TechCrunch exclusively reported that Colossal Biosciences announced on Wednesday the launch of a new AI platform to accelerate its efforts to revive extinct species.
The platform, called GenoMorph, uses advanced 3D morphometrics, comparative genomics, and developmental biology to identify genes that can be edited in de-extinction projects with limited genetic data. The company is applying it to the effort to revive the dodo, as available genomic data is extremely limited.
For example, compared to the 100 genomes already obtained by the company in the mammoth de-extinction project, only one genome is currently available for the dodo. The company states that mammoth DNA is more abundant because this animal lived in a cold climate, preserving its DNA better than the dodo, which lived in a tropical region.
Colossal’s CEO and co-founder, Ben Lamm, told TechCrunch: “Typically, scientists can compare many genomes to understand which genetic differences lead to certain traits. With ancient DNA from extinct species, where DNA is severely limited, we don’t have that luxury—we can only obtain a small number of complete genomes.”
Lamm said that to build GenoMorph, the company gathered extensive developmental data from "chickens, quails, ducks, and pigeons" and combined it with "genetic information and 3D skull measurements from more than 70 bird species." He noted that developing this platform took over a year and was built on the company’s years of research into de-extinction.
"AI will learn which regions of DNA are active as different bird species develop their beaks and facial structures, and use this information to predict which genetic switches may have given the dodo its distinctive appearance," he said, describing the platform as a "treasure map of the dodo genome"—GenoMorph no longer forces the team to blindly search through vast numbers of potential genetic differences, but instead helps them identify the truly significant ones.
“So far, we’ve identified approximately 2,300 promising DNA editing targets for the dodo’s craniofacial morphology, which can now be tested in the lab,” he continued. He said GenoMorph will help the company tackle one of the biggest bottlenecks in de-extinction—identifying which genetic changes truly define a species’ unique traits. However, Lamm also noted that scientists still need to test whether these edits can produce the desired physical characteristics.
“We developed a new system that uses lipid nanoparticles to directly deliver gene-editing tools into developing bird embryos,” he said. This will allow the team to observe how certain genetic changes affect bird development “without having to wait through the entire breeding cycle until the birds reach sexual maturity.”
The company also announced on Wednesday that its Nicobar pigeon population has now increased to 36 individuals, and it has successfully created the key cells that form eggs and sperm.
“Since the Nicobar pigeon is the closest living relative of the dodo, these cells are a crucial part of our strategy to create birds carrying dodo traits,” he said. Next, the company aims to validate GenoMorph’s predictions in the lab. “The most exciting part is that we’re nearing a point where the different technologies we’ve been developing are beginning to converge and help us with other projects on entirely different branches of the tree of life,” Lamm continued.
When asked whether this gene-editing approach is safe, Lamm said the goal of developing technologies like GenoMorph is to make genetic engineering “more precise, more controllable, and more testable.” He explained that the product itself does not directly edit genes, but rather helps teams identify genetic changes worth investigating.
Identifying a potential editing site does not mean we will immediately introduce it into animals or assume it is safe," he continued. "The more precisely we can identify and validate these changes, the more informed our decisions will be throughout the process."