Genetics

Did you have COVID-19? 23andMe wants you for a study – KENS5.com

The biotech company 23andMe is launching a massive study to see if there is a connection.

SAN ANTONIO Scientists around the world are racing to understand coronavirus and why most people who are infected show mild to moderate symptoms or sometimes no symptoms at all and others develop a severe form of the disease, in some cases resulting in death.

23andMe has provided personalized genetic reports for years. But now he biotechnology company is switching gears to help battle coronavirus with a new study, and they're looking for those with a positive diagnosis to take part.

"Given that COVID-19 has taken a turn of turning our lives upside down so very, very quickly, at this stage we just don't know to what extent genetics plays a role in determining the severity of outcomes," said Adam Auton, the principal scientist of statistical genetics at 23andMe.

To participate in the study, you must be over 18 years of age and live in the U.S., be willing to provide a saliva sample for DNA testing, complete an online survey, have a positive coronavirus diagnosis, and you must have been hospitalized due to coronavirus-related symptoms. The stronger your symptoms, the likelier you could play a big part in the research.

"In order to maximize our abilities to make a discovery, we would really like to provide people with severe outcomes (the opportunity) to come into the study and participate in the study," Auton said.

This study could even shed some light on a phenomenon known as the COVID cliff when patients who seem to be improving suddenly get worse and whether or not genetics play a role. Dr. Diego Maselli, the Medical Director of respiratory therapy at University Hospital told us,

"Unfortunately, some of these patients, when this happens or this phenomenon starts to happen, then they get sicker and they end up in the ICU and sometimes on a ventilator," said Diego Maselli, the medical director of respiratory therapy at University Hospital.

"The hope (is) that our study can help provide information that will provide some answers to those sorts of questions," Auton said.

So far, 600,000 Americans have agreed to participate, but only 9,000 say they had COVID-19. 23andMe is looking for thousands more.

"It's the nature of genetic studies that we really need very large numbers of people to participate," Auton said.

If you would like more information about the study or to participate, click here.

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Did you have COVID-19? 23andMe wants you for a study - KENS5.com

Genetics

COVID-19 study looks at genetics of healthy people who develop severe illness – Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis

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Researchers seek answers to viruss mysteries, clues to possible treatments

Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis is one of more than 30 genome sequencing hubs worldwide participating in a study to sequence the DNA of young, healthy adults and children who develop severe COVID-19 despite having no underlying medical problems. The researchers also will study people who never become infected despite repeated exposures to coronavirus. Knowledge gained from understanding COVID-19s extremes could lead to new therapeutic strategies for the illness.

To help unravel the mysteries of COVID-19, scientists are sequencing the DNA of young, healthy adults and children who develop severe illness despite having no underlying medical problems. The researchers are looking for genetic defects that could put certain individuals at high risk of becoming severely ill from the novel coronavirus.

The McDonnell Genome Institute at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis is one of more than 30 genome sequencing hubs worldwide participating in the study. Rheumatologist Megan A. Cooper, MD, PhD, an associate professor of pediatrics, is leading the research at Washington University. Called the COVID Human Genetic Effort, the international project is co-led by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and Rockefeller University.

The researchers also plan to study people who never become infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, despite repeated exposures. Such individuals may have genetic variations that protect against infection. For example, certain rare genetic variants are known to thwart some types of viral infections, including HIV and norovirus. Knowledge gained from understanding COVID-19s extremes unusual susceptibility and resistance could lead to new therapeutic strategies for the illness.

The first focus of our study will be patients with severe responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection severe enough to require intensive care who appear otherwise healthy and are younger than 50, said Cooper, who also leads the clinical immunology program and the Jeffrey Modell Diagnostic and Research Center for Primary Immunodeficiencies at St. Louis Childrens Hospital.

These patients dont have uncontrolled diabetes, heart disease, chronic lung disease or any other condition that we know increases the risk of severe complications from COVID-19, she said. For example, we sometimes see stories about, say, a marathon runner or a generally fit, healthy person who nevertheless got very sick from this virus, or the few healthy children who are getting very sick with COVID-19. These are the kinds of patients were interested in for this study. A small proportion of hospitalized patients will fit this category, likely less than 10%.

Cooper studies primary immunodeficiencies in children. Primary immunodeficiencies are a group of more than 450 genetic disorders of the immune system. They often are caused by mutations in single genes that affect different aspects of immunity.

With this pandemic, we can use our skills in gene hunting to search for genes that might be associated with severe COVID-19 in children and younger adults, she said. We can foresee a future ability to do a genetic sequencing test for individual patients hospitalized with SARS-CoV-2 and get an idea of whether they are likely to need more intensive care. In the meantime, we will be able to learn a great deal about how the immune system responds to this virus and what it needs to be able to respond effectively and in an appropriate manner.

These patients genetics could reveal the important immune pathways that the body needs to fight the virus. That knowledge could lead to therapies that also could help other patients who dont have a genetic susceptibility to the virus but perhaps have high-risk conditions, such as diabetes or heart disease.

Our immune systems have never seen this virus before, Cooper said. Were seeing severe COVID-19 complications play out across the world right now. It is going to take a global effort to investigate the genetic factors and the immune system factors that really control this infection.

Research related to COVID-19, including collecting and distributing of patient samples, is managed through Washington Universitys Institute of Clinical and Translational Sciences (ICTS), led by William G. Powderly, MD, who is also the Larry J. Shapiro Director of the Institute for Public Health, the J. William Campbell Professor of Medicine and co-director of the Division of Infectious Diseases.

This research is supported by funding from the St. Louis Childrens Hospital Foundation and the Jeffrey Modell Foundation.

Washington University School of Medicines 1,500 faculty physicians also are the medical staff of Barnes-Jewish and St. Louis Childrens hospitals. The School of Medicine is a leader in medical research, teaching and patient care, ranking among the top 10 medical schools in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. Through its affiliations with Barnes-Jewish and St. Louis Childrens hospitals, the School of Medicine is linked to BJC HealthCare.

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COVID-19 study looks at genetics of healthy people who develop severe illness - Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis

Genetics

Are genetics a factor in COVID-19 severity? – KOIN.com

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) President Donald Trump announced Friday that his administration was declaring houses of worship as essential services. He said that the declaration would allow them to reopen in spite of local stay-home orders.

KOIN 6 News spoke to local religious leaders to see if this order changes things for them. So far, two have said no, they are going to opt to remain closed in the name of safety for their members and for the community. The senior minister at First Unitarian Church in Portland and a spokesperson for the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community both said they are keeping their doors closed for the time being.

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Are genetics a factor in COVID-19 severity? - KOIN.com

Genetics

What the genetics of COVID-19 mean for the survival of wild great apes – Landscape News

In 1994, researchers found two chimpanzees dead in Cte dIvoires Ta National Park, which holds West Africas largest rainforest. Autopsies of the chimpanzees revealed signs of hemorrhage resembling those found in humans during outbreaks of ebolavirus that occurred decades earlier in Zaire and Sudan. Indeed, further studies led to the designation of Ta Forest ebolavirus, one of five known strains of the virus that can lead to the ebolavirus disease. One researcher in the park contracted the disease during this time.

This is one of many stories of a zoonotic disease, also referred to as a zoonosis, which is a disease transmitted to humans by animals. Zoonoses are transmitted via direct or indirect contact with an infected individual, consuming contaminated food or water, or through vectors for example, being bitten by a mosquito carrying the disease.

The focus on transmission to humans dominates the global narrative of zoonoses, which include West Nile, rabies, Lyme and others. But certain pockets of the zoological research community focus on the reverse: humans transmitting zoonoses to wildlife, known as zooanthroponosis or anthroponosis.

In the current case of COVID-19, researchers of non-human primates have sounded alarm bells for the risks humans pose for transmitting SARS-CoV-2, the viral pathogen that causes the COVID-19 or coronavirus disease, to species of primates, including monkeys and apes. Being among some of the worlds most endangered species, of particular concern are wild great apes, including bonobos, eastern and western gorillas, orangutans and chimpanzees.

These types of outbreaks can have really devastating effects on primate populations, says says Amanda Melin, a biological anthropologist who runs the Primate Genomics and Ecology lab at the University of Calgary. This is a great example of the risks that we pose to other animals in the earth.

So far, there have been no positive tests of COVID-19 in wild great apes but the deadliness of the disease, should transmission occur, is likely high.

Its the quickest study Ive ever been involved in, says Melin of a study she co-led with Mareike Janiak, a postdoctoral scholar in molecular anthropology, and James Higham, a primate evolutionary biologist at New York University, that helps dispel the guesswork of which non-human primate species are at greatest risk. The study was conducted within about seven days in early April and posted to a preprint server shortly thereafter because of the urgency of its findings, which examine the genetics behind how the SARS-CoV-2 pathogen triggers the COVID-19 disease itself.

In order for a viral pathogen to take hold in a host, the proteins on its surface must bind with certain proteins on the surfaces of a hosts cells. Once the pathogens protein has found its cellular protein match, known as a receptor, the pathogen can enter the cell and trigger the disease. Coronavirus pathogens not just of COVID-19, but of other coronaviruses as well express spike proteins on their surfaces.

If the viruss protein cant find anywhere to bind, then its not going to become infectious, Melin puts simply.

Genes determine which proteins are formed on which cells. Melins study examines the coding sequence of the ACE2gene, which codes the cellular protein (the ACE2 receptor) for the SARS-CoV-2 pathogen. These receptors are found in endothelial tissues throughout the body, including in the lungs, hence the diseases respiratory effects.

As is the case concerning most forms of life, less diversity means less resilience to threat, and so too does it go for genetic predisposition to COVID-19.

Proteins are made of amino acids. Genes can vary in the sequences of their comprising DNA, and the variants of a gene will code protein receptors with different structures of their amino acids. Receptors with a range of structures make it more difficult for a pathogen to find its match.

With that context, consider this statement from Melins study: Here, we show that all apes, including chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas, and orangutans, and all African and Asian monkeys, exhibit the same set of twelve key amino acid residues as human ACE2.

In other words, we and many of our primate cousins are in the same boat of being highly susceptible because we have highly similar ACE2 genes and receptors, making it easier for the SARS-CoV-2 pathogen to find its binding match on our cells.

Interestingly, the study found that monkeys in the Americas, and some tarsiers, lemurs and lorisoids, had more ACE2 genetic variation, indicating that many species are likely less susceptible. However, Melin warns, some lemur species are also likely to be highly susceptible, which is worrying as they are also among the most endangered primates.

(Bats, notorious for being hosts and spreaders of coronaviruses, have exceptionally high ACE2 genetic variation. Within just the handful of bat species that we looked at, we saw genetic variation equivalent to the variation we saw across the entire range of other mammals we included, says Melin.)

Its easy to imagine that were closely related to other non-human primates, and so we should be careful with diseases. But knowing that they have the exact same sites and should be equally susceptible to us, and seeing what its doing to humans around the world its really concerning.

At the end of 2016 and into early 2017, chimpanzees in the Ta forest were seen with cold-like symptoms. While it did not prove deadly, the illness was found by researchers to have been a coronavirus passed to the chimpanzees from humans, likely poachers.

Similar to Gombe, disease is the leading challenge for conservation of chimpanzees at Ta, says Thomas Gillespie, whose work with wild great apes in Africa includes directing theGombe Ecosystem Health Project, in addition to running the Gillespie Lab at Emory University. Because of that, were always alert to the risk of disease exposure from people. The Ta team, 10 years ago or so, had a major respiratory outbreak that killed all the young chimpanzees

The tell-tale signs of COVID-19 are likely also the same for human and non-human primates, namely dry cough and fever.

We expect to see human-like symptoms, or more extreme versions of those. Laboratory-based infection of macaques resulted in similar disease progression to what were seeing in humans, says Gillespie.

Because best practices of wildlife conservation, and especially with wild great apes, demand limited human interaction, researchers rely on technology to check animals for symptoms from a safe and hidden distance. Laser thermometers are used to check fecal masses immediately after defecation to determine body temperatures. Blood meals from mosquitos are tested to keep track of pathogens circulating between them and animals. Carrion flies, which feast on dead animals, can give insights on mortality.

The Cross River gorillas, for example we never see them because theyre very cryptic, says Gillespie of the critically endangered species. Only an estimated 200 or 300 remain, residing at the border of Nigeria and Cameroon. But the flies are still going to find them. Flies are going to let us know if theres a spike in mortality. And then that can alert us to potential issues.

Should COVID-19 begin to be found in wild great apes, there is good and bad news. The bad is that quarantining isnt an option. Because of group dynamics, individual animals within most groups cannot be removed They dont respond well it tends to go quite badly, says Gillespie making the likelihood of virus spreading to the entire group of a single infected animal quite high.

And, once a wild animal has left the wild, he adds, there are tremendous threats involved with putting them back in the wild because we might have exposed them to additional pathogens in the sanctuary setting.

So we cant think about things like darting individuals, removing them from the group, quarantining them. We have to really focus on them not becoming infected. And thats the most important thing.

Gillespie nonetheless expects the virus to make its way into at least some populations of wild apes populations. The key now is to understand how it is likely to spread among species, based on exposure as well as the apes behavior and ecology. For example, in some places, habituated apes those accustomed to proximity to humans might be exposed to SARS-CoV-2, but will likely never come into contact with non-habituated apes. In other areas, this might not be the case.

And in yet other areas, monkeys that share habitats with apes baboons and vervet monkeys in Africa; macaques in Asia might spread the virus among great ape groups, or act as intermediaries, carrying the virus from humans to great apes.

This is something were actively working on, says Gillespie, who is leading a team focused on creating a model of sites across Africa and Asia to guide location-based best practices for ape conservation during the pandemic. Were modeling the different ape species, including variables like demographics, behavioral ecology, and proximity to humans and other susceptible species. This can all influence the dynamics of transmission to wild great apes.

Many protected areas inhabited by wild great apes have quickly developed lockdown measures of their own, such as shutting down tourism, logging and mining operations and extensively testing staff and researchers.

One of the major efforts currently addressing this is led by the Primate Specialist Group and the Wildlife Health Specialist Group, both of the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The two groups released a joint statement in early March, listing ways that humans can minimize risks to wild great apes, including disinfecting their footwear, wearing surgical masks, quarantining when coming from abroad, and immediately leaving an area when feeling the need to cough or sneeze and not returning.

But for local communities who depend on the use of certain forests, current measures might mean theyre left without a livelihood. To this end, the IUCN has created a task force, which includes Gillespie, focused on COVID-19s impacts on areas where wildlife and communities share and depend on the same ecosystems. One component of this effort has been distributing funds to communities that might otherwise be forced to resort to actions that could threaten wildlife.

Melins and Gillespies studies and others like them are proving crucial tools for these conservationists to know where and how to allocate resources to protect species highly vulnerable to the disease, as well as provide scientific backing to policy- and decision-makers about the vulnerability of these species.

Even after the heightened phase of the pandemic has lessened, changes must continue to be made, she says: For primate observational research, we need to continue to be really careful about quarantining ourselves and about our proximities, always using best practices when were interacting with non-human primates. More generally, I hope we can slow and then stop the illegal trade of wildlife, which might help prevent future, different outbreaks.

And then she broadens her thoughts: How will it feel collectively, as humans, if were responsible for the rapid extermination of these species from the Earth?

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What the genetics of COVID-19 mean for the survival of wild great apes - Landscape News

Genetics

Enhancing food diversity in the midst of a climate crisis: How plant genetic material ensures future food security – Kenya – ReliefWeb

Throughout history 6 000 -- 7 000 plant species have been cultivated for food. Yet today 40 percent of our daily calories come from just three crops: rice, wheat and maize. Humans depend on little more than 30 plant species, many of which are struggling in the face of today's environmental changes. With biodiversity and entire ecosystems in serious decline, the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture plays an increasingly important role in promoting farmers and their essential contribution to diversifying the crops that feed the world. The Treaty was negotiated by FAO and the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (CGRFA) and adopted in 2001 to create a global system that provides farmers, plant breeders and scientists with access to plant genetic materials.

The genetic material in each variety of species is unique and precious. Derived from human and natural selection for many decades, these genetics are fundamental to our future of food. Genetic material ensures agricultural biodiversity and gives different species the ability to cope with changes, whether it be climate change, new pests and diseases, drought and even flooding. The Treaty's Benefit-sharing Fund invests in projects that conserve and develop crop genetic resources to improve food security in cooperation with farmers.

Here are three examples of how this Treaty has helped farming communities in developing countries cope with climate change and other environmental threats.

1. Exchanging and developing biodiverse potato varieties in Peru, Nepal and Bhutan

There are over 4 000 native varieties of potato growing in the Andean highlands. These varieties are well-adapted to harsh conditions and a changing climate. In contrast, Nepal and Bhutan have only two locally adapted potato varieties but face similar conditions and environmental threats as the Andes. With this in mind, the project sought to reduce the vulnerability of these mountain communities by introducing potatoes that are more resilient to extreme temperatures and offer better nutritional quality. Working closely with the International Potato Centre in Peru, farmers in Nepal and Bhutan became directly involved in selecting new, high-yielding, resilient and biodiverse varieties of potato. The genetic material from these potatoes has since been conserved, multiplied and used by national agricultural research systems in all three countries.

** 2. Conserving plant genetic resources to improve food and nutrition in Zimbabwe, Malawi and Zambia

Being heavily reliant on the success of the maize crop, communities in Zimbabwe, Malawi and Zambia have in recent years faced a severe food shortage because maize crops have been unable to withstand the effects of climate change, such as higher temperatures and torrential rains. "Because of the changing climate, our farm was producing less food, and most crops have not been doing so well apart from millet and sorghum," explained Lovemore Tachokere, a smallholder farmer from Malawi. Through the Benefit-sharing fund and the introduction of 159 Farmer Field Schools across the three countries, farmers were given support and a voice. They started introducinglost varieties of different crops, creating diversity in their fields that also ensured more varied and nutritious diets. As part of the project a total of 300 lost or forgotten small grain crop varieties were retrieved from national, regional and international gene banks as part of the Treaty's Multilateral System. These seeds are now available to farmers and scientists for further study and the development of new climate-smart varieties.

3. Ensuring a resilient cassava crop in Tanzania and Kenya

Cassava is the third largest source of carbohydrates in the world, playing a particularly important role in agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa because it does well in poor soils and with low rainfall. Additionally, because it is a perennial, cassava acts as a famine reserve. In recent years, however, extreme temperatures, drought, flooding and a new virus, provoking 'brown streak disease', have affected cassava cultivation in the region. In Tanzaniaand Kenya, a project implemented through the Benefit-sharing Fund has led to new, more resistant and tolerant cassava breeding lines, including 30 that are heat and disease tolerant. While the farmers are now experimenting with planting new cassava varieties and using improved agricultural practices, breeders and scientists have access to improved plant material from which to select essential genetic material for future use. Community seed banks have been established through the Benefit-sharing Fund in conjunction with Farmer Field Schools and are an important initiative to collect and conserve local crop varieties. They function as a platform for farmers to control and make informed decisions on the conservation of agrobiodiversity and the cultivation of a variety of crops with nutritional value.

In the 15 years since it came into force, the International Treaty hosted by FAO has created the largest global gene pool for sharing plant material for food and agriculture, the Multilateral System of Access and Benefit-sharing (MLS). The Benefit-sharing Fund has supported over one million people through 80 agricultural development projects in 67 developing countries. These projects are clear examples of how effective the sharing of skills and knowledge across continents can be and they are crucial in the race to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular SDG 15 (Life on Land) and SDG2 (Zero Hunger). Projects under the Benefit-sharing Fund are an indication that FAO's Strategy on mainstreaming biodiversity across agricultural sectors is already taking shape and showing positive results, demonstrating that the greater the diversification of crops, the more food secure a community can become and the more resilient they find themselves in the face of current threats like climate change, pests and disease.

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Enhancing food diversity in the midst of a climate crisis: How plant genetic material ensures future food security - Kenya - ReliefWeb

Genetics

mRNA vaccines could provide a breakthrough for coronavirus and other illness – Boston Herald

A new vaccine platform that harnesses the power of genetics has been thrust into the public eye as the success of Modernas coronavirus vaccine continues to grow, which if proven safe and effective, would be the first of its kind.

Theres never been a successful vaccine developed this way before, so it would be very, very novel, which is exciting, but potentially risky, said Dr. Helen Boucher, chief of the division of geographic medicine and infectious diseases at Tufts Medical Center.

Messenger ribonucleic acid, or mRNA, is a chemical readout of DNA that can be transferred into cells to make proteins.

Dr. Mark Poznansky, director of the Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center at Massachusetts General Hospital, compared DNA to delivery of information to the immune system from a book about coronavirus, and RNA to a chapter or two about it.

You are fundamentally engineering the cells in your body to make a foreign protein from the virus that your immune system can then react to, said Poznansky.

The mRNA vaccine encodes proteins of a virus, which are inserted into a cell to trigger an immune response.

Cambridge-based company Modernas mRNA coronavirus vaccine is highly regarded by health experts and was created at lightning speed after the virus sequence was released.

The companys stock has soared and the vaccine attracted the attention of the public and top health officials alike.

The vaccine has shown positive results in early participants of its Phase 1 study and after two doses, all participants showed binding antibody levels and neutralizing antibody levels that were at or above those who have recovered from coronavirus, according to Moderna.

There are several other mRNA coronavirus vaccines in development, such as one from Pfizer and German company BioNTech and another developed by PharmaJet and Tawainese company Abnova that uses needle-free technology.

If any make it past Phase 3 studies and onto consumers, it would be a major breakthrough, not just for the coronavirus pandemic, but for accelerated vaccine development in general, said Poznansky.

We always need more platforms that generate effective vaccines and having an additional one based on mRNA would be a great advantage, said Poznansky.

He added, If it turned out to be safe and effective in Phase 3 studies, that would be enormous success.

But making it to Phase 3 is pretty rare, said Poznansky, and safety is key in vaccine development.

In many ways we are very, very early on in this very accelerated process of multiple platforms going after a target and I think thats our biggest advantage at this point, there are lots of horses in the race, said Poznansky.

A report published in Nature Research Journal said the mRNA vaccine field is developing quickly and the technology offers a lot of positives.

mRNA is non-infectious, can be administered repeatedly and modifications can make it stable and highly translatable, the report states.

The vaccines have potential for rapid, cheap scalability, as well, the paper said.

Many drugs, therapies and interventions are being developed to combat the coronavirus crisis, but a vaccine will make the ultimate impact.

To really impact disease on a global level we are going to need a vaccine, said Boucher.

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mRNA vaccines could provide a breakthrough for coronavirus and other illness - Boston Herald

Genetics

U of T researchers help lead national effort to explore role of genes in COVID-19 – News@UofT

The global spread of COVID-19 has forced us to become familiar with terminology from contact tracing to social distancing most of us didnt know a few months ago. Now, if the hunch of many scientists is correct, we are about to hear a lot about genome sequencing, too.

In search of a genetic explanation for why the novel coronavirus affects some people much more severely than others, the federal government has invested $20 million into a national project to sequence and analyze the genomes of 10,000 Canadians who have had COVID-19.

The project, part of a larger $40 million investment in the Canadian COVID Genomics Network, will be managed by CGEn, a federally funded national platform for genome sequencing, a complex process that, among other things, can help spot DNA mutations in individuals or groups that predispose them to certain illnesses.

There seems to be a genetic component to this virus. You can see that in the individuals who have had the same level of exposure to the virus but respond very differently, says Lisa Strug, associate director of The Centre for Applied Genomics (TCAG) at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) and an associate professor in the department of statistical sciences in the University of Torontos Faculty of Arts & Science.

That points to this idea that our genetics could impact our response to the virus and how some people can fight it off and some cant. So, we need to know what are the genetic variations that are determining this variable response?

Strug, who is scientific lead of the CGEn sequencing project, says published studies have already examined so-called heritability.

Researchers have looked at whether some of the symptoms being seen with COVID-19 run in families, she says. Some families are experiencing the virus in the same way they all have mild symptoms, or all have very severe experiences. So it appears that there is some hereditary component. And thats another piece of evidence pointing to genetics.

Strug will work with scientists at CGEn nodes at U of T and SickKids, McGill University and at the University of British Columbia. CGEn will collect blood samples from 10,000 patients from across the country, of all ages and genders, who have COVID-19. The researchers will then extract the DNA from the samples, sequence and analyze it with sophisticated computing and statistical techniques and put all the clinical and genetic information in a protected database so researchers around the world can use it in their COVID-19 projects. A similar project is being conducted in the United Kingdom, which will involve about 20,000 patients.

The large sample size is essential because there are likely different factors that contribute to the response to COVID-19 infection in different individuals and at different ages, and the more data we have, the greater the ability researchers will have to identify these, says Strug. There is a huge benefit in not just looking at one patient at a time, but across the population and across all genes.

How will this information benefit research into the novel coronavirus? Strug says the results will be useful in identifying who is the most susceptible to COVID-19 and in understanding which genes scientists should be targeting when developing drugs to treat the virus and, ideally, a vaccine that will help control it.

There is also another major benefit of starting this massive, two year-long project immediately: data that can be used to protect ourselves from future illnesses.

U of Ts StephenScherer,the lead principal investigator of CGEn,says the genetic information gleaned from the project can be used to help guard against future outbreaks (photo courtesy of SickKids)

This is Canadas first time doing a large-scale project like this, says Stephen Scherer, TCAGs director and a University Professor of molecular genetics at U of T. When global society moves past the COVID-19 pandemic, there will be another one. All this genetic information will be extremely useful for that point in the future.

Were about to get an excellent genetic cross-section of the Canadian population. This virus has been destructive, but it is also forcing us to create new knowledge that we will be able to leverage for years to come.

For example, knowledge gained from the SARS epidemic of the early 2000s has been useful during the current outbreak, according to Strug and Scherer. Thats because of the similarities between the two coronaviruses.

That has helped the global research community be able to respond quickly to this new virus, says Strug.

That said, genetic sequencing must deal with a huge amount of data. The numbers are staggering the human genome contains three billion base chemical units that code for about 25,000 to 35,000 genes, and this project will sequence 10,000 genomes.

This is very big data analysis, Strug says.

Both scientists note that computing technology used for sequencing is far more advanced than even a decade ago. The technology has become so sophisticated and affordable that we can propose to look at entire DNA sequences, says Scherer. In 2003, for SARS 1, we couldnt do this.

Scherer, who is the lead principal investigator of CGEn, a senior scientist at SickKids and director of U of Ts McLaughlin Centre, says hes impressed with how the global research community has pivoted to focus on solving the COVID-19 puzzle.

Its amazing how scientists around the world have come together on this, he says. Just at U of T, there are researchers working on COVID-19 who I would have never predicted would be. I would say that 75 per cent of the people Im talking with every day, now, are not the same people I was talking with eight weeks ago. But they have a specific technology or some useful knowledge that links in.

Thats how scientific research needs to work to be effective: By bringing in a wide breadth of perspectives and specialists, cracking COVID-19 could become this generations moonshot.

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U of T researchers help lead national effort to explore role of genes in COVID-19 - News@UofT

Biochemistry

Chitosan Market Size Worth $28.93 Billion by 2027 | CAGR 24.7%: Grand View Research, Inc. – PRNewswire

SAN FRANCISCO, May 25, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The global chitosan marketsize is projected to reach USD 28.93 billion by 2027, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. It is expected to expand at a revenue-based CAGR of 24.7% during the forecast period. Increasing consumption of bio-derived products in water treatment, cosmetics, food and beverage, and pharmaceutical industries is likely to derive the growth.

Key suggestions from the report:

Read 102 page research report with ToC on "Chitosan Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Application (Pharmaceutical & Biomedical, Water Treatment, Cosmetics, Food & Beverage), By Region (APAC, North America, Europe, MEA), And Segment Forecasts, 2020 - 2027" at: https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/global-chitosan-market

Chitosan is marketed under various grades, such as industrial, pharmaceutical, and food depending upon the purity of the product. In the pharmaceutical industry, it is used as diluents for tablets, a binder in wet granulations, dis-integrant, drug carrier, and absorption enhancer. In addition, chitosan and its derivatives can easily penetrate the plasmatic membrane of microorganisms and kill bacteria, fungi, and other parasites. Hence, is used for treating infections in orthopedic, neurological, gynecological, and cardiovascular surgical procedures.

North America is expected to emerge as one of the major markets for chitosan during the forecasted period, registering a CAGR of 19.2% in terms of volume, between 2020 to 2027. The region has experienced a growing demand for chitosan products owing to increasing biobased industries. Manufacturers are heavily investing in R&D activities to develop the pure grade of chitosan. However, high production cost owing to the irregular supply of the raw material is anticipated to hamper market growth over the forecast period.

The market is highly fragmented in nature owing to the presence of a large number of small-scale players, especially in countries including Japan, China, Thailand, and South Korea. These countries have favorable government regulations to promote growth of their fishery industry. Hence, several companies such as Qingdao Yunzhou Biochemistry Co., Kyowa Technos Co., Ltd., Dainichiseika Color & Chemicals Mfg. Co. Ltd., and KIMICA Corporation have manufacturing as well as distribution channels present in the region.

Grand View Research has segmented the global chitosan market on the basis of application and region:

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Biochemistry

Research Roundup: Emerging Viral Diseases and More – BioSpace

Every week there are numerous scientific studies published. Heres a look at some of the more interesting ones.

More Worries About Emerging Viral Diseases

If the current COVID-19 pandemic is teaching the world anything, its that viral diseases can be extremely dangerous and disruptive. Researchers with the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus released a new study calling attention to the emergence of mosquito-borne viral outbreaks in West Africa, including dengue (DNV), chikungunya (CHIKV) and Zika (ZIKV) viruses. They published their research in Acta Tropica.

The study reviewed 50 years of literature on arboviruses in West Africa. The goal was to define evidence of DENV, ZIKV and CHIKV and the distribution of their Aedes mosquito vectors in the region. They found strong evidence that transmission of these diseases is occurring in urban areas of West Africa, which is distinct from the rural transmission of yellow fever virus that has been historically present in the region. They found evidence that the epidemiology of arboviral disease in West Africa has shifted and that rapid urbanization and climate change could increase risk of outbreaks in the future.

Large arboviral outbreaks will occur around the world, said Elizabeth Carlton, assistant professor of environmental and occupational health at the Colorado School of Public Health and co-author of the study. Building awareness and surveillance capacity before the outbreaks occur can help detect outbreaks early and enable prompt and effective response to reduce health impacts.

Research lead Andrea Buchwald, a postdoctoral fellow, said, Emerging viruses are at the forefront of everyones attention due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It has underscored the importance of preparing for and preventing large viral outbreaks that can have massive public health and economic consequences. We hope our research will prompt the development of early warning systems and adoption of control measures to prevent infectious outbreaks in West Africa. This will greatly impact the spread and severity of future outbreaks.

Vaccine Design Leveraging Artificial Proteins

Investigators at Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne in France developed a computational approach to create artificial proteins, which they believe could be used to create safer and more effective vaccines. They note that when vaccines dont work, theres a tendency to think its because the antibodies produced arent protective, but usually its because the immune system is making the wrong type of antibodies. The new method was able to design artificial proteins that could precisely instruct the bodys immune system which antibodies to produce.

New Genetic Link for NASH Identified

Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis is a fatty liver disease similar to cirrhosis of the liver but in people who drink little or no alcohol. Researchers at German Diabetes Center, German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbrucke (DlfE), and Helmholtz Zentrum Munchen, discovered new genes that play a role in fatty liver disease. The genes are IRGM, Ifgga2 and Ifgga4. They are responsible for the production of regulatory proteins of the family of immunity-related GTPases that counteract fat accumulation in the liver. A genetic variation causes formation of fewer of these proteins.

University of Waterloo researchers studying the 3D structure of the COVID-19 protein believe a specific class of diabetes drugs could potentially be used to treat COVID-19. The study has not yet been peer-reviewed, but they found evidence that dipeptidyl peptidase 4 inhibitors (DPP4 inhibitors) could bind to the protein. They are continuing research and hope to scale up to clinical trials. Common DPP4 inhibitors include AstraZenecas Onglyza (saxagliptin), Mercks Januvia (sitagliptin), Takedas Nesina (alogliptin) and Boehringer Ingelheims Tradjenta (linagliptin).

How Triglyceride is Made

Triglycerides are a type of dietary fat that are associated with increased risk of heart disease, diabetes, obesity and fatty liver disease. Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine identified a 3D structure and mode of action of an enzyme, acylglycerol O-acyltransferase-1 (DGAT1) that synthesizes triglycerides. It is also required for human dietary fat absorption and storage. DGAT1 is a known target for treating diabetes and metabolic diseases, so understanding the mechanism of action may lead to better interventions. The research was published in the journal Nature.

DGAT1 is a particularly interesting enzyme because it synthesizes triglycerides, which are the main component of hard fat, the type of fat usually found in the belly or midsection in our body, said co-corresponding author Ming Zhou, Ruth McLean Bowman Bowers Professor in Biochemistry in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Baylor. Triglycerides also are part of the particles that transport cholesterol high-density lipoproteins (HDL, or good cholesterol), and low-density and very-low-density lipoproteins (LDL and VLDLD, or bad cholesterols). Learning to regulate this enzyme can help regulate fat synthesis and potentially manage related conditions.

Accumulated Neuron Damage as We Age

Researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) identified an enzyme called HDAC1 that is critical for repairing age-related DNA damage in genes associated with memory and cognition. In Alzheimers patients, as well as in normally aging adults, HDAC1 is often found in lower amounts. Their research suggests that restoring the enzyme could have benefits for both groups. The research was published in the journal Nature Communications.

It seems that HDAX1 is really an anti-aging molecule, said Li-Huei Tsai, director of MITs Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, and senior author of the research. I think this is a very broadly applicable basic biology finding, because nearly all of the human neurodegenerative diseases only happen during aging. I would speculate that activating HDAC1 is beneficial in many conditions.

In 2013, the same group published two papers linking HDAC1 to DNA repair in brain cells. The new research studied what happens when HDAC1-mediated repair didnt happen. They worked with mice engineered to not produce HDAC1 in neurons and another type of brain cell, astrocytes. At first there was no noticeable difference in DNA damage levels or behavior, but as the mice aged, DNA damage began to accumulate in the HDAC1-deficient mice and lost some of their brain plasticity and problems in memory and spatial navigation. The loss of HDAC1 was associated with a specific type of DNA damage called 8-oxo-guanine lesions.

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Research Roundup: Emerging Viral Diseases and More - BioSpace