Interview
Severity of COVID-19 is partly hereditary
Prof. Lude Franke is involved in a large-scale research project that searches for genetic and environmental factors involved in the development of COVID-19.
What is it about?
Within the Netherlands large and long-running cohort studies and biobanks exist, such as Lifelines, which have been studying their participants for many years already. Lifelines acts at the global forefront of science and provides a unique opportunity to track how COVID-19 spreads throughout the Netherlands, and its impact on the health and wellbeing of Dutch citizens. Beyond providing data on the virus itself, the biobank offers a globally unique infrastructure to understand the risk factors and the psychosocial and economic consequences of the pandemic. This project also focuses on how the pandemic affects society at large, including those who have not become ill due to the virus.
Why is it important?
It has recently become clear that the disease caused by SARS-CoV2, COVID-19, poses a serious threat to the health of billions of people. While most people experience only mild symptoms upon COVID-19 infection, some people get seriously ill. Old age and some disease conditions seem to worsen disease course and prognosis, but so far very few risk factors for a severe course and poor prognosis have been found. Knowing such prognostic risk factors will help to better target clinical attention and treatment, and improve healthcare efficiency.
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