CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — The fluorescent orange sticker atop the white machine reads “BIOHAZARD,” but it’s a bit of a misnomer. Although Earth abounds with pathogens that can maim, kill, paralyze, and poison, the specimens inside this machine — being pipetted left and right behind glass for sequencing — are probably the most innocuous human viruses you will ever encounter.
In fact, you have already encountered them: Right now, millions of these bugs, called anelloviruses, are swimming backstroke through your blood and lounging in the hot springs of your cells, harmless as a house cat. They have been found in astonishing variety on every inhabited continent and nearly every age group but somehow never seem to cause disease.
“It was kind of like a dandelion,” said Nathan Yozwiak, who runs viral genomics here at Ring Therapeutics, a biotech that derives its name from anelloviruses’ ring-shaped genome. “It’s innocuous, but it can also spread easily and it can spread everywhere.”
About the Author Reprints
To submit a correction request, please visit our Contact Us page.
STAT encourages you to share your voice. We welcome your commentary, criticism, and expertise on our subscriber-only platform, STAT+ Connect