Compositions and Methods for Controlling Plant Pests and Improving Plant Health

Assignee: Ginkgo Bioworks, Inc.
Patent Number: 12,239,137
Filed: October 29, 2019
Issued: March 4, 2025
Inventor: Esther Gachango (and others)
Type: Utility patent covering biological compositions for agriculture

What This Patent Covers

This patent protects biological compositions and methods that use beneficial bacterial strains to control plant pests and improve plant health. Specifically, it includes:

Microbial inoculant compositions comprising selected bacterial strains that can be applied to plants or soil to reduce pest damage and enhance plant growth.
Methods of application involving treating plants susceptible to pest attack with these beneficial bacteria to improve resistance to pests and diseases.
Agronomic trait improvements such as increased crop yield or stress tolerance that result from inoculating crops with the compositions.

This type of technology is central to Ginkgo’s agricultural synthetic biology efforts, where engineered microbes are designed to provide functional benefits to crops — a growing commercial market competing with chemical pesticides and fertilizers.

Why This Patent Is Important

Commercial opportunity in agriculture: Biocontrol agents and plant microbiome products represent a multi‑billion‑dollar market as growers seek sustainable alternatives to traditional pesticides. This patent gives Ginkgo foundational IP in that space.

Platform relevance: Synthetic biology approaches to plant health are strategic for Ginkgo as it expands beyond microbial strain design into ag biotech solutions and partnerships (e.g., with Bayer and others).

Broad application: The patented methods and compositions can potentially be deployed across many crop types and pest pressures, enhancing the value of the IP beyond a single strain or crop.

Strengthens agricultural portfolio: Issuance of this patent in 2025 adds to Ginkgo’s broader portfolio in metabolic engineering, host design, and production systems, diversifying revenue potential beyond contract research into productized biological solutions.

U.S. Patent No. 12,239,137, issued March 4, 2025, for Compositions and Methods for Controlling Plant Pests and Improving Plant Health, is among Ginkgo Bioworks’ most commercially significant patents this year because it protects microbial‑based agricultural innovations that can drive future product opportunities in a large and growing market.

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