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Scientists from the Medical University of Bialystok as well as geneticists and immunologists from the bioinformatics company IMAGENE.ME will develop a test for quick assessment of predisposition to the severe course of COVID-19. They will use the results of genetic tests of patients hospitalized due to SARS-CoV-2 infection.
The main risk factors for severe COVID-19 such as age and the presence of certain comorbidities are already known. However, scientists still lack an answer to the question of what factors determine the fact that severe complications affect a specific group of people, while the infection in the majority of the population is mild. The differences in the COVID-19 mortality rates observed after a few weeks of the pandemic (occurring, for example, between European and Asian patients, but also between individual European countries) may indicate a possible influence of genetic determinants on the course of the disease.
- Diseases that may make COVID-19 infection more severe
Already in the past, genetic tests allowed for the detection of relationships between the differences in the DNA of a given population and the susceptibility to infection with dangerous and known viruses, such as HIV, HBV or HCV. The SARS epidemic of 2002 and 2003 also brought some conclusions in this area. At that time, scientists discovered several genes that were found to be associated with susceptibility to infection with the coronavirus that causes SARS.
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So far, however, there have been no similar research findings on COVID-19. The project of a team of Polish scientists is therefore the first such official initiative in Poland, which stands a chance to contribute to the world’s resources of knowledge on this important topic.
Importantly, Poles are part of the international research group COVID-19 Host Genetics Initiative, associating over 700 scientists from the best universities, research institutes and biotechnology companies in the world, in order to conduct coordinated efforts to identify the genetic basis and other features that affect susceptibility to infection. and the course of the disease. In May, the project received funding from the Medical Research Agency.
– The report will contain information on key genes and genetic variants as well as human phenotypic traits affecting SARS-CoV-2 infection and the course of COVID-19. Thanks to the conducted research, it will be possible to develop a profile of a person particularly at risk of severe disease, which will allow for the adoption of personalized methods of preventing infection and, in the event of disease, for adjusting appropriate methods of therapy – says dr hab. Mirosław Kwaśniewski, one of the project leaders, geneticist, molecular biologist, bioinformatist, head of the Center for Bioinformatics and Data Analysis of the Medical University of Bialystok.
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In addition to creating a genetic, phenotypic and behavioral predisposition report, enabling the selection of people at the highest risk of coronavirus infection, the project authors will also develop a test for quick identification of high-risk groups and forecasting the course of COVID-19, as well as an application supporting diagnostic and therapeutic decisions by doctors. The result of the team’s work is also to be a professional database containing the results of analyzes, which, according to the assumption, is to be made available to scientific communities around the world.
– We don’t know how long the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus pandemic will last. According to predictions, there is a chance that virus It will “settle in” in our population for a long time and will not be completely eliminated in the short term. However, we know that the availability of modern technologies that enable sequencing of genomes on a population scale, global access to information on infections and disease course, and advanced analytical methods can be an effective tool in the fight against new pathogens such as SARS-CoV-2 – notes Dr. hab. Miroslaw Kwasniewski.
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The test is a chance to reduce the epidemic in the future
The scientists involved in the project believe that the results of their research may prove to be crucial not only in the current coronavirus epidemic, but also in any subsequent crisis resulting from the threat of a new virus.
– From time to time, new viruses will appear that we will have to deal with. It is inevitable. On the other hand, the models of conduct we have developed will help in the future to effectively take preventive actions before a crisis situation related to a pandemic could occur. Acquiring unique knowledge based on the research of our team gives you an advantage in the fight against similar threats and will affect the development of the health care system during and after the crisis – notes Dr. Miroslaw Kwasniewski.
The first works under the project started in May this year. In the first phase, scientists will collect material (blood) for research from patients diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 infection and will carry out DNA isolation from the collected samples. As a result of bioinformatic analyzes of data of patients with various stages of the disease, the genes and their variants responsible for the incidence of infection and the course of COVID-19 will be identified. The final product of the research will be a diagnostic and prognostic test for the course of the disease. The first results of the team’s scientists’ work will be known at the end of the year.
Find out more:
- Why does coronavirus kill some people and run like a cold in others?
- Co-morbidities – what does this mean?
- A defective clotting mechanism is responsible for the severe course of COVID-19
- Overweight and obesity and the coronavirus. Report from Great Britain
- An American study revealed which comorbidities increase the critical course of SARS-CoV-2 infection