Authors: TRANSLATIONAL GENOMICS RESEARCH INSTITUTE (TGEN)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Results from a TGen-led international study suggest that SARS-CoV-2 takes advantage of genetic changes among patients with pre-existing lung diseases.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The results of a study by an international scientific team co-led by the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), an affiliate of City of Hope, suggest that \u2014 like pouring water atop a wellhead before pumping \u2014 the airway cells of patients with chronic lung diseases are \u201cprimed\u201d for infection by the COVID-19 virus, resulting in more severe symptoms, poorer outcomes and a greater likelihood of death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The study \u2014 published today in\u00a0Nature Communications<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 details the genetic changes caused by chronic lung disease in the molecular makeup of a variety of cells, including the epithelial cells that line the lung and airways. The study details how those changes can help enable SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, to enter the body, replicate and trigger an out-of-control immune response that fills the lungs with fluids and often results in patients needing respirators and lengthy hospitalizations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n