DeCure's autonomous Cardio AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for peripartum cardiomyopathy — 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 modulePeripartum cardiomyopathy 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 peripartum cardiomyopathy 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
dopamine receptor D4 (DRD4) — DRD4 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 aqddrag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 5WIU · 1.962 Å · ligand Nemonapride (AQD). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
Peripartum cardiomyopathy is defined by left ventricular dysfunction and cardiac failure without known cause, occurring in the final month of pregnancy and up to five months postpartum. The incidence in the United States has been estimated at 1 in 2,230 births and approximately 1 in 1,000 births worldwide. Mortality rates range from 3% to 40% depending on geographic location. The condition is considered rare and lethal, with little known about its cause. A 1997 workshop convened by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and the Office of Rare Diseases of the National Institutes of Health concluded that systematic data collection was required to answer basic questions about incidence, treatment, and prognosis.
The etiopathogenesis remains elusive, though it is generally thought to follow a two-hit hypothesis involving an underlying cardiomyocyte protein mutation resulting in apoptosis mediated by vascular and hormonal actions. There are no disease-specific therapies. Management is based on standard treatment for heart failure, repressing neurohormonal responses, and preventing long-term sequelae. Symptomatic patients should receive standard heart failure therapy managed by a multidisciplinary team, and subsequent pregnancies should be managed in collaboration with a high-risk perinatal centre.
Ventricular function recovery and rates of recurrence vary by ethnicity and geography. Overall prognosis is reported as good in the majority of cases, though some patients progress to irreversible heart failure. Early diagnosis is considered important, and effective treatment is said to reduce mortality and increase the chance of complete recovery of ventricular systolic function. However, these claims of improved outcomes with early treatment are not supported by controlled trial data in the abstracts provided. The condition is often under-recognised in clinical settings.
What is still missing is any large-scale registry that has been successfully funded and maintained to collect systematic data on incidence, treatment, and prognosis. No randomised controlled trials of any specific therapy for peripartum cardiomyopathy are reported in these abstracts. Patient stratification by ethnicity, geography, or genetic mutation has not been prospectively tested. The evidence base remains limited to case series and expert opinion.
Evidence
Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.
JAMA · 2000 · 857 citations
Peripartum Cardiomyopathy
AbstractOBJECTIVE: Peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) is a rare life-threatening cardiomyopathy of unknown cause that occurs in the peripartum period in previously healthy women. In April 1997, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) and the Office of Rare Diseases of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) convened a Workshop on Peripartum Cardiomyopathy to foster a systematic review of information and to develop recommendations for research and education. PARTICIPANTS: Fourteen workshop participants were selected by NHLBI staff and represented cardiovascular medicine, obstetrics, immunology, and pathology. A representative subgroup of 8 participants and NHLBI staff formed the writing group for this article and updated the literature on which the conclusions were based. The workshop was an open meeting, consistent with NIH policy. EVIDENCE: Data presented at the workshop were augmented by a MEDLINE search for English-language articles published from 1966 to July 1999, using the terms peripartum cardiomyopathy, cardiomyopathy, and pregnancy. Articles on the epidemiology, pathogenesis, pathophysiology, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of PPCM were included. RECOMMENDATION PROCESS: After discussion of data presented, workshop participants agreed on a standardized definition of PPCM, a general clinical approach, and the need for a registry to provide an infrastructure for future research. CONCLUSIONS: Peripartum cardiomyopathy is a rare lethal disease about which little is known. Diagnosis is confined to a narrow period and requires echocardiographic evidence of left ventricular systolic dysfunction. Symptomatic patients should receive standard therapy for heart failure, managed by a multidisciplinary team. If subsequent pregnancies occur, they should be managed in collaboration with a high-risk perinatal center. Systematic data collection is required to answer important questions about incidence, treatment, and prognosis.
AbstractPeripartum cardiomyopathy is defined by left ventricular dysfunction and development of cardiac failure without a known cause and occurring in the final month of pregnancy and up to 5 months postpartum. Peripartum cardiomyopathy is an important and steadily increasing cause of pregnancy-associated morbidity and mortality. The incidence of peripartum cardiomyopathy in the United States has been estimated recently as 1 in 2,230 births and approximately 1 in 1,000 births worldwide. The etiopathogenesis of peripartum cardiomyopathy remains elusive; however, it is generally thought to be from a two-hit hypothesis in which an underlying cardiomyocyte protein mutation results in apoptosis mediated by vascular and hormonal actions. Clinical recognition is integral to the management of this disease, because there must be careful exclusion of alternative etiologies. Although there are no disease-specific therapies, management of peripartum cardiomyopathy is based on treatment of heart failure and its symptoms, repressing neurohormonal responses, and preventing long-term sequelae. Ventricular function recovery and rates of recurrence of peripartum cardiomyopathy vary by ethnicity and geography. Mortality rates associated with peripartum cardiomyopathy range from 3% to 40%, depending on geographic location. In this review, normal cardiovascular adaptations in pregnancy are summarized and current evidence-based clinical management of the disease is discussed.
Current Cardiology Reviews · 2009 · 11 citations · open access
Peripartum Cardiomyopathy: An Intriguing Challenge. Case Report with Literature Review
AbstractPeripartum cardiomyopathy is a relatively rare disease, which can have devasting consequences and should be promptly identified and correctly treated. Overall prognosis is good in majority of the cases, although some patients may progress to irreversible heart failure. Early diagnosis is important and effective treatment reduces mortality rates and increases the chance of complete recovery of ventricular systolic function.We report of an interesting case with a favourable outcome and discuss about the clinical presentation, therapy and outcome of this condition.
Expert Review of Cardiovascular Therapy · 2015 · 2 citations
Improving outcomes in peripartum cardiomyopathy
AbstractPeripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) is a rare condition with a diverse spectrum of potential outcomes, ranging from frequent complete recovery to fulminant heart failure and death. The pathogenesis of PPCM is not well understood, and relatively little is known about its incidence and prevalence. PPCM is often under-recognised in the clinical setting. Early investigation and diagnosis with subsequent expert management may improve outcomes. The development of registries will allow this condition to be better characterised and may help answer crucial questions regarding its optimal medical and surgical management. This paper reviews the potential approaches to improve outcomes in patients with PPCM.
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.
