sharon sanders
Editor-in-Chief & President
h/t @Globalbiosec
Generative design of bacteriophages with genome language models
Samuel H. King https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1260-5045, Claudia L. Driscoll https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2285-6910, David B. Li https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8921-5168, Daniel Guo https://orcid.org/0009-0002-5347-7569, Aditi T. Merchant https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9465-1351, Garyk Brixi https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1253-0522, Max E. Wilkinson https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4738-9503, and Brian L. Hie https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3224-8142Authors Info & Affiliations
Science
6 Aug 2026
Vol 393, Issue 6811
DOI: 10.1126/science.aec265
snip
CONCLUSION
Our results demonstrate that generative models capture evolutionary constraints in DNA sequences with enough fidelity to produce complete bacteriophage genomes divergent from those observed in nature and with prespecified traits. Our approach expands what synthetic genomics can achieve alongside methods such as directed evolution and rational engineering, lays out a path for generating adaptive and resilient phage therapies against rapidly evolving pathogens, and establishes a foundation for the generative design of larger, more complex genomes. Genome design can augment the broader toolkit of genome sequencing, synthesis, and editing, enabling the composition of biological systems at the genome scale.
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aec2657
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Comment -
h/t @carlzimmer
snip
Dr. Moritz Hanke, a fellow at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security who was not involved in the new study, said governments and scientific organizations have been slow to develop guardrails that could block the creation of a deadly virus — even as the science races ahead.
“There’s just a huge disconnect,” he said.
more... https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/06/...le_code=1.3VA.NgHf.5FquAWhmxJef&smid=tw-share
Generative design of bacteriophages with genome language models
Samuel H. King https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1260-5045, Claudia L. Driscoll https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2285-6910, David B. Li https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8921-5168, Daniel Guo https://orcid.org/0009-0002-5347-7569, Aditi T. Merchant https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9465-1351, Garyk Brixi https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1253-0522, Max E. Wilkinson https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4738-9503, and Brian L. Hie https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3224-8142Authors Info & Affiliations
Science
6 Aug 2026
Vol 393, Issue 6811
DOI: 10.1126/science.aec265
snip
CONCLUSION
Our results demonstrate that generative models capture evolutionary constraints in DNA sequences with enough fidelity to produce complete bacteriophage genomes divergent from those observed in nature and with prespecified traits. Our approach expands what synthetic genomics can achieve alongside methods such as directed evolution and rational engineering, lays out a path for generating adaptive and resilient phage therapies against rapidly evolving pathogens, and establishes a foundation for the generative design of larger, more complex genomes. Genome design can augment the broader toolkit of genome sequencing, synthesis, and editing, enabling the composition of biological systems at the genome scale.
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aec2657
-------------------------------------------
Comment -
h/t @carlzimmer
snip
Dr. Moritz Hanke, a fellow at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security who was not involved in the new study, said governments and scientific organizations have been slow to develop guardrails that could block the creation of a deadly virus — even as the science races ahead.
“There’s just a huge disconnect,” he said.
more... https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/06/...le_code=1.3VA.NgHf.5FquAWhmxJef&smid=tw-share