Colossal Biosciences, known for its efforts toward the “de-extinction” of lost species, has expanded its efforts to save animals currently on the brink with its acquisition of the cloning company Viagen Pets and Equine.
Viagen specializes in offering genetic preservation and cloning services aimed at pets, equines, and endangered species, with its acquisition leading toward an expanded focus on endangered species while preserving current leadership. The recent acquisition marks the first by Colossal, as it continues to advance its efforts in bringing genetic science to the preservation of endangered and extinct species.
Colossal Biosciences Expands
“Colossal is thrilled to welcome Viagen, the world’s leading cloning company, into our portfolio,” said Ben Lamm, Founder and CEO of Colossal. “No other company comes close to what Viagen has achieved.”
“Their unmatched expertise and cloning technology stack have become the world’s standard and their application of these critical and proprietary technologies to endangered species conservation makes them an invaluable partner in advancing our global de-extinction and species preservation mission,” Lamm added.
Although both companies are based in Texas, Viagen predates Colossal Biosciences’ 2021 formation by several decades, having been founded in 2002. Viagen itself expanded through acquisitions over the decades, as well as through a partnership with the Roslin Institute of Edinburgh, which produced Dolly the sheep, the first cloned mammal.
“Joining forces with Colossal — the only de-extinction company and leader in biotechnology — gives Viagen the scale, resources, and shared vision to expand what we can do,” said Viagen President Blake Russell. “Together, we can accelerate breakthroughs in genetic preservation, animal health, and endangered species recovery through biobanking and cloning at a scale that simply wasn’t possible on our own.”
Viagen and Endangered Species
Launched initially to preserve genetic material from horses and cattle, Viagen has expanded into cloning over the last decade, now working with an expanded focus that includes a pets division and efforts to save endangered species. Once their pet cloning operation took off, the company saw its business double between 2017 and 2022.
Viagen’s conservation efforts have already been fruitful, producing the first-ever clones of multiple endangered species, including the black-footed ferret and Przewalski’s horse, with Grevy’s zebra currently in gestation. In total, the company has cloned 15 species, with some at 80% success rates, compared to published averages of 2%.
In addition to their successful cloning attempts, the Viagen has bio banked over 40 species, including the White rhino, Black rhino, Florida bonneted bat, Perdido beach mouse, and Indiana bat, for future work.
Cryopreservation
To support these bio-banking efforts, the company has also advanced cryopreservation, allowing researchers to freeze biological samples to halt metabolic processes and prevent degradation. The company has had great success ensuring the long-term quality of these samples, going so far as to use cells collected at the San Diego Zoo in 1980 to produce their 2020 and 2023 clones of Przewalski’s horses.
“At Colossal, we believe cryopreservation and cloning are essential tools to preserve, revive, and restore biodiversity,” said Matt James, Chief Animal Officer and Executive Director of the Colossal Foundation. “Viagen’s proprietary technology will fuel Colossal’s de-extinction efforts and allow us to restore more endangered species populations as well as preserve their genetic diversity in Colossal’s Bio Vaults.”
“Partnering with Colossal Biosciences presents an extraordinary opportunity to apply our advanced cryopreservation and cloning techniques to the ambitious goals of de-extinction and species restoration,” said Dr Shawn Walker, Ph.D., Chief Science Officer of Viagen.
“Colossal’s innovative approach aligns with our mission to preserve genetic diversity and support conservation efforts globally,” Walker added.
“We are excited to see how this collaboration can advance science globally.”
Ryan Whalen covers science and technology for The Debrief. He holds an MA in History and a Master of Library and Information Science with a certificate in Data Science. He can be contacted at ryan@thedebrief.org, and follow him on Twitter @mdntwvlf.