Metabolic Lab · DeCure for X

DeCure for Mitochondrial complex IV deficiency, nuclear type 16

DeCure's autonomous Metabolic AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for mitochondrial complex IV deficiency, nuclear type 16 — 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 module1 genesLead labMetabolic
All cures
MetabolicDOID:0070501$DeCureMetabolic

The disease map

Disease moduleMitochondrial complex IV deficiency, nuclear type 16 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 mitochondrial complex iv deficiency, nuclear type 16 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

cytochrome c oxidase subunit 4I1 (COX4I1)COX4I1 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 peedrag to rotate · scroll to zoom

RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 9I6F · 2.95 Å · ligand 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine (PEE). Experimental structure, not a prediction.

What the evidence adds up to

The 2011 review of 149 patients with isolated complex I deficiency found 115 different pathogenic mutations across 22 nuclear genes, but no single gene accounted for more than 5% of cases. Many patients still receive no molecular diagnosis, and the authors state that additional disease genes likely remain undiscovered. The 2010 review notes that isolated complex I deficiency is the most common oxidative phosphorylation disorder in humans, with a birth prevalence of roughly 1 in 5,000. It describes the first successful treatment trials in patient-derived cell lines using chemical compounds that target cellular aberrations caused by complex I dysfunction, but emphasises that animal model studies are needed before human trials can begin. The 2024 update concerns complex III deficiency, not complex IV, and confirms that complex III disorders are the least common of the oxidative phosphorylation defects.

No abstract in this set addresses mitochondrial complex IV deficiency, nuclear type 16. No abstract mentions any drug tested in patients with complex IV deficiency, nor any clinical trial for that condition. The 2010 review of complex I deficiency mentions chemical compounds tested only in cell lines, not in living animals or humans, and gives no drug names, doses, or response rates.

What is still missing is any clinical trial data for complex IV deficiency, nuclear type 16. No patient-derived cell line work, no animal model, and no identified drug candidate have been reported for this specific nuclear subtype. The genetic basis of the condition itself is not described in these abstracts. Funding for basic research into the molecular pathology of complex IV assembly and for the development of animal models would be needed before any treatment could be tested.

Evidence

Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.

Human Molecular Genetics · 2010 · 95 citations · open access

FOXRED1, encoding an FAD-dependent oxidoreductase complex-I-specific molecular chaperone, is mutated in infantile-onset mitochondrial encephalopathy

AbstractComplex I is the first and largest enzyme in the respiratory chain and is located in the inner mitochondrial membrane. Complex I deficiency is the most commonly reported mitochondrial disorder presenting in childhood, but the molecular basis of most cases remains elusive. We describe a patient with complex I deficiency caused by mutation of the molecular chaperone FOXRED1. A combined homozygosity mapping and bioinformatics approach in a consanguineous Iranian-Jewish pedigree led to the identification of a homozygous mutation in FOXRED1 in a child who presented with infantile-onset encephalomyopathy. Silencing of FOXRED1 in human fibroblasts resulted in reduced complex I steady-state levels and activity, while lentiviral-mediated FOXRED1 transgene expression rescued complex I deficiency in the patient fibroblasts. This FAD-dependent oxidoreductase, which has never previously been associated with human disease, is now shown to be a complex I-specific molecular chaperone. The discovery of the c.1054C>T; p.R352W mutation in the FOXRED1 gene is a further contribution towards resolving the complex puzzle of the genetic basis of human mitochondrial disease.

https://doi.org/10.1093/hmg/ddq414
IUBMB Life · 2011 · 43 citations · open access

The molecular basis of human complex I deficiency

AbstractDisorders of oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) have a birth prevalence of ∼1/5,000 and are the most common inborn errors of metabolism. The most common OXPHOS disorder is complex I deficiency. Patients with complex I deficiency present with variable symptoms, such as muscle weakness, cardiomyopathy, developmental delay or regression, blindness, seizures, failure to thrive, liver dysfunction or ataxia. Molecular diagnosis of patients with complex I deficiency is a challenging task due to the clinical heterogeneity of patients and the large number of candidate disease genes, both nuclear-encoded and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA)-encoded. In this review, we have thoroughly surveyed the literature to identify 149 patients described with both isolated complex I deficiency and pathogenic mutations within nuclear genes. In total, 115 different pathogenic mutations have been reported in 22 different nuclear genes encoding complex I subunits or assembly factors, highlighting the allelic and locus heterogeneity of this disorder. Missense mutations predominate in genes encoding core subunits and some assembly factors while null-type mutations are common in the genes encoding supernumerary subunits and other assembly factors. Despite developments in molecular technology, many patients do not receive molecular diagnosis and no gene has yet been identified that accounts for more than 5% of cases, suggesting that there are likely many disease genes that await discovery.

https://doi.org/10.1002/iub.495
Journal of Inherited Metabolic Disease · 2010 · 31 citations · open access

Mouse models for nuclear DNA‐encoded mitochondrial complex I deficiency

AbstractMitochondrial diseases are a group of heterogeneous pathologies with decreased cellular energy production as a common denominator. Defects in the oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) system, the most frequent one in humans being isolated complex I deficiency (OMIM 252010), underlie this disturbed-energy generation. As biogenesis of OXPHOS complexes is under dual genetic control, with complex II being the sole exception, mutations in both nuclear DNA (nDNA) and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) are found. Increasing knowledge is becoming available with respect to the pathophysiology and cellular consequences of OXPHOS dysfunction. This aids the rational design of new treatment strategies. Recently, the first successful treatment trials were carried out in patient-derived cell lines. In these studies chemical compounds were used that target cellular aberrations induced by complex I dysfunction. Before the field of human clinical trials is entered, it is necessary to study the effects of these compounds with respect to toxicity, pharmacokinetics and therapeutic potential in suitable animal models. Here, we discuss two recent mouse models for nDNA-encoded complex I deficiency and their tissue-specific knock-outs.

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10545-009-9005-x
Journal of Inherited Metabolic Disease · 2024 · 9 citations · open access

Pathological variants in nuclear genes causing mitochondrial complex <scp>III</scp> deficiency: <scp>An</scp> update

AbstractMitochondrial disorders are a group of clinically and biochemically heterogeneous genetic diseases within the group of inborn errors of metabolism. Primary mitochondrial diseases are mainly caused by defects in one or several components of the oxidative phosphorylation system (complexes I-V). Within these disorders, those associated with complex III deficiencies are the least common. However, thanks to a deeper knowledge about complex III biogenesis, improved clinical diagnosis and the implementation of next-generation sequencing techniques, the number of pathological variants identified in nuclear genes causing complex III deficiency has expanded significantly. This updated review summarizes the current knowledge concerning the genetic basis of complex III deficiency, and the main clinical features associated with these conditions.

https://doi.org/10.1002/jimd.12751
Ressò de Ponent: revista de l'Ateneu Popular de Ponent · 2004 · 0 citations

El quarter de La Panera: vivències al seu entorn

AbstractMitochondrial diseases are notoriously difficult to diagnose due to extreme locus and allelic heterogeneity, with both nuclear and mitochondrial genomes potentially liable. Using exome sequencing we demonstrate the ability to rapidly and cost effectively evaluate both the nuclear and mitochondrial genomes to obtain a molecular diagnosis for four patients with three distinct mitochondrial disorders. One patient was found to have Leigh syndrome due to a mutation in MT-ATP6, two affected siblings were discovered to be compound heterozygous for mutations in the NDUFV1 gene, which causes mitochondrial complex I deficiency, and one patient was found to have coenzyme Q10 deficiency due to compound heterozygous mutations in COQ2. In all cases conventional diagnostic testing failed to identify a molecular diagnosis. We suggest that additional studies should be conducted to evaluate exome sequencing as a primary diagnostic test for mitochondrial diseases, including those due to mtDNA mutations.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ygeno.2013.04.013

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.