DeCure's autonomous Rare AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for entropion — screening already-approved drugs against its 14-gene Open Targets disease module to publish open-access research. Research is fast; the path to publication is funded in milestone stages.
Disease moduleEntropion maps to a 14-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 entropion 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
phospholipase A2 group IIA (PLA2G2A) — PLA2G2A 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 5'-benzyl-2'-carbamoylbiphenyl-3-yldrag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 5G3N · 1.8 Å · ligand 3-(5'-BENZYL-2'-CARBAMOYLBIPHENYL-3-YL)PROPANOIC ACID (X28). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
A 1999 review of 104 published reports on involutional entropion surgery found that only ten specified how follow-up data were collected. In a series of 112 patients treated with a combination of a tarsal strip procedure, partial pretarsal orbiculectomy, and creation of an eyelid crease, the apparent success rate fell in proportion to the effort made to detect unsuccessful cases. Long-term office examinations uncovered residual postoperative entropion that had not been picked up by patient complaints or telephone interviews. The authors concluded that future reports must include long-term physical examination with provocation testing for latent entropion.
A 2014 study of 21 Japanese patients (23 eyelids, mean age 78 years) treated with combined lower eyelid retractor advancement, a modified Hotz method, and a modified Wheeler method reported that all patients were completely satisfied with residual ocular symptoms. No recurrence was observed during a mean follow-up of 16 months. The authors argued that anatomical differences between Asian and white lower eyelids require a tailored surgical strategy, but the study lacked a control group and follow-up was relatively short.
A 2016 retrospective study described a manual provocation test (MPT) for intermittent involutional entropion. In 12 patients (13 eyelids, mean age 77.3 years) who had documented inward eyelid rotation but no entropion at initial consultation, the MPT elicited entropion in all 13 eyelids. Nine patients chose surgery, all were successfully treated with symptom improvement, and the MPT became negative postoperatively. In an age-matched comparison group of 20 blepharoplasty patients with no entropion history (mean age 71.6 years), none had a positive MPT. The test appears useful for diagnosing intermittent cases, but the surgical outcomes were not systematically followed beyond symptom resolution.
What remains missing is a standardised, long-term follow-up protocol that includes physical examination and provocation testing, as the 1999 review showed that less rigorous follow-up inflates success rates. No randomised trial compares the various surgical techniques head-to-head, and no study accounts for differences in eyelid laxity, orbicularis tone, or tarsal plate anatomy beyond broad ethnic categories. Patient stratification by these factors, and funding for a multicentre trial with blinded outcome assessment, would be needed to determine which procedure works best for whom.
Evidence
Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.
Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery · 1999 · 25 citations
Follow-Up Methods and the Apparent Success of Entropion Surgery
AbstractPURPOSE: To determine if follow-up methods affect the apparent success rate of the surgical repair of involutional entropion. METHODS: A review of articles published in English between 1939 and 1997, and a review of a series of 112 patients who underwent entropion repair with a combination of a tarsal strip procedure, a partial pretarsal orbiculectomy, and creation of an eyelid crease. RESULTS: Only ten of 104 published reports contained information on the method by which follow-up data were attained. The apparent success rate of surgery in the case series declined in proportion to the effort made to detect unsuccessful cases. Long-term follow-up office examinations revealed cases of residual postoperative entropion that had not been detected by spontaneous patient complaints or by telephone interviews. CONCLUSION: Future reports on the results of entropion repair should include long-term follow-up that includes physical examination with testing to provoke latent entropion.
Journal of Craniofacial Surgery · 2014 · 24 citations
What Is the Best Strategy for Asians With Involutional Entropion?
AbstractBACKGROUND: Even though many different procedures have been proposed to involutional entropion, there is no established criterion standard in terms of the choice of the operative method. Considering the anatomical difference of the lower eyelid structure between Asians and whites, we evaluated the effectiveness of our surgical approach to involutional entropion exclusively for Japanese patients. METHODS: Twenty-one patients complained of discomfort around the eye, and they also suffered from foreign body sensation, ocular pain, epiphora, and photophobia. All the patients with the involutional entropion were surgically treated with combined procedures (the lower eyelid retractors advancement, the modified Hotz method, and the modified Wheeler method). RESULTS: Twenty-three lower eyelids of 21 patients with involutional entropion underwent surgery. There were 10 men and 11 women with a mean age of 78 years (range, 69-94 years). All patients we operated on were completely satisfied with any residual ocular symptoms. There was no case of recurrence following the primary procedure during 16 months of the mean follow-up period. CONCLUSION: Based on the anatomical difference in various ethnic groups, we propose the best strategy for Asian patients with the involutional entropion.
Manual Provocation Test for Intermittent Involutional Entropion
AbstractPURPOSE: To describe the manual provocation test (MPT), a novel test for intermittent involutional entropion of the lower eyelid. METHODS: Retrospective review of patients with intermittent entropion who presented with ocular irritation and documented inward eyelid rotation by them or their referring physicians, but who had no apparent entropion at the time of initial consultation. Results of the MPT were recorded for this group, and then evaluated prospectively in an age-matched comparison group of patients presenting for blepharoplasty who had no history of entropion. The essential steps of the MPT are as follows. Step 1: the lower eyelid skin is grasped below the inferior border of the tarsal plate. Step 2: the lid is drawn anteriorly as with the eyelid distraction test. Step 3: the patient is directed to forcefully close the eyelids. Step 4: the eyelid is released and the result is observed for manifest entropion. RESULTS: Thirteen eyelids in 12 patients with intermittent involutional lower eyelid entropion were included in this study. Average patient age was 77.3 years (±9.5 SD). The MPT elicited entropion in all 13 eyelids. Of the 12 patients, 9 elected to pursue surgery and, of these patients, all eyelids were successfully treated with subsequent improvement of symptoms. The MPT was thereafter negative in these patients. None of the 20 patients in the blepharoplasty comparison group (average age 71.6 years) demonstrated a positive MPT. CONCLUSIONS: The MPT can be a valuable and straightforward test in the clinical evaluation of patients with a history of intermittent entropion.
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.
