DeCure's autonomous Respiratory AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for pulmonary coin lesion — screening already-approved drugs against its 3-gene Open Targets disease module to publish open-access research. Research is fast; the path to publication is funded in milestone stages.
Disease modulePulmonary coin lesion maps to a 3-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 pulmonary coin lesion 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
proteasome 20S subunit alpha 4 (PSMA4) — PSMA4 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 1~{r}drag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 5LF4 · 1.99 Å · ligand [(1~{R})-3-methyl-1-[[(2~{S},3~{S})-3-oxidanyl-2-[(6-phenylpyridin-2-yl)carbonylamino]butanoyl]amino]butyl]boronic acid (6V7). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
In 13 cases of pulmonary coin lesions with calcification, none was malignant. Five were excised, and eight were observed unchanged for two to twelve years. All 13 patients were asymptomatic; eight were over forty, twelve were male. The authors concluded that calcification within a coin lesion is strong evidence against malignancy and that routine excision should not be applied to such lesions. They advised tomographic examination of every coin lesion to detect calcium.
Two cases of pulmonary dirofilariasis presented as coin lesions on radiography, clinically suggestive of malignancy. The dead worms cause infarction and granulomatous reaction. Complete surgical excision was the treatment of choice, with anthelmintic given if residual lesions remained or the patient came from an endemic area.
A 48-year-old man with productive cough was found to have a metal-density coin lesion at the right cardiac border. Flexible bronchoscopy revealed a Swiss 50 cents coin trapped in the intermediate bronchus. After removal, the postobstructive pneumonia resolved. The patient did not recall aspirating the coin.
What is still missing is a modern prospective study that systematically evaluates the diagnostic yield of current imaging and biopsy techniques for coin lesions, and a trial comparing observation with intervention in patients stratified by calcification status and risk profile. The 1952 series is small and predates CT scanning; the dirofilariasis report is anecdotal; the aspirated coin is a curiosity. No drug was tested in any of these reports.
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 · 1952 · 24 citations
The Significance of Calcification in Pulmonary Coin Lesions
AbstractCURRENT INTEREST in the management of isolated solid circumscribed densities (1) within the lung parenchyma (pulmonary “coin” lesions), usually found on routine examination, prompts us to report our experiences with a group of such lesions within which calcification was demonstrated roentg enographically. Thirteen such cases have been found among a large number of pulmonary coin lesions gathered, for the most part, from the chest clinics under the direction of the Bureau of Tuberculosis, Department of Health, New York City. Observations In 5 cases, the coin lesion was excised. Two lesions showed coneentric growth over a period of several years. Both patients at first rejected the idea of operative intervention but finally agreed to it after much persuasion. The outstanding features of this group are outlined in Table I. None of the 5 lesions was malignant. In the remaining 8 patients, the pulmonary coin lesions were observed to remain unchanged for periods varying from two to twelve years. The pertinent facts concerning this group are outlined in Table II. None of the patients developed signs or symptoms of malignant disease. All 13 patients were asymptomatic. Eight patients were over forty years of age. Twelve were males. Discussion Our observations lend support to the opinion, already expressed by others, that the demonstration of calcification within a coin lesion may be considered as strong evidence that the lesion is not malignant (2). It follows, therefore, that the generally accepted policy of routine excision of solid circumscribed pulmonary lesions (3) should not be applied to coin lesions with calcification. While we are well aware of rare cases of calcification within malignant lung tumors, such as bronchogenic carcinoma enveloping a calcified tuberculous focus or some forms of sarcoma, we feel that these exceptions do not warrant the routine removal of coin lesions with demonstrable calcification. For this reason, one should make every effort to detect the presence of calcification in all coin lesions, using sectional radiography routinely. By this means information is easily obtainable which may justify periodic supervision rather than immediate excision of accidentally discovered coin lesions in patients who represent increased operative risks. Summary In 13 cases of pulmonary coin lesions with calcification no evidence of malignant growth was demonstrated either by operation (5 cases) or by prolonged observation (8 cases). Tomographic examination of every coin lesion is advised, since the demonstration of calcium is strongly indicative of non-malignant disease. Such information may be of considerable assistance when one must weigh the risk of operation against the hazard of periodic observation in the management of the individual case. Acknowledgment: We express our appreciation to Mr. Valentin Gill for the preparation of the photographic material. We are grateful, also, to the many physicians and the members of the staffs of hospitals in New York City who assisted us in obtaining follow-up reports.
Asian Cardiovascular and Thoracic Annals · 2016 · 12 citations
Human pulmonary dirofilariasis masquerading as a mass
AbstractPulmonary dirofilariasis, caused by Dirofilaria immitis, rarely affects humans and is usually asymptomatic, but may present as chest pain, cough, hemoptysis, wheezing, low-grade fever, and malaise. The dead and dying worms obstruct branches of the pulmonary artery, causing infarction and a granulomatous reaction. Coin lesions are apparent on radiography, raising concern of malignancy. Complete surgical excision is the treatment of choice and an anthelmintic can be administered if residual lesions are present or the patient is from an endemic area. We present two cases of pulmonary dirofilariasis presenting as coin lesions in the lung, which were clinically suggestive of malignancy.
AbstractThis article is also accessible online at: http://BioMedNet.com/karger A 48-year-old man presented with a history of productive cough for some months. Clinically, pneumonia of the right lower lobe (RLL) was diagnosed. The PA chest roentgenogram (fig. 1) showed a ‘coin lesion’ of metal density at the right cardiac border, which presented as a disk on the lateral view (fig. 2). The RLL pneumonia was confirmed. Flexible bronchoscopy under local anesthesia revealed a coin trapped in the intermediate bronchus (fig. 3) which was successfully removed with a forceps and was identified as a Swiss 50 cents coin (diameter 1.8 cm/weight 2 g) (fig. 4). The postobstructive pneumonia and all symptoms resolved; the patient could not recollect having aspirated the coin. Originally, round lesions in the lung were often called coin lesions, today the more adequate term ‘solitary pulmonary nodule’ is used. Our case, however, illustrates a true coin lesion. 1
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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