British scientists have identified some of the genetic factors that make certain people more likely to suffer severe Covid-19 symptoms than others, as part of a major study that could aid the development of new treatments for the disease.
Researchers pinpointed 16 genes that predispose patients to critical illness as part of the world’s largest study into the genetics of the disease, which was led by scientists from the University of Edinburgh and Genomics England. They also confirmed seven other genes associated with severe Covid that had been identified by earlier research.
The genes pinpointed by the research are linked to the immune system’s ability to recognise foreign pathogens, alongside the biological mechanisms involved in blood clotting and lung inflammation — some of the hallmarks of severe Covid. The disease has killed an estimated 6mn people since the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus outbreak a global pandemic in March 2020.