Scientists identify gene that doubles risk of respiratory failure, death from COVID-19

A team of scientists at Oxford University has identified a specific gene that doubles the risk of respiratory failure and death in COVID-19 patients.

The researchers found that a “relatively unstudied gene called LZTFL1” appears to stop cells in the airways and lungs from responding to the virus properly, potentially leading to respiratory failure and death.

According to the study published in the journal, Nature Genetics on Thursday, the gene is carried by over sixty percent of people with South Asian heritage, 15 percent of those with European backgrounds, and two percent of persons with Afro-Caribbean ancestry.

The scientists said this discovery could help in “partially explaining the ongoing higher death rate in this population in the UK”.

They, however, noted that the gene cannot be used as a sole explanation as many other factors, including socioeconomic conditions, play important roles.

The scientists found the gene by using artificial intelligence and cutting-edge molecular technology. The team trained an algorithm to analyse large quantities of genetic data from hundreds of types of cells all over the body, and then used a new technique that allowed them to hone in on the DNA behind this specific genetic signal.

James Davies, co-lead author and associate professor of genomics at Oxford, said the increased risk “should be cancelled out” by vaccination since the gene does not affect the immune system.

“The genetic factor we have found explains why some people get very seriously ill after coronavirus infection … There’s a single gene that confers quite a significant risk to people of south Asian background,” Davies said.

“This shows that the way in which the lung responds to the infection is critical. This is important because most treatments have focused on changing the way in which the immune system reacts to the virus.”