DeCure's autonomous Immuno AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for immune system disease — screening already-approved drugs against its 45-gene Open Targets disease module to publish open-access research. Research is fast; the path to publication is funded in milestone stages.
Disease moduleImmune system disease maps to a 45-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
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ValidationComing soon
In-vitro biological validation at a contract research org (CRO).proof: CRO contract + in-vitro report
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Peer review & paperComing soon
Peer-reviewed paper published open-access (preprint + journal).proof: DOI + open-access link + on-chain hash
Structures already discussed alongside immune system disease in the retrieved literature, rendered from public PubChem SMILES. Which drugs appear here reflects the evidence found, not a ranked prediction.
Molecular view
Structure of L1196M Mutant Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase — Crizotinib has a real, experimentally solved structure in complex with this target (PDB 2YFX, 1.7 Å). This is the drug's own deposited structure, not a prediction, and confirms it is a structurally characterised molecule rather than an untested guess.
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helix sheet vghdrag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 2YFX · 1.7 Å · ligand Crizotinib (VGH). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
Forty patients with pemphigus vulgaris in clinical remission were followed for nine months; 11 (27.5%) relapsed and 29 (72.5%) remained in remission. Relapse was significantly associated with onset of disease in oral mucosa (odds ratio 10.71), pruritus (odds ratio 8.4), and extensive cutaneous involvement during previous disease activity (odds ratio 7.36). Immunological factors linked to early relapse included raised CD19+ B-cell count at baseline (odds ratio 7.84), immunoglobulin G positivity (odds ratio 4.85), and C3 positivity (odds ratio 20.33) on direct immunofluorescence of skin at study onset, and rising anti-desmoglein 3 antibody titres (odds ratio 19.96). The authors concluded that immunological relapse can be detected before clinical relapse, but the study had a limited sample size, short follow-up, and incomplete anti-desmoglein enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay data at all time points.
A 2024 case report described a 62-year-old woman with primary malignant melanoma of the lung who received 33 cycles of PD-1 immunotherapy, which shrank the tumour from 54 mm × 50 mm to 16 mm × 10 mm, followed by a right upper lobectomy. She was monitored for six months and made a full recovery without recurrence. The authors noted that preoperative immunotherapy combined with surgery may improve survival, but stressed that these findings need confirmation in more clinical research.
A 2023 review summarised methods for identifying repurposable drugs for immunotherapy, noting that previously approved drugs have already had their safety confirmed through pre-clinical trials, clinical trials, and post-marketing surveillance, which could save time and economic costs for testing their applicability to other diseases. The review did not present any new clinical data.
What is still missing are larger, longer prospective studies to confirm the immunological predictors of relapse in pemphigus vulgaris, and controlled clinical trials to establish whether PD-1 immunotherapy before surgery improves outcomes for primary malignant melanoma of the lung. No repurposed drug candidate for any immune system disease has been tested in a randomised trial reported here.
Evidence
Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.
Oxford University Press eBooks · 2017 · 23 citations
The Immune System: A Very Short Introduction
Abstract<italic>The Immune System: A Very Short Introduction</italic> describes the immune system and how it works in health and disease. It focuses on the human immune system, considering how it evolved, and the basic rules that govern its behaviour. The immune system comprises a series of organs, cells, and chemical messengers that work together as a team to provide defence against infection. These components are discussed along with the critical signals that trigger them and how they exert their protective effects, including innate and adaptive responses. The consequences of too little immunity (immunodeficiency), caused for example by HIV/AIDS, and too much, leading to auto-immune and allergic diseases, are also considered.
Indian Journal of Dermatology Venereology and Leprology · 2019 · 13 citations · open access
Identification of clinical and immunological factors associated with clinical relapse of pemphigus vulgaris in remission
AbstractBACKGROUND: Pemphigus vulgaris is a potentially fatal autoimmune epidermal blistering disease with a chronic and relapsing course. It is difficult to predict clinical relapse. Identification of clinical and immunological factors that are associated with early clinical relapse in a prospective study design may help in planning treatment for better maintenance of clinical remission. AIM: The aim of our study was to identify clinical and immunological factors associated with clinical relapse within 9 months of study inclusion in patients with pemphigus vulgaris in clinical remission. METHODS: Forty consecutive consenting patients who had been diagnosed to have pemphigus vulgaris and were in clinical remission on minimal therapy or off therapy were included. The patients were followed up every 3 months until 9 months. Clinical factors considered relevant were recorded at the beginning of the study. Immunological factors such as CD19+ B-cell count and CD19+CD27+ memory B cells/plasma cell count in peripheral blood were assessed at baseline [anti-desmoglein (Dsg) 1 and 3 titers were first assessed at 3 months, not at baseline] and repeated every 3 months, until 9 months or clinical relapse whichever was earlier. Direct immunofluorescence (DIF) of skin biopsy specimen was performed at study initiation and again at the time of clinical relapse or study completion, whichever occurred earlier. All patients completed the study. RESULTS: Of 40 patients, 11 (27.5%) experienced relapse as per definition, while 29 (72.5%) remained in complete remission. Clinical relapse during study duration was significantly more common in those who had onset of disease in oral mucosa [odds ratio (OR), 10.71; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.21-94.86, P = 0.02], pruritus (OR 8.4; 95% CI 1.76-40.02, P = 0.01), and extensive cutaneous involvement during previous disease activity (OR 7.36; 95% CI 1.34-40.55, P = 0.03) and also pruritus during remission (P = 0.004). Immunological factors found to be significantly associated with early clinical relapse were raised CD19+ B-cell count at baseline (OR 7.84; 95% CI 1.39 - 53.41, P = 0.01), immunoglobulin G (OR 4.85; 95% CI 1.09-23.44, P = 0.04), and C3 (OR 20.33; 95% CI 3.02-199.5, P < 0.001) positivity in the intercellular space of the epidermis on DIF at study onset and rising anti-Dsg 3 antibody titers (OR 19.96; 95% CI 1.85- 310.9, P = 0.03). LIMITATIONS: Limited sample size, short follow-up duration, and inability to perform anti-Dsg enzyme linked immunosorbent assay for all the patients at all the time points of assessment are limitations of this study. CONCLUSION: Immunological relapse can be determined before clinical relapse, so that treatment can be restarted/modified and clinical remission can be maintained.
Epidemiology of <i>EML4–ALK</i> Translocations in a Small, German Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer Patient Cohort
AbstractBACKGROUND: Fusions and translocations of the ALK gene are an important genetic marker in different types of cancer and are therapy relevant, especially in lung cancer, as they predict the patient's response to crizotinib therapy. Thereby, EML4-ALK is assumed to be the most frequent fusion of ALK in lung cancer, although ALK is known to be able to fuse with approximately 20 different genes. PATIENTS & METHODS: Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded lung tissue from non-small-cell lung cancer patients previously tested positive for EML4-ALK were reanalyzed with three different FISH probe systems that are commercially available. RESULTS: We describe a short series of patients with ALK translocations in which a surprisingly high percentage (66%) of non-EML4-ALK fusions were identified in non-small-cell lung cancer despite an estimated low percentage (˜20%) of such translocations. CONCLUSION: Depending on the diagnostic method used, those patients could receive a false-negative diagnosis and would miss the chance to benefit from novel crizotinib therapy.
Repurposable Drugs for Immunotherapy and Strategies to Find Candidate Drugs
AbstractConventional drug discovery involves significant steps, time, and expenses; therefore, novel methods for drug discovery remain unmet, particularly for patients with intractable diseases. For this purpose, the drug repurposing method has been recently used to search for new therapeutic agents. Repurposed drugs are mostly previously approved drugs, which were carefully tested for their efficacy for other diseases and had their safety for the human body confirmed following careful pre-clinical trials, clinical trials, and post-marketing surveillance. Therefore, using these approved drugs for other diseases that cannot be treated using conventional therapeutic methods could save time and economic costs for testing their clinical applicability. In this review, we have summarized the methods for identifying repurposable drugs focusing on immunotherapy.
AME Case Reports · 2024 · 1 citations · open access
Right upper lobectomy after immunotherapy for primary malignant melanoma of the lung: a case report and literature review
AbstractBackground: Malignant melanoma is a malignant tumor of melanocytes. All body organs can be invaded by it; however, the skin is the most common site of invasion. Melanomas involving the lungs are almost always metastatic and it is extremely rare to find a true primary malignant melanoma of the lung (PMML). Compared to cutaneous melanoma, mucosal melanoma has a different biology and clinical appearance. Since there are no standards for the diagnosis and treatment of PMML, it is treated differently. We reported a patient with PMML underwent surgery after programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) immunotherapy. Case Description: A 62-year-old female patient presented with an occupying lesion in the right upper lung lobe found on physical examination. A computed tomography (CT) scan was done, and the results showed a lobulated soft tissue mass shadow of roughly 54 mm × 50 mm in the upper lobe of the right lung. The histological results of a CT-guided percutaneous lung biopsy were consistent with malignant melanoma. She was identified as having primary melanoma of the lung after undergoing a full physical examination to rule out occult primary tumor metastases. The patient received a total of 33 cycles of immunotherapy (PD-1). We did a right upper lung lobectomy after shrinking the melanoma in the right lung's upper lobe to a size of 16 mm × 10 mm. After the operation, the patient was monitored for 6 months and made a full recovery without recurrence. Conclusions: The preoperative immune system in combination with a surgical procedure may boost patients' chances of survival. These findings need to be confirmed in more clinical research.
AbstractThe immune system is a biological structure within organism and it helps to protect the organisms against disease. Immune system can detect a wide range of agents like viruses, worms, spores, fungi, bacteria, and other foreign elements. The immune systems identify and destroy the foreign pathogen through different defense mechanisms [1]. If there will be any change in the immune system it causes abnormality in defense mechanism and it leads to disease like inflammatory, cancer or autoimmune disease [2, 3].
Actas Dermo-Sifiliográficas · 2025 · 0 citations · open access
Oral Roflumilast for Long-term Management of Behçet Spectrum Disorders: A Multicenter Observational Analysis
AbstractBACKGROUND: Recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS) and Behçet's disease (BD) are part of the Behçet spectrum disorders (BSD), sharing genetic traits and characterized by recurrent ulcers. No systemic treatment is approved for RAS or incomplete BD, despite significant quality-of-life impacts. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of roflumilast, a PDE4 inhibitor, in BSD patients and compare responses between RAS and BD. METHODS: This analytical observational study included a total of 33 patients with BSD (22, RAS; 11, BD) from 5 Spanish centers, followed over 52 weeks. Data were collected retrospectively and prospectively, assessing flare-ups, ulcers, pain, and duration. Statistical models compared outcomes across treatment periods. RESULTS: Roflumilast significantly reduced all studied response variables, with no loss of long-term efficacy. Differences between RAS and BD were minimal and clinically irrelevant. Adverse events occurred in 63% of patients, mostly mild and self-limiting, with tolerability improved through dose adjustments. Two patients (6.25%) dropped out due to adverse events. CONCLUSION: Roflumilast is effective for managing BSD, offering a safe option to address unmet needs in RAS and BD. Its favorable safety profile and long-term efficacy support its use in the routine clinical practice.
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.
