Scientists in Britain - including Greeks from the Diaspora - say they have found in human DNA five genes linked to an increased risk of developing serious Covid-19. These genes explain in part why some people are at risk of dying from the coronavirus, while others are not.
The study sheds light on genetic risk factors and biological mechanisms that increase the likelihood of someone becoming seriously ill with coronavirus and threatening their life. The discovery also highlights new targets for the development of anti-coronavirus drugs and may help identify some already existing drugs (especially rheumatoid arthritis) that could also be used in patients with severe Covid-19.
Researchers from the International Consortium of GenOMICC (Genetics of Susceptibility and Mortality in Critical Care), led by Dr. Kenneth Bailey of the University of Edinburgh, who published their findings in the journal Nature, analyzed the genome of 2.700 patients 208 intensive care units of British hospitals. The genome of these patients was compared with that of a control group of healthy volunteers and thus identified five genetic variants that are more common in patients with severe symptoms. Covid-19, who end up in the ICU.
These genetic factors are linked to genes involved in the inflammatory processes in the lungs and the body's response to the invasion of viruses. These are the TYK2 and CCR2 genes that encode inflammatory proteins, as well as IFNAR2, OAS1 and DPP9. The findings, according to the researchers, show that the serious Covid-19 It is associated with at least two biological mechanisms: on the one hand the body's inherent anti-viral defense and on the other the inflammatory process.
Bailey stressed that "as in sepsis and the flu, in Covid-19 Lung damage is caused by the reaction of our own immune system, rather than by the virus itself. Our genetic findings provide a roadmap for discovering new drugs, showing which drugs should be at the top of the list for clinical trials. We can only try a few drugs at a time, so the right choices will save lives. "
The study estimates that major clinical trials are needed for JAK inhibitor drugs such as baricitinib (against rheumatoid arthritis) that targets the TYK2 gene or a monoclonal antibody that blocks the CCR2 gene and has already been tested in early-stage clinical trials. The study involved bioinformatics researchers dr. Athanasios Kousathanas and Loukas Moutsianas of the state organization Genomics England which belongs to the British Ministry of Health.
The first is a graduate of the Department of Biological Applications and Technologies of the University of Ioannina, while the second, a graduate of the Polytechnic School of the University of Patras, is head of bioinformatics at Genomics England and teaches at Queen Mary University of London.
Source: KYPE