Researchers from the University of Edinburgh in the UK have found that five particular genes are associated with the most severe form of Covid-19, the disease caused by SARS-CoV-2.
Their discovery has also allowed them to explore the potential of existing drugs that target the actions of genes that can be repurposed to treat Covid-19 in clinical trials.
Their study, published in Nature, points to genes involved in two molecular processes, namely antiviral immunity and lung inflammation, and explains how these genes can help doctors understand how the disease damages lungs at a molecular level.