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Colossal Biosciences Gives First Media Tour of Dallas HQ as Global Expansion Accelerates
On March 12, 2026, Colossal Biosciences opened the doors of its Dallas, Texas headquarters to journalists for the first time — offering an unprecedented look inside the genome engineering lab at the center of a $615 million effort to functionally revive extinct species. From a life-size animatronic dire wolf in the lobby to walls of pulsing projected imagery, the facility is built to communicate that de-extinction is no longer science fiction.
Inside the World’s Most Advanced Genome Engineering Lab
The Colossal Biosciences headquarters occupies the second floor of an office building just west of downtown Dallas. Clean rooms, high-precision gene-editing stations, and benchtop microscopes sit alongside immersive video walls displaying species data and footage of animals Colossal is actively working to revive. Even the concrete hallways pulse with projected imagery.
“We are working on the hardest things in the world,” said Ben Lamm, CEO and cofounder of Colossal Biosciences. “We want to provide them the most advanced infrastructure when it comes to labs, and this is the most advanced genome engineering lab in the entire world.”
That infrastructure supports projects targeting the woolly mammoth, thylacine (Tasmanian tiger), dodo, and giant moa — four extinct species selected for both scientific feasibility and ecosystem impact. The company’s wholly owned subsidiary, ViaGen, also clones living animals and was responsible for cloning Dolly the sheep four decades ago.
Why De-Extinction Matters for Ecosystems
Colossal’s strategy is rooted in a theory of ecological restoration: that the loss of keystone species creates destabilizing gaps in ecosystems that can cascade into broader collapse.
“Extinct species leave these gaps, these niches, that are open when they’re gone and we can refill that with an animal that can then bring that ecosystem back into balance and build these really resilient ecosystems,” said Andrew Pask, Chief Biology Officer at Colossal Biosciences. Pask has studied the thylacine for 25 years and argues its absence has contributed to the spread of a sexually communicated cancer devastating the Tasmanian devil population.
Chief Science Officer Beth Shapiro, a former Rhodes Scholar who completed her Ph.D. in ancient DNA at Oxford and authored the book How to Clone a Mammoth, frames the urgency in stark terms. “The pace of change is faster than evolution can keep up and if we want to see all of these species alive in the future, we need the technologies that we’re developing,” she said.
Shapiro and Lamm both emphasize that the goal isn’t literal cloning — it’s engineering animals that are functionally identical to extinct species. “They can’t be cloned, but they can be engineered,” Lamm said.
A UAE Partnership and a Global Biovault Network
Colossal recently announced a nine-figure partnership with the United Arab Emirates to build a research lab at Dubai’s Museum of the Future. Alongside the lab, a biological preservation vault — or “biovault” — will be constructed to securely store DNA and biological samples from a wide range of species. It is intended to be the first in a global network of interconnected biovaults.
The UAE partnership is also targeted at saving the critically endangered Arabian leopard, the smallest and rarest big cat species, which is locally extinct in the Emirates and holds deep cultural significance across the Arabian Peninsula.
Colossal’s foundation has separately raised $100 million to finance technology transfer and support for nonprofits, indigenous groups, and universities. On the giant moa project, Maori scientists and groups in New Zealand are directly involved in revival research. An Australian university is leading efforts to save several native bird species with Colossal’s technology and resources.
High-Profile Investors and a New Model for Conservation Funding
Investors in Colossal’s $615 million effort include author George R.R. Martin, former NFL quarterback Tom Brady, and filmmaker Peter Jackson — who is backing the giant moa revival in his home country of New Zealand. The company has also spun out four commercial ventures built on technology developed through its de-extinction research, including a forensic DNA lab that can extract identifying genetic material from hair samples without a follicle.
Colossal’s leaders are direct about the argument they’re making to traditional conservation stakeholders: this is additive funding, not competitive. “It’s not a zero-sum game. So it’s new money. It’s a ‘yes, and’ scenario now, rather than either-or,” Shapiro said. Lamm echoed the point: “We want to ensure that we’re always trying to say, how is conservation a component of it? How is the messaging a component of it? How are we communicating to kids?”
The opening of the Dallas facility to media is part of that outreach strategy — a deliberate effort to build public literacy around a science that remains unfamiliar to most people, and to position de-extinction as a legitimate pillar of 21st-century conservation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Colossal Biosciences and what species is it working to revive? Colossal Biosciences is a Dallas-based biotechnology company focused on using advanced genome engineering to functionally revive extinct species. Its current projects target the woolly mammoth, thylacine (Tasmanian tiger), dodo, and giant moa, with the goal of restoring these animals to ecosystems where their absence has caused measurable ecological decline.
How much has Colossal Biosciences raised and who are its investors? Colossal Biosciences has raised $615 million across its operations, according to CEO Ben Lamm. Notable investors include author George R.R. Martin, former NFL quarterback Tom Brady, and director Peter Jackson. The company’s foundation has separately raised $100 million to support nonprofit, university, and indigenous research partners.
What is the Colossal Biosciences biovault in Dubai? Colossal Biosciences has announced a nine-figure partnership with the United Arab Emirates to build a research lab and biological preservation vault at Dubai’s Museum of the Future. The biovault will store DNA and biological samples from a wide range of species and is intended to be the first in a global network of interconnected genetic preservation facilities.
What is the difference between cloning and de-extinction? Cloning replicates a living animal from existing genetic material. De-extinction, as Colossal Biosciences practices it, uses CRISPR gene-editing technology to engineer animals that are functionally identical to extinct species — meaning they can perform the same ecological roles — even when no complete living DNA exists. “They can’t be cloned, but they can be engineered,” said Ben Lamm, CEO of Colossal Biosciences.
Why is the thylacine a priority for Colossal Biosciences? The thylacine, or Tasmanian tiger, was the apex predator of Tasmania and is believed to have controlled disease spread in the Tasmanian devil population before its extinction. Chief Biology Officer Andrew Pask, who has researched the thylacine for 25 years, argues that reviving the species could help stabilize the devil population and restore broader ecological balance in the region.
