DeCure's autonomous Rare AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for Coats disease — screening already-approved drugs against its 7-gene Open Targets disease module to publish open-access research. Research is fast; the path to publication is funded in milestone stages.
Disease moduleCoats disease maps to a 7-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 coats 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
frizzled class receptor 4 (FZD4) — FZD4 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 y01drag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 8WM9 · 3.53 Å · ligand CHOLESTEROL HEMISUCCINATE (Y01). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
A retrospective chart review of 92 patients (97 eyes) with Coats disease in Saudi Arabia found that 55% of eyes presented with visual acuity of 20/200 or worse. Stage 3A was the most common presenting stage (39% of eyes). Total retinal detachment was present at presentation in 29% of eyes, and neovascular glaucoma in 8%. Treatment included laser photocoagulation (64% of eyes), cryotherapy (19%), intravitreal agents (9%), and surgical drainage (4%); combination treatment was used in 29% of eyes. Final visual acuity was 20/200 or worse in 59% of eyes, and 13% of eyes were enucleated due to suspicion of retinoblastoma or presence of glaucoma.
Factors associated with a poor visual outcome of 20/200 or worse included age less than 10 years (relative risk 1.27), Stages 3 and 4 disease (relative risk 1.40), subretinal fluid in all four quadrants including the fovea (relative risk 14.25), and initial visual acuity of 20/200 or worse (relative risk 6.72). All these associations were statistically significant (P < 0.005). The study notes that Coats disease is usually advanced at presentation and carries a poor visual prognosis in this population, similar to other populations.
Two case reports describe adult-onset Coats disease. One reports a 66-year-old man treated with laser photocoagulation, noting that adult-onset cases usually exhibit a more benign clinical course. The other describes a man diagnosed at age 30 who had a relapse 14 years later with similar unilateral retinal exudation and lipid deposition; the authors state that a randomised prospective treatment study would probably not be feasible due to the disease's rarity and variable severity.
What is still missing is a randomised prospective trial comparing treatment modalities, which the 2007 case report explicitly states would probably not be feasible. No drug therapy is mentioned in any of these abstracts. The evidence is limited to retrospective data and case reports, with no controlled comparisons of laser, cryotherapy, or intravitreal agents, and no data on patient stratification beyond the Shields staging scheme.
Evidence
Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.
Retina · 2015 · 33 citations
CLINICAL CHARACTERISTICS AND TREATMENT OUTCOMES OF COATS DISEASE IN A SAUDI ARABIAN POPULATION
AbstractIn Brief Purpose: To present the clinical aspects and treatment outcomes of Coats disease in Saudi Arabia. Methods: A retrospective chart review was performed of 92 patients (97 eyes) diagnosed with Coats disease at King Khalid Eye Specialist Hospital from 1983 to 2010. Results: The most common presenting complaint was decreased visual acuity followed by strabismus and then leukocoria. Snellen visual acuity was 20/20 to 20/50 in 9 eyes (9%), 20/50 to 20/160 in 11 eyes (11%), 20/200-counting fingers in 29 eyes (30%), and hand motion to no light perception in 24 eyes (25%). Telangiectasia was located in the preequatorial area in 71 eyes (73%) and most commonly involved the temporal retina in 67 eyes (69%). In eyes with clear view to the fundus, quadrant involvement by telangiectasia had the following distribution: 1) quadrant (n = 36, 37%); 2) quadrants (n = 26, 27%); 3) quadrants (n = 8, 8%); and 4 quadrants (n = 15, 15%). Total retinal detachment was present at presentation in 28 eyes (29%) and neovascular glaucoma in 8 (8%). Based on the Shields classification, the eyes were Stage 1 (n = 1, 1%), Stage 2A (n = 7, 7%), Stage 2B (n = 23, 24%), Stage 3A1 (n = 26, 27%), Stage 3A2 (n = 12, 12%), Stage 3B (n = 16, 17%), Stage 4 (n = 11, 11%), and Stage 5 (n = 5, 1%). Stage 3A was the most commonly presented stage (39%). Primary management included cryotherapy (19%), laser photocoagulation (64%), intravitreal agents (9%), and surgical drainage (4%). Combination treatment was performed in 29% of eyes. Thirteen eyes (13%) were enucleated because of clinical suspicion of retinoblastoma or the presence of glaucoma. Factors that were associated with a poor visual outcome of 20/200 or worse included age less than 10 years (relative risk: 1.27), Stages 3 and 4 disease (relative risk: 1.40), presence of subretinal fluid in all 4 quadrants including the fovea (relative risk: 14.25), and initial visual acuity of 20/200 (relative risk: 6.72) or worse (P < 0.005 for all factors). Conclusion: Although rare, Coats disease is usually advanced at presentation and has a poor visual prognosis in the Saudi population, like in other populations. The findings of this study give validity and applicability to the Shields staging scheme, which we recommend using in clinical practice. This is an analysis of 97 eyes with Coats disease in a Saudi Arabian population. The most common presenting finding was poor visual acuity (20/200 or worse) in 53 eyes (55%). Based on the Shields classification, Stage 3A was the most common presenting stage (38 eyes, 39%). Treatment included laser photocoagulation (62 eyes, 64%), cryotherapy (18 eyes, 19%), and intravitreal agents (9 eyes, 9%). Final visual acuity was 20/200 or worse in 57 eyes (59%), and 13 eyes (13%) came to enucleation. Presenting age, visual acuity, stage of disease, and extent of subretinal fluid influences the final outcome (P < 0.005 for all).
Archivos de la Sociedad Española de Oftalmología · 2008 · 6 citations · open access
Enfermedad de Coats de comienzo en adulto
AbstractCASE REPORT: We report a 66-year-old male who exhibited an exudative retinal vasculopathy, diagnosed as Coats disease of adult onset, treated with laser photocoagulation. DISCUSSION: Most cases of Coats disease are diagnosed in childhood. When this entity appears in adults it usually exhibits a more benign clinical course. Diagnosis of this condition must be considered in those patients showing a retinal vasculopathy with a marked exudative component. Treatment is indicated if the fovea is threatened by lipid deposition.
Archivos de la Sociedad Española de Oftalmología · 2007 · 3 citations · open access
Enfermedad de coats recidivante diagnosticada en sujeto adulto
AbstractCASE REPORT: A male diagnosed with Coats disease at the age of 30 years, had a relapse of this condition 14 years later. His first symptom of blurred vision occurred in both episodes and similar findings of unilateral retinal exudation and lipid deposition at boundary were seen. Angiography showed the characteristic early hyperfluorescence of the telangiectasias and late leakage of dye. DISCUSSION: Coats disease is relatively uncommon and, as the degree of involvement varies from case to case, a randomized, prospective study of treatment would probably not be feasible. Despite the characteristic features of this disease, the differential diagnoses must be considered in both children and adults.
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.
