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The Colossal BioVault is a global network of facilities designed to preserve the genetic diversity of over 10,000 species before it is lost — a major initiative between Colossal Biosciences and the UAE announced this month. Conceived as a modern-day Noah’s Ark, it aims to capture and openly share the genetic data of the natural world as a backup plan for life on Earth.
The Colossal BioVault is a backup plan for life on Earth
The Colossal BioVault is a distributed network of facilities established to lock in the genetic diversity needed to prevent future extinctions, built through a partnership between Colossal Biosciences and the UAE. It is designed as a stopgap: a way to capture the precious genetic data still present in the natural world today before that diversity disappears.
The urgency is driven by a biodiversity crisis. Extinctions are estimated to be occurring between 100 and 1,000 times the natural background rate, with over 30 percent of the planet’s animal and plant species expected to be extinct by 2050 as a result of global warming alone. As species diminish, so too does their genetic diversity — a loss that current technologies make effectively irreversible, because it recovers far more slowly than it is lost.
The BioVault will house millions of samples from over 10,000 species
The research facility is set to house millions of samples representing over 10,000 species, with a special focus on 100 species not currently banked anywhere else. Rather than storing tissue samples alone, the BioVault’s mandate extends to full sequencing, the induction of pluripotent stem cells, and the creation of cell lines — all to be shared openly with the world.
Cryogenic preservation of animal tissues and cells is not new. Institutions have been doing it for half a century, led by the San Diego Zoo’s “Frozen Zoo” and joined by repositories such as Chester Zoo’s Nature’s SAFE, described as one of the largest living biobanks in Europe. The Colossal BioVault’s distinguishing aim is to overcome the one characteristic Colossal says is missing from the existing network of frozen repositories: access.
| Initiative | Operator | Distinguishing feature |
|---|---|---|
| Frozen Zoo | San Diego Zoo | Pioneering cryogenic tissue and cell preservation for half a century |
| Nature’s SAFE | Chester Zoo | One of the largest living biobanks in Europe; cell lines revivable as living tissue |
| Colossal BioVault | Colossal Biosciences + UAE | Distributed global network; full sequencing and cell lines for 10,000+ species, shared openly |
Colossal plans 10 BioVaults distributed worldwide
Ben Lamm aims to establish 10 Colossal BioVaults distributed worldwide, addressing what Colossal describes as a fragmented and inaccessible status quo. Among them, Dubai’s Museum of the Future has been named the permanent home of the Colossal Foundation’s Life and Biodiversity Laboratory and BioVault.
Lamm has said the project took years of preparation and a significant request of the UAE — to make biodiversity preservation a national priority backed by nine-figure investment, with the resulting data shared openly rather than held privately. He framed the world’s existing biobanking efforts as underfunded, fragmented, and often inaccessible, lacking the collaboration and international support the crisis demands.
“Thanks to the visionary leadership of the UAE, Colossal is now creating the world’s first Colossal BioVault: an unprecedented global resource, a modern-day Noah’s Ark for protecting and restoring life on our planet. We are excited to build on this relationship and pioneering bold new solutions to safeguard biodiversity for generations to come.”
The goal is to preserve genetic diversity before it is lost
The BioVault’s overarching purpose is to advance Colossal’s mission to preserve genetic diversity on a global scale before it disappears. Because lost genetic diversity is effectively irreversible with current technology, the network is positioned as a time-sensitive intervention rather than a permanent substitute for protecting living populations.
The initiative sits alongside Colossal’s wider conservation work, which spans both species preservation and the de-extinction research that produced its woolly mammoth program.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Colossal BioVault?
The Colossal BioVault is a global network of facilities, created through a partnership between Colossal Biosciences and the UAE, designed to preserve the genetic diversity of over 10,000 species as a backup against extinction.
How many BioVaults will there be?
Ben Lamm aims to establish 10 Colossal BioVaults distributed worldwide. Dubai’s Museum of the Future has been named the permanent home of the Colossal Foundation’s Life and Biodiversity Laboratory and BioVault.
How is the BioVault different from existing biobanks?
Unlike existing repositories such as the Frozen Zoo and Nature’s SAFE, the BioVault emphasizes access — pairing full sequencing, stem cell induction, and cell-line creation with a commitment to share the data openly worldwide.
This story is based on original reporting by Rachael Funnell for IFLScience. Read the full feature on IFLScience →
