DeCure's autonomous Cardio AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for Postpericardiotomy Syndrome — screening already-approved drugs against its 12-gene Open Targets disease module to publish open-access research. Research is fast; the path to publication is funded in milestone stages.
Disease modulePostpericardiotomy Syndrome maps to a 12-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 postpericardiotomy 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
tubulin alpha 1b (TUBA1B) — TUBA1B 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 gtpdrag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 6S8L · 1.801 Å · ligand GUANOSINE-5'-TRIPHOSPHATE (GTP). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
Postpericardiotomy syndrome occurs in 10% to 45% of patients after cardiac surgery, according to a 2010 study. The syndrome is characterised by fever, chest pain, and a pericardial friction rub, and while usually self-limiting, it can recur and has been complicated by cardiac tamponade and early bypass graft closure, as noted in a 1995 review.
A 2023 retrospective study at two paediatric cardiac centres included 42 children under 18 who developed postpericardiotomy syndrome after cardiac surgery between 2014 and 2021. Thirty-two underwent a surgical pericardial window and ten underwent pericardiocentesis. The pericardial window group presented with the syndrome sooner (median 7.5 days versus 14.5 days, P = 0.03) and tended to have earlier intervention (median 8 days versus 16 days, P = 0.16). No patient required subsequent drainage. There were no differences between groups in pericardial tube duration (median 4 days), complications, or subsequent days of intensive care or hospitalisation. The authors concluded that for children with a pericardial effusion warranting drainage, both approaches have similar efficacy, safety, and resource use.
The 2010 COPPS study investigated colchicine for prevention of postpericardiotomy syndrome, but the abstract provided does not report any numerical results from that trial. It states only that optimal prevention had not been established. No other drug treatments are mentioned in these abstracts.
What remains missing is a prospective, adequately powered trial comparing drainage methods in adults, and any randomised evidence for drug prevention or treatment that reports concrete outcomes such as response rates or survival. Patient stratification by risk factors such as age or surgical complexity has not been tested.
Evidence
Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.
AACN Clinical Issues Advanced Practice in Acute & Critical Care · 1995 · 4 citations
Postpericardiotomy Syndrome: A Complication of Cardiac Surgery
AbstractPostpericardiotomy syndrome is a frequent complication of cardiac surgery and is characterized by fever, chest pain, and a pericardial friction rub. Based on current evidence, there may be an immunologic basis to this syndrome. Treatment is aimed at reducing inflammation and promoting comfort. Although this syndrome is usually benign and self-limiting, it can recur and has been complicated by cardiac tamponade and early bypass graft closure.
Annals of Pediatric Cardiology · 2023 · 1 citations · open access
Differences in outcomes between surgical pericardial window and pericardiocentesis in children with postpericardiotomy syndrome
AbstractABSTRACT Children with postpericardiotomy syndrome may develop hemodynamically significant pericardial effusions warranting drainage by surgical pericardial window or pericardiocentesis. The optimal approach is unknown. We performed a retrospective observational study at two pediatric cardiac centers. We included 42 children aged <18 years who developed postpericardiotomy syndrome following cardiac surgery between 2014 and 2021. Thirty-two patients underwent pericardial window and 10 underwent pericardiocentesis. Patients in the pericardial window group presented with postpericardiotomy syndrome sooner than those who underwent pericardiocentesis (median 7.5 days vs. 14.5 days, P = 0.03) and tended to undergo earlier intervention (median 8 days vs. 16 days, P = 0.16). No patient required subsequent drainage. There were no differences between groups in days of pericardial tube duration (median 4 days), complications, and subsequent days of intensive care or hospitalization. For children with postpericardiotomy syndrome with a pericardial effusion warranting drainage, these data suggest that pericardial window and pericardiocentesis have similar efficacy, safety, and resource utilization.
Preventing Postpericardiotomy Syndrome with Colchicine: Results from the COPPS Study
AbstractPostpericardiotomy syndrome (PPS), a complication that often follows cardiac surgery, occurs in 10% to 45% of patients, and though some treatment approaches may be used, optimal treatment for PPS prevention has yet to be established [Finkelstein Y et al. Herz 2002]. This article discusss results from the COlchicine for the Prevention of the Postpericardiotomy Syndrome [COPPS; NCT00128427].
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.
