DeCure's autonomous Respiratory AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for Status Asthmaticus — screening already-approved drugs against its 6-gene Open Targets disease module to publish open-access research. Research is fast; the path to publication is funded in milestone stages.
Disease moduleStatus Asthmaticus maps to a 6-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 status asthmaticus 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
cysteinyl leukotriene receptor 1 (CYSLTR1) — CYSLTR1 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 zlkdrag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 6RZ5 · 2.53 Å · ligand zafirlukast (ZLK). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
In a 1966 review of eight patients in a 200-bed community hospital, all were successfully managed with mechanical ventilation for status asthmaticus, defined as acute asthmatic pulmonary failure that does not resolve spontaneously or with usual treatment. The paper describes obstructed respiratory exchange from narrowed small airways and occluded secretions, but provides no survival rates, response rates, or controlled comparisons. The sample is too small to draw general conclusions.
A 2018 prospective observational study at a single Thai hospital recruited 209 patients aged 6–54 years (median 33), of whom 145 (69.3%) met criteria for status asthmaticus. Factors associated with status asthmaticus included age over 60, presence of a comorbidity, uncontrolled asthma, prior hospitalisations or emergency visits in the last year, and using more than one metered dose inhaler canister per month. Status asthmaticus patients were significantly less likely to speak in sentences, more likely to have poor air entry and chest wall retraction, abnormal chest X-ray, receive magnesium sulphate, and be admitted to hospital. No patients died. The authors note the findings are consistent with previous studies but do not report any drug-specific efficacy data.
A 1994 review argues that the term “status asthmaticus” may distract from the fact that patients die at home, sometimes within minutes of an attack, before conventional treatment can begin. It recommends describing “severe acute asthma” instead. The review offers no new patient data, no survival or response rates, and no drug comparisons.
What is still missing are large, multicentre trials that stratify patients by severity, comorbidity, and prior treatment use, and that test specific interventions (including drug repurposing candidates) against standard care in controlled settings. Funding for such trials, and for studies that capture out-of-hospital deaths, remains 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.
New England Journal of Medicine · 1966 · 13 citations
Mechanical Ventilation in Status Asthmaticus
AbstractSTATUS asthmaticus represents acute asthmatic pulmonary failure, remarkably fatal according to the recent literature. A review of three years' experience in a 200-bed community hospital disclosed 8 patients in status asthmaticus, all successfully managed according to the methods discussed below. Information about these patients is summarized in Table 1.Status asthmaticus results from the persistence and worsening of the rare asthmatic attack that does not resolve spontaneously or with the usual treatment. The deterioration of the patient's physical condition results from obstructed respiratory exchange. Small airways are narrowed by spasm and edema and are occluded by retained, thick, drying secretions that . . .
Asian Pacific Journal of Allergy and Immunology · 2018 · 4 citations · open access
Characteristics and outcomes of treatment in status asthmaticus patients at emergency department
AbstractINTRODUCTION: The characteristics and treatment outcomes of status asthmaticus patients in emergency department (ED) have not been described previously especially in Thailand. OBJECTIVE: To describe the characteristics, treatment outcomes and factors associated with status asthmaticus in Thai patients presenting to a single center ED. METHODS: A prospective observational study was performed at Thammasat University hospital, Thailand. The data collected included demographics, asthma history and control, previous ED attendances and hospital admissions, presenting clinical, laboratory and radiographic features, treatments given, and outcomes. Multivariable regression was used to determine independent factors associated with status asthmaticus. RESULTS: Over one year (2015-16), 209 patients were recruited, aged 6 - 54 years (median 33 y), of whom 145 (69.3%) had status asthmaticus. The factors associated with status asthmaticus were: (i) age > 60 y, (ii) presence of a comorbidity, (iii) having uncontrolled asthma, (iv) hospitalizations or visits to the ED in the last year, and (v) using > 1 metered dose inhaler canister per month. Status asthmaticus patients were significantly less likely to speak in sentences (p=0.001) and more likely to have poor air entry and chest wall retraction (p<0.0001), an abnormal chest X ray (p=0.011), receive magnesium sulphate and be admitted into hospital (p<0.0001). No patients died. CONCLUSIONS: Status asthmaticus was common in this cohort of patients in our setting. Our findings are consistent with previous studies and underscore the need for better patient management.
AbstractStatus asthmaticus is a severe, life-threatening exacerbation of bronchial asthma that fails to improve with conventional treatment. Status asthmaticus brings with it the possibility of the need for mechanical ventilation unless prompt and vigorous treatment is instituted. The use of the term “status asthmaticus” has the disadvantage of drawing attention away from other aspects of severe asthma, such as that patients die at home, and in some cases within minutes of the onset of an attack, before “conventional treatment” can be instituted. In some ways, therefore, it is better to describe “severe acute asthma” rather than status asthmaticus.
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.
