AI creates 16 new viruses that never existed in nature after learning DNA’s pattern from 9 trillion nucleot...

Key Points:

• Researchers at Stanford University and the Arc Institute developed an AI model named Evo that can design new viral genomes by learning patterns in DNA sequences from trillions of nucleotides across diverse organisms.
• The AI-generated 700,000 potential viral genomes based on the Phi X-174 virus, and after synthesizing 285 candidates, 16 new viruses were successfully created that can infect and reproduce in E. coli bacteria.
• Unlike traditional virus synthesis that relies on existing genetic sequences, this approach enables the creation of entirely new viruses by discovering novel nucleotide arrangements that form viable genes.
• The study demonstrated practical applications by using AI-designed viruses to overcome bacterial resistance, as the engineered phages evolved to infect E. coli strains resistant to natural viruses.
• This breakthrough opens possibilities for advancing synthetic biology, antiviral research, and potentially developing new treatments by harnessing AI to design functional organisms never seen in nature before.