In Boston, newly public synthetic biology firm Ginkgo Bioworks will undertake strain engineering services for Bolt Threads. Under the terms of the agreement, Gingko will use its platform to improve the “sustainability, efficiency and cost-effectiveness” of Bolt Threads’ b-silk protein manufacturing process. b-silk is currently available in premium product lines like Vegamour hair care products—which retail for $50-plus per bottle—but better strains could lower costs, improve availability, and expand end uses.
“Ginkgo’s expertise in engineering biology will enable us to accelerate our work transforming the clean beauty and personal care industries with new, sustainable ingredients that have been previously inaccessible to consumers,” says David Breslauer, co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer at Bolt Threads. “B-silk protein has the potential to bring new performance properties to everyday products while utilizing truly sustainable production processes at scale.”