We’re excited to share a recent op-ed authored by R&R Program Manager and Stem Cell Program Lead, Dr. Ashlee Hutchinson. In her piece, published by SynBioBeta, Dr. Hutchinson highlights the transformative role stem cell technology can play in addressing the biodiversity crisis.
Our Vision for iPSC Technology
Graphic courtesy of SynBioBeta
While induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) have gained recognition in the synthetic biology community primarily for cellular agriculture and medical research, Dr. Hutchinson argues their full potential remains vastly untapped. These remarkable cells—reprogrammed from any adult tissue—hold the key to revolutionizing how we approach species conservation.
The op-ed explores how we’re leveraging iPSCs to potentially reverse extinction trajectories by establishing methods to grow embryos from endangered species in the laboratory setting. This technology offers a pathway to produce offspring for critically endangered species and engineer resilience against extinction pressures.
Groundbreaking Achievements
Dr. Hutchinson details remarkable progress in the field, including how researchers in Japan have successfully produced healthy mouse offspring from gametes (reproductive cells) derived from skin cells—demonstrating the feasibility of this approach. She also highlights inspiring work happening with the Northern White Rhino, now down to just two remaining females. Scientists at the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance and Leibniz Institute have developed iPSCs for this species and differentiated them into gamete precursor cells.
These advancements confirm that with the right support and innovation, we can harness stem cell technology to create new possibilities for species on the brink of extinction.
Our Work
In her op-ed, Dr. Hutchinson outlines several key initiatives we’ve undertaken to catalyze this field:
- In 2023, we hosted the Stem Cell Technology For Genetic Rescue Workshop in La Jolla, California, bringing together leaders in the field to identify opportunities and challenges.
- Following the workshop, participants co-authored a call-to-action published in the journal Development, outlining the profound potential for leveraging this technology.
- We’ve established an Applied Stem Cell Conservation Fund to support innovative research.
- Our recent Request For Proposals generated an overwhelming response from the global community, with proposed projects targeting over 100 wild species spanning the evolutionary tree of life.
Challenges and Opportunities
Despite this tremendous potential, Dr. Hutchinson addresses significant remaining challenges. Each species’ genome encodes unique regulatory mechanisms that can interfere with traditional reprogramming methods. The field needs standardized data and innovative approaches to accelerate progress.
She proposes leveraging high-throughput methods and AI to develop multi-modal models that detect patterns in pluripotent cells from diverged lineages and predict better ways to induce pluripotency across the evolutionary tree. Dr. Hutchinson presented one version of how this might work at a Reinvent Future’s event, “How Can AI Accelerate Progress In The Bio-World,” hosted in San Francisco in 2024.
Meet Us at SynBioBeta in May
Revive & Restore will be attending SynBioBeta this May and would love to connect with fellow innovators interested in the intersection of synthetic biology and conservation! This is an exciting opportunity to discuss collaborations and partnerships that could bring this cutting-edge biotechnology to wildlife preservation.
