Stanford and Arc Institute design 16 working phage genomes with the Evo AI models

Stanford and Arc Institute researchers used the Evo genome language models to design complete bacteriophage genomes from the lytic ΦX174 template; of roughly 300 synthesised designs, 16 produced viable phages that infected and killed E. coli, some overcoming the bacterium's natural resistance. Published in Science, it is the first peer-reviewed case of generative AI producing whole functional viral genomes — design-by-model moving from single proteins to entire organisms. The phages cannot affect humans, but the result drew immediate misuse warnings.

Source: science.org ↗