DeCure's autonomous Rare AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for arteriovenous hemangioma/malformation — screening already-approved drugs against its 11-gene Open Targets disease module to publish open-access research. Research is fast; the path to publication is funded in milestone stages.
Disease moduleArteriovenous hemangioma/malformation maps to a 11-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 arteriovenous hemangioma/malformation 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
EPH receptor B4 (EPHB4) — EPHB4 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 {4-[(5-chloro-1,3-benzodioxol-4-yldrag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 2VWX · 1.65 Å · ligand 3-({4-[(5-chloro-1,3-benzodioxol-4-yl)amino]pyrimidin-2-yl}amino)benzenesulfonamide (7X4). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
Six arteriovenous malformations were assessed with perfusion and blood pool scintigraphy after injection of Tc-99m RBC or Tc-99m DTPA-HSA. Four showed increased activity on perfusion images and slightly increased activity on blood pool images; the remaining two showed increased activity on perfusion and normal activity on blood pool studies. The authors concluded that the method is useful for differentiating arteriovenous malformations from various types of hemangiomas. No treatment or outcome data beyond diagnosis were reported.
A case report described a 32-week-old male fetus with a large congenital cutaneous hemangioma involving the right arm, complicated by fetal hypotrophy, hydrops fetalis and neonatal death. Autopsy revealed axillary arteriovenous fistulas and bilateral arterial carotid-subclavian anastomosis. Microscopically the tumour was a mixed capillary-cavernous hemangioma with CD31-positive, GLUT1/Ki-67-negative endothelial cells. The authors noted that congenital hemangioma can be associated with vascular malformations and that such associations may increase morbidity and mortality.
A 2016 report described an interdisciplinary treatment approach for complex arteriovenous malformations in the head and neck and skull base, involving embolisation and surgical resection coordinated by neuroradiologists, maxillofacial surgeons, plastic surgeons, paediatricians and dermatologists. No patient numbers, response rates, survival data or comparative outcomes were provided. A 2018 review summarised advances in vascular anomalies from 2016 to early 2018, including genetic discoveries and animal models, but gave no specific results for arteriovenous malformation drug therapies or clinical trials.
What is still missing: prospective trials with clearly defined endpoints for drug therapy in arteriovenous malformation, any randomised comparison of embolisation versus surgery versus drug treatment, and patient stratification by genetic subtype or lesion location. The evidence remains limited to diagnostic methods, single case reports, and descriptive treatment series without controlled outcome data.
Evidence
Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.
Clinical Nuclear Medicine · 1999 · 15 citations
Perfusion and Blood Pool Scintigraphy for Diagnosing Soft-Tissue Arteriovenous Malformations
AbstractPURPOSE: Six arteriovenous malformations were assessed to determine the effectiveness of perfusion and blood pool scintigraphy to diagnose arteriovenous malformations of soft tissue. METHODS: After injection of Tc-99m RBC or Tc-99m DTPA-HSA, dynamic perfusion and early and delayed blood pool images were analyzed. RESULTS: Four of six arteriovenous malformations showed increased activity on perfusion images and slightly increased activity on blood pool images; the remaining two arteriovenous malformations showed increased activity on perfusion and normal activity on blood pool studies. CONCLUSIONS: This expansion of the authors' previous studies of hemangiomas shows that perfusion and blood pool scintigraphy are useful methods to differentiate arteriovenous malformations from various types of hemangiomas.
Fetal and Pediatric Pathology · 2019 · 6 citations
Congenital Large Cutaneous Hemangioma with Arteriovenous and Arterioarterial Malformations: A Novel Association
AbstractBACKGROUND: Congenital cutaneous hemangioma is a benign vascular lesion that is a leading cause of severe hemodynamic compromise in a fetus when it is of significant size and especially in association with arteriovenous malformation. CASE REPORT: A large cutaneous hemangioma involving the right arm of a 32-week-old male fetus was complicated by fetal hypotrophy, hydrops fetalis and neonatal death. Axillary arteriovenous fistulas and bilateral arterial carotid-subclavian anastomosis were demonstrated at autopsy. Microscopically, the main tumor was a mixed capillary-cavernous hemangioma with vascular channels lined by CD31-positive and GLUT1/Ki-67-negative endothelial cells. CONCLUSION: Congenital hemangioma can be associated with vascular malformations, and that associations with other vascular malformations may increase the morbidity/mortality.
Journal of Neurological Surgery Part B Skull Base · 2016 · 0 citations
Complex Arteriovenous Malformations in the Head and Neck and Skull Base Area: Results of Interdisciplinary Treatment with Embolization and Surgical Resection
AbstractIntroduction: Among vascular anomalies arteriovenous malformations are especially demanding due to their high blood flow and life-long growth potential. They have to be clearly separated from hemangiomas and other vascular malformations. In our institution treatment of vascular malformations is coordinated by an interdisciplinary outpatient clinic with neuroradiologists, maxillofacial surgeons, plastic surgeons, pediatricians and dermatologists.
Chinese journal of plastic surgery · 2018 · 0 citations
Vascular anomalies: updates and our understanding
AbstractWe briefly reviewed the most significant advance in the field of hemangioma and vascular malformation from the second half of 2016 to the first quarter of 2018. Breakthroughs in basic research, genetic discoveries and animal model development have significantly contributed to the classification, diagnosis, differential diagnosis, and treatment of vascular anomalies including surgical treatment, endovascular therapies, laser treatment and drug therapies. Here, we have discussed important discoveries and innovative hypotheses in infantile hemangioma, congenital hemangioma, KHE/TA, port-wine stain, venous malformation, lymphatic malformation, arteriovenous malformation and etc. Together, we have proposed future directions to help shaping this field.
Key words:
Vascular anomalies; Diagnosis; Treatment; Recent updates
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.
