Arbor Biotechnologies has announced a strategic collaboration with Ginkgo Bioworks to advance the exploration and development of precision gene editors. Arbor, a biotechnology company dedicated to discovering and developing the next generation of genetic medicines, will utilize Ginkgo's research and development services to optimize its unique precision editors.

Arbor's portfolio of innovative gene editors is characterized by their unique protospacer adjacent motifs (PAMs), which may enable access to nearly all sites in the genome, their varied cut types, which can potentially correct a wider range of diseases, their smaller editing technology, which allows the use of additional delivery technologies, and their high specificity, which can enable improved safety profiles. These features offer significant therapeutic potential, enabling access to a broad spectrum of genetic diseases. Ginkgo's high-throughput Mammalian Foundry provides a platform for Arbor to enhance the functional characteristics of its gene editors by conducting screenings in mammalian cells.

"Patients are at the center of everything we do at Arbor, and we are thrilled to partner with Ginkgo to hasten the advancement of our precision editing technologies into therapeutic applications that have the potential to address diseases with high unmet medical need," said Devyn Smith, Ph.D., CEO of Arbor. "Ginkgo's expertise aligns well with our goals, and their technology will synergize with our in-house capabilities, potentially fueling a faster, more efficient expansion of our toolbox of gene editing technologies."

The collaboration leverages Arbor's computational metagenomic discovery engine and protein engineering expertise in identifying and optimizing genetic editors. The partnership is anticipated to expedite Arbor's precision editor optimization campaign through a combination of massively parallel library design, automated mammalian cell experiments, and AI-guided protein engineering.

 “As we can see from the recent landmark regulatory approval of the world’s first CRISPR-based treatment, the gene editing landscape is rapidly advancing, with continuous innovation and optimization of novel technologies that are revolutionizing the way we consider and address disease,” said Jason Kelly, CEO and co-founder of Ginkgo Bioworks. “This collaboration with Arbor is an exciting project for us, as it gives us an opportunity to leverage our platform-driven approach to contribute to the gene editing sector’s fast-moving evolution. We look forward to expanding our capabilities in this field by working with such an innovative pioneer as Arbor to power technologies with the potential for transformative impact.”