Project Φ3.0 - 3.3: Phage Technology

[Lilith]

Rsr. Aletheia Croft
 

Project Φ3: Bacteriophage

Abstract: Conventional medicine is often highly wasteful and dangerous due to it's high levels of reliance upon pharmaceuticals which often produce numerous side effects that both harm the imbiber and complicate treatment or themselves require treatment. As an alternative to this conventional approach to medicine the 112th stands to benefit from the introduction of Bacteriophage technology as it would dramatically reduce the amount of hard to come-by resource required to treat illness, such as antibiotics and general pharmaceuticals. Bacteriophage are viruses, retrofitted to target one specific strain of bacteria. They are capable of adapting and replicating not unlike a standard virus. The risk of harm to the host infected with such a virus is minimal as the virus, baring extreme and rare mutation, cannot harm any cells or bacterium other than that which it was designed to target. This is further reinforced as the Bacteriophage itself will often be tailor made for the individual and their subsequently unique strain of ailment. Once the bacterium targeted by the altered virus is eliminated the virus will ultimately starve and become inert. It is possible that the virus may also be capable of transferring from one host to another dependent upon it's base-viral-character. In this rare event, other individuals infected by the same source of bacterium as the treated individuals may also gain the benefits of the Bacteriophage. The Bacteriophage should take an amount of time to effect it's host similar to that of it's base-character-virus.

 

Entry 1. The study began with the acquisition of records recovered from old-world databases primarily consisting of abandoned soviet research. The data was translated and transcribed to modern units and scientific conventions. It is likely the research was abandoned during the fall of the soviet union due to the lack of capital-market appeal, as the treatment cannot adapt to the mass-market due to the requirement of individualist lab-work by trained professionals. Furthermore, the interests of pharmaceutical companies dictated the majority of research funding during the era of interest in Bacteriophage which itself would not only be a competitor to the pharmaceutical companies but possibly even a means of making obsolete antibiotic medicines entirely. For this reason, in reviewing the abandoned research it was decided that the legitimacy of the data and prospects of Bacteriophage was not challenged by it's prior abandonment.

Entry 2. Under my supervision, medical staff Leeds & Bennet assisted in the isolation of multiple Escherichia Coli (E. Coli) strains. The isolated strains were subsequently introduced into stable cultures, as well as common vermin in order to allow for organic replication. A retrovirus was than engineered by the researcher, and their assistant (Leeds) in order to normalize error variance each worked independently from the same source material. The rendered retrovirus was then tested on 68 samples of the same strain each. Both strains were successfully neutralized by the virus.

Entry 3. I volunteered as a test subject to be infected with a new strain of E. Coli to began human trials. The bacteria was introduced in such a way to produce the effect of a urinary tract infection to minimize possible harm in the case of test-failure. The bacteria was aloud to incubate fully.

Entry 4. Post-bacterial gestation a tertiary retrovirus was fabricated tailored to the subject's individual bacterial strain. Within 6 hours a reduction in symptoms was observed, subject tested negative for E. Coli in subsequent testing  conducted after two intervals equivalent to the gestation period (24 hours) of the viral-host: Rhinovirus.

- End of Test Phase One -

 

Discussion: Phase 1 of the Bacteriophage trials has shown the proposed theory to be valid. Further research will involve the testing of differential viral-hosting in the treatment of increasingly aggressive bacterium as well as repeated treatment of similar bacterium within a common subject to test for possible immunity development to the introduced retrovirus. Future research dependent upon the successful completion of study phase 2 may include the manipulation of Nanoviridae strains in order to combat viral infections in addition to bacterial infections.

Electron micro-imaging produced by a scanning electron microscope (SEM) shown below.

 

Entry 5. Samples for common more virulent bacterium where collected from Mobile Infantry personal upon return from missions. The target bacterium being staphylococcus and streptococcus due to their natural resiliency. Assisting personal where also instructed to look for samples of MRSA, however none were found. Dr. Chad McDonald was at this time also informed of the research goals and recruited to assist in sample collect. Mobile infantry Pvt. Vissarion Lobov Anatolievich was also recruited as a confederate to assist in the collection of volunteers.

Entry 6. After extensive culture and animal testing the formula was shown to reliably eliminate hostile bacterium. Based on this data as well as the prior data from soviet trials it was assumed safe for human testing. Human trials where conducted using staphylococcus and streptococcus; volenteers for the trials where provided with complete informed consent, documentation, and were required to sign releases and waivers prior to participation. Unconditional refusal of treatment was offered to the subjects expressly by the practitioner, both initial subjects where from the Mobile Infantry; Oliver Stanley & Vissarion Lobov Anatolievich. The subjects were treated with an aerosol and topical biotic to stimulate the development of a controlled case of the targeted infections. Samples were taken from the individuals as soon as possible to began development of a Bacteriophage cure; however the infections were aloud to fully gestate in order to ensure the treatments effectiveness on real-world illnesses.

Entry 7. Project temporarily suspended.
In preparation for the suspension subjects underwent examination to affirm the status of their health, before receiving the Bacteriophage treatment. Oliver Stanley displayed acute signs of infection, while Vissarion Lobov Anatolievich showed only minor irritation. Results of treatment will be reported for the record officially starting the project suspension.

Entry 8. Project restored.

Initial subjects made full recoveries with no signs of side effect after 7 days of suspension. Subjects refused anti-biotic treatment receiving only the experimental retrovirus.
- Repetitive trails will  test and measure for any signs of development of immunity to the bacteriophages by their targeted bacterium as to gauge the viability of long term treatment plans using bacteriophage.

 

Entry 9. Subjects were instructed to maintain above average water intake as they underwent the repeating trials by imbibing clostridium perfringens via pill. The Bacteria was selected for it's lack of communicability and low risk symptoms (Common Food Poisoning) as well as it's rapid development, making it the ideal candidate for repeated trials. Each Subject would allow six hours for the bacteria to develop before receiving Bacteriophage treatment. Blood tests would than be run during a 1 hour reprieve to monitor effectiveness of the phage on the targeted bacterium before the trial was repeated.

 

Results. (ongoing)
Subject Vissarion Lobov Anatolievich underwent the repetition process ten times before the bacteria in their system developed minor signs of resistance to the Bacteriophage being used.

 

Discussion

The data has thus far concluded the original hypothesis that bacteriophage technology is a viable alternative to the use of antibiotics. It is recommended that antibiotics remain present and stocked on the ship however, as Bacteria is capable of developing resistance to the bacteriophages, however; bacteria that do develop bacteriophage resistance lose their resistance to antibiotics and, similarly, bacteria that develop resistance to antibiotics lose their resistance to bacteriophage, meaning once a subject exhibits signs of a phage resistant bacteria they can be treated easily with antibiotics, and that any encountered "super-bugs" can be quickly neutralized with bacteriophages.

 

Project Φ3.3: Virophage

Abstract: Building upon the developments of Bacteriophage research and prior scientific explorations into the subject, the development and live testing of virophage technology should further reduce the 112th dependency upon pharmaceuticals for the treatment of viral illness. Additionally, in working on an increasingly smaller scale, Virophage research should allow for the groundworks to be laid for Genophage technology, enabling our researchers to better manipulate genetic sequences, in order to treat genetic disorders and liabilities prior to expression such as pre-disposals to cancers, hypertension, and diabetes.
 

Possible complications are indicated by the prior research, suggesting that obtaining a viable viral host to treat a given ailment can be difficult, as the majority of Nanoviridae are naturally hosted by species of flora and not fuana. This would mean either new nanoviridae must be discovered in alien species adapted for survival in animal hosts, or the more readily available flora-based Nanoviridae must be artificially adapted to human hosts in addition to any beneficial retrofitting for the treatment of targeted illness. This stated, it is anticipated that the cooperation of the Mobile Infantry will be needed to acquire potential natural hosts for Nanoviridae as well as laboratory equipment capable of retrofitting Nanoviridae.

 

Entry 3-1. Two viable Nanoviridae host-samples have been collected via the efforts of the Mobile Infantry. Micro-imaging shows that the samples are virulent and respond aggressively to other viral samples collected from the host-sample's native biome. As depicted below, the Nanoviridae class virophage that naturally occurs in the collected samples readily co-opts the RNA storing body of non-nano-scale viruses in order to replicate. The process is otherwise unremarkable similar to bacteriophage.

The collected floral samples have been isolated in hydroponic care designed to replicate their saline-rich natural habitat in order to generate a steady supply of test material through the replication and preservation of the original subjects.

 

Entry 3-2 Eugenic trails are currently underway to adapt the floral Nanoviridae to mammalian hosts. Artificially replicated Nanoviridae collected from the original hosts are being separated into 10,000 micro-samples designed to simulate increasingly hostile environments. Surviving Nanoviridae from initial exposure are than replicated, and repeatedly exposed to the same environment until a minimum 95% confidence interval is achieved in determining Nanoviridae survival at which point the environmental hostility is increased marginally and the process is repeated.
-Adaption likely not possible without an increased staff size, current independent trials provide proof of concept for later continued research.

Edited June 7, 2019 by Lilith