Ginkgo Bioworks, a vanguard in cell programming and biosecurity, today heralded the establishment of its inaugural Biopharma Advisory Board. This assembly, a tapestry of expertise spanning the biopharmaceutical sphere, is poised to inject a vein of crucial insights into the evolution of Ginkgo's pivotal platform services, encompassing the entire gamut from target discovery and drug discovery to optimization and manufacturing.

Within this council's remit, regular convocations at Ginkgo and collaborative dialogues with its partners are on the agenda. The collective, an alphabetically ordered ensemble, features:

• Norbert Bischofberger, PhD, stands at the helm of Kronos Bio as its President and CEO. His illustrious journey includes a transformative tenure at Gilead, marked by over two decades of innovative drug development, notably including the inception of Tamiflu. Bischofberger's visionary leadership was instrumental in Gilead's meteoric rise.
• Jeff Legos, PhD, MBA, as the Executive Vice President and Global Head of Oncology and Hematology at Novartis, brings a stellar record of leading extensive teams and orchestrating over 30 global regulatory drug and companion diagnostic approvals.
• John Maraganore, PhD, the pioneering CEO of Alnylam, has been at the forefront of the RNAi therapeutic revolution, leading the charge with the first-ever RNAi therapeutic medicine. His vast expertise is further amplified through his advisory roles across a spectrum of ventures.
• Paolo Martini, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer at International Therapeutic Research Centers and a trailblazer in RNA therapy for rare diseases at Moderna, brings over two decades of rich experience in drug discovery.
• Mark McCamish, MD, PhD, the driving force behind IconOVir Bio, is renowned for his acumen in biologic and biosimilar development and manufacturing, previously propelling Forty Seven to a multibillion-dollar acquisition.
• Christi Shaw, with a distinguished track record at Kite Pharma, Eli Lilly, and other giants in the industry, currently serves as an Independent Director on several boards, her leadership underlined by her co-founding of the More Moments More Memories Foundation.

This cadre of luminaries brings a wealth of technical acumen and deep-seated business sagacity to the table, poised to enrich Ginkgo's offerings in Gene Therapy, Cell Therapy, RNA, Biologics, Process R&D, and beyond. Ginkgo's recent collaborations and acquisitions underscore its commitment to expanding its capabilities and driving innovation in the field.

"The discovery and development of new medicines is critically important and incredibly challenging,” remarked Jason Kelly, co-founder and CEO of Ginkgo Bioworks. “Advanced technologies in high throughput automation, synthetic biology, and, more recently, AI have opened up possibilities for the development of novel modalities and exploration of more design space for the discovery and optimization of new targets and candidate therapies. It's an incredibly exciting time for the industry as these technologies come together at scale, and we're thrilled to have this group of luminaries as part of our inaugural cohort of advisors."

Jennifer Wipf, SVP & Head of Commercial at Ginkgo Bioworks, expressed her enthusiasm, "I'm excited to welcome this incredible deep bench of wisdom and creativity to the Ginkgo family. These leaders have shaped the modern vaccines and therapeutics landscapes by spearheading the discovery, testing, manufacturing, and deployment of entirely new modalities and reinventing how researchers and drugmakers work with more familiar areas of medicine. I can't wait to see how their mentorship, insights, and provocations help our growing team reach new heights."

Echoing the sentiment of opportunity and urgency, Norbert Bischofberger noted, "We live in a global, interconnected society, and therefore, we are all susceptible to the spread of novel infectious diseases. Now more than ever, the speed of drug discovery and development is important. Ginkgo's experience in accelerating biological R&D across modalities and their extensive work in biosecurity and epidemiology positions the company to make a meaningful impact. I look forward to supporting the growth of their team and offerings."

"Ginkgo represents a huge opportunity for businesses who want to take new pharmaceuticals to market. By outsourcing risky R&D to a partner with unprecedented scale, companies can optimize their approach to new modalities and targets wherever they are in the pipeline,” John Maraganore stated. “Our industry is at a pivotal moment. More and more of biopharma can leverage scale and AI to turn scientific uncertainty into predictable engineering, so I'm thrilled to be able to contribute to the energy and movement I saw firsthand when I spoke onstage with Jen at Ferment."