In an agreement with the U.S. Department of the Interior, Colossal Biosciences, the world’s first de-extinction company, is partnering with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to create one of the most ambitious biodiversity preservation initiatives ever undertaken in the United States: the creation of a genomic and biobanking archive for every species protected under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).

As part of Dallas-based Colossal’s distributed BioVault network, the initiative aims to collect, sequence, and preserve living cells, reproductive tissues, and genomic material from more than 2,300 threatened and endangered plant and animal species—an ambitious target that, if realized, would represent one of the most comprehensive biodiversity preservation resources ever assembled.

Colossal said it intends to make conservation genomics data generated through the effort available to the global scientific and conservation communities where feasible, while safeguarding the biological building blocks of biodiversity for future conservation, recovery, and restoration efforts.

“America leads the world when we embrace innovation and put our best minds to work solving big challenges,” Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum said in a statement. “This collaboration brings together the scientific expertise of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the ingenuity of the private sector to develop new tools that can help recover species, preserve critical genetic resources, and strengthen the future of wildlife conservation.”

Colossal said that the memorandum of understanding highlights a shared commitment to conservation science and doesn’t obligate the expenditure of federal funds. “Any future projects involving funding, services, or property transfers would be subject to separate agreements and applicable legal requirements,” the company added.

Preserving ‘the genetic diversity of life itself’

The agreement establishes a framework for collaboration focused on preserving genetic diversity for threatened and endangered species, expanding scientific understanding of genomic applications in conservation, and exploring emerging technologies that may strengthen recovery efforts for species at risk.

Comparing Colossal’s BioVault with Norway’s Svalbard Global Seed Vault, which serves as the world’s largest backup facility for seeds from around the world, CEO and co-founder Ben Lamm said the partnership “aims to preserve the genetic diversity of life itself.”

“Every species is a library of evolutionary innovation millions of years in the making. Once lost, that knowledge disappears forever,” Lam added in a statement. “By preserving the genetic blueprint of every endangered species in America, we’re creating a living archive of Earth’s biodiversity—a modern-day Noah’s Ark built from DNA and a permanent genetic backup of our nation’s most imperiled species.”

Lamm said that the goal is to ensure “that future generations inherit not just records of the natural world, but the opportunity to protect, study, and restore it.” He added that the large-scale plan to safeguard biodiversity “may prove to be one of the most important responsibilities of our generation.”

More on BioVault and the partnership

Colossal said it operates the most advanced conservation biobanking and genomics infrastructure in the world. Its BioVault facilities cryopreserve living cell lines, reproductive tissues, and high-quality genomic DNA from endangered species—biological materials that allow for assisted reproduction, population genetic management, and, where species go extinct, the possibility of future restoration.

The genomic data generated through the partnership will be deposited into open-access repositories, and provided at no cost, giving the global scientific and conservation community reference genomes, population-level sequence data, and bioinformatic tools to speed recovery efforts beyond what any single agency or institution could accomplish alone, Colossal said.

The partnership’s long-term goal is full biobanking and sequencing coverage of all 2,300-plus ESA-listed species, with priority sampling and sequencing already underway. Fish & Wildlife and Colossal are actively collecting field samples, integrating whole-genome sequence data into federal recovery plans, and creating a genomic data platform freely available to any researcher, wildlife manager, or conservation organization in the world.

“As biodiversity faces increasing pressures worldwide, we must continue to evaluate and apply the best available science to conserve America’s natural heritage,” said U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Brian Nesvik. “This collaboration will help advance our understanding of how biobanking and genomics can complement existing conservation tools and contribute to the recovery and long-term resilience of imperiled species.”

‘National parks system for the genomic age’

The shared infrastructure is designed to be a permanent public resource to reduce duplication among institutions, accelerate recovery timelines, and ensure that the genetic data needed to save species is never locked behind proprietary walls.

Matt James, chief animal officer at Colossal and executive director of the Colossal Foundation, said the effort would “redefine conservation in the United States” by creating “a permanent genetic record of America’s most vulnerable species before they’re lost.”

James added, “Future conservationists won’t just inherit field notes and photographs—they’ll inherit the genomic tools needed to understand, protect, and restore biodiversity at an unprecedented scale. This is the conservation equivalent of building the national parks system for the genomic age.”

Earlier this year, Colossal announced plans for a BioVault in Dubai’s Museum of the Future, after a $60 million investment from the United Arab Emirates. Colossal said that it’s aiming for multiple BioVaults located around the world to serve as both repositories of DNA and labs for scientists conducting the preservation work.

Don’t miss what’s next. Subscribe to Dallas Innovates.

Track Dallas-Fort Worth’s business and innovation landscape with our curated news in your inbox Tuesday-Thursday.