James Le Duc , PhD , professor microbiology immunology director Galveston National Laboratory University Texas Medical Branch Galveston , said engineering COVID-19 `` would taken incredible amount ingenuity.People 's imaginations running wild . `` Andersen said virus 's receptor binding domain , makes efficient human pathogen , also found coronaviruses pangolins , scaly anteaters proposed intermediary host bats humans . `` It 's something 's fully natural , 's something happens tissue culture , '' said.Angela Rasmussen , PhD , associate research scientist Center Infection Immunity Columbia University New York City , said computer modeling suggests receptor-binding domain spike protein SARS-CoV-2 , virus causes COVID-19 , suboptimal , `` meaning someone designing optimal receptor-binding domain sequence probably would 'engineer ' sequence evolved SARS-CoV-2 , '' said .