DeCure's autonomous Rare AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for irritable bowel syndrome — 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 moduleIrritable bowel syndrome 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
Structures already discussed alongside irritable bowel syndrome in the retrieved literature, rendered from public PubChem SMILES. Which drugs appear here reflects the evidence found, not a ranked prediction.
Molecular view
phosphodiesterase 4D (PDE4D) — PDE4D is one of the genes in this disease's Open Targets module — part of the target space DeCure's repurposing candidates point at. The protein backbone is drawn as a cartoon. The structure has 1-[4-(difluoromethoxy)-3-{[(3s)-oxolan-3-yl]oxy}phenyl]-3-methylbutan-1-one bound in it, shown as sticks.
Loading structure…
helix sheet difluoromethoxydrag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 5WH6 · 1.6 Å · ligand 1-[4-(difluoromethoxy)-3-{[(3S)-oxolan-3-yl]oxy}phenyl]-3-methylbutan-1-one (AKJ). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
Irritable bowel syndrome is a common functional gastrointestinal disorder that generates a significant healthcare burden and is the most commonly diagnosed gastrointestinal condition. Well-established diagnostic criteria exist, and therapy should be individualised for each patient, with the cornerstone of any effective strategy being a solid patient-physician relationship. The condition is chronic and relapsing, with symptoms frequently triggered by environmental factors including chronic stress. Despite this, understanding of the syndrome remains limited and treatment methods are only modestly effective.
A 2019 double-blind controlled clinical trial on 44 patients with IBS tested mesalazine, an anti-inflammatory drug, at a dose of 500 mg every six hours against a placebo. The groups were similar in age and disease severity at baseline. The frequency of more than 20% improvement in symptoms was 86.4% in the mesalazine group and 54.5% in the placebo group (p=0.021). The average recovery rate was 70.4 ± 32.5% in the case group and 35.4 ± 36.9% in the control group. The authors concluded that mesalazine was significantly more effective than placebo in controlling IBS symptoms.
A 2024 study screened Lactobacillus strains from traditional Chinese fermented foods and identified that Lactiplantibacillus plantarum D266 (Lp D266) administration modulated intestinal peristalsis, enteric neurons, visceral hypersensitivity, colonic inflammation, gut barrier function, and mast cell activation in experimental models. The strain shaped gut microbiota and enhanced tryptophan metabolism, activating the aryl hydrocarbon receptor and subsequently enhancing IL-22 production. The authors reported that combining Lp D266 with tryptophan synergistically ameliorated IBS symptoms in their experiments. This work remains preclinical, with no human trial data.
What is still missing are adequately powered, well-designed human trials that confirm whether the promising preclinical findings with Lp D266 translate to patients, and whether the modest benefit seen with mesalazine in a single small trial can be replicated in larger, more diverse populations. The field also lacks validated biomarkers to stratify patients who might respond to anti-inflammatory or microbiome-targeted interventions, and sustained funding for such stratified trials rather than further small mechanistic studies.
Evidence
Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.
Clinics in Colon and Rectal Surgery · 2012 · 105 citations · open access
Irritable Bowel Syndrome: A Review and Update
AbstractThe understanding of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) has undergone a rapid evolution with scientific advancement. IBS is a common functional bowel disorder that generates a significant health care burden and is the most commonly diagnosed gastrointestinal condition. There are well-established diagnostic criteria and algorithms for the initial evaluation of patients presenting with the symptoms of IBS. The symptoms can be targeted for therapy with a variety of pharmaceutical and nonpharmaceutical agents. Therapy should be individualized for the patient, and the cornerstone for any effective treatment strategy should be the solid patient-physician relationship.
Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry · 2024 · 35 citations
<i>Lactiplantibacillus plantarum</i> Regulates Intestinal Physiology and Enteric Neurons in IBS through Microbial Tryptophan Metabolites
AbstractIrritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a prevalent functional gastrointestinal disorder characterized by visceral pain and gut dysmotility. However, the specific mechanisms by which Lactobacillus strains relieve IBS remain unclear. Here, we screened Lactobacillus strains from traditional Chinese fermented foods with potential IBS-alleviating properties through in vitro and in vivo experiments. We demonstrated that Lactiplantibacillus plantarum D266 ( Lp D266) administration effectively modulates intestinal peristalsis, enteric neurons, visceral hypersensitivity, colonic inflammation, gut barrier function, and mast cell activation. Additionally, Lp D266 shapes gut microbiota and enhances tryptophan (Trp) metabolism, thus activating the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) and subsequently enhancing IL-22 production to maintain gut homeostasis. Mechanistically, Lp D266 potentially modulates colonic physiology and enteric neurons by microbial tryptophan metabolites. Further, our study indicates that combining Lp D266 with Trp synergistically ameliorates IBS symptoms. Together, our experiments identify the therapeutic efficacy of tryptophan-catabolizing Lp D266 in regulating gut physiology and enteric neurons, providing new insights into the development of probiotic-mediated nutritional intervention for IBS management.
Medycyna Faktów · 2020 · 0 citations · open access
Why shouldn’t IBS treatment be discontinued during the COVID-19 pandemic?
AbstractIrritable bowel syndrome is a chronic and relapsing functional gastrointestinal disorder that is characterized by frequent recurrence of symptoms triggered by various environmental factors, including chronic stress. Achieving therapeutic success requires developing a good doctor–patient relationship, as well as the use of various forms of combination therapy including restoration of normal intestinal microbiota composition, improvement of gastrointestinal motility, correction of bowel rhythm disturbances and pain relief. Achieving these goals is possible by using various forms of pharmacotherapy with different mechanisms of action.
Internal Medicine And Medical Investigation Journal · 2019 · 0 citations · open access
Evaluation of the Efficacy of Mesalazine on Irritable Bowel Syndrome Symptoms
AbstractIntroduction: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a prevalent functional disorder of the gastrointestinal system in which some evidence has shown the role of inflammation in the disease. In this study, we investigated the effect of Mesalazine - is an anti-inflammatory drug - on the improvement of clinical symptoms in patients with IBS.
Material and methods: This study was a double-blind controlled clinical trial conducted on 44 patients with IBS who were divided into two groups of 22 patients. Cases group received Mesalazine at a dose of 500 mg every 6 hours, and the control group received a placebo drug in the same shape and order. Severity of primary disease and also initial and post-treatment status of patients recorded. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, t-test, and chi-square test was, and a significant level of 0.05 was considered.
Results: The groups were similar in terms of age (p=0.39) and disease severity (p=0.75) at the beginnings of study. According to the frequency of more than 20% improvement of symptoms in the two groups, this frequency was 86.4% in the case group and 54.5% in the control group (p=0.021). Also, the average recovery rate was 70.4 ± 32.5 % in the case group and 35.4 ± 36.9% in the control group.
Conclusion: Based on the results in this study, it can be concluded that Mesalazine is significantly more effective than a placebo in controlling the symptoms of IBS patients.
Expert Opinion on Therapeutic Patents · 2003 · 0 citations
Epidemiology, pathogenesis and treatment of irritable bowel syndrome
AbstractIrritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a very common functional disorder of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract that is associated with significant healthcare costs and disability. Despite this, our understanding of this syndrome is yet limited and our treatment methods only modestly effective. The aim of this article is to review the epidemiology and pathophysiology of IBS and subsequently discuss the various treatment methods available, including current, novel and potential future therapies.
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.
