Man-Hung Eric Tang

Abstract Persistent SARS-CoV-2 infections have been hypothesized to play a key role in the emergence of variants of concern. However, the factors determining which individuals are at risk and their viral molecular signatures during infection remain poorly understood. Using Denmark’s extensive COVID-19 surveillance, comprising over 700,000 genomes, we identify 303 persistent infections and, critically, link them to health and sociodemographic data.

Abstract Vast amounts of pathogen genomic, demographic and spatial data are transforming our understanding of SARS-CoV-2 emergence and spread. We examined the drivers of molecular evolution and spread of 291,791 SARS-CoV-2 genomes from Denmark in 2021. With a sequencing rate consistently exceeding 60%, and up to 80% of PCR-positive samples between March and November, the viral genome set is broadly whole-epidemic representative.

Abstract Objective Dysregulation of type I collagen metabolism has a great impact on human health. We have previously seen that matrix metalloproteinase–degraded type I collagen (C1M) is associated with early death and age-related pathologies. To dissect the biological impact of type I collagen dysregulation, we have performed a genome-wide screening of the genetic factors related to type I collagen turnover.