Ginkgo Bioworks partners on Deep Origin-led team to develop new tools for predicting drug safety

Rhea-AI Summary

Ginkgo Bioworks (NYSE: DNA) announced a partnership with Deep Origin on a 4.5-year, ARPA-H funded CATALYST project called PREDICTS to develop a computational platform for drug safety.

Ginkgo will use its Datapoints platform to generate high-throughput, structured datasets for AI model training using small-molecule and genetic perturbations across multiple cell and tissue types. Planned readouts include cell type-specific toxicity endpoints, DRUG-seq transcriptomics, and cell painting.

The collaboration aims to support safer therapeutics through multi-omics data generation and in vitro models integrated with AI over the project term.

Positive

• ARPA-H funded 4.5-year project supporting long-term research
• Use of Datapoints for high-throughput, structured dataset generation
• Planned readouts include cell toxicity, DRUG-seq, and cell painting
• Project explicitly designed to train AI models for drug safety

Negative

• None.

Key Figures

Project duration 4.5-year project Duration of ARPA-H CATALYST PREDICTS collaboration

Market Reality Check

$9.78 Last Close

Volume Volume 994,907 is slightly below the 1,079,557 share 20-day average. normal

Technical Shares at $9.40, trading below the $9.97 200-day moving average before this news.

Peers on Argus

DNA was up 1.62% pre-news while key biotech peers like ANAB, MGTX, XNCR, KROS, and SEPN were all down between about 0.39% and 4.35%, pointing to a stock-specific move rather than a sector-wide trend.

Historical Context

Date	Event	Sentiment	Move	Catalyst
Dec 05	Government contract win	Positive	+0.4%	Up to $47M PNNL contract for high-throughput phenotyping platform.
Dec 03	ARPA-H collaboration	Positive	+4.9%	ARPA-H EMBODY contract with partner STRM.BIO and others.
Nov 06	Q3 2025 earnings	Negative	-2.5%	Revenue decline, GAAP net loss, but guidance reaffirmed for 2025.
Nov 03	BARDA project award	Positive	-1.5%	BARDA BioMaP agreement up to $22.2M for mAb biomanufacturing.
Oct 31	Strategic partnership	Positive	+8.2%	Extension of multi-year Bayer partnership in agricultural biologicals.

Pattern Detected

Positive partnership and government contract news has often aligned with modest to strong gains, while one BARDA award saw a negative reaction despite positive fundamentals.

Recent Company History

Over the last few months, Ginkgo Bioworks has reported mixed fundamentals but steady strategic progress. A Nov 6, 2025 earnings report showed revenue of $39M and a GAAP net loss of $81M, which coincided with a -2.5% move. In contrast, multiple government and partnership wins — including a BARDA BioMaP agreement of up to $22.2M, a multi‑year Bayer extension, and a PNNL contract up to $47M — generally saw positive or modestly positive price reactions. Today’s ARPA‑H collaboration fits this pattern of data- and platform-centric partnerships.

Regulatory & Risk Context

Active S-3 Shelf Registration 2025-08-07

The company has an active S-3 shelf registration filed on 2025-08-07, expiring on 2028-08-07. It has been used at least once, as indicated by a 424B5 prospectus supplement dated 2025-09-04. The filing is not yet effective according to the provided data.

Market Pulse Summary

This announcement highlights a 4.5-year ARPA-H CATALYST project where Ginkgo will supply high-throughput perturbation response data to train AI models for drug safety. It reinforces the company’s role in large, data-rich collaborations, following recent BARDA, ARPA-H, and PNNL agreements. Investors may watch how this work translates into follow-on contracts, platform utilization, and how it complements the revenue mix outlined in Q3 2025 results.

Key Terms

adme-tox medical

"Computational ADME-Tox and Physiology Analysis for Safer Therapeutics (CATALYST) program."

ADME‑Tox describes a set of tests and data about how a drug candidate is absorbed into the body, where it travels, how the body breaks it down and eliminates it, and whether it causes harmful effects. Investors care because strong ADME‑Tox results reduce the chance a candidate will fail late and costly trials; think of it as a safety and performance report card that signals how likely a drug is to reach the market and generate returns.

transcriptomics medical

"Readouts will include cell type-specific toxicity endpoints, DRUG-seq transcriptomics, and cell painting."

Analysis of all the RNA molecules a cell produces, showing which genes are actively being used at a given time—like reading which recipes are being pulled from a cookbook to see what’s actually being cooked. For investors, transcriptomics helps reveal how diseases work, whether a drug is hitting its target, and which patient groups are most likely to benefit, making it a tool for valuing therapies, guiding clinical trials, and spotting diagnostic or therapeutic opportunities.

cell painting medical

"Readouts will include cell type-specific toxicity endpoints, DRUG-seq transcriptomics, and cell painting."

A laboratory method that dyes many parts of cells and takes high-resolution images to capture detailed changes in cell shape, structure and behavior; think of it as taking a multi-filter photograph of cells to reveal how they respond to a drug or chemical. Investors care because cell painting speeds up and de-risks discovery by turning complex biological effects into data patterns that help identify promising drug candidates, predict toxicity, and power AI-driven screening platforms.

in vitro medical

"purpose-built, relevant in vitro models coupled with cutting edge AI."

In vitro describes laboratory tests performed on cells, tissues, or biological molecules outside a living body—literally “in glass,” such as in test tubes or dishes. For investors, in vitro results are an early sign that a drug or technology has a desired effect under controlled conditions, but they don’t guarantee it will work or be safe in animals or people; think of them as a prototype tested on a bench rather than in real-world use.

multi-omics medical

"push the boundaries of multi-omics data generation and support the vision"

Multi-omics is a comprehensive approach that combines different types of biological data—such as genetic information, proteins, and other molecules—to gain a detailed understanding of how living systems function. For investors, this approach can reveal insights into health, disease, or biological processes that may influence the development of new treatments or technologies, potentially impacting market opportunities and innovation in healthcare.

drug-seq technical

"Readouts will include cell type-specific toxicity endpoints, DRUG-seq transcriptomics, and cell painting."

Drug-seq is a high-throughput lab method that measures how thousands of genes in a cell respond when exposed to different drug compounds, producing a broad “molecular fingerprint” of each compound’s effect. For investors, it matters because it speeds screening, reveals likely drug action or side effects early, and helps prioritize candidates—like using a rapid multi-sensor test to sort promising products from duds before costly development.

AI-generated analysis. Not financial advice.

BOSTON, Dec. 9, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Ginkgo Bioworks (NYSE: DNA) today announced its partnership with Deep Origin on a 4.5-year project funded by the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) Computational ADME-Tox and Physiology Analysis for Safer Therapeutics (CATALYST) program. CATALYST is led by ARPA-H Health Science Futures Mission Office Acting Deputy Director Andy Kilianski, Ph.D. The collaboration, Pharmacological Research and Evaluation through Digital Integration and Clinical Trial Simulation (PREDICTS), aims to develop a revolutionary computational platform for drug safety.

As part of this team, Ginkgo will be leveraging its 'Datapoints' platform for perturbation response profiling to generate high-quality, high-throughput, structured data sets to support AI model training, including small molecule drug and genetic perturbations spanning multiple cell and tissue types. Readouts will include cell type-specific toxicity endpoints, DRUG-seq transcriptomics, and cell painting.

"It's a great opportunity to get to work with the PREDICTS team led by Deep Origin," said Jesse Dill, Senior Director at Ginkgo Bioworks. "It's an extraordinary group with an ambitious vision, and we are excited to generate data characterizing cellular responses to drug treatments to support this effort.

George Pilitsis, Director at Ginkgo Bioworks, added, "we are beyond excited and thankful for the opportunity to work with Deep Origin and ARPA-H to push the boundaries of multi-omics data generation and support the vision to transform drug discovery with purpose-built, relevant in vitro models coupled with cutting edge AI."

Dr. Natalie Ma, PhD, Head of Business Development at Deep Origin, shared "Ginkgo's high throughput in vitro platforms mean we can generate data at scale, enabling detailed modeling of a wide array of different cell types in tissues and organs."  

This partnership underscores Ginkgo's commitment to collaborating with innovative, interdisciplinary teams and highlights its expertise in structured generation of large data sets for small molecule drug developability profiling.

Visit our website to learn more about how you can bring innovative biological solutions to life.

About Ginkgo Bioworks

Ginkgo Bioworks builds the tools that make biology easier to engineer for everyone. Ginkgo R&D Solutions delivers customizable R&D packages—such as protein engineering, nucleic acid design, and cell-free systems—giving partners a comprehensive way to accelerate innovation across therapeutics, diagnostics, & manufacturing. Ginkgo Automation sells modular, integrated laboratory automation so scientists can spend their days planning and analyzing experiments rather than pipetting in the lab. Ginkgo Datapoints uses Ginkgo's in-house automation to generate the large lab data sets to power AI models. Ginkgo Biosecurity is building and deploying the next-generation infrastructure and technologies that global leaders need to predict, detect, and respond to a wide variety of biological threats. For more information, visit ginkgobioworks.com and ginkgobiosecurity.com, read our blog, or follow us on social media channels such as X (@Ginkgo and @Ginkgo_Biosec), Instagram (@GinkgoBioworks), Threads (@GinkgoBioworks), or LinkedIn.

GINKGO BIOWORKS INVESTOR CONTACT:
investors@ginkgobioworks.com

GINKGO BIOWORKS MEDIA CONTACT:
press@ginkgobioworks.com

Forward-Looking Statements of Ginkgo Bioworks

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws, including statements regarding the capabilities and potential success of the partnership and Ginkgo's cell programming platform. These forward-looking statements generally are identified by the words "believe," "can," "project," "potential," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "intend," "strategy," "future," "opportunity," "plan," "may," "should," "will," "would," "will be," "will continue," "will likely result," and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are predictions, projections and other statements about future events that are based on current expectations and assumptions and, as a result, are subject to risks and uncertainties. Many factors could cause actual future events to differ materially from the forward-looking statements in this press release, including but not limited to: (i) volatility in the price of Ginkgo's securities due to a variety of factors, including changes in the competitive and highly regulated industries in which Ginkgo operates and plans to operate, variations in performance across competitors, and changes in laws and regulations affecting Ginkgo's business, (ii) the ability to implement business plans, forecasts, and other expectations, and to identify and realize additional business opportunities, (iii) the risk of downturns in demand for products using synthetic biology, (iv) the uncertainty regarding the demand for passive monitoring programs and biosecurity services, (v) changes to the biosecurity industry, including due to advancements in technology, emerging competition and evolution in industry demands, standards and regulations, (vi) the outcome of any pending or potential legal proceedings against Ginkgo, (vii) our ability to realize the expected benefits from and the success of our Foundry platform programs, (viii) our ability to successfully develop engineered cells, bioprocesses, data packages or other deliverables, and (ix) the product development or commercialization success of our customers. The foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive. You should carefully consider the foregoing factors and the other risks and uncertainties described in the "Risk Factors" section of Ginkgo's annual report on Form 10-K filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") on February 29, 2024, Ginkgo's most recent quarterly report on Form 10-Q, and other documents filed by Ginkgo from time to time with the SEC. These filings identify and address other important risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events and results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements, and Ginkgo assumes no obligation and does not intend to update or revise these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. Ginkgo does not give any assurance that it will achieve its expectations.

 

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SOURCE Ginkgo Bioworks

FAQ

What did Ginkgo Bioworks (DNA) announce on December 9, 2025?

Ginkgo announced a partnership with Deep Origin on the ARPA-H CATALYST PREDICTS project to develop AI-driven drug safety tools.

How long is the ARPA-H funded PREDICTS project involving DNA?

The project is funded for 4.5 years under the ARPA-H CATALYST program.

What data will Ginkgo's Datapoints platform generate for PREDICTS (DNA)?

Datapoints will generate high-throughput, structured data from small-molecule and genetic perturbations across multiple cell and tissue types.

Which experimental readouts are planned in the PREDICTS collaboration with DNA?

Planned readouts include cell type-specific toxicity endpoints, DRUG-seq transcriptomics, and cell painting.

How will the PREDICTS project involving DNA support drug discovery?

The project aims to supply multi-omics datasets to train AI models that predict drug safety and cellular responses, supporting safer therapeutics.

Who leads the PREDICTS team and what role does ARPA-H play in the DNA partnership?

PREDICTS is led by Deep Origin and is funded by ARPA-H under the CATALYST program to advance computational ADME-Tox and physiology analysis.