Ginkgo Bioworks has licensed ProteoNic's proprietary 2G UNic vector technology for use in a U.S. government-supported consortium aimed at developing and manufacturing anti-filovirus monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). The technology is intended to boost the efficiency and lower the cost of manufacturing these life-saving therapeutics. 

 

Ginkgo will deploy the technology as part of a Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA)-funded project under the Biopharmaceutical Manufacturing Preparedness Consortium (BioMaP-Consortium), an initiative focused on cutting costs and accelerating U.S.-based manufacturing of mAbs targeting filoviruses such as Ebola (EBOV) and Sudan virus (SUDV). The effort is valued at up to $22.2 million.

 

The multi-partner team—led by Ginkgo Bioworks and including Advanced BioScience Laboratories (ABL), Isolere Bio by Donaldson, NeuImmune, and ProteoNic—will integrate new technologies across the entire mAb production workflow, from cell line development to purification. The goal: a faster, more scalable, and more cost-efficient way to produce critical medical countermeasures.

 

ProteoNic’s role centers on its 2G UNic vector and transposon platforms, engineered to boost expression and productivity in mammalian systems. The company says incorporating these tools into the project’s manufacturing strategy could significantly improve yields while reducing time and cost at scale.

 

“We are proud that Ginkgo has chosen to license and apply our 2G UNic in this important initiative,” said Frank Pieper, CEO of ProteoNic. “Our 2G UNic technology has consistently demonstrated substantial improvements in protein expression and manufacturing productivity. Contributing this capability to a project of such public health importance aligns perfectly with our mission to enable more efficient, accessible biologics production globally.”

 

The collaboration reinforces ProteoNic’s push into next-generation biologics production, spanning both therapeutic proteins and cell and gene therapy. By enabling greater output from existing manufacturing capacity, the company positions its technology as a tool for building long-term resilience against future global health threats.