BOTSWANA— Gingo Bioworks, through its biosecurity & public health unit, Concentric by Ginkgo, have agreed to work with the Ministry of Health (MoH) Botswana to establish a pathogen monitoring program at key ports of entry to identify new and emerging variants of SARS-CoV-2.
Concentric by Ginkgo, will collaborate with the MoH to monitor wastewater and nasal swab samples collected on a voluntary, anonymous basis from arriving international travelers for SARS-CoV-2 surveillance.
Ginkgo’s biosecurity and public health unit, Concentric by Ginkgo, is building global infrastructure for biosecurity to empower governments, communities, and public health leaders to prevent, detect and respond to a wide variety of biological threats.
Ginkgo and the MoH will work together to establish Sir Seretse Khama International Airport (GBE) as a new node in a global network of pathogen monitoring infrastructure.
Moreover, this will complement the insights generated from Concentric’s existing travel biosecurity programs at several major international airports.
The program builds on Ginkgo’s previously announced MOU to develop and implement biosecurity capabilities in Botswana, and will also incorporate pathogen monitoring at land borders, at municipal wastewater treatment works, and for livestock in the food system.
Matt McKnight, General Manager of Biosecurity at Ginkgo Bioworks, “I am proud of the team and our partners for jointly laying the foundation for the biosecurity infrastructure necessary to help prevent the next pandemic.”
McKnight added that Botswana was protecting its citizens and bordering communities by joining a global network of public health leaders committed to ensuring the next pandemic threat won’t catch the world by surprise.
Grace Muzila, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health of Botswana observed, “We are putting in place the tools that will enable us to detect and respond to future public health threats today because biological threats will continue to emerge, and they will continue to put a strain on healthcare institutions in our country and globally.”
Concentric by Gingko- the future of biosecurity
Ginkgo Bioworks is the leading horizontal platform for cell programming, providing flexible, end-to-end services that solve challenges for organizations across diverse markets, from food and agriculture to pharmaceuticals to industrial and specialty chemicals.
The program is built upon a shared recognition by Gingko’s Biosecurity & Public Health unit and the Botswana MoH of the importance of international collaboration and cooperation to promote global health security.
Effective pathogen monitoring and data-sharing capabilities can empower government officials, community leaders, and other stakeholders to make informed public health decisions.
Building biosecurity infrastructure and capacity will also support the long-term development of a knowledge-based economy and biotechnology workforce.
Gingko notes that mitigating the risk of biological threats, including emerging viral variants, remains a global imperative that necessitates a robust early warning system.
Recently, Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC) signed an agreement with Ginkgo to work together to monitor and identify new and emerging variants of SARS-COV2 at the Kigali International Airport.
The RBC-Gingko partnership sees the development of pathogen monitoring infrastructure, using insights generated by Concentrics’s existing travel biosecurity programs to establish Kigali as a new node for biosecurity in the East African region.
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