DeCure's autonomous AMR AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for parasitic infection — screening already-approved drugs against its 30-gene Open Targets disease module to publish open-access research. Research is fast; the path to publication is funded in milestone stages.
Disease moduleParasitic infection maps to a 30-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 parasitic infection 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
protein tyrosine phosphatase receptor type D (PTPRD) — PTPRD 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 flcdrag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 2YD6 · 1.35 Å · ligand CITRATE ANION (FLC). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
The 1999 review notes that for most parasitic diseases, existing therapeutics are often inadequate in administration, toxicity, or effectiveness, and that vaccines are far from market. The review identifies parasite genome analysis as the best prospect for finding new drug, vaccine, and diagnostic targets, and for understanding drug resistance, antigenic diversity, infectivity, and pathology. International mapping and gene discovery initiatives were underway for various protozoan and helminth parasites at that time.
The 2022 review of forward genetics in Apicomplexa infections states that forward genetic approaches have been used to identify host factors involved in resistance to parasitic infection. The methods reviewed include classical genetic screens, QTL mapping, GWAS, ENU mutagenesis, overexpression, RNAi, and CRISPR-Cas9 library screens. The review claims these screens have improved understanding of host resistance, immune regulation, and vaccine and drug designs for Apicomplexa parasites. The 2022 table document repeats the same text as the review abstract.
The 1981 book presents 47 case protocols of parasitic infection, each with history, physical and laboratory findings, clinical course, multiple choice questions on diagnosis and treatment, and a brief description of the parasite covering epidemiology, diagnosis, symptomatology, treatment, and prevention. The author collected actual cases.
No abstract reports a clinical trial of any specific drug, no concrete survival or response rates are given, and no drug is named as being repurposed. The 1999 review explicitly states that current therapeutics are often unsatisfactory, and the 2022 review describes genetic screening methods that have not yet produced a marketed treatment. What is missing is any evidence that these genomic or genetic screening approaches have led to a new drug reaching patients, any clinical trial data for a repurposed compound, and any patient stratification strategy that has been tested in a controlled study.
Evidence
Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.
BioEssays · 1999 · 73 citations
Genomics and the biology of parasites
AbstractDespite the advances of modern medicine, the threat of chronic illness, disfigurement, or death that can result from parasitic infection still affects the majority of the world population, retarding economic development. For most parasitic diseases, current therapeutics often leave much to be desired in terms of administration regime, toxicity, or effectiveness and potential vaccines are a long way from market. Our best prospects for identifying new targets for drug, vaccine, and diagnostics development and for dissecting the biological basis of drug resistance, antigenic diversity, infectivity and pathology lie in parasite genome analysis, and international mapping and gene discovery initiatives are under way for a variety of protozoan and helminth parasites. These are far from ideal experimental organisms, and the influence of biological and genomic characteristics on experimental approaches is discussed, progress is reviewed and future prospects are examined.
Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology · 2022 · 1 citations · open access
Forward Genetics in Apicomplexa Biology: The Host Side of the Story
AbstractForward genetic approaches have been widely used in parasitology and have proven their power to reveal the complexities of host-parasite interactions in an unbiased fashion. Many aspects of the parasite's biology, including the identification of virulence factors, replication determinants, antibiotic resistance genes, and other factors required for parasitic life, have been discovered using such strategies. Forward genetic approaches have also been employed to understand host resistance mechanisms to parasitic infection. Here, we will introduce and review all forward genetic approaches that have been used to identify host factors involved with Apicomplexa infections, which include classical genetic screens and QTL mapping, GWAS, ENU mutagenesis, overexpression, RNAi and CRISPR-Cas9 library screens. Collectively, these screens have improved our understanding of host resistance mechanisms, immune regulation, vaccine and drug designs for Apicomplexa parasites. We will also discuss how recent advances in molecular genetics give present opportunities to further explore host-parasite relationships.
Table_1_Forward Genetics in Apicomplexa Biology: The Host Side of the Story.docx
Abstract<p>Forward genetic approaches have been widely used in parasitology and have proven their power to reveal the complexities of host-parasite interactions in an unbiased fashion. Many aspects of the parasite’s biology, including the identification of virulence factors, replication determinants, antibiotic resistance genes, and other factors required for parasitic life, have been discovered using such strategies. Forward genetic approaches have also been employed to understand host resistance mechanisms to parasitic infection. Here, we will introduce and review all forward genetic approaches that have been used to identify host factors involved with Apicomplexa infections, which include classical genetic screens and QTL mapping, GWAS, ENU mutagenesis, overexpression, RNAi and CRISPR-Cas9 library screens. Collectively, these screens have improved our understanding of host resistance mechanisms, immune regulation, vaccine and drug designs for Apicomplexa parasites. We will also discuss how recent advances in molecular genetics give present opportunities to further explore host-parasite relationships.</p>
American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene · 1981 · 0 citations
Parasitic Diseases. Cases Studies
AbstractThis is an unusual little paperback book consisting of the presentation of the protocols of 47 cases of parasitic infection. Each protocol includes the essential history, physical and laboratory findings, and clinical course. There follow several multiple choice questions bearing on the diagnosis and treatment. The answers are then given together with the reasons therefor. Finally there is a brief description of the parasitic agent together with epidemiology, diagnosis, symptomatology, treatment, and prevention. For some parasites a few references are cited.The author has used the method described above in his teaching of clinical parasitology. The method is commonly used in the teaching of other fields in clinical medicine but not so commonly in clinical parasitology. The presentation of a case history followed by multiple choice questions is on the other hand commonly used in final examinations in clinical parasitology.The author has prepared his protocols well, evidently collecting those of actual cases.
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.
