DeCure's autonomous Rare AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for Astigmatism — screening already-approved drugs against its 17-gene Open Targets disease module to publish open-access research. Research is fast; the path to publication is funded in milestone stages.
Disease moduleAstigmatism maps to a 17-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 astigmatism 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
platelet derived growth factor receptor alpha (PDGFRA) — PDGFRA 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 dimethylaminodrag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 5GRN · 1.77 Å · ligand N-[2-(dimethylamino)ethyl]-N-[[4-[[4-methyl-3-[(4-pyridin-3-ylpyrimidin-2-yl)amino]phenyl]carbamoyl]phenyl]methyl]pyridine-3-carboxamide (748). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
In 15 eyes of 11 patients with naturally occurring or surgically induced astigmatism between -3.00 and -8.00 diopters, a combined procedure of arcuate keratotomy followed by LASIK reduced mean refractive cylinder from -4.59 diopters to -1.21 diopters at 12 months. Mean spherical equivalent went from -2.47 diopters to -0.09 diopters. Uncorrected visual acuity was 0.5 overall, better in the naturally occurring group (0.50) than in the surgically induced group (0.32). Best corrected visual acuity worsened by one Snellen line in one case (6.6%) and improved by one or two lines in six cases (40%). The authors reported no adverse reactions and recommended the technique for astigmatism higher than 3.0 diopters.
A later study of 13 eyes in 9 patients with high-level or mixed astigmatism who were inoperable using SMILE alone combined full-thickness astigmatic keratotomy with subsequent small-incision lenticule extraction. Six months after the second procedure, astigmatism was reduced from 5.12 diopters to 0.21 diopters, and spherical equivalent from -4.83 diopters to -0.17 diopters. Uncorrected distance visual acuity improved from 1.07 logMAR to 0.02 logMAR, and corrected distance visual acuity improved from 0.08 logMAR to -0.01 logMAR. No eye lost corrected visual acuity; 8 eyes (61.5%) gained one or two Snellen lines. No intraoperative or postoperative complications were reported.
A separate study examined intraoperative correction of surgically induced astigmatism during conductive keratoplasty for hyperopia in 27 eyes of 19 patients. Additional radiofrequency spots applied at the flat axis reduced induced astigmatism by an average of 2.30 diopters. The mean induced astigmatism ranged from 3.33 diopters for eyes receiving eight spots to 4.60 diopters for eyes receiving 32 spots. The authors noted that surgically induced astigmatism was observed more frequently in patients who received 32 treatment spots and a 6-millimetre treatment zone.
All three studies are small, single-centre case series without randomised controls. No study reports long-term follow-up beyond 12 months, and none compares the combined procedures against modern toric intraocular lenses or other standalone refractive techniques. What is still missing is prospective randomised trials with adequate sample sizes, standardised patient stratification by astigmatism type and severity, and independent funding to compare these surgical combinations against current standard care.
Evidence
Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.
Journal of Cataract & Refractive Surgery · 2000 · 40 citations
Correction of high astigmatism with astigmatic keratotomy combined with laser in situ keratomileusis
AbstractPURPOSE: To evaluate the efficacy, predictability, and stability of a combined procedure, arcuate keratotomy and laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK), for the correction of high astigmatism. SETTING: Instituto de Microcirugía Ocular (IMO), Barcelona, Spain. METHODS: Fifteen eyes of 11 patients with naturally occurring astigmatism (NOA) (86. 66%) or surgically induced astigmatism (SIA) (13.34%) between -3.00 and -8.00 diopters (D) who had astigmatic keratotomy were studied. The patients had a secondary procedure, LASIK, to correct the residual refractive error. RESULTS: Mean baseline spherical equivalent refraction was -2.47 D +/- 3.69 (SD) and mean refractive cylinder, -4.59 +/- 1.66 D. Twelve months after LASIK, mean spherical equivalent was -0.09 +/- 1.50 D and the mean refractive cylinder, -1. 21 +/- 1.07 D. The mean cylindrical correction attempted in the NOA group was -4.05 +/- 1.19 D and in the SIA group, -7.00 +/- 1.41 D. Postoperatively, the values were -1.50 +/- 1.17 D and -1.62 +/- 0.17 D, respectively. Twelve months after LASIK, the uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA) was 0.5 +/- 0.1. The UCVA in the NOA group (0.50 +/- 0. 08) was better than in the SIA group (0.32 +/- 0.10). The efficacy index was 0.96 overall. Best corrected visual acuity deteriorated by 1 Snellen line in 1 case (6.6%) but improved by 1 and 2 Snellen lines in 4 cases (26.6%) and 2 cases (13.3%), respectively. All procedures were completed without adverse reactions intraoperatively or postoperatively. CONCLUSION: This combined technique was effective in the treatment of high astigmatism, with excellent results compared with the results of each procedure alone. Because of its high predictability, we strongly recommend the technique in cases with astigmatism higher than 3.0 D, particularly in those with astigmatism higher than 5.0 D.
Full-Thickness Astigmatic Keratotomy Combined With Small-Incision Lenticule Extraction to Treat High-Level and Mixed Astigmatism
AbstractPURPOSE: To explore the clinical effects of combined full-thickness astigmatic keratotomy and small-incision lenticule extraction (SMILE) in patients who are inoperable using SMILE alone. METHODS: We included 13 eyes of 9 patients with high-level or mixed astigmatism who underwent full-thickness astigmatic keratotomy followed by SMILE (secondarily) to correct the residual refractive error. RESULTS: Six months after SMILE, the spherical equivalent was reduced from -4.83 ± 3.26 D to -0.17 ± 0.38 D (P < 0.001), and the astigmatism was reduced from 5.12 ± 0.96 D to 0.21 ± 0.22 D (P < 0.001). The uncorrected and corrected (CDVA) distance visual acuities improved from 1.07 ± 0.62 to 0.02 ± 0.13 (P < 0.001) and from 0.08 ± 0.14 to -0.01 ± 0.14 (P = 0.002), respectively. The CDVA improved by 1 or 2 Snellen lines in 8 cases (61.5%), and there was no loss in CDVA. All procedures were completed without intraoperative or postoperative complications. CONCLUSIONS: This combined procedure was effective and safe for the treatment of high-level or mixed astigmatism.
Intraoperative Correction of Induced Astigmatism After Spherical Correction of Hyperopia With Conductive Keratoplasty
AbstractPURPOSE: To evaluate the treatment of surgically induced astigmatism intraoperatively during conductive keratoplasty (CK) for correcting hyperopia. METHODS: Conductive keratoplasty uses radiofrequency energy applied to the peripheral corneal stroma to shrink the collagen and alter the central cornea to correct hyperopia. Nineteen consecutive patients (27 eyes) who underwent CK for hyperopia and were treated intraoperatively for induced astigmatism were examined. By using automated keratometric readings taken during the procedure, additional spots were applied at the minus cylinder or flat axis at the 7-mm zone until the intraoperative astigmatism was 2 diopters (D) or less. RESULTS: The intraoperative treatment reduced the astigmatism by an average of 2.30 +/- 1.32 D (P=0.00001). The mean induced astigmatism was 3.33 +/- 0.14 D for eyes that received eight spots, 4.12 +/- 1.13 D for eyes that received 16 spots, 4.43 +/- 0.82 D for eyes that received 24 spots, and 4.60 +/- 1.08 D for eyes that received 32 spots. Additional spots reduced astigmatism in most patients to less than 2 D. CONCLUSIONS: Intraoperative treatment of astigmatism through the addition of more spots at the minus cylinder or flat axis reduced the degree of induced astigmatism. Surgically induced astigmatism was observed more frequently in patients who received 32 treatment spots and 6-mm treatment zone application.
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.
