DeCure's autonomous Rare AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for tinea pedis — 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 moduleTinea pedis 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 tinea pedis 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
Tinea pedis affects roughly 3% of the world population, with peak incidence between 16 and 45 years, and is more common in males than females. Transmission among family members is the most frequent route, and indirect contact with contaminated belongings also spreads infection. Three clinical forms are recognised: interdigital, hyperkeratotic (moccasin-type) and vesiculobullous (inflammatory). Clinical diagnosis alone has low accuracy; a KOH wet-mount examination of skin scrapings from the active border is recommended as a point-of-care test, and diagnosis can be confirmed by fungal culture or molecular tools. In one clinico-mycological study of 2306 patients examined for clinical evidence of tinea pedis, only 52 were found to have the condition. Trichophyton rubrum was the commonest isolate (47.6%), producing predominantly noninflammatory scaly lesions, and T. mentagrophytes was next (21.4%), responsible for most macerated lesions.
Superficial or localised tinea pedis usually responds to topical antifungal therapy, which is the mainstay of treatment, applied once to twice daily for 1 to 6 weeks. Agents include allylamines (e.g. terbinafine), azoles (e.g. ketoconazole), benzylamine, ciclopirox, tolnaftate and amorolfine. Oral antifungal therapy (terbinafine, itraconazole, fluconazole) is reserved for severe disease, failed topical therapy, concomitant onychomycosis, or immunocompromised patients. Combined topical and oral therapy may increase cure rate. Untreated lesions may persist and progress.
A 2006 randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase III trial across 54 centres in France and Germany enrolled 273 evaluable patients (2:1 randomisation) to test a single-dose terbinafine 1% film-forming solution (FFS) against placebo. At week 6, effective treatment (negative mycology plus absent or minimal symptoms) was 63% in the terbinafine group versus 17% in the placebo group (p ≤ 0.0001). Mycological cure at week 6 was 72% for terbinafine and 21% for placebo (p ≤ 0.0001). Clinical signs and symptoms decreased significantly in the active group. Patients reported a reduction in itching and burning starting 15 minutes after application, attributed to the cooling effect of the FFS. Recurrence (positive culture at 3 months) occurred in 12.5% of effectively treated patients in the terbinafine group. The FFS was well tolerated. The relapse/re-infection rate at 3 months was similar to that previously reported with terbinafine 1% cream applied for 7 days.
What remains missing is a direct comparison of single-dose FFS against the standard 1–6 week topical regimens in a head-to-head trial with longer follow-up, and data on whether the single-dose approach works as well in the severe or recalcitrant cases that currently warrant oral therapy. No trial has yet stratified patients by clinical subtype or by infecting organism to see if response varies.
Evidence
Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.
Drugs in Context · 2023 · 50 citations · open access
Tinea pedis: an updated review
AbstractBackground: Tinea pedis is one of the most common superficial fungal infections of the skin, with various clinical manifestations. This review aims to familiarize physicians with the clinical features, diagnosis and management of tinea pedis. Methods: A search was conducted in April 2023 in PubMed Clinical Queries using the key terms 'tinea pedis' OR 'athlete's foot'. The search strategy included all clinical trials, observational studies and reviews published in English within the past 10 years. Results: . It is estimated that approximately 3% of the world population have tinea pedis. The prevalence is higher in adolescents and adults than in children. The peak age incidence is between 16 and 45 years of age. Tinea pedis is more common amongst males than females. Transmission amongst family members is the most common route, and transmission can also occur through indirect contact with contaminated belongings of the affected patient. Three main clinical forms of tinea pedis are recognized: interdigital, hyperkeratotic (moccasin-type) and vesiculobullous (inflammatory). The accuracy of clinical diagnosis of tinea pedis is low. A KOH wet-mount examination of skin scrapings of the active border of the lesion is recommended as a point-of-care testing. The diagnosis can be confirmed, if necessary, by fungal culture or culture-independent molecular tools of skin scrapings. Superficial or localized tinea pedis usually responds to topical antifungal therapy. Oral antifungal therapy should be reserved for severe disease, failed topical antifungal therapy, concomitant presence of onychomycosis or in immunocompromised patients. Conclusion: Topical antifungal therapy (once to twice daily for 1-6 weeks) is the mainstay of treatment for superficial or localized tinea pedis. Examples of topical antifungal agents include allylamines (e.g. terbinafine), azoles (e.g. ketoconazole), benzylamine, ciclopirox, tolnaftate and amorolfine. Oral antifungal agents used for the treatment of tinea pedis include terbinafine, itraconazole and fluconazole. Combined therapy with topical and oral antifungals may increase the cure rate. The prognosis is good with appropriate antifungal treatment. Untreated, the lesions may persist and progress.
Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology · 2006 · 49 citations
Efficacy and safety of a new single‐dose terbinafine 1% formulation in patients with tinea pedis (athlete's foot): a randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled study
AbstractBACKGROUND: Tinea pedis is a common dermatophyte infection with frequent recurrences. Terbinafine (presently used as a 1-week topical treatment of tinea pedis) is now available in a novel topical solution (film-forming solution--FFS), developed to allow single application. OBJECTIVES: To demonstrate the efficacy and safety of terbinafine 1% FFS in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase III trial, and to determine relapse or re-infection rate of tinea pedis at 12 weeks. PATIENTS/METHODS: Fifty-four centres (27 in France; 27 in Germany) enrolled 273 evaluable patients (2 : 1 randomization). Patients applied terbinafine 1% FFS or placebo only once between, under and over the toes, soles and sides of both feet. Efficacy assessments included direct microscopy, mycological culture, and clinical signs and symptoms at baseline, and at weeks 1, 6 and 12 after the single drug application. RESULTS: Effective treatment (negative mycology plus absent/minimal symptoms) at week 6 in the terbinafine 1% FFS group was 63%; vehicle was 17% (P<or=0.0001). Mycological cure was 72% in the terbinafine group and 21% in the placebo (P<or=0.0001) at week 6. Clinical signs/symptoms decreased significantly in the active group compared to the placebo. The self-assessment of itching and burning sensation by the patient showed a clear reduction in symptoms starting 15 min after treatment application (this could be attributed to the cooling effect of the FFS). Recurrence (positive culture at 3 months) occurred in 12.5% of the effectively treated patients at week 6 in the terbinafine group. FFS was well tolerated. CONCLUSION: Terbinafine 1% FFS, single dose application is an effective, safe and convenient treatment for tinea pedis. The relapse/re-infection rate 3 months after the end of single-dose therapy is similar to that previously demonstrated in a study using terbinafine 1% cream for 7 days.
PARIPEX-INDIAN JOURNAL OF RESEARCH · 2023 · 0 citations · open access
TINEA PEDIS-A CLINICO-MYCOLOGICAL STUDY
AbstractA total of 2306 patients were examined for the clinical evidence of Tinea pedis.Only 52 of these were found to suffer from this condition. Trichophyton rubrum was the commonest (47.6%) isolate and it produced predominantly noninflammatory scaly lesions.T mentagrophytes was the next commonest (21.4%) agent:it was responsible for most of the macerated lesions
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.
