Promoting autophagy to mitigate coronavirus disease pathology in the elderly

In this commentary, we highlight autophagy's important function, while identifying potential therapeutic targets for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) in the elderly. Autophagy's decline in the elderly causes increased cell senescence and a dysregulated immune system. As this demographic often faces decreased vaccine‐provided immunity, coronavirus disease 2019 treatments must be developed. We discuss a recent study by Acharya et al. (2022) that found that SF2523 induced autophagy, reducing SARS‐CoV‐2 replication. Furthermore, across varying dosages, SF2523 was shown to have a synergistic effect with remdesivir or MU‐UNMC. Consequently, we believe that SF2523, alone or with other anti‐virals, is a promising potential therapeutic for preventing SARS‐CoV‐2‐related mortalities.