Palmer Luckey's Dog Startup Raises $200 Million for Military Gene Editing

Dogs used by the military will soon undergo genetic modification, according to reports released on October 23, 2026. A new startup called Warhound is leading the effort. The company states that its genetically enhanced animals will detect explosives and assist in troop protection.

Warhound has raised $200 million to fund this project. Sequoia is among the investors providing capital for the venture. Colossal Biosciences is also involved in the process. That firm will handle the cloning and gene-editing work for the canines.

The funding allows the company to begin modifying the DNA of working dogs. The goal is to create animals with specific traits suited for military operations. This marks a distinct shift in how the U.S. armed forces acquire and train their canine units.

In separate health news, Moderna and Merck shared new data on an mRNA cancer vaccine. The treatment reduced death rates by 42% in clinical trials. It also lowered the risk of cancer returning in patients with melanoma.

Researchers announced that a gene-editing technique called prime editing has reached its first human patient. This tool rewrites DNA within liver cells. The milestone represents a new method for altering human genetic code directly in the body.

Cybersecurity experts noted that recent flaws in PHP have not yet led to successful attacks. The vulnerabilities are harder to exploit than initially feared. Website operators were urged to apply patches after the bugs caused global outages. Software developer Ian Landsman called volunteer Ondřej Surý an unsung hero for his patching work. He warned that if anything happens to Surý, the internet infrastructure is at risk.

President Donald Trump stated that Elon Musk restored Ukraine's access to Starlink. However, President Volodymyr Zelensky said the service speeds remain capped. The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump asked Musk to lift those speed limits.