DeCure's autonomous Respiratory AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease — screening already-approved drugs against its 43-gene Open Targets disease module to publish open-access research. Research is fast; the path to publication is funded in milestone stages.
Disease moduleChronic obstructive pulmonary disease maps to a 43-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 obstructive pulmonary 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
phosphodiesterase 4D (PDE4D) — PDE4D 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 difluoromethoxydrag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 5WH6 · 1.6 Å · ligand 1-[4-(difluoromethoxy)-3-{[(3S)-oxolan-3-yl]oxy}phenyl]-3-methylbutan-1-one (AKJ). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is defined as a chronic inflammatory condition, a framework adopted by the Global Initiative on Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease. Research has focused on the cellular and molecular mechanisms of this inflammation, driven by the burden of disease and escalating healthcare costs. Infection is now understood to play a major role in both the pathogenesis and clinical course of COPD, with a proposed vicious circle of infection and inflammation thought to lead to exacerbations. The disease remains highly prevalent, underdiagnosed, and undertreated.
A Cochrane Review protocol from 2013 aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of long-acting inhaled therapies—beta-agonists, anticholinergics, and steroids—for patients whose COPD cannot be controlled by short-acting therapies alone. The review planned to compare long-term efficacy between different pharmacological treatments and to examine how combining treatments affects that efficacy. It also explicitly planned to address limitations in the current evidence base that might compromise conclusions. No results from that review are provided in the abstracts.
Genomic research has identified a large number of gene mutations associated with lung function and COPD through genome-wide association studies, offering new perspectives on pathogenesis and potential therapeutic targets. A 2010 update noted steady progress in understanding disease pathogenesis and treatment modalities, with some evidence that outcomes are improving, but the abstracts give no concrete survival or response rate numbers from any trial. What remains missing is the completed analysis from the Cochrane network meta-analysis, which would quantify comparative efficacy and safety, and any genomic findings that have been translated into a tested intervention. No drug not mentioned in these abstracts is discussed.
Evidence
Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.
New England Journal of Medicine · 2008 · 1244 citations
Infection in the Pathogenesis and Course of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
AbstractNew molecular, cellular, and immunologic techniques used to study host–pathogen interactions have led to a reexamination of the role of infection in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). There is now considerable evidence that infection plays a major role in the pathogenesis and clinical course of COPD. A vicious circle of infection and inflammation is thought to lead to exacerbations of the disease.
Archives of Internal Medicine · 2005 · 140 citations · open access
Efficacy of Bupropion and Nortriptyline for Smoking Cessation Among People at Risk for or With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
AbstractBACKGROUND: The observations that smokers with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are at increased risk of depression and that nicotine may have antidepressant effects and regulate mood provide a rationale for the use of antidepressant drugs for smoking cessation in patients with COPD. No clinical trial has studied the efficacy of bupropion hydrochloride and nortriptyline hydrochloride for smoking cessation in this patient population, to our knowledge. METHODS: In a placebo-controlled double-dummy randomized trial, 255 adults at risk for COPD or with COPD were prescribed sustained-release bupropion (bupropion SR) (150 mg twice daily) or nortriptyline (75 mg once daily) for 12 weeks. All patients received smoking cessation counseling. The main outcome measure was prolonged abstinence from smoking from week 4 to week 26 after the target quit date. RESULTS: The use of bupropion SR and nortriptyline resulted in higher prolonged abstinence rates compared with placebo, although only the difference between bupropion SR and placebo was statistically significant (differences with placebo, 13.1% [95% confidence interval, 1.2%-25.1%] for bupropion SR and 10.2% [95% confidence interval, -1.7% to 22.2%] for nortriptyline). In patients with COPD, bupropion SR and nortriptyline seem efficacious in achieving prolonged abstinence (differences with placebo, 18.9% [95% confidence interval, 3.6%-34.2%] for bupropion SR and 12.9% [95% confidence interval, -0.8% to 26.4%] for nortriptyline). In participants at risk for COPD, no statistically significant differences with placebo in prolonged abstinence rates were found. CONCLUSIONS: Bupropion SR treatment is an efficacious aid to smoking cessation in patients with COPD. Nortriptyline treatment seems to be a useful alternative.
Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews · 2013 · 64 citations
Long-acting inhaled therapy (beta-agonists, anticholinergics and steroids) for COPD: a network meta-analysis
AbstractThis is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (Intervention). The objectives are as follows: To assess the efficacy and safety of treatment options for patients whose chronic obstructive pulmonary disease cannot be controlled by short‐acting therapies alone. The review will not look at combination therapies usually considered later in the course of the disease. As part of this overview, we will address the following issues: How does the long‐term efficacy compare between different pharmacological treatments for COPD? How does combining different pharmacological treatments affect the long‐term efficacy? Are there limitations in the current evidence base which may compromise the conclusions drawn by this overview? If so, what are the implications for future research?
European Respiratory Society eBooks · 2006 · 13 citations
Cells and mediators of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
AbstractDue to the enormous burden of disease and escalating healthcare costs, there is now renewed interest in the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) [1, 2] and a search for new therapies [3]. The definition of COPD was adopted by the Global Initiative on Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease and for the first time this definition encompassed the idea that COPD is a chronic inflammatory disease [4]. Much of the recent research has focused on the nature of this inflammatory response.
F1000 Medicine Reports · 2010 · 3 citations · open access
Update on the management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
AbstractChronic obstructive pulmonary disease is a highly prevalent, underdiagnosed, and undertreated chronic lung disease. Early and appropriate treatment may help modify the course of the disease with respect to exacerbation timing and frequency, quality of life, and mortality. Steady progress continues to be made in understanding the disease pathogenesis and treatment modalities, and there is some evidence that outcomes are improving.
[Advances and Application of Genomics in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease].
AbstractChronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a common and frequently-occurring disease in the department of respiratory medicine,the pathogenesis of which involves both environmental factors and genetic factors.In recent years,with the application of new methods such as genome-wide association study,researchers have discovered a large number of gene mutations associated with lung function and COPD,providing a new perspective on the pathogenesis of COPD and potential therapeutic targets.This article reviews the research achievements and application progress of genomics in COPD.
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.
