US Scientists Create AI-Designed Bacteriophages for the First Time

A number of American scientists have, for the first time, successfully used an artificial intelligence (AI) model to design a complete, viable bacteriophage (phage) genome, according to a scientific paper published in the journal Science.

“In this study, we utilised the genomic language models Evo 1 and Evo 2 to generate complete phage genomes with realistic genetic architecture, as well as specificity towards the bacterial host Escherichia coli C (E. coli),” the paper explained.

Using the natural phage ΦX174 as a template, the group of scientists developed a method to generate and evaluate thousands of AI-produced genomes, nearly 300 of which were chemically synthesised and tested under laboratory conditions, yielding 16 viable phages.

The resulting phages differed from any known natural phage. They contained unique mutations, different genes and regulatory elements, and varied genome lengths.

In laboratory tests, a mixture of the AI-designed phages was able to eliminate E. coli strains resistant to the natural phage ΦX174.

Bacteriophages are a type of virus that can specifically destroy bacterial cells. Phage means “bacteria eater” in Greek.