Colossal Biosciences的Ben Lamm和Anduril的Palmer Luckey曾有一个想法，即为美国军方、执法部门和其他应急响应团队基因工程化培育军犬。这一想法于周四宣布正式走出隐身模式，成立Warhound公司，并获得包括In-Q-Tel、Sequoia和8VC在内的投资者提供的2亿美元融资。这一轮融资将公司估值定为12亿美元。
Colossal Biosciences’ Ben Lamm and Andruil’s Palmer Luckey had an idea to genetically engineer war dogs for the U.S. military, law enforcement, and other emergency response teams. That idea, on Thursday, announced its emergence from stealth as Warhound, armed with $200 million in funding from investors including In-Q-Tel, Sequoia, and 8VC. The round values the company at $1.2 billion.
这些狗执行对人类危险或机器难以完成的任务，如炸弹探测、搜索和其他专业行动。在其发布公告中，公司表示，美军使用的工作犬中超过80%来自欧洲，其中不足一半适合服役。
These are dogs that perform tasks that are dangerous for humans or difficult for machines, like bomb detection, searches, and other specialized operations. In its launch announcement, the company said that more than 80% of the working dogs used by the U.S. military come from Europe and less than half of them are fit for service.
因此，不仅适合这些任务的工作犬供应在减少，美国对外国提供的、在美军和执法中发挥重要作用的狗的依赖也日益加深。这正是Warhound试图解决的关键问题。公司在新闻稿中表示，希望Colossal能利用其技术培育出具有“适合高要求任务特征”的狗。
So not only is there a dwindling supply of working dogs for these tasks, but the U.S. has also become increasingly reliant on foreign nations for dogs that play an important role in the U.S. military and in law enforcement. That is key for what Warhound is trying to do. The hope is that Colossial can use its technology to engineer dogs with “characteristics suited to demanding missions,” the company said in a press release.
Lamm告诉TechCrunch，他大约一年前在一次会议上结识了Luckey，这位Anduril联合创始人当时提出要为美军工作犬做更多事情。两人保持联系，Lamm进行了更多研究，了解到繁育问题。许多狗因遗传倾向导致视力差、癌症高发、髋关节发育不良或肌肉萎缩等问题，无法通过训练。
Lamm told TechCrunch he met Luckey about a year ago at a conference, where the Anduril co-founder brought up doing more for working dogs in the U.S. military. The two kept in touch, and Lamm did more research, learning about the breeding issues. Many dogs do not make it through training because of genetic dispositions for issues like poor eyesight or the high possibilities of cancer, hip dysplasia, or muscle atrophy.
拉姆认为，可以通过基因技术让狗在健康、寿命以及“速度、敏捷度等方面得到增强，或者强化嗅觉传感器用于探测炸弹等”，他表示。他的团队研究了表现最优秀的工作犬品种——比利时马利诺斯犬和德国牧羊犬，从它们身上提取细胞系并存入生物样本库。随后，他们将编辑基因，加入能让狗表现更好的基因，去除不利基因，以创造“一种新型的狗”。与此同时，Anduril将为狗用防护背心、护目镜等装备提供软硬件增强，协助犬只及其训导员在态势感知、协同配合等方面。
Lamm believed dogs could be enhanced for health, longevity and “for things like speed and agility or enhance olfactory sensors for bomb sniffing and whatnot,” he said. His team looked at the top-performing working dog breeds — the Belgian Malinois and German Shepherd — taking the cell lines from them and putting them in a biobank. From there, they will edit the genes, adding the ones that will make the dogs perform better while taking out the ones that won’t, to create “a new type of dog.”Andruil, meanwhile, will provide software and hardware enhancement for items such as dog protection vests and eye goggles to assist the dogs and their handlers with matters like situational awareness and coordination.
他举例说，设想一下配备数据传感器的防弹背心，能将信息反馈给训导员，让他们更好地了解现场情况。
He said to imagine, for example, bulletproof vests that have data sensors that give information back to the handlers so they can better understand what is happening.
“思路是，如果我们让狗更安全、更健康、表现更好，它在执勤时就会表现得更好，”拉姆说。他补充称，Anduril的增强措施旨在从狗的非遗传层面让它们更安全、更健康，“是在狗身上，而非在狗体内”。他相信，这种增强也能更好地保护狗的人类训导员。
“The idea is, if we make the dog safer, make it healthier, make it perform better, it’s going to perform better in the line of duty,” Lamm said. He added that Anduril’s additions aim to make the dogs safer and healthier outside of their genetic components, “on top of the dog, not in the dog.”He believes such enhancements will also protect the dogs’ human handlers better.
拉姆告诉《TechCrunch》，拉基并不持有该公司股权，只是合作伙伴；科洛萨尔持有该企业的股权，并通过授权其技术予以支持。
Luckey doesn’t own equity in the company and is only a partner, Lamm told TechCrunch, clarifying that Colossal owns equity in the business, which it supports with licensing its technology.
科洛萨尔目前因致力于复活渡渡鸟、猛犸象等灭绝动物而为人所知。正如拉姆早前对《TechCrunch》所说，公司一直在利用人工智能、采购并自建技术，以协助基因克隆以及动物基因的鉴定与重现。
Colossal is currently known for its de-extinction efforts of animals like the dodo and the mammoth. As Lamm previously told TechCrunch, the company has been using AI, buying and building technology to help with gene cloning and the identification and reproduction of animal genes.
首批犬只即将开始克隆与孵化，预计明年早些时候出生，理想情况下将在未来两年内投入服务，Lamm 表示。Colossal 旗下的另一家公司 Viagen 正与 Warhound 合作，协助克隆这些犬只。Lamm 称，Viagen 的克隆技术成功率很高，Colossal 目前正将其用于保护濒危物种的项目中。
The first batch of dogs is about to be cloned and incubated and is expected to be born early next year, ideally entering service within the next two years, Lammn said. Another company owned by Colossal, Viagen, is partnering with Warhound to help clone the dogs. Lamm said Viagen’s tech has a high success rate with cloning and Colossal currently uses it for its program to help protect endangered species.
这家初创公司尚不清楚将为这些犬只定何价格，但预计将向第一响应者、国防部、军事服务组织和警方等买家出售。当被问及政府批准情况时，Lamm 表示，公司已向许多政府团体介绍了该业务。
The startup doesn’t know yet how much it will charge for the dogs but expects to sell to parties like first responders, the Department of Defense, military service groups, and police forces. When asked about government approval, Lamm said the company has briefed many government groups about the business.
关于投放基因增强犬只涉及的对平民的责任与安全问题，Lamm 表示，这些犬只将像任何军用工作犬一样接受训练，并由购买方进行管理。
In terms of the responsibility and safety of civilians when it comes to releasing genetically enhanced dogs, Lamm said the dog will be trained like any military working dog and will be managed by whoever buys it.
公司表示，正在美国人道协会的指导下工作，以帮助认证 Warhound 为这些新培育的服役犬只制定的训练计划。同时也希望当这些新军犬退役时，能进入该协会的“军用工作犬团聚计划”，为退役军犬提供安置——或进入该协会提供的其他帮助犬只的项目。
The company said it is working under the guidance of the American Humane Society to help certify Warhound’s training program for the newly created dogs that will enter service. The hope is also that when these new military dogs retire, they will enter the Society’s Military Working Dog Reunification Program, which provides a home for retired military dogs— or another program the society offers to help dogs.