DeCure's autonomous Dermatology AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for seborrheic keratosis — screening already-approved drugs against its 39-gene Open Targets disease module to publish open-access research. Research is fast; the path to publication is funded in milestone stages.
Disease moduleSeborrheic keratosis maps to a 39-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 seborrheic keratosis 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
protein C receptor (PROCR) — PROCR 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 ptydrag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 1LQV · 1.6 Å · ligand PHOSPHATIDYLETHANOLAMINE (PTY). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
A 2011 case report on a single 62-year-old man with an inflamed seborrheic keratosis on the neck found overexpression of LAT, COX-2, CD1a, and CD68 in the inflammatory infiltrate, with strong CD1a also in the suprajacent epidermis and myeloid/histiocyte antigen strongly expressed by keratinocytes. The authors concluded that a complex immune response appears to be involved in the pathophysiology of an inflamed seborrheic keratosis. No treatment was tested.
A 2020 systematic review identified nine publications covering twelve topical medications for seborrheic keratosis: hydrogen peroxide, tacalcitol, calcipotriol, maxacalcitol, ammonium lactate, tazarotene, imiquimod, trichloroacetic acid, urea, nitric-zinc oxide, potassium dobesilate, and 5-fluorouracil. The analysis showed that hydrogen peroxide 40% presented the highest level of evidence and was significantly more effective than placebo for lesion clearance. Most treatments resulted in good to excellent clearance with few well-tolerated minor adverse events. However, the review concluded that the level of evidence is low and that standard invasive therapy (electrodessication, cryotherapy, surgery) remains the more acceptable modality.
A 2025 study of 30 patients described clinical and morphological features. In 26 patients (86.7%) the lesions were on covered skin (back, chest, shoulders); in 4 (13.3%) on face and neck. The average number of lesions per patient was 6.5 ± 2.1, average largest diameter 1.7 ± 0.6 cm. Morphological variants included hyperkeratotic, acanthotic, "irritated", and mixed types, with acanthosis, basal cell proliferation, keratin cysts, circulatory disturbances, and immune cell reactions of varying intensity. No treatment was tested.
What is still missing are large, properly blinded randomised controlled trials comparing topical agents against each other and against standard invasive therapy, with standardised outcome measures and longer follow-up. Patient stratification by histological subtype or inflammatory status is not addressed in the existing evidence. Funding for such trials, rather than for further descriptive studies, is needed.
Evidence
Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.
North American Journal of Medical Sciences · 2011 · 5 citations · open access
Overexpression of linker for activated T cells, cyclooxygenase-2, CD1a, CD68 and myeloid/histiocyte antigen in an inflamed seborrheic keratosis
AbstractCONTEXT: Inflamed seborrheic keratoses are generally associated with the accumulation of variable numbers of lymphocytes and histiocytes in the superficial dermis. The precise immunologic mechanism of this histologic phenomenon is not known CASE REPORT: A 62-year-old male presented with a patch on the right neck with additional features of inflammation. Skin biopsies for hematoxylin and eosin examination, as well as for immunohistochemistry analysis were performed. RESULTS: H&E staining demonstrated classic features of an inflamed seborrheic keratosis. Overexpression of LAT, COX-2, CD1a, and CD68 was noticed in the inflammatory infiltrate. A strong presence of CD1a was also seen in the epidermis suprajacent to the inflammation. Myeloid/histiocyte antigen was strongly expressed by the keratinocytes CONCLUSION: A complex immune response seems to be involved in the pathophysiology of an inflamed seborrheic keratosis.
Topical Treatments for Seborrheic Keratosis: A Systematic Review
AbstractBackground. Seborrheic keratosis is a benign skin tumor removed through electrodessication, cryotherapy, or surgery. Alternative options may be beneficial to patients with contraindications to standard treatment, or those who prefer a non-invasive approach.
 Objectives. To determine the effectiveness and safety of topical medications on seborrheic keratosis in the clearance of lesions, compared to placebo or standard therapy.
 Methods. Studies involving seborrheic keratosis treated with any topical medication, compared to cryotherapy, electrodessication or placebo were obtained from MEDLINE, HERDIN, and Cochrane electronic databases from 1990 to June 2018.
 Results. The search strategy yielded sixty articles. Nine publications (two randomized controlled trials, two non randomized controlled trials, three cohort studies, two case reports) covering twelve medications (hydrogen peroxide, tacalcitol, calcipotriol, maxacalcitol, ammonium lactate, tazarotene, imiquimod, trichloroacetic acid, urea, nitric-zinc oxide, potassium dobesilate, 5-fluorouracil) were identified. The analysis showed that hydrogen peroxide 40% presented the highest level of evidence and was significantly more effective in the clearance of lesions compared to placebo.
 Conclusion. Most of the treatments reviewed resulted in good to excellent lesion clearance, with a few well tolerated minor adverse events. Topical therapy is a viable option; however, the level of evidence is low. Standard invasive therapy remains to be the more acceptable modality.
Journal of Education Health and Sport · 2025 · 0 citations · open access
Skin clinical and morphological changes in patients with seborrheic keratosis
AbstractThe clinical characteristics and morphological features of seborrheic keratosis in 30 patients are presented. In 26 (86.7%) cases, the process was localized only on the covered areas of the skin (back, chest, shoulders), and in 4 (13.3%) cases, it affected the face and neck. The average number of lesions per patient was 6.5±2.1, with an average size of the largest diameter measuring 1.7±0.6 cm. Morphologically, seborrheic keratosis was manifested in various histological variants (hyperkeratotic, acanthotic, "irritated", mixed), acanthosis, epidermal cell proliferation, primarily of basal cells, as well as the presence of keratin cysts, circulatory disturbances, and immune cell reactions of varying intensity.
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.
