However, patients with severe COVID-19 have altered innate immune function, such as a reduced gene expression (i.e. IFN-β, IL4R; IL10RA, IFNAR1) and activity in response to type I IFN (i.e. TANK binding kinase 1 (TBK1), IFN-regulatory factor (IRF)3, IRF7, signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (STAT1)/STAT2) (89, 90), thus strongly suggesting that the immunosenescence-associated high viral load could be due to a lower type I IFN response that limits the SARS-CoV-2 clearance. Here, TBK1 is linked to COVID-19.