DeCure for Developmental and epileptic encephalopathy, 8
DeCure's autonomous Neuro AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for developmental and epileptic encephalopathy, 8 — screening already-approved drugs against its 1-gene Open Targets disease module to publish open-access research. Research is fast; the path to publication is funded in milestone stages.
Disease moduleDevelopmental and epileptic encephalopathy, 8 maps to a 1-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 developmental and epileptic encephalopathy, 8 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.
What the evidence adds up to
Developmental and epileptic encephalopathy type 8 is one of a group of heterogeneous disorders characterised by drug-resistant seizures and neurodevelopmental delay, typically with onset in infancy or early childhood and an overall poor prognosis. The underlying concept is that aggressive epileptic activity during brain maturation is the main causal factor in cognitive and neuropsychological impairment or regression. Diagnosis criteria are not well developed and treatment options have been very limited, with clinicians often unable to diagnose even benign epileptic syndromes.
A retrospective study from 2020 to 2023 examined pulse intravenous methylprednisolone therapy in 21 paediatric patients with epileptic encephalopathy. The responder rate, defined as seizure reduction greater than 50%, was 85.7% at 6 and 9 months of therapy, and 80.9% at 6 months after therapy suspension. Genetic etiology and encephalopathy related to status epilepticus during NREM sleep were predictive of efficacy. The fourth month of therapy was the minimum time point to establish effectiveness. All patients showed improvements in quality of life, EEG tracing and postural-motor development, and no relevant adverse events were observed.
Other reviews note that understanding of developmental and epileptic encephalopathies has evolved from initial genetic underpinnings to a clinically driven term encompassing a broader group of aetiologies. It is especially important to recognise treatable or modifiable entities within this group. A summary of currently well-established syndromes and available precision therapies is provided, but no specific drug other than methylprednisolone is examined in these abstracts for developmental and epileptic encephalopathy type 8.
What is still missing are prospective trials with larger sample sizes, standardised outcome measures that separate seizure control from developmental trajectory, and patient stratification by specific genetic aetiology. The single retrospective study on methylprednisolone included only 21 patients and did not report results for developmental and epileptic encephalopathy type 8 separately. No randomised controlled data exist for this specific subtype.
Evidence
Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.
Epilepsia · 2015 · 29 citations · open access
Epileptic encephalopathies: Optimizing seizure control and developmental outcome
AbstractCognitive and developmental outcomes in patients with epileptic encephalopathy are hypothesized to result from an interplay between the underlying epileptic pathologic substrate and the acquired consequences of frequent and repetitive seizures and epileptiform discharges that often straddle the interictal and ictal boundaries. This article briefly reviews the evidence related to this assumption, presents critical questions that need to be answered to clarify this relationship, and advances a set of concrete steps that may help improve developmental patient outcomes.
Brivaracetam in treating epileptic encephalopathy and refractory focal epilepsies in patients under 14 years of age.
AbstractOBJECTIVES: To analyze the efficacy and safety of Brivaracetam in pediatric patients with epileptic encephalopathy or unresponsive focal epilepsy. MATERIALS & METHODS: This retrospective study included eight pediatric patients with EE or unresponsive focal epilepsy. Inclusion criteria: (1) ≤14 years, (2) history of refractory epilepsy, (3) at least one month of continuous therapy with BRV, and (4) at least six months of follow-up. Exclusion criteria: (1) variation of concomitant antiepileptic drugs during the previous and/or subsequent four weeks of the BRV introduction, (2) levetiracetam in therapy, (3) epilepsy secondary to the progressive cerebral disease, tumor, or any other progressive neurodegenerative diseases, and (4) a status epilepticus a month before screening or during the baseline period. The efficacy of BRV was defined as ≥50% of seizure frequency reduction at the end of the follow-up, compared to baseline. RESULTS: All patients showed ≥50% seizure frequency reduction, of whom 37.5% were seizure-free, 25% had a frequency reduction of ≥75%, and 37.5% had frequency reduction of ≥ 50%. All patients with an epilepsy onset >12 months and epilepsy duration of ≤6 years were seizure-free. The maximum effect was achieved at 2 mg/kg/day, and focal seizures revealed a better response than epileptic encephalopathy. A remarkably positive effect of the Brivaracetam was noticed in patients with encephalopathy regarding the status epilepticus during sleep; however, no relevant side-effects were noted. CONCLUSION: Brivaracetam was an effective and well-tolerated treatment in pediatric patients with epileptic encephalopathy or unresponsive focal epilepsy, especially for the epilepsy onset >12 months and the epilepsy duration ≤6 years. The total effect was not dose-dependent. Brivaracetam could represent an indication of encephalopathy regarding the status epilepticus during sleep.
Journal of Inherited Metabolic Disease · 2025 · 4 citations · open access
Effectiveness of Pyridoxal‐5′‐Phosphate in <scp>PNPO</scp> Deficiency: A Systematic Review
AbstractPyridox(am)ine 5'-phosphate oxidase (PNPO) deficiency is an ultrarare inherited neurometabolic disease, characterized by primarily neonatal-onset B6-responsive epileptic encephalopathies. Treatment often requires sustainable access to high-quality pyridoxal-5'-phosphate (PLP, i.e., active vitamin B6), although some patients (also) respond to pyridoxine (PN). While PN is authorized as a medicinal product, PLP is not, and this forces reliance on lesser-regulated food supplements, which risks dosing inaccuracies. This systematic review evaluates the effectiveness and safety of PLP in PNPO deficiency (PROSPERO, CRD42024542199). A systematic search was conducted in PubMed, Embase, and ClinicalTrials.gov, with risk of bias assessed and observational evidence summarized using a narrative synthesis approach. A total of 30 studies were included reporting on 49 patients treated with PLP. Clinical seizure responsiveness following PLP therapy was observed in the majority of patients (n = 38, 77.6%) and PLP treatment significantly improved survival (p < 0.001) compared with untreated siblings with a similar phenotype. The majority of PLP-responsive patients responded exclusively to PLP, with PN being attempted but ineffective in most of them (n = 30/33, 90.9%) Liver toxicity was the most frequently observed adverse event (n = 10, 20.4%) and although the underlying pathophysiological mechanism remains unclear, it may be associated with high-dose PLP. Therefore, regular liver disease screening is recommended during PLP therapy. This means that PLP remains the only effective therapy for achieving and maintaining seizure control in the majority of PNPO deficient patients, but the therapeutic window for optimal management is narrow. Thus, it is essential to ensure patient access to high-quality and appropriate forms of PLP.
International Journal of Epilepsy · 2025 · 1 citations · open access
Developmental and Epileptic Encephalopathies: Progress in Understanding and Clinical Implications
AbstractAbstract Developmental and epileptic encephalopathies (DEEs) are a group of complex pediatric epilepsies associated with adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes and multiaxial neurological morbidities. The understanding of DEE has evolved from its initial genetic underpinnings, to a clinically driven term encompassing a broader group of etiologies. Although individually rare, the DEEs constitute a sizeable group of pediatric epilepsies. It is especially important to recognize treatable or modifiable entities in this group. This review attempts to highlight the progress in understanding, along with the evolution of the conceptual framework of DEEs. A summary of the currently well-established DEE syndromes is provided along with available precision therapies, which might help the treating physician in the appropriate evaluation and management of the affected children.
Efficacy and Safety of Pulse Intravenous Methylprednisolone in Pediatric Epileptic Encephalopathies: Timing and Networks Consideration
AbstractAbstract: Background: epileptic encephalopathies (EE) are characterized by severe drug-resistant seizures, early-onset, and unfavorable developmental outcome. We describe a cohort of pediatric patients with EE who underwent intravenous methylprednisolone (IVMP) pulse therapy to examine its efficacy/tolerability. Methods: This is a retrospective study from 2020 to 2023. Inclusion criteria were: &le;18 years at the time of IVMP pulse therapy and at least 6 months of follow-up. Efficacy and outcome, defined as seizure reduction &gt;50% (responder rate), were evaluated at 6 and 9 months of therapy, and 6 months after therapy suspension; quality of Life (QoL) was also assessed. Variables predicting positive post-IVMP outcomes were identified using statistical analysis. Results: Twenty-one patients were included. The responding rate was 85.7% at 6 and 9 months of therapy, and 80.9% at 6 months after therapy suspension. Genetic etiology and encephalopathy related to status epilepticus during NREM sleep (ESES) were predictive of efficacy (p=0.0475). The fourth month of therapy was the minimum time point to establish the effectiveness of the treatment. All patients showed improvements in QoL, EEG tracing and postural-motor development. No relevant adverse events were observed. Conclusions: Our study confirms the efficacy and tolerability of pulse IVMP treatment in pediatric patients with EE, especially with genetic etiology and ESES. The fourth month of therapy was the minimum time point to establish its effectiveness. QoL, EEG and postural-motor development also showed improvement.
DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · 2024 · 0 citations
Research progress on developmental and epileptic encephalopathy
AbstractDevelopmental and epileptic encephalopathy (DEE) is a group of heterogeneous disorders characterized by drug-resistant seizures and neurodevelopmental delay, which can hinder brain development and lead to severe cognitive, behavioral, and motor impairments. DEE is mainly driven by genetic factors, typically with an onset in infancy or early childhood and generally with an overall poor prognosis. This article provides a review of the definition, epilepsy syndromes, genetic etiology, and precision treatment of DEE.
NATIONAL JOURNAL OF NEUROLOGY · 2013 · 0 citations · open access
On the Clinics and Diagnosis of Epileptic Encephalopathy
AbstractEarly childhood is characterized by a continuous process of development of structures and functions of organism, especially central nervous system.The concept of epileptic encephalopathy is based on the assumption that the aggressive epileptic activity during the maturation of the brain is the main causal factor in cognitive and neuropsychological impairment or regress. With age, EEG signs of evolving consistent with the transition into each another. Currently the diagnosis criteria are not well developed and the treatment options are very limited, whereby patients cannot receive adequate treatment that further aggravates encephalopathy. Unfortunately clinicians are often unable to diagnose also benign epileptic syndromes.
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.
