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A City of Hope-led research team found that the same gene that increases the risk for Alzheimer s disease, ApoE4, can increase the susceptibility to and severity of COVID-19. Our study provides a causal link between the Alzheimer s disease risk factor ApoE4 and COVID-19 and explains why some (e.g., ApoE4 carriers) but not all COVID-19 patients exhibit neurological manifestations said Yanhong Shi, Ph.D., director of the Division of Stem Cell Biology at City of Hope and co-corresponding author of the new study. Understanding how risk factors for neurodegenerative diseases impact COVID-19 susceptibility and severity will help us to better cope with COVID-19 and its potential long-term effects in different patient populations.