How sick will the coronavirus make you? The answer may be in your genes and researchers are on the hunt.

[Jm954]

COVID-19 is strangely—and tragically—selective. Only some infected people get sick and although most of the critically ill are elderly or have complicating problems such as heart disease, some killed by the disease are previously healthy and even relatively young.

Researchers are now gearing up to scour the patients’ genomes for DNA variations that explain this mystery. The findings could be used to identify those most at risk of serious illness and those who might be protected, and they might also guide the search for new treatments.

The projects range from ongoing studies with DNA for many thousands of participants, some now getting infected with the coronavirus, to new efforts that are collecting DNA from COVID-19 patients in hard-hit places such as Italy. The goal is to compare the DNA of people who have serious cases of COVID-19 (which stands for coronavirus disease 2019)—but no underlying disease like diabetes, heart or lung disease—with those with mild or no disease.

There are obvious targets, such as the gene coding for the cell surface protein angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), which the coronavirus uses to enter airway cells. Variations in the ACE2 gene that alter the receptor could make it easier or harder for the virus to get into cells, says immunologist Philip Murphy, whose lab identified a relatively common mutation in another human cell surface protein, CCR5, that makes some people highly resistant to HIV.

Sadly there is no shortage of patients for them.

More here: sciencemag.org/news/2020/03...

Stay home, stay safe

Jackie

[Mystic75]

Thank you, Jackie! Always grateful to see a silver lining.

[cajunjeff]

I find watching the news that the news often features some young and healthy person dying from covid. I suppose this serves the purpose o keeping young people from feeling invincible and defying shelter in place and social distancing decrees.

But I have wondered why a few young people get so very sick when the vast majority of them do very well.

I Thought it random up until I read this article and had not considered some genetic connection to susceptibility to covid. I can see how identifying who is at the greatest risk would be very valuable information indeed.

[Stretch1]

Great article - found the reference to ‘O’ type blood may be protective interesting

[Justasheet1 in reply to Stretch1]

Stretch,

I wouldn’t count on it protecting us though.

Jeff

[G1llHa1n in reply to Justasheet1]

True - but since I'm type O - I'll take it!

[Justasheet1 in reply to G1llHa1n]

Me too😃

[G1llHa1n in reply to Justasheet1]

. . . . and still keep following all of the shielding advice . . .

[Psmithuk in reply to G1llHa1n]

And I’m not - I’m an A ☹️

[Newdawn Administrator in reply to Psmithuk]

Me too chrisgranny!

Newdawn

[Psmithuk in reply to Newdawn]

I quite liked not being the same as the 'common' lot - not so keen now!

[Peggy4 in reply to Psmithuk]

I’m A negative

[Psmithuk in reply to Peggy4]

We will have to start a forum for A listers!

[Peggy4 in reply to Stretch1]

I know I have the attention span of a fly but can’t find the bit that references the blood type?

[Jm954 Administrator in reply to Peggy4]

Just here, near the end

"In addition to genetic variants of the ACE2 receptor, scientists want to see whether differences in the human leukocyte antigen genes, which influence the immune system’s response to viruses and bacteria, affect disease severity. And some investigators want to follow up a finding, which a Chinese team reported in a preprint: that people with type O blood may be protected from the virus. “We’re trying to figure out if those findings are robust,”

Jackie

[Peggy4 in reply to Jm954]

Oh thank you Jackie! 👍

[Ernest2]

Thanks for that Jackie.

A great use of scientific data.

I hadn't realised the 100,000 genomes has become 500,000 now:

technologynetworks.com/geno...

Good to know that they can retrospectively add health issues such as COVID-19 susceptibility to the data (individual patients data sets are annonymised - the scientists using the data don't know the patients names)

It will be interesting to see (as for all these genetic variations) how the information will be managed. Will all people want to know they are susceptible to COVID-19 etc. Of course if we have a vaccine available, that will influence the decision making.

Best wishes to all - keep safe,

Ernest