A recent scientific breakthrough by an Ice Miller client has garnered headlines and captured the public’s imagination. Colossal Biosciences (Colossal), the world’s first de-extinction company, based in Texas, has pushed science a giant step forward through their success in creating a global-first iPSC (induced pluripotent stem cells) from Asian elephant, the closest living cousin of the now extinct wooly mammoth. These iPSC cells can be edited to give mammoth-like traits and allow for the creation of eggs, sperm, and embryos that could then be implanted into an artificial womb to generate an animal. This iPSC advancement could also ultimately help scientists understand Asian elephant’s resistance to cancer and could provide deeper insight into the biology of the pachyderm—with a goal of one day creating a species resembling the wooly mammoth.

Founded in 2021, Colossal is primarily focused on conservation efforts and de-extinction, a process of gene engineering technology that rebuilds and reintroduces the DNA of extinct animals once inhabiting the earth. Through this work, Colossal is heavily involved in environmental research and sustainability, driven toward reintroducing and reinvigorating a lost ancestry and climate into our biosphere.

Ice Miller’s equally dedicated team has supported Colossal with its patent prosecution and counseling work since 2022, including filing patent applications for technologies leading to the iPSC breakthrough.

Ice Miller Partner TaeSoo Sean Kim spearheads the Life Sciences Patent Prosecution and IP Licensing team that represents Colossal, with Partner Fabian Koenigbauer and Senior Patent Agent Andrew Baraniak serving as co-leads on the efforts. The client team is further supported by Weihong Hsing, Safet Metjahic, Jacqueline Lesser, and Michael Graham.