Doctors use AI-designed viruses to treat antibiotic-resistant infection

In a medical first, doctors have treated a patient with viruses designed using artificial intelligence to combat a life-threatening bacterial infection. The experimental therapy, approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), utilized a customized bacteriophage cocktail developed by the company Radical Numerics to target multi-resistant E. coli.

Laboratory tests confirmed that the genetically engineered viruses could successfully destroy the stubborn bacterial samples before clinicians proceeded with the administration. This breakthrough comes amid rising global concerns regarding antibiotic resistance. For instance, data from Canada indicated that resistant germs were responsible for approximately 5,400 deaths in 2018, with projections suggesting this figure could reach 13,700 annually by 2050.

Researchers note that phages can be highly precisely selected or synthetically adapted to eliminate specific pathogens, such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus, while sparing beneficial gut bacteria.