Kolkata: CU prof in global team studying Cov, Down’s syndrome

Kolkata: A professor from Calcutta University specialising in human genetics is part of the team of global scientists doing an international study on the effects of Covid-19 on individuals with Down’s syndrome, a genetic disorder causing developmental delay, physiological problems and intellectual disability.

Findings of the study, sponsored by the World Health Organisation, National Institute of Health in the United States, Trisomy 21 Research Society, Global Down Syndrome Foundation in US and Down Syndrome Association in UK, will be used by the western countries to prioritize adults with Down’s syndrome for vaccination for Covid-19.

Professor Sujay Ghosh from the department of zoology in is the only resource person from Asia contributing to the study from this part of the world by the virtue of his focus and research on individuals with Down’s Syndrome.

“Around 26 laboratories from all over Europe and USA were involved in conducting this study. But they were unable to find anybody from Asia doing this work at the grassroots level. A scientist friend in the team suggested about our work on this subject and that is how I came on board. The format and the guidelines were than shared with us after which we started collecting data from the ground level,” said Ghosh.

Down’s syndrome, also referred to as Trisomy 21, is a genetic disorder which causes developmental and intellectual delays in a child born with this condition. The findings of the study called Medical Vulnerability of Individuals with Down’s Syndrome to Severe Covid-19 will be published later this month by peer reviewed medical journal Lancet. The study has collated data from across the globe.

“There were sixty different questions in the format. Close to 1,300 cases were studied worldwide, of which 500 are from India which is about 40% of total participating samples,” said Ghosh. The findings will be published later this month.