DeCure's autonomous Respiratory AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for pulmonary venoocclusive disease 1 — screening already-approved drugs against its 1-gene Open Targets disease module to publish open-access research. Research is fast; the path to publication is funded in milestone stages.
Disease modulePulmonary venoocclusive disease 1 maps to a 1-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
approvedRuxolitinibApproved drug
Structures already discussed alongside pulmonary venoocclusive disease 1 in the retrieved literature, rendered from public PubChem SMILES. Which drugs appear here reflects the evidence found, not a ranked prediction.
Molecular view
Human JAK2 JH1 domain — Ruxolitinib has a real, experimentally solved structure in complex with this target (PDB 6WTN, 1.83 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 rxtdrag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 6WTN · 1.83 Å · ligand Ruxolitinib (RXT). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
In a 2011 case report, a patient with pulmonary veno-occlusive disease (PVOD) who received bosentan, diuretics, and digoxin showed symptom and functional improvement, but the authors note that PVOD has a poor response to medical therapy and a dismal prognosis. A 2024 case report describes a 59-year-old PVOD patient with multiple myeloma in World Health Organisation functional class IV who was treated with sildenafil for almost five years. The same report states that according to a French case series, median survival from diagnosis to death or lung transplantation was only one year, and that pulmonary arterial hypertension therapy had no significant effect on survival in a more recent analysis. The most life-threatening complication of such therapy is pulmonary oedema, and lung transplantation remains the best option for suitable patients.
A 1991 study in infants after heart surgery compared prostaglandin E1 and epoprostenol (prostacyclin) as pulmonary vasodilators. Both drugs were effective vasodilators, but neither showed pulmonary specificity. A 2010 review of drugs for pulmonary hypertension notes that eight FDA-approved drugs exist, including prostacyclins, but that morbidity and mortality remain high and there is a great unmet medical need for more efficacious therapies.
No controlled trial of any drug has been conducted specifically in PVOD. The evidence consists only of case reports and case series. What is missing is any randomised trial, any prospective study with a defined endpoint, and any reliable method to identify which patients might benefit from a given drug without developing pulmonary oedema. Patient stratification by disease subtype or genetic marker has not been attempted in a trial setting. Funding for such trials is absent because PVOD is rare and drug repurposing offers no patent protection.
Evidence
Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.
Heart · 1991 · 41 citations · open access
Comparison between prostaglandin E1 and epoprostenol (prostacyclin) in infants after heart surgery.
AbstractOBJECTIVE: To study the dose response characteristics of prostaglandin E1 and epoprostenol (prostacyclin) and directly to compare their effectiveness as pulmonary vasodilators in infants with pulmonary hypertension. DESIGN: A crossover design with each patient receiving both drugs in random order. SETTING: Infants were studied in the intensive care unit while they were sedated, paralysed, and ventilated. PATIENTS: Twenty infants who had undergone corrective cardiac surgery and who were in sinus rhythm, had stable haemodynamic function, and had a pulmonary artery catheter in place. All infants were receiving dopamine and phenoxybenzamine. INTERVENTIONS: Baseline haemodynamic measurements were taken and an infusion of the first drug was started at the lowest dose: after 20 minutes the measurements were repeated and the dose increased. This protocol was repeated for all doses of both drugs: 10, 30, and 100 ng/kg/min of prostaglandin E1 and 5, 10, and 25 ng/kg/min of epoprostenol. Cardiac output was measured by the pulsed Doppler ultrasound method. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Pulmonary and systemic vascular resistances were calculated from the cardiac output and compared by the Wilcoxon signed ranks test. RESULTS: Both prostaglandin E1 and epoprostenol were effective vasodilators: 5 ng/kg/min of epoprostenol was equivalent to 30 ng/kg/min of prostaglandin E1. CONCLUSIONS: Neither drug showed pulmonary specificity.
Archives of Internal Medicine · 1985 · 34 citations
Fatal Acute Respiratory Failure After Vinblastine-Mitomycin Therapy in Lung Carcinoma
AbstractThe occurrence of pulmonary toxic reaction due to vinblastine sulfate alone or in combination with drugs other than mitomycin is not known. Acute respiratory distress is a rare phenomenon in patients receiving both chemotherapeutic agents. Two cases of fatal acute respiratory failure due to pulmonary edema occurred in patients receiving vinblastine-mitomycin for non-small-cell carcinoma of the lung. In view of the unpredictability of the reaction, observation of patients receiving this combination therapy is recommended.
Expert Opinion on Emerging Drugs · 2010 · 12 citations
Emerging drugs for pulmonary hypertension
AbstractIMPORTANCE OF THE FIELD: Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a clinical syndrome characterized by structural narrowing of the small pulmonary arteries that often culminates in fatal right heart failure. AREAS COVERED IN THIS REVIEW: PubMed was searched for PAH and treatment. Data from scientific meetings and pharmaceutical websites are also included. There are currently eight FDA approved drugs for PAH that fall into one of three classes: prostacyclins, endothelin-receptor antagonists and PDE-5 inhibitors. All have important limitations and morbidity and mortality remain high. Several new agents with similar mechanisms of action are in clinical development. Multiple novel therapeutic targets are being explored. New applications for PAH therapies, such as pulmonary hypertension due to left heart and lung disease, are also being investigated. WHAT THE READER WILL GAIN: An understanding of currently available drugs and those in clinical development for pulmonary hypertension. TAKE HOME MESSAGE: Drugs targeting the pulmonary vasculature have been an extremely active area of basic and clinical research for the past 20 years and will continue to be so for the foreseeable future. Considerable progress has been made, and yet there continues to be a great unmet medical need for developing more efficacious therapies.
Internal Medicine · 2011 · 9 citations · open access
Lengthy Diagnostic Challenge in a Rare Case of Pulmonary Veno-Occlusive Disease: Case Report and Review of the Literature
AbstractPulmonary veno-occlusive disease (PVOD) is a rare and usually survival poor disorder. We report a patient with a long history of progressive dyspnea of over 8 years, who with a diagnosis of chronic cor pulmonale confirmed elsewhere, was ultimately diagnosed as PVOD via histological analysis of a lung biopsy. After treatment with combined bosentan, diuretics and digoxin, his symptoms and function improved. This case highlights that PVOD is an under-recognised and often misdiagnosed disease, especially in its chronic form. Understanding its pathogenesis, its poor response to medical therapy and its dismal prognosis remain challenges for the treatment of PVOD.
European Journal of Inflammation · 2021 · 4 citations · open access
COVID-19 in a patient with SISTEMIC sclerosis: The role of ruxolitinib
AbstractWe describe the case of a 78-year-old Italian woman with COVID-19 affected by Systemic Sclerosis with pulmonary fibrosis treated with Ruxolitinib (Ruxolitinib was provided free of charge by Novartis International AG). We chose Ruxolitinib, as a second-line treatment, after administering a standard therapy with hydroxychloroquine and lopinavir/ritonavir, due to a rapid deterioration in the patient’s lung function. Ruxolitinib is a janus kinase inibithor with selectivity for subtypes JAK1 and JAK2. A rapid improvement in the patient’s respiratory function, objectified with an increase in PO 2 /FiO 2 value, has been observed in the 10 days after the introduction of Ruxolitinib. Surprisingly we noticed a reduction in pulmonary fibrosis by comparing the chest- CT made before and after the COVID-19 diagnosis. JAK/STAT signalling is involved both in pathogenesis of the second part of COVID-19 and in the modulation of fibrosis in patients with SSc. The use of ruxolitinib should be a new therapeutic option in patients with COVID-19 and lung fibrosis.
SAGE Open Medical Case Reports · 2024 · 0 citations · open access
Long-term sildenafil therapy for pulmonary veno-occlusive disease in association with melphalan therapy for multiple myeloma: A case report
AbstractPulmonary veno-occlusive disease has a significantly worse prognosis than idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension. According to a case series from France, the median survival time from diagnosis to death or lung transplantation was only 1 year, and in a more recent analysis, pulmonary arterial hypertension therapy had no significant effect on survival. There are case reports and case series describing both beneficial and adverse effects of pulmonary arterial hypertension-related medications. The most life-threatening complication of such a therapy is pulmonary oedema. In the long term, lung transplantation remains the best treatment option for suitable patients. However, elderly patients with concomitant or precipitating malignant disease are not considered transplant candidates. We describe a 59-year-old pulmonary veno-occlusive disease patient with multiple myeloma in World Health Organisation functional class IV who was successfully treated with sildenafil for almost 5 years.
Elsevier eBooks · 2009 · 0 citations · open access
Molecular Pulmonary Pathology
AbstractThis DOI is not currently attached to any metadata records. DOIs can’t actually ever be deleted (they’re persistent), but sometimes our members create DOIs in error. We do have a process to approximate deletion which we follow only in rare cases where the DOI has been genuinely created in error, and most crucially, if the DOI has never been published anywhere online or in print and never otherwise distributed to or communicated with anyone (authors, readers, reviewers, etc.
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.
