The Colossal Foundation Makes First Donation of US $1M as Part of $3M Commitment to Combat Chytrid Fungus, Save Amphibians from Mass Extinction, and Protect Endangered Ecosystems

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Since first appearing in the late 1970s, chytrid fungus has spread to over 60 countries, but Australia, Central America, and South America are particularly hard hit. The fungus has caused more species extinctions than any other known pathogen and continues to wreak havoc. And it is persistent. The fungus spreads by touch or by water, with zoospores even capable of swimming a short distance. In the right conditions, chytrid can live outside of its host for weeks, months or potentially years at a time.

“Helping to stop the spread of chytrid is a necessity to ensure healthy ecosystems globally,” shared Matt James, Director of The Colossal Foundation. “This isn’t optional. We have to give frogs a fighting chance and ensure they remain a vital part of our planet’s biodiversity for generations to come. This imperative is why we invested in the work that Dr. Frankenberg and Dr. Pask are committed to.”

This contribution will fund research into novel genetic strategies that could confer immunity from chytrid infection in numerous threatened species. Led by Stephen Frankenberg, the research will investigate the use of candidate factors that could be exploited to engineer immunity to frogs, complementing their own immune system and providing a first-line of defense against the pathogen. They will use the cane toad, an invasive pest species in Australia, as a model for developing the technology before applying it to threatened species such as the great spotted tree frog, green and golden bell frog, and corroboree frog.

“This funding will allow us to finally test a novel approach that we have recently been developing,” said Frankenberg. “It will exploit new immunology approaches and information from sequencing strategies that have only recently been accessible.”

“We are deeply grateful for this extraordinary gift,” said Pask . “ If we are successful, it will be a game-changer for amphibian conservation.

Amphibians play a critical role in ecosystems as pest controllers, bioindicators of environmental health, and essential components of food chains. Yet, they are among the most threatened groups of animals, with chytrid fungus being a primary driver of declines. If left unchecked, wide scale amphibian loss will also have negative impacts on humans. Amphibians play a key role in reducing human disease vectors, such as mosquitos carrying malaria, and provide sources of novel medicinal compounds.

“If all these reasons aren’t enough,” said Frankenberg, “amphibians are also simply fascinating and cute.”

The $3M donation will be distributed in three $1M allocations over the next three years supporting the work of Frankeberg, Pask and other PhDs in their labs as the project progresses.

“We built The Colossal Foundation to be able to take our technology and our relationships and apply them to the most pressing biodiversity challenges of our time, immediately,” said CEO and Co-Founder of Colossal, Ben Lamm. “Working on chytrid with novel gene-editing technologies is exactly the sort of work we want to be supporting.”

The chytrid project builds on research developed by Colossal in pursuit of the company’s efforts to de-extinct the woolly mammoth, dodo, and thylacine while building a universally impactful de-extinction toolkit. The toolkit is a combination of software and hardware tools, genomic innovations, scientific processes, and more. The approach being utilized by the chytrid team builds in particular on Colossal’s recent advances in multiplex DNA editing techniques developed by the Thylacine team. The commitment to translate these advances directly to protect and conserve living, threatened species solidifies Colossal’s commitment to conserve, preserve and restore fragile ecosystems.

Chytrid is a global problem that requires a global solution. The investment from The Colossal Foundation builds on previous research funded by public and private organizations around the world, including The US National Science Foundation, The David and Lucile Packard Foundation, Revive & Restore, and the Smithsonian Institution and Center for Conservation Genomics, and the Amphibian Survival Alliance.

ABOUT THE COLOSSAL FOUNDATION

The Colossal Foundation is a 501(c)(3) dedicated to supporting the use of cutting-edge technologies to conservation efforts globally to help prevent extinction of keystone species. The organization deploys de-extinction technologies and support to empower partners in the field to reverse the extinction crisis. www.ColossalFoundation.org

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The Colossal Foundation Makes First Donation of US $1M as Part of $3M Commitment to Combat Chytrid Fungus (Photo Credit: Colossal Biosciences)