Known for its extraordinary goal of reviving wool mammoths by 2028, the enormous biological sciences claims steady progress. Evidence: genetically modified mice with mammoth-like fur.
To engineer wool mice, scientists at the company discovered a mouse version of the mammoth gene and edited the mouse embryos using CRISPR, Dr. Beth Shapiro, Chief Scientist at Colossal, told TechCrunch. The embryos were then embedded in surrogate mouse mamas.
The company says that wool mouse fur is of color, texture and thickness similar to the properties of mammoths.
Colossal Biosciences believes that wool coats will allow its genetically modified mice to survive in cold climates. Still, the company must first obtain approval from the Animal Control Board (IACUC) of facilities that ensure ethical and humane animal research before carrying out such experiments.
Shapiro said the company needs to test the cold tolerance of engineering mice to verify whether these genes improve mammoth adaptation to cold environments.
Colossal’s approach to regaining a mammoth involves mapping the entire genome of an extinct wool mammoth and comparing it to the closest living relative, the Asian elephant.
Investors are impressed by the speed at which Colossal Biosciences co-founder and CEO Ben Lamm is creating technology, telling TechCrunch in January when he announced a $200 million round at a $10.2 billion valuation.
In addition to tackling wool mammoths, the company aims to regain Tasmanian tigers and dodo birds.
However, that 2028 goal may not be realistic. Generating multiple mutations in mice is difficult, but not as difficult as making wool mammoths, according to David Gold, a professor of paleontology at UC Davis.
“It’s exciting to see mice produce mammoth-like coats, but there are hundreds of differences between elephants and mammoth DNA, so there’s a long way to go,” Gold said. He added that he believes it is possible to replicate the wool mammoth in the end, but that he believes there are many technical hurdles ahead.
Still, Lamm calls Colossal’s wool mouse creation the “basin moment” of the company’s detensive mission.
“The animals were born healthy and had the exact phenotype we predicted,” Lamb said. “The only thing that wasn’t intentional was the worship factor. They’re way cuter than we expected.”
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