DeCure's autonomous Rare AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for polycystic ovary syndrome — screening already-approved drugs against its 33-gene Open Targets disease module to publish open-access research. Research is fast; the path to publication is funded in milestone stages.
Disease modulePolycystic ovary syndrome maps to a 33-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 polycystic ovary syndrome 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
DENN domain containing 1A (DENND1A) — DENND1A 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 gdpdrag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 6EKK · 1.82 Å · ligand GUANOSINE-5'-DIPHOSPHATE (GDP). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
The three Cochrane reviews, published in 2009, 2011, and 2014, examined the same question: whether combined oral contraceptives hasten resolution of functional ovarian cysts. Across eight randomised controlled trials from four countries, totalling 686 women, treatment with combined oral contraceptives did not hasten cyst resolution in any trial. This held for cysts arising spontaneously and for those developing after ovulation induction. Most cysts resolved without treatment within a few cycles; persistent cysts tended to be pathological, such as endometriomas or para-ovarian cysts, rather than physiological. The authors concluded that watchful waiting for two or three cycles is appropriate, and that surgical management is often indicated for persistent cysts. The 2009 version of the review included seven trials and 500 women, with the same conclusion.
A 1976 report from University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria, described wedge resection for polycystic ovarian disease. Among cases seen at follow-up, restoration of regular ovulatory menstrual flow occurred in 83.3% and pregnancy was achieved in 33.3%. The authors judged wedge resection beneficial and at times curative, though this evidence is from a single case series and predates modern trial standards. A 2019 review of fertility treatment options for polycystic ovary syndrome describes a step-wise approach including pharmacological treatments, nonpharmacological intervention, and assisted reproductive technology, but provides no quantitative efficacy data. A 2020 article on biochemical pathways states that the precise aetiology of the syndrome remains unknown, with pathogenesis and pathway alterations still not fully understood. A 2022 article on cystic and tumour-like ovarian formations in adolescents reports diagnostic difficulties leading to errors and reproductive dysfunction, but gives no trial results. A 1996 article discusses progress in understanding clinical expression and surgical management of infertility, without specific outcome numbers.
The evidence for oral contraceptives as treatment for functional ovarian cysts is negative, and no abstract in this set supports any drug as effective for polycystic ovary syndrome itself. The only positive outcome data come from a 1976 surgical series. What is missing is any modern randomised evidence for pharmacological treatment of the syndrome beyond fertility induction, and no trial addresses whether oral contraceptives alter long-term metabolic or cardiovascular outcomes in these women. Patient stratification by phenotype, such as body mass index or insulin resistance, is absent from all cited work, and no funding or trial design is proposed to fill that gap.
Evidence
Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.
Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews · 2014 · 102 citations · open access
Oral contraceptives for functional ovarian cysts
AbstractBACKGROUND: Functional ovarian cysts are a common gynecological problem among women of reproductive age worldwide. When large, persistent, or painful, these cysts may require operations, sometimes resulting in removal of the ovary. Since early oral contraceptives were associated with a reduced incidence of functional ovarian cysts, many clinicians inferred that birth control pills could be used to treat cysts as well. This became a common clinical practice in the early 1970s. OBJECTIVES: This review examined all randomized controlled trials that studied oral contraceptives as therapy for functional ovarian cysts. SEARCH METHODS: In March 2014, we searched the databases of CENTRAL, PubMed, EMBASE, and POPLINE, as well as clinical trials databases (ClinicalTrials.gov and ICTRP). We also examined the reference lists of articles. For the initial review, we wrote to authors of identified trials to seek articles we had missed. SELECTION CRITERIA: We included randomized controlled trials in any language that included oral contraceptives used for treatment and not prevention of functional ovarian cysts. Criteria for diagnosis of cysts were those used by authors of trials. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two authors independently abstracted data from the articles. One entered the data into RevMan and a second verified accuracy of data entry. For dichotomous outcomes, we computed the Mantel-Haenszel odds ratio with 95% confidence interval (CI). For continuous outcomes, we calculated the mean difference with 95% CI. MAIN RESULTS: We identified eight randomized controlled trials from four countries; the studies included a total of 686 women. Treatment with combined oral contraceptives did not hasten resolution of functional ovarian cysts in any trial. This held true for cysts that occurred spontaneously as well as those that developed after ovulation induction. Most cysts resolved without treatment within a few cycles; persistent cysts tended to be pathological (e.g., endometrioma or para-ovarian cyst) and not physiological. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: Although widely used for treating functional ovarian cysts, combined oral contraceptives appear to be of no benefit. Watchful waiting for two or three cycles is appropriate. Should cysts persist, surgical management is often indicated.
Clinical Medicine Insights Reproductive Health · 2019 · 33 citations · open access
Fertility Treatment Options for Women With Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
AbstractPolycystic ovary syndrome is the most common endocrinological disorder in women of reproductive age. It is commonly associated with anovulatory subfertility, for which there are a range of treatment options available to help them conceive. These options are given in a step-wise manner with an appropriate selection of patients to maximise success rates with minimal complications. This review discusses the importance and involvement of multidisciplinary care when offering treatment to women with subfertility. Multidisciplinary care gives an excellent opportunity to identify, assess risk, and potentially prevent future morbidities and complications while treating women for fertility issues. We have also summarised the various options available for fertility treatment: pharmacological treatments, nonpharmacological intervention, and assisted reproductive technology.
Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews · 2011 · 23 citations
Oral contraceptives for functional ovarian cysts
AbstractBACKGROUND: Functional ovarian cysts are a common gynecological problem among women of reproductive age worldwide. When large, persistent, or painful, these cysts may require operations, sometimes resulting in removal of the ovary. Since early oral contraceptives were associated with a reduced incidence of functional ovarian cysts, many clinicians inferred that birth control pills could be used to treat cysts as well. This became a common clinical practice in the early 1970s. OBJECTIVES: This review examined all randomized controlled trials that studied oral contraceptives as therapy for functional ovarian cysts. SEARCH STRATEGY: We searched the databases of CENTRAL, MEDLINE, POPLINE, and EMBASE, as well as clinical trials databases (ClinicalTrials.gov and ICTRP). We also examined the reference lists of articles and wrote to authors of identified trials to seek articles we had missed. SELECTION CRITERIA: We included randomized controlled trials in any language that included oral contraceptives used for treatment and not prevention of functional ovarian cysts. Criteria for diagnosis of cysts were those used by authors of trials. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two authors independently abstracted data from the articles. One entered the data into RevMan and a second verified accuracy of data entry. For dichotomous outcomes, we computed the Mantel-Haenszel odds ratio with 95% confidence interval (CI). For continuous outcomes, we calculated the mean difference with 95% CI. MAIN RESULTS: We identified eight randomized controlled trials from four countries; the studies included a total of 686 women. Treatment with combined oral contraceptives did not hasten resolution of functional ovarian cysts in any trial. This held true for cysts that occurred spontaneously as well as those that developed after ovulation induction. Most cysts resolved without treatment within a few cycles; persistent cysts tended to be pathological (e.g., endometrioma or para-ovarian cyst) and not physiological. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: Although widely used for treating functional ovarian cysts, combined oral contraceptives appear to be of no benefit. Watchful waiting for two or three cycles is appropriate. Should cysts persist, surgical management is often indicated.
Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews · 2009 · 16 citations
Oral contraceptives for functional ovarian cysts
AbstractBACKGROUND: Functional ovarian cysts are a common gynecological problem among women of reproductive age worldwide. When large, persistent, or painful, these cysts may require operations, sometimes resulting in removal of the ovary. Since early oral contraceptives were associated with a reduced incidence of functional ovarian cysts, many clinicians inferred that birth control pills could be used to treat cysts as well. This became a common clinical practice in the early 1970s. OBJECTIVES: This review examined all randomized controlled trials that studied oral contraceptives as therapy for functional ovarian cysts. SEARCH STRATEGY: We searched the databases of CENTRAL, MEDLINE, POPLINE, and EMBASE, as well as clinical trials databases (ClinicalTrials.gov and ICTRP). We also examined the reference lists of articles and wrote to authors of identified trials to seek articles we had missed. SELECTION CRITERIA: We included randomized controlled trials in any language that included oral contraceptives used for treatment and not prevention of functional ovarian cysts. Criteria for diagnosis of cysts were those used by authors of trials. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two authors independently abstracted data from the articles. One entered the data into RevMan and a second verified accuracy of data entry. For dichotomous outcomes, we used Peto odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals (CI). For continuous outcomes, we calculated mean differences with 95% CI. MAIN RESULTS: We identified seven randomized controlled trials from four countries; the studies included a total of 500 women. Treatment with combined oral contraceptives did not hasten resolution of functional ovarian cysts in any trial. This held true for cysts that occurred spontaneously as well as those that developed after ovulation induction. Most cysts resolved without treatment within a few cycles; persistent cysts tended to be pathological (e.g., endometrioma or para-ovarian cyst) and not physiological. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: Although widely used for treating functional ovarian cysts, combined oral contraceptives appear to be of no benefit. Watchful waiting for two or three cycles is appropriate. Should cysts persist, surgical management is often indicated.
AbstractThis article discusses two areas that have seen progress in our understanding and management of women with polycystic ovary syndrome. The first relates to factors responsible for clinical expression of the disorder, the second to the management of infertility by surgical methods. These two areas have been chosen partly because of their intrinsic importance and partly because they indicate the breadth of work being pursued by investigators and clinicians in this field.
AbstractThe precise etiology of the biochemical changes and the resulting constellation of symptoms seen in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) has remained a mystery. Despite advances in our knowledge, the pathogenesis and alterations in the biochemical pathways underlying this disease are still not fully understood. PCOS is a multifactorial syndrome where a combination of genetics, lifestyle, and hormone abnormalities all play an intertwining role. This article will provide an in-depth look at the multitude of biochemical pathways that are dysregulated in PCOS and their relation to alterations in female physiology.
RA Journal Of Applied Research · 2022 · 0 citations · open access
Complicated Course of Cystous and Tumor-Like Ovarian Formations in Adolescents
AbstractThe article presents the data of our own studies of patients with cystic and tumor-like formations of the ovaries in a complicated course of the disease. Difficulties in the differential diagnosis of this pathology leads to diagnostic and tactical errors, which further leads to dysfunction of the reproductive organs and irreversible consequences in the reproductive health of patients in case of untimely treatment. A comprehensive study of the features of the course of cystic and tumor-like ovarian formations, the development of diagnostic criteria, will help determine the tactics of timely treatment of this pathology, which in turn will affect the prognosis of the disease, and will also contribute to solving this problem in women of different age periods.
International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics · 1976 · 0 citations
Polycystic Ovaries
AbstractPolycystic ovarian disease has been recognised for quite a long time, although its presentations have varied from place to place. In a report of cases of polycystic ovaries seen in the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria, over a six-year period, it was shown that the syndrome of Stein-Leventhal identifies only a very small and probably artificial fraction of the much larger number of patients who actually have polycystic ovarian disease. It was further shown that the benefit derived from wedge resection in our cases was marked. Of the cases that were subsequently seen at follow-up, there was restoration of regular ovulatory menstrual flow in 83.3% and achievement of pregnancy in 33.3%. Hence, the observation that wedge resection is beneficial, and at times curative in polycystic ovarian disease seems to have a sound foundation.
Disease module: DeepOracle (Open Targets). Structures: RDKit from PubChem SMILES. Literature: retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works using Disease Ontology synonyms, 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.
