DeCure's autonomous Rare AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for lesion of sciatic nerve — screening already-approved drugs against its 2-gene Open Targets disease module to publish open-access research. Research is fast; the path to publication is funded in milestone stages.
Disease moduleLesion of sciatic nerve maps to a 2-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 lesion of sciatic nerve 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.
Evidence
Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.
Regional Anesthesia & Pain Medicine · 2008 · 31 citations
Intraneural Catheterization of the Sciatic Nerve In Humans: A Pilot Study
AbstractBACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Imaging studies in humans have shown that intraneural injection of local anesthetic may be relatively frequent. The incidence of intraneural catheterization is unknown. We speculated that early neural blockade after the injection of a small dose of local anesthetic might be a common finding produced by unintended intraneural catheterization. We investigated the clinical effect of a small dose of local anesthetic injected through a stimulating sciatic catheter, and also the placement of the tip of the catheters by computed tomography (CT) scan. METHODS: In this descriptive study, a dose of 3 to 5 mL of 1.5% mepivacaine was injected through a stimulating sciatic catheter in 45 patients undergoing hallux valgus repair. Patients with early neural blockade at the foot, within 5 minutes after injection, were suspected to have an intraneural placement of the catheter. A CT scan of the thighs was performed in 10 additional patients to assess catheter tip placement. RESULTS: Nine of 45 patients had early neural blockade with the small dose of local anesthetic. Seven patients underwent surgery without further supplementation. There was a statistically significant lower intensity of stimulating current through the catheter in the group of patients with early neural blockade. Of 10 CT scans, 3 showed clear intraneural placement of the catheter. No postoperative sequelae were observed. CONCLUSIONS: Intraneural catheterization of the sciatic nerve may be a frequent finding and was not followed by nerve injury under the conditions of our small pilot study.
Journal of Neuroscience Methods · 2025 · 0 citations · open access
Isolation, culture, and characterization of primary endothelial cells and pericytes from mouse sciatic nerve
AbstractBACKGROUND: The recovery of injured peripheral nerves relies on angiogenesis, where newly formed blood vessels act as pathways guiding Schwann cells across the wound to support axon regeneration. While some research has examined this process, the specific mechanisms of angiogenesis in peripheral nerve healing remain unclear. In vitro models are vital tools to investigate these mechanisms; however, no current in vitro culture methods exist for isolating vascular cells, such as endothelial cells (ECs) and pericytes, specifically from sciatic nerves. NEW METHOD: We developed a straightforward and reliable technique for isolating ECs and pericytes from injured sciatic nerves, optimized for use in in vitro studies. Cell types were characterized using specific markers and phenotypic assessments, with flow cytometry confirming cell identity and determining cell purity. RESULTS: Our method successfully isolated high-purity ECs and pericytes from injured sciatic nerves. Immunofluorescence analysis showed that primary cultured ECs exhibited strong positive staining for CD31, while pericytes stained strongly for NG2 and PDGFRβ. Flow cytometric analysis confirmed that ECs achieved a purity of 90.22 %, and pericytes reached a purity of 92.01 %. Both cell types were capable of forming organized capillary-like structures, and in co-culture systems, pericytes effectively wrapped around ECs. COMPARISON WITH EXISTING METHODS: Current isolation methods for ECs and pericytes from sciatic nerves are limited. Although techniques exist for isolating these cells from other tissues, they often rely on enzymatic digestion, which can damage cell surface proteins and reduce cell viability. Our method allows for the efficient isolation of intact ECs and pericytes from sciatic nerve tissue without such drawbacks, providing a robust platform for in vitro studies. CONCLUSIONS: This newly developed method offers an effective approach to isolate ECs and pericytes from the sciatic nerve, contributing a valuable tool for investigating the function and pathology of angiogenesis in the context of sciatic nerve injury recovery.
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.
