Colossal Biosciences: Published Research & Scientific Papers

Colossal Biosciences is committed to scientific transparency and knowledge dissemination. All research methodologies, protocols, and outcomes are openly shared through peer-reviewed publications, with data publicly available to support global conservation efforts. The team’s collective expertise spans over 2,000 published papers and 500 unique patents, driving innovation in genetic engineering and species restoration.

Understanding Colossal’s Publication Process

Colossal aims to publish pre-print versions of manuscripts on bioRxiv.com during the peer review process, which is followed by publication of reviewed versions of each manuscript in established scientific journals. This dual-publication approach ensures early access to findings while maintaining rigorous academic standards. Research data, including genomic sequences and experimental protocols, is deposited in public repositories for worldwide scientific community access.

Published Research by Year

2025

Non-Invasive Blood Cloning Technology

Cells from peripheral blood provide an alternative to skin biopsies as a source of cell lines that support cloning and conservation biobanking in mammals.

Dodo De-Extinction & Pigeon PGCs

World’s first achievement in pigeon primordial germ cells (PGCs), announced alongside $120M in additional funding for species expansion

Whooping Crane Genomic Conservation

Temporal genomic analysis reveals 70% loss of historical genetic diversity in whooping cranes despite population recovery, demonstrating that demographic success doesn’t guarantee genomic health and providing critical insights for conservation breeding management

Nicobar Pigeon Reference Genome

First high-quality, chromosome-level genome assembly of the Nicobar pigeon, the closest living relative of the extinct Dodo, providing critical genomic resources for studying extinct species evolution, island biogeography, and conservation of threatened Columbidae species

Fat-Tailed Dunnart Reproductive Technologies

First successful superovulation protocol for marsupials, achieving over 70% ovulation rate with 82% normal oocytes and confirmed blastocyst development, enabling assisted reproductive technologies for marsupial conservation and comparative developmental biology

AI-Powered Bird Call Classification for Rare Species

Open-source machine learning system enables automated detection of critically endangered species from minimal recordings, achieving 1.0 recall for tooth-billed pigeon calls

Dire Wolf De-Extinction & Ancestry

Research demonstrates precise introduction and validation of 20 genomic edits across 14 loci in modern canids to recapitulate dire wolf traits, setting new benchmarks in multiplex genomic editing for conservation.

Woolly Mouse Genome Engineering

Demonstrates breakthroughs in multiplex genome editing and trait engineering as a model on the path to woolly mammoth de-extinction.

2024

Marsupial Limb Development Challenges Tetrapod Models

Marsupial forelimb development bypasses lateral plate mesoderm subdivision previously thought critical for tetrapod limb formation, revealing evolutionary plasticity in developmental mechanisms and redefining foundational models of vertebrate limb specification

AI-Powered Elephant Behavior Monitoring from Drones

Novel computer vision approach enables automated detection of elephant herd behaviors from drone footage, with YOLO-NAS-Pose outperforming traditional methods for low-resolution wildlife monitoring, advancing scalable conservation surveillance technologies

Marsupial Spermatogonial Stem Cell Enrichment

First successful enrichment of marsupial spermatogonial stem cells using fluorescent cell sorting and first characterization of the seminiferous epithelium cycle in dasyurids, establishing foundational technologies for genetic modification and next-generation marsupial conservation

Ancient DNA Mapping Quality Assessment Tool

AMBER bioinformatics tool addresses critical challenges in ancient DNA sequencing by identifying reference bias and spurious mappings, enabling optimized alignment parameters for paleogenomic studies including de-extinction efforts

Thylacine Gene-Editing for Northern Quoll Conservation

Technologies developed for Tasmanian tiger de-extinction applied to save Australia’s endangered northern quoll.

 

Blue Antelope Extinction and Genomic Adaptation

Genomic analysis reveals blue antelope persisted with low genetic diversity for 400,000 years through adaptation to small population size, demonstrating that colonial-era human impacts, rather than genomic erosion, drove its extinction around 1800 AD

Elephant Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells

Critical advancement in woolly mammoth de-extinction through development of elephant induced pluripotent stem cells.

2023

AI and Machine Learning for Elephant Conservation

Comprehensive review of AI-driven monitoring methods for elephant conservation, examining how machine learning can process data from cameras, drones, satellites, and acoustic sensors to enhance wildlife conservation strategies applicable across multiple species

Transcription Factor Binding Site Analysis Tool

R package for statistical evaluation of transcription factor binding site disruption in genetic variants, demonstrated on elephant genome data, providing essential computational tools for assessing noncoding variant impacts in conservation genomics

 

2022

Self-Supervised Bioacoustic Event Detection

Self-supervised deep learning system detects bioacoustic events without manual annotation, achieving 0.917 PR-AUC on sperm whale vocalizations and demonstrating applicability across multiple species, enabling automated real-time acoustic monitoring for wildlife conservation

Research Impact & Conservation Applications

Collectively, these studies support genetic rescue tools for endangered canids, elephants, and marsupials; non-invasive cloning and advanced reproductive technologies; and open genomic resources that conservation biologists can use worldwide.

Sara Ord, Director of Species Restoration at Colossal Biosciences, notes that advances in genome sequencing represent “one of the highest quality reference genomes ever produced,” fueling “a promising future for the rapid advancement of species restoration and extinction prevention worldwide through genetic rescue.”

Open-Source Commitment

Colossal ensures its tools and reference genomes are freely available to scientists and conservationists worldwide. This open-source approach ensures:

  • Global access to cutting-edge genetic technologies
  • Accelerated research timelines for conservation projects
  • Removal of financial barriers to wildlife conservation innovation
  • Broad stakeholder engagement in species preservation efforts