DeCure's autonomous Respiratory AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for childhood onset asthma — screening already-approved drugs against its 38-gene Open Targets disease module to publish open-access research. Research is fast; the path to publication is funded in milestone stages.
Disease moduleChildhood onset asthma maps to a 38-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 childhood onset asthma 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
sulfite oxidase (SUOX) — SUOX 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 hemdrag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 1MJ4 · 1.2 Å · ligand PROTOPORPHYRIN IX CONTAINING FE (HEM). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
Childhood asthma is described as a heterogeneous disease with different phenotypes that vary among children and within an individual child over time, depending on age, gender, genetic background, and environmental influences. Longitudinal studies have classified wheezing phenotypes in young children and identified potential mechanisms and risk factors for chronic asthma, but the disease involves complicated interactions between genes and environmental factors, and developmental factors in the lungs and immune system must be considered. Improved classification of these heterogeneous conditions is needed to develop novel strategies for prevention and individualised treatment, but no specific drug intervention is evaluated in this 2011 review.
A 2009 randomised controlled study of 166 children aged 12–48 months with recurrent or persistent otitis media found that adenoidectomy did not significantly influence baseline lung function, exercise-induced bronchoconstriction, exhaled nitric oxide concentration, the development of positive skin prick tests, or doctor-diagnosed asthma over three years of follow-up. Adenoidectomy also did not significantly prevent otitis media. However, recurrent otitis media (four or more episodes) during the first follow-up year was associated with abnormal exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (odds ratio 6.62, 95% CI 1.27 to 34) and elevated exhaled nitric oxide (odds ratio 3.26, 95% CI 0.98 to 10.8), regardless of adenoidectomy. The authors concluded that adenoidectomy did not promote asthma or allergy, but that recurrent respiratory tract infections in early childhood are associated with bronchial hyper-reactivity.
A 2012 review reiterates that asthma is a heterogeneous syndrome, not a single disease entity, and that inflammatory and remodelling processes predispose to acute exacerbations. The complexity of these episodes is increased during childhood because of ongoing maturation of key biological systems. The review emphasises the diversity of acute exacerbations based on numerous asthma phenotypes, but provides no new trial data on prevention or treatment.
What is still missing is a clear biological stratification that matches specific drugs to defined childhood asthma phenotypes, and adequately powered randomised trials that test repurposed agents against placebo or standard care in these stratified subgroups. Funding for such trials, which must account for age-related immune and lung development, remains insufficient.
Evidence
Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.
Korean Journal of Pediatrics · 2011 · 23 citations · open access
Asthma in childhood: a complex, heterogeneous disease
AbstractAsthma in childhood is a heterogeneous disease with different phenotypes and variable clinical manifestations, which depend on the age, gender, genetic background, and environmental influences of the patients. Several longitudinal studies have been conducted to classify the phenotypes of childhood asthma, on the basis of the symptoms, triggers of wheezing illness, or pathophysiological features of the disease. These studies have provided us with important information about the different wheezing phenotypes in young children and about potential mechanisms and risk factors for the development of chronic asthma. The goal of these studies was to provide a better insight into the causes and natural course of childhood asthma. It is well-known that complicated interactions between genes and environmental factors contribute to the development of asthma. Because childhood is a period of rapid growth in both the lungs and the immune system, developmental factors should be considered in the pathogenesis of childhood asthma. The pulmonary system continues to grow and develop until linear growth is completed. Longitudinal studies have reported significant age-related immune development during postnatal early life. These observations suggest that the phenotypes of childhood asthma vary among children and also in an individual child over time. Improved classification of heterogeneous conditions of the disease will help determine novel strategies for primary and secondary prevention and for the development of individualized treatment for childhood asthma.
Archives of Disease in Childhood · 2009 · 22 citations
Effect of adenoidectomy on respiratory function: a randomised prospective study
AbstractOBJECTIVE: Risk of childhood asthma is increased in children with recurrent otitis media. This may be associated with recurrent respiratory tract infections in these children, but the role of adenoidectomy, a frequent operation during childhood, is unknown. Therefore, the role of adenoidectomy in the development of atopy and respiratory function changes characteristic of asthma was evaluated. DESIGN: Randomised controlled study. SETTING: Tertiary care centre. PATIENTS: 166 children aged 12-48 months who had recurrent or persistent otitis media and who were followed-up for 3 years after randomisation. INTERVENTION: Randomisation to undergo insertion of tympanostomy tubes with or without adenoidectomy. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome measure was exercise-induced bronchoconstriction as evaluated by impulse oscillometry. The secondary outcome measures were bronchial inflammation as evaluated by exhaled nitric oxide and atopy as evaluated by skin prick tests. During the 3-year follow-up period otitis media episodes were documented in patient diaries. RESULTS: Adenoidectomy did not significantly influence baseline lung function, exercise-induced bronchoconstriction, exhaled nitric oxide concentration, the development of positive skin prick tests, or doctor-diagnosed asthma. Adenoidectomy did not significantly prevent otitis media. Recurrent otitis media (>or=4 episodes) during the first follow-up year was associated with an abnormal exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (OR 6.62, 95% CI 1.27 to 34) and an elevated exhaled nitric oxide concentration (OR 3.26, 95% CI 0.98 to 10.8) regardless of adenoidectomy. CONCLUSIONS: Adenoidectomy did not promote asthma or allergy. Recurrent respiratory tract infections during early childhood are associated with the risk of bronchial hyper-reactivity.
Expert Review of Respiratory Medicine · 2012 · 12 citations
Acute asthma exacerbations in childhood: risk factors, prevention and treatment
AbstractAsthma is a heterogeneous disease more appropriately seen as a syndrome rather than a single pathologic entity. Although it can remain quiescent for extended time periods, the inflammatory and remodeling processes affect the bronchial milieu and predispose to acute and occasionally severe clinical manifestations. The complexity underlying these episodes is enhanced during childhood, an era of ongoing alterations and maturation of key biological systems. In this review, the authors focus on such sudden-onset events, emphasizing on their diversity on the basis of the numerous asthma phenotypes.
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.
