DeCure's autonomous Rare AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for measles — screening already-approved drugs against its 1-gene Open Targets disease module to publish open-access research. Research is fast; the path to publication is funded in milestone stages.
Disease moduleMeasles maps to a 1-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 measles 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
CD40 ligand (CD40LG) — CD40LG 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 tmodrag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 6W9G · 1.82 Å · ligand trimethylamine oxide (TMO). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
Measles remains a vaccine-preventable disease responsible for roughly 150,000 deaths each year. A 2013 review notes that herd immunity above 95% is required to prevent sporadic outbreaks, but declining disease prevalence and public anxiety over vaccine safety have led to increased vaccine refusal, especially in Europe, causing a resurgence of measles in some areas. The authors discuss whether adding effective measles therapeutics to vaccination could aid eradication, particularly for post-exposure prophylaxis of high-risk contacts of confirmed cases, to close herd immunity gaps caused by vaccine refusal or failure. They specify that any such drug would need to be safe, efficacious, orally available, shelf-stable at ambient temperature, and amenable to cost-effective manufacturing, as it would be used primarily in a paediatric or adolescent population.
A 2012 outbreak in a children’s hospital in Saint-Petersburg, Russia, involved 94 cases after measles was imported from the Chechen Republic. Three quarters of patients were children under 17 years old, and 75% of all cases were unvaccinated children aged 5 months to 14 years. Measles was confirmed by detection of IgM antibodies in 93.6% of sera samples. The genotype identified was D4 “Iran 2010”, which had circulated widely in Iran, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and parts of Russia from 2010 to 2012. The authors note that late diagnosis and isolation of the first patient facilitated transmission within the hospital, where most of the unvaccinated children were being treated.
In Italy during 2010, the National Reference Laboratory for Measles and Rubella received samples from 211 suspected measles cases. Serological and molecular assays confirmed 85% (180/211) as measles cases. Phylogenetic analysis of 139 positive samples showed co-circulation of genotypes D4 and D8. This laboratory surveillance activity was part of the WHO/Europe strategy to stop indigenous measles transmission by 2015.
No therapeutic drug for measles is described in any of these abstracts. The 2013 review only discusses the theoretical profile and potential role of a future therapeutic. What is still missing is the actual development and testing of such a drug, including funding for clinical trials, a clear regulatory pathway for a prophylactic use in children, and a strategy for patient stratification that accounts for vaccination status and outbreak settings.
Evidence
Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.
Expert Opinion on Drug Discovery · 2013 · 19 citations · open access
Synergizing vaccinations with therapeutics for measles eradication
AbstractINTRODUCTION: The measles virus is a major human pathogen responsible for approximately 150,000 deaths annually. The disease is vaccine preventable and eradication of the virus is considered feasible, in principle. However, a herd immunity exceeding 95% is required to prevent sporadic viral outbreaks in a population. Declining disease prevalence, combined with public anxiety over the vaccination's safety, has led to increased vaccine refusal, especially in Europe. This has led to the resurgence of measles in some areas. AREAS COVERED: This article discusses whether synergizing effective measles therapeutics with the measles vaccination could contribute to finally eradicating measles. The authors identify key elements in a desirable drug profile and review current disease management strategies and the state of experimental inhibitor candidates. The authors also evaluate the risk associated with viral escape from inhibition, and consider the potential of measles therapeutics in the management of persistent central nervous system (CNS) viral infection. Finally, the authors contemplate the possible impact of therapeutics in controlling the threat imposed by closely related zoonotic pathogens of the same genus as measles. EXPERT OPINION: Efficacious therapeutics used for post-exposure prophylaxis of high-risk social contacts of confirmed index cases may aid measles eradication by closing herd immunity gaps; this is due to vaccine refusal or failure in populations with overall good vaccination coverage. The envisioned primarily prophylactic application of measles therapeutics to a predominantly pediatric and/or adolescent population, dictates the drug profile. It also has to be safe and efficacious, orally available, shelf-stable at ambient temperature and amenable to cost-effective manufacturing.
Journal Infectology · 2014 · 2 citations · open access
Measles outbreak in the Children’s Hospital in Saint-Petersburg, 2012
AbstractMeasles was imported to Saint-Petersburg from the Chechen Republic by the patient admitted to the Children’s Clinical Hospital where the measles focus out of 94 cases was formed within the period of January – March, 2012. The typical clinical form of infection was revealed for all measles cases. The general signs of the infection were fever, rash, cough, rhinitis, conjunctivitis. Children under 17 years old consisted three quarters of patients. Among measles patients 75% of cases were the non vaccinated children in the age of 5 months – 14 years. Measles was confirmed by detection of IgM antibodies to measles virus in ELISA in 93.6% of sera samples. Molecular studies of the biological samples from the patient who was the source of the infection as well as from the other patients revealed the measles virus genotype D4 “Iran 2010”. This genotype widely circulated in Iran, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan as well as in some regions of Russia in 2010–2012. The later diagnostic and isolation of the first measles patient in this hospital facilitated the transmission of measles virus infection in the Hospital where the most part of the non vaccinated children were also treated.
Measles in Italy, laboratory surveillance activity during 2010.
AbstractINTRODUCTION: The European Regional Office of the World Health Organization (WHO/Europe) developed a strategic approach to stop the indigenous transmission of measles in its 53 Member States by 2015. This study describes the measles laboratory surveillance activity performed by the National Reference Laboratory for Measles and Rubella at the Italian National Institute of Health (Istituto Superiore di Sanità) during 2010. METHODS: Urine, oral fluid and capillary blood samples from 211 suspected measles cases arrived to the NRL from different regions of Italy for confirmation of the clinical diagnosis. Serological and/or molecular assays were performed; after molecular detection, positive samples were sequenced and genotyped. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: 85% (180/211) of the specimens were confirmed as measles cases and 139 of these were analyzed phylogenetically. The phylogenetic analysis revealed a co-circulation of D4 and D8 genotypes for the reviewed period.
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.
