DeCure's autonomous Respiratory AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for newborn respiratory distress syndrome — screening already-approved drugs against its 23-gene Open Targets disease module to publish open-access research. Research is fast; the path to publication is funded in milestone stages.
Disease moduleNewborn respiratory distress syndrome maps to a 23-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 newborn respiratory distress syndrome 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
gamma-aminobutyric acid type A receptor subunit alpha4 (GABRA4) — GABRA4 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 px6drag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 7QN5 · 2.5 Å · ligand 1,2-DIPALMITOYL-SN-GLYCERO-3-PHOSPHATE (PX6). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
A 1975 study compared 29 preterm infants whose mothers received the beta-mimetic drug ritodrine with 34 control infants. Five cases of respiratory distress syndrome (17 per cent) occurred in the treated group versus 12 cases (35 per cent) in controls, a difference that was not statistically significant overall (p = 0.09) but was significant for infants weighing less than 2300 grams (p = 0.01), which included all affected infants. A 1985 double-blind crossover study of eight premature infants recovering from RDS found that neither aminophylline nor doxapram was significantly better than the other in weaning from mechanical ventilation, though four infants were weaned after drug administration. By 1990, surfactant replacement therapy had emerged from clinical trials showing significant reduction in mortality and severity of disease in treated infants, with no evident adverse effects, and was being used in both prevention and rescue modes.
A 1999 report from Karachi, Pakistan, reviewed 200 consecutive infants with documented RDS. Of these, 156 (79 per cent) required assisted ventilation. Overall mortality was 39 per cent, with three additional deaths in early infancy after discharge. Mean hospitalisation for ventilated survivors was 24.6 days, and average cost per survivor was US $1,391. The authors noted that outcome could be improved with preventive measures such as antenatal steroids, appropriate intrapartal care, and early stabilisation after birth. A 2012 evidence-based review of pharmacological therapies for paediatric and neonatal acute lung injury and ARDS stated that these conditions still lack a definite therapy and carry high mortality and morbidity, with few evidence-based data available for neonatal critical care.
The 2019 European Consensus Guidelines on management of neonatal RDS note that RDS remains a significant problem for preterm babies, though management has evolved gradually. The guidelines are based on review of the most recent evidence available in late 2018. What is still missing are large, well-controlled trials for many proposed pharmacological interventions in neonates, particularly in developing country settings where resources are limited and outcomes remain poor. Patient stratification by birth weight, gestational age, and severity of illness is needed to identify which subgroups might benefit from specific drug therapies, and funding for such trials in diverse populations is lacking.
Evidence
Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.
BJOG An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology · 1975 · 93 citations
BETA‐MIMETIC DRUGS AND POSSIBLE PREVENTION OF RESPIRATORY DISTRESS SYNDROME
AbstractThe prophylactic value of beta-mimetic drugs in preventing respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) is investigated by comparing 29 preterm infants of ritodrine treated mothers with 34 preterm infants of a control group. Five cases of RDS (17 per cent) occurred among the infants of treated mothers as compared with 12 cases (35 per cent) in the control group (p = 0-09). The difference is, however, statistically significant for the group of infants weighing less than 2300 grams (p = 0-01) which includes all infants affected with RDS.
Pharmacological Therapies for Pediatric and Neonatal ALI/ARDS: An Evidence-Based Review
AbstractAcute lung injury (ALI) and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) are life-threating conditions still lacking a definite therapy and carrying a high mortality and morbidity, especially in children and infants. Albeit respiratory assistance and supportive therapies are crucial for ALI/ARDS, many drugs have been proposed to treat such syndromes through various mechanisms of action. On the whole the pharmacological therapy might play an important role in such a complex clinical situation but few evidence based data are available in pediatric and neonatal critical care. This review will focus on drugs directly available on the bedside, that is, medicines already administered in the practice or investigated in at least one clinical study. We will value the differences due to patient's age and the various causes of the syndrome, that may affect the response to the pharmacological therapy. A special attention will be given to the drugs directly deliverable into the lungs, as this strategy allows a total availability to the lung tissue. The experimental background behind each drug will be discussed and then clinical data in neonates and infants will be presented, if available. Data coming from adult critical care and thought to be somehow pertinent for the pediatric setting will otherwise be reviewed. Quality and evidence for or against each therapy will be evaluated according to the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network statement and practical reminders for clinicians will accordingly be provided.
Aminophylline versus doxapram in weaning premature infants from mechanical ventilation
AbstractA small, double-blind crossover study compared the efficacy of aminophylline and doxapram in ventilator weaning of eight premature infants recovering from respiratory distress syndrome (RDS). Although neither drug was significantly better than the other, four infants were weaned from mechanical ventilation after drug administration. It is suggested that drugs stimulating the respiratory center may aid in shortening the duration of mechanical ventilation in premature infants recovering from RDS.
AbstractDuring the past decade, significant advances in the treatment of neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) have been directly attributable to the emergence of surfactant replacement therapy. Using a variety of surfactant preparations, clinical trials have been accomplished in a number of centers on large numbers of infants. These clinical trials showed that there were applications of surfactant replacement both in the prevention mode, early in life, and in the rescue mode, once RDS is diagnosed. There were no evident adverse effects on the infants, and there was significant reduction in mortality and severity of disease in the treated infants. Currently, a large number of neonatal intensive care units are enrolling infants in treatment investigational drug (IND) protocols as defined by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) while the new drug applications are pending. Surfactant replacement therapy has numerous implications for neonatal nurses and will be part of all neonatal nursing skills in the near future.
Is management of neonatal respiratory distress syndrome feasible in developing countries? Experience from Karachi (Pakistan)
AbstractThere is a marked paucity of data on the prevalence, management, and outcome of respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) among newborn infants born in developing countries. We reviewed the clinical profile, presentation, mode of therapy, and immediate and 12-month outcomes in 200 consecutive infants with documented RDS admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi. One hundred fifty-six (79%) of these infants required assisted ventilation. Infants requiring ventilatory assistance had higher rates of maternal antenatal complications, were more frequently asphyxiated at birth, and were hypothermic on admission. The overall mortality was 39%, and a further 3 infants died in early infancy after discharge. The mean duration of hospitalization for ventilated survivors (n = 122) was 24.6 +/- 21.1 days, with an average cost of therapy per survivor of Rs 50,067 (US $1,391). While our experience from Karachi indicates that it is possible to provide successful respiratory support at comparatively low cost to newborn infants weighing >1,000 g with severe RDS, there is considerable room for improvement in outcome with the use of preventive measures such as antenatal steroids, appropriate intrapartal care, and attention to early stabilization after birth.
Interpretation of the 2019 European Consensus Guidelines on the Management of Neonatal Respiratory Distress Syndrome
AbstractRespiratory distress syndrome(RDS) remains a significant problem for preterm babies, although management has evolved gradually over the years.Since 2006, neonatal experts from many European countries have reviewed the latest literature every 3 years to reach consensus on the prevention and treatment of premature infants at risk of RDS or RDS, aiming at improving neonatal prognosis in Europe.The guidelines update the previous for guidelines after critical examination of the most recent evidence available in late 2018.
Key words:
Respiratory distress syndrome; Guidelines; Management
Archives of Disease in Childhood · 1981 · 0 citations · open access
The Intersex Child
Abstractventricular function, we have been unimpressed with the benefits of such diuretics as frusemide.In babies with pulmonary hypertension (raised RPEP/RVET ratio) tolazoline may be helpful though its action is unpredict- able.We reserve tolazoline for cases where arterial oxygen tension cannot be kept above 40 mmHg by other methods, which include mechanical ventilation.4We disagree with Chiswick and Sims in their suggestion ofadoption of the term 'maladaptation syndrome' (lo and behold another new name!) even if they try to determine aetiology without 'resort to echocardiography'.We believe that M-mode echocardiography has helped to clarify aetiology and prognosis of many of the respiratory syndromes of the newborn.5We reiterate the advice in the last sentence of our paper that these infants should be cared for in neonatal intensive care units where close monitoring and mechanical ventilation are available.
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.
