A New Threat! Ethnogenetic Targeting Bioweapons - Genetically Programming SARS-CoV-2 to Target Western Populations
Nikhil Prasad Fact checked by:Thailand Medical News Team Jun 09, 2025 4 hours, 27 minutes ago
Medical News: As advances in synthetic biology accelerate, a new frontier of bioweapons is emerging—one where engineered viruses could be designed to selectively infect, harm, or kill based on an individual’s genetic profile or even race and ethnicity. Among the most chilling possibilities is the potential manipulation of SARS-CoV-2 or similar viruses using CRISPR technology to exploit population-specific variations in the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) system.
A New Threat, Ethnogenetic Targeting Bioweapons - Genetically Programming SARS-CoV-2 to Target Western Populations
While such a scenario may sound like dystopian fiction, multiple intelligence assessments and scientific reviews have warned that the tools to create such precision-targeted bioweapons already exist. This
Medical News report warns that such bioweapons can in fact be easily made even in a garage lab using various products and raw materials ordered online. In the wrong hands, such knowledge could help modify a virus via genetical engineering to disproportionately affect populations with HLA types common in Western or European-descended individuals—turning biology into a weapon of genocide.
HLA Typing and the Foundation of Ethnogenetic Targeting
The HLA system is a critical component of the adaptive immune system, responsible for presenting viral peptides to T cells. Because HLA genes are among the most polymorphic in the human genome, different populations carry markedly different HLA allele frequencies. These differences influence immune responses to pathogens.
For example, the following HLA alleles are particularly common in people of European descent:
-HLA-A*02:01 – Found in ~50% of individuals of Northern European ancestry
-HLA-B*08:01 – Prevalent in British, Irish, and Scandinavian populations
-HLA-DRB1*15:01 – Common in Western Europe; associated with susceptibility to Epstein-Barr virus and multiple sclerosis
-HLA-B*44:02 – Enriched in certain Mediterranean populations
-HLA-C*07:01 – Widespread in Caucasian populations
By contrast, these alleles are rare in East Asian, African, or South Asian groups. This makes them attractive “targets” in a theoretical bioengineering context—if a virus can be programmed to bypass immune recognition in hosts with these HLA alleles or preferentially replicate in their cellular environments.
SARS-CoV-2 as a Dual-Use Platform for Precision Bioweapons
SARS-CoV-2 has already demonstrated extraordinary adaptability and a broad host range. Its genome, approximately 30 kb in length, can be easily manipulated using CRISPR-Cas13 or reverse genetic systems based on BAC clones or infectious cDNA. The spike protein, accessory proteins (like ORF8), and untranslated regions (UTRs) offer numerous insertion points for engineered features.
A hypothetical roadmap for weaponizing SARS
-CoV-2 to target specific HLA types might involve:
1. Identifying Immune Vulnerabilities in Target Populations
-Use in silico modeling (e.g., NetMHCpan, HLApred) to identify viral peptides poorly presented by common European HLA types (e.g., A02:01, B08:01)
-Select or engineer escape mutations in these epitopes to further reduce T-cell activation
-Alternatively, include decoy epitopes that mislead immune recognition
2. Reprogramming the Virus with CRISPR Tools
-Use CRISPR-Cas13 to edit specific regions of the viral genome that encode immunodominant epitopes
-Insert synthetic sequences coding for microRNA-binding sites specific to host expression profiles in Western populations
-Modify the virus’s non-coding regions to enhance replication in cell lines expressing specific HLA alleles
3. Enhancing Pathogenicity Through Population-Specific Mechanisms
-Incorporate HLA-restricted superantigen mimics to trigger cytokine storms only in individuals with select HLA profiles
-Alter viral proteins like ORF6 or ORF3b to disrupt interferon signaling in target HLA backgrounds
- ADAR or APOBEC resistance motifs to prevent RNA editing in cells of the targeted group
The Role of Genetic Surveillance and International Biobank Misuse
A key enabling factor in ethnogenetic bioweapon development is access to large-scale population genetic data. Over the last decade, millions of Westerners have submitted DNA to commercial testing companies like 23andMe, AncestryDNA, and others. If such data is leaked, sold, or exfiltrated by hostile actors, it can be used to:
-Construct accurate HLA and SNP (single nucleotide polymorphism) maps of European-descended populations
-Model host-pathogen interactions with high fidelity
-Test viral constructs in silico or in vitro against genome-typed cell lines derived from target groups
A 2021 warning from the U.S. National Counterintelligence and Security Center (NCSC) specifically highlighted how foreign powers may collect Western DNA through “medical collaboration, joint research, or biotechnology investment” to design population-targeted biological agents.
In fact, with a lot of tech breaches and data subsequently available for sale on many dark web platforms, that raw data is already easily accessible but man are not aware of how to harvest the critical required information yet.
Real Precedents in Dual-Use Virology
While no public case exists of an HLA-targeted bioweapon, previous dual-use studies prove the pathway is technically feasible:
-The 2012 H5N1 gain-of-function experiments showed that minimal mutations could render a deadly virus airborne in mammals
-In 2020, Chinese researchers published a SARS-CoV-2 reverse genetics system based on infectious clones—easily modifiable with CRISPR
-In 2018, a group in Canada reconstructed horsepox virus, closely related to smallpox, from synthetic DNA—raising fears of bioweapon resurrection
-Additionally, the U.S. “Insect Allies” DARPA program—intended for agricultural bioengineering—was denounced by the Max Planck Institute as having potential applications for covert bioweapon delivery.
Urgent Need for Oversight and Policy Action
To prevent such catastrophic misuse of science, the following actions are urgently needed:
-Global Ban on CRISPR-based Pathogen Editing without full transparency and WHO oversight
-Ethics audits for synthetic virology projects and centralized review of gain-of-function research
-Strict regulation of international genomic data sharing
-Bioweapon simulation modeling focused on HLA-targeted agents, to inform response preparedness
-Strengthening the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) with enforcement mechanisms and real-time surveillance of dual-use research worldwide
Conclusion
The theoretical ability to create genetically targeted bioweapons using CRISPR and viruses like SARS-CoV-2 is no longer science fiction. It is a clear and present danger that arises from the convergence of immunogenetics, virology, and bioengineering. As geopolitical tensions rise, the risk that such tools could be weaponized against Western or specific racial populations cannot be ignored.
The window for preemptive regulation and containment of dual-use biotechnology is rapidly closing. Once crossed, the threshold of ethnogenetic warfare may not be reversible.
References:
https://sites.utexas.edu/melamed-lab/2020/07/06/hlasusceptibility/
https://elifesciences.org/articles/03401
https://www.science.org/content/article/how-canadian-researchers-reconstituted-extinct-poxvirus-100000-using-mail-order-dna
https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/25525/safeguarding-the-bioeconomy
https://www.nationalacademies.org/our-work/safeguarding-the-bioeconomy-finding-strategies-for-understanding-evaluating-and-protecting-the-bioeconomy-while-sustaining-innovation-and-growth
https://royalsociety.org/-/media/policy/Publications/2018/08-11-18-gene-drive-statement.pdf
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.1213362
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