Attempts to save species through habitat conservation, captive breeding, and education programs have helped some species such as the giant panda ( Ailuropoda melanoleuca) and the California condor ( Gymnogyps californianus). The earth is currently experiencing global wide extinction levels that are higher than any previously experienced, termed вЂњthe sixth extinctionвЂќ, which has ultimately been caused by human activities.

Advances in iPSC differentiation may enable generation of gametes in vitro from deceased and nonreproductive individuals that could be used to repopulate the species. This work is the first step of a long-term interdisciplinary plan to apply assisted reproduction techniques to the conservation of this highly endangered species. We used a nonintegrating Sendai virus reprogramming method and developed analyses to confirm the cells' pluripotency and differentiation potential. We generated iPSCs from fibroblasts cryopreserved in the Frozen Zoo В®: nine genetically diverse individuals of the functionally extinct northern white rhinoceros ( Ceratotherium simum cottoni) and two from the closely related southern white rhinoceros ( Ceratotherium simum simum). Generation of a set of iPSCs from multiple members of a species can capture some of the dwindling genetic diversity of a disappearing species. Future conservation efforts may be aided by the generation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from highly endangered species. Extinction rates are rising, and current conservation technologies may not be adequate for reducing species losses.

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