Brazilian researchers have identified the IFIT3 gene as a potential shield against COVID-19. Their groundbreaking study, analyzing resistant women in infected couples, opens doors to innovative antiviral therapies that could strengthen immune defenses against SARS-CoV-2 and other pathogens.
A Breakthrough Discovery in COVID-19 Resistance These women, who never showed symptoms despite being in close contact with their infected partners, are a testament to the resilience of the human body in the face of a pandemic.
The study, published in Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology, is crucial for understanding natural resistance to SARS-CoV-2. Mateus Vidigal, the lead author, said it’s unlikely that the women were not exposed to the virus, as they were in close contact with their infected partners.
IFIT3 is already known for fighting viruses like dengue and hepatitis B. This gene was found to show “greater expression” in the cells of the resistant women. This increased activity stopped the virus from making copies of itself. The women stayed healthy because the virus could not spread in their bodies.
How the IFIT3 Gene Works The IFIT3 gene encodes a protein that binds to the RNA of invading viruses, stopping replication in its tracks. In the case of COVID-19, the virus’s ability to infect additional cells and advance the disease is significantly curtailed.
Vidigal clarified that these women were indeed infected but noted, “The virus barely multiplied inside their cells, which is why they didn’t develop symptoms or the disease itself.”
The research team began their work in 2020, at the onset of the pandemic that has claimed around 700,000 lives in Brazil alone. By examining the genetic material of 86 couples, they identified six in which only one partner—always the woman—remained asymptomatic despite prolonged exposure.
Researchers collected new blood samples in 2022 after the couples had experienced a second wave of infections and received two COVID-19 vaccine doses. The results were consistent: the resistant women still exhibited higher IFIT3 gene expression than their husbands and a control group of women who had developed COVID-19.