La Trobe University scientists identify gene that dramatically reduces ill effects from the virus
People lucky enough to inherit this gene from their parents have a natural shield to Covid.
Victoria
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Scientists have discovered a genetic shield that allows people to “dodge” the Covid virus.
The protective shield is a gene called HLA-B15 and researchers revealed overnight that those who have inherited one gene are twice as likely not to suffer any ill effects from the virus.
People lucky enough to have inherited two copies of the gene — one from each parent — are eight times more likely to be asymptomatic when infected.
The international team, that included La Trobe University lead researcher Stephanie Gras, have just published the results in the respected science journal Nature.
It is largest study to focus on early Covid disease and genetic links.
They reported people who carry the gene also had high levels of pre-existing memory T cells — or killer cells — that recognised Covid and mounted a faster and stronger immune response after infection that might helped to eliminate the virus quickly.
Professor Gras told the Herald Sun the discovery held the promise of improved vaccines and treatments that may mimic the immune ‘shield’ that was seen in people who dodged Covid.
She said the research also helped to explain why so many people were asymptomatic when infected with the virus during the pandemic.
“Now that we have a lot of treatment and good vaccines available, it was a good time for us to focus on people who can naturally dodge Covid and really understand the mechanisms behind this,” Professor Gras said.
The unique study involved almost 30,000 people – including a small cohort from Victoria and Queensland.
“Now that we have a lot of treatment and good vaccines available, it was a good time for us to focus on people who can naturally dodge Covid and really understand the mechanisms behind this,” Professor Gras said.
The unique study involved almost 30,000 people – including a small cohort from Victoria and Queensland.
“The majority were registered with the National Marrow Donor Program in America,” Professor Gras said.
“What made that program so invaluable was that they provided samples from the 1990s, so they were pure samples that had never been exposed to Covid.
“The volunteers in our study had also previously undergone high resolution HLA genotyping to be on that program.”
She said this was crucial as HLA typing was expensive, and the HLA molecules set is unique in everyone, a bit like a fingerprint.
“So there is no magic bullet, it is not a one test fits all,” Professor Gras said.
Participants in the study were then voluntarily tracked using a smartphone that collected information on their Covid symptoms and outcomes.
The researchers reported that of 1428 unvaccinated donors with positive test results for the virus, 136 had no symptoms.
They also found a high proportion of the asymptomatic donors were carrying the HLA-B15 gene, which was the first evidence of a genetic link.
The authors reported that in samples collected pre-pandemic they found pre-existent T-cell immunity against Covid in a group of 15 people who had the HLA-B15 gene,
They wrote in the Nature paper that these killer T cells, that help fight infection, had a strong immune response to Covid and seasonal coronaviruses in those people with the gene.
These killer T cells, they found, also had the capacity to recognise Covid and its different variants, including Omicron variants.
The research was led by Professor Jill Hollenbach from the University of California San Francisco who said understanding how asymptomatic cases occur was a tremendous advantage in fighting Covid, a disease she said that has claimed the lives of almost seven million people worldwide.
Professor Gras says there is still a lot to learn about the virus and that future research by the team will look at investigating natural immunity.