Ginkgo Bioworks secured a four‑year, $47 million contract to design and integrate an automated phenotyping platform for Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, covering cultivation, imaging, flow cytometry and mass spectrometry tailored for DOE microbial and microbiome research. Ginkgo will deliver modular automation and software to generate datasets for AI/ML training. Separately, Avance Biosciences opened a GMP-aligned Potency and Cell-Based Assay Center to support potency assay development and validation for biologics, RNA therapeutics, vaccines and cell and gene therapies. Both moves signal continued demand for outsourced automation and assay infrastructure as companies scale complex modalities.