DeCure's autonomous Rare AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for fibromyalgia — screening already-approved drugs against its 43-gene Open Targets disease module to publish open-access research. Research is fast; the path to publication is funded in milestone stages.
Disease moduleFibromyalgia maps to a 43-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 fibromyalgia 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
sodium voltage-gated channel alpha subunit 9 (SCN9A) — SCN9A 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…
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RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 7W9K · 2.2 Å · ligand O-[(R)-{[(2R)-2,3-bis(octadecanoyloxy)propyl]oxy}(hydroxy)phosphoryl]-L-serine (P5S). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
Fibromyalgia affects an estimated 2% of the general U.S. population, with incidence sevenfold higher among women. Three drugs are labelled in the United States for fibromyalgia symptoms: duloxetine, milnacipran, and pregabalin. Clinical trial evidence shows all three can significantly reduce pain; duloxetine and pregabalin reduce sleep disturbances and improve quality of life, duloxetine also improves mood, and milnacipran reduces fatigue. Other agents — tricyclic antidepressants, selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitors, opioids, gabapentin — have been used with mixed results. No controlled trials directly comparing these drugs exist, so relative adverse-event risks, costs, and optimal management remain unclear.
The etiopathogenesis of fibromyalgia remains poorly understood. Central sensitisation — impairment of pain perception, transmission, and modulation — is thought to play a role, but it is unclear whether biological abnormalities found in biochemical, immunological, muscle, neuroendocrine, and sleep studies are universal or confined to selected groups, and whether they are causal or epiphenomena. A 2009 case report described a 47-year-old woman with a depressed N-acetylaspartate-to-creatine ratio in the right hippocampus; after nine months of individualised treatment, her clinical profile improved and the ratio normalised. A 2016 case report described a patient whose whole-body pain and laryngopharyngeal discomfort reduced after several caudal epidural blocks for lumbar pain, suggesting that site-specific treatment might produce systemic effects in some patients.
Despite decades of research, patients still suffer from uncontrolled symptoms. Evidence-based guidelines recommend a combination of education, non-pharmacological, and pharmacological therapies, but these treatments are not curative. The 2009 management chapter states the major goal is to help patients cope better, not to eliminate the condition.
What is still missing: controlled head-to-head drug trials that include adverse-event and cost data; a clear understanding of whether the biological abnormalities described are universal or subgroup-specific; and patient stratification methods that could match treatments to symptom clusters or biological markers. No drug mentioned in these abstracts has been shown to reverse the underlying pathophysiology of fibromyalgia.
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 Health-System Pharmacy · 2011 · 40 citations
Pharmacotherapy of fibromyalgia
AbstractPURPOSE: Published evidence on the pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment of fibromyalgia is reviewed, with an emphasis on recent clinical trials of various pharmacologic agents. SUMMARY: Fibromyalgia affects an estimated 2% of the general U.S. population, and its incidence is sevenfold higher among women. The diagnostic characteristics of fibromyalgia are chronic widespread pain, thought to arise from abnormalities of ascending pain and descending inhibitory sensory pathways, and allodynia on palpation of specific tender points. Three medications available in the United States are labeled for treatment of fibromyalgia-related symptoms: the serotonin- and norepinephrine-reuptake inhibitors duloxetine and milnacipran and the α(2)-δ ligand pregabalin. Evidence from clinical trials indicates that all three drugs can have a significant impact on fibromyalgia-related pain; duloxetine and pregabalin have been demonstrated to reduce sleep disturbances and improve quality of life (the former also has been shown to improve mood), while milnacipran can offer significant benefits in reducing fatigue. A growing body of evidence suggests that the best treatment approach may involve the use of one or more agents whose mechanisms of action are aligned with patient-specific clusters of symptoms. Several other agents have been used for fibromyalgia, with mixed results, including tricyclic antidepressants, selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitors, opioids, and gabapentin. Given the limitations of the evidence from clinical trials to date, controlled trials directly comparing different agents are needed to better delineate adverse-event risks, cost considerations, and optimal management approaches. CONCLUSION: A broad range of drugs has been used to treat fibromyalgia. Symptoms, comorbidities, adverse effects, and patient preference are important considerations in drug selection.
Changes in Hippocampal Metabolites After Effective Treatment for Fibromyalgia
AbstractBACKGROUND: Fibromyalgia has been associated with disrupted hippocampal brain metabolite ratios by studies using single voxel magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS). Exposure to stress is considered a risk factor for the development and exacerbation of fibromyalgia symptoms. Basic science has demonstrated the hippocampus to be exquisitely sensitive to the effects of stressful experience, which results in changes including alterations in metabolite content and frank atrophy. METHODS: This report details the case of a 47-year-old woman with fibromyalgia who was originally found to have a profound depression of the ratio of N-acetylaspartate to creatine in her right hippocampus during participation in a study to assess brain metabolite disturbances in fibromyalgia utilizing single voxel proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy. An individualized treatment strategy was developed based both on physiological abnormalities associated with the disorder and symptoms that characterized the patient's unique clinical profile. RESULTS: Clinical and spectroscopic evaluation following nine months of treatment demonstrated both an improvement in her clinical profile and normalization of the NAA/Cr ratio within her right hippocampus. DISCUSSION: Therapeutic strategies aimed at demonstrable lesions associated with fibromyalgia appear to represent rational targets for pharmacological intervention. The rationale for development of novel pharmacotherapies for this unusual disorder is discussed.
Journal of Electrodiagnosis and Neuromuscular Diseases · 2023 · 11 citations · open access
Etiopathogenesis of Fibromyalgia
AbstractFibromyalgia is characterized by chronic widespread pain, and it is often accompanied by various symptoms such as fatigue, sleep disturbance, mood changes, cognitive dysfunction, and several somatic symptoms. The etiopathogenesis of fibromyalgia remains poorly understood, but it is thought to be caused by complex interactions among genetic predisposition, environmental factors, and biological factors. Emerging evidence suggests that central sensitization, which is characterized by impairment in the processes of pain perception, transmission, and modulation, plays an important role in fibromyalgia. Although various treatments have been used for fibromyalgia, patients still suffer from uncontrolled symptoms. Fibromyalgia still has many challenges to be solved. In this review, we discuss existing evidence on the etiopathogenesis of fibromyalgia.
Treatment of Fibromyalgia: A Changing of the Guard
AbstractFibromyalgia remains one of the most common and enigmatic musculoskeletal disorders among patients with pain and, until recently, few effective treatments have been discovered. This review will briefly consider the rationale supporting traditional treatment options and their efficacy, including the role of exercise and pharmacotherapy. Juxtaposed with these common approaches to relieve fibromyalgia pain and fatigue are the promising new medications that are being developed, such as pregabalin, milnacipran, duloxetine, sodium oxybate, ropinirole and pramipexole. Outcomes from recent randomized trials will be reviewed and compared.
Current Opinion in Psychiatry · 2000 · 8 citations
Fibromyalgia: biological correlates
AbstractThis review examines recent articles on the biological correlates of fibromyalgia. Topics discussed include evidence for abnormalities found in biochemical, immunological and muscle studies and disturbance of the neuroendocrine system and sleep. In the future, the role of genetic influences on the development and perpetuation of fibromyalgia will be assessed, and the first of a few of these studies are reviewed. In general, although many different biological correlates have been described in a variety of different systems (neural processing, neurohormonal and autoimmune, etc.) it remains unclear whether these abnormalities are found universally or just in selected groups and whether they represent part of the pathogenesis or are epiphenomena.
A case of fibromyalgia involving pain throughout the body treated with site-specific targeted pain control
AbstractINTRODUCTION: Fibromyalgia is characterized by chronic pain and tenderness throughout the body. Patients with fibromyalgia are treated with pharmacotherapy and many other therapies. However, because the cause of fibromyalgia is unclear, there is currently no clinically effective treatment method. CASE PRESENTATION: We report the case of a patient who developed fibromyalgia after left femoral neck fracture. After several caudal epidural blocks for lumbar pain, the pain throughout the body and abnormal discomfort in the laryngopharyngeal region reduced. Site-specific targeted pain control was effective in treating his pain and discomfort. CONCLUSION: The present case suggests that treatment targeting symptoms in one part of the body might produce a systemic therapeutic effect in patients with fibromyalgia.
Oxford University Press eBooks · 2009 · 0 citations
Chapter 5 Management of fibromyalgia syndrome
Abstract• The major treatment goal in fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is to empower the patient to regain control over his/her life, by having a positive attitude, and cope better with the condition. There are evidence-based guidelines such as the EULAR recommendations for the management of FMS which can be used in practice.• A combination of education, non-pharmacological, and pharmacological therapies is usually needed to achieve this goal.• New therapies for FMS are emerging, offering hope for better treatment in the future. Although these treatments are not curative, they are important adjuvants helping patients to cope better with pain and improve their quality of life.
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.
