Patient receives AI-designed bacteriophages for resistant infection under compassionate use

Radical Numerics says it has administered AI-designed bacteriophages to a patient for the first time, under a compassionate-use arrangement. The viruses target bacteria rather than human cells, and the treatment marks a step from laboratory research towards clinical use against antibiotic-resistant infections.

The company says its Omnii-1 model designed phages that eliminated the patient’s resistant bacterial isolate in laboratory tests before the cocktail was given to the patient. It has not disclosed the patient’s infection or the outcome, citing privacy and cautioning that one case cannot establish safety or effectiveness. Phage treatments can target specific bacterial strains, potentially sparing beneficial bacteria affected by broad-spectrum antibiotics.