Super Cetaceans

Revive & Restore received two outstanding proposals to overcome a major taxa-specific hurdle: reprogramming somatic cells into pluripotent stem cells for marine mammals. We are thrilled to partner these two teams to form our Super Cetaceans Collaboration, building community and a network of expertise within this field.

Project Team 1: Harnessing iPSC Technology for the Blue Whale: Conservation Effort for the Largest Animal on Earth

Induced pluripotent stem cells and in vitro gametogenesis for the Blue Whale as future tools for preservation of genetic diversity

Once hunted to the brink of extinction, Blue Whale populations have never fully recovered. Climate change, ship strikes, and other human activities continue to threaten their survival. In particular, the Antarctic blue whale, one of several subspecies, is critically endangered. 

A critical gap in Blue Whale conservation is our current inability to produce pluripotent stem cells or work with their germ cells. Unlike terrestrial species, where living cell lines or reproductive technologies are increasingly available, there are no such cellular resources for any cetacean, let alone the endangered Blue Whale. As a result, we lack the ability to investigate developmental biology, fertility, or the molecular underpinnings of reproduction in this species. This gap leaves conservationists with limited options when facing long-term risks like genetic bottlenecks, demographic collapse, or reproductive failure. Blue Whales have low reproductive rates and vast migratory ranges, making population recovery slow and difficult to manage. Existing strategies, such as habitat protection and hunting bans, are essential, but they cannot restore lost genetic diversity or safeguard reproductive capacity for future generations. 

Working collaboratively with the University of Hong Kong, this project aims to produce induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) lines and germline stem cells, as a first for a cetacean species. By establishing an unlimited, renewable, and pluripotent cellular resource for blue whales, we open the door to entirely new approaches for studying, preserving, and potentially restoring endangered marine mammal populations. The ability to generate germ cells – eggs, sperm, and germline stem cells – would lay the foundation for future use of assisted reproductive technologies, such as in vitro fertilization or germ cell transplantation. While such applications may still be several steps away, establishing these enabling technologies now provides a proactive strategy to support genetic diversity and population recovery of cetaceans worldwide.

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Project Team 2: Generation of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells From Cetacean Species

Achieving induced pluripotent stem cells from dolphins as proof-of-concept models, laying the groundwork for translation to endangered cetacean species.

Working collaboratively with the University of Calgary, this project aims to develop dolphin-induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) to address critical gaps in cetacean conservation. iPSCs for the dolphin will enable research into disease, environmental threats, and, of course, reproductive technologies.

By establishing protocols for deriving both stem and germ cells, this team aims to directly address challenges such as genetic diversity loss and dwindling population size for endangered marine mammal species. Outcomes will increase the options and tools available for conservation of vulnerable marine species, including the Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin, the Yangtze finless porpoise, and the blue whale. Importantly, iPSCs also provide platforms to test environmental pollutants, pathogens, and toxins, advancing veterinary care strategies.

While stem cell-based assisted reproductive technologies (e.g., in vitro gametogenesis and somatic cell nuclear transfer) hold promise for species recovery, no cetacean species has yet been used to derive iPSC lines. To bridge this gap, our Hong Kong team is working toward a proof-of-concept study using blood and urine samples from Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins collected during routine health checks at Ocean Park Hong Kong, prioritizing animal welfare. 

Leveraging their lab’s innovative re-engineered reprogramming factors and evolutionary biochemistry techniques, they are working to optimize transgene delivery methods, stimulate somatic cell proliferation, and generate the first dolphin iPSCs. In partnership with the University of Calgary, methods to differentiate iPSCs into germline stem cells will also be explored. This project is enabled by an advantageous collaboration with Ocean Park Hong Kong, which provides access to biological samples, technical expertise, and pathways to extend this work to other cetaceans.