A Mammoth Dilemma

The era of Pleistocene continued from 8 million years ago until 10,000 years ago [1]. Many genera and species such as coniferous trees, mosses, flowering plants, insects, molluscs, birds and mammals of that age still exist today [1]. Long horn buffaloes, saber tooth pussies, huge sloths, mammoths etc. can not survive [1]. In the last ice age, furry-like mammoth was a common mammal [2]. These animals are similar in size to elephants, but they are suitable for living in the typical extreme cold conditions of the ice age [2].

Today, Mammoth Biosciences has announced a new CRISPR-based bio development platform to the world. As the first investor in Mammoth, Ideas about how biotechnology companies like Mammoth fit the investment philosophy of network effect business, and what about traditional analog industry companies like biotechnology I would like to share it. It seems to be a technology company. CRISPR operates like a "nucleic acid search engine". It allows scanning of specific nucleotide sequences of RNA or DNA. The Cas protein can be used to indicate that a target genetic material has been detected. To date, most CRISPRs related to snoring have acquired therapeutic ideas for gene splicing and genetic editing, ie, cleavage and / or replacement of target spots in genetic material.

An estimated 150 million mammoths are buried in frozen Siberian tundra. One suggestion for scientifically using this preserved genetic material is to reconstruct a living mammoth. Although this has long been argued in theory, it has only recently become the subject of formal efforts, due to advances in molecular biology techniques and the cloning of mammals. According to the research team, mammoths can not be rebuilt, but they try to grow in "artificial uterus" which has some furry-like mammoth features. Since comparative genomics suggests that the mammoth genome is consistent with 99% of the elephant's genome, some of the researchers' goal is to identify elephants with several large genes that encode the appearance and characteristics of mammoth It is to design. As a result, it becomes 1% or less of the elephant - mammoth hybrid, mammoth gene. Currently, another project is working on gradually adding large genes to elephant cells in vitro.

Woolly mammoth is the main candidate for this work. Because the mammoth's close relatives are still alive you can try it - Asian elephant. Because of their similar genomes, wool mammoth genes can be compiled into the Asian elephant genome, and this combination lives as an elephant cousin and adapts again to the extreme conditions. The ultimate goal of the resurrection of Wooly Mammoth is to restore this extinct species so that a healthy herd can regenerate large tundra and northern forests in Eurasia and North America. The goal is not to make a complete copy of the huge mammoth, but to focus on the large adaptability of Asian elephant to prosper in the cold climate of the Arctic. History from the tissue culture of elephants to genome editing, and most importantly in the process of developing insights that contribute to Asian elephant conservation