The September 19 issue of Nature featured a news article titled “World’s first AI-designed viruses a step towards AI-generated life.” It reported on the design and synthesis of viral genomes using AI, demonstrating their potential to kill drug-resistant bacteria.
In practice, what AI designed were bacteriophages—viruses that infect bacteria—and these were then used to kill bacteria resistant to antibiotics. Ordinary viruses typically invade host cells, hijack the cellular machinery to replicate, and eventually kill the host cell. The coronavirus, for instance, uses its spike protein to attach to cells, enter them, replicate, and spread. The principle of mRNA vaccines is to artificially produce this spike protein, enabling antibodies to be generated that prevent infection or severe illness. These antibodies bind to the spike protein in advance, blocking the virus from entering cells.
Reading this reminded me of “007: No Time to Die,” which I watched on a flight to London. The film features the “Heracles Project,” a nanoweapon that targets specific human DNA, allowing it to kill only certain individuals. According to Wikipedia, “it can kill anyone it touches with symptoms resembling smallpox, and it can be programmed to target specific people by their DNA.” This is essentially the world of tailor-made bioterrorism.
A clear example of science fiction becoming reality is the mobile phone, which I first saw in Star Trek (a series that continues in various forms today). Communication between a spaceship and crew on a distant planet was once a dream, but now we live in an age where people can converse between the International Space Station and Earth. While I believe bioterrorism targeting specific individuals is still some way off, general bioterrorism could easily be carried out by sending infected individuals into a population during the incubation period. Even some 20 years ago, the TV series NCIS already featured such a storyline. And anthrax terrorism, of course, happened in reality.
On a side note, David McCallum, who plays medical examiner “Ducky” in NCIS, is also famous for his role as Illya Kuryakin in the TV drama The Man from U.N.C.L.E., where he rivaled the lead character. Back in my teens, I actually preferred Illya. His Scottish-accented speech in NCIS was also enjoyable.
Returning to the main point: from a national security perspective, countermeasures against bioterrorism are critically important. I assume Japan is also preparing strategies, but given the low literacy about mRNA vaccines observed in the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare’s advisory committees during the COVID-19 pandemic, I worry about how much expert knowledge is truly reflected in these policies. There is no doubt that a decline in scientific capability leads to a decline in national power. Yet even when I listen to discussions during the current party leadership race, I do not get a sense of any clear vision for the country’s future.
