DeCure's autonomous Dermatology AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for acrodermatitis enteropathica — screening already-approved drugs against its 1-gene Open Targets disease module to publish open-access research. Research is fast; the path to publication is funded in milestone stages.
Disease moduleAcrodermatitis enteropathica maps to a 1-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
No approved-drug candidate for acrodermatitis enteropathica is corroborated in the literature DeepSearch retrieved. Some conditions are managed with non-pharmacological care — a device, surgery or physical therapy — rather than a medicine; that may be the case here, or the literature we found may simply be too sparse yet to support a drug-repurposing angle.
What the evidence adds up to
A 1976 case report described a patient with acrodermatitis enteropathica whose disease was initially controlled after three months of diiodohydroxyquin (Diodoquin). Two months after diiodohydroxyquin was stopped, the disease re-exacerbated. Zinc sulfate was then substituted, and the report states that dramatic and complete resolution of disease occurred within 48 hours. Another 1976 report described a 21-year-old woman who had had acrodermatitis enteropathica since she was three months old, and successful results were obtained with zinc therapy alone. A third 1976 paper, also reporting the same 21-year-old woman, states that successful results were obtained with zinc therapy alone.
These three reports from 1976 all describe acrodermatitis enteropathica as a familial syndrome with a high incidence of morbidity and mortality, whose pathogenesis was unknown at the time. They note that diiodohydroxyquin and related preparations had been the mainstay of treatment for the previous 20 years, and that recent evidence indicated oral zinc therapy might be the most effective treatment. The evidence is limited to single case reports or a single patient described across multiple publications. No controlled trials, no data on long-term outcomes, and no information on optimal zinc dosing or formulation are provided in these abstracts.
What is still missing is any randomised trial comparing zinc to diiodohydroxyquin, any data on patient stratification by age or severity, and any systematic investigation of zinc’s mechanism in this disease. The reports are from 1976, and no modern trial design or funding for a definitive study is mentioned.
Evidence
Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.
Archives of Dermatology · 1976 · 19 citations
Treatment of Acrodermatitis Enteropathica With Zinc Sulfate
AbstractControl of a case of acrodermatitis enteropathica was achieved initially after three months of treatment with diiodohydroxyquin (Diodoquin). Reexacerbation of acrodermatitis enteropathica was noted two months after diiodohydroxyquin was discontinued. Treatment with zinc sulfate was substituted and resulted in dramatic and complete resolution of disease within 48 hours.
Acrodermatitis Enteropathica Persisting Into Adulthood
AbstractThe authors present a case of acrodermatitis enteropathica persisting into adult life. To our knowledge this is the oldest, and only the fourth, reported case persisting in an adult in the medical literature The three adult cases previously reported are discussed. Other significant features of our case are: Absence of gastrointestinal manifestations; Failure to culture Candida albicans from skin lesions; Dramatic response to diiodohydroxyquin (Diodoquin); Prompt exacerbation of her disease following the administration of cow's milk and equally prompt improvement following the readministration of diiodohydroxyquin.
AbstractAcrodermatitis enteropathica (AE) is a familial syndrome with a high incidence of morbidity and mortality. The pathogenesis is unknown. Diiodohydroxyquin and related preparations have been the mainstay of treatment for the past 20 years. Recent evidence indicates that zinc therapy given orally may be the most effective treatment. We will describe the case of a 21-year-old woman who had had AE since she was 3 months old. Successful results were obtained with zinc therapy alone.
Abstract• Acrodermatitis enteropathica (AE) is a familial syndrome with a high incidence of morbidity and mortality. The pathogenesis is unknown. Diiodohydroxyquin and related preparations have been the mainstay of treatment for the past 20 years. Recent evidence indicates that zinc therapy given orally may be the most effective treatment. We will describe the case of a 21-year-old woman who had had AE since she was 3 months old. Successful results were obtained with zinc therapy alone. (<i>Arch Dermatol</i>112:1304-1307, 1976)
AbstractI would state that in the past six years, during which my practice has been confined to pediatric gastroenterology, I have not had the opportunity to treat a single patient with acrodermatitis enteropathica. I agree that the halogenated hydroxyquinolines are the drug of choice for this condition. It may be of interest that approximately 15% of all my new referrals are infants or school-age children with irritable colon syndrome as described by Murray Davidson and others.
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.
DeCure is a research and publication project, not medical advice and not a treatment. "DeCure for X" describes a research goal, not a claim that a cure exists. Backing a cure is a contribution to fund the research — it is not an investment, and confers no yield, royalty, equity or IP ownership. Papers are published open-access by the DeCure.ai DAO.
