Colossal Biosciences Launches GenoMorph AI Platform to Aid De-Extinction, Starting With Dodo

The company is using GenoMorph in its effort to bring back the dodo, for which there are limited genomes to work with. For the dodo project, Colossal has only one dodo genome, compared with the 100 genomes it has obtained for its woolly mammoth de-extinction project, the company said. DNA from the woolly mammoth is more plentiful because colder climates preserve DNA better than the tropics where the dodo lived, according to Colossal.

“Normally, scientists can compare many genomes to understand which genetic differences are responsible for certain traits,” Colossal CEO and co-founder Ben Lamm told TechCrunch. “We don’t have that luxury with ancient DNA from extinct species whose DNA is severely limited, and we can only get a small number of complete genomes.”

To build GenoMorph, Lamm said, the company collected developmental data from chickens, quail, ducks and pigeons and combined it with genetic information and 3D skull measurements from more than 70 bird species. He said building the platform took more than a year and also drew on the company’s years of work in de-extinction.

“The AI learns which regions of DNA are active as different birds develop their beaks and facial structures, and uses that information to predict which genetic switches may have given the dodo its iconic appearance,” Lamm said. He described the platform as a “treasure map for the dodo genome,” adding that rather than searching through many potential genetic differences, GenoMorph can help the Colossal team find only the genetic differences that matter.

Lamm said Colossal has so far identified approximately 2,300 promising DNA editing targets for the dodo cranial facial morphology that can now be tested in the lab. GenoMorph, he said, will help the company tackle one of its biggest bottlenecks in de-extinction: finding out which changes actually make an extinct species unique. But scientists also need to test whether those edits can create the physical traits they need, he said.

“We’ve developed a new system that uses lipid nanoparticles to deliver gene-editing tools directly into developing bird embryos,” Lamm said. That will help the team see how certain genetic changes impact the development of a bird “without having to wait through an entire breeding cycle that requires birds to reach sexual maturity,” he said.

Colossal also announced Wednesday that its Nicobar pigeon colony now has 36 birds and that it has successfully created the essential cells that become eggs and sperm. “Because the Nicobar pigeon is the dodo’s closest living relative, those cells are a critical part of our strategy for creating birds that carry dodo traits,” Lamm said. Next, the company hopes to prove what GenoMorph predicts in a lab.

“What’s most exciting is that we’re reaching a point where the different technologies we’ve been developing are starting to converge together and help other projects we are working on in a completely different part of the tree of life,” Lamm said.

When asked whether it was safe to edit genes this way, Lamm said the point of developing technology like GenoMorph is to make genetic engineering “more precise, controlled, and testable.” He said the product does not edit genes itself but helps the team identify which genetic changes are worth investigating. “Identifying a potential edit doesn’t mean we immediately introduce it into an animal or assume it’s safe,” he said. “The more precisely we can identify and validate these changes, the more informed our decisions become throughout the process.”

Peter Diamandis, the XPRIZE founder and a Colossal investor, announced Wednesday that he founded a new venture capital firm, NeoGenesis Capital, to back companies using Colossal Biosciences’ programmable biology platform across health, agriculture and conservation.