DeCure's autonomous Cancer AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for pseudotumor cerebri — screening already-approved drugs against its 5-gene Open Targets disease module to publish open-access research. Research is fast; the path to publication is funded in milestone stages.
Disease modulePseudotumor cerebri maps to a 5-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
approvedAcetazolamideApproved drug
Structures already discussed alongside pseudotumor cerebri in the retrieved literature, rendered from public PubChem SMILES. Which drugs appear here reflects the evidence found, not a ranked prediction.
Molecular view
CRYSTAL STRUCTURE OF THE EXTRACELLULAR DOMAIN OF HUMAN CARBONIC ANHYDRASE XII — Acetazolamide has a real, experimentally solved structure in complex with this target (PDB 1JD0, 1.5 Å). This is the drug's own deposited structure, not a prediction, and confirms it is a structurally characterised molecule rather than an untested guess.
Loading structure…
helix sheet azmdrag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 1JD0 · 1.5 Å · ligand Acetazolamide (AZM). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
In 1982, a review noted that pseudotumor cerebri is a disorder of intracranial pressure regulation with elevated cerebrospinal fluid pressures. Endocrine studies in primary disease were generally normal. The major threat is vision loss, with severe deficits occurring in 4% to 12% of patients. The causative mechanism was not known. The review stated there were no controlled studies of treatment, and interpretation of uncontrolled studies was limited by a high rate of spontaneous remission. A short course of steroid therapy was recommended for patients with significant symptoms that had not remitted after 7 to 10 days of observation and serial lumbar punctures. Shunting was considered in refractory patients or when vision loss was threatened.
A 1999 case report described an 11-year-old boy with acute myeloblastic leukaemia who developed pseudotumor cerebri symptoms (headache, diplopia, photophobia, nausea, vomiting) after receiving chemotherapy including intermediate-dose cytarabine. He improved after a lumbar puncture and treatment with prednisone and acetazolamide, and became asymptomatic. The report noted that pseudotumor cerebri is usually associated with obese women of child-bearing age, and that paediatric cases are unusual. Several medications have been implicated, including antimicrobials, amiodarone, lithium, vitamin A, growth hormone, and corticosteroids. Chemotherapy agents reported include busulfan with cyclophosphamide, and vinblastine, cisplatin, and bleomycin. The exact cause in this patient was unknown, but cytarabine seemed a likely cause; the mechanism was unclear. The report stated that controlled studies are difficult because the condition is an unpredictable and rare occurrence.
A 1957 series presented six patients with pseudotumor cerebri, including three children, and compared their clinical and laboratory data with other reports. The review covered nomenclature, aetiology, clinical findings, and prognosis.
What is still missing are controlled treatment trials, reliable patient stratification to predict who will lose vision, and any drug that has been shown in such trials to alter the natural history of the disease.
Evidence
Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.
Annals of Internal Medicine · 1982 · 131 citations
Pseudotumor Cerebri
AbstractPseudotumor cerebri, a disorder of intracranial pressure regulation, is characterized by elevated cerebrospinal fluid pressures. The symptoms and signs are those of elevated intracranial pressure alone. Extensive endocrine studies in patients with the primary disease have generally been normal. The major threat to the patient with pseudotumor cerebri is loss of vision; severe deficits occur in 4% to 12% of patients. The causative mechanism is not known. There are no controlled studies of treatment and interpretation of uncontrolled studies is limited by the high rate of spontaneous remission. A short course of steroid therapy is recommended for the patient with significant symptoms that have not remitted after 7 to 10 days of observation and serial lumbar punctures. Shunting is considered in refractory patients or when loss of vision is threatened.
Pseudotumor Cerebri Secondary to Intermediate-Dose Cytarabine HCl
AbstractOBJECTIVE: To describe a case of pseudotumor cerebri associated with the administration of intermediate-dose cytarabine. CASE SUMMARY: An 11-year-old Hispanic boy with acute myeloblastic leukemia developed symptoms of pseudotumor cerebri (headache, diplopia, photophobia, nausea, vomiting) after receiving chemotherapy including cytarabine. The patient improved after a lumbar puncture and treatment with prednisone and acetazolamide, and is now asymptomatic. DISCUSSION: Pseudotumor cerebri is a condition usually associated with obese women of child-bearing age. Case reports in pediatric patients are unusual. Several medications have been implicated in causing pseudotumor cerebri, including antimicrobials (tetracycline, naladixic acid), amiodarone, lithium carbonate, vitamin A and its derivatives, growth hormone, and corticosteroids. Chemotherapy agents reported to cause pseudotumor cerebri include busulfan with cyclophosphamide, and the combination of vinblastine, cisplatin, and bleomycin. Most of the information on medication-induced pseudotumor cerebri is in the form of case reports. Different mechanisms for causing this condition have been offered for individual medications. Most of these explanations involve fluid imbalance or interference with the Na+/K+ adenosine triphosphatase pump. Controlled studies are difficult because this condition is an unpredictable and rare occurrence. Cytarabine has frequently been associated with neurologic toxicities, but few reports of pseudotumor cerebri can be found. CONCLUSIONS: The exact cause of pseudotumor cerebri in this patient is unknown, but cytarabine seems a likely cause. The mechanism by which cytarabine could cause this reaction is unclear.
AbstractThe case records of three patients with the diagnosis pseudotumor cerebri are presented. In addition, data from the records of three other children are included to give a series of six patients. The clinical picture and the laboratory data are summarized and compared with other reports. A review of the literature is given, with emphasis on the nomenclature, etiology, clinical findings and prognosis.
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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