DeCure's autonomous Rare AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for corneal ulcer — screening already-approved drugs against its 34-gene Open Targets disease module to publish open-access research. Research is fast; the path to publication is funded in milestone stages.
Disease moduleCorneal ulcer maps to a 34-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 corneal ulcer 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
casein kinase 2 alpha 1 (CSNK2A1) — CSNK2A1 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 bromanyldrag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 6TLS · 1.46 Å · ligand 5,7-bis(bromanyl)-1~{H}-benzotriazole (NL2). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
Acacia honey at 0.025% concentration accelerated wound closure in an in vitro model using cultured rabbit corneal fibroblasts. Cells treated with honey-enriched medium achieved complete wound closure by day 6 after wound creation. The honey-treated cells showed increased expression of vimentin, collagen type I, and lumican genes, and decreased expression of aldehyde dehydrogenase, alpha-smooth muscle actin, and matrix metalloproteinase 12 genes. Protein expression for aldehyde dehydrogenase, vimentin, and alpha-smooth muscle actin matched the gene expression results. The sample came from six New Zealand White rabbits.
A 2023 review states that corneal ulcers remain a major cause of corneal blindness, with infectious causes being common. The review notes that no established standards or guidelines exist for treating corneal ulcers, and that even experienced clinicians struggle to predict disease progression in most patients. A separate 2018 review on neurotrophic corneal ulcers describes persistent or recurrent ulcers as among the most difficult ophthalmological conditions to treat, with potential progression to perforation or total vascularisation in the absence of healing. That review mentions novel therapies under investigation but does not name specific drugs or report clinical outcomes.
The 2016 honey study is limited to rabbit cells in a dish, with no human data, no infection model, and no comparison to standard treatments. The 2023 and 2018 reviews confirm that clinical management lacks standardised protocols and that reliable prediction of healing remains elusive. What is missing are human clinical trials, standardised treatment protocols, and methods to stratify patients by ulcer cause or healing potential.
Evidence
Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.
BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine · 2016 · 20 citations · open access
Acacia honey accelerates in vitro corneal ulcer wound healing model
AbstractBACKGROUND: The study aimed to evaluate the effects of Acacia honey (AH) on the migration, differentiation and healing properties of the cultured rabbit corneal fibroblasts. METHODS: Stromal derived corneal fibroblasts from New Zealand White rabbit (n = 6) were isolated and cultured until passage 1. In vitro corneal ulcer was created using a 4 mm corneal trephine onto confluent cultures and treated with basal medium (FD), medium containing serum (FDS), with and without 0.025 % AH. Wound areas were recorded at day 0, 3 and 6 post wound creation. Genes and proteins associated with wound healing and differentiation such as aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH), vimentin, alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), collagen type I, lumican and matrix metalloproteinase 12 (MMP12) were evaluated using qRT-PCR and immunocytochemistry respectively. RESULTS: Cells cultured with AH-enriched FDS media achieved complete wound closure at day 6 post wound creation. The cells cultured in AH-enriched FDS media increased the expression of vimentin, collagen type I and lumican genes and decreased the ALDH, α-SMA and MMP12 gene expressions. Protein expression of ALDH, vimentin and α-SMA were in accordance with the gene expression analyses. CONCLUSION: These results demonstrated AH accelerate corneal fibroblasts migration and differentiation of the in vitro corneal ulcer model while increasing the genes and proteins associated with stromal wound healing.
Journal of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences · 2023 · 1 citations
The Approach to Diagnosis and Management of Corneal Ulcers
AbstractCorneal ulcers are among the major causes of corneal blindness. The cause of corneal ulceration is a variety of infections. The key to improving clinical and visual results in cases of corneal ulcers is an accurate, speedy diagnosis and rapid treatment. However, there are no established standards or guidelines for treating corneal ulcers. Even seasoned eye care professionals occasionally have trouble predicting how the disease will progress in most patients. This article makes an effort to offer a general overview of the diagnosis process and treatment plan for a corneal ulcer.
DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · 2018 · 0 citations · open access
Management of neurotrophic corneal ulcer.
AbstractPersistent or recurrent corneal ulcers, are among the most difficult ophthalmological conditions to treat, and may potentially result in blindness. In the absence of healing, they progress toward corneal perforation or total de novo vascularization. Although the clinical diagnosis may be made without difficulty, the management can be quite challenging. Novel therapies recently being investigated are beginning to show promise in the treatment of the nonhealing corneal epithelium.
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.
