DeCure's autonomous Immuno AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for spondylitis — screening already-approved drugs against its 7-gene Open Targets disease module to publish open-access research. Research is fast; the path to publication is funded in milestone stages.
Disease moduleSpondylitis maps to a 7-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
approvedThalidomideApproved drug
Structures already discussed alongside spondylitis in the retrieved literature, rendered from public PubChem SMILES. Which drugs appear here reflects the evidence found, not a ranked prediction.
Molecular view
Cereblon isoform 4 from Magnetospirillum gryphiswaldense — Thalidomide has a real, experimentally solved structure in complex with this target (PDB 5AMH, 1.2 Å). This is the drug's own deposited structure, not a prediction, and confirms it is a structurally characterised molecule rather than an untested guess.
Loading structure…
helix sheet ef2drag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 5AMH · 1.2 Å · ligand Thalidomide (EF2). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
A 1974 double-blind cross-over trial in 35 patients with ankylosing spondylitis compared flurbiprofen (150 mg daily) with phenylbutazone (300 mg daily) over four weeks. Flurbiprofen was well tolerated and its therapeutic efficacy approached that of phenylbutazone. A 1980 double-blind, placebo-controlled cross-over trial in 19 patients found both indomethacin and fenoprofen effective for symptomatic relief, though indomethacin was more often preferred. A 1975 study treated 65 patients intolerant of or unresponsive to phenylbutazone or indomethacin with 1200 mg ibuprofen daily for at least two months; clinical or subjective improvement was noted in 32 patients (49%), and the drug was well tolerated, including by 14 with gastrointestinal disorders.
A 2015 review states that pharmacological treatment options for ankylosing spondylitis were very limited until the recent introduction of biological drugs, which have led to remarkable improvements. A 2017 review confirms that no current treatments have been shown to induce disease remission or halt the progression of bony ankylosis that causes major morbidity, though improved diagnostic methods and management have reduced treatment-associated side effects and improved quality of life. A 2020 meta-analysis of 8 studies reported that thalidomide significantly improved the total effective rate compared with conventional treatment or sulfasalazine, and significantly optimised morning stiffness time, BASDAI score, and C-reactive protein level.
What is still missing are long-term efficacy and tolerance studies for flurbiprofen, as noted in 1974, and any treatment that can reliably induce remission or stop structural damage, as emphasised in 2017. The meta-analysis on thalidomide does not specify the size or quality of the 8 included trials, and no data on radiographic progression or long-term safety beyond the meta-analysis are provided. Patient stratification, head-to-head comparisons of biological drugs against older agents in modern trials, and adequately powered studies with radiographic endpoints 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.
BMJ · 1974 · 41 citations · open access
Double-blind Cross-over Trial of Flurbiprofen and Phenylbutazone in Ankylosing Spondylitis
AbstractA double-blind cross-over study in 35 patients with ankylosing spondylitis was carried out comparing flurbiprofen (150 mg daily)-a new non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agent-with phenylbutazone (300 mg daily) over a four-week period. Flurbiprofen was well tolerated and shown to have therapeutic efficacy approaching that of phenylbutazone. The results suggest that flurbiprofen may prove a valuable alternative in the treatment of ankylosing spondylitis, and longterm efficacy and tolerance studies are clearly indicated.
TURKISH JOURNAL OF MEDICAL SCIENCES · 2015 · 37 citations · open access
Treatment of ankylosing spondylitis
AbstractAnkylosing spondylitis (AS) is a chronic, inflammatory, rheumatic disease involving primarily the spine and sacroiliac joints.It is a prototype of spondyloarthritis (SpA) group diseases and its prevalence in Turkey has been reported as 0.49% (1).It is encountered in mostly young adults and in 80% of the cases symptoms appear before 30 years of age (2).Studies have revealed that the quality of life is reduced and the risk of disability and mortality is increased in patients with AS (3,4).It has been reported that the direct (due to health expenses) and indirect (as a result of workforce loss) economic losses associated with the disease are similar to those of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in the long term (5).Management of AS consists of pharmacological and nonpharmacological treatment modalities (6-11).The pharmacological treatment options are limited; however, with the recent introduction of biological drugs, remarkable improvements have been reported in this field.In general, the treatment targets include control of symptoms and inflammation (pain, stiffness, and joint swelling), preservation/normalization of physical function, prevention of progressive structural damage and disabilities, and eventually maximizing the longterm health-related quality of life (6,11).The aim of this review article is to present an updated overview of the pharmacologic treatment of AS, as defined by the modified New York criteria (Table 1) (12).Nonpharmacological treatment modalities including physiotherapy and exercise are only briefly mentioned and surgical treatment is not discussed. Nonpharmacological treatment approaches: physiotherapy and exerciseThe nonpharmacological treatment for AS comprises patient training and regular exercise.Pharmacological treatment and nonpharmacological treatment approaches complement each other.Physiotherapy and exercise for the treatment of AS are also cost-effective (13).A recent Cochrane article summarized the available scientific evidence on the effectiveness of physiotherapy interventions in the management of AS ( 14).Personal home exercising and training, when compared to AS patients without such interventions, lead to significant improvement in some spinal mobility parameters (finger tips-to-floor distance); however, they have no effect on disease activity, pain, stiffness, and global patient evaluation (14).Studies comparing group physiotherapy programs applied with a supervisor with personal home exercise programs showed that there were no differences among groups in regard to pain, stiffness, and function; however, some spinal mobility parameters (Schober's distance) and patient global Abstract: Ankylosing spondylitis is a chronic, inflammatory, rheumatic disease that can reduce the quality of life and increase the risk of disability and mortality.It also causes direct and indirect economic losses due to health expenses and as a result of workforce loss.Management of this disease consists of pharmacological and nonpharmacological modalities.Until recently, pharmacological treatment options have been very limited.However, development of novel biological drugs revolutionized the management of this disease.The aim of this review article is to present an updated overview of the pharmacologic treatment of ankylosing spondylitis.Nonpharmacological treatment modalities including physiotherapy and exercise are only briefly mentioned and surgical treatment is not discussed.
The Medical Journal of Australia · 2017 · 13 citations · open access
New approaches in ankylosing spondylitis
AbstractThere have been marked improvements in treatment options but none have yet been shown to induce remission T he past decade has seen major advances in the diagnosis and management of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and in research into its pathogenesis. It remains the case that no current treatments have been shown to lead to disease remissions or to halt the progression of the bony ankylosis that causes the major morbidity associated with this condition. Nonetheless, improved diagnostic methods and management have led to major benefits for patients, with marked improvements in quality of life with reduced treatment-associated side effects.
A DOUBLE-BLIND CROSS-OVER TRIAL OF INDOMETHACIN, FENOPROFEN AND PLACEBO IN ANKYLOSING SPONDYLITIS, WITH COMMENTS ON PATIENT ASSESSMENT
AbstractA double-blind, double-dummy-placebo controlled cross-over trial of indomethacin and fenoprofen for symptomatic relief of ankylosing spondylitis is reported in 19 patients. Both drugs are shown to be effective although indomethacin is more often preferred. Comment is made on patient assessment and response in ankylosing spondylitis and on the double-dummy technique.
Current Medical Research and Opinion · 1975 · 4 citations
Section 3 Ibuprofen (‘Brufen’) in the treatment of ankylosing spondylitis
AbstractSummarySixty-five patients with ankylosing spondylitis, all of whom were intolerant of or had failed to respond to previous therapy with phenylbutazone or indomethacin, were treated with 1200 mg. ibuprofen daily for at least 2 months. Clinical or subjective improvement was noted in 32 (49%), and the drug was well tolerated by all the patients, including 14 with gastro-intestinal disorders.
Journal of Advances in Medicine Science · 2020 · 2 citations · open access
A Meta-analysis of Therapeutic Effect of Thalidomide on Ankylosing Spondylitis
AbstractObjective: To study the therapeutic effect of thalidomide on ankylosing spondylitis (AS) by meta-analysis. Methods: Personal digital library, Cochrane library, and China Biology Medicine disc (CMBdisc), as well as relevant pharmaceutical and medical journals, were collected and reviewed. After the analysis of characteristics of the selected document and the evaluation of the risk of bias, the therapeutic effect of thalidomide on ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and its influence on related indexes were analyzed by literature data. Results: The meta-analysis results of 8 pieces of literature showed that the total effective rate of thalidomide in the treatment of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) was significantly improved, compared with conventional treatment or sulfasalazine (SASP) treatment (P＜0.05). Furthermore, the time of morning stiffness, BASDAI score, C-reactive protein (CRP) level, and other related symptoms and indexes were significantly optimized (P＜0.05). Conclusion: By rational utilization of thalidomide in the treatment of ankylosing spondylitis (AS), related symptoms and indexes of patients can be effectively improved, the total effective rate of the treatment was significantly improved and the safety of the treatment can be guaranteed.
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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