DeCure's autonomous Rare AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for esophagitis — screening already-approved drugs against its 5-gene Open Targets disease module to publish open-access research. Research is fast; the path to publication is funded in milestone stages.
Disease moduleEsophagitis maps to a 5-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 esophagitis 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
histamine receptor H2 (HRH2) — HRH2 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 hsmdrag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 9IXJ · 2.92 Å · ligand HISTAMINE (HSM). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
In a cohort of 49 patients with locoregionally advanced non-small cell lung cancer treated with involved-field radiotherapy and concurrent platinum-based chemotherapy, 31 patients (63%) developed treatment-related acute esophagitis: 24 patients (49%) grade 2 and 7 patients (14%) grade 3, with the peak during the seventh week of radiotherapy. No grade 4 or higher esophagitis occurred. In multivariate analysis, lower total esophageal volume and higher radiotherapy dose per fraction (2 Gy versus 1.8 Gy) were significantly associated with higher risk of grade 2 or worse acute esophagitis. Eighteen patients (37%) did not develop radiation-induced esophagitis.
Infectious esophagitis generally occurs in patients with impaired immunity. The most common causative microbes are Candida albicans, herpes simplex virus, and cytomegalovirus. Uncommon risk factors reported include epidural triamcinolone and oral budesonide, in addition to more common risk factors such as HIV infection, chemotherapeutic agents, and transplant immunosuppressive medications. Rare reports involve immunocompetent patients, and treatment in these patients is controversial.
Eosinophilic esophagitis is a chronic, Th2 immune-mediated disease with a prevalence of 16.1 per 100,000 persons and an incidence of 1.7 per 100,000 persons per year. Elimination diets omitting 2, 4, or 6 food groups lead to histological remission in 43%, 60%, and 79% of patients, respectively; an entirely amino acid-based diet leads to histological remission in over 90% of patients but can only be used for a limited time. Topical corticosteroids lead to histological remission in 60–87% of cases, proton-pump inhibitors in 30–50%, and dupilumab (anti-IL-4Rα/IL-13Rα1) in 60–86%. These treatments differ widely in side-effect profiles and restrictions on everyday life.
Lymphocytic esophagitis may be a histologic manifestation of esophageal motility disorders. Immunoglobulin G4-related disease has been implicated as a cause of esophageal inflammation with ulceration, strictures, and mass-forming fibrosis. Epidermoid metaplasia has been linked molecularly to the squamous cell neoplasia pathway. What remains missing are non-invasive markers of disease activity, long-term remission maintenance strategies for eosinophilic esophagitis, and prospective trials that stratify patients by oesophageal volume, dose fractionation, or immune status to predict and prevent esophagitis across these distinct aetiologies.
Evidence
Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.
American Journal of Clinical Oncology · 2013 · 25 citations
Treatment-related Acute Esophagitis For Patients With Locoregionally Advanced Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer Treated With Involved-field Radiotherapy and Concurrent Chemotherapy
AbstractPURPOSE: To explore the incidence and risk factors for treatment-related acute esophagitis associated with involved-field radiation therapy (RT) delivered concurrently with chemotherapy for patients with locoregionally advanced non-small cell lung cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty-nine consecutive patients diagnosed with locoregionally advanced non-small cell lung cancer were treated using involved-field RT. Radiotherapy target volumes included the primary lung tumor and involved mediastinal lymphadenopathy as defined on imaging studies including computed tomography of the chest and fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography/computed tomography. The patients were treated to a median total dose of 63 Gy (range, 55.8 to 74 Gy) using daily fractions of 1.8 or 2.0 Gy. No elective radiotherapy of mediastinal lymph nodes was used. Concurrent platinum-based chemotherapy was delivered to all patients. Treatment-related toxicity was evaluated during the course of RT and subsequent follow-up visits. RESULTS: Thirty-one (63%) patients were female and 18 (37%) were male. Median age at the time of diagnosis was 68 years (range, 36 to 83 y). Thirty-one patients (63%) developed treatment-related acute esophagitis: 24 patients (49%) grade 2 and 7 (14%) patients grade 3 esophagitis, with the peak occurring during the seventh week of radiotherapy. No grade ≥ 4 esophagitis was seen in this cohort. Eighteen patients (37%) did not develop radiation-induced esophagitis associated with their course of chemoradiotherapy. In the univariate analysis, age at the time of diagnosis, radiation dose per fraction, and total volume of the esophagus were significantly associated with the risk of acute esophagitis. Increasing age reduced the risk of acute esophagitis (odds ratio [OR] for 10-y increase = 0.40) as did increasing total esophagus volume (OR for 10-U increase = 0.27). Dose per fraction of 1.8 Gy was associated with lower risk of acute esophagitis when compared with dose per fraction of 2 Gy (OR = 0.19). Marginal associations were observed for all of the volume variables. Higher volume variable values had a nonsignificant association with an increase in risk of acute esophagitis. However, only the total volume of the esophagus (P = 0.0032) and larger dose per fraction (2 vs. 1.8 Gy) (P = 0.011) remained significantly associated with higher risk of developing grade ≥ 2 acute esophagitis in the multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Higher risk of grade ≥ 2 treatment-related esophagitis was associated with lower total esophageal volume and higher radiotherapy dose per fraction and should be taken into consideration during patient treatment planning. Inclusion of total esophageal volume and dose per fraction into future clinical protocols may further help our understanding of treatment-related esophagitis and enable the development of novel preventative approaches.
Current Opinion in Pediatrics · 2015 · 9 citations
Esophageal infections
AbstractPURPOSE OF REVIEW: Infectious esophagitis generally occurs in patients with impaired immunity. Although methods to suppress the immune system evolve, the potential infectious consequences are poorly understood. The purpose of this article is to review the risk factors, diagnosis, and treatment of infectious esophagitis. RECENT FINDINGS: Minimal pediatric data, including a few case reports and series, involve infectious esophagitis. Esophageal infections are usually caused by the following microbes, in order starting with the most common: Candida albicans, herpes simplex virus, and cytomegalovirus. Uncommon risk factors in these and other reports include epidural triamcinolone and oral budesonide in addition to more common risk factors such as HIV infection, chemotherapeutic agents, and transplant immunosuppressive medications. Rare reports involve immunocompetent patients and treatment of these patients is controversial. SUMMARY: Understanding of infectious esophagitis is growing, and risk factors, diagnosis, and treatments are evolving.
Deutsches Ärzteblatt international · 2025 · 2 citations · open access
Eosinophilic esophagitis: Prevalence, diagnosis, and treatment in childhood and adulthood
AbstractBACKGROUND: Eosinophilic esophagitis is a chronic, Th2 immune-mediated disease of the esophagus characterized by eso - phageal dysfunction and predominant eosinophilic inflammation. Its prevalence and incidence have risen in recent years and now stand at 16.1 per 100 000 persons and 1.7 per 100 000 persons per year. METHODS: This review is based on selected publications retrieved by a search in PubMed, Medline, and Google Scholar for clinical trials, reviews, and guidelines that were published between 2011 and 2024 in either English or German (search term, "eosinophilic esophagitis"). RESULTS: Eosinophilic esophagitis markedly impairs patients' quality of life; its diagnosis is often delayed. It can be treated with an appropriately altered diet, pharmacotherapy, and/or endoscopic intervention ("diet, drugs, dilatation"). Elimination diets with the omission of 2, 4, or 6 food groups lead to histological remission in 43%, 60%, and 79% of patients, respectively. An entirely amino acid-based diet leads to histological remission in over 90% of patients, but can only be performed for a limited time. Topical corticosteroids lead to histological remission in 60-87% of cases, proton-pump inhibitors in 30-50%, and dupilumab (anti-IL- 4Rα/IL-13Rα1) in 60-86%. These treatments differ widely in their side-effect profiles and in the restrictions they impose in everyday life, and their use must be considered individually for each patient. Because eosinophilic esophagitis is a chronic disease, remission maintenance therapy is needed over the long term. CONCLUSION: Eosinophilic esophagitis was first described three decades ago. Effective treatments are available, but questions remain concerning the longterm course of the disease, remission maintenance therapy, and non-invasive markers of disease activity, among others. Delays in diagnosis should be avoided. The appropriate treatment and long-term care of the affected patients are needed to assure them an optimal quality of life.
Current Opinion in Gastroenterology · 2019 · 1 citations
Esophagitis in patients without gastroesophageal reflux disease or eosinophilic esophagitis
AbstractPURPOSE OF REVIEW: A multitude of inflammatory diseases other than gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and eosinophilic esophagitis can affect the esophagus. Despite the deceptively simple organization of squamous mucosa and its limited number of inflammatory responses, a wide array of histologic patterns can be seen in inflammatory disorders involving the esophagus. Each such histologic pattern is associated with a limited number of underlying conditions, and the clinician can use this information to narrow the differential diagnosis. The purpose of this review is to review and discuss the pathologic diagnosis of esophagitis caused by conditions other than GERD or eosinophilic esophagitis, with an emphasis on recent developments in the field. RECENT FINDINGS: Recent studies suggest that lymphocytic esophagitis may be a histologic manifestation of esophageal motility disorders. Immunophenotypic features of infiltrating lymphocytes may be helpful in this scenario. immunoglobulin G4-related disease has been implicated as a cause of esophageal inflammation with ulceration, strictures, and mass-forming fibrosis, whereas epidermoid metaplasia has been linked molecularly to the squamous cell neoplasia pathway. SUMMARY: Improved knowledge and appreciation of the pathology of esophageal inflammation are needed to better understand the pathogenesis of various types of esophagitis, and to inform new approaches to the therapy and management of inflammatory esophageal diseases.
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.
