Technical Report on Mirror Bacteria: Feasibility and Risks

Once a biocontained mirror bacterium has been created, it would be comparatively straightforward to engineer it to be free of safeguards.

“Once a biocontained mirror bacterium has been created, it would be comparatively straightforward to engineer it to be free of safeguards ( 1 ).”

Reduced mortality due to predation could provide a fitness advantage that might allow colonization of some external environments, despite potential disadvantages such as reduced ability to acquire chiral nutrients.

“Reduced mortality due to predation could provide a fitness advantage that might allow colonization of some external environments, despite potential disadvantages such as reduced ability to acquire chiral nutrients ( 1 ).”

Several immunological defenses, such as the alternative complement pathway and some antimicrobial peptides, are less sensitive to chirality.

“Several immunological defenses, such as the alternative complement pathway and some antimicrobial peptides, are less sensitive to chirality ( 1 ).”

Achiral nutrients are available in quantities sufficient for growth of common bacteria in a wide range of natural environments, including within potential hosts.

“Achiral nutrients are available in quantities sufficient for growth of common bacteria in a wide range of natural environments, including within potential hosts ( 1 ).”

Reversed chirality makes mirror biomolecules resistant to normal forms of biological degradation.

“Their reversed chirality makes these biomolecules resistant to normal forms of biological degradation, leading to emerging applications such as long-lasting and non-immunogenic therapies ( 1, 4, 5 ).”

Similar evidence of vulnerability from partial immune impairment is seen in a wide variety of animal and plant immune systems.

“Similar evidence is seen in a wide variety of animal and plant immune systems ( 1 ).”

It is likely that technical barriers will be eroded as research progresses on related technologies, many of which are pursued for applications unrelated to mirror life.

“However, while timelines are necessarily uncertain, it is likely that barriers will be eroded as research progresses on related technologies, many of which are pursued for applications unrelated to mirror life ( 1 ).”

Unchecked replication of mirror bacteria within internal tissues is likely to be deleterious to the host organism and may be lethal.

“Unchecked replication of mirror bacteria within internal tissues is likely to be deleterious to the host organism, and may be lethal ( 1 ).”

Other pathways to constructing a mirror bacterium are plausible, such as engineering a natural-chirality bacterium to produce mirror proteins and nucleic acids in vivo.

“Other pathways to constructing a mirror bacterium are also plausible; for example, with further advances in synthetic biology, a natural-chirality bacterium might be engineered to produce mirror proteins and nucleic acids in vivo, which could provide a starting point for stepwise conversion into a mirror bacterium ( 1 ).”

Impaired chiral interactions could result in weakened immune recognition, a weakened innate immune response, and limited downstream adaptive immune activation in vertebrates.

“This could result in weakened immune recognition, a weakened response by innate immune systems, and (in vertebrates) limited downstream activation of adaptive immune functions ( 1 ).”

Invertebrate and plant immune systems are less well studied but appear to suffer analogous limitations to vertebrate immune systems against mirror bacteria.

“Invertebrate and plant immune systems are less well studied but appear to suffer analogous limitations ( 1 ).”

Once a method is developed to construct a natural-chirality bacterium entirely from synthetic DNA, synthetic proteins, and synthetic lipids, and once mirror versions of these components can be synthesized, a living mirror bacterium could be constructed in the same way.

“Once a method is developed that enables construction of a natural-chirality bacterium entirely from synthetic DNA, synthetic proteins, and synthetic lipids, and once mirror versions of these components can also be synthesized, a living mirror bacterium could be constructed in the same way ( 1, 9 ).”