Dr. Zatz and her colleagues believe that no single gene mutation could affect the response to the coronavirus, and so they instead looked for combinations of genes that could be at play. They ultimately found variants in genes of infected people, as compared to those of their asymptomatic partners, that influence the activity of natural killer cells, a key component of the immune system. Partners who showed no sign of infection were more likely to have a robust natural killer cell response, which could result in a stronger defense against infection. This does not mean that all who avoided disease did so by virtue of these genes, and Dr. Zatz’s team chose to focus on this one aspect of the immune response when there are likely many others at play. But the findings offered one piece of a puzzle.
Today Dr. Zatz’s lab, which has become well known for its research on Covid resistance, is also looking for answers from a population that would, on the face of it, seem the most vulnerable to the coronavirus: centenarians. Her team has collected blood samples from 100 individuals older than 90, including 15 centenarians, one of them a remarkably healthy 114-year-old. All of these people made it through infection relatively unscathed or were exposed to the virus but were never symptomatic. Focusing on this population, which would normally be considered extremely high risk because of their advanced age, could help isolate a genetic factor that explains Covid-19 outcomes. Dr. Zatz’s team will infect some of their cells in a lab with the Delta and Omicron variants to see if they can identify which mechanisms — including perhaps the function of natural killer cells — might offer this powerful protection.
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