Ginkgo Bioworks Hands Acies Bio’s Customers a Turnkey Route From Fungal Strain to Scaled Production

US synthetic biology company Ginkgo Bioworks has partnered with Slovenian biotech CDMO Acies Bio to provide European customers access to engineered Aspergillus niger strains, along with the necessary strain development, scale-up, and manufacturing support. Aspergillus niger is a food-safe fungus commonly used in fermentation to produce various proteins and enzymes for food, supplements, animal feed, and other products. Ginkgo has enhanced its version for easier and cheaper large-scale production, resulting in higher yields, lower costs, and a more consistent end product.

Acies Bio will be responsible for converting Ginkgo's host strains into functional production systems by optimizing protein expression, developing processes, and scaling output from laboratory to industrial volumes, leveraging their new 30 m³ bioreactor. This collaboration allows customers to streamline their production process without the need to internally develop fungal engineering capabilities. By combining Ginkgo's expertise in microbial strains with Acies Bio's manufacturing experience, customers can efficiently move from concept to scaled production without the need for in-house fungal engineering capabilities.