DALLAS — Colossal Biosciences and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced a partnership on June 25, 2024, to sequence the genomes and preserve tissue samples of all species on the U.S. Endangered Species List. The collaboration aims to create whole genome sequences for each species on this list.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will provide field collection and sampling expertise for the project. Colossal Biosciences will add samples from all U.S. endangered species to its BioVault archive. The company operates a biobank in its Dallas headquarters, where tissue and cell lines from approximately 200 species are preserved in liquid nitrogen at -274°F.

Colossal Biosciences and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service began discussions regarding this genome sequencing partnership five years ago. Colossal scientists collect blood draws and skin biopsies from endangered species in the field and perform necropsies on carcasses found in the wild or from zoos to collect a variety of tissues. The partners plan to engineer some collected cells into induced pluripotent stem cells.

Colossal Biosciences intends to make the biobank and genome sequences available to laboratories and universities globally. "All genomic data generated through this partnership will be deposited into open-access repositories, and provided at no cost, providing the global scientific and conservation community with the reference genomes, population-level sequence data, and bioinformatic tools needed to accelerate recovery efforts far beyond what any single agency or institution could accomplish alone," a company statement said.

Ben Lamm, co-founder and CEO of Colossal Biosciences, said the goal is to create a digital catalog of nature. "We want a digital twin of nature, something like the old school library card catalog for life," Lamm said.

The partnership addresses conservation efforts defined by the U.S. Endangered Species Act, which requires the government to identify species at risk of extinction and devise plans to restore populations and habitats. More than 2,100 species are currently on the U.S. Endangered Species List. While 54 species have recovered sufficiently to be removed from the list in the past 50 years, 67 species have gone extinct while listed, including the Bachman's warbler and the Little Marianas fruit bat. The bald eagle was restored to much of its original range after being listed under the act.

Access to some biological materials may be limited because samples originate from lands under tribal authority. Additionally, releasing detailed population information could increase the risk of poaching for certain species. The Center for Biological Diversity states that up to 30% of the planet's existing genetic diversity could vanish by 2050, and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature identifies 48,600 species as threatened or endangered on its red list.