DeCure's autonomous Dermatology AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for pemphigus foliaceus — screening already-approved drugs against its 1-gene Open Targets disease module to publish open-access research. Research is fast; the path to publication is funded in milestone stages.
Disease modulePemphigus foliaceus maps to a 1-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 pemphigus foliaceus 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
RAN, member RAS oncogene family (RAN) — RAN 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 gdpdrag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 7MO5 · 1.55 Å · ligand GUANOSINE-5'-DIPHOSPHATE (GDP). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
Three uncomplicated cases of pemphigus were clinically controlled by dapsone in a 1976 report. Improvement was associated with decreasing titres of circulating intercellular antibodies. The sera from one case of pemphigus foliaceus contained intercellular antibodies found in the Malpighian and basal cell layers using the fluorescent technique and in the granular layer using the peroxidase technique. The authors suggested that intercellular antibodies in pemphigus vulgaris and pemphigus foliaceus are similar but bind at different anatomical sites.
A 2011 report described pemphigus foliaceus successfully treated with colchicine and topical corticosteroid. The authors noted that the most effective therapy for pemphigus foliaceus is oral corticosteroids alone or in combination with immunosuppressive agents, but that alternative treatments are needed when side effects of these are significant. A 2007 review stated that corticosteroids remain a standard primary therapy for pemphigus vulgaris and pemphigus foliaceus, but that the dose needed to control disease frequently results in steroid-related toxicity. Most authorities advocate adding a steroid-sparing agent early, but there is little consensus on which agent to use. The review noted two studies addressing this controversy, in which investigators in Tehran assigned 120 new patients with pemphigus vulgaris to one of four treatment regimens, 30 patients each.
A 2006 treatment update noted that pemphigus is a group of rare autoimmune mucocutaneous bullous diseases with potential significant morbidity and mortality. Systemic corticosteroid use and other advances have dramatically decreased the mortality rate, but the primary cause of morbidity and mortality is now complications from treatment. The goal of management is to induce and maintain remission with the lowest possible doses and fewest side effects. The update stated that there are still very few randomised, controlled studies to evaluate the true effectiveness of available therapies. A 1969 report of a 3-year-old boy with pemphigus foliaceus confirmed the diagnosis by demonstrating fixed and circulating pemphigus antibodies reacting with intercellular areas of stratified squamous epithelium, but found no direct correlation between antibody titre and convalescence. A 2014 case of localised pemphigus foliaceus with unilateral facial involvement in a 19-year-old female was described as a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge.
What is still missing are randomised controlled trials large enough to compare steroid-sparing agents head-to-head in pemphigus foliaceus specifically, and a clear biomarker that correlates antibody findings with clinical response. Patient stratification by disease subtype, localised versus widespread presentation, and prior treatment history remains unstandardised. Funding for multicentre trials that could settle the choice of adjunctive therapy 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.
British Journal of Dermatology · 1976 · 68 citations
Pemphigus controlled by dapsone
AbstractThree uncomplicated cases of pemphigus were clinically controlled by dapsone. Improvement was associated with decreasing titres of circulating intercellular antibodies. Interestingly, the sera from one case of pemphigus foliaceus contained intercellular antibodies found in the Malpighian and basal cell layers using the fluorescent technique and in the granular layer using the peroxidase technique. These findings suggest that the intercellular antibodies in pemphigus vulgaris and pemphigus foliaceus are similar but bind at different anatomical sites.
AbstractPemphigus is a group of rare autoimmune mucocutaneous bullous diseases with potential significant morbidity and mortality. The two main subtypes are pemphigus vulgaris (PV) and pemphigus foliaceus (PF). Systemic corticosteroid use and other advances in management have dramatically decreased the mortality rate for pemphigus. At present, the primary cause of morbidity and mortality is complications from treatment. Thus, the goal of pemphigus management is to induce and maintain remission with the lowest possible doses of medication and with the fewest side effects. Although our scientific knowledge of pemphigus is advancing and our treatment options are expanding, there are still very few randomized, controlled studies to evaluate the true effectiveness of the available therapies. Here we review the available treatment options and novel therapies for pemphigus and the supporting data.
Immunofluorescent Studies of Pemphigus Foliaceus in a Child
AbstractWe report the youngest patient with pemphigus foliaceus on record, a 3-year-old boy. Although there are reports of pemphigus foliaceus in childhood, the diagnosis is often difficult. In our patient the clinical and histopathologic diagnosis was readily confirmed by demonstrating fixed and circulating pemphigus antibodies, which react with the intercellular areas of stratified squamous epithelium as demonstrated by direct and indirect immunofluorescence. There was no direct correlation between antibody titer and convalescence.
Actas Dermo-Sifiliográficas · 2014 · 4 citations · open access
Localized Pemphigus Foliaceus with Unilateral Facial Involvement
AbstractPemphigus foliaceus is a superficial vesiculobullous disease that typically presents with widespread lesions. Localized presentations are less frequent, and they typically occur in middle-aged patients, following exposure to topical medications, and later on, become more disseminated. We present a case of a 19-year-old female with a localized presentation of pemphigus foliaceus unrelated to previous topical medications, that was a diagnostic and therapeutically challenging case. We also discuss the literature on localized cases, differences in presentations and responses to various treatment modalities. El pénfigo foliáceo es una enfermedad vesículo-ampollosa superficial caracterizada por la aparición de lesiones generalizadas. Las presentaciones localizadas son menos frecuentes y suelen observarse en pacientes de mediana edad tras la exposición a medicamentos tópicos que posteriormente evolucionan a formas más diseminadas. Presentamos el caso de una mujer de 19 años de edad con pénfigo foliáceo localizado no asociado a medicamentos tópicos previos cuyo diagnóstico y tratamiento han supuesto un reto. También analizamos la literatura existente sobre los casos de pénfigo foliáceo localizado, las diferencias en las presentaciones clínicas y las respuestas a distintos tipos de tratamientos.
Pemphigus foliaceus successfully treated with colchicine and topical corticosteroid.
AbstractAuteur(s) : Akiko Takahashi1, Chihiro Nishijima1, Koji Umehara1, Atsuhiro Kawashima2, Makoto Inaoki1 1Department of Dermatology 2Department of Clinical Laboratory, National Hospital Organization Kanazawa Medical Center, 1-1 Shimoishibiki-machi, Kanazawa 920-8650, Japan The most effective therapy for pemphigus foliaceus (PF) is oral corticosteroids alone or in combination with immunosuppressive agents. However, in cases where side effects of these treatments are significant, an alternative, [...]
AbstractCorticosteroids remain a standard primary therapy for patients with pemphigus vulgaris and pemphigus foliaceus. However, the dose of corticosteroids needed to control the disease frequently results in steroid-related toxicity. Most authorities advocate adding a steroid-sparing agent early in the course of the disease, but there is little consensus on which agent to use. Two studies address this controversy.
Investigators in Tehran assigned 120 new patients with pemphigus vulgaris to one of four treatment regimens (30 patients each):
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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