DeCure's autonomous AMR AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for Lung Abscess — screening already-approved drugs against its 26-gene Open Targets disease module to publish open-access research. Research is fast; the path to publication is funded in milestone stages.
Disease moduleLung Abscess maps to a 26-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 lung abscess 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
RAB28, member RAS oncogene family (RAB28) — RAB28 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 g3ddrag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 2HXS · 1.1 Å · ligand GUANOSINE-3'-MONOPHOSPHATE-5'-DIPHOSPHATE (G3D). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
In a 1983 randomised trial of 39 patients with community-acquired putrid lung abscess, clindamycin produced a shorter mean febrile period (4.4 versus 7.6 days) and fewer days of fetid sputum (4.2 versus 8.0 days) than penicillin. Four of 20 penicillin-treated patients developed pulmonary or pleural extension within 10 days; none of 19 clindamycin-treated patients did. Two additional penicillin patients failed after 20 days. Among patients followed to one month, one of four given penicillin for three weeks relapsed, whereas none of 13 given clindamycin for three or six weeks relapsed. Overall, only 8 of 15 penicillin patients who could be followed were cured, compared with all 13 clindamycin patients. The authors concluded that penicillin may not be optimal therapy for anaerobic lung abscess.
A 2001 German review states that empiric antimicrobial treatment for community-acquired aspiration-associated lung abscess should cover basic microbial patterns and consist of either an aminopenicillin/beta-lactamase-inhibitor or clindamycin. Because clindamycin’s spectrum is restricted to Gram-positive organisms, combination with a second-generation cephalosporin may be warranted. The review reports a clinical success rate of 75–90% with adequate antimicrobial treatment plus effective drainage, and notes that surgical intervention is rarely indicated except for severe pulmonary haemorrhage.
A 2024 review describes lung abscess as a necrotic cavity larger than 2 cm caused by bacterial infection, most often from oral aspiration. It lists antibiotics including clindamycin, ampicillin-sulbactam, moxifloxacin, carbapenem, and piperacillin-tazobactam. Non-pharmacological drainage is indicated for cavities larger than 6 cm, with options including percutaneous or endoscopic approaches. Bronchoscopy may serve both diagnostic and interventional roles.
What remains missing is prospective data comparing modern beta-lactam regimens directly with clindamycin in a randomised design, and any trial that stratifies patients by abscess size, causative organism, or presence of tuberculosis. No study in this set reports on cost, duration of intravenous versus oral therapy, or long-term functional outcomes such as residual cavity or pulmonary function.
Evidence
Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.
Annals of Internal Medicine · 1983 · 209 citations
Clindamycin Compared with Penicillin for the Treatment of Anaerobic Lung Abscess
AbstractThe clinical efficacy of clindamycin was compared with that of penicillin in a randomized study of the treatment of community-acquired putrid lung abscess. After starting therapy, patients treated with clindamycin had a shorter febrile period and fewer days of fetid sputum than patients treated with penicillin (mean 4.4 versus 7.6 days and 4.2 versus 8.0 days, respectively, p less than 0.05). Four of 20 patients treated with penicillin had clinically significant pulmonary or pleural extension of their infection within 10 days after starting therapy; this was not found in any of 19 patients treated with clindamycin (p less than 0.05). Penicillin treatment failed in two additional patients after 20 days of therapy. Within 1 month after treatment, 1 of 4 patients given penicillin for 3 weeks had relapse, but none of the 13 patients given clindamycin for 3 or 6 weeks, and none of the 5 patients given penicillin for 6 weeks had relapse. Overall, only 8 of 15 patients treated with penicillin who could be followed to the end of the study were cured, whereas all 13 patients treated with clindamycin who could be followed were cured (p less than 0.01). These results suggest that penicillin may not be optimal therapy for anaerobic lung abscess.
Therapie der ambulant erworbenen aspirationsassoziierten Lungenabszesse
AbstractThe management of community-acquired lung abscess associated with aspiration is based on adequate antimicrobial treatment and effective drainage. Empiric antimicrobial treatment should cover basic microbial patterns and consist of aminopenicillin/beta-lactamase-inhibitor or clindamycin. Since the spectrum of clindamycin is restricted to Gram-positive microorganisms combination treatment of clindamycin with a second-generation cephalosporin may be warranted. It is crucial to continue antimicrobial treatment until complete resolution of the abscess cavity and the corresponding infiltrates. Drainage is frequently present spontaneously. Additional techniques to ensure effective drainage include bronchoscopic and percutaneous drainage. These techniques are only infrequently indicated in case of clinical failure and of delayed cavity closure. Indications for surgical emergency interventions are mainly limited to severe pulmonary hemorrhage. The clinical success rate of adequate antimicrobial treatment together with effective drainage reaches 75 - 90 %.
Jurnal Respirologi Indonesia · 2024 · 0 citations · open access
Interventional Approach on Lung Abscess
AbstractLung abscess is a necrotic liquefaction process containing necrotic debris or fluid from the lung parenchyma tissue, creating a cavity of more than 2 cm caused by bacterial infection. The most common etiology of lung abscess is oral aspiration. With a high incidence of tuberculosis in Indonesia, Mycobacterium tuberculosis may also cause cold abscesses, although rarely reported. Several things can increase the risk of developing a lung abscess, such as oral aspiration, sepsis, and history of previous lung infection. The treatment for lung abscess was classified into two groups, the pharmacology group which uses antibiotics including clindamycin, ampicillin-sulbactam, moxifloxacin, carbapenem, and piperacillin-tazobactam; and the other group is non-pharmacology therapy including drainage which is indicated for patient with a size cavity of more than 6 cm. There are several options for drainage such as percutaneous or endoscopic drainage. Bronchoscopy may serve as a diagnostic and also intervention tool in lung abscess.
Disease module: DeepOracle (Open Targets). Approved indication: ChEMBL drug_indication (max_phase=4). Structures: RDKit from PubChem SMILES. Literature: retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works, 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.
