DeCure's autonomous Rare AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for paronychia — screening already-approved drugs against its 3-gene Open Targets disease module to publish open-access research. Research is fast; the path to publication is funded in milestone stages.
Disease moduleParonychia maps to a 3-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 paronychia 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
adrenoceptor beta 2 (ADRB2) — ADRB2 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 gtpdrag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 8GG0 · 2.9 Å · ligand GUANOSINE-5'-TRIPHOSPHATE (GTP). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
A retrospective review of nine patients with chemotherapy-associated paronychia treated with a topical solution of 2% povidone-iodine in a dimethylsulfoxide vehicle found that all nine showed complete or partial resolution. The patients had between 4 and 12 affected nails, and of 58 total nails, 44 (76%) resolved overall. The treatment was well tolerated. A separate case report described a 42-year-old woman with stage 2A breast cancer whose chemotherapy-induced paronychia was severe enough that stopping chemotherapy was being considered; the same topical povidone-iodine/dimethylsulfoxide preparation was reported to be very effective in alleviating signs and symptoms. Both publications note there are no FDA-approved treatments and no consensus on best therapy, and both call for randomised controlled trials.
A 2015 paper from Japan reports that, in the authors’ experience treating paronychia caused by oncology pharmacotherapy, only corticosteroid ointment and phenol chemical matricectomy significantly improved the condition. The paper states that effective treatments are few, especially for severe paronychia, and that dermatologists must perform appropriate treatments to allow patients to continue anticancer drugs without impairing quality of life. No patient numbers or response rates are given.
A 2024 case series of three patients with retronychia—a condition defined as proximal nail plate growing into the proximal nail fold with multiple nail plate layers, related to frequent microtrauma—describes cases in a 14-year-old female, an 18-year-old man, and a 30-year-old woman, all with painful swelling and stopped nail growth that did not respond to antibiotics. All three were treated with nail avulsion or onychectomy. The paper stresses that trauma is the most common reason for retronychia and that clinical diagnosis is the basis for treatment, which varies between surgical and conservative approaches.
What is still missing are randomised controlled trials for the povidone-iodine/dimethylsulfoxide preparation, larger prospective studies comparing corticosteroid ointment and phenol matricectomy, and any trial data for retronychia treatments beyond small surgical case series. No patient stratification by chemotherapy regimen or by severity of paronychia has been tested in a controlled design.
Evidence
Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.
Cancer Management and Research · 2017 · 18 citations · open access
Chemotherapy-associated paronychia treated with 2% povidone–iodine: a series of cases
AbstractBACKGROUND: Nail changes are known to occur during the use of chemotherapy for a variety of malignancies, particularly those treated with taxanes and EGFR inhibitors. There are currently no actively recruiting prospective clinical trials investigating potential treatments. There are also no US Food and Drug Administration-approved medical treatments for chemotherapy-associated paronychia and no consensus on the best way to treat these common chemotherapy-induced events. METHODS: A retrospective review of all cases presenting to a single dermatology private practice from June 2016 to January 2017 identified nine patients with chemotherapy-associated paronychia seeking treatment. Each patient was prescribed a topical solution comprised of 2% povidone-iodine in a dimethylsulfoxide vehicle that was prepared by a licensed compounding pharmacy. Patients were seen at 3 week and 6 week follow-up visits. RESULTS: All 9/9 patients demonstrated complete or partial resolution. The number of nails involved for each patient ranged from 4-12. There were a total of 58 nails affected in the case series, and 44/58 (76%) resolved overall. The treatment was well tolerated. CONCLUSION: The topical povidone-iodine/dimethylsufoxide solution described is very effective in alleviating the signs and symptoms of paronychia associated with chemotherapy. This novel combination warrants further investigation in randomized, controlled trials to further elucidate its clinical utility.
Effective treatments for paronychia caused by oncology pharmacotherapy
AbstractCutaneous adverse events are relatively common in patients being treated with molecular-targeted drugs. Paronychia is one of the cutaneous adverse events that influences the patient's quality of life because of pain, and it often affects anticancer treatments in severe cases. However, there are few effective treatments, especially for severe paronychia. Here, we present our experiences of treatment for paronychia due to oncology pharmacotherapy. Although we treated paronychia with various methods, only corticosteroid ointment and phenol chemical matricectomy significantly improved the paronychia. Dermatologists must perform appropriate and effective treatments for paronychia in order to enable patients to continue anticancer drug treatment without impairing their quality of life.
Clinical Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology · 2015 · 7 citations · open access
Chemotherapy-associated paronychia treated with a dilute povidone-iodine/dimethylsulfoxide preparation
AbstractBACKGROUND: Nail changes associated with chemotherapy in general, and particularly with taxane and epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitor-based regimens, are common presentations in our clinical population. Currently, there are no consensuses about therapies supported by clinical trials nor are there any US Food and Drug Administration-approved treatments for this indication. FINDINGS: A 42-year-old woman with stage 2A breast cancer presented to our clinic with chemotherapy-induced paronychia. Symptoms were severe enough that cessation of chemotherapy was being considered. The patient's chemotherapy regimen included doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, and docetaxel. CONCLUSION: The topical povidone-iodine/dimethylsulfoxide system is very effective in alleviating the signs and symptoms of severe paronychia associated with chemotherapy. This novel combination warrants further investigation in randomized, controlled trials to further elucidate its clinical utility.
International Journal of Surgery Case Reports · 2024 · 2 citations · open access
Trauma a major contributing factor of retronychia: Case series
AbstractINTRODUCTION: Retronychia is defined as a condition where the proximal nail plate grows into the proximal nail fold with the formation of multiple layers of nail plates. It relates to frequent microtrauma that affects the toenails, especially the big toe and it is less common on the fingernails. CASE PRESENTATION: Case 1: A 14-year-old female presented with nail growth stopped and painful swelling in her left hallux that did not respond to antibiotics. The patient had been traumatized at the same toenail. Retronychia was diagnosed, and nail avulsion was performed. Case 2: An 18-year-old man came with painful swelling and stopped growth in his right great toenail that did not improve with antibiotics. The patient had previously trauma the same toenail. Retronychia was diagnosed clinically, and nail avulsion was performed. Case 3: A 30-years-old woman presented with Inflammation and pain in her right toenail. She mentioned a previous trauma to her foot. Retronychia was diagnosed clinically and she underwent onychectomy. DISCUSSION: Retronychia is a chronic nail abnormity based on unresolved chronic proximal paronychia caused by disintegrated nail growth and several generations of nail plate localization underneath the damaged nail. The most common reason for retronychia is trauma which also happens after repetitive micro-trauma. Clinical diagnosis is the basis of retronychia. Retronychia treatment varies between surgical treatment and conservative treatment. CONCLUSION: This paper highlights the importance of considering retronychia as a potential differential diagnosis in cases of chronic paronychia, and stresses the significance of early detection to prevent complications.
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.
