DeCure's autonomous Dermatology AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis — screening already-approved drugs against its 5-gene Open Targets disease module to publish open-access research. Research is fast; the path to publication is funded in milestone stages.
Disease moduleChronic mucocutaneous candidiasis maps to a 5-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 chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis 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
interleukin 17 receptor A (IL17RA) — IL17RA 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 galdrag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 5NAN · 3.3 Å · ligand beta-D-galactopyranose (GAL). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
Chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis is a spectrum of disorders defined by persistent or recurrent candidiasis of the skin, nails and mucous membranes, with some conditions having a genetic predisposition. A common immunological abnormality is the failure of T lymphocytes to produce cytokines essential for cell-mediated immunity to Candida. Antifungal drugs can clear infections, and treatments that restore cellular immunity have produced long-term remissions, though a 1979 survey stated that no permanent cure had been achieved. A 2015 case report described a patient whose cutaneous and mucosal lesions were not associated with any systemic disorder and who responded to topical clotrimazole and oral fluconazole.
Systemic infections caused by Candida are almost never seen in these patients, but a 2004 report described a 16-year-old with chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis who developed a fungemia with Candida tropicalis. Patients are also susceptible to other fungal and viral infections due to impaired cell-mediated immunity, and the condition is usually associated with multiple endocrine dysfunctions and autoimmune disorders, requiring complete systemic evaluation.
Treatment options surveyed in 1979 included topical antifungal treatment (insufficient), systemic antifungal treatment (often followed by rapid relapse), and specific immunotherapy with live tissue or transfer factor. A combination of systemic antifungal therapy and immunotherapy was described as the most promising approach. A 2010 review noted that candidiasis can indicate underlying systemic disease such as diabetes mellitus or immune deficiency, and that treatment must be adapted according to age, localisation, and underlying disease.
What remains missing are prospective trials that stratify patients by the specific genetic or immunological defect, funding for such trials, and a trial design that can test combination immunotherapy with modern antifungal agents against relapse rates measured over years rather than weeks.
Evidence
Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.
The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal · 2001 · 237 citations
Chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis
AbstractChronic mucocutaneous candidiasis should be viewed as a spectrum of disorders in which the patients have persistent and/or recurrent candidiasis of the skin, nails and mucous membranes. Some of the conditions have genetic predispositions. A common immunologic abnormality is failure of the patient's T lymphocytes to produce cytokines that are essential for expression of cell-mediated immunity to Candida. Antifungal drugs are effective in clearing the infections, and treatments that restore cellular immunity have produced long term remissions.
Disseminated Candida tropicalis in a Patient with Chronic Mucocutaneous Candidiasis
AbstractChronic mucocutaneous candidiasis is a heterogeneous group of immunodeficiencies associated with persistent candidal infections. Patients with chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis are rarely associated with systemic infections caused by other fungi, but almost never by Candida. The authors report a case of a 16-year-old with chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis who developed a fungemia with Candida tropicalis.
Postgraduate Medical Journal · 1979 · 9 citations · open access
Chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis
AbstractThe pathogenesis of chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis is surveyed. Treatment comprises topical antifungal treatment which is insufficient, systemic antifungal treatment which is often followed by a rapid relapse, and specific immunotherapy with live tissue or transfer factor. Combination of systemic antifungal therapy and immunotherapy seems to be the most promising approach. However, no permanent cure has so far been achieved.
AbstractTreatment of chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis has included drugs, immunotherapy, and replacement of nutritional and endocrine deficiency. Although amphotericin B is the best known and most commonly used form of treatment, the imidazole antibiotic clotrimazole has shown promise as an effective agent that can be given orally with low toxicity. A 9-year-old girl responded to intermittent clotrimazole therapy with complete and prolonged remission. This form of treatment offers advantages in safety and effectiveness over other therapies for chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis. (<i>Arch Dermatol</i>115:322-323, 1979)
Japanese Journal of Medical Mycology · 1981 · 4 citations · open access
A case of chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis successfully treated with ketoconazole.
AbstractA 14-year-old girl with chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis, who had failed to improve on conventional therapy, showed a notable clinical response to oral ketoconazole. The thrush completely cleared within three days. Candida onychia cleared slowly during six months of treatment. There was no adverse drug effect in this patient. Ketoconazole seems to be an effective antifungal agent for chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis, even in the setting of deficiency in cell mediated immunity.
DMW - Deutsche Medizinische Wochenschrift · 2010 · 2 citations
Mukokutane Candida-Infektionen
AbstractInfection with the yeast candida is a quite common disease. Its occurrence might be harmless, however, Candida infections often present with an underlying systemic disease. Thus, candidiasis in some cases can be considered as an indicator for e.g. diabetes mellitus or immune deficiency (i.e. HIV or leukaemia). Of note, we have to distinguish the colonisation and the infection with Candida because only the presence of the yeast together with clinical symptoms is an indication for treatment. The latter has to be adapted according to age, localisation and potentially underlying systemic disease. A special form of Candidiasis constitutes the chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis which can occur in line with hereditary immune deficiencies or also isolated. In the present review we discuss the current status of diagnostic and therapy of mucocutaneous candidiasis as well as the (patho-) immunologic background of yeast infections using the example of a special case of chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis.
Journal of Evolution of Medical and Dental Sciences · 2015 · 0 citations · open access
CHRONIC MUCOCUTANEOUS CANDIDIASIS: A CASE REPORT
AbstractChronic mucocutaneous candidiasis (CMC) is a rare group of overlapping syndromes that have in common a clinical pattern of persistent and diffuse cutaneous or mucosal candidal infections. It is usually associated with multiple endocrine dysfunctions and autoimmune disorders therefore patient needs a complete systemic evaluation. Patients of CMC are also susceptible to other fungal and viral infections due to impaired cell mediated immunity. We report a case of CMC wherein the cutaneous and mucosal lesions were not associated with any systemic disorder. The patient responded to topical clotrimazole and oral fluconazole.
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.
