Colossal Biosciences announces GenoMorph to identify possible dodo gene-editing targets
The company says its new platform has identified about 2,300 candidate targets related to dodo skull development. Researchers still need to test their effects.
Colossal Biosciences announced GenoMorph on Wednesday, October 14, a platform intended to identify possible gene-editing targets for its dodo project. The company says it has found about 2,300 candidates related to skull development. Researchers still need to test what effects those candidates have.
The platform addresses a shortage of genetic material for the project. Colossal has one dodo genome available to it, compared with 100 genomes obtained for its woolly mammoth work, according to TechCrunch. The company attributed the difference partly to better DNA preservation in colder climates. Fewer dodo genomes give researchers less material for identifying potentially significant genetic differences.
How GenoMorph identifies candidate dodo edits
Colossal describes GenoMorph as combining comparative genomics, developmental biology and three-dimensional measurements of animal form. TechCrunch reported that the company assembled developmental data from chickens, quail, ducks and pigeons, along with genetic information and 3D skull measurements from more than 70 bird species. CEO Ben Lamm told TechCrunch that developing the platform took more than a year.
Colossal told TechCrunch that GenoMorph identified approximately 2,300 promising DNA-editing targets related to dodo craniofacial morphology. GamesBeat explained that regulatory DNA affects when, where and how strongly genetic instructions are activated during development, helping shape structures such as skulls and beaks.
Lamm told TechCrunch that GenoMorph predicts genetic switches that may have contributed to the dodo’s appearance and helps researchers prioritize differences for investigation. He said the platform does not edit genes itself and that identifying a possible edit does not mean it will immediately be introduced into an animal or assumed safe.
Embryo tests and the Nicobar pigeon colony
TechCrunch reported that Colossal is developing a way to deliver gene-editing tools into developing bird embryos using lipid nanoparticles, allowing effects to be studied without waiting for a full breeding cycle. According to GamesBeat, Colossal said its delivery system had been used in rock dove and duck embryos and that it was using the approach to validate candidates.
Colossal also announced that its Nicobar pigeon colony had reached 36 birds and that it had created cells capable of developing into eggs and sperm, according to TechCrunch. GamesBeat described the Nicobar pigeon as the dodo’s closest living relative. The colony and reproductive cells are part of the company’s wider avian work alongside its search for editing targets.
GamesBeat reported that Colossal’s avian team was posting a paper to bioRxiv about delivery of gene-editing tools.
Sources and context
- Colossal Biosciences announces new AI platform to help accelerate de-extinction effortsTechCrunch
- Colossal Biosciences accelerates dodo bird de-extinction timelineGamesBeat
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