The Moonshot Podcast The Moonshot Podcast S2, Episode 2: Coding The Natural World
Apr 1, 2026
Relly Brandman, computational biologist building AI-driven 'virtual cells' to make biomanufacturing predictable. Brad Zamft, CEO of Heritable Agriculture programming plants to boost yield and resilience. They explore programming plants for drought and pest resistance, using RNA and models to design traits, and creating virtual cells to speed biomanufacturing from trial-and-error to scalable, AI-guided design.
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Fast Iteration In Arabidopsis Validated The Approach
- Heritable grew Arabidopsis to iterate fast: they measured leaf number, built models linking genes to that trait, then ordered gene edits to validate predictions.
- The team benchmarked against literature, found known genes, then discovered novel causal genes that matched model outputs.
Racing To Freeze RNA In Field Trials
- Field sampling demanded rapid, labor-intensive protocols: digging corn roots in sweltering heat and freezing RNA within minutes to preserve the true molecular state.
- Brad Zamft recounts racing from field digs to sampling stations and freezing tissue in liquid nitrogen thousands of times.
Bring Moonshot Culture To Your Startup
- Preserve a Moonshot culture when spinning out: prioritize valuing people, passion, and long-term investment over strict nine-to-five employment.
- Brad Zamft says building a culture that treats employees as valued people sustains mission-driven, nonroutine work.