DeCure's autonomous Rare AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for spermatogenic failure 2 — 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 moduleSpermatogenic failure 2 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 spermatogenic failure 2 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.
What the evidence adds up to
A review of 8879 vasectomies performed by one physician over 24 years found 97 failures of all types. In a subgroup of 5331 men who returned for at least two postoperative semen tests, there were 32 (0.60%) early overt failures and 61 (1.14%) technical failures involving persistence of small numbers of spermatozoa, possibly of no significance. Four late overt failures (0.08%) were discovered because of a pregnancy, each occurring at least four years after two azoospermic test results. Four failures were due to missed vasa deferentia; the remainder were attributed to recanalisation.
Male factor infertility contributes approximately 50% of the cause of infertility. The steady decline of semen quality in men worldwide may stem from lifestyle changes, environmental toxicity, dietary contribution and social problems. Assisted reproduction is the main treatment for male infertility, but in severe cases outcomes can end with recurrent implantation failure or recurrent pregnancy loss. Basic semen analysis still has limitations in explaining the cause of failure from the male factor.
The abstracts describe surgical failure rates and general infertility epidemiology. They do not report any drug intervention for spermatogenic failure 2, nor any molecular or genetic characterisation of that specific condition. No response rates, survival data, or drug names appear in these texts.
What is missing is any trial of a pharmacological agent for spermatogenic failure 2, any genetic stratification of patients, and any funding for a drug-repurposing study in this specific diagnosis. The abstracts provide no basis for recommending a drug.
Evidence
Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.
JAMA · 1988 · 46 citations
The lurking sperm. A review of failures in 8879 vasectomies performed by one physician
AbstractVasectomy techniques and failure rates vary among surgeons, and the criteria for failure are not often clearly defined. To help establish a yardstick for comparative purposes, a series of 8879 consecutive vasectomies performed with uniform technique over 24 years was reviewed. A subgroup of 5331 men who had returned for at least two postoperative semen tests--the study group--was used for follow-up analysis. Failures were defined as early or late and also were categorized as overt or technical according to the numbers, motility, or persistence of the remaining spermatozoa. There were 97 failures of all types, including 32 (0.60%) early and overt failures and 61 (1.14%) technical failures that involved the persistence of small numbers of spermatozoa, possibly of no significance. Four (0.08%) late overt failures were also seen; each of these was discovered as a result of a pregnancy, and each occurred at least four years after two azoospermic test results. Of the 97 failures, four were recognized as due to missed vasa deferentia, and the remainder were attributed to recanalization. Whether improved and reproducible failure rates can be consistently obtained by other techniques is not yet clear.
AbstractVasectomy techniques and failure rates vary among surgeons, and the criteria for failure are not often clearly defined. To help establish a yardstick for comparative purposes, a series of 8879 consecutive vasectomies performed with uniform technique over 24 years was reviewed. A subgroup of 5331 men who had returned for at least two postoperative semen tests—the<i>study</i>group—was used for follow-up analysis. Failures were defined as<i>early</i>or<i>late</i>and also were categorized as overt or<i>technical</i>according to the numbers, motility, or persistence of the remaining spermatozoa. There were 97 failures of all types, including 32 (0.60%) early and overt failures and 61 (1.14%) technical failures that involved the persistence of small numbers of spermatozoa, possibly of no significance. Four (0.08%) late overt failures were also seen; each of these was discovered as a result of a pregnancy, and each occurred at least four years after two azoospermic test results. Of the 97 failures, four were recognized as due to missed vasa deferentia, and the remainder were attributed to recanalization. Whether improved and reproducible failure rates can be consistently obtained by other techniques is not yet clear. (<i>JAMA</i>1988;259:3142-3144)
IntechOpen eBooks · 2022 · 1 citations · open access
Semen Analysis and Infertility
AbstractMale factor infertility contribute approximately at 50% for the cause of infertility. The steady declination of semen quality in men for all over the world might be from various factors such as life style changes, environmental toxicity, dietary contribution and social problems. Assisted reproduction is the main treatment of choice for male infertility; However, in severe male factor infertility, the treatment outcomes could end up with recurrent implantation failure or recurrent pregnancy loss. Basic semen analysis still has limitation to explain the cause of failure for the part of male factors. The purposes of developing new sperm evaluation methods are to improve the diagnostic tools for identifying the sperm defects, appraise of fertility potential and provide suitable treatment for an infertile couple, explain the cause of treatment failure from male factor part and measure the efficacy of male contraception.
Romanian Journal of Morphology and Embryology · 2022 · 0 citations · open access
Healthy birth in a case of total globozoospermia after intracytoplasmic sperm injection and assisted oocyte activation
AbstractGlobozoospermia is a rare (incidence <0.1%) and very severe disorder, with major implications in male fertility. Total globozoospermia is represented by the presence of spermatozoa with 100% rounded heads and a lack of acrosomes. These specific morphological modifications seem to be connected to defects occurring in the last stage of spermatogenesis, spermiogenesis, and will result in anomalies of the acrosomal reaction and a defective adherence of the spermatozoa to the oocytes zona pellucida. This will result in a failure of natural fertilization. This article aims to present the case of a couple diagnosed and successfully treated for primary male infertility. The 26-year-old male partner underwent two semen analyses that revealed the presence of fully rounded spermatozoa heads (morphological abnormality) and consequently was proposed for in vitro fertilization treatment. Semen preparation and the use of assisted reproductive techniques, intracytoplasmic injection of sperm cells into the assisted oocyte activation, have resulted in the conceivement of a healthy child. The particularities of this case lie in the early recognition of the total abnormal globozoospermia morphology. This is the first case reported in Romania where specific assisted reproductive techniques and treatments have resulted in a successful pregnancy for a couple with male total globozoospermia.
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.
