DeCure's autonomous Rare AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for pneumoconiosis — screening already-approved drugs against its 13-gene Open Targets disease module to publish open-access research. Research is fast; the path to publication is funded in milestone stages.
Disease modulePneumoconiosis maps to a 13-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 pneumoconiosis 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
protein tyrosine phosphatase receptor type T (PTPRT) — PTPRT 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 2-hydroxy-1,1-dihydroxymethyl-ethylaminodrag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 2OOQ · 1.8 Å · ligand 2-[3-(2-HYDROXY-1,1-DIHYDROXYMETHYL-ETHYLAMINO)-PROPYLAMINO]-2-HYDROXYMETHYL-PROPANE-1,3-DIOL (B3P). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
In a 2022 survival analysis of 15,402 pneumoconiosis cases in Jiangsu Province, China, spanning 1961 to 2019, silicosis accounted for 68.49% of cases, coal worker pneumoconiosis for 19.41%, and welder pneumoconiosis for 3.84%. Eighty percent of patients were initially diagnosed at stage I, 15.5% at stage II, and 4.5% at stage III. The overall average survival time was 14.74 ± 9.57 years, life expectancy reached 34.324 years, and total mortality was 19.89%. Average dust exposure period, average survival time, and life expectancy progressively decreased with higher stage at diagnosis, while age of onset and mortality increased. Dust exposure years, initial diagnosis at stage II or III, progression from stage I to II or I to III, and low economic level were identified as important risk factors for survival. The authors concluded that stage II and stage III pneumoconiosis may directly shorten survival time.
A 2023 report from China evaluated whole lung lavage (WLL) using follow-up data from 2020 to 2022, controlling for confounding factors with propensity score matching. The study found that WLL may improve some pneumoconiosis symptoms, but no significant enhancements were observed in overall health status or quality of life. The authors stated that the findings indicate limited efficacy of WLL in treating pneumoconiosis and suggested it should not be used as a standard treatment procedure.
A 1995 CT and pathologic study of 48 patients with occupational dust exposure described characteristic imaging findings for different pneumoconioses. In 21 arc welders, ill-defined micronodules concentrated in centrilobular regions were most common. In 19 graphite workers, small nodular hyperattenuating areas, interlobular septal thickening, and large hyperattenuating areas were frequent. Aluminium pneumoconiosis showed predominant reticular, nodular, and upper-lobe fibrosis. Hard-metal pneumoconiosis showed multilobular ground-glass attenuation and consolidation with shrinkage, corresponding to marked intra-alveolar desquamation and multinucleated giant cells.
What remains missing is evidence from randomised controlled trials of any drug or intervention that improves survival or quality of life in pneumoconiosis. The survival data come from a single Chinese province and may not generalise. Whole lung lavage, the only intervention assessed with modern methods, showed no meaningful benefit. No drug therapy was tested in any of these abstracts. Adequate funding for trials, proper patient stratification by disease stage and type, and validated endpoints beyond symptom scores are still absent.
Evidence
Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.
Radiology · 1995 · 114 citations
Uncommon pneumoconioses: CT and pathologic findings.
AbstractPURPOSE: To correlate the computed tomographic (CT) features of pneumoconioses with histologic findings. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thin-section CT scans obtained in 48 patients with a history of occupational exposure to dust and radiographic changes suggestive of pneumoconiosis were retrospectively reviewed. Histologic samples were available in 22 cases. RESULTS: The most common CT features were as follows: in 21 arc welders, ill-defined micronodules concentrated in the centrilobular regions (n = 15); in 19 graphite workers, small nodular hyperattenuating areas (n = 17) (ill defined or well defined, corresponding to macular lesions along the walls of bronchioles and nodules, respectively), interlobular septal thickening (n = 11), and large hyperattenuating areas (n = 10); in aluminum pneumoconiosis, predominant reticular (n = 2), nodular (n = 2), and upper-lobe fibrosis (n = 2); and in hard-metal pneumoconiosis, multilobular ground-glass attenuation and consolidation with shrinkage (corresponding to marked intra-alveolar desquamation and multinucleated giant cells with mural mononuclear cell infiltrate). CONCLUSION: Predominant findings are characteristic in each type of pneumoconiosis and are depicted at thin-section CT.
Annals of Palliative Medicine · 2022 · 11 citations · open access
Survival analysis of 15,402 pneumoconiosis cases in Jiangsu Province of China from 1961 to 2019
AbstractBACKGROUND: Pneumoconiosis has been reported as one of the major global burdens of occupational health-related diseases. The global prevalence had increased since 1990. Prevention and treatment of pneumoconiosis in the project of occupational health have been a priority of the action plan of Healthy China 2030. METHODS: A life table was used to explore the survival and fatality rate of pneumoconiosis. Using Cox proportional hazards regression model, the factors of survival time were investigated. RESULTS: A total of 15,402 cases had several species of pneumoconiosis, including silicosis, coal worker pneumoconiosis and welder pneumoconiosis that accounted for 68.49%, 19.41% and 3.84% of total pneumoconiosis, respectively. Eighty percent of cases were initially diagnosed at stage I, 15.5% at stage II, and 4.5% at stage III. The overall average survival time was determined as 14.74±9.57 years, the life expectancy reached 34.324 years in total, and the total mortality of patients suffering from pneumoconiosis was 19.89%. The average dust exposure period, average survival time and life expectancy progressively decreased with the stage upgrade, whereas the age of onset and mortality rate tended to increase. Dust exposure years, initially diagnosed at stage II or stage III, stage I upgrade to stage II, stage I upgrade to stage III and low economic level were found as important risk factors for the survival of patients suffering from pneumoconiosis. CONCLUSIONS: Stage II and stage III of pneumoconiosis may have a direct effect on the survival time of patients suffering from pneumoconiosis. The prevention and delay of the progression of pneumoconiosis are critical to prolonging the survival time of cases.
China CDC Weekly · 2023 · 3 citations · open access
Impact of Whole Lung Lavage on Pneumoconiosis Patients — China, 2018–2022
AbstractWhat is already known about this topic?: The application of whole lung lavage (WLL) for the clinical treatment of pneumoconiosis is prevalent in China. Several scholars have reported success in the treatment of early-stage pneumoconiosis. Nonetheless, the overall efficacy of WLL in the management of pneumoconiosis remains ambiguous. What is added by this report?: The preliminary evaluation of the effects of WLL on pneumoconiosis patients was conducted using follow-up data from 2020 to 2022, after controlling for confounding factors via propensity score matching. While the study found that WLL may improve some pneumoconiosis symptoms, no significant enhancements were observed in overall health status or quality of life. What are the implications for public health practice?: The findings of this research indicate limited efficacy of WLL in treating patients with pneumoconiosis, thereby suggesting that it should not be utilized as a standard treatment procedure for this condition.
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.
