Artificial Intelligence used to design brand new viruses
Of these, 16 proved effective at killing E. coli bacteria.Samuel King, a PhD student in the lab, said they realised the phage were working in the early hours of the morning. The phage were placed on petri dishes growing a layer of bacteria on them and the scientists waited for signs their new viruses were enjoying the feast."We were starting to see these clear spots and it was just extremely exciting," says King. The smallest genome of a living cell is around 500,000 base pairs.
- ▪Of these, 16 proved effective at killing E. coli bacteria.Samuel King, a PhD student in the lab, said they realised the phage were working in the early hours of the morning.
- ▪The phage were placed on petri dishes growing a layer of bacteria on them and the scientists waited for signs their new viruses were enjoying the feast."We were starting to see these clear spots and it was just extremely exciting," says Kin
- ▪The smallest genome of a living cell is around 500,000 base pairs.
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| Publication time | Thu, 06 Aug 2026 18:01:52 GMT |
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Artificial Intelligence used to design brand new virusesImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, A graphic showing one of the AI designed bacteriophage viruses made in the laboratory ByJames GallagherHealth and science correspondentPublished18 minutes agoArtificial Intelligence has been used to design brand new viruses that are fully functional and can replicate in the laboratory, say US researchers.It is the first time whole genomes have been successfully designed by AI.The resulting 16 novel viruses were created to infect bacteria and pose no threat to people.The breakthrough has been labelled a "very significant turning point" in science that could unlock a new era for treating disease.
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