Test Subject 42:

  We’ve finally done it, we finally isolated the parts of the parasites genetic code that are responsible for genetic splicing. Unfortunately the genetic code responsible for self modification is completely separate from the code for host modification so it was a bit tricky to successfully isolate both at the same time. Our next step is to attempt to modify this genetic sequence in an attempt to reverse parasitism among our human patients. For now we’ll have to stick to testing on rodents but we’ve hit a major milestone today, perhaps one that marks a new age for humanity even. I have hopes that we can use this parasite to perhaps enhance the natural capabilities of our species. Before I get ahead of myself we must figure out a way to remove the harmful parasites from their hosts without killing the host. I suspect that this can be done by altering the genetic sequence of the bits of DNA responsible for host and self modification.

  Hopefully by changing the parasite to favor the host's life over its own we can produce something more along the lines of a symbiotic organism rather than parasitic one. First things first we’ve managed to adjust the self modifying strand of DNA to hopefully rewrite the parasites objectives to favor the host, the problem we’ve encountered however is that by introducing this strand of DNA to an infected host body is problematic at best, largely due to the larger mass of malignant parasite overwriting the changes we’ve made. We need to find some way to change the genetics of a large section of the parasite before exposing it to smaller portions of parasite to give the new parasite, which I will now be calling a symbiote, a chance to win the battle. I see two potential methods to achieve this goal. The first is rather tricky since it requires a live parasite outside of a host body which means we will have very little working time and will require constant feeding of organic material during the process. The second method is much more technical than the first but may end up being our only option to keep the parasite alive during its transition to symbiote. To accomplish this we must infect a new host with only one cell of parasite and quickly modify its DNA before it begins to take over the host. If we can successfully manage a symbiotic version of this parasite perhaps we can then cure our human patients with similar methods, and then once that is done maybe I can secure funding to study this creature for further, more beneficial, uses of its DNA splicing abilities.

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