Genetic analysis using Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s supercomputer named Summit has revealed an intriguing new hypothesis that helps explain the disease progression of COVID-19. September 1, 2020, Medium article1 Thomas Smith reviews the discovery of what is now known as the bradykinin hypothesis.
The computer processed data on more than 40,000 genes obtained from a sample of 17,000 genes, Smith reported.
“Summit is the second fastest computer in the world, but the process — which involves analyzing 2.5 billion gene combinations — still takes more than a week. After Summit was complete, the researchers analyzed the results.” With Oak Ridge, chief of computational systems biology In the words of researcher and lead scientist Dr. Daniel Jacobson, it was an ‘eureka moment.’”
Bradykinin is a chemical that helps regulate blood pressure, controlled by the renin-angiotensin system (RAS). As explained in the Academic Press book on vitamin D (which has a major impact on RAS):2
“The renin-angiotensin system (RAS) is a central regulator of renal and cardiovascular function. Excessive activation of the RAS can lead to renal and cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension and chronic kidney disease, which is stroke, myocardial infarction, congestive Major risk factor for heart failure, progressive atherosclerosis and renal failure.”