Colossal Biosciences has acquired Austin‑based Viagen Pets & Equine, keeping the company and its roughly 25 employees in Texas. Viagen — founded in 2002 — has cloned 15 species and biobanked samples from more than 40 species, including many that are threatened or endangered. Colossal said Viagen’s cloning and cryopreservation capabilities will support its de‑extinction and conservation programs, while company scientists and outside reporting stress that recreated animals cannot be exact replicas of extinct species. The acquisition expands Colossal’s technical capacity but also underscores ethical and ecological questions around de‑extinction work.
Colossal Biosciences Acquires Austin’s Viagen Pets & Equine to Accelerate Cloning, Cryopreservation and De‑extinction Work
Colossal Biosciences has acquired Austin‑based Viagen Pets & Equine, keeping the company and its roughly 25 employees in Texas. Viagen — founded in 2002 — has cloned 15 species and biobanked samples from more than 40 species, including many that are threatened or endangered. Colossal said Viagen’s cloning and cryopreservation capabilities will support its de‑extinction and conservation programs, while company scientists and outside reporting stress that recreated animals cannot be exact replicas of extinct species. The acquisition expands Colossal’s technical capacity but also underscores ethical and ecological questions around de‑extinction work.
02:40, 05.11.2025Science
Colossal Biosciences Acquires Austin’s Viagen Pets & Equine
AUSTIN — Colossal Biosciences announced Tuesday that it has acquired Viagen Pets & Equine, an Austin‑based animal cloning and reproductive‑technology company, in a move the company says will strengthen its cloning, cryopreservation and species‑restoration efforts.
Deal details and integration
Viagen, founded in Austin in 2002, will remain headquartered in Texas. About 25 Viagen employees will join Colossal and integrate into the company’s operations, Colossal said. The acquisition is Colossal’s first since its 2021 launch and follows the successful gestation of two previously announced spinouts, Breaking and Form Bio.
What Viagen brings to Colossal
Viagen describes itself as a global leader in animal cloning and reproductive services. According to Colossal, Viagen has:
- Successfully cloned 15 species, including the black‑footed ferret and Przewalski’s horse, with a Grevy’s zebra reported to be in gestation.
- Culture‑banked and cryopreserved samples from more than 40 distinct species, including 22 that are threatened or endangered — examples cited include the white rhino, black rhino, Florida bonneted bat, Perdido Key beach mouse and the Indiana bat.
- Advanced reproductive technologies for equine patients, drawing on decades of experience in the U.S. horse industry.
Colossal highlighted Viagen’s expertise in cryopreservation, the process of freezing biological samples at very low temperatures to halt metabolic activity and preserve materials for long‑term storage and potential future use in breeding or restoration programs.
"No other company comes close to what Viagen has achieved. Their unmatched expertise and cloning technology stack have become the world’s standard," said Colossal founder Ben Lamm in the announcement.
"At Colossal we believe cryopreservation and cloning are essential tools to preserve, revive and restore biodiversity," said Matt James, Colossal’s chief animal officer. "Viagen’s proprietary technology will fuel Colossal’s de‑extinction efforts and help preserve genetic diversity in our Bio Vaults."
Context: Colossal’s de‑extinction ambitions
Colossal has publicly pursued de‑extinction projects and said it performed a first demonstration related to "dire wolves" by applying genetic edits to modern grey wolves using DNA data derived from ancient remains (a roughly 13,000‑year‑old tooth and a 72,000‑year‑old skull). The company and outside reporting emphasize an important caveat: reconstructed or edited animals are not identical copies of extinct species.
Colossal’s chief science officer has noted that it is not possible to recreate an extinct species exactly, a nuance also reported by New Scientist in May 2025. The company frames its work as restoring functional traits and genetic diversity rather than producing perfect replicas of lost species.
Implications and considerations
The acquisition strengthens Colossal’s technical capacity for cloning and biobanking, which proponents argue can support conservation of endangered species and preservation of genetic diversity. However, these technologies raise scientific, ethical and ecological questions — including how restored or engineered animals would integrate with modern ecosystems, welfare concerns, and long‑term conservation priorities.
This article is based on a Colossal announcement and reporting by KXAN. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved.