Ginkgo Bioworks and First Serv Announce Plans to Develop and Implement Innovative Global Biosecurity Capabilities in Qatar

Partnership recognizes the importance of global cooperation to prevent and respond to pandemics

By leveraging Ginkgo’s large-scale biosecurity platform and Qatar’s pioneering investments in biotechnology, collaboration aims to build new biosecurity capabilities and accelerate the establishment of a global pathogen monitoring network

BOSTON and DOHA, Qatar, May 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Ginkgo Bioworks (NYSE: DNA), the leading horizontal platform for cell programming, and First Serv, a Qatari investment holding company, today announced that they have entered into a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to develop and implement new biosecurity capabilities in Qatar. The partners to the MOU recognize the importance of international collaboration and cooperation to effectively prevent and respond to biological threats in this global age. The initial goal of the partnership is to establish Doha as a critical node of a global pathogen monitoring network, given its important position as a worldwide travel hub. Effective early detection capabilities and sharing of information can empower officials and community leaders to make informed local and global public health decisions.

Ginkgo, through its biosecurity and public health initiative, Concentric by Ginkgo, provides pathogen monitoring capabilities across thousands of sites including schools, airports, and other congregate settings. The network includes partnerships with laboratories, couriers, and healthcare providers and has been successful in providing COVID-19 testing services across the U.S. The partnership with First Serv in Qatar marks a significant milestone in Ginkgo’s international expansion as it continues to scale its biosecurity offerings.

Qatar is ideally positioned to become a key node in the global pathogen surveillance network of the future given its role as an international travel hub. Paired with Ginkgo’s operational and technical expertise in large-scale pathogen monitoring, First Serv plans to develop critical infrastructure to detect emerging pathogens, thereby helping to secure the local community and economy, as well as advancing biosecurity around the world. Ginkgo’s growing international efforts aim to expand their existing pathogen monitoring network on a global scale to provide support and information to leaders seeking to manage future public health crises.

“Biosecurity in this new era is about applying the cutting edge tools of the biotech age to prevent the next pandemic or infectious disease threat. Proactive pathogen monitoring is an essential part of this effort—we need a robust global weather map to identify and track emerging biological threats,” said Matt McKnight, General Manager, Biosecurity at Ginkgo Bioworks. “We are incredibly excited by the opportunity to use our biosecurity platform to help bolster Qatar’s pathogen monitoring infrastructure to assist Doha’s global travel hub in becoming a leader in helping prepare the world for the next new variant or novel pathogen.”

Sheikh Sultan Jassim Al Thani, Chairman at First Serv said, “As the COVID-19 pandemic transitions to an endemic phase, the world needs a new industry built around next-generation biosecurity. We are excited about our plans to partner with Ginkgo in support of their market-leading capabilities in this sector. We believe Qatar is uniquely placed to provide a significant biosecurity service to the world, beginning with this effort.”

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 First Serv
Incorporated in 2019, First Serv is a wholly owned Qatari registered company used by H.E. Sheikh Sultan Jassim Al Thani to manage his Qatari/Gulf-based investments. Sheikh Sultan Jassim Al Thani invests in diverse business interests including construction, manufacturing, real estate development, hospitality, marketing, and advertising.

Forward-Looking Statements of Ginkgo Bioworks
This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws, including statements regarding Ginkgo’s plans to enter into a partnership with First Serv, the potential success and objectives of such partnership and Ginkgo’s biosecurity platform. These forward-looking statements generally are identified by the words “believe,” “can,” “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 press release, including but not limited to: (i) the effect of Ginkgo’s 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 operates and 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, (vi) the risk of downturns in demand for products using synthetic biology, (vii) the unpredictability of the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic and the demand for COVID-19 testing and the commercial viability of our COVID-19 testing business, and (viii) changes to the biosecurity industry, including due to advancements in technology, emerging competition and evolution in industry demands, standards and regulations. 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 May 16, 2022 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.

GINKGO MEDIA CONTACT:
press@ginkgobioworks.com 

GINKGO INVESTOR CONTACT:
investors@ginkgobioworks.com 

FIRST SERV MEDIA CONTACT:
moataz@firstservt.com

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SOURCE Ginkgo Bioworks