Scientists Create Genetically Modified Woolly Mice
Scientists at US biotechnology firm Colossal Biosciences have successfully bred genetically modified woolly mice for the first time. This is in preparation to ultimately bring back the woolly mammoth from extinction by the end of 2028. More accurately, they will genetically engineer the Asian elephant (closely related to the woolly mammoth) with qualities to match the woolly mammoth.
The genetically modified woolly mice had various combinations of distinct hair types, including woolly curly coats of lengthy fur with a mammoth-like golden-brown color.
According to a quote from the Guardian:
“The team focused on disrupting nine genes associated with hair color, texture, length or pattern or hair follicles.”
But the CNN article says the following:
“In total, the team made eight edits simultaneously, using three cutting-edge techniques, to seven mice genes.
Most of these genes were selected because they were already known to influence the coats of mice. The induced genetic disruptions were intended to produce physical traits similar to those seen in mammoths, including the striking golden hair.
Fat metabolism related genes were also modified, since the future woolly mammoths will need to survive in cold environments. Woolly mammoths used to roam the frozen tundras of Europe, Asia and North America, before going extinct 4,000 years ago.
Interestingly, one of the genes that was targeted was FGF-5 (fibroblast growth factor 5), the inhibition of which I have covered on this blog before.
Colossal’s chief scientist officer Beth Shapiro was interviewed on NPR yesterday and the official paper was also published yesterday.
Colossal has raised $435 million since it was founded in 2021 by billionaire CEO Ben Lamm and legendary Harvard University geneticist George Church. The latter is a Professor of Genetics at the Wyss Institute at Harvard University.
Woolly Scalp Humans via Gene Therapy
As scientists become increasingly efficient at pinpointing the exact set of genes to target for various conditions, how will governments react? Will they allow people to genetically alter their yet-to-be-born children just for cosmetic purposes such as scalp hair in the future?
More importantly, when will we be able to edit our scalp hair genes as adults (i.e., gene therapy via CRISPR or other such technologies), since we missed out on pre-birth genetic modification?
Also make sure to check out my past posts on key human hair related genes and on genetic engineering to cure hair loss.
So they’re going to bring back the woolly mammoth before there’s a cure for hair loss, great.
I mean cmon let’s edit some hair related genes and get this ahit going. Hurry the hell up!
“Hair multiplication is too difficult and nobody wants to finance this.
Hey guys, we have the financing and technology to re-create Jurassic Park, but first let’s give this mouse golden NW 0 hair just because we can. But we definitely can’t do this in humans, so don’t even ask.”
At this point, they are mocking us and I find it insulting.
I had the same thoughts. They will literally make it possible to regrow human arms and legs like lizards can its tail or cure all diseases even the most difficult ones that might be completely mystery and affects like 0.00001% of population, clone entire human with hair of your choice at birth, bring back long extinct animals …but hair loss that at some point effects literally billions of people gets “oh, i don’t know if it makes a point from financial standpoint to invest in that.”
All these companies prime drive is money for sure, and definitely not some altruistic motives…but then they have this untapped potential trillion $$ hairloss market just eagerly wating for true cure and people would buy immediately but still here we are. What the hell they even want then?
You’ll see what will happen. At some point China will drop a cure for like $14 out of nowhere because they don’t give a damn about big pharma games and whatever….and everyone will go into panic mode and just suddenly all of them have a cure out of nowhere.
Unfortunately, systemic conditions (hair loss, height, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, etc.) are non-isolatable problems in genetic sequences: there are many combinations and interactions that make things super complicated.
Let me give you a hint: “practical” cure for cancer (which means treating cancer like treating HIV) will be achieved far, far before “practical” cure for atherosclerosis or diabetes. Although we have “practical” cure for hairloss, i.e. dutasteride, a pure solution for the problem will require techniques analogous to producing heart, kidney, eye. But see this news and its date :)
https://www.irishtimes.com/news/expert-predicts-headless-clones-will-be-used-for-human-organs-1.117413
Clascoterone phase 3, 6 month results anticipated early 2nd half of this year.
https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/243528/Cosmo-Pharmaceuticals-Delivers-Record-2024-Results-Completes-Phase-III-Enrollment-for-Androgenetic-Alopecia-in-Males-Proposes-Increased-Dividend-of-2.05-per-share-Reinforcing-Shareholder-Value-and-Growth-Momentum-into-2025
Why should those who profit from this put an end to cascades of millions? … We will NEVER cure baldness, now shut up and keep spending.
Readers, how annoying are the video ads and Grow favorite and share icons in the bottom and right side of the page? I can’t remove any of that stuff if I want to keep the ads.
I never get to see any of the intrusive ads as I am always logged into the site interface.
Am 50/50 about removing the ads. Would speed up the page load time a bit too.
Very annoying and it clearly downgrades usability, but I got used to the ads and buttons.
If it rakes in some cash you should keep them.
Thanks!
Agree with Ben, gotta pay the bills Admin, you deserve it for the work you put in. We can put up with some nuisance.
The only way to cure baldness is through AGI/ASI. Getting a drug to market approval using humans is too difficult and costly. At some point (around 2035) AI will be able to test millions of drugs/treatments on virtual patients in less than a year, with far less cost than human trials. Curing baldness with human scientists and human patients will not happen, because of the way science and the FDA are structured.
I’d love to be a mouse I’d have such an amazing head of hair!!!
Slightly off topic, but they’re not really bringing back Mammoths as much as they’re creating wooly elephants that look like mammoths.
ADMIN DID YOU SEE THIS??? https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/did-ucla-just-cure-baldness
Was discussed a few weeks ago. Just search the comments. I am outside right now.