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November 5, 2021

Andrew Campbell 

On November 4, the journal Nature Genetics published an article titled "Identification of LZTFL1 as a candidate effector gene at a COVID-19 risk locus." The Oxford University researchers discovered a gene in their study that sheds light on why communities in the United Kingdom and South Asia are at a higher risk of respiratory failure and death due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Scientists from the University of Oxford discovered a gene called LZTFL1 at the 3p21.31 locus that doubles the risk of lung failure and death from COVID-19. According to the researchers, approximately 60% of the people of South Asian ancestry and 15% of the people of European ancestry have the high-risk version of the gene. Earlier in the year 2020, genome-wide association studies discovered that the 3p21.31 genetic region confers a twofold increased risk of respiratory failure in people infected with COVID-19.

The risky version of the gene, according to researchers, makes people's lungs more susceptible to coronavirus. Because the 3p21.31 effect is caused by a gain-of-function, LZTFL1 could be a therapeutic target. Scientists hope that the discovery will lead to the development of new customized drugs that target the lungs rather than the immune system, as current drugs do.