DeCure's autonomous Rare AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for tetanus — 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 moduleTetanus 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 tetanus 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
vesicle associated membrane protein 2 (VAMP2) — VAMP2 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 apo structuredrag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 9CKX · 1.98 Å · ligand none (apo structure). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
Tetanus is a neurologic disease caused by tetanus toxin from Clostridium tetani, an environmental soilborne bacterium. Horses, sheep, and humans are highly sensitive to the toxin; cattle, dogs, and cats are more resistant. Diagnosis relies on clinical signs because identifying C. tetani at the wound site is often difficult.
A case series of 66 tetanus patients from a tertiary hospital in a developing African country between 1990 and 2000 reported a mortality rate of 26.2%. The fatality rate was 16.2% for patients under 40 years old and rose to 75% for those above 70. Factors affecting outcome included socioeconomic status, immunization status, incubation period, age, severity of spasms, duration of hospital stay, type of treatment, and time of onset.
An analysis of 260 cases of tetanus in children aged 1 month to 12 years compared homeopathic remedies with four different combined therapies. Cases were graded into five severity categories and divided into five treatment groups. The best results came from combined therapy with Nux vom., Stram., A.T.S., and chlorpromazine. The analysis also examined the prognostic value of mode of infection and incubation period.
No controlled trial has tested any drug specifically for tetanus in a modern randomised design. What is missing is funding for a properly powered trial, a standardised severity stratification that can be applied across settings, and a clear definition of which patients might benefit from any given intervention beyond supportive care and antitoxin.
Evidence
Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.
Journal of Veterinary Diagnostic Investigation · 2020 · 83 citations · open access
Tetanus in animals
AbstractTetanus is a neurologic disease of humans and animals characterized by spastic paralysis. Tetanus is caused by tetanus toxin (TeNT) produced by Clostridium tetani, an environmental soilborne, gram-positive, sporulating bacterium. The disease most often results from wound contamination by soil containing C. tetani spores. Horses, sheep, and humans are highly sensitive to TeNT, whereas cattle, dogs, and cats are more resistant. The diagnosis of tetanus is mainly based on the characteristic clinical signs. Identification of C. tetani at the wound site is often difficult.
Tetanus: An Analysis of the Prognosticating Factors of Cases Seen in a Tertiary Hospital in a Developing African Country between 1990 and 2000
AbstractThis is an analysis of the effects of prognosticating factors on the outcome of a case series of 66 patients with tetanus, presenting between 1990 and 2000. The mortality rate was 26.2% with a fatality rate of 16.2% for those under 40 years of age. This increased to 75% for those patients above 70 years of age. The socioeconomic status, immunization status, the incubation period, and age of the patient together with the severity of the spasms, duration of hospital stay, type of treatment received and time of onset were found to affect the outcome of the patients.
AbstractSummary This is an analysis of 260 cases of tetanus in children between 1 month and 12 years, treated with homœopathic remedies and four different types of combined therapies. The cases were graded into 5 categories according to severity and then divided into 5 groups. The results under different groups are analysed and compared. Combined therapy with Nux vom., Stram., A.T.S. and Chlorpromazine yielded the best results. The prognostic value of various factors such as mode of infection, incubation period, etc., are analysed and discussed.
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.
