Collaboration to Produce Natural Colorants

Partnership to Produce Natural Colors Octarine Bio and Ginkgo Bioworks Announce Partnership to Produce Natural Colors Octarine Bio, a synthetic biology company developing novel sustainable bio-based ingredients, and Ginkgo Bioworks (NYSE: DNA), a leading platform for cell programming and biosecurity, have announced a multi-stage partnership focused on compounds in the tryptophan pathway, with the goal of engineering strains to produce violacein and its derivatives—a naturally occurring bis-indole pigment with potent bioactive properties including anti-microbial, antioxidant, and UV protection characteristics. While initially focused on violacein, the collaboration has the potential to expand toward other tryptophan-derived compounds, each with its own unique applications. The vast majority of textile products are currently produced using synthetic dyes and colorants derived from fossil fuels, an application linked to negative impacts on human health and the environment. According to the United Nations Environment Programme and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, fabric dyeing and processing generate approximately 20% of global wastewater. In Europe, textile consumption has the fourth highest impact on the environment and climate change; according to the European Environment Agency, the third highest impact on water and land use, and the fifth highest impact on raw material use and greenhouse gas emissions. Synthetic biology offers a viable alternative to this application by enabling the development of safer and more innovative colors and dyes produced through microbial fermentation. Octarine Bio's exceptional expertise in enzymatic derivatization, which can enable advanced production levels and superior properties of these colors, is a key part of Octarine's technology. When combined with Ginkgo Bioworks' expertise in strain engineering, a significant opportunity emerges for Octarine to bring new bioactive colors and dyes to market that address consumer demand for safer, healthier, and more sustainable alternatives. Octarine Bio and Ginkgo Bioworks Announce Partnership to Produce Natural Colors Ena Cratsenburg, Chief Operating Officer at Ginkgo Bioworks, said: "Natural colors and dyes represent a significant and expanding market, particularly given companies' increasing awareness and consumers' concerns about the harmful effects of traditional production processes. "This is a powerful opportunity to contribute to sustainability in the fashion industry, and we are excited to work with Octarine as we aim to produce a new class of safer, high-performance colors and dyes that will appeal to consumers and companies worldwide." Dr. Nethaji Gallage, Octarine Co-Founder and CEO, said: "We are excited to work with Ginkgo to improve the bio-based production process of our tryptophan program, focusing on a class of highly sought-after natural colors and dyes across the color spectrum" and added "We see tremendous potential for applying these natural pigments as bio-based dyes in the global textile market, one of the fastest-growing categories, and we look forward to leveraging the Ginkgo platform to accelerate its development."

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