DeCure's autonomous Metabolic AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for plasma protein metabolism disease — screening already-approved drugs against its 10-gene Open Targets disease module to publish open-access research. Research is fast; the path to publication is funded in milestone stages.
Disease modulePlasma protein metabolism disease maps to a 10-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 plasma protein metabolism disease 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
serpin family A member 1 (SERPINA1) — SERPINA1 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 5rdrag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 1IZ2 · 2.2 Å · ligand (5R)-5-[(2R)-2-hydroxynonyl]-beta-D-xylulofuranose (Z6W). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
In a 1997 study of 49 neurology patients undergoing therapeutic plasma exchange, 1000 ml of 6% or 3% hetastarch was used as partial replacement for albumin. Among 33 procedures with 6% hetastarch and 289 procedures with 3% hetastarch, total protein dropped but other lab values returned to normal within 48 hours. One patient reported slight peripheral oedema. Blood pressure and pulse remained stable in 97.3% of procedures with 3% hetastarch. Two patients on 6% and one on 3% reported severe transient back and head pain during infusion. No bleeding or subjective changes were observed. The authors concluded that 3% hetastarch is a safe and cost-effective partial replacement for albumin during TPE.
A 1942 paper argued that surgical shock from haemorrhage, tissue trauma, burns, intestinal obstruction, strangulation, and general peritonitis share an acute loss of plasma, which is essentially a protein-containing fluid. The author proposed approaching therapy biochemically, treating the condition as an acute protein deficiency rather than simply acute hypoproteinaemia. No clinical trial data or quantitative outcomes were provided in the abstract.
A 2024 review of 64 papers examined the adipokine FAM19A5 (TAFA-5) as a potential biomarker of metabolic disorders. Serum levels of FAM19A5 were decreased in obese children compared with healthy controls, and negative correlations were found with body mass index and fasting insulin. Serum FAM19A5 correlated with type 2 diabetes, waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, glutamic pyruvic transferase, fasting plasma glucose, HbA1c, and mean shoulder pulse wave velocity. Expression was reduced in obese mice. However, the review concluded that the available data are unclear or contradictory, and that FAM19A5 cannot currently be considered a biomarker of metabolic syndrome or metabolic disorders.
A 1959 paper by Kaplanskiy on disorders of amino acid metabolism in protein deficiencies and their correction is listed with no abstract or results. A 1975 book on clinical aspects of plasma proteins is described as an encyclopedic listing covering interpretation of electrophoretic patterns and technical causes of variation in plasma protein measurements, with fundamental aspects of protein metabolism covered only briefly.
Evidence
Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.
Journal of Clinical Apheresis · 1997 · 19 citations
Partial colloid starch replacement for therapeutic plasma exchange
AbstractTraditionally protein solutions have been used as the replacement solution of choice during therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE). Treatment protocols vary, but neurology patients, who exhibit autonomic instability, are typically replaced entirely with 5% protein solution. Due to sporadic product shortages and the increasing cost of protein solutions, we evaluated the use of 6% and 3% hetastarch (HES) as partial replacement during TPE. All adult neurology patients with normal liver, heart, and kidney function were evaluated for HES replacement. The first seven patients (33 procedures) received 1000 ml of 6% hetastarch as part of their replacement fluid and the next 42 patients (289 procedures) received 1000 ml of 3% HES as part of their replacement fluid. Three patients crossed over into both groups. Patients were evaluated for signs of peripheral edema, evidence of bleeding, skin rash, and any subjective changes. Total protein albumin, osmolality, PT, and aPTT were measured prior to each procedure in the first five patients in each group. In both groups there was a drop in total protein, but all other lab values returned to normal limits within 48 hours of treatment. One patient reported slight peripheral edema after two procedures. In the 3% HES group the BP and P remained stable in 97.3% (280) procedures. Two patients receiving 6% HES and 1 patient receiving 3% HES complained of severe transient back and head pain during HES infusion. There was no evidence of bleeding or subjective changes. Three percent HES is a safe and cost-effective partial replacement for albumin during TPE.
ACUTE PROTEIN DEFICIENCY (HYPOPROTEINEMIA) IN SURGICAL SHOCK
AbstractThe war has emphasized the importance of surgical shock in such injuries as severe hemorrhage and tissue trauma and has led to many advances in its treatment. Moreover, this increased interest has thrown much light on many other related clinical conditions in civil as well as military surgery, such as burns, intestinal obstruction, strangulation and general peritonitis. Because an acute protein deficiency is shared by these various conditions, I wish to approach their therapy biochemically rather than physiologically. Moreover, this point of view has been generally neglected and leads, I believe, to much of practical value. Acute protein deficiency is shared by these conditions because they all suffer in common from an acute loss of plasma, which is essentially a protein-containing fluid. There are several reasons why this loss of plasma protein should be studied as an acute protein deficiency rather than simply as acute hypoproteinemia. In the first place
Diabetes Metabolic Syndrome and Obesity · 2024 · 6 citations · open access
Can Adipokine FAM19A5 Be a Biomarker of Metabolic Disorders?
AbstractAim: One of the most critical functions of adipose tissue is the production of adipokines, ie, numerous active substances that regulate metabolism. One is the newly discovered FAM19A5, whose older name is TAFA-5. Purpose: The study aimed to review the literature on the FAM19A5 protein. Methods: The review was conducted in December 2023 using the PubMed (Medline) search engine. Sixty-four papers were included in the review. Results: This protein exhibits the characteristics of an adipokine with positive features for maintaining homeostasis. The results showed that FAM19A5 was highly expressed in adipose tissue, with mild to moderate expression in the brain and ovary. FAM19A5 may also inhibit vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation and migration through the perivascular adipose tissue paracrine pathway. Serum levels of FAM19A5 were decreased in obese children compared with healthy controls. There are negative correlations between FAM19A5, body mass index, and fasting insulin. Serum FAM19A5 level is correlated with type 2 diabetes, waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, glutamic pyruvic transferase, fasting plasma glucose, HbA1c, and mean shoulder pulse wave velocity. FAM19A5 expression was reduced in mice with obesity. However, the data available needs to be clarified or contradictory. Conclusion: Considering today's knowledge about FAM19A5, we cannot consider this protein as a biomarker of the metabolic syndrome. According to current knowledge, FAM19A5 cannot be considered a marker of metabolic disorders because the results of studies conducted in this area are unclear.
Disorders of Amino Acid Metabolism in Protein Deficiencies and Their Correction
AbstractJournal Article Disorders of Amino Acid Metabolism in Protein Deficiencies and Their Correction Get access S Ya Kaplanskiy S Ya Kaplanskiy Voprosy Meditsinskoi Khimii (Problems in Medical Chemistry) 3 (5), 340 (1957) Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Clinical Chemistry, Volume 5, Issue 3, 1 June 1959, Pages 186–202, https://doi.org/10.1093/clinchem/5.3.186 Published: 01 June 1959
Archives of Internal Medicine · 1975 · 2 citations
Clinical Aspects of the Plasma Proteins
AbstractIn assembling this book, the author has brought together in one volume an enormous amount of information on the proteins of serum and other body fluids. The subject matter is broadly presented and ranges from protein cell biology to the interpretation of electrophoretic patterns in specific diseases. The high points of this effort deal with those aspects of proteinology that Kawai, a practicing clinical pathologist, is familiar with on a day-to-day basis in the laboratory, as, for example, the interpretation of serum electrophoretic and immunoelectrophoretic patterns and a discussion of the technical causes of variations in the measurements of plasma proteins. More fundamental aspects of protein metabolism, such as dynamic equilibrium, are covered in an abbreviated fashion and are appropriately reserved for a basic science text. The first part of the book deals with the properties of the individual plasma proteins and is essentially an encyclopedic listing of the physical
Oxford University Press eBooks · 2010 · 1 citations
Protein-dependent inborn errors of metabolism
AbstractProtein-dependent inborn errors of metabolism are caused by inherited enzyme defects of catabolic pathways or intracellular transport of amino acids. Most result in an accumulation of metabolites upstream of the defective enzyme (amino acids and/or ammonia), causing intoxication. Protein-dependent metabolic diseases usually have a low prevalence except for some high-risk communities with high consanguinity rates. However, the cumulative prevalence of these disorders is considerable (i.e. at least >1:2000 newborns) and represents an important challenge for all public health systems....
The AMA Journal of Ethic · 2016 · 0 citations · open access
Elective Transplantation for MMA Patients: How Ought Patients' Needs for Organs to be Prioritized when Transplantation Is Not their Only Available Treatment?
AbstractMethylmalonic acidaemia (MMA) is an autosomal recessive inborn error of metabolism that presents in infancy with episodes of metabolic acidosis (i.e., buildup of methylmalonic acid and other harmful substances in the blood) that can lead to intellectual disability, chronic kidney disease, and, in some cases without treatment, coma and death. Long-term symptom management requires a protein-restrictive diet, but patients can still suffer from recurrent metabolic crises, chronic renal disease, and neurologic disorders Despite advances in research and improved understanding of the disease process, long-term management remains a burden for patients and families, and at significant cost
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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