A handbag made from lab-grown Tyrannosaurus rex collagen is set to go under the hammer at Hôtel Drouot in Paris, with an estimated price of €300,000 to €500,000 (approximately $347,081 to $578,469). The auction is scheduled for June 11.
This marks the first time a handbag has been created using material derived from the extinct predator's DNA. The process involved harvesting T. rex DNA, conducting phylogenetic analyses, and inserting the genetic material into a specialized bio-leather cell line genome. These cells were then transformed into skin and sustainably tanned to produce the leather.
Alexandre Giquello, the auctioneer from Hôtel Drouot, described the handbag as a "defining moment" in his career and a "historic milestone" that "challenges the boundaries of creativity and luxury."
The creation of the T. rex leather was a collaborative effort led by Che Connon, a professor of tissue engineering at Newcastle University. Researchers from the ad agency VML, genomic engineering firm The Organoid Company, and sustainable biotechnology company Lab-Grown Leather Ltd. were also involved in the project. Connon stated that the most challenging aspect was creating leather from cells, a feat they have now achieved using existing technologies.
Despite some skepticism regarding the validity of T. rex leather due to the passage of time and evolutionary processes, Connon insists that the materials are legitimate and the process is scientifically sound, asserting that "these are all things that have been proven."