Zeberg's primary research focus lies in evolutionary genetics and
biology, particularly in the areas of gene flow from Neandertals and Denisovans into modern humans, and its impact on
health and
disease. Additionally, through the application of both
bioinformatics and functional studies, his research has also focused on areas such as pharmacogenetics and
genetic predisposition to
infectious diseases, including COVID-19.
BBC Science Focus,
Bloomberg,
ScienceDaily, and
Medical News Today. His solo subsequent work on the COVID-19 risk variant, which was found to reduce a person's risk of contracting
HIV by 27%, has been covered by
Contagion Live, and
EurekAlert.
Genetic factors in COVID-19 severity Zeberg has conducted research studies on how gene variants inherited from Neanderthals influence occurrence of severe complications from Covid-19. He has also worked with Svante Pääbo for years and published a collaborative study in the journal
Nature in 2020, providing evidence suggesting a role for genetics in the severity of COVID-19. He identified a 50-kilobase genomic region inherited from Neanderthals on chromosome 3 as the primary genetic risk factor for severe SARS-CoV-2 symptoms. It was further established that the variant is associated with a 60% increased likelihood of hospitalization and impacts approximately 50% of individuals in South Asia and around 16% in Europe. After identifying this genetic risk factor, he, in collaboration with Pääbo, observed a notable increase in its frequency since the last ice age during spring 2021. This unexpected commonality led them to suggest that it might have conferred a positive effect on carriers in earlier times. He conducted research on whether this genetic factor might even provide protection against other infectious diseases and revealed in the subsequent solo study published in
PNAS that risk variant offers protection against getting infected with HIV. Under the COVID-19 Host Genetics Initiative, Zeberg investigated the role of human genetics in SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 severity. He also expanded upon genetic factors linked to severe COVID-19, unveiling a novel Neandertal haplotype on chromosome 12 with protective effects against the virus, in contrast to a previously identified Neandertal haplotype associated with increased disease risk. Additionally, his joint work identified a Neanderthal isoform of OAS1 that protects individuals of European ancestry against COVID-19 susceptibility and severity. Within the context of pharmacogenomics, Zeberg discovered a Neanderthal-inherited DNA region containing two cytochrome P450 enzymes in a joint study, revealing that this haplotype encodes proteins crucial for RNA virus infection responses. The research also established that these enzymes are involved in the metabolism of widely used medications like warfarin and phenytoin.
Neural science Zeberg conducted research in the field of Neural Science to explore the mechanisms and dynamics of neural activity and their impact on cognitive processes. He has contributed to the understanding of normal as well as pathological brain function and studied the inherent dynamics of different neuron types and their interplay with network activity to examine the complex processes. To investigate the stability of patterns of gamma oscillation in the cortex, he and his collaborators injected artificial synaptic conductances into FS cells and measured the phase resetting produced by synaptic inputs. ==Awards and honors==