Colossal Biosciences has made strides in de-extinction efforts, reporting the creation of genetically modified mice with cold-tolerance traits akin to woolly mammoths. By editing genes in Asian elephant cells, the team aims to introduce mammoth characteristics, with the hope of birthing the first woolly mammoth calf by 2028. Their research, which is yet to undergo peer review, involved manipulating genes linked to hair characteristics and fat metabolism in mice, validating their approach toward mammoth de-extinction efforts.
In the research, which has not yet been peer-reviewed, the team used a number of genome editing techniques to either genetically modify fertilised mouse eggs or modify embryonic mouse stem cells and inject them into mouse embryos, before implanting them into surrogates.
Ben Lamm, co-founder and chief executive of Colossal, said the team had been studying ancient mammoth genomes and comparing them with those of Asian elephants to understand how they differ and had already begun genome-editing cells of the latter.
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