{"id":5835,"date":"2021-08-03T14:52:43","date_gmt":"2021-08-03T18:52:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.cdc.gov\/genomics\/?p=5835"},"modified":"2024-04-09T18:18:30","modified_gmt":"2024-04-09T22:18:30","slug":"the-contributions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.cdc.gov\/genomics\/2021\/08\/03\/the-contributions\/","title":{"rendered":"The Contributions of Host Genomics Research to the COVID-19 Response: It\u2019s Not Just About Genes!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"COVID-19
\nA recent large collaborative host genomics study<\/a> provides valuable insight into the interplay of biology and epidemiology on COVID-19. The study was based on a meta-analysis of nearly 50,000 patients from 46 studies spanning 19 countries. The study found 13 loci (specific locations on various chromosomes) associated with COVID-19 susceptibility or severity through genome wide association studies (GWAS), as well as causal evidence for the association for body mass index (BMI) and smoking with COVID-19 severity through Mendelian randomization<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Although host genomics studies in COVID-19 are still a work in progress, this type of research has the potential for both a direct public health benefit resulting from genetic knowledge itself and an indirect benefit resulting from the use of genetics to identify modifiable environmental factors. This study did both.<\/p>\n

Genetics Can Inform Risk Prediction and Development of Therapeutics<\/h2>\n

Genetic associations provide the opportunity to understand the biology of COVID-19 and to predict outcomes. Specifically, for this study, 4 loci were found to be associated with COVID-19 susceptibility and 9 loci were associated with COVID-19 severity. In combination with important risk factors such as age and comorbidities, these 13 loci may provide additional information to further determine an individual\u2019s risk for certain COVID-19 outcomes.<\/p>\n

This study confirms the findings of previous studies by providing evidence for the role of blood type in COVID-19 susceptibility. This study also identifies immune system genes that may play a role in COVID-19 outcomes. For example, this study found a gene variant of TYK2, previously shown to protect against autoimmune-related diseases<\/a>, to be associated with COVID-19 hospitalization and severity. Genetic associations could also provide valuable information through gene-environment interaction. Some disease outcomes may occur through an interaction between the human genotype and the environment, not solely because of human genotype or environmental exposures. A non-COVID-19 example of this includes the interaction between variants in the nitric oxide synthase (NOS) gene and pesticide exposure increasing risk for Parkinson\u2019s disease<\/a>. Other benefits genetic associations can provide are through understanding the COVID-19 biological mechanisms and the potential for developing drug targets.<\/p>\n

Genetics Provides a Window on Modifiable Risk Factors<\/h2>\n

This study also provides insights into other benefits of host genomics research in COVID-19 through Mendelian randomization<\/a>, a study design that uses human genetics as a proxy for modifiable exposures. Using human genotypes as proxies, this study explored 38 traits, including systolic blood pressure, 25-hydroxy vitamin D level, and total cholesterol. The results provided evidence for a causal association between higher BMI and smoking to COVID-19 severity. Mendelian randomization allows for a causal inference to be made about a modifiable exposure. This information may lead to better, more precise and effective preventive measures.<\/p>\n

The study represents a landmark international collaboration for much-needed and timely host genomics research during a pandemic. Emerging human genomics research will continue to provide insights into host-pathogen interactions and enhance the effectiveness of the public health response to infectious disease threats.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A recent large collaborative host genomics study provides valuable insight into the interplay of biology and epidemiology on COVID-19. The study was based on a meta-analysis of nearly 50,000 patients from 46 studies spanning 19 countries. The study found 13 loci (specific locations on various chromosomes) associated with COVID-19 susceptibility or severity through genome wide<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":122,"featured_media":5855,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5236],"tags":[61966,62394],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cdc.gov\/genomics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5835"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cdc.gov\/genomics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cdc.gov\/genomics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cdc.gov\/genomics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/122"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cdc.gov\/genomics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5835"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cdc.gov\/genomics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5835\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5856,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cdc.gov\/genomics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5835\/revisions\/5856"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cdc.gov\/genomics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5855"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cdc.gov\/genomics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5835"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cdc.gov\/genomics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5835"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cdc.gov\/genomics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5835"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}