Collaboration aims to leverage innovative biosecurity capabilities to promote public health, global health security and the development of the bioeconomy
BOSTON and GABORONE, Botswana, Dec. 20, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Ginkgo Bioworks (NYSE: DNA), which is building the leading platform for cell programming and biosecurity, and the Ministry of Health (“MoH”), representing the Government of the Republic of Botswana, today announced that they have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (“MoU”) with the intent of developing and implementing new biosecurity capabilities in Botswana.
The planned partnership will support capacity-building and biosecurity throughout Botswana’s public health sector. Ginkgo, through its biosecurity and public health unit, Concentric by Ginkgo (“Concentric”), plans to collaborate with the Botswana MoH to equip local public health institutions with biosecurity tools and training, as well as the secure data infrastructure that they need to leverage automation, data analysis, bio-informatics capabilities and other critical genomic sequencing technologies. Concentric and Botswana MoH will also endeavour to address key biosecurity challenges, by implementing innovative pathogen monitoring programs at strategic nodes, such as ports of entry and animal agricultural settings.
As biological threats continue to emerge, Concentric and the Botswana MoH recognise the importance of international collaboration and cooperation to promote global health security. Effective pathogen monitoring and data sharing capabilities can empower government officials, community leaders and other stakeholders, to make informed public health decisions. This planned partnership is a significant milestone in the development of Concentric’s global pathogen monitoring network and will advance Botswana MoH’s public health mission. Building biosecurity infrastructure and capacity will also support the long-term development of a knowledge-based economy and biotechnology workforce.
“Pathogens don’t recognise national borders, so it is critical to create widespread and sustainable biosecurity infrastructure that acts as a radar to feed a global pathogen weather map,” said Matthew McKnight, General Manager, Biosecurity at Ginkgo Bioworks.
“We are deeply grateful for Botswana’s leadership in deploying next-generation biosecurity, and we’re excited to use Concentric’s platform to support the Ministry of Health as they work to continually improve health care provision in Botswana and address broader health security challenges such as zoonotic spillover.”
Grace Muzila, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health of Botswana observed;
“Biological threats will continue to emerge, whether through travel, zoonotic spillover, or other means, and they will continue to put a strain on health care institutions in our country and globally. As a result, we need to put in place the tools that will enable us to detect and respond to these public health threats in future. We look forward to partnering with Ginkgo to bring Botswana into a new era of biosecurity innovation that will support our critical public health needs.”
About Ginkgo Bioworks
Ginkgo Bioworks is the leading horizontal platform for cell programming, providing flexible, end-to-end services that solve challenges for organisations across diverse markets, from food and agriculture to pharmaceuticals to industrial and specialty chemicals. Ginkgo’s biosecurity and public health unit, Concentric by Ginkgo, is building global infrastructure for biosecurity to empower governments, communities and public health leaders to prevent, detect and respond to a wide variety of biological threats. For more information, visit ginkgobioworks.com and concentricbyginkgo.com, read our blog, or follow us on social media channels such as Twitter (@Ginkgo and @ConcentricByGBW), Instagram (@GinkgoBioworks and @ConcentricByGinkgo), or LinkedIn.
About the Botswana Ministry of Health
The Ministry of Health (MoH) of Botswana was established by an act of Parliament as a custodian of public health in Botswana with a regulatory oversight function. MoH is mandated to protect the public from health hazards and to ensure the delivery of quality health services to Botswana. It formulates acts, policies, regulations and norms, standards and guidelines for health services. As the key custodian of healthcare services, almost every village or community has a health care facility located within a 5km radius.
