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AI creates first synthetic viruses (europe.pub)
submitted 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) by to c/fuck_ai@lemmy.world
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Why go for the cures right?
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[–] 3 points 2 months ago (2 children)

You realize your body is host to literally trillions of bacteriaphages right now? "Virus" doesn't automatically mean universal infecting agent. They need to be calibrated to specific bio-markers. Most bacteriaphages only infect a SINGLE species of bacteria.

And before you mention mutations and cross-species jumps, there is a very big difference between the viruses that infect you and I, and bacteriaphages. There has never, ever, not even one single solitary time, been an instance of a bacteriaphage suddenly mutating to start infecting macro-organisms.

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  • [–] 2 points 2 months ago (1 child)

    There has never, ever, not even one single solitary time, been an instance of a bacteriaphage suddenly mutating to start infecting macro-organisms.

    True and correct. And even modifying towards that isn't really worthwhile because there's better delivery mechanisms than bacteriophages for those avenues.

    But that doesn't mean improperly tailored bacteriophagy therapy isn't a concern for some macro-organisms. Like the kind that tends to operate with biology that is tightly interwoven with microbial life, even to degrees we have not yet fully made in-roads into enough understanding yet. Macro-organisms, like Humans.

    They need to be calibrated to specific bio-markers. Most bacteriaphages only infect a SINGLE species of bacteria.

    Yes. A real limitation of the approach some might say, especially anything naturally selected for. Wait, did I say might say?

    https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11876824/

    Even from the abstract dated two years ago, you should be able to glimpse the fact that there's multiple approaches under study to circumvent these limits. It is very required if the technology is to live to it's potential. From nano-particles supplementary structures (with as of yet unknown immune responses), to phage cocktails. A lot of good science that could be easily carried out wrongly in the future, given the right causes or incentives or plain bad luck.

    Imagine we get to the vibecoding equivalent of this (I know it seems absurd, but so has everything else)? Epidemics of lactose intolerance, nutrient malabsorption, and mental health crises, because a future FDA went even more...whatever the hell they currently are doing. I want my body's microbiota to only be subject to my abuses.

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  • [–] 4 points 2 months ago

    Okay, those are fair concerns, and it's refreshing to see actual founded rebuttals instead of the slack jawed "But science scary!"

    True, an improperly built phage could cause some harm. But the goal is to make killers, not modifiers. And most of what you covered is powered by enzymes your body makes, not bacteria in your gut. And worst case scenario, let's say it does affect some of the microbes that assist in nutrient absorption, the answer to that is to nuke your gut, and get a faecal transplant. Not ideal, but very common.

    Could this go awry? Yes, in the ways ALL medical research has the potential to go awry. But this is an objectively positive discovery that is undoubtedly going to save millions, maybe even billions of lives. Antibiotics is something that truly changed the course of our species, but it's effectiveness is limited, and we're nearing the end. This is a proposed answer to it, that will prevent you from dying of simple infections.

    Demonizing it helps nobody.

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