“Researchers at the University of Melbourne in partnership with the Colossal Foundation will advance conservation efforts to engineer immunity in amphibians, including Australia’s critically endangered Corroboree Frog, against a deadly fungal disease.

The Colossal Foundation, a non-profit organisation established by American de-extinction company Colossal Biosciences, have gifted US$3 million to the University of Melbourne over three years to help stop the spread of chytridiomycosis, a disease responsible for the extinction of 90 amphibian species to date and significant declines in 500 more.

This gift will support the work of Professor Andrew Pask, Dr Stephen Frankenberg and their labs in the Faculty of Science.

Dr Frankenberg and Professor Pask will strive to genetically engineer an approach to augment amphibians’ natural immune systems and provide a first line of defence against the chytrid infection.”

From University of Melbourne.