According to StatNews, biotechnology company 23andme is looking to understand the intersection of genetics and COVID-19. Normally, 23andme uses ancestry kits to inform users of their genealogy. But now, the company pledged to run a study on patients with COVID-19 to learn why some have such severe responses (and others don’t respond at all).
COVID-19: The Basics
COVID-19 is a novel coronavirus which first appeared in Wuhan, China, in 2019. The extremely infectious virus is now present in 213 countries and territories across the globe. Symptoms include fever, chills, muscle aches, a painful and persistent cough, and loss of smell and taste. However, researchers have also connected COVID-19 to an inflammatory condition in children, small blood clots and strokes, and an overactive immune response. In many cases, this response is fatal.
As of the morning of May 27th, there are 5.61 million diagnosed cases, with 351,000 fatalities. There is no vaccine available for COVID-19, though many companies are working towards development. In the meantime, it is recommended that individuals:
- Take part in social distancing. This means not going to any public places; wearing a mask when at the grocery store; and staying home. Many states and countries have also restricted the number of individuals allowed in a group at once.
- Wash their hands thoroughly with soap and water. This helps prevent the spread of the virus.
23andMe and its Upcoming Study
In April, 23andme launched their first study to better understand COVID-19. You can find this study, or even enroll, on their website. Over 400,000 23andme customers, including over 6,000 with COVID-19, participated. The survey questioned them about job status (working in healthcare or not?), family experience, and symptoms.
Now, 23andme looks to partner with hospitals to recruit up to 10,000 new participants hospitalized from COVID-19.
Their goal? To understand whether genetic differences protect certain individuals from severe symptoms, while others deeply suffer.
23andme will be “competing” with Ancestry, another genetics and genealogy-based giant. Ancestry is also performing a research study, with over 250,000 participants so far.
Genome-Wide Association (GWA) Studies
23andme will be performing GWA studies to collect and compare genetic data. This allows them to gain access to genetic data that they may not have been privy to before. Collecting genetic data is actually fairly difficult, as these organizations don’t have direct access to patients.
As a result, partnerships with the COVID-19 Host Genetics Initiative, or the Partners Healthcare biobank, provide easier access to data sourced from hospitalized patients. According to geneticist Robert Green:
“The more numbers you get, the more questions you can ask. Is there a genetic predisposition for not only who’s more severe, but [who gets off of a respirator faster], [or]…who’s more tuned to renal failure?”
Once captured, the data from the study will be widely disseminated.
