DeCure's autonomous Immuno AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for food allergy — screening already-approved drugs against its 36-gene Open Targets disease module to publish open-access research. Research is fast; the path to publication is funded in milestone stages.
Disease moduleFood allergy maps to a 36-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 food allergy 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
PR/SET domain 11 (PRDM11) — PRDM11 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 unxdrag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 3RAY · 1.73 Å · ligand UNKNOWN ATOM OR ION (UNX). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
There is no approved treatment for food allergy beyond avoidance of the offending food. Accidental exposure can trigger reactions ranging from mild skin symptoms to life-threatening anaphylaxis, and no validated tools exist to predict the severity of a reaction. Food allergy affects up to 8% of children and up to 2% of adults in westernised countries, and its incidence has increased over recent decades. A cure has not yet been achieved, and patients must alter eating habits and social activities, which reduces quality of life.
Oral immunotherapy (OIT) is an experimental approach in which patients consume increasing quantities of the allergenic food to raise their threshold for reaction. Studies are ongoing to determine whether OIT can safely induce desensitisation or even tolerance. One review notes that oral tolerance induction has shown efficacy in about a third of cases, while sublingual immunotherapy appears promising. Subcutaneous immunotherapy has been associated with constant adverse effects. The significance of any immunotherapy effect—whether persistent or transitory, and whether it increases the tolerated dose—remains to be defined.
Nonallergen-specific therapies have been investigated as an alternative, because a single treatment could address multiple food allergies in one patient. Examples include Chinese herbal therapy, anti-IgE, probiotics, engineered lactic acid bacteria, and helminth therapy. Some of these have only been studied in animal models, while others are undergoing human clinical trials. No randomised, placebo-controlled studies have yet established the efficacy or safety of these approaches for routine use.
What is still missing are large, randomised, placebo-controlled trials that define immune mechanisms, patient stratification, and the durability of any treatment effect. Funding for such trials, along with improved in vitro and in vivo models and multinational cohort studies, is needed to clarify interactions between genetics, lifestyle, and environment. Without these, no therapy can be recommended for clinical use.
Evidence
Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.
AbstractFood allergy is a prevalent disease for which there is no current treatment beyond careful food avoidance. Accidental exposure to foods causes reactions in allergic individuals that can range in severity from mild skin reactions to severe and life-threatening anaphylaxis, and there are no validated tools to predict severity of reactions. A greater understanding of the pathogenesis of food allergy is needed to develop prevention and treatment strategies for food allergy. In the last few years, there have been significant developments in the field of food allergy that have led to new ideas about food allergy prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. This review will discuss these recent advances in the food allergy field as well as identify gaps in our knowledge about the immune mechanisms of allergy and tolerance to foods.
AbstractFood allergies are a global health issue with increasing prevalence. Allergic reactions can range from mild local symptoms to severe anaphylactic reactions. Significant progress has been made in diagnostic tools such as component-resolved diagnostics and its impact on risk stratification as well as in therapeutic approaches including biologicals. However, a cure for food allergy has not yet been achieved and patients and their families are forced to alter eating habits and social engagements, impacting their quality of life. New technologies and improved in vitro and in vivo models will advance our knowledge of the pathogenesis of food allergies and multicenter-multinational cohort studies will elucidate interactions between genetic background, lifestyle, and environmental factors. This review focuses on new insights and developments in the field of food allergy and summarizes recently published articles.
Food specific oral immunotherapy: a potential treatment for food allergy
AbstractFood allergy is a potentially life-threatening condition affecting up to 8% of children and up to 2% of adults in westernized countries. There are currently no approved treatments for food allergy apart from avoidance. The apparent increase in incidence of food allergies over the past few decades calls attention to the need for effective, disease-modifying therapies for food allergies. Oral immunotherapy (OIT) is a promising experimental treatment in which food allergic patients consume increasing quantities of food in attempt to increase their threshold for allergic reaction. Studies are ongoing to determine whether OIT is capable of safely inducing not only desensitization but also tolerance to the allergenic foods. This article focuses on recent relevant studies of OIT for the treatment of common food allergies.
Current Opinion in Allergy and Clinical Immunology · 2012 · 7 citations · open access
Nonallergen-specific treatments for food allergy
AbstractPURPOSE OF REVIEW: This review summarizes recent reports on nonallergen-specific therapies for food allergy. These therapies are especially appealing for food allergy because unlike allergen-specific immunotherapy, they would allow the treatment of multiple food allergies in a single patient with one therapy. RECENT FINDINGS: Chinese herbal therapy, anti-IgE, probiotics, engineered lactic acid bacteria, and helminth therapy are all examples of allergen nonspecific therapies that have been investigated in recent years. Although some have only been studied in animal models of food allergy, some are undergoing rigorous, human clinical trials. SUMMARY: Increasing amounts of research are examining the efficacy and safety of nonallergen-specific therapies for food allergy. There is hope that clinicians will have effective treatments either as an alternative or as an adjunct to immunotherapy.
Nestlé Nutrition Institute Workshop series · 2009 · 3 citations
Novel Approaches in Treating Food Allergy Using Allergens
AbstractFood allergy may be life-threatening and its management continues to consist of avoiding relevant allergens and, in the case of accidental ingestion, initiation of appropriate emergency therapy. The purpose of this review is to highlight the most promising novel approaches for treating food allergy using allergens. The use of specific immunotherapy for food allergy treatment is described. Clinical trials of immunotherapy have been published in the past. However, randomized, placebo-controlled studies are needed, including the evaluation of immune mechanisms. Immunotherapy is mainly indicated for persistent food allergy after the usual age of recovery. Reactive dose and symptoms of food allergy are less defined to indicate immunotherapy. Several procedures have been described: subcutaneous with constant adverse effects; oral tolerance induction with efficacy in a third of the cases, and sublingual which seems promising. The significance of the immunotherapy effect, persistent or transitory, or increasing the tolerated dose need to be defined.
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.
