Overview
- Colossal confirmed the purchase of ViaGen Pets and Equine, its first acquisition since launching in 2021, with financial terms undisclosed.
- ViaGen will continue operating under existing leadership, with President Blake Russell remaining in charge as the company expands endangered-species work.
- The deal brings licensed Roslin Institute–derived cloning methods and a sizable biobank, with ViaGen reporting 15 species cloned and genetic material from more than 40 species, including several threatened.
- Colossal says ViaGen’s cloning and cryopreservation capabilities will support de-extinction efforts and preservation of genetic diversity in its Bio Vaults.
- Coverage notes ongoing scientific and ethical disputes over what qualifies as de-extinction, including challenges to Colossal’s prior dire-wolf claim, while celebrity investors highlight pet cloning and conservation potential.