Ginkgo Bioworks and the Public Health Center of the Ukraine Ministry of Health Announce Collaboration to Implement Biosecurity Capabilities in Ukraine
BOSTON and KYIV, Ukraine, Jan. 17, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Ginkgo Bioworks (NYSE: DNA), which is building the leading platform for cell programming and biosecurity, and the Public Health Center of the Ukraine Ministry of Health today announced a new collaboration to conduct a wastewater testing pilot program in Ukraine with the intent to help provide early warning for infectious disease outbreaks and enable rapid and strategic public health intervention.
- Amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the strain on health infrastructure in Ukraine due to the war, the risk of infectious diseases spreading in the country has increased.
- Through this partnership, Ginkgo is building upon the large-scale pathogen monitoring platform developed by its biosecurity and public health unit, Concentric by Ginkgo, to implement a nimble, on-the-ground biosecurity program for monitoring of biological threats found in critical wastewater systems.
- The program can be utilized to address biosecurity gaps during acute moments of crisis, where public health infrastructure has been affected by adverse circumstances.
- "We are grateful to be able to partner with the Public Health Center of the Ukraine Ministry of Health to implement this novel response program and provide critical data to help public health leaders make well-informed decisions."