DeCure for Reticulate acropigmentation of Kitamura
DeCure's autonomous Rare AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for reticulate acropigmentation of Kitamura — 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 moduleReticulate acropigmentation of Kitamura 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
No approved-drug candidate for reticulate acropigmentation of kitamura 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
ADAM metallopeptidase domain 10 (ADAM10) — ADAM10 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 n-hydroxyaminodrag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 8ESV · 3.3 Å · ligand 4-(N-HYDROXYAMINO)-2R-ISOBUTYL-2S-(2-THIENYLTHIOMETHYL)SUCCINYL-L-PHENYLALANINE-N-METHYLAMIDE (BAT). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
Reticulate acropigmentation of Kitamura (RAPK) is a genetic skin condition first described in Japan. A 1976 report of seven cases, all female, proposed an autosomal dominant inheritance pattern and defined the histology as epidermal atrophy, increased basal melanocytes, and no pigmentary incontinence in the upper dermis. Those cases were the first described outside Japan, coming from Asia, Africa, and Europe.
A 1998 study of three families with RAPK found inheritance patterns that were not consistently autosomal dominant. In one family, 4 of 9 individuals were affected; in another, 6 of 27 over three generations; in a third, only one man. All cases had palmar pits and onset after puberty. The authors stated that autosomal dominant inheritance appeared unlikely in every case.
A 1992 case report described a Turkish female patient with RAPK whose brother had similar clinical features but refused biopsy. No other family members had lesions. The authors noted that reports of RAPK in non-Japanese ethnic groups were still rare at that time.
No treatment trials, no drug interventions, and no molecular or genetic testing data appear in these abstracts. What is missing is any systematic genetic analysis to resolve the inheritance pattern, any large multi-ethnic cohort study, and any funding or trial design aimed at identifying the causative gene or testing a therapy.
Evidence
Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.
British Journal of Dermatology · 1976 · 75 citations
Reticulate acropigmentation of Kitamura
AbstractSeven cases of reticulate acropigmentation of Kitamura (RAPK) are described. All the patients were female and the pattern of inheritance suggested an autosomal dominant mode. Histologically, RAPK is characterized by epidermal atrophy, an increased number of basal melanocytes and the absence of pigmentary incontinence in the upper dermis. The present cases, from Asia, Africa and Europe, are the first to be described outside Japan.
Is the Heredity of Reticulate Acro Pigmentation of Kitamura always Autosomal Dominant?
AbstractReticulate acropigmentation of Kitamura (RAK) in three patients and their families is described. In one family, 2 women and 2 men were affected out of 9 individuals. In the other family, 6 women had lesions of reticulate acropigmentation out of total of 27 over three generations. In the third family, one man was affected. All of the cases had palmar pits; onset of lesions was after puberty in all the cases. The apparently different hereditary patterns in these three families are striking, and autosomal dominant inheritance appears unlikely in every case.
International Journal of Dermatology · 2011 · 7 citations
Treatment of reticulated acropigmentation of Kitamura with Q‐switched alexandrite laser
AbstractBACKGROUND: Reticulated acropigmentation of Kitamura (RAPK) is a pigmentary disorder of autosomal dominant inheritance, occurring predominantly within the Japanese population, for which no successful treatment has been described. OBJECTIVE: The objective was to describe a 23-year-old Saudi woman with reticulated acropigmentation of Kitamura (RAPK), who was successfully treated with a 75-nm Q-switched alexandrite laser. METHOD: To report a 23-year-old Saudi woman with reticulated acropigmentation of kitamura (RAPK) who was treated with two sessions of the Q-switched alexandrite laser, six weeks apart with no recurrence after two years. RESULTS: Cutaneous pigmentation of reticulated acropigmentation of kitamura (RAPK) almost resolved completely in two laser sessions. Side effects were limited to transient post inflammatory hypopigmentation. CONCLUSION: Cutaneous pigmentation of reticulated acropigmentation of kitamura (RAPK) can be effectively treated by Q-switched alexandrite (755-nm) laser, which shows a promising result, and it can be considered as treatment option, although further studies are required to confirm the effectiveness of this treatment modality with other Q-switched laser; e.g. Q-switched ND:YAG or Q-switch Ruby.
Reticulate Acropigmentation of Kitamura: A Case Report
AbstractA Turkish female patient from Eastern Anatolia is described with the clinical and histopathological features of reticulate acropigmentation of Kitamura (RAK). The brother of the patient, who has similar clinical features, refuses to give a biopsy specimen. No similar lesions are noted on the other members of the patient's family. We have found the case worthwhile to report, since case reports on RAK from ethnic groups other than Japanese are still rare at present.
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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