New Delhi

Colossal Biosciences, a de-extinction company, has announced a significant stem cell breakthrough in elephants, potentially bringing researchers one step closer to reviving long-extinct woolly mammoths.

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Colossal's Woolly Mammoth team has announced a breakthrough: they have derived induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from Asian elephants (Elephas maximus), as quoted in a statement to Live Science. iPSCs are reprogrammed cells capable of becoming any cell type in the body, allowing researchers to study woolly mammoth adaptations and test gene edits without harming living animals.

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"These cells definitely are a great benefit to our de-extinction work," Eriona Hysolli, the head of biological sciences and mammoth lead at Colossal Biosciences, told Live Science.

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Hysolli emphasised the importance of these stem cells, as they can uncover the cellular and genetic mechanisms responsible for key traits that enabled woolly mammoths to thrive in the Arctic. These traits include shaggy hair, curved tusks, fat deposits, and a dome-shaped cranium.

Groundbreaking development in elephant stem cell that can help in woolly mammoth de-extinction

iPSCs also open a path to creating elephant sperm and egg cells, which are essential for mammoth de-extinction, in the lab.

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Previously, obtaining elephant iPSCs was difficult due to their unique gene pathway, which differs from that of other species. Researchers successfully addressed this challenge by suppressing core genes known as TP53, which regulate cell growth and prevent indefinite cell duplication, explained Hysolli.

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"One of the things that we had to overcome for elephant cells is that they do have this expansive TP53 pathway," Hysolli said. "We had to suppress this pathway via two means in order to get these iPSCs, so we had to go through a multi-step process in order to achieve them."

Why does this breakthrough matter?

The breakthrough could aid in understanding early development in elephants, a crucial step in woolly mammoth de-extinction. If researchers create a woolly mammoth embryo by combining ancient mammoth DNA with elephant cells, they'll need to implant it into an elephant surrogate for a 22-month gestation period. 

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Hysolli stressed the importance of comprehending elephant developmental biology due to the complexity of their lengthy gestation.

According to Hysolli, creating a woolly mammoth embryo is now less challenging, but ensuring the birth of a healthy calf will require additional time and effort. 

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The team continues to explore alternative methods for generating elephant iPSCs and refining those they have recently developed. The breakthrough involving iPSCs, slated for publication on the preprint database bioRxiv, is pending peer review.

"There is more validation to be done, so until you do the experiment you can never be sure, but we think that the pluripotency potential [to differentiate into any cell type] is fully there," Hysolli said.

(With inputs from agencies)