Weaponization of precision medicine: potential threats to human rights and state security

Aims and Purpose: This project addresses scenarios for how technologies of precision medicine, in particular human genomics and synthetic biology, can be misused in international power struggles.

The overarching aims are to(1) Perform systematic risk assessment of specific scenarios for misuse of precision genomics as part of international power struggles.  (2) Evaluate the consequences of each scenario for human health, human rights and international law(3) Analyze how each scenario could fit in with other components of greyzone conflict and hybrid warfare.(4) Suggest feasible biomedical and regulatory countermeasures to the scenarios assessed to be of highest risk and/or having the most serious consequences.Work plan: The project will be performed by a mutidisciplinary team including experts in genomic medicine, intelligence analysis, hybrid/greyzone warfare, as well as in international law and human rights.

Team members will lead 3-year work packages dissecting each specific scenario.

To evaluate scenarios, we will use a combination of technical feasibility assessment and risk-assessment methods from intelligence analysis to give indicators that a scenario may be upcoming.

Countermeasure analysis will be done by expert panels involving stake holder organizations and several Swedish government agencies.Significance: Our conclusions will provide unique evidence-based guidance for policy makers in healthcare, academia, and state security.