US Biotech Firm Claims First Human Treatment with AI-Designed Phage
Radical Numerics announces its AI model designed a phage used in a compassionate use case for a drug-resistant infection, though outcomes remain undisclosed and unreviewed.
According to a report by TechNews, US biotechnology company Radical Numerics recently announced that a bacteriophage designed by its artificial intelligence model, Omnii-1, has been used in a human patient for the first time. The treatment was administered through a Compassionate Use mechanism to a patient suffering from a bacterial infection uncontrollable by antibiotics.
Radical Numerics stated that Omnii-1 is a multimodal genomic model capable of processing DNA, RNA, and protein information to generate phage-related sequences and predict their pairing relationships with bacteria. Before clinical use, the company tested the designs against antibiotic-resistant strains isolated from the patient, reporting that a cocktail including the AI-designed variants cleared the target bacteria in vitro.
Bacteriophages are viruses that specifically infect bacteria and are viewed as potential tools against antimicrobial resistance. Compared to broad-spectrum antibiotics, phages offer the possibility of targeting specific strains more precisely. However, the company did not disclose patient details or treatment outcomes, citing privacy concerns. Radical Numerics also cautioned that a single case is insufficient to prove the safety or efficacy of such therapies, noting that technical reports have not yet undergone peer review or been formally published in academic journals.