COVID-19 – mTORC1-centric Paradigm

The case fatality rate of COVID-19 is determined by host preexisting diseases, including obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, chronic renal disease, chronic lung disease and others. These preexisting morbidities consist of disease components of the Metabolic Syndrome (MetS). MetS is proposed to be driven by hyperactive mTORC1, implying that preexisting hyperactive mTORC1 may synergize with the corona virus in driving progression into the critical disease status of COVID-19. Indeed, preexisting hyperactive mTORC1 in infected MetS patients synergizes with the virus in activating host mTORC1 for evading the anti-viral innate stress response. The mTORC1-centric paradigm for COVID-19 implies that pharmacological suppression of mTORC1 activity in infected MetS patients in the early phase of the disease may suppress virus replication and load, thereby delaying/halting progression into the critical disease status.