Ginkgo Bioworks’ partnership with Penn State University supported by USDA grant

Ginkgo Bioworks is joining efforts with Penn State University to integrate its biosurveillance capabilities into the university’s research of 58 wildlife species for SARS-CoV-2 to monitor potential spillover to humans. The initiative is supported by a cooperative agreement awarded to Penn State from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. In addition to potentially threatening human health, the virus’s presence and past cross-species transmission has the potential to threaten certain agricultural species that are vital for the global food supply. The university’s research on under-sampled species aims to bridge this surveillance gap by providing data that will allow more accurate and informed interventions to prevent the spread and impact of new SARS-CoV-2 variants. In partnering with Concentric by Ginkgo, the university will gain access to the biosurveillance research and analytics capabilities used by government institutions to help build more stable and robust biosecurity infrastructure.