javamutt's Journal: Bacteriophages: Another reason to love open source

This month's Wired Magazine contains an article about phages. Phages are Soviet discovered virii which effectively target and destroy antibiotic-resistant bacteria (as well as other strains). Western pharmaceutical companies and beuracracy are to blame for phages not being widely available here. Despite not having gained US acceptance, they are available over the counter in some European contries. Some people infected with drug resistant bacteria are even travelling overseas to get access to phages which haven't yet received FDA approval. Where there's a will, there's a way.

Part of what makes Phages interesting is comparing how they work to how our more common antibiotics work. According to the article: How Ravenous Soviet Viruses Will Save the World antibiotic molecules work by replacing stuctural emzymes in bacterial cell walls with themselves. Think of a mason replacing cement bricks in a wall with paper-mache bricks. Eventually the walls become liquid-permeable, and fluid rupures the cell walls killing the bacteria.

In contrast, a phage works by attaching itself to a bacterial cell, then injecting DNA into the host cell. Think of a mosquito here. The injected DNA replicates, and directs the host cell to manufacture new phages (inside the bacteria cell host). Eventually the phage clones burst through the cell wall, killing the host cell. Think of the movie Alien here.

The part of the article which really grabbed my imagination was when they talked about all of the money and time it takes to create an antibiotic. Unfortunately, these antibitocs are good only until evolution produces antibiotic resistant strains, then all the investment is effectively gone.

Phages aren't subject to obsolesence. You just need to figure out which phage like to eat the specific bacteria strain you are fighting. It just keeps working. Oh, and thanks to mother nature, between our rivers and oceans, there's a phage waiting to be found for (theoretically) every bacteria out there, and they evolve naturally alongside their beloved bacteria hosts. Yes, the means of locating the phages is reasonable, and much cheaper than developing a new antibiotic.

So, like a true geek, I naturally started thinking about this relates to technology. Over the years, Microsoft has conditioned us to believe that their software is the one antibiotic miracle drug to solve your problems. Like the US based pharmaceutical industry, they downplay the value of open source just like soviet developed bacteriophage methjods.

In the end it would seem that antibiotics are burning themselves out of usefulness, and we'll be back at mother nature's door as she continues to naturally evolve phages in parallel with bacteria. Likewise, business will eventually realize the futility of locking themselves into only seeing one door when there are two very nicely built doors in front of them. That's step one. Step two happens when business realizes that what's behind open source door #2 is a naturally evolving phage. One that evolves faster then closed source is capable of in the long run. Not only does open source appeal to me for political (perhaps religious?) and aesthetic reasons, but after reading this Wired article I am also drawn to open source because it seems to be more in harmony with its envronment.