DeCure's autonomous Rare AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for lateral epicondylitis — screening already-approved drugs against its 16-gene Open Targets disease module to publish open-access research. Research is fast; the path to publication is funded in milestone stages.
Disease moduleLateral epicondylitis maps to a 16-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 lateral epicondylitis 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…
helix sheet rdrag to rotate · scroll to zoom
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
A 1999 pragmatic randomised controlled trial in primary care assigned 164 patients with a new episode of lateral epicondylitis to a local injection of 20 mg methylprednisolone plus lignocaine, naproxen 500 mg twice daily for two weeks, or placebo tablets. At four weeks, 92% of the injection group were completely better or improved, compared with 57% in the naproxen group and 50% in the placebo group. By twelve months, the proportion of patients with pain scores of three or less was similar across all three groups: 84% for injection, 85% for naproxen, and 82% for placebo. The authors concluded that early corticosteroid injection is effective in the short term but that long-term outcome is good regardless of initial treatment.
A 2023 review of therapeutic management for lateral epicondylitis states that no specific therapy has been identified as the definitive best option with clearly superior long-term effectiveness. The review notes that existing research has methodological flaws including absence of non-treatment and placebo controls, lack of objective outcome measures, inadequate follow-up, and insufficient subject numbers.
A 2013 study of 14 patients (15 elbows) who underwent arthroscopic treatment after at least 18 months of failed conservative treatment reported an average Mayo Elbow Performance Score of 90 points and an average Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand score of 57 points after a mean follow-up of 41 months. Complications included altered sensitivity in one patient, a ten-degree extension deficit in one, synovial plica in one, and synovitis in one. A 2024 scoping review of surgical management included 35 studies with 1564 patients and reported that most studies described benefits of surgery for pain and function, but noted that multicentre studies have not been published and that the low number of included patients means further evidence is required.
What is still missing are adequately powered, placebo-controlled trials with objective outcome measures and long follow-up that directly compare the many available conservative and surgical interventions. No drug or procedure has been shown to produce superior long-term results over another in a rigorous multicentre setting, and patient stratification by pathology subtype or chronicity remains unexplored in high-quality trials.
Evidence
Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.
BMJ · 1999 · 307 citations · open access
Pragmatic randomised controlled trial of local corticosteroid injection and naproxen for treatment of lateral epicondylitis of elbow in primary care
Abstract<h3>Abstract</h3> <b>Objective:</b> To compare the clinical effectiveness of local corticosteroid injection, standard non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and simple analgesics for the early treatment of lateral epicondylitis in primary care. <b>Design:</b> Multicentre pragmatic randomised controlled trial. <b>Setting:</b> 23 general practices in North Staffordshire and South Cheshire. <b>Participants:</b> 164 patients aged 18-70 years presenting with a new episode of lateral epicondylitis. <b>Interventions:</b> Local injection of 20 mg methylprednisolone plus lignocaine, naproxen 500 mg twice daily for two weeks, or placebo tablets. All participants received a standard advice sheet and co-codamol as required. <b>Main outcome measures:</b> Participants9 global assessment of improvement (five point scale) at four weeks. Pain, function, and “main complaint” measured on 10 point Likert scales at 4 weeks, 6 months, and 12 months. <b>Results:</b> Over 2 years, 53 subjects were randomised to injection, 53 to naproxen, and 58 to placebo. Prognostic variables were similar between groups at baseline. At 4 weeks, 48 patients (92%) in the injection group were completely better or improved compared with 30 (57%) in the naproxen group (P<0.001) and 28 (50%) in the placebo group (P<0.001). At 12 months, 43 patients (84%) in the injection group had pain scores ≤3 compared with 45 (85%) in the naproxen group and 44 (82%) in the placebo group (P>0.05). <b>Conclusions:</b> Early local corticosteroid injection is effective for lateral epicondylitis. Outcome at one year was good in all groups, and effective early treatment does not seem to influence this. <h3>Key messages</h3> Most lateral epicondylitis is managed by general practitioners, but optimum treatment is unclear This large pragmatic randomised trial showed that corticosteroid injection was significantly better than non-steroidal anti-inflammatories or placebo tablets at four weeks A two week course of a standard non-steroidal anti-inflammatory was no better than placebo A few patients who respond well initially to injection relapse by six months. Long term outcome was good, irrespective of initial treatment allocation
AbstractEducational Objectives As a result of reading this article, physicians should be able to: 1. Identify the typical presentation of lateral epicondylitis based on history and physical examination. 2. Review the pathophysiology underlying the development of lateral epicondylitis and resulting histology. 3. Describe the first-line conservative therapy options for lateral epicondylitis and the supporting data in the literature. 4. Discuss the indications for initiating operative therapy and detail the operative options for lateral epicondylitis.
Revista Brasileira de Ortopedia (English Edition) · 2013 · 5 citations · open access
Evaluation of patients submitted to the arthroscopic treatment of the lateral epicondylitis refractory to the conservative treatment
Abstractto evaluate the results of the arthroscopic treatment of the lateral epicondylitis. we evaluated 14 patients (15 elbows) submitted to the arthroscopic treatment of the lateral epicondylitis refractory to the conservative treatment, which was realized for a minimum period of 18 months. Beyond the demographic data collection, patients were evaluated according to the arthroscopic classification of Baker et al., the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (DASH) questionnaire and the Mayo Elbow Performance Score (MEPS). The patients’ ages ranged between 23 and 56 years (average 46 years) (eight males and six females). Of the 15 elbows, 12 were the dominant and one patient had bilateral lesion. The follow-up after surgery was minimum 24 months and maximum 72 months (average 41 months). we found, according to the arthroscopic classification of Baker et al., two patients with type I lesions, nine with type II lesions and three with type III lesions. We found the following complications: one patient with altered sensitivity in the region of the lateral portal, one with a deficit of ten degrees in length, one with synovial plica and one with synovitis in the lateral compartment. Our score on the DASH questionnaire was minimum of 32 points and maximum of 120 points (average 57 points) and the scale of MEPS had a minimum score of 60 points and a maximum of 100 points (average 90 points). the arthroscopic treatment of the lateral epicondylitis, plus insurance, provides satisfactory results. avaliar os resultados do tratamento artroscópico da epicondilite lateral. foram avaliados 14 pacientes (15 cotovelos) submetidos ao tratamento artroscópico da epicondilite lateral refratária ao tratamento conservador, o qual foi feito por um período mínimo de 18 meses. Além da coleta de dados demográficos, os pacientes foram avaliados segundo a classificação artroscópica de Baker et al., o questionário Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (DASH) e o Mayo Elbow Performance Score (MEPS). As idades dos pacientes variaram entre 23 e 56 anos (média de 46) e foram oito do sexo masculino e seis do feminino. Dos 15 cotovelos, 12 eram do membro dominante e um paciente tinha lesão bilateral. O seguimento após a cirurgia foi de no mínimo 24 meses e no máximo 72 meses (média de 41). foram constatadas, segundo a classificação artroscópica de Baker et al., dois pacientes com lesão do tipo I, nove com lesão do tipo II e três com lesão do tipo III. Encontramos as seguintes complicações: um paciente com alteração da sensibilidade na região do portal lateral, um com déficit de dez graus na extensão, um com plica sinovial e um com sinovite em compartimento lateral. Nossa pontuação no questionário DASH foi de no mínimo 32 pontos e no máximo 120 pontos (média de 57) e a escala de MEPS apresentou pontuação mínima de 60 pontos e máxima de 100 pontos (média de 90 pontos). o tratamento artroscópico da epicondilite lateral, além de seguro, apresenta resultados satisfatórios.
JSES Reviews Reports and Techniques · 2024 · 2 citations · open access
Surgical management of lateral epicondylitis: a scoping review of published literature
AbstractBackground: Surgical intervention for lateral epicondylitis remains a controversial topic, with its purpose being debated. Recent guidelines have concluded no benefit from surgery when compared to conservative management. Methods: An electronic database search of Ovid Medline via PubMed, EMBASE, and the Web of Science was performed to understand the published literature further. Results: 35 studies incorporating 1564 patients were included. This included 12 trials and 23 observational studies. Most studies reported the benefits of surgery in pain and function despite the majority of studies using a variety of outcome measures. Conclusion: Surgery is reported to treat lateral epicondylitis successfully. However, multicenter studies have yet to be published, and the low number of included patients means that further evidence is required to conclude management.
International Journal of Health Sciences and Research · 2023 · 2 citations · open access
A Review of Therapeutic Management for Lateral Epicondylitis
AbstractThis paper examines studies that assess different therapeutic interventions for treating lateral epicondylitis. Various medical treatments, including drug therapies, surgical interventions and physical therapies are examined and evaluated based on the available evidence supporting their effectiveness. Various treatments have been studied for the management of lateral epicondylitis, but no specific therapy has been identified as the definitive best option with clearly superior long-term effectiveness. The existing research has some methodological flaws despite its commendable studies. Some limitations observed in the study are the absence of non-treatment and placebo controls, lack of objective outcome measures, inadequate follow-up and insufficient subject numbers. The paper addresses the constraints of existing research and proposes suggestions for future investigations. The paper discusses the need for further research on various therapies and encourages researchers to evaluate its effectiveness to determine the best treatment method for lateral epicondylitis. Key words: Lateral epicondylitis, Therapy, Exercise, Management, Drug, Physical.
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.
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