DeCure's autonomous Rare AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for pericarditis — 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 modulePericarditis 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 pericarditis 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
interleukin 1 beta (IL1B) — IL1B 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 5R8Q · 1.23 Å · ligand 1-methyl-N-{[(2S)-oxolan-2-yl]methyl}-1H-pyrazole-3-carboxamide (JGY). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
Acute pericarditis is a common disorder whose management is often troublesome, with frequent readmissions and increasing use of new drugs that have a doubtful risk-benefit ratio, often without an evidence-based approach. A 2007 review notes that frustration and management mistakes are common causes of a prolonged disease course, and that a vicious circle is fostered by the relative lack of clinical trials and evidence-based guidelines.
A 2021 case report describes a 40-year-old woman who underwent total pericardiectomy after multiple episodes of pericarditis refractory to optimal guideline-derived medical therapy, including anti-inflammatory and biologic agents. She continued to have relapsing symptoms even after pericardiectomy.
An observational study with a median follow-up of 4.8 years included 122 patients with idiopathic or post-pericardiotomy recurrent pericarditis. The median disease duration was 3.6 years, and the remission rate was 38.5%. Immunomodulatory therapy could be discontinued in 56.7% of patients. Use of NSAIDs and colchicine at the first episode was associated with a shorter disease duration, while age, female gender, and the use of corticosteroids or biologics during the disease course correlated with a lower remission rate.
What is still missing are prospective trials that test specific drugs in defined patient subgroups, particularly for refractory cases where pericardiectomy may not resolve symptoms. The observational data suggest that early guideline-adherent treatment may shorten disease duration, but the evidence base remains thin, and no randomised controlled trial has yet demonstrated a reliable strategy for achieving remission in the subset of patients who progress to chronic or recurrent disease.
Evidence
Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.
Future Cardiology · 2007 · 6 citations
Current and Future Treatment for Pericarditis
AbstractAcute pericarditis is a common disorder in several clinical settings, and may be the first manifestation of an underlying systemic disease. Disease management is often troublesome and concerns may arise regarding the fear of missing a specific etiology, the possible complications, particularly the evolution toward constrictive pericarditis, and the search for new drugs, following a presumed failure of current treatments. The response is often disproportionate, with extensive repeated diagnostic work-up, frequent readmissions and increasing use of new drugs with a doubtful risk-benefit ratio, often without an evidence-based approach. Frustration and management mistakes are common causes of a prolonged course of the disease and frequent consultations. A vicious circle is thereby maintained and is fostered by the relative lack of clinical trials and evidence-based guidelines. The aim of this paper is to review more recent studies and trials in order to develop a more evidence-based management of the disease.
Greater South Information System · 2021 · 0 citations · open access
Refractory Recurrent Pericarditis After Pericardiectomy in a Young Woman
AbstractPericardiectomy is the recommended treatment for patients with recurrent pericarditis and refractory symptoms despite optimal anti-inflammatory therapy. We present a case of a 40-year-old woman who underwent total pericardiectomy after multiple episodes of pericarditis that was refractory to optimal guideline-derived medical therapy, including anti-inflammatory and biologic agents, who continued to have relapsing symptoms even after pericardiectomy. (Level of Difficulty: Intermediate.).
Italian Journal of Medicine · 2025 · 0 citations · open access
P17 | Long-term outcome in patients with recurrent pericarditis: preliminary results of an observational study
AbstractBackground and Aims of the study: Recurrent pericarditis (RP) presents therapeutic and prognostic challenges. In this study we aimed to describe, in patients referred to our outpatient clinic for RP, the disease duration, the cases of prolonged remission (>6 months) without therapy, and the cases in which immunomodulatory treatments could be discontinued. Additionally, we sought to identify risk factors associated with an unfavourable disease course.Materials and Methods: This observational study included 122 patients with idiopathic or post-pericardiotomy RP, attending the Pericarditis Centre at Fatebenefratelli-Sacco Hospital. Data about the characteristics of the initial episode, recurrences, pharmacological transitions, timing of drug discontinuation and ongoing therapies at follow-up were recorded.Results: With a median follow-up of 4.8 years, the median disease duration was 3.6 (2.4-6.8) years, and the remission rate was 38.5%. Immunomodulatory therapy could be discontinued in 55 out of 97 patients (56.7%). The use of NSAIDs and colchicine at the first episode was associated with a shorter disease duration, while age, female gender, and the use of corticosteroids or biologics during disease course correlated with a lower remission rate.Conclusions: RP generally has a benign prognosis and remission is possible. Adherence to guidelines since the first episode is associated with a shorter disease duration; conversely, the use of immunomodulators, likely reserved for more severe cases, correlates with a longer course.
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.
