Genome-Wide Association Study of Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients in the United Arab Emirates

The heterogeneity in symptomatology and phenotypic profile attributable to COVID-19 is widely unknown. For the first time, our study provides the unique advantage of obtaining samples from the Middle Eastern population, an underrepresented region in genetic studies, and explore new genotypes in this population that will yield to novel genetic association. Specifically, we studied 646 patients in the United Arab Emirates. We describe strong association signals from genes on chromosomes 2, 3, 5, 11 and 13, which carry genes that are expressed in the lung, have been associated with tumour progression, emphysema, airway obstruction, and surface tension within the lung. Identifying genetic variants associated to COVID-19 susceptibility and severity may uncover novel biological insights into disease pathogenesis and identify mechanistic targets for therapeutic and vaccine development. The objective of this manuscript is to conduct a genome wide association study (GWAS) of COVID-19 severity to improve the understanding of potentially causal targets for SARS-CoV-2. This cross-sectional study recruited 646 consenting participants that have tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 by Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) via nasopharyngeal swabs. Participants were prospectively recruited from six collection sites across the UAE including hospitals (3), and quarantine camps (3), from April 1, 2020, to January 31, 2021. The selection criteria were: (1) positive COVID-19 test for a single individual, (2) resident of the UAE, and (3) able to provide an informed consent and complete the survey.