Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

South Asians at higher risk of death from Covid, Oxford study says

South Asians at higher risk of death from Covid, Oxford study says

SCIENTISTS at the University of Oxford have identified a gene that may double the risk of lung failure and death from Covid-19, and could explain why people of south Asian origin have a higher risk of severe disease.

The LZTFL1 gene changes the way the lungs respond to viral infection, and is the most important genetic risk factor identified so far, researchers said.


They noted that the gene version is carried by nearly 60 per cent of people with south Asian background, compared to 15 per cent of those with European lineage.

The finding, published in the journal Nature Genetics on Thursday (4), could also partly explain the impact of Covid-19 in the Indian subcontinent.

The researchers used a combination of artificial intelligence (AI) and new molecular technology to pinpoint LZTFL1 as a gene responsible for the increased risks.

LZTFL1 blocks a key protective mechanism that cells lining the lungs normally used to defend themselves from the viral infection, they said.

When these cells interact with SARS-CoV-2, which causes Covid-19, one of their defence strategies is to turn into less specialised cells and become less welcoming to the virus.

This process reduces the amount on the surface of cells of a key protein called ACE2, which the coronavirus uses to attach itself to the cells.

However, for people with the LZTFL1 gene this process does not work as well, and lung cells are left vulnerable to infection by the virus.

The researchers noted that it is particularly important to offer vaccination to communities that are at greater risk of serious Covid-19 infection as a consequence of carrying this genetic predisposition, as their increased risk should be cancelled out by immunisation.

Independent experts said the findings are very important but warrant further investigation.

"The discrepancy between the risk of serious disease and death in different ethnic groups has previously been attributed in part to socio-economic differences, but it was clear that this was not a complete explanation," said Professor Frances Flinter, from Guy's & St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, UK.

"Evidence that LZTFL1 has emerged as a candidate causal gene, which is potentially responsible for some of the two-fold increased risk of respiratory failure from Covid-19 in some populations, provides a big step forward in our understanding of the variable susceptibility of some individuals to serious disease and death," Flinter, who was not involved in the study, added.

Simon Biddie, from the University of Edinburgh, UK, said the study provides compelling evidence to suggest roles for LZFTL1 in severe Covid-19 that warrants urgent further investigation.

"The finding will need further experimental verification to provide direct evidence for regulation of LZTFL1, using genome engineering approaches," Biddie, who was not a part of the study, added.

(PTI)

More For You

Southport stabbings: Terrorism watchdog rejects definition change

FILE PHOTO: Riot police hold back protesters near a burning police vehicle in Southport, England (Photo: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

Getty Images

Southport stabbings: Terrorism watchdog rejects definition change

TERRORISM watchdog has rejected calls to redefine terrorism following last summer's tragic Southport murders, while recommending a new offence to tackle those intent on mass killings without clear ideological motives.

Jonathan Hall KC, the Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation, published his highly anticipated report on Thursday (13), concluding that the existing definition of terrorism should remain unchanged despite growing concerns about violent attackers with unclear motives.

Keep ReadingShow less
Commonwealth wreath-laying ceremony held in London

A military piper, choir, and the Sikh soldiers of the British Army took part in the ceremony.

Commonwealth wreath-laying ceremony held in London

A WREATH-LAYING ceremony was held at the Memorial Gates on Constitution Hill in London on 10 March to honour Commonwealth servicemen and women who fought in the First and Second World Wars.

Lord Boateng, chairman of the Memorial Gates Council, led the event, highlighting the importance of remembering those who served.

Keep ReadingShow less
Student visas

The ongoing negotiations focus specifically on business mobility, addressing only the relevant business visas

iStock

Student visas excluded from UK-India FTA talks, says government

THE government last week clarified that only temporary business mobility visas are part of the India-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations.

Other types of visas, such as student visas, will not be included in the trade deal, it was revealed during a debate in the House of Lords.

Keep ReadingShow less
India Detains Crypto Administrator Wanted by US for Laundering

Aleksej Besciokov, was charged with money laundering and accused of violating sanctions and operating an unlicensed money-transmitting business, according to the US Justice Department. (Photo: US Secret Service)

India arrests crypto administrator wanted by US for money laundering

INDIAN authorities have arrested a cryptocurrency exchange administrator at the request of the United States on charges of money laundering conspiracy and sanctions violations, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) said on Wednesday.

The arrest follows a joint operation by the United States, Germany, and Finland, which dismantled the online infrastructure of Russian cryptocurrency exchange Garantex.

Keep ReadingShow less
Starmer-Getty

Starmer said that the change would free up funds for doctors, nurses, and frontline services while reducing red tape to accelerate improvements in the health system. (Photo: Getty Images)

Starmer scraps NHS England, brings health service under ministerial control

PRIME MINISTER Keir Starmer has abolished NHS England, bringing the health service under direct ministerial control.

The decision reverses a key reform introduced by former health secretary Andrew Lansley during the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition, The Guardian reported.

Keep ReadingShow less