In Tokyo, they discovered the difference in a base sequence to a gene related immune function that may be linked to the severity of COVID-19.
Keio University, Tokyo Medical University and Kyoto University comprised research that 10 percent of east Asians, including Japanese have different base sequences. This finding may lead to the development of a new drug to prevent severe COVID-19 symptoms. The base sequence is rarely seen among western people.
The team analyzed the genome of blood samples collected from COVID-19 patients. The compared data from 2,377 people under 65 showed 440 seriously ill. The group discovered that people with a specific sequence for a base near the DOCK2 gene (protein coding gene), which is linked to lymphocyte activation. This accounted for a significant portion of people with severe symptoms.