Colossal Biosciences rakes in $200M as it attempts to resurrect woolly mammoth

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Karah Rucker Anchor

By Karah Rucker (Anchor), Evan Hummel (Producer), Michael Edwards (Video Editor)

Colossal Biosciences, the company behind efforts to resurrect the woolly mammoth and several other extinct species, raised $200 million in a recent funding round. It is now worth an estimated $10.2 billion, which is up from $1.5 billion just two years ago.

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The company attributed the fundraising success to significant progress on all three de-extinction projects: the woolly mammoth, the Tasmanian tiger (thylacine) and the dodo bird. The goal is to bring the three animals back from extinction by 2028.

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CEO and co-founder of Colossal Biosciences, Ben Lamm, told Bloomberg about the breakthroughs.

“Well, our three flagship projects, the mammoth, the thylacine and the dodo, are all on track, and the thylacine is actually ahead of schedule,” Lamm said. “So, we’re doubling down right now on the existing species.”

He continued, “We’re doubling down on some of the newer technologies like our multiplex editing genome engineering tools, as well as our artificial womb work. And then, we’re going to also look at ways to accelerate some of those technologies in the conservation.”

Utilizing artificial intelligence

Researchers are using an artificial intelligence gene-editing tool to bring back extinct species, he explained.

“We’ve done all the ancient DNA assembly,” Lamm said. “We’ve done all the comparative genomic to the closest living relatives, which we also had to build those genomes because they didn’t exist in some server somewhere, and now we’re using those targets in our AI to actually go make those edits.”

Lamm further explained that the company wants to create artificial wombs for future de-extinction efforts.

“We now feel like we can also devote more attention to the artificial womb side,” Lamm told Bloomberg. “All of our four species will be born through surrogacy, so that means through another animal, through a surrogate animal, but hopefully, critically endangered other species can be born ex-utero using those artificial wombs. So, we have a 17-person team working on the artificial team right now.”

Potential for fertility treatments

While the company’s main mission is to improve biodiversity, investors are reportedly interested in Colossal Biosciences technology for potential fertility treatments.

Colossal Biosciences offers conservation technology at no cost. Lamm said some countries are already asking for help with protecting endangered species.

If the company successfully reintroduces extinct or endangered species, Lamm said he expects to collect revenue through so-called “biodiversity credits,” which are reportedly similar to carbon credits.

Lamm said collaboration with Big Tech, governments and biodiversity credits may help Colossal Biosciences rake in billions annually. It could also unleash the company’s economic potential in the “short-term, mid-term” and the “long-term.”

Tags: Big Tech, DNA, History, Research, Science, Technology

[KARAH RUCKER]

THE COMPANY BEHIND EFFORTS TO BRING BACK THE WOOLLY MAMMOTH AND SEVERAL OTHER EXTINCT SPECIES PULLED IN 200-MILLION DOLLARS IN FUNDING AND IS NOW WORTH AN ESTIMATED 10-POINT-TWO-BILLION DOLLARS.

THAT’S UP FROM ONE-POINT-FIVE-BILLION DOLLARS JUST TWO YEARS AGO.

THE COMPANY WORKING ON PROJECTS TO RESURRECT THE MAMMOTH, TASMANIAN TIGER OR THYLACINE [THIGH-LAH-SEEN] AND DODO BIRD BY 2028, COLOSSAL BIOSCIENCES, ATTRIBUTES THE MASSIVE AMOUNT OF MONEY RAISED TO SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS ON ALL THREE DE-EXTINCTION PROJECTS.

C-E-O AND CO-FOUNDER OF COLOSSAL, BEN LAMM, SPOKE WITH BLOOMBERG NEWS ABOUT THE BREAKTHROUGHS.

[BEN LAMM]

WELL, OUR THREE FLAGSHIP PROJECTS, THE MAMMOTH THE THYLACINE AND THE DODO, ARE ALL ON TRACK, AND THE THYLACINE IS ACTUALLY AHEAD OF SCHEDULE. SO, WE’RE DOUBLING DOWN RIGHT NOW ON THE EXISTING SPECIES. WE’RE DOUBLING DOWN ON SOME OF THE NEWER TECHNOLOGIES LIKE OUR MULTIPLEX EDITING GENOME ENGINEERING TOOLS, AS WELL AS OUR ARTIFICIAL WOMB WORK, AND THEN WE’RE ALSO LOOKING AT WAYS WE CAN ACCELERATE THOSE TECHNOLOGIES IN THE CONSERVATION.

[KARAH RUCKER]

COLOSSAL SAYS IT’S WORKING TO BRING BACK THE EXTINCT SPECIES USING AN A-I GENE-EDITING TOOL.

[BEN LAMM]

WE’VE DONE ALL THE ANCIENT D-N-A ASSEMBLY, WE’VE DONE ALL THE COMPARATIVE GENOMICS TO THE CLOSEST LIVING RELATIVES, WHICH WE ALSO HAD TO GO BUILD THOSE GENOMES BECAUSE THEY DIDN’T EXIST IN SOME SERVER SOMEWHERE, AND NOW WE’RE USING THOSE TARGETS IN OUR A-I TO ACTUALLY GO MAKE THOSE EDITS.

[KARAH RUCKER]

COLOSSAL ALSO SAYS IT EVENTUALLY WANTS TO CREATE ARTIFICIAL WOMBS FOR FUTURE DE-EXTINCTION EFFORTS.

[BEN LAMM]

WE NOW FEEL LIKE WE CAN ALSO DEVOTE MORE ATTENTION TO THE ARTIFICIAL WOMB SIDE. ALL OF OUR FOUR SPECIES WILL BE BORN THROUGH SURROGACY, SO THAT MEANS THROUGH ANOTHER ANIMAL, THROUGH A SURROGATE ANIMAL, BUT LONG-TERM WE HOPE THAT NOT ONLY OUR EXTINCT SPECIES, BUT HOPEFULLY CRITICALLY ENDANGERED OTHER SPECIES CAN BE BORN EX-UTERO USING THOSE ARTIFICIAL WOMBS. SO, WE HAVE A 17 PERSON TEAM WORKING ON THE ARTIFICIAL WOMB RIGHT NOW.

[KARAH RUCKER]

WHILE THE COMPANY’S MAIN MISSION IS TO IMPROVE BIODIVERSITY, INVESTORS ARE ALSO INTERESTED IN COLOSSAL’S TECHNOLOGY FOR POTENTIAL FERTILITY TREATMENT.

LAMM SAYS COLOSSAL BIOSCIENCES OFFERS ITS CONSERVATION TECH AT NO COST AND SAID SOME COUNTRIES ARE ALREADY ASKING FOR HELP WITH PROTECTING ENDANGERED SPECIES.

IF COLOSSAL SUCCESSFULLY REINTRODUCES EXTINCT OR ENDANGERED SPECIES LAMM EXPECTS THE COMPANY TO COLLECT REVENUE THROUGH THE SALE OF SO-CALLED ‘BIODIVERSITY CREDITS,’ WHICH ARE SIMILAR TO CARBON CREDITS.

LAMM SAYS COLLABORATION WITH BIG TECH, GOVERNMENTS AND BIODIVERSITY CREDITS COULD HELP COLOSSAL RAKE IN BILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN ANNUAL REVENUE AND UNLEASH ITS ECONOMIC POTENTIAL IN THE “SHORT-TERM, MID-TERM” AND “LONG-TERM.”

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FOR STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS – I’M KARAH RUCKER.