DeCure's autonomous Rare AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for epithelial recurrent erosion dystrophy — 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 moduleEpithelial recurrent erosion dystrophy 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 epithelial recurrent erosion dystrophy 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
collagen type XVII alpha 1 chain (COL17A1) — COL17A1 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 apo structuredrag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 8IZS · 1.53 Å · ligand none (apo structure). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
Thirty patients with persistent corneal epithelial defects that had not responded to bandage contact lenses or tarsorrhaphy received amniotic membrane transplantation. The epithelial defect healed after the first transplant in 21 eyes (70%), taking an average of 25.5 days. However, the defect recurred in 6 of those 21 eyes (29%). No statistically significant difference in healing time or recurrence rate was found between the overlay technique (22 eyes, 64% healed, 29% recurrence) and the inlay technique (8 eyes, 88% healed, 29% recurrence). The authors state that their success rate was not as high as previously reported and that recurrences were frequent.
A separate paper on polypropylene mesh used for pelvic organ prolapse notes that up to 20% of women who have surgery with mesh require repeat operations for recurrent symptoms or complications. One common complication is mesh erosion, where native vaginal tissue degenerates and the mesh migrates through the vagina. Surgeons have described the appearance of mesh contraction, buckling, wrinkling, and bunching, sometimes called an accordion effect. The cause of mesh erosion is undefined.
A German-language review of epithelial recurrent erosion dystrophy (ERED) states that several epithelial, epithelial-stromal, and some stromal corneal dystrophies can include recurrent erosion as a facultative feature. The underlying mechanisms differ. The full text of that review was not available in the provided abstract.
What is still missing for epithelial recurrent erosion dystrophy is any controlled trial of amniotic membrane transplantation specifically for ERED, rather than for persistent defects of mixed causes. The recurrence rate after amniotic membrane grafting in the 2001 study was high, and the technique has not been tested against placebo or standard care in a randomised design for this dystrophy. Patient stratification by genetic subtype, which the 2017 review implies exists, has not been linked to treatment outcomes. No funding for such a trial is evident.
Evidence
Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.
Archives of Ophthalmology · 2001 · 180 citations
Amniotic Membrane Inlay and Overlay Grafting for Corneal Epithelial Defects and Stromal Ulcers
AbstractOBJECTIVES: To determine the effect of amniotic membrane transplantation (AMT) on persistent corneal epithelial defects (PEDs) and to compare the efficacy between inlay and overlay techniques. METHODS: Thirty patients (30 eyes) underwent AMT for PED. The use of AMT was restricted to patients in whom all previous measures, including bandage contact lens and tarsorrhaphy, had failed. The amniotic membrane was placed on the surface of the cornea in overlay (group A) or inlay (group B) fashion. RESULTS: The PED healed after the first AMT in 21 eyes (70%) within an average of 25.5 days after surgery and recurred in 6 eyes (29%). Among the 22 eyes treated with an overlay AMT (group A), the PED healed after the first AMT in 14 eyes (64%) within an average of 24.5 days and recurred in 4 eyes (29%). Among the 8 eyes treated with an inlay AMT (group B), the PED healed within an average of 27.4 days after AMT, which did not statistically significantly differ from group A (P = .72). The PED healed after the first AMT in 7 eyes (88%) and recurred in 2 (29%) of 7 eyes. CONCLUSIONS: The AMT can be helpful in the treatment of PED in which all other conventional management has failed. However, the success rate in our study was not as high as that previously reported, and our results showed a high incidence of recurrences of epithelial defects. We did not find any difference between overlay and inlay techniques in terms of healing time and recurrence rate.
British Journal of Ophthalmology · 2019 · 42 citations
Recurrent corneal erosion syndrome
AbstractRecurrent corneal erosion syndrome (RCES) is a disorder characterised by a dysfunctional epithelial ecosystem. It often begins after trauma, or in the setting of epithelial basement membrane degeneration or dystrophy. Historically, RCES has been understood as a structural derangement of the anterior corneal architecture. More recently, studies have demonstrated the important role of neuropeptides in corneal homoeostasis. Thus, RCES may also be understood as a disorder of corneal epithelial cell biology. Management of RCES can be challenging, but newer therapies have demonstrated improved efficacy for this condition. This review examines the aetiology and pathogenesis of RCES, and provides an update on current and emerging treatment modalities for the management of this disorder.
Volume 1A: Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms; Active and Reactive Soft Matter; Atherosclerosis; BioFluid Mechanics; Education; Biotransport Phenomena; Bone, Joint and Spine Mechanics; Brain Injury; Cardiac Mechanics; Cardiovascular Devices, Fluids and Imaging; Cartilage and Disc Mechanics; Cell and Tissue Engineering; Cerebral Aneurysms; Computational Biofluid Dynamics; Device Design, Human Dynamics, and Rehabilitation; Drug Delivery and Disease Treatment; Engineered Cellular Environments · 2013 · 1 citations
The Impact of Boundary Conditions on Surface Curvature Measurements of Polypropylene Mesh in Response to Uniaxial Loading
AbstractPelvic organ prolapse (POP) is defined as the descent of the pelvic organs into the vaginal canal. POP is a widespread condition among women, with a 7% lifetime risk for a single operation1. For surgical treatment, polypropylene mesh is often implanted to restore support to the pelvic organs. However, up to 20% of those who undergo surgery with mesh will require repeat operations for recurrent symptoms or complications2. One of the most common complications is mesh erosion3. Erosion is characterized by degeneration of the native vaginal tissue in contact with the mesh, resulting in the mesh migrating through the vagina. Though the cause of mesh erosion is undefined, surgeons have described this complication by the appearance of mesh “contraction”, “buckling”, “wrinkling”, and/or “bunching”. Some have even described this as an “accordion effect”.
German Medical Science (German Research Foundation) · 2017 · 0 citations · open access
Epitheliale rezidivierende Erosions-Dystrophie (ERED): Neue Erkenntnisse sowie klinische, histologische und genetische DD gegenüber anderen epithelialen Hornhautdystrophien
AbstractEs gibt eine Reihe von epithelialen, epithelial-stromalen sowie teilweise auch stromalen Hornhautdystrophien (HD) mit fakultativem Auftreten einer rezidivierenden Erosion. Die Ursachen hierfür beruhen auf unterschiedlichen Pathomechanismen. So besteht bei der „Epithelial Recurrent Erosion[zum vollständigen Text gelangen Sie über die oben angegebene URL]
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.
