Ropes & Gray advised Ginkgo Bioworks, a horizontal platform for cell programming, in closing a transaction with Bayer for a multi-year strategic partnership in research and development of agricultural biologicals. The transaction includes the divestment of Bayer’s West Sacramento Biologics Research & Development site, and its internal discovery and lead platform to Ginkgo. The transaction closing was announced on October 17.

Joyn Bio, the joint venture with Bayer and Ginkgo Bioworks, will be integrated into Ginkgo Bioworks to enable the advancement of Joyn Bio’s nitrogen fixation platform.

Bayer is the first major partner of Ginkgo’s expanded agricultural biologicals platform, entering into a new collaboration focused on programs in areas of crop protection, carbon sequestration and nitrogen fixation to identify next generation biologicals to benefit growers.

Ginkgo Bioworks will work independently with different partners in the discovery of microbial derived products for agriculture.

The Ropes & Gray team was led by intellectual property transactions partner Amanda Austin, life sciences M&A counsel Matt Byron and life sciences M&A associates Amanda White  and Lisa Folkerth and included mergers & acquisitions partner Marko Zatylny, employment & benefits partners Renata Ferrari and Megan Bisk, tax partner Pam Glazier, litigation & enforcement partners Martin Crisp, real estate partner Peter Alpert, private equity partner Milap Patel, litigation & enforcement counsel Joseph Rafferty and real estate counsel Laurie Nelson.