DeCure's autonomous Psychiatry AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for anorexia nervosa — screening already-approved drugs against its 43-gene Open Targets disease module to publish open-access research. Research is fast; the path to publication is funded in milestone stages.
Disease moduleAnorexia nervosa maps to a 43-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 anorexia nervosa 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.
Molecular view
VRK serine/threonine kinase 2 (VRK2) — VRK2 is one of the genes genetically linked to this disease in Open Targets — shown as context, not as a drug target we're pursuing: no approved-drug candidate for this disease is yet corroborated in the literature we found.
Loading structure…
helix sheet sindrag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 2V62 · 1.7 Å · ligand SUCCINIC ACID (SIN). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
In a prospective study of 76 adolescents with severe anorexia nervosa followed for 10 to 15 years, nearly 30% relapsed after hospital discharge before clinical recovery, but by the end of follow-up roughly 76% met criteria for full recovery. Time to recovery ranged from 57 to 79 months depending on the definition used. Among restrictors at intake, nearly 30% developed binge eating within five years. There were no deaths in the cohort. The authors note that the intensive treatment these patients received may account for the lower morbidity and mortality compared with other reports.
A 2008 review of pharmacotherapy for anorexia nervosa states that a very wide variety of drugs have been examined, generally with negative results. The review lists possible reasons including poor compliance, nutritional deficits, selection of wrong targets or outcome measures, use of monotherapy, lack of animal models, or factors intrinsic to the illness. The conclusion is that pharmacotherapy provides little benefit at present. A 1975 study of eight patients treated exclusively with behavioural therapy (reward contingent on weight gain) reported that all had substantial weight gain while hospitalised and were maintaining or continuing to gain weight on short-term follow-up.
A 1996 paper reports that the weight criterion used for diagnosis of anorexia nervosa (85% of average body weight) corresponds to BMI values between the 5th and 10th centiles in both US and German populations. BMI values below 16 kg/m² are rarely observed in the general population. The BMI increase associated with the 5th or 10th centile between ages 18 and 30 is quite low, suggesting many underweight females in the general population gain only minimal weight during this age span. A 2005 article notes that despite well-documented long-term morbidity, treatment effects have been little investigated, and highlights the formidable challenges for design, implementation, and interpretation of controlled clinical trials.
What is still missing is a clear biological target for drug development, adequate funding for multi-site trials that can stratify patients by subtype or stage of illness, and a trial design that accounts for the high relapse rate and protracted recovery time documented in naturalistic studies.
Evidence
Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.
International Journal of Eating Disorders · 1997 · 922 citations
The long-term course of severe anorexia nervosa in adolescents: Survival analysis of recovery, relapse, and outcome predictors over 10-15 years in a prospective study
AbstractOBJECTIVE: To assess the long-term course of recovery and relapse and predictors of outcome in anorexia nervosa. METHOD: A naturalistic, longitudinal prospective design was used to assess recovery and relapse in patients ascertained through a university-based specialty treatment program. Patients were assessed semiannually for 5 years and annually thereafter over 10-15 years from the time of their index admission. Recovery was defined in terms of varying levels of symptom remission maintained for no fewer than 8 consecutive weeks. RESULTS: Nearly 30% of patients had relapses following hospital discharge, prior to clinical recovery. However, most patients were weight recovered and menstruating regularly by the end of follow-up, with nearly 76% of the cohort meeting criteria for full recovery. Relapse after recovery was relatively uncommon. Of note, time to recovery was protracted, ranging from 57-79 months depending on definition of recovery. Among restrictors at intake, nearly 30% developed binge eating, occurring within 5 years of intake. A variety of predictors of chronic outcome and binge eating were identified. There were no deaths in the cohort. CONCLUSION: The course of anorexia nervosa is protracted. Predictors of outcome are surprisingly few, but those identified are in keeping with previous accounts. The intensive treatment received by these patients may account for the lower levels of morbidity and mortality when considered in relation to other reports in the follow-up literature.
International Journal of Eating Disorders · 1996 · 176 citations
Use of percentiles for the body mass index in anorexia nervosa: Diagnostic, epidemiological, and therapeutic considerations
AbstractOBJECTIVE: Percentiles for the body mass index (BMI) offer a possibility to epidemiologically assess the linear weight criterion of 85% average body weight commonly used for the diagnosis of anorexia nervosa. METHOD: BMI values corresponding to 85% average body weight were calculated and assessed with percentiles derived from epidemiological studies in both the United States and Germany. The underweight range was characterized epidemiologically. RESULTS: The weight criterion used for the diagnosis of anorexia nervosa corresponds to BMI values between the 5th and 10th centiles in both populations. In epidemiological terms the lowest BMI values in individuals aged 10 years and older occur during adolescence. In the general population BMI values <16 kg/m2 are rarely observed. Upon the use of higher BMI cutoffs in the underweight range females clearly predominate. The BMI increase associated with the 5th or 10th centile in the age range between 18 and 30 years is quite low suggesting that many underweight females in the general population gain only minimal weight during this age span. DISCUSSION: The diagnostic, epidemiological, and therapeutic implications for anorexia nervosa are discussed.
International Journal of Eating Disorders · 2008 · 82 citations
What potential role is there for medication treatment in anorexia nervosa?
AbstractOBJECTIVE: To review selected issues regarding the development of drug treatments for anorexia nervosa (AN). METHOD: The existing pharmacotherapy literature for AN is reviewed, and the theoretical and practical considerations are discussed. RESULTS: A very wide variety of drugs have been examined in AN, generally with negative results. There are a number of potential reasons for this finding, including compliance, nutritional deficits, selection of the wrong targets or the wrong outcome measures, use of monotherapy, lack of animal models, or factors intrinsic to AN. CONCLUSION: Pharmacotherapy provides little benefit in the treatment of AN at present. Several strategies might lead to the identification of more effective agents, including new measurement strategies, identification of novel pharmacologic targets, and consideration of a clinical trials network.
Archives of General Psychiatry · 1975 · 80 citations
Treatment of Anorexia Nervosa With Behavior Modification
AbstractAnorexia nervosa has been treated with a variety of therapies. One seemingly successful modality, behavioral modification, has in most cases been used concurrently with various drugs, making the contributions of each impossible to separate. Eight patients meeting rigorous criteria for anorexia nervosa were treated in this study exclusively with behavioral therapy (reward contingent on weight gain). All had a substantial weight gain while hospitalized, and on short-term follow-up are maintaining or continuing to gain toward their normal weight range on individualized positive-reinforcement programs.
Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry · 1977 · 29 citations
Prevalence and Prognosis in Anorexia Nervosa
AbstractAnorexia nervosa has become a common condition. Treatment regimes are now well defined and outcome criteria can be clearly stated. The achievement of biological maturity is a necessary condition of good outcome. Experience and outcome research with some three hundred and forty patients and their families has furthered knowledge of factors which affect prognosis.
International Journal of Eating Disorders · 2005 · 17 citations
The future of treatment research in anorexia nervosa
AbstractIn spite of much being written on the treatment of anorexia nervosa (AN), and the well-documented long-term morbidity of this illness, treatment effects have been little investigated. The current article considers the prospects for treatment research, taking note of the formidable challenges that lie ahead for the design, implementation, and interpretation of controlled clinical trials, and highlighting opportunities for effectiveness studies. In the light of increasing evidence of the role played by biologic susceptibility factors in AN, the potential future contribution to treatment research of advances in pharmacogenetics and molecular neuroscience also receives comment.
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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