Several studies have also suggested that blood group could be implicated in susceptibility and severity for COVID-19, and as such, the 23andMe study is also exploring this. The P value here is measured at 0.88.Ģ3andMe state that these preliminary findings support at least two recently published pre-print studies, one by Zhao et al and another by Ellinghaus et al that explore the role of the ABO gene in COVID-19. The genetic variant in the ABO gene is a single nucleotide polymorphism, rs505922 – a T nucleotide at this location is associated with a lower risk. Of course, it is important to note here that this is a self-reported measure, which is vulnerable to validity issues. The data seems to lend further evidence to the notion that an individual's blood type, determined by the ABO gene, is associated with differences in COVID-19 susceptibility.Īfter analyzing over 750,000 individuals' data, the company states that when comparing the research participants who reported that they had tested positive for COVID-19 to those who tested negative, variants in the ABO gene were associated with a lower risk. “Opening up the research to individuals with more severe symptoms will increase our power to learn how genes play a role in the severity of this disease,” said Joyce Tung, PhD, 23andMe’s Vice President of Research.įast-forward to the present day, and 23andMe are sharing their preliminary results, which are certainly interesting. The announcement of the research study was received well, with over half a million participants enrolling within the first few weeks.Īs such, on May 13, 23andMe announced that it was expanding the project and opening enrolment to individuals that had been hospitalized with severe COVID-19 but were not 23andMe customers. The study takes the form of a GWAS, or genome-wide association study, whereby the aim is to identify genetic variants in an individual's genome that is associated with differences in COVID-19 severity.
In early April, 23andMe announced its plans to conduct such a study utilizing its large bank of genetic data from its customers who had consented to their information being used for research purposes. But, a large-scale study in a range of populations would be required to gather enough data to prove or negate this. It's therefore plausible to consider the fact that genetic variation might play a role in COVID-19 severity. Genetic variants can exist in and around the gene that encodes this protein, which might impact exactly how much of the protein is produced, or how it functions. To cause infection, SARS-CoV-2 must enter cells, and does so by attaching to a human protein known as ACE2. 23andMe has contributed to this field of research, publishing a study in 2017 which identified almost 60 genetic variants associated with susceptibility to one of 17 infectious diseases. Why? Well, we know that specific genetic variants can render individuals as less or more susceptible to developing other infectious diseases such as HIV, malaria and norovirus. One aspect of COVID-19 that has puzzled scientists and clinicians alike is why, when infected with SARS-CoV-2, do some patients display mild to moderate symptoms (or no symptoms at all), whereas other patients develop severe symptoms that can prove fatal?Ģ3andMe questioned whether genetics could play a role here. However, after the COVID-19 outbreak was declared a global pandemic, the company switched gears and looked to see how their gene testing services could offer a helping hand in understanding the disease’s pathophysiology. The personal genomics and biotechnology company 23andMe is perhaps best known for its home DNA testing kits, whereby consumers can learn about their genetic make-up or ancestry.
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