23andMe is using their considerable database to further COVID-19 research. Last week, the genetic testing company began recruiting and enrolling hundreds of thousands of consenting 23andMe customers in its research program to understand if and how genetics play a role in the severity of COVID-19.
There are endless questions regarding COVID-19, but a common one centers around the symptoms, or lack thereof. At first, it seemed the virus may only be deadly for the elderly and immunocompromised. While COVID-19 is still disproportionally affecting the elderly, it has since killed young, healthy individuals. Young children do not seem to be as affected by the virus, although scientists suspect they are asymptomatic carriers—like many others. So why do most people who are infected show mild to moderate symptoms (or possibly no symptoms at all), whereas others develop severe, life-threatening symptoms?
It may have to do with a person’s genetics—and that’s what 23andMe is investigating.
The testing company will conduct a genome-wide association study (GWAS) in an effort to identify genetic variants that contribute to COVID-19 severity levels. Participants of the study will include those who have and have not tested positive for the virus, including those who have had severe, mild and no symptoms after contracting the disease. Researchers will then compare the DNA of people who had severe symptoms to the DNA of those who had mild or no symptoms, looking for genetic variants that are more common in one group than another.
“By identifying genetic variants that are more common in people who experienced severe disease, scientists may be able to better understand who’s most at risk. Perhaps even more importantly, these genetic studies can also help us gain new insights into how the novel coronavirus infects our cells and impacts our bodies. And those insights might give us clues to potential targets for new drugs or vaccines,” 23andMe wrote in a recent blog post.
The longitudinal study will be conducted using online surveys—an initial baseline survey and then additional surveys on a monthly basis in order to collect appropriate regional data as the virus continues to spread throughout the United States. Given its millions of consented customers, 23andMe is in a unique position to conduct a GWAS. The company said its existing research platform allows it to conduct the study quickly and on a large scale, before publishing the findings to provide the scientific community with more insight into the novel virus.
Genetic research related to COVID-19 is already ongoing. 23andMe pointed to two specific preliminary studies. One, authored by researchers at the Shanghai Clinical Center for Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases, identified genetic variants in and near the ACE2 gene—the protein through which SARS-COV 2 enters the body—that could impact how much ACE2 protein is made or how the protein functions. A second study suggests a person’s blood type, which is determined by the ABO gene, might influence their likelihood of being infected by COVID-19.
“While we hope to gain insights from this research, there are no guarantees that we will find that genetics plays a significant role. In fact, the best possible outcome is that the pandemic decelerates, which could leave us unable to identify people with COVID-19, and would limit our ability to identify genetic associations,” 23andMe said.