Analysis
Colossal Biosciences on Wednesday unveiled GenoMorph, a new AI platform the company says combines 3D morphology analysis, comparative genomics and developmental biology to identify genes worth editing in species where genetic reference data is scarce, according to TechCrunch. CEO Ben Lamm described it as a "treasure map for the dodo genome." The platform itself doesn't perform gene editing -- it narrows down which genetic changes are worth testing in the lab, and Colossal says it has already identified roughly 2,300 promising DNA-editing targets tied to the dodo's distinctive skull shape.
The announcement bundled several other updates: a new lipid nanoparticle system for delivering gene-editing tools into developing bird embryos, a colony of 36 Nicobar pigeons (the dodo's closest living relative, used as a surrogate species), and what the company says is its first successful creation of cells that develop into eggs and sperm -- a step toward breeding edited birds rather than just editing cells in a dish.
## How does this fit Colossal's broader de-extinction push? Colossal is best known for its woolly mammoth project, for which it has obtained roughly 100 genomes, and the company raised a $120 million Series C extension in September 2025 that brought the round to $320 million at a $10.3 billion valuation, with Peter Jackson among the investors, according to Bloomberg. Pulse has since tracked Colossal's valuation climbing toward the $20-30 billion range through 2026 -- a roughly 2-3x step up in little over a year, making the pace of scientific output a fair question for anyone pricing the next round.
“Outside scientists have previously called the broader de-extinction thesis technically difficult to execute on the timelines Colossal has floated.”
The closest real comparison in the field is Revive & Restore, a nonprofit pursuing genetic rescue of endangered and extinct species with a fraction of Colossal's capital base, which highlights how much of Colossal's advantage is resourcing rather than a unique scientific approach. Outside scientists have previously called the broader de-extinction thesis technically difficult to execute on the timelines Colossal has floated.
Separately, Colossal investor Peter Diamandis is launching a new venture firm, NeoGenesis Capital, to back companies building on Colossal's underlying programmable-biology platform in health, agriculture and conservation -- a sign that insiders see spinout value in the platform technology itself, independent of whether any single de-extinction project succeeds on schedule.
The real test comes when any of the 2,300 GenoMorph-identified edits moves from a screening list into a live embryo -- the first concrete checkpoint for whether the platform's filtering approach actually accelerates outcomes, rather than just generating more candidates to sort through.
