Ginkgo Bioworks, the Boston-based synthetic biology company backed by Bill Gates and co-founded by Dubliner Barry Canton, his wife Reshma Shetty, and three of their colleagues, has agreed to go public via a special purpose vehicle in a deal that values Ginkgo at $15 billion. The deal is expected to raise $2.5 billion for the merged entity, with investors including Baillie Gifford, Putnam Investments and various other funds and investors. Ginkgo’s valuation has increased by $11 billion since it raised $290 million from investors in 2019 at a $4.2 billion valuation. UCD mechanical engineering graduate Canton – who also has…