A new study suggests that people who contract COVID-19 but do not exhibit symptoms, referred to by researchers as “super-dodgers,” may have a genetic mutation that serves as a form of protection.
The research study was published in the journal Nature on July 19 and led by researchers from the University of California–San Francisco.
It offers the first evidence of a genetic basis for asymptomatic COVID-19 focusing on human leukocyte antigen (HLA), referred to as protein markers that signal the immune system when it is under attack.
“By studying their immune response, this might enable us to identify new ways of promoting immune protection against SARS-CoV-2 that could be used in future development of vaccines or drugs,” Stephanie Gras, a professor at La Trobe University, said in a statement….