DeCure's autonomous Rare AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for epidermolytic acanthoma — 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 moduleEpidermolytic acanthoma 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 epidermolytic acanthoma 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
keratin 10 (KRT10) — KRT10 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 bogdrag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 6UUI · 2.069 Å · ligand octyl beta-D-glucopyranoside (BOG). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
A 55-year-old man with pruritic anogenital epidermolytic acanthomas that had persisted despite various topical and ablative therapies, and whose pruritus was not relieved with emollients and antihistamines, was given 0.1% tacrolimus ointment twice daily. Within two weeks he experienced marked improvement in pruritus. At one month, itch score fell from 8 to 3.5 on a 10-point scale, itch frequency dropped from 20 times a day to once every four days, sleep score improved from 5 to 1 on a 5-point scale, and Dermatology Life Quality Index score went from 15 to 5 out of 30. A transient burning sensation was the only reported adverse effect. This is the only published report of topical tacrolimus for this condition.
Epidermolytic acanthoma is an uncommon benign tumour characterised histologically by epidermolytic hyperkeratosis. It usually presents in adulthood as an asymptomatic tumour less than 1 cm in diameter with a verrucous surface. Lesions can be solitary, localised, or disseminated, with a predilection for the genitoscrotal area. The condition has also been reported on the trunk, face, and, in one case, the palms and fingers, where it can mimic flat warts. Most cases are asymptomatic, but some are pruritic.
Treatment of epidermolytic acanthoma is described as challenging and not well studied. The single case report of tacrolimus ointment is limited to one patient and one anatomical site. No other drug treatments are reported in the available literature. The evidence does not support any general recommendation for drug therapy.
What is still missing is any controlled trial, any data on tacrolimus in other patients or other locations, any comparison with placebo or alternative treatments, and any understanding of which patients might benefit. Without funding for a small randomised trial or at least a case series, the role of topical calcineurin inhibitors in this rare benign tumour remains unknown.
Evidence
Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.
Dermatologic Therapy · 2013 · 12 citations
Anogenital epidermolytic acanthomas: effective treatment of pruritus with 0.1% tacrolimus ointment
AbstractEpidermolytic acanthoma is an uncommon benign tumor with a predilection for the anogenital region, that is characterized histologically by epidermolytic hyperkeratosis. Most reported cases are asymptomatic while some are pruritic. Treatment of this condition is challenging and not well studied. We report a 55-year-old man with pruritic anogenital epidermolytic acanthomas that persisted despite various topical and ablative therapies, and whose pruritus was not relieved with emollients and antihistamines. He was given 0.1% tacrolimus ointment twice daily and experienced a marked improvement in his pruritus within 2 weeks. At 1 month, there was marked improvement in itch score from 8 to 3.5 (maximum of 10), itch frequency from 20 times a day to once every 4 days, sleep score from 5 to 1 (maximum of 5), and Dermatology Life Quality Index score from 15 to 5 (maximum of 30). Apart from a transient burning sensation, no other adverse effects were noted. To our knowledge, this is the first report of the effective use of a topical calcineurin inhibitor in relieving the intractable itch associated with epidermolytic acanthoma.
Epidermolytic acanthoma of the scrotum: A rare mimicker of condyloma acuminatum
AbstractEpidermolytic acanthoma is a rare benign tumor that is characterized by epidermolytic hyperkeratosis on histopathology. Epidermolytic acanthoma usually presents in adulthood as an asymptomatic tumor less than 1 cm in diameter with a verrucous surface. Whereas the lesions can present in either an isolated solitary, localized, or disseminated form, there tends to be a predilection for the genitoscrotal area.
Case Reports in Dermatology · 2017 · 1 citations · open access
Epidermolytic Acanthoma on Fingers, Mimicking Flat Warts
AbstractEpidermolytic acanthoma (EA) is a benign cutaneous condition. It is characterized by warty or flat-topped, keratotic papules that show epidermolytic hyperkeratosis in histology. EA has been described to occur in various locations, namely the trunk, face, and genitoscrotal area. However, it has not been previously reported to involve the palmar area. To the best of our knowledge, we present the first reported case of EA involving the palms and fingers.
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.
