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Scientists from the Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Poznań want to check what percentage of the Polish population has passed COVID-19 asymptomatically. That is why they invite volunteers to take part in the tests - the first downloads will start this week.
As Grzegorz Wójtowicz from the IPC PAS told the PAP agency, over 300 employees of the Institute have participated in the study so far, butscientists want to collect additional material for the study from at least 1,000 volunteers.
- We want to test people who showed no symptoms because we don't really know how many people were sick. This is the main focus of the study. The second is to find a molecule that blocks the action of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and on its basis to develop a drug that can be administered to patients suffering from COVID-19 in the future, he explained.
According to PAP,scientists, by analyzing the genetic material, will compare the nucleotide sequence of the TMPRSS2 and ACE2 genes in people with a severe and asymptomatic course of the disease.Thus, they will be able to determine whether there are genetic predisposition to severe acute respiratory syndrome caused by SARS-CoV-2 virus. - We are unable to assume if this is the case. Perhaps there is such a dependence, but as we know, nothing is certain in science - noted Grzegorz Wójtowicz.
He stressed that the main goal of the study wasto check what percentage of the population could have gone through the disease asymptomatically,hence the study of about 1,000 people. - This is a sample that is considered sufficient for this type of research. Further increases in people over 1,000 they do not cause the statistical error to be drastically smaller. - he said.
The download point will be operational from Thursday 23 July. Collecting material from volunteers will take two to three weeks.According to assurances, examining one person will take about five minutes.
Scientists will use serological tests. - These tests are simple, cheap, proven and there are many of them on the market - said Grzegorz Wójtowicz. The IChB project was financed by a grant awarded by the National Science Center.
Willing to participate in the project will be asked to fill in the application form on the website of the Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of the Polish Academy of Sciences. About participation inthe test will be based on the order of applications, and the number of places is limited.
Source: PAP
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