Engineering Bacteria for Cancer Patient Treatment with Prokarium

Partnership with Prokarium to discover multiple targets for RNA therapeutics and immuno-oncology

Today, we’re announcing a new partnership with Prokarium – a biopharmaceutical company pioneering the oncology field of microbial immunotherapy – to develop a bactofection platform to deliver RNA-based therapeutics.

Most gene therapies today use viral delivery systems, which may have limited utility due to toxicity and targeting issues. Bactofection, the process of transferring genetic material into a mammalian cell via a bacterium, is an alternative gene delivery system that could deliver therapeutic agents to a patient. In bactofection, the naturally occurring tumor-colonizing characteristics of bacterial species, such as Salmonella, can be modified via genetic manipulation and harnessed to be a targeted delivery vehicle for various therapeutic payloads.

Developing bactofection platform to treat cancer patients

In collaboration with Prokarium, Ginkgo will set out to engineer a Salmonella-based bactofection platform for the delivery of RNA payloads to treat cancer patients, building on existing capabilities in RNA therapeutics, viral-based gene therapy and bacterial therapeutics.

“By leveraging Ginkgo’s microbial and mammalian foundry capabilities, we are building a highly versatile and innovative bactofection platform to support delivery of novel modalities from the ground up,” said Kristen Albright, CEO at Prokarium. “Through this partnership, we are working to unlock a new generation of immuno-oncology therapeutics.”

Advancements in immunotherapy such as checkpoint inhibitors and CAR-T have transformed the treatment of certain cancers, with tremendous progress across novel modalities continuing to build. With Prokarium, we will work to develop a bactofection platform that leverages the convergence of these advancements in immuno-oncology, gene therapy, RNA therapeutics and bacterial therapeutics. We are  excited to bolster our work with leading companies like Prokarium, which can utilize our services to innovate and expand what is possible with novel therapeutics.

Find the full press release here along with all of the latest news from the Ginkgo team.

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