DeCure's autonomous Respiratory AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for eosinophilic pneumonia — screening already-approved drugs against its 2-gene Open Targets disease module to publish open-access research. Research is fast; the path to publication is funded in milestone stages.
Disease moduleEosinophilic pneumonia maps to a 2-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 eosinophilic pneumonia 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
nuclear receptor subfamily 3 group C member 1 (NR3C1) — NR3C1 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 adpdrag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 7KW7 · 3.57 Å · ligand ADENOSINE-5'-DIPHOSPHATE (ADP). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
Acute eosinophilic pneumonia presents as a sudden febrile illness that can cause life-threatening respiratory failure. Corticosteroid treatment leads to rapid reversal of respiratory failure and complete recovery, generally without relapse, according to a 2006 review. A 2012 case report of acute idiopathic eosinophilic pneumonia describes a patient whose symptoms resolved with continued steroid treatment, corresponding with resolution of radiological changes; the report notes that antibiotics alone will not affect the clinical course and that steroids alone will exacerbate pneumonia of infectious origin. In some patients the condition may be caused by drugs, tobacco smoke, or other inhaled substances, but in the majority it is idiopathic.
Chronic eosinophilic pneumonia is diagnosed by a triad of pulmonary symptoms, eosinophilia, and characteristic radiographic abnormalities. It generally responds rapidly to corticosteroid therapy, but relapses are common, and many patients develop sequelae of chronic glucocorticoid therapy, according to a 2019 review. A multicentre retrospective study from 2025 examined maintenance steroid therapy for relapse of chronic eosinophilic pneumonia. The median prednisolone dose at relapse was 7.2 mg, and the median serum eosinophil count at relapse was 1125 /µL. No clinically significant background factors distinguished the non-relapse from relapse groups. The authors encourage clinicians to evaluate individual minimum effective steroid doses.
A 2016 conference abstract reports a 27-year-old woman with recurrent eosinophilic pneumonia who was steroid-dependent and refractory to azathioprine and mycophenolate mofetil. Regular infusions of mepolizumab, an anti-interleukin-5 monoclonal antibody, afforded complete remission without the use of corticosteroids. This is a single case, not a controlled trial.
What remains missing are prospective trials comparing mepolizumab or other biologics against standard steroid therapy, validated biomarkers to predict relapse or guide steroid tapering, and studies that stratify patients by underlying cause (idiopathic versus drug-induced) to determine whether treatment response differs.
Evidence
Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.
Seminars in Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine · 2006 · 116 citations
Acute Eosinophilic Pneumonia
AbstractAcute eosinophilic pneumonia is a sudden and severe febrile illness that can result in life-threatening respiratory failure. Because this disease can mimic other diseases causing acute respiratory failure, the diagnosis may be missed or delayed. It is clinically distinguishable from other pulmonary eosinophilic diseases and can be diagnosed with bronchoalveolar lavage. Treatment with corticosteroids results in rapid reversal of respiratory failure and complete recovery, generally without relapse. In some patients, acute eosinophilic pneumonia may be caused by drugs, tobacco smoke, or other inhaled substances; however, in the majority of patients, the condition is idiopathic.
AbstractChronic eosinophilic pneumonia (CEP) is an eosinophilic lung disease that is typically diagnosed by a triad of clinical symptoms including pulmonary symptoms, eosinophilia and characteristic radiographic abnormalities. It requires a high index of suspicion given its overlap with other eosinophilic conditions and lack of a specific diagnostic test. The diagnosis is made after careful consideration of other secondary causes of eosinophilia, such as infectious, drugs, or toxic etiologies. CEP generally responds rapidly to treatment, which primarily consists of corticosteroid therapy, but relapses are common. Novel therapies are being explored as more information is being discovered about the pathophysiology of eosinophilic disease processes. Close follow-up is important given the difficulty in weaning patients from glucocorticoids with many patients developing sequelae of chronic glucocorticoid therapy. Therefore, exploring alternative treatments is of upmost importance.
Respirology Case Reports · 2024 · 3 citations · open access
Successful discontinuation of corticosteroids through remission induction therapy with benralizumab for chronic eosinophilic pneumonia
AbstractChronic eosinophilic pneumonia (CEP) is an eosinophilic lung disease. Treatment for CEP includes corticosteroids; however, CEP often recurs. A 53-year-old woman was referred to our hospital because of poorly controlled asthma. She was treated with combination of moderate-dose inhaled corticosteroid (ICS), a long-acting β2-agonist (LABA), and betamethasone/dexchlorpheniramine. She was switched to single-inhaler triple therapy, after which her asthma control improved; thus, betamethasone/dexchlorpheniramine was discontinued. Ten weeks later, she was diagnosed with CEP due to marked eosinophilia and pulmonary eosinophilic infiltrates. Oral corticosteroid treatment was initiated, symptoms improved, and peripheral blood eosinophilia decreased with improved infiltrative shadows. Remission induction therapy was initiated with benralizumab combined with corticosteroid therapy. Eosinophilia and inflammatory responses decreased. After 7 months, corticosteroid was discontinued, and she was treated with benralizumab alone. She remained in remission for 4 months. This case suggests that benralizumab may be useful as a remission induction therapy in patients with CEP.
BMJ Open Respiratory Research · 2025 · 1 citations · open access
Optimal dose of maintenance steroid therapy for relapse of chronic eosinophilic pneumonia: a multicentre retrospective study
AbstractBACKGROUND: Long-term maintenance steroid therapy (MST) is often necessary for repeated relapses of chronic eosinophilic pneumonia (CEP). Because relapse does not indicate a worse prognosis, determining the optimal steroid dose to avoid overtreatment presents a clinical challenge. Our primary objective was to evaluate the optimal MST dose to prevent repeated relapses, and the secondary objectives included identifying serum eosinophil count at relapse and background factors of relapse. METHODS: A multicentre retrospective study was conducted on patients with steroid-treated CEP. Background characteristics were compared between the non-relapse and relapse groups. The optimal MST dose was determined based on dose at relapse and the final relapse prevention dose. Additionally, serum eosinophil count at relapse was assessed. RESULTS: ) were 7.2 mg (95% CI, 4.6 to 23.6). The median serum eosinophil count at relapse was 1125 /µL (IQR, 735-2108). No clinically significant background factors were identified between the non-relapse and relapse groups. CONCLUSION: Our study demonstrated that a prednisolone dose of 7.2 mg achieved a 50% relapse-free rate in the relapse group. Based on these findings, we encourage clinicians to evaluate individual minimum effective steroid doses.
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki · 2020 · 1 citations · open access
A rare case of Eosinophilic Pneumonia in an infant patient and review of the current English literature regarding this disease
AbstractWe report a case of eosinophilic pneumonia (EP) in an infant patient. Such cases are rare and the purpose of this study is to combine this case and the english literature available in order to expand our knowledge regarding the therapeutic strategies for this disease.Currently we can define a specific therapeutic guideline for patients with EP.It is important to expand our knowledge and experience regarding this ailment.More studies are needed to better understand this rare disease, to more precisely define diagnostic and therapeutic strategies and to find out and asses new treatment methods.
International Journal of Case Reports and Images · 2012 · 0 citations · open access
Acute idiopathic eosinophilic pneumonia
AbstractIntroduction: Acute eosinophilic pneumonia (AEP) is reported to be caused by a variety of etiological agents most of which are drugs. The objective of this case report is to describe the presenting features and the clinical course of AEP in a patient with no obvious etiological cause for an acute pulmonary process. Case Report: This case report details the clinical course of a patient who presented with respiratory distress and was found to have radiological changes. His clinical presentation did not fit that of an infectious cause or that of an anaphylactic etiology. He initially received antibiotics and steroids but these were discontinued after fluid from bronchoalveolar lavage was found to have a high content of eosinophils. His symptoms resolved with continued steroid treatment and corresponded with resolution of his radiological changes. Conclusion: This case report highlights the importance of promptly differentiating the possible etiology of pneumonic process. Treatment with antibiotics alone will not affect the clinical course of eosinophilic pneumonia and treatment with steroids alone will exacerbate pneumonia with infectious etiology. An early diagnosis significantly changes the management and the eventual outcome. Acute idiopathic eosinophilic pneumonia should always be considered as a viable alternative in patients who do not seem to have an obvious etiology. Timely treatment with steroids may significantly reduce the morbidity associated with this condition.
Internal Medicine Journal · 2016 · 0 citations · open access
ASCIA‐P79: RECURRENT EOSINOPHILIC PNEUMONIA TREATED USING MEPOLIZUMAB
AbstractWe report the case of a 27-year-old female with recurrent eosinophilic pneumonia treated successfully with mepolizumab, an anti-interleukin-5 monoclonal antibody that targets eosinophilic inflammation. The patient had a several year history of recurrent eosinophilic pneumonia with declining lung function, and was steroid dependent, with disease refractory to azathioprine and mycophenolate mofetil. Regular mepolizumab infusions have afforded complete remission from eosinophilic pneumonia without the use of corticosteroids.
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.
