{"id":1300,"date":"2021-09-14T11:37:46","date_gmt":"2021-09-14T16:37:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/singularityumexicosummit.com\/?p=1300"},"modified":"2021-09-14T11:37:46","modified_gmt":"2021-09-14T16:37:46","slug":"23andmes-huge-covid-19-study-draws-links-between-the-virus-and-our-genetics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/singularityumexico.com\/en\/23andmes-huge-covid-19-study-draws-links-between-the-virus-and-our-genetics\/","title":{"rendered":"23andMe\u2019s Huge Covid-19 Study Draws Links Between the Virus and Our Genetics"},"content":{"rendered":"[iframe src=”https:\/\/spkt.io\/a\/1836933?articleUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fsingularityhub.com%2F2021%2F05%2F04%2F23andmes-huge-covid-19-study-draws-links-between-the-virus-and-our-genetics%2F” width=”100%” height=”100″]\n\n\n\n

Last spring, in a race against Covid-19, 23andMe launched an ambitious study<\/a>to answer a question on everyone\u2019s minds: who\u2019s likely to get sick, or to get very sick?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And being 23andMe, they hunted for a genetic factor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We got answers<\/a> last week. People with the O blood type\u2014something determined by a gene called ABO\u2014are less likely to test positive for Covid-19. Another part of the genome, packed with genes related to the immune system and other biological processes, could be why some people end up on ventilators, whereas others barely catch a cough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The results are interesting. But it\u2019s how 23andMe got to them that\u2019s mind-blowing. In just one year, the study amassed over one million people to hunt for clues in our genes that could signal vulnerability to the infection. It\u2019s a scale that scientists previously only dreamed of. When mining for genes related to a disease, \u201cscale is the primary challenge,\u201d said<\/a> Dr. Adam Auton, who led the study.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In other words, consumer genetics is rapidly shifting expectations for these \u201cgene hunting\u201d studies, both in terms of size and speed. Ancestry, 23andMe\u2019s competitor, similarly launched a research study<\/a> on the genetics of Covid-19, with hundreds of thousands of people participating in the first two weeks. These massive datasets, especially those gathered from people of diverse ancestries, build up a powerful library of our genetic blueprint, in waiting to help tackle the next pandemic or other diseases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Did They Do?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The team relied on a big data analysis technique called GWAS, or genome-wide association studies. It\u2019s a highly popular way to analyze genetics<\/a> and hunt down parts of our DNA chains that are associated with a particular disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To explain a bit more: a gene can have single shifts in its letters, without wrecking its usual role. However, a DNA letter swap may have consequences\u2014changing the color of your eyes, your blood type, your likelihood of getting Alzheimer\u2019s or autism, how well you can fend off a viral infection, etc. These subtle changes to a gene, called SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms), are what 23andMe scan for when they analyze your DNA kit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is where GWAS comes in. It crunches data to see if DNA letter changes are associated with a disease. With enough data, GWAS can fish out sections of our genetic material that make us vulnerable to an infection. It\u2019s an extremely powerful technique, but far from perfect. Similar to machine learning, GWAS is greedy in that it needs large datasets, preferably from people of multiple ethnicities and genetic backgrounds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

23andMe certainly has a massive database. In April 2020, as Covid-19 began sweeping the country, the 23andMe team followed the geographical flow of the virus to geo-target customers and recruit them into their Covid-19 study. The format was similar to the company\u2019s previous research efforts, mainly with online questionnaires, but this time tailored to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The questions ranged from people\u2019s demographics\u2014their age, socioeconomic status, and ethnicity\u2014to specific questions about Covid-19. For example, were they diagnosed, were they hospitalized, and how they assessed their breathing and other factors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Overall, about 1.05 million 23andMe customers responded to the study, with over 15,000 people reporting they had been diagnosed with Covid-19 and 1,100 people hospitalized with the disease. The latter group was specifically added to the study<\/a>, so that the data wouldn\u2019t skew too much towards people who were able to answer the questionnaire\u2014that is, those with relatively mild infections. This assures the study covers the whole spectrum of Covid-19 responses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Blood Type Link<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Armed with millions of data points, the team asked if gene variants could change<\/a> how easily a person gets infected with Covid-19 and how severely the disease progresses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One especially strong link popped out: the gene that determines a person\u2019s blood type. The analysis showed that the ABO gene strongly linked to the possibility that someone would test negative for Covid-19. A person\u2019s blood type is determined by variations in a single gene. The team found that the O blood type was less likely to test positive for the infection than expected\u2014suggesting, though not necessarily proving, that the blood type could be more protective against the disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It sounds like pseudoscience, but genes have a major impact on a person\u2019s susceptibility to diseases, including the \u201cbig bads\u201d like HIV-1. For example, one specific genetic type makes a person naturally immune to HIV-1 and AIDS. It\u2019s reasonable to hypothesize that certain genetic types could be more or less susceptible to a new virus, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

23andMe\u2019s finding confirmed earlier work that suggested a blood type vulnerability to the disease. Back in June 2020, Dr. Tom Hemming Karlsen at Oslo University Hospital also found a protective effect of O blood types, but with a much smaller sample, and only with people from Italy and Spain. \u201cThey clarify further what our data could only vaguely hint at,\u201d he said<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The study also identified a cohort of genes on chromosome 3 that correlate with a person\u2019s Covid-19 severity\u2014that is, are they likely to end up in a hospital and experience breathing problems. Several of the genes in this location are related to the immune system, and \u201cwork is underway to identify what, specifically, the mechanism of action is,\u201d said study author Dr. Janie Shelton.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What especially stands out with the new study is its diversity. GWAS studies are often performed on people of European ancestry, and it\u2019s still up in the air whether those results can be extrapolated to other populations, such as those of African or Asian descent. While the new study doesn\u2019t yet reflect the diversity of the US, it has a \u201csubstantial\u201d amount of people who identified as Black (nearly 3 percent) or Latino (about 11 percent). For context, representation of these two groups among the general US population is about 13 percent<\/a> and 18 percent<\/a>, respectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This allowed the team to look at similarities between groups of people with different ancestries. Blood type popped up in every ethnic group, hinting at an especially powerful genetic link regardless of background that scientists still need to understand. In addition, the team also looked at non-genetic risk factors for Covid-19, including gender, socioeconomic status, and obesity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A New GWAS Future<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This isn\u2019t the first time 23andMe has made waves in research. Using a similar model of online surveys, the company has ventured into<\/a> research on Parkinson\u2019s disease, sleep, and breast cancer, to name a few. Consumer genetic companies are also partnering with academic institutions to share their datasets and methods to mine for new insights into how genetic differences contribute to health<\/a> and disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI applaud the consumer groups that are turning some of their resources to working on this, and everything will be valuable,\u201d said<\/a> Dr. Robert Green, a medical geneticist at Harvard and Brigham and Women\u2019s Hospital to STAT in an earlier interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the \u201cdata is power\u201d age, consumer genetic companies are paving a new research road. But while their massive and more diverse datasets bolster GWAS, the next question remains the same. Why? Why do O blood types seem more resilient against Covid-19? It\u2019s not just academic curiosity\u2014for future pandemics or other disorders, answering the \u201cwhy\u201d and \u201chow\u201d is the next step in identifying a vulnerable population.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019d have to find out why [the gene variances are] significant\u2014is it significant because it\u2019s affecting blood clotting?\u201d asked<\/a> Dr. Jennifer Lighter at NYU Langone in reference to an earlier version of the paper. \u201cUnless we find out why there\u2019s a difference, we wouldn\u2019t target therapies or [adjust] a risk category.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For now, 23andMe is catching up to the pandemic. The blood link to Covid-19 susceptibility is intriguing, but doesn\u2019t change treatments. As its database further grows, however, we could see a new GWAS landscape, powered by millions of data points, that hunts down culpable genes at breakneck speed\u2014informing treatment decisions to save lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Image Credit:\u00a0Pete \ud83d\ude00<\/a>\u00a0from\u00a0Pixabay<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Author<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shelly Xuelai Fan is a neuroscientist-turned-science writer. She completed her PhD in neuroscience at the University of British Columbia, where she developed novel treatments for neurodegeneration. While studying biological brains, she became fascinated with AI and all things biotech. Following graduation, she moved to UCSF to study blood-based factors that rejuvenate aged brains. She is the …\u00a0Learn<\/a> More<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Original Article<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Last spring, in a race against Covid-19, 23andMe launched an ambitious studyto answer a question on everyone\u2019s minds: who\u2019s likely to get sick, or to get very sick? And being 23andMe, they hunted for a genetic factor. We got answers last week. People with the O blood type\u2014something determined by a gene called ABO\u2014are less likely to test […]\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1301,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"series":[],"class_list":["post-1300","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articulos-ingles"],"episode_featured_image":"https:\/\/singularityumexico.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/coronavirus-covid-19-dna-genetics.jpg","episode_player_image":"https:\/\/singularityumexico.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/11711533-1673157178559-89a95be153719-4-scaled.jpg","download_link":"","player_link":"","audio_player":false,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"dark","subscribeUrls":{"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"stitcher":{"key":"stitcher","url":"","label":"Stitcher","class":"stitcher","icon":"stitcher.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/singularityumexico.com\/en\/feed\/podcast\/the-feedback-loop-by-singularity","embedCode":"

23andMe\u2019s Huge Covid-19 Study Draws Links Between the Virus and Our Genetics<\/a><\/blockquote>