DeCure's autonomous Rare AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for duodenal atresia — 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 moduleDuodenal atresia 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 duodenal atresia 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
guanylate cyclase 2C (GUCY2C) — GUCY2C 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 atpdrag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 8FX4 · 3.9 Å · ligand ADENOSINE-5'-TRIPHOSPHATE (ATP). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
In a multicentre retrospective review of 408 patients who underwent duodenal atresia repair, the rate of a concomitant jejunoileal atresia was less than 1%. Two patients (0.5%) had a second intestinal atresia, both type IIIb; one was diagnosed at the time of repair, the other later. Both did well after repair. The authors concluded that this low incidence does not mandate extensive inspection of the entire bowel, and that a second atresia should not be a concern during laparoscopic repair.
A single case report describes a newborn with duodenal atresia associated with situs inversus abdominus, midgut malrotation, and volvulus. Diamond-shaped duodenoduodenostomy with appendectomy, release of Ladd band, and correction of malrotation was performed. The baby was thriving with no abdominal complaints at four years of follow-up. The report notes that the proper cause of duodenal atresia is not well defined, and that the operating surgeon must be aware of mirror anatomy to prevent injuries.
Another case report describes a non-classified type duodenal atresia in which a web was detected distal to the atretic part. Duodenoduodenostomy together with web excision was performed, and the patient had no additional pathology. The authors note that although duodenal atresia is well known, a non-classified type can be encountered, and that the presence of a second atresia should be kept in mind; they recommend careful exploration of proximal and distal duodenal segments before performing duodenoduodenostomy.
What is still missing are prospective data on long-term functional outcomes after repair, standardised protocols for identifying rare associated anomalies such as second atresias or situs inversus, and any randomised comparisons of surgical techniques. No drug therapy is mentioned in any of these abstracts.
Evidence
Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.
Journal of Laparoendoscopic & Advanced Surgical Techniques · 2010 · 33 citations · open access
Should We Be Concerned About Jejunoileal Atresia During Repair of Duodenal Atresia?
AbstractINTRODUCTION: During repair for duodenal atresia, it has been emphasized that inspection of the small bowel to identify a second atresia is required. The laparoscopic approach for repair of duodenal atresia has been criticized for its limitation to perform this step. Given that duodenal atresia and jejunoileal atresias do not share common embryologic origins, we question the validity of this concern. Therefore, we conducted a multicenter retrospective review of duodenal atresia patients to quantify the incidence of jejunoileal atresia in this population. METHODS: After institutional review board approval (IRB #07-12-187X), a retrospective review was conducted on all patients who have undergone duodenal atresia repair at seven institutions over the past 7-12 years. Demographics and the presence or absence of a jejunoileal atresia were recorded. RESULTS: Four hundred eight patients with duodenal atresia were identified. The mean gestaational age was 36.3 ± 2.9 weeks, and the mean weight was 2.5 ± 0.8 kg. Mean age at operation was 19 days (range, 1-1314). There was a 28% incidence of trisomy 21. Two patients (0.5%) were identified as having a second intestinal atresia, and both were type IIIb. One patient was diagnosed at the time of duodenal atresia repair; the other was a delayed diagnosis. Both patients did well after repair. CONCLUSIONS: In this, the largest series of duodenal atresia patients compiled to date, the rate of a concomitant jejunoileal atresia is less than 1%. This low incidence is not high enough to mandate extensive inspection of the entire bowel in these patients, and a second atresia should not be a concern during laparoscopic repair of duodenal atresia.
Management of duodenal atresia associated with situs inversus abdominus
AbstractRATIONALE: Duodenal atresia in association with situs inversus abdominus is extremely rare. Care should be taken when selecting appropriate surgical methods, and caution should be exercised during the surgery to avoid misdiagnosis and mistreatment. With prompt recognition of the condition, the surgical procedure should be performed in a timely manner to achieve positive results. PATIENT CONCERNS: A newborn affected by situs inversus abdominus associated with duodenal atresia, midgut malrotation, and volvulus. DIAGNOSIS: Congenital duodenal atresia with situs inversus abdominis. INTERVENTIONS: Diamond-shaped duodenoduodenostomy with appendectomy was performed, with the release of Ladd band and correction of the malrotation. OUTCOMES: The baby boy is thriving well with no abdominal complaints at 4 years of surgical follow-up. LESSONS: Although several theories are put forward to clarify this matter, the proper cause of duodenal atresia is not well defined. Clinical symptoms and examinations can assist diagnosis, the definitive cause should be ascertained by surgical approach. And the operating surgeon must be aware of the "mirror anatomy" to prevent unnecessary injuries. Additionally, long-term prognosis for duodenal atresia are very good, therefore, careful attention in postoperative management are important in such a case.
Northern Clinics of Istanbul · 2016 · 4 citations · open access
Non-classified type duodenal atresia: case report
Abstractparts of duodenum. In addition, a web was detected distal to the atresic part. Duodenoduodenostomy together with web excision was performed. He had not any additional pathology. Although duodenal atresia is a very well known pathology by pediatric surgeons, though rarely a non-classified type duodenal atresia can be encountered. Possible presence of a second atresia should be kept in mind, proximal and distal segments of the duodenum and intestinal passage must be explored carefully for the presence of second atresic segment before performing duodenoduodenostomy.
Archives of Internal Medicine · 1946 · 2 citations
GASTROENTEROLOGY
AbstractDUODENUM Congenital Anomalies. —Sumner and Morris217report a case in which duodenal atresia in a newborn infant, diagnosed early, was successfully treated by duodenojejunostomy. In Mosquera's218case the atresia proved fatal at the age of 18 months. Secretion. —Comfort219reviews the literature of the last thirty years on duodenal content in health and disease and reaches the following conclusions: During fasting the duodenal content of healthy subjects with achlorhydria is alkaline; in those with acid-secreting stomachs it is acid both in the fasting state and after meals; the reaction of the duodenal content of healthy subjects varies roughly with the amount of acid entering the duodenum; the acidity does not vary greatly between the first and the second portion; drugs, such as atropine sulfate, morphine and the sodium salt of dehydrocholic acid, increase the averagepHof the duodenal content; the antacids
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.
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