DeCure's autonomous Rare AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for asbestosis — 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 moduleAsbestosis 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 asbestosis 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
mucin 5B, oligomeric mucus/gel-forming (MUC5B) — MUC5B 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 apo structuredrag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 8OES · 3.0 Å · ligand none (apo structure). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
Asbestosis is a chronic lung disease caused by prolonged exposure to asbestos fibres, leading to scarring of lung tissue and respiratory difficulties. The Helsinki criteria for diagnosis and attribution of asbestos-related diseases were updated in 2014, providing recommendations for clinicians and pathologists. A 2015 case report describes an 86-year-old healthcare worker in Mumbai who was diagnosed with occupationally acquired asbestosis; he had grade III dyspnoea, clubbing, and bilateral crepitations on auscultation, with reduced forced vital capacity on lung function tests.
The North American Insulator Cohort study, published in 2013, followed 2,377 male insulators from 1981 to 2008 and compared them with 54,243 non-asbestos-exposed blue-collar workers. Lung cancer caused 339 (19%) of insulator deaths. Among nonsmokers, asbestos exposure alone increased lung cancer mortality with a rate ratio of 3.6 (95% CI, 1.7–7.6), and asbestosis among nonsmokers gave a rate ratio of 7.40 (95% CI, 4.0–13.7). Smoking without asbestos exposure gave a rate ratio of 10.3 (95% CI, 8.8–12.2). The joint effect of smoking and asbestos alone was additive (rate ratio 14.4), but with asbestosis the joint effect was supra-additive (rate ratio 36.8). Insulator lung cancer mortality halved within 10 years of smoking cessation and converged with that of never-smokers 30 years after cessation.
No drug treatment for asbestosis itself is mentioned in any of these abstracts. The 2024 public education guide describes asbestosis as a chronic disease with no cure, focusing on symptom management and prevention. What is still missing are randomised controlled trials of any pharmacological intervention for asbestosis, adequate funding for such trials, and validated methods to stratify patients by disease severity or progression risk.
Evidence
Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.
Scandinavian Journal of Work Environment & Health · 2014 · 292 citations · open access
Asbestos, asbestosis, and cancer, the Helsinki criteria for diagnosis and attribution 2014: recommendations
American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine · 2013 · 181 citations
Asbestos, Asbestosis, Smoking, and Lung Cancer. New Findings from the North American Insulator Cohort
AbstractRATIONALE: Asbestos, smoking, and asbestosis increase lung cancer risk in incompletely elucidated ways. Smoking cessation among asbestos-exposed cohorts has been little studied. OBJECTIVES: To measure the contributions of asbestos exposure, asbestosis, smoking, and their interactions to lung cancer risk in an asbestos-exposed cohort and to describe their reduction in lung cancer risk when they stop smoking. METHODS: We examined lung cancer mortality obtained through the National Death Index for 1981 to 2008 for 2,377 male North American insulators for whom chest X-ray, spirometric, occupational, and smoking data were collected in 1981 to 1983 and for 54,243 non-asbestos-exposed blue collar male workers from Cancer Prevention Study II for whom occupational and smoking data were collected in 1982. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Lung cancer caused 339 (19%) insulator deaths. Lung cancer mortality was increased by asbestos exposure alone among nonsmokers (rate ratio = 3.6 [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.7-7.6]), by asbestosis among nonsmokers (rate ratio = 7.40 [95% CI, 4.0-13.7]), and by smoking without asbestos exposure (rate ratio = 10.3 [95% CI, 8.8-12.2]). The joint effect of smoking and asbestos alone was additive (rate ratio = 14.4 [95% CI, 10.7-19.4]) and with asbestosis, supra-additive (rate ratio = 36.8 [95% CI, 30.1-45.0]). Insulator lung cancer mortality halved within 10 years of smoking cessation and converged with that of never-smokers 30 years after smoking cessation. CONCLUSIONS: Asbestos increases lung cancer mortality among nonsmokers. Asbestosis further increases the lung cancer risk and, considered jointly with smoking, has a supra-additive effect. Insulators benefit greatly by quitting smoking.
BMJ Case Reports · 2015 · 2 citations · open access
Occupationally acquired asbestosis in a healthcare worker
AbstractAn 86-year-old man, a healthcare worker (HCW), was screened at the Occupational Health and Safety Centre, Mumbai, which has helped diagnose and compensate hundreds of cases of asbestosis among former employees and spouses of the Indian subsidiaries of T&N Limited, UK.1 The patient had dyspnoea grade III, clubbing of nails and auscultation revealed bilateral crepitations on deep inspiration. There were no other relevant signs. Lung function tests showed that forced vital …
AbstractAsbestosis is a chronic lung disease caused by prolonged exposure to asbestos fibers, leading to scarring of lung tissue and respiratory difficulties. This guide provides an in-depth understanding of asbestosis, explaining its causes, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. Designed to support patients, caregivers, and the general public, it offers practical information for managing the disease and improving quality of life. Written in straightforward language, this article ensures that even complex medical concepts are accessible to everyone.
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.
