DeCure's autonomous Cardio AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for periventricular leukomalacia — 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 modulePeriventricular leukomalacia 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 periventricular leukomalacia 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
mucolipin TRP cation channel 1 (MCOLN1) — MCOLN1 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 1s,2sdrag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 7MGL · 2.9 Å · ligand N-{(1S,2S)-2-[4-(2-methoxyphenyl)piperazin-1-yl]cyclohexyl}benzenesulfonamide (ZB4). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
A 1996 case report describes an infant with periventricular leukomalacia whose only identifiable risk factor was hypocarbia, which persisted after extubation. The authors attribute the irregular tachypnoea to central neurogenic hyperventilation and state that sodium bicarbonate drip infusion was a very effective way to alter the set point of respiratory neuronal drive in that patient. This is a single case, not a trial, and the intervention targets the respiratory abnormality, not the brain lesion itself.
A 2000 Spanish review of 31 patients diagnosed radiologically with periventricular leukomalacia found a good correlation between the severity of the leukomalacia and the severity of neurological disturbances and mental retardation. The paper notes that periventricular leukomalacia is an anatomical diagnosis of hypoxic-ischaemic origin, seen in 5–10% of preterm infants as spastic diplegia or tetraplegia, and that the correlation between imaging severity and clinical severity is not absolutely clarified. The sample is small and the correlation, while present, does not establish a predictive tool.
A 2014 study of 35 children aged 1 to 4 years with spastic infantile cerebral palsy and periventricular leukomalacia found suppression of cellular immunity, increased oxidation/reduction activity of neutrophils, and increased TNFα levels in blood serum and saliva. An interrelation was observed between genome instability and TNFα content, suggesting active immunopathological processes. The study is descriptive, with no intervention and no control group; it identifies immune markers but does not test whether modifying them changes outcome.
One abstract (2005) is a duplicate of the 1996 case report and adds no new data. No randomised trial, no controlled study of any drug for periventricular leukomalacia itself, and no replication of the sodium bicarbonate observation exist in these abstracts. What is missing is any prospective trial testing a treatment aimed at the brain injury, any validated biomarker to stratify patients by immune or metabolic profile, and the funding to move from single-case or small descriptive series to a properly powered 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.
Pediatrics International · 1996 · 12 citations
Periventricular leukomalacia associated with hypocarbia
AbstractWe here report a case of periventricular leukomalacia (PVL) associated with hypocarbia which remained even after extubation. The patient had no risk factors affecting PVL development other than hypocarbia. We consider that the irregular tachypnea, which remained after extubation might be attributable to overdriving of ventilation of central neurogenic origin. Our patient's clinical course suggests that sodium bicarbonate drip infusion is a very effective way to alter the set point of respiratory neuronal drive of the patient with central neurogenic hyperventilation.
Leucomalacia periventricular: secuelas neurológicas, radiológicas y repercusiones neuropsicológicas a largo plazo
AbstractINTRODUCTION: Periventricular leukomalacia is an anatomical diagnosis made by neuroimaging technics, of hypoxic-ischemic origin and a characteristic neurological syndrome consisting in cerebral palsy, visual impairment and/or mental retardation. Is more frequently seen in pre-term infant (5-10%) as a spastic diplegia or tetraplegia. Real prevalence in a-term infant is unknown and is presented as hemiplegia. The correlation between periventricular leukomalacia severity and clinical severity is not absolutely clarified. Is not still known if we can predict mental retardation in an infant with periventricular leukomalacia on magnetic resonance image. DEVELOPMENT: This paper revise the clinical and radiological diagnosis of periventricular leukomalacia and shows the results of a series of 31 patients diagnosed radiologically of periventricular leukomalacia. We correlate the degree of neurological and mental disabilities with the severity of periventricular leukomalacia. CONCLUSION: We reach a good correlation between the severity of periventricular leukomalacia and the severity of neurological disturbances and mental retardation.
Medical Immunology (Russia) · 2014 · 1 citations · open access
CLINICO-IMMUNOLOGIC AND CYTOGENETIC ASPECTS OF PATHOGENESIS IN SPASTIC INFANTILE CEREBRAL PARALYSIS
AbstractOver recent years of studies in infantile cerebral paralysis (ICP), the changes in periventricular area are given great importance, especially, periventricular leukomalacia. An immunopathological process may define the prenatal brain damage. We performed a clinicalytogenetic and immunological evaluation, including subpopulation analysis of lymphocytes, functional activity of phagocytes, quantitative content of TNFα in blood serum and saliva in thirty-five ICP patients (1 to 4 years old). This study has shown suppression of cellular immunity, increase in oxidation/reduction activity of neutrophils, and increased TNFα levels in peripheral blood serum and salivary fluid in cases of periventricular leukomalacia that resulted into ICP. An interrelation was revealed between the levels of genome instability and TNFα content, thus suggesting involvement of active immunopathological processes in those patients with ICP who develops periventricular leukomalacia.
American Ceramic Society bulletin · 2005 · 0 citations
New Heating Element System Used In Forehearth Redesign
AbstractWe here report a case of periventricular leukomalacia (PVL) associated with hypocarbia which remained even after extubation. The patient had no risk factors affecting PVL development other than hypocarbia. We consider that the irregular tachypnea, which remained after extubation might be attributable to overdriving of ventilation of central neurogenic origin. Our patient's clinical course suggests that sodium bicarbonate drip infusion is a very effective way to alter the set point of respiratory neuronal drive of the patient with central neurogenic hyperventilation.
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.
