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BOSTON - Ginkgo Bioworks (NYSE:DNA), a biotechnology company with annual revenues of $237 million and a market capitalization of $778 million, has secured a $4.66 million contract to deliver an automated anaerobic phenotyping platform to the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL) at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), according to a press release statement issued Wednesday. According to InvestingPro data, the company maintains strong liquidity with a current ratio of 4.88, though analysts note it is quickly burning through cash.
The biotechnology company will construct and install an integrated workcell comprising 18 devices housed within a modular anaerobic chamber at EMSL’s Richland, Washington campus. The system will utilize Ginkgo’s Reconfigurable Automation Cart (RAC) technology, designed to enhance laboratory throughput and efficiency while allowing remote operation. The company’s impressive gross margin of 80% demonstrates its operational efficiency in delivering such specialized solutions.
The automation platform aims to enable EMSL scientists to remotely operate complex anaerobic phenotyping workflows, potentially accelerating research in microbial engineering and biodesign. The system features a web-based software stack designed for programmatic control via API gateway access.
"We are excited to support EMSL’s ambitious research goals with our automation technology," said Will Serber, General Manager of Ginkgo Automation, in the announcement.
The contract represents a significant step in EMSL’s mission to advance biological research supporting U.S. energy production and bioeconomy leadership. EMSL operates as a user facility under the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science.
According to the company, similar automation systems have been deployed across Ginkgo labs and at external customer sites, delivering increased throughput and data capture while decreasing cycle times and costs.
The new platform is expected to be fully operational at EMSL later this year. The project represents a public-private partnership in the biotechnology sector, with potential applications in advancing fundamental science for the bioeconomy. While the stock has shown strong momentum with a 31.57% year-to-date return, investors seeking deeper insights into Ginkgo’s financial health and growth prospects can access comprehensive analysis through InvestingPro’s detailed research reports, which cover over 1,400 US stocks including DNA.
In other recent news, Ginkgo Bioworks reported a significant rise in revenue for the first quarter of 2025, attributed to growth in its cell engineering sector. The company is also concentrating on cost reduction and strategic expansion, maintaining a positive outlook for the future. Additionally, Ginkgo Bioworks has announced a new collaboration with Hugging Face to enhance AI drug development through the release of high-quality biological datasets. This partnership is expected to make biological data more accessible to the AI community, potentially speeding up drug development processes.
In another development, Ginkgo Bioworks has introduced a cost-effective ADME profiling service through Ginkgo Datapoints, leveraging proprietary automation to provide competitive pricing. The company also announced an updated DNA supply agreement with Twist Bioscience, extending their collaboration with a three-year $15 million contract, which includes preferential pricing and licensing arrangements. Furthermore, Ginkgo Bioworks is undergoing a leadership change as Steven Coen is set to become the new Chief Financial Officer, succeeding Mark Dmytruk. Coen brings extensive experience in public accounting and corporate finance leadership to his new role.
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