Under the terms of the deal, Ginkgo will utilize its strain design technology to develop a microbial strain and related fermentation process to produce an undisclosed target molecule, while Sumitomo Chemical will develop the manufacturing process and scale-up for commercialization.
The deal expands an existing biomanufacturing partnership. The two have been collaborating since 2021 using Ginkgo’s synthetic biology platform to develop renewable ingredients for industries including personal care, cosmetics, agriculture and pharma.
“By mass-producing the functional chemicals through microbial fermentation instead of traditional fossil fuel-based chemical synthesis, the companies aim to provide products with a lower carbon footprint that contribute toward a carbon-neutral society,” Sumitomo and Ginkgo say in a press statement.