At Revive & Restore’s 2023 Stem Cell Workshop, three trans-disciplinary working groups were formed to tackle pressing conservation challenges. Teams were tasked with developing a big idea for how stem cell technology could make a measurable impact for wildlife conservation. Here we present the big idea they developed over the course of the 3-day workshop.

The Challenge

Reprograming in non-model species is VERY hard and under-resourced:

All current knowledge is human and mouse centric
Species are lost before cells are biobanked
There is a lack of universal protocols

The Solution

Building an All-Inclusive Reprogramming Kit: ARK

Reprogramming solutions for all species
Better, broader, more efficient

Phase I: Partner with laboratories with established models across the phylogeny.

Known species-specific TFs
Identify conserved TFs
Synthetic biology for superfactors / small molecules
Validate iPSCs

Phase II: Expansion to established endangered species models / teams

Partner with people who work on endangered species to test efficacy and ARK deployment across a broader array of species

Phase III: Deploying the ARK

Engage with 100 jurisdictions within biodiversity hotspots
Capacity building – infrastructure development for kit building and biobanking
Centralized methods for sharing and cataloging data
Annual consortium with representatives from all jurisdictions, bioethicists, leading conservationists to discuss progress and challenges
Fed into the R+D process though an objective 3rd party.

The Team

Qiuye Bao
Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Singapore
Tom Burdon
The Roslin Institute, Scotland
Timo Kohler
University of Cambridge, UK
Uma Lakshmipathy
Thermo Fisher Scientific, USA

Sara Ord
Colossal, USA
Andrew Pask
University of Melbourne, Australia
Francisco Pelegri
University of Wisconsin, USA
Oliver Ryder
San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, USA
Woranop Sukparangsi
Burapha University, Thailand

Nicole Tay
Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Singapore
Jessye Wojtusik
Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium, USA
Jun Wu
University of Texas Southwestern, USA

About Revive & Restore

Revive & Restore (reviverestore.org) is the leading wildlife conservation organization promoting the incorporation of biotechnologies into standard conservation practice. The Sausalito, California nonprofit was formed in 2012 with the idea that 21st century biotechnology can and should be used to enhance genetic diversity, build disease resistance, facilitate adaptation and more. Its mission is to enhance biodiversity through the genetic rescue of endangered and extinct species.