Scientists Used A.I. to Design New Viruses. The Technology Could Be a Boon for Medicine, but Experts Worry About Harmful Pathogens
The findings represent the first genomes, or complete genetic instruction books, designed entirely with generative A.I. The resulting viruses attack only bacteria, which could one day help overcome the problem of antibiotic-resistant microbes
Artificial intelligence is transforming biotechnology, capable of discovering drugs, modifying microbes, and decoding human genetics. For the first time, scientists have employed AI to create viruses never before observed in nature, as detailed in the journal Science on August 6. A preprint version of the research was also shared on bioRxiv last year.
These new viruses, simple and designed to target bacteria exclusively, have sparked both hope for innovative medicines and concerns over potential misuse. Patrick Cai, a synthetic biologist at the University of Manchester, highlights the significance of this milestone. Researchers utilized the generative AI models Evo 1 and Evo 2, trained on trillions of nucleotides from genetic sequences across various organisms, essentially functioning like large language models but for genetic sequences.
To evaluate Evo's ability to design a complete genome, the team focused on bacteriophages, viruses that primarily infect bacteria, offering potential treatments for bacterial infections that often develop resistance to conventional medicines. The study involved training Evo with more data from the Phi X-174 bacteriophage, infecting Escherichia coli with a 5,400-base pair genome.
By generating 700,000 potential phages based on Phi X-174, the team successfully created 285 lab-grown synthetic phages. Out of these, 16 effectively inhibited E. coli growth, with some even outperforming Phi X-174 in multiplication and gene transmission. The researchers also discovered that a mixture of these 16 synthetic phages could combat two strains of antibiotic-resistant E. coli, a task beyond the reach of natural phages or a cocktail of natural phages.
While excitement surrounds the potential benefits, including targeted bacteriophages for antibiotic-resistant infections, experts express apprehension about the biosecurity risks associated with designing functional viruses for harmful pathogens. Strict guardrails, screening, and oversight are essential to accompany this technology, preventing potential misuse.
Written by urgent.news from Smithsonian's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
