Item 5 of 5 A handbag made using T. rex fossil-derived collagen is on display at Museum ArtZoo in Amsterdam, Netherlands, April 2, 2026. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw[5/5]A handbag made using T. rex fossil-derived collagen is on display at Museum ArtZoo in Amsterdam, Netherlands, April 2, 2026. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tabSummaryHandbag made using T. rex collagen unveiled in AmsterdamScientists used protein fragments and genetic engineeringExperts express scepticism over 'T. Rex leather'AMSTERDAM, April 2 (Reuters) - Scientists and designers unveiled on ​Thursday a handbag made with collagen derived from Tyrannosaurus rex fossils from the U.S. ‌in a unique creation intended to demonstrate the value of laboratory-grown leather.The teal-coloured bag will be displayed on a rock in a cage under a replica of a T. rex at Amsterdam's Art Zoo museum until May ​11 after which it will be auctioned, with a reported starting price of more ​than half a million dollars.Learn about the latest breakthroughs in AI and tech with the Reuters Artificial Intelligencer newsletter. Sign up here.Scientists behind the initiative said the material was ⁠developed using ancient protein fragments extracted from dinosaur remains that were inserted into an unidentified animal's ​cell to produce collagen that was turned into leather."There were a lot of technical challenges," said ​Thomas Mitchell, CEO of The Organoid Company, one of three companies behind the so-called "T. rex leather" bag.Genomic engineering firm Organoid and creative agency VML, another of the firms behind the project, previously collaborated on creating a giant ​meatball in 2023 by combining the DNA of a woolly mammoth with sheep cells.Che Connon, CEO of ​Lab‑Grown Leather Ltd. that worked on producing the leather for the handbag from the engineered collagen, said the T. ‌Rex ⁠origin gave it extra "oomph"."It's not just about a green alternative to leather, it's a technological upgrade