DeCure's autonomous AMR AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for malaria — screening already-approved drugs against its 46-gene Open Targets disease module to publish open-access research. Research is fast; the path to publication is funded in milestone stages.
Disease moduleMalaria maps to a 46-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 malaria 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
ABO, alpha 1-3-N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferase and alpha 1-3-galactosyltransferase (ABO) — ABO 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 6-deoxy-alpha-l-galactopyranosyldrag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 4Y63 · 1.3 Å · ligand octyl 2-O-(6-deoxy-alpha-L-galactopyranosyl)-beta-D-galactopyranoside (BHE). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
Malaria remains a leading cause of death, particularly in Africa, with over 233 million cases and approximately 580,000 deaths recorded on the continent in 2022. Resistance to Artemisinin-based combination therapies has created an urgent need for new approaches. Drug repurposing, which identifies novel uses for existing medications, is one such approach. An in silico study from 2024 screened drugs from 14 classes — including antibiotics, antihypertensives, anticancer drugs, and antivirals — against seven Plasmodium falciparum targets using molecular docking simulations with Autodock Vina. The targets included lactate dehydrogenase, transketolase, dihydroorotate dehydrogenase, falcipain 2, falcipain 3, plasmepsin 11, and plasmepsin 1V. The resulting binding affinities were reported in an accompanying file, but the abstract provides no numerical results, no ranking of drugs, and no validation of any candidate in living parasites or animals.
A 2025 review examined the emerging role of Imatinib, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor used for chronic myeloid leukaemia, in malaria management. Across nine studies reviewed, Imatinib showed a decline in parasite density, pyrexia, and parasite growth inhibition, as well as synergism with artesunate. No adverse drug-related events were reported. However, the review notes varying sample sizes, dosages, and follow-up data across the studies, and calls for future randomised controlled trials with larger sample sizes and possible combination therapies. The evidence remains preliminary, based on small studies and in vitro work, not on large-scale clinical confirmation.
Other abstracts in the set do not report drug efficacy data. A 2011 paper discusses biomarkers for susceptibility and disease severity but offers no drug results. A 1998 paper reviews challenges in developing causal prophylactic drugs but provides no new data. A 2015 review lists new targets in malaria chemotherapy but gives no experimental outcomes. None of these three abstracts contain numbers on survival, response rates, or sample sizes relevant to drug repurposing.
What is still missing are large, randomised controlled trials that test repurposed candidates in patients with malaria, particularly in children and pregnant women. The in silico predictions need experimental validation in parasite cultures and animal models before human studies can begin. No drug mentioned in these abstracts has been shown to be effective for malaria in a definitive clinical 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.
Future Microbiology · 2015 · 48 citations
Fosmidomycin as an Antimalarial Drug: A Meta-Analysis of Clinical Trials
AbstractWith first indications of resistance against artemisinin compounds, the development of novel alternative antimalarials remains an urgent need. One candidate is fosmidomycin (Fos), a phosphonic acid derivative. This PRISMA guideline-adhering and PROSPERO-registered systematic review and meta-analysis provides an overview of the state-of-the-art of the clinical development of Fos as an antimalarial. Pooling six clinical trials of Fos against uncomplicated malaria in African children yielded an overall day 28 cure rate of 85% (95% CI: 71-98%); a parasite clearance time of 39 h; and a fever clearance time of 30 h. In four adult cohorts, the corresponding values were 70% (95% CI: 40-100%), 49 and 42 h, respectively. Data suggest that besides the partner drug, formulation determines efficacy. We advocate further clinical development of Fos-combinations. PROSPERO registration number: CRD42014013688.
Memórias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz · 2011 · 37 citations · open access
Biomarkers for susceptibility to infection and disease severity in human malaria
AbstractDespite continuous efforts by both governmental and private initiatives to eliminate malaria, Plasmodium infections still result in millions of deaths annually worldwide. Approximately two thirds of the world's population lives in areas at risk for malaria Among the five Plasmodium species that can cause human disease, Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax represent the majority of infections. In fact, globally, P. falciparum has been responsible for the majority of malaria-associated mortality P. vivax is also more widely distributed than P. falciparum and has potential to cause morbidity and mortality amongst the 2.85 billion people living at risk of infection In Brazil, P. vivax accounts for up to 80% of the malaria cases Techniques for adequate malaria control are based on the development of sensitive diagnostic tools, effective treatments and the successful implementation of preventive strategies using bed nets and insecticides. Despite more than 40 years of tremendous investments, no reliable vaccine is available to prevent malaria, in part because Plasmodium parasites have evolved a number of evasion mechanisms that subvert host immune responses. Understanding the nuances of malaria immunopathogenesis is fundamental to the development of innovative approaches to reduce disease burden.
Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene · 1998 · 16 citations · open access
Challenges in the development of antimalarial drugs with causal prophylactic activity
AbstractIntroduction There is a continuing need for improved drugs for treatment and prevention of malaria. Drugs with causal prophylactic activity are especially useful for prevention of malaria in individuals with a limited duration of exposure in a malaria-endemic area. In this paper I compare the requirements for causal prophylaxis of relapsing and non-relapsing malarias and review some of the challenges to the development of new prophylactic antimalarial drugs.
Malaria Control & Elimination · 2015 · 13 citations · open access
New Targets in Malaria Parasite Chemotherapy: A Review
AbstractMalaria is a global health problem that causes significant mortality and morbidity annually and a serious problem to drug therapy and discovery as current anti-malarial therapeutics become increasingly ineffective. The need for new therapy for malaria is mandatory because of the emergence of resistance to most of the anti-malarial drugs. There are different approaches and targets proposed by researchers and scientist based on experimental data. Modern advancement in the biology of the parasite and different genomic techniques provide wide ranges of novel targets in the development of new therapy. Therefore, this review will discuss new targets in the chemotherapy of malaria parasite.
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · 2024 · 0 citations · open access
Drug Repurposing for malaria therapy: An in silico study
AbstractDrug Repurposing for malaria therapy: An in silico study Malaria, an endemic disease in Africa, is caused by five protozoan parasite species, with Plasmodium falciparum causing the most severe infections. In the year 2022, over 233 million malaria cases were recorded in Africa, resulting in approximately 580,000 deaths. Resistance to the World Health Organization's endorsed Artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACT) for malaria treatment underscores the urgent need for innovative approaches to combat this debilitating disease. Drug repurposing, also known as drug repositioning or reprofiling, involves the identification of novel applications or uses for pre-existing medications initially designed for distinct therapeutic purposes. Numerous drugs exhibit multiple biological effects, and their modes of action may be pertinent to ailments beyond their originally intended usage. Drug repurposing therefore entails investigating the prospective utility of existing drugs in addressing diverse diseases or medical conditions instead of creating an entirely new pharmaceutical agent. This study aimed at carrying out in silico screening of the drugs in the drug data bank for their potential antimalarial activity. In this study, drugs categorized into 14 drug classes, including Antibiotics (105), Antihypertensives (177), Anti-inflammatory (79), Anti-diuretics (11), Anticancer (25), Antidiabetics (16), Anti-asthmatics (80), Vitamins (118), Antiemetics (36), Antidepressants (72), Statins (14), Diuretics (115), Antifungals (88), and Antivirals (115), were downloaded from the Drug Bank (https://go.drugbank.com/). Chloroquine and dihydroartemisinin were used as the reference compounds. The drug structures, initially in SDF format, were transformed to PDBQT format utilizing OpenBabel 2.4.1 (https://openbabel.org/). Seven plasmodium targets, namely Plasmodium falciparum lactate dehydrogenase in complex with chloroquine (1CET), Plasmodium falciparum transketolase (3QVI), Plasmodium falciparum dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (6GJG), Falcipain 2 (3BPF), Falcipain 3 (3BPM), Plasmepsin 11 (3F9Q), and Plasmepsin 1V (ILS5), were retrieved in PDB format from the Protein Data Bank (https://www.rcsb.org/) and were converted to PDBQT format using Autodock 4.2 (http://mgltools.scripps.edu/). Molecular docking simulations of the drugs with each target were conducted employing Autodock Vina (http://vina.scripps.edu/) with grid parameters detailed in Table 1. The resulting binding affinities of each drug to individual targets are presented in the accompanying file. Table 1. Molecular Docking Grid Parameters S/N Target Center x Center y Center z Size x Size y Size z 1 1CET 34.792 15.612 18.721 56 42 62 2 3QVI 11.39 -8.53 -1.98 66 63 54 3 6GJG 11.94 -2.72 6.81 52 55 52 4 3BPF -47.49 -12.34 -12.62 73 59 59 5 3BPM -47.49 -12.34 -12.62 73 59 59 6 3F9Q 16.36 1.72 25.65 52 53 71 7 1LS5 -27.37 31.31 45.59 58 50 59
Tropical Diseases Travel Medicine and Vaccines · 2025 · 0 citations · open access
The emerging role of Imatinib in malaria management: a review of evidence and future directions
AbstractBACKGROUND: Malaria still remains one of the leading causes of death, especially in Africa, with one of the major struggles associated with eradication being resistance to antimalarial medications. Imatinib, a selective tyrosine kinase inhibitor used to treat chronic myeloid leukemia, has emerged as a potential pharmacological approach for malaria management. METHODS: This review synthesizes studies from the inception of the databases of PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, Cochrane, Web of Science, and Embase to February 2025, identifying key clinical trials and invitro studies conducted to assess the efficacy and safety of Imatinib in malaria. RESULTS: With varying sample sizes, dosage and follow-up data, the studies reported a decline in parasite density, pyrexia, parasite growth inhibition, and synergism with other anti-malarial medications like Artesunate. Across the nine (9) studies reviewed, Imatinib showed a favorable safety profile with no adverse drug-related events reported. CONCLUSIONS: We discuss the potential advantages and challenges of repurposing Imatinib for treating malaria, its pharmacokinetic profile, and its use in other patient populations, such as children and pregnant women. Future studies should focus on randomized controlled trials with larger sample sizes and possible combination therapies with other antimalarial medications.
Jurnal Kedokteran Diponegoro (Diponegoro Medical Journal) · 2023 · 0 citations · open access
CASE REPORT: PANCYTOPENIA IN SEVERE MALARIA WITH SUSPECTED HEMOPHAGOCYTIC SYNDROME AT ATAMBUA HOSPITAL
AbstractBackground: Malaria is a parasitic infectious disease caused by Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium vivax, Plasmodium ovale, and Plasmodium malaria. The signs of a malaria infection include fever, chills, anemia, and splenomegaly. In the Belu district, the incidence of malaria is still high. It’s about 10,6 per 1000 population. Objective: To describe a case of Malaria in one of patient in Indonesia.Methods: Case reportResults: A 61-year-old woman with Malaria with clinical manifestations as follow, fever, body aches, and chills felt since 3 days before hospital admissions. On the 4th day of treatment, plasmodium falciparum was found.Conclusion: A combination of anti-malarial medications (OAM) is used in the treatment of malaria with the goal of reducing plasmodium resistance to anti-malarial medications.
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.
