DeCure's autonomous Respiratory AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for sleep apnea — screening already-approved drugs against its 35-gene Open Targets disease module to publish open-access research. Research is fast; the path to publication is funded in milestone stages.
Disease moduleSleep apnea maps to a 35-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 sleep apnea 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
ABO, alpha 1-3-N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferase and alpha 1-3-galactosyltransferase (ABO) — ABO 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 6-deoxy-alpha-l-galactopyranosyldrag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 4Y63 · 1.3 Å · ligand octyl 2-O-(6-deoxy-alpha-L-galactopyranosyl)-beta-D-galactopyranoside (BHE). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
A 2024 expert review of pharmacotherapeutics for obstructive sleep apnea notes that efforts to identify medications targeting the causes of the condition have met with mixed success. The review catalogues drug classes under investigation: weight loss agents, ventilation activators, muscle and nervous system stimulants to reduce apnea events; wake-promoting agents for excessive daytime sleepiness; and hypnotics to improve adherence to existing treatments. The authors express a positive outlook for expanded drug use, citing recent advances in understanding sleep apnea pathology and in techniques for identifying therapeutic agents and their targets. No concrete numbers for response rates, survival, or sample sizes are provided in this review.
A 2023 paper on autophagy in obstructive sleep apnea describes the condition as a sleep-related hypoxia/reoxygenation syndrome that can damage the myocardium, hippocampus, kidney, and other organs. The authors propose that this damage may be linked to autophagy, a cellular process for degrading abnormal proteins and maintaining homeostasis. No clinical trial data or drug interventions are reported in this mechanistic study.
Two separate papers, from 2017 and 2013, state that over the past few decades there has been a significant increase in research on sleep apnea pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment, but that there is still a long way to go in creating standard evidence-based medical practice for diagnosis, evaluation, and treatment. A 2020 review of sleep disordered breathing in patients with chronic heart failure reports a comorbidity prevalence of 50-75% and presents modern treatment options from non-invasive ventilation to implantable devices, while noting the role of drug therapy as part of a multidisciplinary approach. No drug-specific efficacy data are given.
What is still missing are large, randomised controlled trials that test specific drug candidates against placebo or standard care in well-characterised patient subgroups, with objective endpoints such as the apnoea-hypopnoea index. Funding for such trials, clear patient stratification by phenotype and comorbidity, and standardised outcome measures remain 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.
Expert Opinion on Pharmacotherapy · 2024 · 5 citations · open access
Tackling obstructive sleep apnea with pharmacotherapeutics: expert guidance
AbstractINTRODUCTION: The efficacy of non-pharmacotherapeutic treatment of obstructive sleep apnea, a highly prevalent condition with serious cardiometabolic and neurocognitive health consequences, is well established. Supplementing traditional treatment strategies with medications can improve symptoms and reduce side effects. Efforts to identify medications that target the causes of sleep apnea have met with mixed success. However, this remains a worthwhile objective for researchers to pursue, given the potential benefit pharmacotherapy could bring to those patients who reject or struggle to adhere to existing treatments. AREAS COVERED: This article presents the case for obstructive sleep apnea pharmacotherapy including drugs that reduce the occurrence of apnea events, such as weight loss agents, ventilation activators and muscle and nervous system stimulants, drugs that alleviate symptoms, such as wake-promoting agents for excessive daytime sleepiness, and drugs that improve adherence to existing treatments, such as hypnotics. Literature was accessed from PubMed between 1 March 2024 and 18 April 2024. EXPERT OPINION: Exciting recent advances in both our understanding of obstructive sleep apnea pathology and in the techniques used to identify therapeutic agents and their targets combine to embolden a positive outlook for the expanded use of drugs in tackling this consequential disease.
Advances in oto-rhino-laryngology · 2017 · 3 citations
Future Perspectives in Sleep Surgery
AbstractOver the past few decades there has been a significant increase in research focusing on the pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment of sleep apnea. However, there is still a long way to go in creating standard evidence-based medical practice for the diagnosis, evaluation, and treatment of sleep apnea patients. Current and future directions of sleep surgery and other treatments are discussed here.
[Autophagy regulates multiple organ injury in obstructive sleep apnea and its related mechanisms].
AbstractObstructive sleep apnea is a sleep-related hypoxia/reoxygenation syndrome that can lead to cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, glucose and lipid metabolism, nervous system and even multiple organ damage, and is a serious threat to human health. Autophagy is a process by which eukaryotic cells rely on the lysosome pathway to degrade abnormal proteins and organelles, maintain homeostasis of intracellular environment and achieve self-renewal. Many studies have found that obstructive sleep apnea causes damage to myocardial, hippocampus, kidney and other organs, and its mechanism may be related to autophagy.
Rivista di diritto romano · 2013 · 0 citations · open access
Dal mondo antico alle radici della storia europea
AbstractOver the past few decades there has been a significant increase in research focusing on the pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment of sleep apnea. However, there is still a long way to go in creating standard evidence-based medical practice for the diagnosis, evaluation, and treatment of sleep apnea patients. Current and future directions of sleep surgery and other treatments are discussed here.
S S Korsakov Journal of Neurology and Psychiatry · 2020 · 0 citations
Sleep disordered breathing in patients with chronic heart failure: prognosis and management
AbstractSleep disordered breathing is a frequent comorbidity (50-75%) in patients with chronic heart failure, but it is usually underestimated. This review analyzes sleep disordered breathing in patients with chronic heart failure, demonstrates pathogenetic relationships and the prognostic role of sleep apnea. The authors present modern treatment options for sleep apnea in this cohort (from non-invasive ventilation to implantable devices), highlight the role of drug therapy and outline perspectives of different treatment approaches. This clinical problem is designated as multidisciplinary, which requires a dialogue between researchers and doctors of various specialties to organize comprehensive effective care for this cohort of patients.
PS-R01-6: SUCCESSFUL ANTIHYPERTENSIVE TREATMENT USING SACUBITRIL/VALSARTAN ALONE IN A PATIENT WITH OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA SYNDROME
AbstractObstructive sleep apnea syndrome (O-SAS) is one of the emerging non-communicable health hazards with high rates of morbidity and mortality. O-SAS is known to induce excessive activity of sympathetic nervous system and result in secondary hypertension. Although continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is the first line therapy for O-SAS, its poor adherence induces resistant hypertension. Sacubitril/valsartan has a sympatho-inhibitory effect and may contribute to antihypertensive therapy in patients with O-SAS. We present a successful case of a 39-year-old male with O-SAS using sacubitril/valsartan alone. He visited our clinic with severe hypertension noted during a routine health checkup. He was a heavy drinker, resulted in high body mass index. His family members worried about his loud snoring and witnessed apnea during sleep. The polysomnography showed a markedly increased apnea-hypopnea index of 37, which led to a diagnosis of severe obstructive sleep apnea. At first, we started treatment with CPAP and azilsartan, but he stopped CPAP due to excessive drinking. Then, we switched azilsartan to sacubitril/valsartan, and succeeded in improving his blood pressure. This case indicates that sacubitril/valsartan may be an effective therapy for uncontrollable hypertenstion due to O-SAS even without CPAP.
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.
