DeCure's autonomous Rare AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for sympathetic ophthalmia — 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 moduleSympathetic ophthalmia 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 sympathetic ophthalmia 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
nuclear receptor subfamily 3 group C member 1 (NR3C1) — NR3C1 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 adpdrag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 7KW7 · 3.57 Å · ligand ADENOSINE-5'-DIPHOSPHATE (ADP). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
A prospective surveillance study in the UK and Republic of Ireland identified 23 newly diagnosed cases of sympathetic ophthalmia over 15 months, giving a minimum estimated incidence of 0.03 per 100,000. Among 18 patients with baseline data, the condition followed surgery in 11 cases (retinal surgery alone in six) and accidental trauma in seven. At one year, 12 of 16 patients had visual acuity of 6/12 or better; good visual outcome was linked to prompt and adequate systemic immunosuppressive therapy. A 1960 survey of 540 ophthalmologists representing 11,031 years of practice recorded 461 cases among 221 respondents, and the author noted that textbooks citing a 1–2% risk after penetrating injury seemed high.
A 1998 case report describes sympathetic ophthalmia manifesting 50 years after a penetrating shell splinter injury. The injured eye was amaurotic and phthisical; the sympathising eye developed anterior uveitis. Initial local and systemic corticosteroids improved the uveitis, but a second inflammatory episode caused substantial visual loss and subtotal choroidal detachment. Enucleation of the exciting eye confirmed the diagnosis histologically. Corticosteroids alone were insufficient; azathioprine controlled symptoms but was stopped due to adverse reactions. Cyclosporine was tolerated well, though dose reduction was difficult because of recurrences. After 30 months of cyclosporine therapy, the patient had stable results for six months with visual acuity of 20/30.
A 2013 retrospective analysis of 24 cases reported that all had good effect and no recurrences were detected, concluding that early diagnosis, standard active treatment, and control of inflammation can prevent recurrence and avoid visual impairment. A 1937 review, however, cautioned that collected cases are difficult to study because diagnosis depends on interpretation of clinical signs and histology, which is often omitted; the author noted that each case is an entity in itself and that variation in factors may lead to incorrect conclusions.
What remains missing is prospective, controlled data on optimal immunosuppressive regimens and their long-term side effects, as well as standardised diagnostic criteria that include histological confirmation. The rarity of the disease makes adequately powered trials difficult to fund and conduct, and patient stratification by cause (surgery versus trauma) or time to treatment is not yet established.
Evidence
Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.
British Journal of Ophthalmology · 2000 · 205 citations · open access
Prospective surveillance of sympathetic ophthalmia in the UK and Republic of Ireland
AbstractAIMS: To establish current epidemiological data, risks, and interventional outcomes of newly diagnosed sympathetic ophthalmia (SO). METHODS: Prospective surveillance took place of all permanently employed ophthalmologists in the UK and Republic of Ireland by a monthly reporting card through the British Ophthalmological Surveillance Unit. Case ascertainment was made of newly diagnosed SO from July 1997 and questionnaire data were returned at baseline, 6 months, and 1 year after diagnosis. RESULTS: 23 patients with newly diagnosed SO were recruited over 15 months, corresponding to a minimum estimated incidence of 0.03/100 000. Baseline data were available on 18 patients, in whom SO occurred after surgery in 11 patients, after retinal surgery alone in six patients, and after accidental trauma in seven patients. 12 of the 16 patients with 1 year follow up had a visual acuity of 6/12 or better. Good visual outcome was related to prompt and adequate systemic immunosuppressive therapy. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of sympathetic ophthalmia is very low. The main current risk is surgery, particularly retinal surgery, but visual prognosis is good if early diagnosis is made and rapid, adequate immunotherapy is commenced.
AbstractOBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship between visual outcome and the clinical management of patients with sympathetic ophthalmia. METHODS: Thirty-two patients with sympathetic ophthalmia who were seen at the National Eye Institute, Bethesda, Md, between 1982 and 1992, were retrospectively reviewed. RESULTS: There were equal numbers of males and females. Sympathetic ophthalmia occurred after trauma in 23 patients and surgery in nine patients. Sixteen of the 32 patients had a final visual acuity of 20/40 or better; 10 patients had a visual acuity worse than 20/200. Good visual outcome was associated with early and aggressive treatment with corticosteroids, sometimes in combination with other immunosuppressive agents. Poor visual acuity was associated with glaucoma, chorioretinal scars in the macula, and persistent uncontrolled inflammation. CONCLUSION: Prompt and aggressive use of antiinflammatory therapy can improve the visual outcome of patients with sympathetic ophthalmia.
AbstractIf statistics are correct you as an ophthalmologist will have a 40% chance to take care of at least one case of sympathetic ophthalmia in your lifetime. A frantic search of the recent literature to find out how best to treat this disease will leave you disappointed. As yet, no standard therapy has been outlined. Sympathetic ophthalmia is not common, but it is devastating and feared by us all. Textbooks usually state that 1%-2% of penetrating injuries of the globe result in sympathetic uveitis. This seems high.<sup>1</sup>An inquiry was sent to 1,200 ophthalmologists to determine the magnitude of the problemin recent years, 540 physicians representing 11,031 years of practice answered. Of this number 221 had had 461 cases of sympathetic ophthalmia. In 1935 Joy found that of 212 doctors answering his inquiry, 82 saw 158 cases of sympathetic ophthalmia.<sup>2</sup>Certainly the disease although rare is not
Klinische Monatsblätter für Augenheilkunde · 1998 · 6 citations
Sympathische Ophthalmie 50 Jahre nach perforierender Verletzung - Eine Kasuistik
AbstractBACKGROUND: Sympathetic ophthalmia is a rare form of autoimmune uveitis and manifests in 90% of cases within the first year after penetrating injuries or surgical interventions. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In the present case the sympathetic ophthalmia started 50 years after a penetrating injury by a shell splinter. The injured eye was amaurotic and phthitic and the sympathizing eye showed an anterior uveitis. After an initial treatment with local and systemic corticosteroids the uveitis improved. The clinical diagnosis of sympathetic ophthalmia was made after a second inflammation course with substantial visual loss and subtotal chorioidal detachment. After enucleation of the exciting eye the diagnosis was confirmed by histological examination. An immunosuppressive therapy including azathioprine and cyclosporine became necessary to control the uveitis. RESULTS: After enucleation the corticosteroid treatment was not sufficient. Additional therapy with azathioprine resulted in a recovery of the symptoms but had to be stopped because of adverse reactions. The alternative therapy by means of cyclosporine was tolerated well, but dose reduction was difficult because of recurrences. After a 30 month lasting cyclosporine therapy the patient shows stabile results since 6 months with visual acuity of 20/30. CONCLUSIONS: The present case report demonstrates that a delayed onset of sympathetic ophthalmia 50 years after initial trauma may occur but can be controlled by an immediate, high dose immunotherapy.
AbstractThere are many factors which make a study of collected cases of sympathetic ophthalmia difficult and somewhat unsatisfactory. The question of diagnosis is disturbing, as much depends on interpretation not only of the clinical signs but of the histologic picture. Unfortunately, histologic examination is so often omitted that the number of cases that can be collected in which the diagnosis has been confirmed is materially reduced. Then there are the questions of the type of therapy used and the time it was started, and the condition of the sympathizing eye when treatment was instituted. Furthermore, each case is an entity in itself, and the disorder may be dependent on entirely different factors from those in a similar disorder produced under the same conditions. This variation in the different factors which enter into sympathetic inflammation is confusing and unless carefully considered may lead to incorrect conclusions. Nevertheless, such
AbstractSympathetic ophthalmia apparently originates in a penetrating wound of the ciliary region of one eye, which communicates with the air. As long as it is not too large, if this wound is fully covered without delay with a fold of conjunctiva, its under surface being in contact with the wound so that it becomes adherent to it, the consensus is, I think, that it is so great a preventive that sympathetic inflammation, which otherwise would occur, may be warded off. I agree with this belief, as I have used it successfully. There seem to be three varieties, or rather degrees of severity of sympathetic ophthalmia: The first variety is a sympathetic irritation, which goes no further; that is, the media remain clear and no visible signs of disease are found. Finally, after the removal of the injured eye, this condition disappears, and the eye becomes quiet and fully recovers. In
AbstractObjective To study the diagnosis and treatment of sympathetic ophthalmia.Methods 24 cases of sympathetic ophthalmia were retrospectively analyzed to observe the clinical effect of the treatment and the preventive measures.Results All cases had good effect and no recurrent cases were detected.Conclusion Early diagnosis,standard and active treatment,active treatment of traumatic eyes,controlling inflammation can prevent the recurrence of sympathetic ophthalmia and avoid the visual impairment.
Key words:
Ophthalmia, sympathetic ; Diagnosis ; Treatment
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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