DeCure's autonomous Cardio AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for occlusion precerebral artery — screening already-approved drugs against its 42-gene Open Targets disease module to publish open-access research. Research is fast; the path to publication is funded in milestone stages.
Disease moduleOcclusion precerebral artery maps to a 42-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 occlusion precerebral artery 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
lipoprotein(a) (LPA) — LPA 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 2sdrag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 8TCE · 1.07 Å · ligand (2S)-3-phenyl-2-[(3R)-pyrrolidin-3-yl]propanoic acid (HWF). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
A 1994 study tested a balloon-expandable stent covered with a silicone sleeve in dogs. In 12 arteries, immediate occlusion was achieved, and at three months follow-up arteriography showed persistent occlusion with no device migration. In a bench test, mean flow rate in the occluded vessel dropped from 443 mL/min to 1.9 mL/min, and no migration was measured over a pulsatile pressure range of 50–300 mm Hg. That device was also used to occlude arteriovenous fistulas in six dogs, successfully in all cases.
For chronic symptomatic middle cerebral artery total occlusion, a 2018 case report described one patient treated with a drug-coated balloon rather than a stent, with a good outcome at one year. The authors noted that stenting carries a high incidence of symptomatic in-stent restenosis, and that the feasibility of drug-coated balloons for de novo intracranial atherothrombotic stenosis had not previously been described. They called for more studies comparing drug-coated balloons and stenting for intracranial revascularisation.
A 2025 review of flow-augmentation bypass surgery for cerebrovascular steno-occlusive disease lists the randomised trials that have evaluated it: the EC-IC Bypass Trial, the Carotid Occlusion Surgery Study, the Japanese Adult Moyamoya trial, and the Carotid and Middle Cerebral Artery Occlusion Surgery Study. The review does not report numerical outcomes from those trials, but notes that the procedure is indicated for moyamoya vasculopathy and for selected patients with chronic steno-occlusive disease and acute ischaemic stroke.
A 2022 case series of four patients with cocaine-related large vessel occlusion who underwent mechanical thrombectomy reported uniformly poor outcomes. Three patients initially achieved good revascularisation but then re-occluded due to atherosclerotic plaque; the fourth had persistent severe distal vasospasm despite proximal recanalisation. Rescue therapy with balloon angioplasty, stent placement, or intra-arterial vasodilator was ineffective in all four. All patients developed large hemispheric strokes, and two required hemicraniectomy for malignant cerebral oedema. The authors concluded that intracranial atherosclerosis secondary to cocaine use and vasospasm contributed to unsuccessful recanalisation and reocclusion.
Evidence
Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.
Radiology · 1994 · 15 citations
Vascular occlusion with a balloon-expandable stent occluder.
AbstractPURPOSE: To evaluate the effectiveness of a new vascular occlusion device. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The device was created by coating a balloon-expandable stent with a silicone sleeve that tapers to a blind-ended nozzle at its leading end. Once crimp-mounted on an angioplasty balloon catheter, the device is introduced over a guide wire through a small end hole in the nozzle. RESULTS: The device was tested for stability and occlusive ability. No migration was measured over a pulsatile pulse range of 50-300 mm Hg, and mean flow rate in the occluded vessel was reduced from 443 mL/min +/- 99 (standard deviation) to 1.9 mL/min +/- 2.7. Subsequently, 12 arteries were occluded in three dogs, and immediate vascular occlusion was achieved in all vessels. An arteriovenous fistula was created in another six dogs and was successfully occluded with the device. Follow-up arteriography at 3 months demonstrated persistent occlusion with no migration of the device. CONCLUSION: This new occlusive device offers immediate vascular occlusion with excellent stability.
Journal of NeuroInterventional Surgery · 2018 · 11 citations
Republished: Endovascular recanalisation with drug coated balloon for chronic symptomatic middle cerebral artery total occlusion
AbstractThe optimal treatment for patients with chronic symptomatic middle cerebral artery (MCA) total occlusion is not well established. In addition to medical therapy, vessel recanalisation with stenting has shown much promise, especially for patients with recurrent ischemic symptoms. Nevertheless, the incidence of symptomatic in-stent restenosis (ISR) is high, and is associated with an unfavorable prognosis. Drug coated balloons (DCBs) have been proven to be effective in treating and preventing ISR. However, the feasibility of DCBs for de novo intracranial atherothrombotic stenosis has not been previously described, especially for total occlusion lesions. Here we reported a patient with chronic left MCA total occlusion successfully treated with DCBs, with a good outcome at the 1 year follow-up. More studies are warranted to further compare the efficacy of DCBs and stentings for intracranial revascularisation.
Flow-Augmentation Bypass Surgery: Indications and Decision-Making
AbstractFlow-augmentation bypass aims to enhance blood flow to hypoperfused brain regions in patients with cerebrovascular steno-occlusive diseases. This surgical procedure is indicated for ischemic and hemorrhagic moyamoya vasculopathy and for selected patients with chronic steno-occlusive disease and acute ischemic stroke. Flow-augmentation bypass has been rigorously evaluated in randomized clinical trials, including the EC-IC Bypass Trial, the Carotid Occlusion Surgery Study (COSS), the Japanese Adult Moyamoya (JAM) trial, and the recent Carotid and Middle Cerebral Artery Occlusion Surgery Study (CMOSS). In this article, we examine the current indications and outline the diagnostic and therapeutic decision-making processes for patients with steno-occlusive disease who are candidates for flow-augmentation bypass surgery.
E-091 Intracranial atherosclerotic disease leads to poor mechanical thrombectomy outcomes in cocaine associated acute ischemic stroke with large vessel occlusions
Abstract<h3></h3> Cocaine through multifactorial pathogenetic mechanisms causes small and large vessel occlusions (LVO) leading to acute ischemic stroke. The optimal treatment for cocaine related LVO remains unknown. Mechanical thrombectomy (MT) poses a unique challenge and favorable outcomes are not widely reported.Material and methods: We report 4 patients with mild vascular risk factors and a common history of cocaine metabolites found on the presentation drug screen who underwent MT for MCA occlusions with subsequent failed recanalization or vessel re-occlusion due to intracranial atherosclerosis and severe vasospasm. Three patients initially had good revascularization but then reoccluded due to atherosclerotic plaque and the remaining patient had persistent severe distal vasospasm despite proximal recanalization. Rescue therapy either with balloon angioplasty with stent placement or intraarterial vasodilator was used in all patients and was ineffective. All patients had large hemispheric strokes and developed malignant cerebral edema requiring hemicraniectomy in two of them. Conclusion: In this case series, intracranial atherosclerosis secondary to cocaine use and vasospasm contributed to unsuccessful recanalization and reocclusion in patients undergoing MT with poor outcomes. Further studies are needed to ascertain strategies for improved outcomes in patients with LVO related to cocaine use. <h3>Disclosures</h3> <b>M. Memon:</b> None. <b>M. Kushnirsky:</b> None. <b>S. Koch:</b> None. <b>D. Yavagal:</b> None.
Open Access CRIS of the University of Bern · 2024 · 0 citations · open access
Endovascular management of acute stroke.
AbstractStroke related to large vessel occlusion is a leading cause of disability and death worldwide. Advances in endovascular therapy to reopen occluded arteries have been shown to reduce patient disability and mortality. Expanded indications to treat patients with large vessel occlusion in the late window (>6 h from symptom onset), with basilar artery occlusion, and with large ischaemic core at presentation have enabled treatment of more patients with simplified imaging methods. Ongoing knowledge gaps include an understanding of which patients with large ischaemic infarct are more likely to benefit from endovascular therapy, the role of endovascular therapy in patients who present with low National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale scores or medium or distal vessel occlusion, and optimal management of patients with underlying intracranial atherosclerotic disease. As reperfusion can now be facilitated by intravenous thrombolysis, mechanical thrombectomy, or both, the development of cytoprotective or adjunctive drugs to slow infarct growth, enhance reperfusion, or decrease haemorrhagic risk has gained renewed interest with the hope to improve patient outcomes.
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.
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