Researchers have engineered entirely synthetic viruses that can invade bacteria and could offer new pathways to fight infection.

The bacteriophages, described in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) , target mycobacteria which are responsible for diseases such as leprosy and tuberculosis (TB).

Manipulating the genetic code of these mycobacteriophages by removing undesirable genes and adding helpful genetic payloads could provide new ways of treating antibiotic-resistant infections.

By adding or subtracting genes, researchers can understand the genetics of these ancient viruses as never before and tailor their genomes to invade specific bacterial hosts.

“If a phage has 100 genes, does it need all 10? What happens if we remove this one or that one?” said researc

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