DeCure's autonomous Dermatology AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for chronic ulcer of skin — screening already-approved drugs against its 22-gene Open Targets disease module to publish open-access research. Research is fast; the path to publication is funded in milestone stages.
Disease moduleChronic ulcer of skin maps to a 22-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
approvedOlanzapineApproved drug
Structures already discussed alongside chronic ulcer of skin in the retrieved literature, rendered from public PubChem SMILES. Which drugs appear here reflects the evidence found, not a ranked prediction.
Molecular view
protein tyrosine phosphatase receptor type D (PTPRD) — PTPRD is one of the genes in this disease's Open Targets module — part of the target space DeCure's repurposing candidates point at. The protein backbone is drawn as a cartoon. The structure has citrate anion bound in it, shown as sticks.
Loading structure…
helix sheet flcdrag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 2YD6 · 1.35 Å · ligand CITRATE ANION (FLC). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
In a 2013 trial of 90 patients with chronic skin ulcers, those who received Mabel moist burn ointment added to conventional therapy had a higher efficacy rate than the control group receiving conventional therapy alone: 95.56% versus 82.22%, a difference reported as statistically significant (P<0.05). No adverse reactions occurred in the ointment group. The abstract does not define what constituted conventional therapy, does not specify ulcer aetiologies, and does not report healing times or recurrence rates.
A 2023 literature review of therapeutic approaches states that conservative therapy for chronic skin ulcers aims at tissue preparation, infection control, wound moisture maintenance, and epidermal growth stimulation, and describes the process as difficult and expensive. The review notes that identifying the primary cause of the ulcer and choosing a non-toxic, non-allergic conservative option can reduce hospitalisation duration and treatment costs. No specific drug or intervention is tested in this review.
A 2025 systematic review of surgical management of chronic cutaneous ulcers included 15 studies published between 2020 and 2025. The most common surgical interventions were split-thickness skin grafts, local and perforator flaps, negative pressure wound therapy–assisted closure, and bioengineered skin substitutes. Reported healing rates ranged from 72% to 96% depending on ulcer aetiology and surgical technique. Complications included infection (8–20%), graft loss (4–12%), and recurrence (6–18%). Flap-based reconstructions generally yielded better long-term durability and aesthetic outcomes compared to grafts alone. The review notes that evidence quality was moderate, limited by heterogeneity of ulcer types and follow-up durations.
What is still missing are prospective trials that standardise ulcer aetiology and follow-up duration, direct comparisons of surgical techniques with clearly defined outcome measures, and studies that identify which patient subgroups benefit most from specific interventions. The 2013 ointment trial lacks replication and does not report long-term healing or recurrence. No abstract provides data on cost-effectiveness or patient-reported quality of life beyond the 2023 review’s general claims.
Evidence
Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.
Guoji yiyao weisheng daobao · 2013 · 0 citations
Comprehensive clinical treatment for chronic skin ulcers
AbstractObjective To investigate the clinical therapies of chronic skin ulcers and the and efficacies.Methods 90 patients with chronic skin ulcers who had been treated during the period of September 2009 to July 2012 were randomly divided into two groups.The control group received conventional therapy,while the study group received Mabel moist burn ointment in addition to conventional therapy.The efficacy was compared.Results The study group was superior to the control group in efficacy (95.56％ vs 82.22％,P＜0.05),the difference was statistically significant.No adverse reactions occurred in the study group.Conclusions For patients with chronic skin ulcers,Mabel moist burn ointment combined with conventional therapy has a better efficacy.
Key words:
Chronic skin ulcers; Comprehensive treatment; Mabel moist burn ointment.
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · 2023 · 0 citations · open access
EVOLUTION OF THERAPEUTIC APPROACH IN CHRONIC SKIN ULCERS
Abstract<strong>Objectives.</strong> The treatment of chronic skin ulcers is a current problem, both in terms of frequency and the complexity of the social and economic consequences they involve. The aim of study was to analyze the specialized medical literature about the evolution of therapeutic approaches in chronic skin ulcers. <strong>Materials and methods.</strong> The most relevant recommendations related to the treatment of chronic skin ulcers, selected from international databases, such as: PubMed Central, PubMed, Medline, ScienceDirect, Google Scholar, NCBI and UpToDate have been accessed and analyzed, by using keywords: ”chronic skin ulcers”, ”history”, ”treatment evolution”. <strong>Results and discussions. </strong>The study highlights that conservative therapy of skin ulcers aims at proper tissue preparation, infection control, wound moisture maintenance and epidermal growth stimulation, being a difficult and expensive process. It is important to identify the primary causes that have led to the development of ulcer and to choose the best option of conservative therapy, which has non-toxic, non-allergic properties, increases the comfort of the maintenance and reduces the duration of hospitalization, treatment costs, ensuring a faster recovery of patients to daily activities. <strong>Conclusions. </strong>Wound healing is a complex, highly regulated process that is critical in maintaining the barrier function of skin. During the last years, the management of chronic skin ulcers have evolved considerably, approaching the major interfering factors of normal healing process, which will help patients and wound care practitioners largely.
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · 2023 · 0 citations · open access
EVOLUTION OF THERAPEUTIC APPROACH IN CHRONIC SKIN ULCERS
Abstract<strong>Objectives.</strong> The treatment of chronic skin ulcers is a current problem, both in terms of frequency and the complexity of the social and economic consequences they involve. The aim of study was to analyze the specialized medical literature about the evolution of therapeutic approaches in chronic skin ulcers. <strong>Materials and methods.</strong> The most relevant recommendations related to the treatment of chronic skin ulcers, selected from international databases, such as: PubMed Central, PubMed, Medline, ScienceDirect, Google Scholar, NCBI and UpToDate have been accessed and analyzed, by using keywords: ”chronic skin ulcers”, ”history”, ”treatment evolution”. <strong>Results and discussions. </strong>The study highlights that conservative therapy of skin ulcers aims at proper tissue preparation, infection control, wound moisture maintenance and epidermal growth stimulation, being a difficult and expensive process. It is important to identify the primary causes that have led to the development of ulcer and to choose the best option of conservative therapy, which has non-toxic, non-allergic properties, increases the comfort of the maintenance and reduces the duration of hospitalization, treatment costs, ensuring a faster recovery of patients to daily activities. <strong>Conclusions. </strong>Wound healing is a complex, highly regulated process that is critical in maintaining the barrier function of skin. During the last years, the management of chronic skin ulcers have evolved considerably, approaching the major interfering factors of normal healing process, which will help patients and wound care practitioners largely.
Asclepius International Journal of Scientific Health Science · 2025 · 0 citations · open access
SURGICAL MANAGEMENT OF CHRONIC CUTANEOUS ULCERS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF OUTCOMES AND COMPLICATIONS
AbstractIntroduction: Chronic cutaneous ulcers represent a major therapeutic challenge in dermatologic and reconstructive surgery, with high recurrence rates and substantial morbidity. They often result from vascular insufficiency, neuropathy, diabetes, or pressure injury, requiring individualized management strategies. Surgical treatment—including debridement, grafts, flaps, and regenerative techniques—plays a central role in accelerating healing when conservative therapy fails. Objective: The main objective of this systematic review is to evaluate outcomes and complications associated with surgical management of chronic cutaneous ulcers. Secondary objectives include comparing healing rates across techniques, analyzing recurrence and infection rates, and identifying patient- and ulcer-specific predictors of success. Methods: A systematic search was performed in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, LILACS, ClinicalTrials.gov, and ICTRP for studies published between 2020 and 2025. Eligible studies included randomized controlled trials, cohort studies, and controlled observational analyses assessing surgical interventions in chronic ulcers of any etiology. Results and Discussion: 15 studies met inclusion criteria. The most common surgical interventions were split-thickness skin grafts, local and perforator flaps, negative pressure wound therapy–assisted closure, and bioengineered skin substitutes. Reported healing rates ranged from 72 % to 96 % depending on ulcer etiology and surgical technique. Complications included infection (8–20 %), graft loss (4–12 %), and recurrence (6–18 %). Flap-based reconstructions generally yielded better long-term durability and aesthetic outcomes compared to grafts alone. Evidence quality was moderate overall, limited by heterogeneity of ulcer types and follow-up durations. Conclusion: Surgical intervention significantly improves healing rates and quality of life in patients with chronic cutaneous ulcers when performed after optimization of comorbidities. Local and perforator flaps show superior functional and cosmetic results, while grafts remain valuable for extensive superficial defects. Standardized reporting of outcomes and prospective trials comparing reconstructive strategies are needed to guide evidence-based practice. Descriptors: Surgical Flaps, Skin Transplantation, Chronic Ulcer, Wound Healing
Annals of the Academy of Medicine Singapore · 2021 · 0 citations · open access
Rapidly progressive ulcer in an older woman
AbstractA fit and well 78-year-old woman with no significant past medical history presented to the Emergency Department with large painless perianal ulcers. It started as an erythematous patch that developed into pruritic perianal blisters, and rapidly evolved into a necrotic ulcer over 2 days. She denied any prior injury or new contacts and was not on any new medications. At presentation, she was afebrile and physical examination findings were unremarkable except for the large 16x15cm gangrenous ulcer with a black scab surrounded by an erythematous halo on the perianal region extending to the intergluteal cleft. There was another similar ulcer on the left gluteal measuring 5x3cm (Fig. 1A). Biochemical investigations showed normal leukocyte count of 9.71×109/L (reference range, 3.37–10.93×109/L) and a C-reactive protein level of 7.1mg/L (reference range <5.0mg/L). The patient had no bacteraemia. Punch biopsy was done for histological and microbiological examination.
International Journal of Medical Toxicology and Forensic Medicine · 2020 · 0 citations · open access
Risperidone-Induced Erythema Multiforme Minor: A Case Report
AbstractErythema Multiforme (EM) is a hypersensitivity reaction that can be triggered by an infection or particular medications. Erythema multiforme minor (EM minor) represents localized skin lesions with minimal or no mucosal involvement. Only a few case of EM associated with risperidone are found in the scientific literature. In this case report, the administration of the risperidone resulted in the rapid appearance of skin lesions. Erythematous lesions were recovered upon discontinuation of the drug and no new skin lesion was observed. A 52-year-old male patient was admitted to the psychiatry hospital because of developing schizophrenic symptoms. At the time of admission, risperidone was added to her previous drug regimen. Two weeks later, the patient returned with a complaint of progressively increasing rashes over his body. The patient was diagnosed with EM minor. The prescribed risperidone was discontinued due to its side-effect profile and the patient’s drug regimen was changed entirely to the olanzapine, haloperidol, and topical clobetasol. At one month follow up visit, his skin lesions were satisfactorily controlled.
AbstractThe news for America's 25 million ulcer sufferers is good. It's usually not lifestyle that causes that gnawing pain. Most likely it's a bacterial infection. And the infection can be treated and permanently eliminated in most people. All it usually takes is 2 weeks of treatment with a combination of antibiotics and a drug that blocks acid production in the stomach.
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.
