals product launch.”
This collaboration underscores both companies' commitment to leveraging advanced biotechnology to create innovative solutions that enhance agricultural productivity and sustainability.
