DeCure's autonomous Rare AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for Lyme disease — screening already-approved drugs against its 9-gene Open Targets disease module to publish open-access research. Research is fast; the path to publication is funded in milestone stages.
Disease moduleLyme disease maps to a 9-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 lyme disease 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
matrix metallopeptidase 7 (MMP7) — MMP7 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…
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RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 2Y6D · 1.6 Å · ligand N-[(2S)-1-[4-(5-BROMOPYRIDIN-2-YL)PIPERAZIN-1-YL]SULFONYL-5-PYRIMIDIN-2-YL-PENTAN-2-YL]-N-HYDROXY-METHANAMIDE (TQJ). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
A 2015 RNA-seq study compared the transcriptional profiles of Borrelia burgdorferi B31 and Borrelia garinii SZ cultured in vitro. A total of 731 genes were differentially expressed between the two isolates, including those encoding lipoproteins and purine transport proteins. The fold difference in expression for B. garinii SZ versus B. burgdorferi B31 ranged from 22.07 to 1.01. Expression of the OspA, OspB and DbpB genes was significantly lower in B. garinii SZ compared to B. burgdorferi B31. The authors concluded that global changes in gene expression underlie differences in Borrelia pathogenicity.
A 2013 letter to the editor commented on a paper by White et al., noting that the abstract’s claim of a definite improvement in 28% of patients might mislead. The letter stated that patients who received longer treatment than recommended by published guidelines fared best, with 61% showing a definite improvement against only 20% of those treated with conventional regimens. No further details on sample size, drug identity, or trial design were provided in the letter.
A 2006 review described the dynamic proteome of Lyme disease, noting that the expression of genes encoding approximately 200 proteins is dramatically altered during transmission of the bacterium from tick to mammal or mammal to tick. No clinical trial data or treatment outcomes were reported in that review.
No drug is named in any of these abstracts. No randomised controlled trial data, no response rates, and no survival data are presented. What is missing is any clinical trial testing a repurposed drug in Lyme disease patients, any patient stratification strategy, and any funding for such a trial.
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 · 1991 · 234 citations
Lyme Disease: Recommendations for Diagnosis and Treatment
AbstractThe incidence and the endemic range of Lyme disease in the United States have increased steadily since the disease was originally recognized in Lyme, Connecticut, in 1975. Because of the varied clinical manifestations of this illness and the use of unstandardized serologic testing methods, diagnosis is often uncertain and treatment outcomes are often difficult to evaluate. The antibiotic regimens that are commonly used in clinical practice have changed rapidly. They show much regional variation with little critical comparison of treatment results. The clinical diagnosis and the literature on the treatment of the various stages of Lyme disease are reviewed. The reported data are supplemented with recommendations based on 15 years of clinical experience with this illness.
RNA-Seq-based analysis of changes in Borrelia burgdorferi gene expression linked to pathogenicity
AbstractBACKGROUND: Lyme disease is a global public health problem caused by the spirochaete Borrelia burgdorferi. Our previous studies found differences in disease severity between B. burgdorferi B31- and B. garinii SZ-infected mice. We hypothesized that genes that are differentially expressed between Borrelia isolates encode bacterial factors that contribute to disease diversity. METHODS: The present study used high-throughput sequencing technology to characterize and compare the transcriptional profiles of B. burgdorferi B31 and B. garinii SZ cultured in vitro. Real-time quantitative RT-PCR was used to validate selected data from RNA-seq experiments. RESULTS: A total of 731 genes were differentially expressed between B. burgdorferi B31 and B. garinii SZ isolates, including those encoding lipoproteins and purine transport proteins. The fold difference in expression for B. garinii SZ versus B. burgdorferi B31 ranged from 22.07 to 1.01. Expression of the OspA, OspB and DbpB genes were significantly lower in B. garinii SZ compared to B. burgdorferi B31. CONCLUSIONS: The results support the hypothesis that global changes in gene expression underlie differences in Borrelia pathogenicity. The findings also provide an empirical basis for studying the mechanism of action of specific genes as well as their potential usefulness for the diagnosis and management of Lyme disease.
AbstractARTICLE
ARTICLE
Sir,
The recent paper by White et al. 1 is notable on a number of counts and adds weight to the calls for further research that Lyme Disease Action has been making for some years.
The abstract, quoting a definite improvement in 28% of patients might mislead. It is worth drawing clinicians’ attention to the fact that those who had longer treatment than recommended by published guidelines fared best with 61% showing a definite improvement against only 20% of those treated with conventional …
Abstract<b>Copyright information:</b>Taken from "The dynamic proteome of Lyme disease "Genome Biology 2006;7(3):209-209.Published online 17 Mar 2006PMCID:PMC1557748. The expression of genes encoding approximately 200 proteins is dramatically altered during transmission of the bacterium from tick to mammal or mammal to tick, as exemplified by the changes in the proteins listed: ↑, upregulation; ↓, downregulation. Further details of individual proteins are in the text.
Expert Review of Anti-infective Therapy · 2008 · 0 citations
Management of Lyme disease
AbstractIt has been 30 years since Lyme disease was first described in a cohort of patients from Connecticut. An understanding of disease transmission, clinical manifestations and prevention strategies has been established. With the number of new cases increasing each year, it is important that clinicians are aware of the available treatment options. Most patients respond well to a course of treatment with a recommended antibiotic; however, for those patients who develop post-Lyme disease syndrome, the management is unclear. This review provides an overview of Lyme disease and the recommended treatment options available to physicians.
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.
