DeCure's autonomous Dermatology AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for acne — screening already-approved drugs against its 38-gene Open Targets disease module to publish open-access research. Research is fast; the path to publication is funded in milestone stages.
Disease moduleAcne maps to a 38-gene Open Targets module — the target space DeCure's AI scientist screens approved drugs against.
DeCure.ai methodSignature reversal (LINCS) plus network proximity (STRING) rank already-approved drugs likely to perturb this module — the same engine that produces DeCure.ai's repurposing hypotheses.
Repurposing thesisScreening approved medicines against this disease module, then publishing the evidence for the strongest candidate. Known pharmacology and human exposure data make the first question sharper — they do not establish safety or efficacy in a new indication.
Research record
01
ResearchComing soon
Candidate research + dossier — target rationale, drug-repurposing thesis and evidence pack.proof: Published dossier + on-chain hash
02
ValidationComing soon
In-vitro biological validation at a contract research org (CRO).proof: CRO contract + in-vitro report
03
Peer review & paperComing soon
Peer-reviewed paper published open-access (preprint + journal).proof: DOI + open-access link + on-chain hash
Current lead
approvedIsotretinoinApproved drugapprovedDoxycyclineApproved drug
Structures already discussed alongside acne in the retrieved literature, rendered from public PubChem SMILES. Which drugs appear here reflects the evidence found, not a ranked prediction.
Molecular view
Crystal structure of Alpha1-antichymotrypsin variant DBS-I1: a drug-binding serpin for doxycycline — Doxycycline has a real, experimentally solved structure in complex with this target (PDB 5OM2, 1.47 Å). This is the drug's own deposited structure, not a prediction, and confirms it is a structurally characterised molecule rather than an untested guess.
Loading structure…
helix sheet dxtdrag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 5OM2 · 1.47 Å · ligand Doxycycline (DXT). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
A 2011 review of 16 studies found that acne in adolescents significantly impairs quality of life and self-esteem, and that depression and other psychological disorders are more common in acne patients. The same review noted that acne treatment may improve symptoms of these psychological disorders, but the studies were semi-quantitative surveys, so no pooled numerical effect size could be calculated. A 2008 review of pharmacotherapy stated that modern acne drugs antagonise one or more of the four main pathogenic factors—seborrhoea, follicular hyperkeratosis, propionibacteria, and inflammation—and that when the clinical picture and patient motivation are considered, current treatment is rational and effective. That review covered topical retinoids, antimicrobials, salicylic acid, and azelaic acid, as well as systemic antibiotics, isotretinoin, hormones, and zinc.
A 2014 review on antibiotic stewardship reported that antibiotic monotherapy, whether topical or oral, is not recommended because clinically superior regimens exist. Systemic antibiotics are still important for moderate to severe acne but should be limited to 3–4 months, and topical antibiotics should be paired with benzoyl peroxide to limit resistance. The same review noted that understanding of acne pathophysiology has improved, highlighting the role of Propionibacterium acnes and inflammatory pathways. A 2010 review of P. acnes pathogenesis stated that the bacterium plays a key role at several levels but that its exact contribution remains unknown; it speculated that vaccines targeting surface sialidase of P. acnes might offer future treatment clues, but no clinical data were presented.
No abstract in this set reports a controlled trial of any drug for acne, nor provides concrete response rates, survival data, or sample sizes from interventional studies. The 2011 psychological review called for future prospective trials to assess the impact of acne treatment on psychological outcomes. The 2014 stewardship review emphasised that the improved understanding of pathogenic mechanisms should be applied to develop modern therapies that address public health concerns about resistance. What is still missing are adequately powered, randomised trials that measure both skin clearance and psychological endpoints, studies that stratify patients by microbial resistance patterns or inflammatory subtype, and funding for vaccine development beyond the speculative stage.
Evidence
Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.
Acne in Adolescents: Quality of Life, Self-Esteem, Mood and Psychological Disorders
AbstractINTRODUCTION: Acne is a significant adolescent problem and may precipitate emotional and psychological effects. The impact of acne on psychological parameters and implications for acne treatment are not fully understood. METHODS: We performed a MEDLINE search using the terms "acne" and "adolescent" along with "psychological," "depression," or "psychiatric," which yielded 16 reviewed studies. RESULTS: Qualitative review of the selected articles revealed that the presence of acne has a significant impact on self-esteem and quality of life. Depression and other psychological disorders are more prevalent in acne patients and acne treatment may improve symptoms of these disorders. LIMITATIONS: The reviewed studies were semi-quantitative analyses utilizing various standardized surveys or questionnaires. Therefore, quantitative analysis of selected studies was not possible. CONCLUSION: The presence of co-morbid psychological disorders should be considered in the treatment of acne patients and future prospective trials are needed to assess the impact of treatment on psychological outcomes.
European Journal of Dermatology · 2014 · 117 citations
Antibiotic stewardship in dermatology: limiting antibiotic use in acne
AbstractBACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Widespread use of antibiotics in all areas of medicine has led to significant problems with antimicrobial resistance, which have begun to compromise the usefulness of antibiotics. Antibiotics have long been a keystone of acne therapy. There is a large population of patients with acne and antibiotic therapy is often used for long durations; thus, acne therapy results in extensive antibiotic exposure. This article discusses the role of antibiotic therapy in acne from the perspective of how clinicians can best preserve the utility of these important drugs while providing efficacious and safe therapy for acne patients. METHODS: Review of literature augmented by expert opinion when literature was sparse. RESULTS: Antibiotic monotherapy (topical or oral) is not recommended due to the availability of clinically superior regimens. Systemic antibiotics are important for managing moderate to severe acne and should be used for a limited duration of time (3-4 months). Topical antibiotics should be paired with benzoyl peroxide to limit potential for resistance. Information gained in recent years about the pathophysiology of acne has shed light on the role of Propionibacterium acnes as well as other key pathogenic pathways such as inflammation. CONCLUSIONS: The improved understanding of acne pathogenic mechanisms can and should be applied to develop modern therapeutic approaches that are efficacious and mesh with current public health concerns.
Expert Opinion on Pharmacotherapy · 2008 · 30 citations
Pharmacotherapy of acne
AbstractBACKGROUND: Acne results from the interplay of several pathophysiologic factors, in particular seborrhoea, follicular hyperkeratosis, propionibacteria and inflammation. Recently, it has become clear that inflammatory events are important not only in the course, but also in the initiation of the disease. OBJECTIVE: The study undertook an evaluation of the effectiveness of currently available pharmacotherapeutic treatment options for acne. METHODS: After a Medline-based literature search, this article critically reviewed substances used topically (among others, retinoids, antimicrobials, salicylic acid and azelaic acid) and systemically (antibiotics, isotretinoin, hormones and zinc) as well as their combinations with respect to pharmacology, clinical efficacy and side effects. RESULTS: Modern acne pharmacotherapy provides substances that antagonize one or more of the major pathophysiologic factors of acne. When the clinical picture but also patients' motivation and wishes are appropriately considered, current pharmacotherapy of acne is rational and effective.
British Journal of Dermatology · 1969 · 15 citations
A QUANTITATIVE EVALUATION OF THE EFFECT OF ONYTERACYCLINE AND DOXYCYCLINE IN ACNE VULGARIS
AbstractSUMMARY.— A double‐blind cross over study on the effect of oxytetracycline and doxycycline in acne vulgaris was performed on 28 patients. The acne lesions were classified in different grades of severity and counted. In this way a reasonably precise assessment of the clinical picture could be obtained. After 4 weeks of treatment with either 750 mg. of oxytetracycline or 100 mg. of doxycycline daily, the severity of the disease was reduced to about 55% of the initial values. After reduction of the dose to one‐third of the initial dose, a relapse was noted in 8 patients, 6 of whom had been treated with 100 mg‐ of doxycycline every third day. On average, improvement continued during the 12 weeks of treatment. At this time the “total acne load” was reduced to 19–31% of the initial values (corresponding to 28–39% of the total number of lesions). No definite side effects were noted.
International Journal of Dermatology and Venereology · 2010 · 0 citations
Advances in pathogenic mechanisms of Propionibacterium acnes
AbstractAcne has a complex pathogenesis. It has been shown that P. Acnes plays a key role at various levels in the pathogenesis of acne, however, the exact contribution of P. Acnes remains unknown. With the progress of medical research, the decipherment of gene functions, deep understanding of resistance mechanism and development of vaccines targeting surface sialidase of P. Acnes will offer clues to the exploration into pathogenic mechanisms of P. Acnes and acne treatment.
Key words:
Acne, vulgaris; Propionibaclerium acnes; Vaccines
Disease module: DeepOracle (Open Targets). Structures: RDKit from PubChem SMILES. Literature: retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works (targeted per-candidate search), resolved on OpenAlex.
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