It has been over three years since the first confirmed case of COVID-19.Since then we have seen Hundreds of millions of cases around the world.
You’ve probably experienced it at least once, if not more than once, as most people you know have. Fewer and fewer people have never been infected.
But even considering those who had it and didn’t realize it, there are probably still people who managed to avoid the virus entirely (so far).
I wrote last year, not yet infectedWere they somehow immune? Did they have some kind of advantageous genetic mutation? Were they simply avoiding people and continuing to take precautions? Or were they just lucky and the time was inevitable? ?
Unfortunately, we still don’t know why some people have been able to avoid COVID-19 for so long. Science takes time.
2020 saw an unprecedented rate of research to understand SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) and to develop treatments and vaccines. But sustaining that level of funding and collaboration in a world with so many worthwhile areas of research is difficult.
That said, some studies are specifically looking at whether genetic factors can help explain why certain people have never had COVID-19. However, as important as this research is, it should not lose interest in people suffering from this disease and its long-term effects.
Is immunity in genes?
of COVID human genetic endeavoursled by US researchers, recruited people with known exposure to the virus but who do not have it themselves. includes people who lived in households that
Scientists examine their DNA for unusual mutations that may explain their apparent resistance to SARS-CoV-2 infection. This could be mutations in cellular receptors or enzymes that viruses need to enter our cells, or mutations in genes involved in the immune response to infection.
Research that seeks to uncover abnormalities in our DNA Genome-wide association studieshave already been able to identify genetic mutations that make some people resistant to other infections HIV and norovirus (winter vomiting bug). If we can identify why people are immune to certain viruses, we could theoretically use that knowledge to prevent infection.
But is it really that easy? While we understand the genetic mutation that protects a lucky few from norovirus, there is no vaccine or cure for this virus. and infamousCRISPR baby(several children born in 2018 whose genomes were edited to make them immune to HIV) were criticized for: questionable ethicsnot to mention illegal.
A small number of people may be immune to COVID-19 due to a combination of mutations in multiple genes, rather than mutations in one gene. Targeting multiple genes without causing unwanted side effects can be difficult, making this knowledge much more difficult to apply to anti-COVID-19 drugs.
But understanding the genetic mutations that make someone resistant to COVID-19 could provide valuable insight into how SARS-CoV-2 infects people and causes disease. That is, it may be scientifically interesting, but clinically it may not be.
It will be a while before we get answers from these studies, but scientists believe that a few people do. innate immunity to SARS-CoV-2 because of their genes.
Time to shift focus?
As scientists, we sometimes get fixated on certain details of our research. It is important to always remember that there are people on the other side of these infections.
SARS-CoV-2 continues to infect people around the world, constantly mutating and evolving into new subspecies, but thanks to effective vaccines, its severity is generally greatly reduced. I’m here.
At the same time, an estimated 2 million people in the UK Report long COVIDnearly one-fifth have severe symptoms that severely limit their daily activities.
There are several theories about the cause of long-term COVID, including: Microclot in blood With chronic inflammation, it is not well understood why some people are affected and others are not. Therefore, perhaps our focus will shift from the genetic determinants of immunity to SARS-CoV-2 to investigating whether some people have a genetic predisposition to potentially life-altering chronic diseases. need to do it.
lindsey broadbentlecturer in virology, University of Surrey
This article is reprinted from conversation Under Creative Commons License.read Original work.
