DeCure's autonomous Rare AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for erythrokeratodermia variabilis — screening already-approved drugs against its 7-gene Open Targets disease module to publish open-access research. Research is fast; the path to publication is funded in milestone stages.
Disease moduleErythrokeratodermia variabilis maps to a 7-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 erythrokeratodermia variabilis 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
transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily M member 4 (TRPM4) — TRPM4 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 2rdrag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 9MRT · 2.44 Å · ligand [(2R)-1-octadecanoyloxy-3-[oxidanyl-[(1R,2R,3S,4R,5R,6S)-2,3,6-tris(oxidanyl)-4,5-diphosphonooxy-cyclohexyl]oxy-phospho
ryl]oxy-propan-2-yl] (8Z)-icosa-5,8,11,14-tetraenoate (PT5). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
Erythrokeratodermia variabilis is a rare, heterogeneous skin disorder. In one family spanning three generations, three patients were studied using enzyme histochemical, light, and electron microscopic methods. The authors concluded that the condition is a primary disorder of keratinisation with an epidermal origin, and is not related to congenital ichthyosiform erythroderma. Two case reports from 2013 describe the classic presentation of figurate hyperkeratotic plaques and transient erythematous areas, with histopathology confirming the diagnosis.
A Chinese family with 30 affected members was reported in 2010. Five of the 30 patients had episodes of pustule-like lesions during their disease course. Histology of the proband showed granular cell vacuolation and upper-epidermal neutrophil aggregates; electron microscopy revealed mitochondrial vacuolation in keratinocytes. No pathogenic mutations in GJB3 or GJB4 were detected. The authors suggested this may represent a new phenotypic and genetic variant.
No treatment data, no drug names, and no response or survival rates appear in any of these abstracts. The literature provides no evidence for any pharmacological intervention in erythrokeratodermia variabilis. What is missing is any controlled trial, any molecular target for therapy, and any systematic attempt to stratify patients by genotype or phenotype.
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 Dermatology · 1971 · 39 citations
Erythrokeratodermia Variabilis
AbstractSkin biopsies done in three patients with erythrokeratodermia variabilis (EKV) seen in consecutive generations of one family were studied by enzyme histochemical and light and electron microscopic methods. Distinctive histopathologic, ultrastructural, and enzyme histochemical findings are in agreement with the thesis that erythrokeratodermia is a disease suis generis and not related to congenital ichthyosiform erythroderma. We suggest that EKV is a primary disorder of keratinization in which the basic abnormality is epidermal in origin.
Indian Dermatology Online Journal · 2013 · 12 citations · open access
Erythrokeratodermia variabilis: Two case reports
AbstractErythrokeratodermia variabilis (EKV) is a rare heterogeneous skin disorder. The classical EKV first described by Mendes da Costa is characterized by two types of skin lesions: (1) figurate hyperkeratotic plaques, and (2) transient erythematous areas. Herein, we report two patients presenting with erythematous and hyperkeratotic lesions that were histopathologically diagnosed with EKV.
Familial Erythrokeratodermia Variabilis with Pustular Lesions: A New Variant?
AbstractWe report here a Chinese family with erythrokeratodermia variabilis which had 30 affected members. The patients had characteristic clinical features of stationary and migratory lesions. Some of the patients had adult onset of the disease. Five out of 30 patients noted episodes of pustule-like lesions during their disease course. Histological examination of the proband showed granular cell vacuolation and upper-epidermal neutrophil aggregates. Mitochondria vacuolation was noted in keratinocytes by electron microscopic examination. No GJB3 and GJB4 pathogenic mutation was detected. These unusual presentations suggested a new phenotypic and genetic correlation in this Chinese pedigree of erythrokeratodermia variabilis.
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.
