DeCure's autonomous Psychiatry AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for bipolar disorder — screening already-approved drugs against its 47-gene Open Targets disease module to publish open-access research. Research is fast; the path to publication is funded in milestone stages.
Disease moduleBipolar disorder maps to a 47-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 bipolar disorder 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
inositol monophosphatase 1 (IMPA1) — IMPA1 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-oxidanylphenoxydrag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 6GIU · 1.39 Å · ligand [1-(4-oxidanylphenoxy)-1-phosphono-ethyl]phosphonic acid (L69). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
A 1995 study of ten drug-free euthymic bipolar patients found that cAMP-stimulated phosphorylation of a 22-kDa polypeptide in platelets differed from that in ten matched healthy subjects, suggesting a possible role for cAMP-dependent protein phosphorylation in the pathophysiology of the disorder. The sample was very small and no clinical outcomes were measured.
A 2010 review states that pharmacotherapy is the primary treatment for bipolar disorder and that several medications have proven efficacy, but notes an efficacy/effectiveness gap in preventing recurrence and returning patients to full functional recovery. It identifies poor treatment adherence as a major factor in treatment refractoriness and suggests psychoeducation may help. Another 2010 appraisal reports that a minority of people with bipolar disorder achieve sustained recovery, and warns primary care physicians against prescribing antidepressant monotherapy to any patient with depression and a history of mania or hypomania.
A 2016 cross-sectional study of euthymic type 1 bipolar outpatients found that 53.3% had overall functional impairment as measured by the Functioning Assessment Short Test. Impairment was associated with age, education, professional activity, number of manic and depressive episodes, number of hospitalisations, higher depression scores, and self-esteem subscores. The authors concluded that treatment goals should shift from symptomatic remission to functional remission.
A 2024 review states that much is unknown about the aetiology of bipolar disorder, which it says is mostly the result of environmental pressures and rarely has a genetic basis. It examines signalling cascades and medication that controls them, but provides no new clinical data. What is still missing is large-scale, prospective trials that measure functional recovery as a primary endpoint, reliable biomarkers to stratify patients, and funding for studies that move beyond small biochemical observations to testable interventions.
Evidence
Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.
American Journal of Psychiatry · 1995 · 52 citations
Abnormalities of cAMP-dependent endogenous phosphorylation in platelets from patients with bipolar disorder
AbstractOBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to assess cAMP-dependent endogenous phosphorylation in platelets from euthymic bipolar patients. METHOD: Platelets from 10 drug-free euthymic patients with bipolar disorder were compared with those from 10 age- and sex-matched healthy subjects. Basal and cAMP-stimulated protein phosphorylation was examined in each group. RESULTS: Endogenous phosphorylation in both the healthy volunteers and the bipolar patients was significantly stimulated by cAMP; the major polypeptides had apparent molecular weights of 38 and 22 kDa. The cAMP-stimulated 32P incorporation differed between the bipolar patients and the comparison subjects only in the 22-kDa band. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest a possible role of cAMP-dependent protein phosphorylation in the pathophysiology of bipolar disorder.
The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry · 2010 · 11 citations
Achieving Remission and Recovery in Bipolar Disorder
AbstractPharmacotherapy is the primary treatment for bipolar disorder, and several medications have proven efficacy for treating patients with the disorder. However, an efficacy/effectiveness gap exists in preventing recurrence of mood episodes and in returning patients to full functional recovery. A lack of treatment adherence is a major factor in treatment refractoriness in patients with bipolar disorder. Evidence suggests that psychoeducation can be a helpful tool in improving treatment adherence and in addressing other factors that complicate the treatment of bipolar disorder, such as comorbidity, substance use, and cognitive impairment.
The Primary Care Companion to The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry · 2010 · 11 citations · open access
A Critical Appraisal of Treatments for Bipolar Disorder
AbstractRecovery-the absence of all abnormal mood symptoms-is the goal of treatment for bipolar disorder. Unfortunately, a minority of people suffering from bipolar disorder achieve sustained recovery. Improving recovery rates for this population will require clinicians in the primary care setting to be familiar with appropriate treatments for acute bipolar mania and depression and for the maintenance phase. Efficacy and tolerability of pharmacotherapeutic and psychotherapeutic options for all phases of treatment and each type of mood episode are discussed. Primary care physicians are encouraged to avoid prescribing antidepressant monotherapy for any patient with depression and a history of mania or hypomania.
Pan African Medical Journal · 2016 · 6 citations · open access
Facteurs prédictifs du fonctionnement chez les patients bipolaires de type 1 en période de rémission
AbstractINTRODUCTION: Recent studies indicate that bipolar disorder is associated with a profound impairment in almost all areas of functioning. This study aims to evaluate functional recovery in type 1 bipolar patients during remission period. METHOD: We conducted a cross-sectional study of euthymic type 1 bipolar patients followed up on an ambulatory basis. In the analysis to be reported here we used Hamilton Depression Scale, Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS), Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and Functioning Assessment Short Test (FAST). RESULTS: More than half of the study population (53.3%) had overall functional impairment. The overall functioning was associated with age, education level, professional activity, the number of manic and depressive episodes, the number of hospitalizations, a higher HDRS score as well as with the two self-esteem subscores: "self-confidence" and "self-deprecation". CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that a paradigm shift in the treatment of bipolar disorders should happen and that the goals of therapy should be modified from symptomatic remission to functional remission.
Journal of Student Research · 2024 · 0 citations · open access
The Neurobiology of Bipolar Disorder and Medication Used to Treat It
AbstractMental health has been a growing area of interest in recent years, correlating with increased awareness about conditions such as generalized anxiety, clinical depression, and bipolar disorder. This is thanks to the improvement in the quality of treatment for psychiatric conditions, social media contributing to a widespread awareness, and recent governmental campaigns. However, because the topic of mental health is relatively new, much is unknown about the etiology and science behind these conditions, in part due to many of these conditions mostly being the result of environmental pressures, and rarely have a genetic basis. As a result of this, recent research, including this paper, primarily aims to examine a number of receptors, polypeptides, and erroneous steps that stem from intracellular communication dysfunction. This paper primarily focuses on the signaling cascades that are most frequent in bipolar disorder, as well as the medication that controls them and potential adverse side effects. Through examination of primary sources and various experiments conducted in tandem with their respective drugs, this paper primarily aims to highlight the shifting landscape in bipolar disorder treatment, while also de-mystifying the etiology behind it. It also aims to highlight previously unknown roles of various genes and receptors important to the etiology of bipolar disorder.
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.
