COVID-19 Genetic Host Initiative member will use data from free at-home tests and services like 23andMe and Ancestry to search for ways to combat novel coronavirus, MDcovid reports
— MDcovid is launching a COVID-19 Study that aims to shed light on why some people infected with the novel coronavirus remain asymptomatic while others develop life-threatening complications. As a member of the COVID-19 Host Genetics Initiative, MDcovid will gather DNA information from people who have been infected with the novel coronavirus.
The group’s researchers will use the data to search for genetic mutations that might help protect against COVID-19. MDcovid’s COVID-19 Genetic research will focus first on the ACE2 receptor, a key to the novel coronavirus’s ability to enter human cells and begin replicating. Related “discoveries could help to generate hypotheses for drug repurposing, identify individuals at unusually high or low risk, and contribute to global knowledge of the biology of SARS-CoV-2 infection and disease,” according to Muin J. Khoury of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Anyone who has previously contracted the novel coronavirus and has used a DNA testing service like 23andMe, Ancestry, FamilyTreeDNA, HomeDNA, LivingDNA, or MyHeritage can securely upload the results to MDcovid, free of charge, using the company’s website. Others are invited to contact MDcovid to arrange for free, at-home DNA testing.
“Putting an end to the COVID-19 pandemic is one of the most pressing, urgent challenges humanity has faced in modern times,” said MDcovid founder and CEO Paulo Andre, MD. “There is still a great deal that we do not know about this disease that is even now ending far too many lives and upending economies worldwide. As partners in the COVID-19 Genetic Host Initiative, we at MDcovid are committed to collaborating with others in the human genetics community to learn as much as we can about how the novel coronavirus works and how genetic variation impacts it. Toward that end, we’ve made it easy to securely share your genetic analysis results with our researchers or sign up for a free DNA test at home.”
The information MDcovid collects will be used to study how genetic variations allow some people to virtually shrug off the novel coronavirus even while others die from it. More information is available at the MDcovid website, where visitors can upload existing DNA test results, sign up for a free at-home test, and learn about other ways to provide much-needed coronavirus help.
About MDcovid:
A member of the worldwide COVID-19 Genetic Host Initiative, MDcovid allows people worldwide to easily, securely share DNA testing results that will be used to search for genetically-informed solutions to the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Contact Info:
Name: Paulo Andre, MD
Email: Send Email
Organization: MDcovid
Address: Framingham, MA, 01701
Phone: (314) 632-6843
Website: https://mdcovid.com
Source URL: https://marketersmedia.com/mdcovid-seeks-dna-analysis-results-to-be-used-in-fight-against-covid-19/88956440
Source: MarketersMedia
Release ID: 88956440
