DNA - GreenLab Selects Ginkgo Enzyme Services to Develop Novel Enzyme That Breaks Down 'Forever Chemicals' | Benzinga
- GreenLab is creating an enzymatic solution — to be grown and scaled within corn plants — to degrade PFAS, often called "forever chemicals," a major health and environmental concern
- Ginkgo has been tapped to discover and develop an enzyme that will be critical to the success of GreenLab's PFAS degradation application
- Through a partnership with Allonnia, this project is the first step in a path that could potentially lead to the first-ever commercially deployed enzymatic solution for PFAS degradation
JONESBORO, Ark. and BOSTON, Dec. 19, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- GreenLab, an emerging next generation plant-biotechnology company producing complex proteins in corn, today announced a new partnership with Ginkgo Bioworks (NYSE:DNA), which is building the leading platform for cell programming and biosecurity. GreenLab is developing a product with the purpose of degrading PFAS and will leverage Ginkgo Enzyme Services to discover a novel enzyme of critical importance for use in this application.
Ginkgo Enzyme Services provides companies with end-to-end enzyme discovery and optimization R&D services. Given its extensive expertise in this space and the nature of this particular project, Ginkgo is providing these services under its success-based pricing model, created to help companies de-risk their research and development efforts.
Cornfield Factories
GreenLab's proprietary technology allows it to grow enzymes and other proteins inside a corn kernel. By producing proteins in a cultivated crop, GreenLab can readily scale up production across acres of cornfields, with little additional up-front capital and infrastructure. After the protein of interest is extracted from the kernel with minimal waste, most of the corn used will then proceed along the existing value chain, including food, feed or fuel. GreenLab already has two transformative proteins in commercial production, including manganese peroxidase (a multipurpose environmental remediation solution) and brazzein (which delivers a high-intensity sweetness).
The PFAS Problem
PFAS, short for "per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances", describes a group of manufactured chemicals that have commonly been used in nonstick and waterproofing agents for decades. They bear the moniker of 'forever chemicals' owing to their enduring nature and inability to break down in the environment. They are associated with many dangerous health effects including cancer, reproductive and immune system harm, and other diseases.
A Kernel of Hope: Bio-Based Solutions to Break Down PFAS
There is currently no known commercial process for degrading these forever chemicals, but GreenLab is on a mission to change that and reverse their perpetual environmental buildup. PFAS degradation is a significantly complex problem, and currently no PFAS-degrading enzymes have been commercialized. GreenLab aims to tackle this difficult enzymological ...