ACE2 gene expression in kids’ noses

ACE2 gene expression in the nasal epithelium is lowest in children younger than 10 years old and then increases with age, according to findings in JAMA. The researchers — noting that ACE2 is the receptor that SARS-CoV-2 uses to enter host cells — write, “Lower ACE2 expression in children relative to adults may help explain why COVID-19 is less prevalent in children.” Their findings were based on a retrospective analysis of ACE2 expression in nasal epithelium samples taken from roughly 300 patients in a New York City health system in 2015-2018.

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2766524