Role of Guanylate kinase 1 in SARS CoV-2 Replication and tumorigenesis: Potential Role for Amantadine and Novel Therapeutics in COVID-19 and Cancer Management.

A recent study has suggested that guanylate kinase 1 (GK1) plays a crucial role in SARS CoV-2 replication and recommended to test GK 1 inhibitors for invitro experiments and previous studies have suggested a role in the pathogenesis of some neoplasms. We are providing a concise strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis of this hypothesis while discussing guanylate kinase physiological function, pharmacological importance. Importantly, we suggest assessing another potential interaction between SARS CoV-2 and the non-authentic membrane-associated guanylate kinases as we suggest this might add to consider the potential role of amantadine in COVID-19 management. Moreover, though GK1 role in SARS CoV-2 replication might prove valid, the available experimental inhibitors of GK 1 might not, at least for the short term, be safely used to manage COVID-19. Finally, we recommend conducting genetic, physiological, and immunological studies to explore the long-term potentials of GK-1 inhibitors suggesting they might eventually lead to a novel COVID-19 and cancer pharmacotherapeutics.