DeCure's autonomous Nephrology AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for renal fibrosis — screening already-approved drugs against its 4-gene Open Targets disease module to publish open-access research. Research is fast; the path to publication is funded in milestone stages.
Disease moduleRenal fibrosis maps to a 4-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 renal fibrosis 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
methyltransferase 3, N6-adenosine-methyltransferase complex catalytic subunit (METTL3) — METTL3 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 sahdrag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 5TEY · 1.8 Å · ligand S-ADENOSYL-L-HOMOCYSTEINE (SAH). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
Renal fibrosis is the common pathological basis for the progressive development of chronic kidney disease caused by various aetiologies, characterised by persistent deposition of extracellular matrix leading to renal tissue damage and impaired function, ultimately progressing to kidney failure. Current clinical treatments focus on managing primary diseases; there are no specific drugs that target or reverse renal fibrosis. A 2024 review summarises anti-fibrotic therapies including some already used clinically to slow progression, new drugs in clinical trials, and emerging targeted therapies, but provides no new trial data or efficacy numbers. A 2023 review notes that modern clinical research has achieved insufficient efficacy for renal fibrosis treatment, with therapeutic effect varying from person to person, and that Chinese medicine has shown unique efficacy and application prospects in prevention and treatment, again without reporting specific response rates or survival data.
A 2025 study of 68 patients (38 males, 30 females) who underwent kidney biopsy used strain wave elastography to assess renal fibrosis. Echogenicity, qualitative and semiquantitative elastography showed significant positive correlation with serum creatinine, percentage of fibrosis, G score and tubular atrophy, and significant negative correlation with eGFR. For diagnosis of interstitial fibrosis, echogenicity had sensitivity 100.0%, specificity 62.5%, positive predictive value 75.0%, negative predictive value 100.0%, area under curve 0.906. Qualitative elastography had sensitivity 77.8%, specificity 75.0%, PPV 77.8%, NPV 75.0%, AUC 0.833. Semiquantitative elastography had sensitivity 83.3%, specificity 93.8%, PPV 93.8%, NPV 83.3%, AUC 0.915. The authors state the technique is simple to use and can differentiate between varying stages of renal fibrosis, but that further research is required before it can be used frequently in clinical practice.
No drug tested in a controlled trial for renal fibrosis is reported in these abstracts. The 2024 and 2023 reviews mention existing drugs and Chinese medicine but give no concrete efficacy data, response rates, or survival numbers. What is still missing are adequately powered randomised controlled trials with standardised outcome measures, validated non-invasive biomarkers to replace biopsy as the gold standard, and patient stratification strategies to account for the variable therapeutic response noted in the 2023 review. Funding for such trials and for the development of drugs that can reverse rather than merely slow fibrosis remains absent.
Evidence
Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.
QJM · 2011 · 46 citations · open access
Cellular orchestrators of renal fibrosis
AbstractRenal fibrosis is a key determinant of the progression of many renal diseases and represents a final common pathway that adversely affects outcome. The evolution of renal fibrosis is complicated and involves many cellular and molecular mediators. In this review we will outline the key players in the fibrotic response of the injured kidney and discuss emerging research in the field.
International Journal of Nanomedicine · 2021 · 14 citations · open access
Farnesylthiosalicylic Acid-Loaded Albumin Nanoparticle Alleviates Renal Fibrosis by Inhibiting Ras/Raf1/p38 Signaling Pathway
AbstractBACKGROUND: Renal fibrosis is the common pathway in chronic kidney diseases progression to end-stage renal disease, but to date, no clinical drug for its treatment is approved. It has been demonstrated that the inhibitor of proto-oncogene Ras, farnesylthiosalicylic acid (FTS), shows therapeutic potential for renal fibrosis, but its application was hindered by the water-insolubility and low bioavailability. Hence, in this study, we improved these properties of FTS by encapsulating it into bovine serum albumin nanoparticles (AN-FTS) and tested its therapeutic effect in renal fibrosis. METHODS: AN-FTS was developed using a classic emulsification-solvent ultrasonication. The pharmacokinetics of DiD-loaded albumin nanoparticle were investigated in SD rats. The biodistribution and therapeutic efficacy of AN-FTS was assessed in a mouse model of renal fibrosis induced by unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO). RESULTS: AN-FTS showed a uniform spherical shape with the size of 100.6 ± 1.12 nm and PDI < 0.25. In vitro, AN-FTS displayed stronger inhibitory effects on the activation of renal fibroblasts cells NRK-49F than free FTS. In vivo, AN-FTS showed significantly higher peak concentration and area under the concentration-time curve. After intravenous administration to UUO-induced renal fibrosis mice, AN-FTS accumulated preferentially in the fibrotic kidney, and alleviated renal fibrosis and inflammation significantly more than the free drug. Mechanistically, the improved anti-fibrosis effect of AN-FTS was associated with greater inhibition in renal epithelial-to-mesenchymal transformation process via Ras/Raf1/p38 signaling pathway. CONCLUSION: The study reveals that AN-FTS is capable of delivering FTS to fibrotic kidney and showed superior therapeutic efficacy for renal fibrosis.
AbstractRenal fibrosis is the common pathological basis for the progressive development of chronic kidney disease (CKD) caused by various etiologies. It is characterized by the persistent deposition of extracellular matrix, leading to renal tissue damage and impaired renal function, and ultimately progressing to kidney failure. Current clinical treatments for CKD mainly focus on managing the primary diseases, with no specific drugs targeting renal fibrosis. The pathogenesis of renal fibrosis is complex, and there are currently no drugs available to reverse it. A comprehensive overview of the pathogenesis of renal fibrosis, alongside a summary of current anti-fibrotic therapies, including some that are already used clinically to slow renal function progression, new drugs in clinical trials, and emerging targeted therapies, could provide new theoretical foundations and perspectives for the treatment of renal fibrosis.
The role of strain wave elastography in the evaluation of renal fibrosis in patients with kidney diseases
AbstractA renal biopsy represents the gold standard in the diagnosis, prognosis and management of patients with chronic kidney disease and glomerulonephritis. Strain wave elastography (SE) is a developing technique to assess tissue elasticity. The aim of this study was to correlate between the strain index value of renal parenchyma and degree of renal fibrosis detected with renal biopsy. For 68 patients who were referred for a kidney biopsy, SE test was performed. The Banff scoring system was utilized to classify the IFTA grading of kidney fibrosis that assigns a severity level of mild, moderate, or severe. Receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) was utilized to correlate between the severity of renal fibrosis and the grade of renal elasticity determined by SE. In total, 38 males and 30 females, the echogenicity, qualitative and semiquantitative elastography showed significant positive correlation with serum creatinine, percentage of fibrosis, G score and tubular atrophy and significant negative correlation with eGFR. ROC curve of SE for diagnosis of interstitial fibrosis shown that echogenicity has sensitivity 100.0%, specificity 62.5%, positive predictive value (PPV) 75.0%, negative predictive value (NPV) 100.0% with area under curve (AUC) 0.906, while qualitative elastography has sensitivity 77.8%, specificity 75.0%, PPV 77.8%, NPV 75.0%, AUC 0.833, semi quantitative elastography has sensitivity 83.3%, specificity 93.8%, PPV 93.8%, NPV 83.3% with AUC 0.915. SE approach is simple to use, and can differentiate between varying stages of renal fibrosis. However, further research is required before it can be frequently used in clinical practice. La biopsia renal constituye la técnica de referencia en términos de diagnóstico, pronóstico y manejo de los pacientes con enfermedad renal crónica y glomerulonefritis. La elastografía por ondas de corte (EOC) es una técnica en desarrollo para evaluar la elasticidad tisular. El objetivo de este estudio fue correlacionar el valor del índice de esfuerzo del parénquima renal y el grado de fibrosis renal, detectados mediante biopsia renal. Se realizó EOC en 68 pacientes derivados para biopsia renal. Se utilizó el sistema de puntuación Banff para clasificar la IFTA de fibrosis renal que asigna un nivel de gravedad leve, moderado o severo. Se utilizó la curva ROC (receiver operating characteristic curve) para correlacionar la gravedad de la fibrosis renal y el grado de elasticidad renal determinado mediante EOC. En un total de 38 varones y 30 mujeres, la ecogenicidad de la elastografía cualitativa y semicuantitativa reflejó una correlación positiva significativa con la creatinina sérica, el porcentaje de fibrosis, la puntuación G y la atrofia tubular, y una correlación negativa significativa con eGFR. La curva ROC de EOC para el diagnóstico de la fibrosis intersticial mostró que la ecogenicidad tuvo una sensibilidad (S) del 100%, una especificidad (E) del 62,5%, un valor predictivo positivo (VPP) del 75% y un valor predictivo negativo (VPN) del 100%, con un área bajo la curva (ABC) de 0,906, mientras que la elastografía cualitativa tuvo una S del 77,8%, una E del 75%, un VPP del 77,8% y un VPN del 75%, con un ABC de 0,833, y la elastografía semicuantitativa tuvo una S del 83,3%, una E del 93,8%, un VPP del 93,8% y un VPN del 83,3%, con un ABC de 0,915. La técnica EOC es simple de utilizar y puede diferenciar entre diversos tipos de fibrosis renal. Sin embargo, se necesita más investigación antes de utilizarse normalmente en la práctica clínica.
MEDS Chinese Medicine · 2023 · 0 citations · open access
Research Progress on the Formation Mechanism of Renal Fibrosis and the Treatment of Chinese and Western Medicine
AbstractRenal fibrosis (RF) is a major pathological cause of late progression of chronic kidney disease and has seriously jeopardized the quality of life of people worldwide. In recent years, with the research on the mechanism of action of renal fibrosis, it has been found that there are many causative factors of renal fibrosis, and modern clinical research has achieved insufficient efficacy for the treatment of renal fibrosis, but the therapeutic effect varies from person to person. The combination of pharmacology indicates that Chinese medicine has shown unique efficacy and application prospects in the prevention and treatment of renal fibrosis. This article is a review of the formation mechanism of renal fibrosis and the progress of research on the role of Chinese and Western medicine in the treatment of RF.
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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