EPAC1 as a Crucial Host Factor and Therapeutic Target of SARS-CoV-2

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has resulted in significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. New SARS-CoV-2 variants have been shown to evade vaccines and treatments that directly target viruses of the previous generation, demonstrating the urgent need for host therapeutic target discovery and using it as a base to develop effective drugs uncontrolled by virus mutations. This project aims to elucidate the role of exchange protein directly activated by cAMP 1 (EPAC1), a novel regulator of SARS-CoV-2 infection, in controlling replication and the associated inflammation. The results of this project should provide valuable insights applicable to eveloping novel treatment modalities against SARS-CoV-2.