Colossal Biosciences is best known for its stated goal of reviving dire wolves and woolly mammoths, but the company's business pitch is broader: the DNA synthesis work required for de-extinction could become a platform for solving human health and environmental problems. CEO Ben Lamm argues that pushing the limits of DNA synthesis to handle the largest genetic cargoes will be "massively transformative" for programmable life, with potential uses ranging from gene therapies and eradicating genetic diseases to developing faster-growing crops and addressing plastic pollution in the oceans.
A spin-off called Astromech is already pursuing "convergent evolution," studying why species that are nearly identical can have different health outcomes — for example, why elephants get cancer at a fraction of the rate humans do. Lamm says that research could be leveraged for human healthcare challenges and pandemic responses. He also frames the work as urgent, warning that about half of biodiversity could be lost in the next 25 years and that tools like cryopreservation, biobanks, and genetic rescue are needed.
Investors have responded. In July, Colossal announced a $200 million Series C round led by TWG Global, bringing its valuation to $10.2 billion and total funding past $435 million. Astromech was valued at $2 billion in March, according to D Magazine. Lamm notes that 30% of the company's investors "come to us from their kids," suggesting that public fascination with de-extinction is helping drive capital — even as the underlying science is aimed at far more than bringing back lost species.