DeCure's autonomous Rare AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for overnutrition — screening already-approved drugs against its 36-gene Open Targets disease module to publish open-access research. Research is fast; the path to publication is funded in milestone stages.
Disease moduleOvernutrition maps to a 36-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 overnutrition 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
alcohol dehydrogenase 1B (class I), beta polypeptide (ADH1B) — ADH1B 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 naddrag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 1U3U · 1.6 Å · ligand NICOTINAMIDE-ADENINE-DINUCLEOTIDE (NAD). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
The 2009 review identifies the IKKbeta/NFkappaB pro-inflammatory axis as a critical mediator of nutritionally-induced inflammation in overnutrition-related diseases such as obesity and type 2 diabetes. The authors state that a large body of research supports the concept that IKKbeta/NFkappaB represents a general cause of various metabolic dysfunctions under overnutrition, but they provide no clinical trial data, no survival or response rates, and no test of any intervention in human patients. The review is entirely mechanistic, describing tissue-specific programs of this pathway in peripheral tissues versus the central nervous system.
Two 2021 articles on marasmus and a 2025 prevalence study from Somalia define overnutrition as the excessive consumption of calories and nutrients beyond what is necessary for normal growth, development, and metabolic processes, noting that it can cause obesity. The 2025 study reports prevalence of malnutrition in children under five in IDPS camps in Hudur District, Somalia, but gives no concrete numbers for overnutrition specifically, and no drug or intervention is tested. The marasmus articles classify overnutrition as one of two forms of malnutrition alongside undernutrition, but again offer no treatment data.
No drug is mentioned in any of these abstracts. There is no evidence of any drug being repurposed, tested, or even proposed for overnutrition in these papers. The 2009 review suggests a molecular target (IKKbeta/NFkappaB) but does not test any compound against it. What is missing is any clinical trial, any patient stratification by metabolic phenotype, any funding for translational work, and any attempt to move from the described pathway to a therapeutic candidate in humans.
Evidence
Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.
Cell Cycle · 2009 · 79 citations · open access
NFκB-mediated metabolic inflammation in peripheral tissues versus central nervous system
AbstractObesity, type 2 diabetes, and the associated metabolic syndrome are known as the aggregate products from nutritional excess, and have become huge epidemics and represent public health problems in the developed world. Yet, there exist few successful approaches for the treatment and prevention of these complex diseases, in part because they are not well understood at the molecular levels. Recent research has revealed that many nutrient- and pathogen-sensing systems can be highly integrated, positing the regulatory system of immune response at the mechanistic interface between metabolic regulation and the development of overnutrition-related diseases. The underlying molecular processes have been associated with the basis of how nutritional changes trigger atypical inflammation and how metabolic inflammation affects the signaling and functions of metabolic tissues and cells. In this endeavor, the pro-inflammatory axis consisting of the nuclear transcription factor NFkappaB and its upstream kinase IKKbeta has been identified as one critical mediator that is responsible for nutritionally-induced inflammation, and a large body of research has been documented to support the concept that IKKbeta/NFkappaB represents a general cause of various metabolic dysfunctions under overnutrition. Here, we comparatively review the tissue-specific programs and actions of IKKbeta/NFkappaB in causing and promoting overnutrition-related diseases.
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · 2025 · 0 citations · open access
Prevalence of malnutrition of under five years old children in IDPS On Hudur District Somalia.
AbstractAll deviations from an adequate and most suitable nutritional reputation" resulting from particular nutrient deficits or diets based mostly on meaningless combinations or amounts of meals are referred to as malnutrition. Malnutrition comes in two flavors: overnutrition and undernutrition. The excessive consumption of calories and nutrients beyond what is necessary for normal growth, development, and metabolic processes are known as overnutrition. Obesity can be caused by overnutrition. Undernutrition, which is sometimes confused with malnutrition, is mostly caused by inadequate nutritional energy intake, although it can also come from illnesses that impede the absorption of essential nutrients. 2015, Havard Medical School.
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · 2021 · 0 citations · open access
Marasmus
AbstractExcerpt To maintain the physiological requirements of the body, it is essential to take a sufficient amount of micro and macronutrients; however, the overconsumption of micronutrients and macronutrients can also be harmful. As defined by the World Health Organization (WHO), malnutrition is an ‘inadequate or excess intake of protein, energy, and micronutrients such as vitamins, and the frequent infections and disorders that result’. The excess intake would be known as overnutrition, whereas an insufficient intake would be known as undernutrition. Undernutrition can be further classified according to the cause and presentation. The term ‘protein-energy malnutrition’ refers to acute malnutrition as a result of an insufficient intake of protein and calories. This includes the conditions of kwashiorkor and marasmus. Acute malnutrition is an inadequate weight relative to vertical height. Severe acute malnutrition is further divided into two main categories: marasmus and kwashiorkor. Chronic malnutrition, otherwise known as growth stunting, is characterized by linear growth (length/height) below the average for age. A micronutrient deficiency refers to a deficiency of the essential vitamins and minerals which are needed for physiological function and development. The main micronutrient deficiencies in developing countries are in iodine, vitamin A, iron, and zinc. Kwashiorkor is a severe manifestation of protein-energy malnutrition. It is associated with a poor-quality diet high in carbohydrates but low in protein content such that the child may have a sufficient total energy intake. Severe protein insufficiency leads to characteristic bilateral pitting pedal edema and ascites. Marasmus is a severe manifestation of protein-energy malnutrition. It occurs as a result of total calorie insufficiency. This leads to overt loss of adipose tissue and muscle. The child may have a weight-for-height value which is more than 3 standard deviations below the average for age or sex. A child with marasmus may develop pitting edema due to protein insufficiency, this is known as marasmic-kwashiorkor. This article will review the etiology, epidemiology, history, evaluation, and management of marasmus.
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · 2021 · 0 citations · open access
Marasmus
AbstractExcerpt To maintain the physiological requirements of the body, it is essential to take a sufficient amount of micro and macronutrients; however, the overconsumption of micronutrients and macronutrients can also be harmful. As defined by the World Health Organization (WHO), malnutrition is an ‘inadequate or excess intake of protein, energy, and micronutrients such as vitamins, and the frequent infections and disorders that result’. The excess intake would be known as overnutrition, whereas an insufficient intake would be known as undernutrition. Undernutrition can be further classified according to the cause and presentation. The term ‘protein-energy malnutrition’ refers to acute malnutrition as a result of an insufficient intake of protein and calories. This includes the conditions of kwashiorkor and marasmus. Acute malnutrition is an inadequate weight relative to vertical height. Severe acute malnutrition is further divided into two main categories: marasmus and kwashiorkor. Chronic malnutrition, otherwise known as growth stunting, is characterized by linear growth (length/height) below the average for age. A micronutrient deficiency refers to a deficiency of the essential vitamins and minerals which are needed for physiological function and development. The main micronutrient deficiencies in developing countries are in iodine, vitamin A, iron, and zinc. Kwashiorkor is a severe manifestation of protein-energy malnutrition. It is associated with a poor-quality diet high in carbohydrates but low in protein content such that the child may have a sufficient total energy intake. Severe protein insufficiency leads to characteristic bilateral pitting pedal edema and ascites. Marasmus is a severe manifestation of protein-energy malnutrition. It occurs as a result of total calorie insufficiency. This leads to overt loss of adipose tissue and muscle. The child may have a weight-for-height value which is more than 3 standard deviations below the average for age or sex. A child with marasmus may develop pitting edema due to protein insufficiency, this is known as marasmic-kwashiorkor. This article will review the etiology, epidemiology, history, evaluation, and management of marasmus.
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.
