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Poles could soon unveil world's first coronavirus susceptibility test

27.04.2020 07:30
Polish researchers are preparing to unveil what they say could be the world's first coronavirus susceptibility test.
Photo:
Photo:PAP/EPA/SEM VAN DER WAL

The test, which is likely to be unveiled this week or next, will enable doctors to predict a more severe course of the Covid-19 respiratory disease in some patients, Poland’s PAP news agency has reported.

Researchers at the DNA Research Center in the Polish city of Poznań are putting the final touches on the project, according to the Polish state news agency.

Studies and medical observations show that some people are more susceptible to certain infections than others, doctors have said.

The Polish test, using research conducted in China and the United States into specific mutations of the virus in Covid-19 patients, will make it possible to detect greater genetic susceptibility to the SARS-CoV-2 virus, according to the PAP news agency.

"This is the first such genetic test in the world," said Jacek Wojciechowicz, Head of Research and Development at the DNA Research Center in Poznań, western Poland, as quoted by PAP.

He added the test would make it possible to determine which patients may require hospital treatment at an early stage of the illness and have a worse prognosis.

“This should help doctors diagnose and treat the disease," Wojciechowicz said.

(gs/pk)

Source: PAP