DeCure's autonomous Cardio AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for aortic aneurysm — screening already-approved drugs against its 45-gene Open Targets disease module to publish open-access research. Research is fast; the path to publication is funded in milestone stages.
Disease moduleAortic aneurysm maps to a 45-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 aortic aneurysm 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
lipoprotein(a) (LPA) — LPA 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 2sdrag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 8TCE · 1.07 Å · ligand (2S)-3-phenyl-2-[(3R)-pyrrolidin-3-yl]propanoic acid (HWF). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
Aortic aneurysm is a progressive enlargement of the aorta that can lead to wall rupture or dissection. The abdominal aorta is the most common site, but ascending thoracic aneurysms also occur and are frequently linked to connective tissue diseases such as Marfan syndrome. In mouse models carrying hypomorphic fibrillin-1 mutations, aortic dilations are associated with macrophage infiltration, elastin fragmentation, and enhanced TGF signalling. In those mice, aneurysms can be prevented by anti-TGF neutralising antibodies or the AT1 receptor antagonist losartan. Chronic infusion of angiotensin II into apoE−/− mice is also used to induce experimental aneurysms.
Abdominal aortic aneurysm has a prevalence of 4–8% in people over 65. Current standard care for small aneurysms (under 49 mm) is surveillance; for larger or rapidly growing aneurysms (over 50–55 mm or >10 mm/year), open surgical repair or endovascular repair is recommended. These interventions carry significant short- and long-term morbidity and mortality. As of 2012, there was no pharmacological treatment specific for abdominal aortic aneurysm. A consensus on clinically relevant outcome measures was considered critical to developing drugs that could prevent formation, arrest expansion, or reduce rupture risk.
By 2017, molecular targets such as matrix metalloproteinases, D-dimer, and inflammation markers including C-reactive protein, interleukins, and phagocytes were recognised as important in aneurysm pathology. These markers were proposed as potential tools for improving diagnosis and providing therapeutic options, but the review noted they required long-term trials before clinical translation. A 2022 review reiterated that current management relies on aortic diameter and anatomic parameters, which have proved insufficient for predicting disease progression or complications. Specific molecules were identified as offering more accurate prediction and as therapeutic targets, some at preclinical stage, with potential for early diagnosis and risk assessment.
What remains missing are completed, adequately powered clinical trials that test these molecular targets as treatments in patients. No drug has yet been approved for aortic aneurysm. The field still lacks validated surrogate endpoints that satisfy regulators and payers, and patient stratification based on molecular subtypes has not been implemented in routine care. Funding for long-term trials and standardised outcome measures are the immediate gaps.
Evidence
Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.
Circulation Research · 2011 · 21 citations · open access
Parsing Aortic Aneurysms
AbstractA ortic aneurysms are progressive enlargements of the aorta that can lead to life-threatening degenerative changes in the structure of the artery wall including medial dissections and wall rupture. The abdominal aorta is the most common site of aneurysm formation, yet the ascending thoracic aorta can also exhibit aneurysmal expansion with potentially dire outcomes. Ascending aortic aneurysms are frequently associated with connective tissue diseases such as Marfan's syndrome, a disorder of the extracellular matrix protein fibrillin-1. 1 Mouse models carrying hypomorphic mutations in fibrillin-1 also develop aortic dilations associated with macrophage infiltration, elastin fragmentation, and enhanced transforming growth factor (TGF) signaling in the artery wall. 2 Aortic aneurysms in fibrillin-1 hypomorphic mice can be prevented by treatment with either anti-TGF neutralizing antibodies or with the angiotensin II (Ang II) type 1 (AT 1 ) receptor antagonist losartan. 3 Indeed, chronic infusion of Ang II into apoE / mice is an effective experimental model to induce aortic aneurysm formation and to study the molecular pathways underlying its pathogenesis.
Expert Review of Cardiovascular Therapy · 2012 · 8 citations
Standardization of outcome measures in clinical trials of pharmacological treatment for abdominal aortic aneurysm
AbstractAn abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a common aortic wall disease with an increased prevalence in the elderly population (4-8% for those aged >65 years). Many AAAs are slow growing and remain insidious. Current standard of care for patients with small AAAs (<49 mm) is surveillance, with interventional therapy (open surgical repair or endovascular aneurysm repair) recommended for large (>50-55 mm), rapidly growing (>10 mm/year) or symptomatic AAAs. Although open surgical repair or endovascular aneurysm repair are effective, significant short- and long-term postoperative morbidity and mortality occurs. Currently, there is no pharmacological treatment specific for AAA; the need for the development of targeted pharmacological therapies based on clinically relevant and feasible outcomes acceptable to the medical community, regulatory agencies and third-party payers is high. A consensus on such end points will be critical to accelerating the development of pharmacological agents to prevent formation, arrest the expansion and reduce the rupture risk of AAA.
Journal of Thoracic Disease · 2017 · 8 citations · open access
Molecular targets in aortic aneurysm for establishing novel management paradigms
AbstractAortic aneurysm (AA) is a lethal disease and presents a large challenge for surgeons in the clinic. Although surgical management remains the major choice of AA, operative mortality remains high. With advances in understanding of the mechanisms of AAs, molecular targets, such as matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), D-dimer, and inflammation markers, including C-reactive protein, interleukins and phagocytes, are important in the pathology of development of AA. These markers may become important for improving the diagnostic quality and provide more therapeutic choices for treatment of AA. Although these new markers require long-term trials before they can be translated into the clinic, they can still be helpful in determining new directions. The main aim of this review is to discuss the current findings of molecular targets in progression of AA and discuss the potential application of these new targets for managing this disease.
Reviews in Cardiovascular Medicine · 2022 · 0 citations · open access
Using Molecular Targets to Predict and Treat Aortic Aneurysms
AbstractAortic aneurysms are life-threatening vascular diseases associated with high morbidity, and usually require prophylactic surgical intervention. Current preventative management of aortic aneurysms relies on the diameter and other anatomic parameters of the aorta, but these have been demonstrated to be insufficient predictive factors of disease progression and potential complications. Studies on pathophysiology of aortic aneurysms could fill this need, which already indicated the significance of specific molecules in aortic aneurysms. These molecules provide more accurate prediction, and they also serve as therapeutic targets, some of which are in preclinical stage. In this review, we summarized the inadequacies and achievements of current clinical prediction standards, discussed the molecular targets in prediction and treatment, and especially emphasized the molecules that have shown potentials in early diagnosis, accurate risk assessment and target treatment of aortic aneurysm at early stage.
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.
