Anthropic's Wet Lab, Artificial Wombs in 24 Months, and Scalable Gene Editing | MOONSHOTS Live #297
Anthropic's Wet Lab, Artificial Wombs in 24 Months, and Scalable Gene Editing | MOONSHOTS Live #297
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Note: AI-generated summary based on third-party content. Not financial advice. Read more.
Quick Insights
  • No direct stock buy is supported by these insights: the named companies with the clearest biotech and AI themes are private, and Ginkgo Bioworks (DNA) and Cellularity (CELU) were mentioned without financial evidence or an endorsement.
  • For public-market exposure, treat DNA and CELU as watchlist names, and wait for evidence of customer adoption, improved lab productivity, or commercial traction before investing.
  • Monitor AI-enabled biology and lab automation for validated gains in research speed, experiment success, or cost reduction; the discussion suggests practical research support is more credible near term than autonomous organism design.
  • Treat Colossal’s 24-month animal ex-utero gestation forecast and gene-editing milestones as unproven claims, not investment catalysts, until independently demonstrated.
Detailed Analysis

Colossal Biosciences (private)

  • The company was described as valued at more than $10 billion. Its work includes de-extinction, gene editing, and conservation technologies.
  • The guest said Colossal was consistently delivering more than 300 edits at over 90% efficiency and was testing 1,000-edit deliveries, but stressed that the larger-scale effort was not yet proven.
  • He forecast that mammalian development and gestation entirely outside a surrogate could be achieved in animals within 24 months. He also said programmable design and synthesis of animal traits could be possible within a decade.
  • Colossal’s conservation technologies are made available for conservation use, and the company is working with global partners on biodiversity preservation.

Takeaways

  • The discussion points to potential opportunity in synthetic biology and conservation technology, but Colossal is private, and the transcript gives no financial details such as revenue, cash needs, or a path to public-market access.
  • Treat the timelines and editing milestones as company claims and forecasts, not established commercial results. The guest said the 1,000-edit work was still being tested and might not work.
  • Monitor evidence of successful animal gestation, reproducible gene-editing results, and adoption of its conservation tools. The transcript also highlights ethical and regulatory concerns, as well as scientific disagreement about the environmental effects of reintroducing species.

Astromech (private)

  • Described as a multi-billion-dollar spinout, Astromech is developing specialized models that analyze how genomes evolved and connect genetic data to traits.
  • The goal is to help broader AI models interpret biological data and prioritize where researchers should focus.

Takeaways

  • Astromech represents a potential specialized-data and AI infrastructure opportunity within biotech, rather than a claim that general-purpose AI can already design organisms reliably.
  • The guest argued that high-quality biological datasets may be more valuable than the models themselves. Investors evaluating this theme should look for evidence that proprietary data improves research outcomes or reduces development costs.
  • The transcript provides no details on Astromech’s revenue, customers, or investment terms.

Anthropic (private)

  • The guest said Colossal had received early access to models from Anthropic and OpenAI.
  • Anthropic’s recently announced wet-lab work was described as a positive signal for the industry. The guest argued that AI can help design simulations and experiments, but that physical lab work is still needed to validate results.

Takeaways

  • The discussion supports the broader thesis that leading AI companies may expand into biology, but it does not establish a specific investment case for Anthropic.
  • The guest’s view was that AI’s near-term value in biology may come from connecting research literature, improving experiment design, and supporting lab automation—not replacing experimental validation.
  • Anthropic is private, and the transcript gives no valuation, financials, or investable terms.

OpenAI (private)

  • OpenAI was also named as an early-access partner for its models.
  • The discussion focused on using foundation models as tools for biological research, rather than claiming they can independently solve genome-to-trait prediction.

Takeaways

  • OpenAI’s mention reflects potential AI applications in biotech, but the transcript offers no company-specific financial or product information to support an investment conclusion.
  • For the AI-in-biology theme, distinguish between assistance with research workflows and demonstrated, experimentally validated biological results.

Ginkgo Bioworks (DNA)

  • Ginkgo was mentioned among companies looking to test AI-driven lab automation. No specific product results, financial performance, or recommendation were discussed.

Takeaways

  • The mention connects Ginkgo to the AI-enabled lab automation theme, but is not evidence of commercial traction or an endorsement.
  • Investors would need to assess customer demand, the reliability of automated experiments, and whether automation improves research productivity at a sustainable cost.

Cellularity (CELU)

  • The guest cited Cellularity and its Life Bank USA offering, which stores cells from the placenta after birth, including stem cells and immune cells.

Takeaways

  • The example points to a potential cell-storage and cellular-therapy theme. The transcript does not discuss Cellularity’s financial performance, the commercial scale of the service, or a stock recommendation.
  • The product description alone is not enough to assess investment value; adoption, costs, and the ability to turn stored cells into useful treatments would require separate evaluation.

AI-Enabled Biology and Lab Automation

  • The guest said AI is already useful for biological research workflows and may help connect inconsistent scientific literature and improve experiment design.
  • He noted that published animal research can be difficult to reproduce, citing differences in gene naming, classification, and experimental methods. He said wet-lab experiments remain necessary to test and validate AI-generated ideas.
  • The discussion also referenced unnamed companies working on lab automation and biological models.

Takeaways

  • The most concrete near-term opportunity discussed is AI that supports researchers and laboratory workflows, rather than fully autonomous drug or organism design.
  • Look for measurable evidence of improved experiment success, faster research cycles, or lower costs. The transcript does not identify price targets or a timeline for commercial returns.

Genomic Data and Bio-Vault Infrastructure

  • Colossal is working with governments on localized biological repositories, or “bio vaults,” to preserve genetic material and support large-scale comparative genomics.
  • The guest argued that large, well-organized datasets could help researchers identify patterns across species and potentially inform conservation and human-health research.
  • He called for substantial government funding and international cooperation to preserve biodiversity, and said the company had conservation partnerships in multiple regions.

Takeaways

  • This theme could create opportunities in genomic sequencing, biological data management, and conservation infrastructure.
  • The transcript does not identify specific investable infrastructure providers or expected returns. It also describes government funding and collaboration as important, making public-sector support a key factor to monitor.

Synthetic Biology and Gene Editing

  • The guest described rapid progress in multiplex gene editing, moving from around 20 edits to more than 300 edits delivered at high efficiency, while testing 1,000-edit deliveries.
  • He said large-scale DNA synthesis could become a more practical route than ever-increasing multiplex editing, but acknowledged that current efforts remain experimental.
  • He emphasized that technologies developed for animals are not being applied to humans by Colossal and described human applications as requiring different governance and regulatory processes.

Takeaways

  • The discussion highlights a potentially transformative but highly uncertain area of biotech. Progress in editing capacity is not, by itself, proof of safe, reliable, or commercially useful products.
  • Track demonstrated results and regulatory developments rather than relying on extrapolations from early technical milestones.
  • Ethical, regulatory, and social-acceptance concerns were explicitly raised in the conversation.

Artificial Wombs and Ex-Utero Development

  • The guest forecast that Colossal could achieve full ex-utero gestation and delivery of animal mammals within 24 months. He distinguished this technical forecast from the separate ethical and social questions around human applications.
  • The conversation also discussed the need to provide socially appropriate care for animals, including species that depend on herds or other social structures.

Takeaways

  • Artificial gestation was presented as a possible future biotechnology milestone, not as a current human application or a demonstrated commercial product.
  • The stated timeline is a forecast. Evidence of safe animal outcomes and responsible animal care would be important milestones to watch.

Conservation and Biodiversity

  • The guest warned that humanity could lose half of biodiversity in the next 25 years and argued for investment in genetic backup infrastructure.
  • Colossal’s conservation work includes open-sourced technologies, global partners, and research related to species preservation and animal habitats.
  • The discussion of mammoths and climate effects included scientific disagreement: the guest said there was not consensus that mammoths would have the full climate impact some proponents predict, while arguing that reintroductions could still benefit degraded ecosystems.

Takeaways

  • Conservation technology is a long-horizon opportunity discussed in the transcript, with potential support from governments, foundations, and other institutions.
  • The biodiversity forecast and potential ecosystem benefits are not presented as guaranteed outcomes. Environmental effects, community views, and species-specific ethics are explicit factors to weigh.
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Video Description
The Mates sit down with Ben Lamm at MOONSHOTS Live 2026 to discuss why we’re entering a biological singularity, from Anthropic’s move into biology and scalable gene editing to the possibility of artificial wombs within the next 24 months. This episode was filmed at Moonshots Live 2026. Learn more at https://moonshots.com/ Get access to metatrends 10+ years before anyone else - https://qr.diamandis.com/metatrends Peter H. Diamandis, MD, is the Founder of XPRIZE, Singularity University, ZeroG, and A360 Salim Ismail is the founder of Open ExO, a GP at Exponential Venture Capital/The Organizational Singularity Fund and a sought after global speaker and thought leader. Dave Blundin is the founder & GP of Link Ventures Dr. Alexander Wissner-Gross is a computer scientist and founder of Reified Ben Lamm is the co-founder and CEO of Colossal Biosciences, a biotechnology company using genetic engineering and AI to advance species preservation and de-extinction efforts. – Chapters 00:00 Woolly Mammoths, CRISPR & Colossal’s Moonshot 01:22 Why Ben Lamm Entered Synthetic Biology 04:30 The Business Model for AI + Biology 07:49 Can AI Understand a Genome? 09:49 De-Extinction & Engineering Life 14:41 Designing Animals & the Ethics of De-Extinction 19:21 Are We Entering a Biological Singularity? 20:27 Scalable Gene Editing & DNA Synthesis 22:05 Artificial Wombs Within 24 Months? 23:05 Colossal’s Next Major Breakthrough 24:11 Mapping Genotype to Phenotype 27:14 Moonshots, Conservation & Ex Utero Mammals 31:30 Can Woolly Mammoths Help Fight Climate Change? 34:46 Astromech, Biodiversity & the Future of Biology – This event is presented with: Google — https://www.google.com/ Circle — https://www.circle.com/ Future Vision XPRIZE Partners: Salesforce — https://www.salesforce.com/ ARK Invest — https://www.ark-invest.com/ Xsolla — https://xsolla.com/ Range — https://www.rangemp.com/ Build with Gemini XPRIZE Partner: Google — https://www.google.com/ _ Connect with Peter: X: https://qr.diamandis.com/twitter Instagram: https://qr.diamandis.com/instagram Substack: https://substack.com/@peterdiamandis Website: https://www.diamandis.com/ Xprize: http://www.xprize.org A360: https://www.abundance360.com/ Connect with Dave Web: https://db2.ai X: https://x.com/DaveBlundin?s=20 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dave-blundin Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dave.blundin TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@daveblundin Connect with Salim: Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/salimismail/ X: https://x.com/salimismail Join Salim’s 10x Shift: https://openexo.com/10x-shift?channel=moonshots Subscribe to Salim’s channel: https://www.youtube.com/@SalimIsmail Exponential Venture Capital: https://organizationalsingularity.fund Connect with Alex Web: https://www.alexwg.org LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwg/ X: https://x.com/alexwg Email: alexwg@alexwg.org Substack: https://theinnermostloop.substack.com/ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1thtZk5vHTXbtDHezPT7tl Threads: https://www.threads.com/@alexwissnergross Connect with Ben Website: https://colossal.com X: https://x.com/BenLamm LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benlamm Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/benlamm/ Listen to MOONSHOTS: Apple: https://qr.diamandis.com/applepodcast Spotify: https://qr.diamandis.com/spotifypodcast Follow MOONSHOTS: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/moonshots_pod/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@moonshots_pod X: https://x.com/moonshots_pod Threads: https://www.threads.com/@moonshots_pod – *Recorded on September 25th, 2026 *The views expressed by me and all guests are personal opinions and do not constitute Financial, Medical, or Legal advice.
About Peter H. Diamandis
Peter H. Diamandis

Peter H. Diamandis

By @peterdiamandis

Tracking the future of technology and how it impacts humanity. Named by Fortune as one of the “World's 50 Greatest Leaders,” ...