Organization	9 Months Ended
Organization	Sep. 30, 2020
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Organization	Organization Precigen, Inc. ("Precigen"), a Virginia corporation, is a synthetic biology company with an increasing focus on its discovery and clinical stage activities to advance the next generation of gene and cellular therapies to target the most urgent and intractable challenges in immuno-oncology, autoimmune disorders, and infectious diseases. PGEN Therapeutics, Inc. ("PGEN Therapeutics") is a dedicated discovery and clinical stage biopharmaceutical company advancing the next generation of gene and cellular therapies using precision technology to target urgent and intractable diseases in immuno-oncology, autoimmune disorders, and infectious diseases. PGEN Therapeutics is a wholly owned subsidiary of Precigen with primary operations in Maryland. Precigen ActoBio, Inc. ("ActoBio") is pioneering a proprietary class of microbe-based biopharmaceuticals that enable expression and local delivery of disease-modifying therapeutics and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Precigen with primary operations in Belgium. Exemplar Genetics, LLC, doing business as Precigen Exemplar ("Exemplar"), is committed to enabling the study of life-threatening human diseases through the development of MiniSwine Yucatan miniature pig research models and services, as well as enabling the production of cells and organs in its genetically engineered swine for regenerative medicine applications and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Precigen with primary operations in Iowa. Trans Ova Genetics, L.C. ("Trans Ova") and Progentus, L.C. ("Progentus"), providers of reproductive technologies, including services and products sold to cattle breeders and other producers, are wholly owned subsidiaries with primary operations in California, Iowa, Maryland, Missouri, New York, Oklahoma, Texas, Washington, and Wisconsin. Effective October 1, 2019, Precigen transferred substantially all of its proprietary methane bioconversion platform assets to a wholly owned subsidiary, MBP Titan LLC ("MBP Titan"). MBP Titan's proprietary technology is designed to convert natural gas into more valuable and usable energy and chemical products through novel, highly engineered bacteria that utilize specific energy feedstocks. Beginning in the second quarter of 2020, the Company suspended MBP Titan's operations, preserved certain of MBP Titan's key intellectual property, and terminated most of the personnel. In the third quarter of 2020, the Company began the process of disposing of certain of its remaining assets and obligations. See Notes 2, 9, and 10 for further discussion, including discussion related to impairment charges recorded related to MBP Titan. Prior to October 1, 2019, the operation transferred to MBP Titan was an operating division within Precigen. Through April 8, 2019, Precigen consolidated AquaBounty Technologies, Inc. ("AquaBounty"), a company focused on improving productivity in commercial aquaculture and whose common stock is listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market. On April 9, 2019, AquaBounty completed an underwritten public offering that resulted in Precigen no longer having the contractual right to control AquaBounty's board of directors, and accordingly, Precigen deconsolidated AquaBounty resulting in a loss on deconsolidation of $2,648, which is included in other expense, net, on the accompanying condensed consolidated statement of operations for the nine months ended September 30, 2019. After deconsolidating the entity in April 2019, Precigen held its AquaBounty equity securities, which it accounted for using the fair value option, until October 2019 when the independent members of the Company's board of directors, with the recommendation of the audit committee and an independent special committee of the Board, unanimously approved the sale of the Company's common shares held in AquaBounty to an affiliate of Third Security, LLC ("Third Security"), a related party. On January 31, 2020, Precigen completed the sale of the majority of its bioengineering assets and operations to an affiliate of Third Security, which are presented as discontinued operations for all periods presented. See Notes 3 and 13 for further discussion. Precigen and its consolidated subsidiaries are hereinafter referred to as the "Company."