AI Creates Bacteria-Killing Viruses — A New Weapon Against Drug-Resistant Infections

 

Artificial intelligence has already broken its next boundary - it produces useful viruses that find and kill bad bacteria.

The discovery has the potential to transform the way humankind addresses infections forever, and the crisis of antibiotic resistance will be resolved.

How AI Designed Life

Scientists trained AIs using genetic information of thousands of viruses and bacteria.

The system was taught the methods through which viruses bind to bacterial cells, multiply and kill them.

Then, the AI developed new viruses with the help of the deep learning and the predictive modeling and made them faster, safer, and more efficient.

Such artificial phages were experimented in the lab and they were effective in killing antibiotic resistant bacteria that were not killed by conventional drugs.

Millions of lives have been saved by the use of antibiotics, however, through overuse, it has become less effective.

But now AI-programmed phages are able to do what antibiotics are unable to do that is adapt and evolve and attack with precision.

These viruses are more of smart weapons because they do not affect other parts of the ecosystem of the body other than harmful bacteria.

The Science Behind It

The predators of bacteria in nature are the phages or bacteriophages.

Re-engineering them with the help of AI, scientists will be able to take their targeting capabilities to the next level and even anticipate the mutation of bacteria prior to their occurrence.

The End of the Antibiotic Era

In case such technology gets in hospitals, then antibiotics may become irrelevant.

Rather, physicians would be able to request a specially designed phage depending on the type of infection in the patient.

Every therapy would be different, efficient and resistant to accumulation of drug resistance.

Safety First

These phages are not harmful to humans even though it is said that the word virus is used.

They are genetically designed to avoid infecting the human cells and they would disactivate themselves after completing the task.

Summary: The Future of Healing Has Come.

The capability of AI to develop bacteria-killing viruses is a turning point in the evolution of humanity - the digital intelligence and biology will become one forever.

This is not science fiction any longer, it is the next phase of medicine - we have all diseases having their ideal, witty match.