Ginkgo Bioworks (NYSE:DNA) said it bought certain epidemiological data infrastructure assets from Delaware-based public benefit entity Baktus.
Under the agreement, Ginkgo will get ownership of proprietary datasets, modeling and analytic tools, and a software platform which can track, model, and forecast epidemics and associated risks and impacts.
The company added that it also expects to integrate several ongoing epidemiological analysis projects and a team of epidemiological data experts into its biosecurity and public health initiative called Concentric by Ginkgo.
Baktus, through its unit Metabiota, has built a database of infectious disease outbreaks. Metabiota's outgoing CEO Nita Madhav will join Ginkgo as part of the transaction, Ginkgo noted in an Aug. 19 press release.
"Integrating state-of-the-art epidemiological modeling and predictive capabilities with our end-to-end biosecurity offerings will help us continue making the data we gather on pathogen spread and evolution that much more meaningful and actionable for public health leaders and communities," said Matt McKnight, general manager for Biosecurity at Ginkgo.