Genetic Study
Sepsis Research FEAT is delighted to report the latest groundbreaking findings from the research study that the charity supports.
Researchers from GenOMICC – a global collaboration to study genetics in critical illness – led by the University of Edinburgh in partnership with Genomics England, made these discoveries by sequencing the genomes of 7,491 patients from 224 intensive care units in the UK.
Some 16 new genetic variants associated with severe Covid-19, including some related to blood clotting, immune response, and intensity of inflammation, have been identified.
Determining the whole genome sequence for all participants in the study allowed the team to create a precise map and identify genetic variations linked to the severity of COVID-19. The team found key differences in 16 genes in the ICU patients when compared with the DNA of other groups.
They also confirmed the involvement of seven other genetic variations already associated with severe COVID-19 discovered in earlier studies from the same team.
These findings will act as a roadmap for future efforts, opening new fields of research focused on potential new therapies and diagnostics with pinpoint accuracy, experts say.
Professor Kenneth Baillie, the project’s chief investigator and a Consultant in Critical Care Medicine at the University of Edinburgh said: “Our latest findings point to specific molecular targets in critical COVID-19. These results explain why some people develop life-threatening COVID-19, while others get no symptoms at all. But more importantly, this gives us a deep understanding of the process of disease and is a big step forward in finding more effective treatments.
“It is now true to say that we understand the mechanisms of COVID better than the other syndromes we treat in intensive care in normal times – sepsis, flu, and other forms of critical illness. COVID-19 is showing us the way to tackle those problems in the future.
It is important to note that the whole GenOMICC study owes its success to the support we’ve received from Sepsis Research FEAT, in two ways – firstly by providing flexible funds to extend the study, and secondly by keeping our whole team sharply focused on the primary aim: using genetics to find better treatments for critical illness.”
Professor Nick Lemoine, National Institute for Health Research, said: “The GenOMICC study has been a key part of the UK’s urgent public health research response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The scale and speed of recruitment to this important study have been enabled by the National Institute for Health Research’s Clinical Research Network – which mobilized its workforce across every NHS trust in the country. Once again, the research community in the UK has delivered results that have the potential to change clinical practice and save lives across the world.”
The findings have been published in Nature: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-022-04576-6