DeCure's autonomous Immuno AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for celiac disease — screening already-approved drugs against its 37-gene Open Targets disease module to publish open-access research. Research is fast; the path to publication is funded in milestone stages.
Disease moduleCeliac disease maps to a 37-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 celiac disease 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
autophagy related 16 like 1 (ATG16L1) — ATG16L1 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 r,rdrag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 5NUV · 1.55 Å · ligand (R,R)-2,3-BUTANEDIOL (BU3). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
The only recommended treatment for coeliac disease remains a strict lifelong gluten-free diet. On this diet, small intestinal mucosal injury heils and gluten-induced symptoms disappear, provided the patient is compliant and not inadvertently ingesting gluten. A 2014 review notes that mucosal healing can also be obtained with a diet containing oats and trace amounts of gluten, such as industrially purified wheat starch-based gluten-free products. The same review states that development of adjunctive or alternative therapies is under way, mentioning glutenases to degrade ingested gluten, polymers to bind and sequester gluten to the faeces, and vaccine development for immunotherapy to induce tolerance. A 2019 review reiterates that a gluten-free diet is difficult to comply with and is found ineffective in some active cases, creating an unmet need for a non-dietary therapeutic approach, but it offers no clinical trial data for any drug.
A 2024 retrospective cohort study compared 120 adult coeliac disease patients treated in a dedicated multidisciplinary programme with 220 patients receiving standard of care. Frequency of guideline-driven quality care metrics was significantly greater in the programme group for all variables (p < 0.0005). Diarrhoea resolved in 38 of 46 programme patients (82.6%) versus 63 of 98 standard-of-care patients (64.2%) after starting a gluten-free diet (p = 0.025). Bloating also resolved significantly more often in the programme group (26 of 34) than in the standard-of-care group (31 of 58; p = 0.03). However, there were no significant differences between the groups in resolution of other clinical symptoms or in serological response measured by IgA anti-tissue transglutaminase levels.
No drug has been shown in these abstracts to treat coeliac disease or replace the gluten-free diet. The 2014 and 2019 reviews list potential drug targets and approaches but provide no efficacy data from human trials. The 2024 study shows that a dedicated programme improves some short-term outcomes compared to standard care, but serological response did not differ. What is still missing are completed clinical trials of any candidate drug, funding to move preclinical ideas into phase testing, and patient stratification to identify who might benefit from a non-dietary therapy if one emerges.
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 Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition · 2014 · 14 citations
Celiac Disease Treatment
AbstractThe basis for celiac disease (CD) treatment is a strict lifelong gluten-free diet. On the diet, the small intestinal mucosal injury heals and gluten-induced symptoms and signs disappear. The mucosal healing is a prerequisite for sustaining health and is also obtained with a diet containing oats and trace amounts of gluten, industrially purified wheat starch-based gluten-free products. The small intestinal mucosa does not heal in noncompliant people, nor when a patient is inadvertently ingesting gluten. Development of adjunctive or alternative therapies is on its way. There are several novel treatment pipelines within academy and industry. Examples are the ideas of using glutenases as a drug to degrade the ingested gluten, polymers to bind and sequester the gluten to the feces, and also vaccine development for an immunotherapy to induce tolerance towards gluten. Clinical drug trials are to be foreseen in CD, soon also in children.
Indian Journal of Pharmacology · 2019 · 4 citations · open access
Novel targets for drug discovery in celiac disease
AbstractCeliac disease is a lifelong, immunological disorder induced by dietary protein-gluten, in a genetically susceptible populations, resulting in different clinical manifestations, the release of antibodies, and damage to the intestinal mucosa. The only recommended therapy for the disease is to strictly follow a gluten-free diet (GFD), which is difficult to comply with. A GFD is found to be ineffective in some active Celiac disease cases. Therefore, there is an unmet need for an alternative nondietary therapeutic approach. The review focuses on the novel drug targets for Celiac disease.
Digestive Diseases and Sciences · 2024 · 2 citations · open access
A Dedicated Celiac Disease Program Improves Celiac Quality Care Metrics and Short-Term Outcomes in Real Life
AbstractBACKGROUND AND AIMS: Dedicated multidisciplinary programs in gastroenterology are emerging with the goal to improve care. There is little information about the effects of a celiac disease program on disease-related quality care metrics and outcomes. We aimed to compare quality care metrics, symptom resolution, and serological response among patients diagnosed and treated in a celiac disease program with a standard of care cohort. METHODS: We performed a retrospective cohort study with adult celiac disease patients. We divided patients into two groups: celiac disease patients treated in our program and those treated by gastroenterologists not affiliated with the program (standard of care). We abstracted data from electronical medical records and compared frequency at which guideline-driven quality care metrics were obtained, assessed symptom resolution, and serological response based on IgA anti-tissue transglutaminase levels. RESULTS: We included 340 patients, 120 in the celiac disease program (89 women) and 220 (166 women) in the standard of care. Frequency of quality care metrics implementation in program patients was significantly greater for all variables (p < 0.0005). Diarrhea resolved in 38/46 (82.6%) in the CD program and 63/98 (64.2%) in the standard of care after starting a gluten-free diet (p = .025); bloating also resolved significantly more often in the former (26/34) than the latter (31/58; p = 0.03). Otherwise, there were no significant differences in resolution of clinical symptoms or serological response. CONCLUSION: A celiac disease program improves celiac-related quality care metrics and may improve outcomes such as diarrhea resolution compared to standard of care.
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.
