From the media to your social circle, the COVID-19 pandemic has been like an endless game of telephone. Emerging data is confirmed, disproven, then re-confirmed, leaving us riddled with confusion day after day as information about COVID-19 is misconstrued, tangled, and re-tangled, and questions are left unanswered even when answered. Distorted perspectives and controversial opinions aside, there’s scientific truth amidst the COVID frenzy that has yet to gain the mainstream traction it warrants. This truth lies within your DNA.
As COVID-19 cases started to emerge in the U.S. in the spring of 2020, scientists quickly sought to fight the threat with genetics. Hundreds of researchers mustered together, mining genetic data and working toward the same goal: to understand the genetic underpinnings of severe symptoms during SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Every individual is uniquely predisposed to certain infectious diseases. Your genes can alter your risk level for contracting infectious disease and contribute to whether you experience mild or severe symptoms and outcomes. This stands true for COVID.
One of coronavirus’ notable and important characteristics is its ability to trigger severe illness in some and practically no illness in others. DNA provides some explanation for this. Research has found 13 key locations within the human genome that influence susceptibility to COVID infection and risk of developing severe illness. More than 40 genes have been identified in light of their proximity to these loci and recognized as agents of infection propensity and ferocity. Among these genes is ACE2, the main protein that SARS-CoV-2 targets to enter and infect a cell. Evident here is a link between COVID susceptibility and genes and variants associated with lung disease susceptibility. Research demonstrates that just one variant among 13 variants identified increased an individual’s risk for severe COVID illness by about 50%, which elucidates the importance of identifying variants within your own genome. On the clinical side, discovering this sort of genetic insight helps investigate new drugs or repurpose drugs for treatment and for the sake of overcoming the pandemic.
A consortium investigating the connection between genetic variants and differing reactions to SARS-CoV-2 was conducted to help physicians more effectively prevent and treat severe COVID symptoms. The research conducted prior to this study recognized the previously known link between influenza infection, influenza severity and genetics. By testing the genes and variants known to underpin life-threatening influenza on the hypothesis that these genes could be involved in life-threatening COVID, it was revealed that at least 23 of the 659 hospitalized COVID patients that participated in the study had an unusual variant in one of eight genes examined. It was also found that, like the flu, inherited COVID susceptibility largely has to do with genes connected to your immune system and, specifically, interferons, as all eight genes examined and their proteins are either involved in or affected by the production of immune system-signalling molecules called interferons.
While research here is ongoing, these insights are valuable. Delivering on the promise of the human genome, these findings support the idea of using genetics to help navigate and overcome the pandemic and bring forth optimistic advancement toward effectively preventing and treating severe COVID illness.
Sure, someone who has asthma or another respiratory ailment or heart disease or any other condition that categorizes them into a high risk or immunocompromised camp is aware that hypervigilance is encouraged, but those who have certain variations within their DNA that impair their body’s ability to fight off COVID could be entirely unaware of their predisposition. Genetic testing is the key to uncovering this information.
Preventative genetic test GeneCompassTM screens for variants in your DNA that are associated with COVID risk, helping you navigate the pandemic and decipher what level of increased vigilance you should be acting upon. While a normal level of vigilance may be along the lines of wearing a face mask, washing your hands, vaccination, etc. and a greater level of vigilance may include seeing an infectious disease specialist to garner what additional proactive measures should be carried out. If you’re looking for information that can’t get muddled in the frenzy, you can look to GeneCompass to obtain insight that stems from your DNA, guiding you toward navigating the pandemic according to your unique genetic circumstance.
