DeCure's autonomous Rare AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for tooth hard tissue disease — screening already-approved drugs against its 3-gene Open Targets disease module to publish open-access research. Research is fast; the path to publication is funded in milestone stages.
Disease moduleTooth hard tissue disease maps to a 3-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 tooth hard tissue disease 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
neural cell adhesion molecule 1 (NCAM1) — NCAM1 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 2VKW · 2.3 Å · ligand none (apo structure). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
In a 2018 clinical study of head and neck cancer patients, salivary Streptococcus sobrinus was measured by quantitative PCR before and six weeks after radiotherapy at a dose of 60 Gy. The amount of S. sobrinus increased significantly after radiotherapy compared with before. The authors concluded that radiation therapy has harmful effects on hard and soft tissues of the oral cavity and that dentists should motivate patients for oral health care. No other drugs or interventions were tested in that study.
A 2017 experimental study in 42 male Wistar rats tested whether tert-butylhydroquinone (TBHQ), an antioxidant, could improve healing of the tooth socket after extraction of an upper second molar. The experimental group received 0.1 ml of 0.02% TBHQ solution in the socket; the control group received the same volume of distilled water. On day 3, granulation tissue was significantly higher in the TBHQ group (P = 0.003). On day 21, bony trabeculation was significantly higher in the TBHQ group (P < 0.001). The authors concluded that TBHQ may enhance hard tissue healing in tooth sockets, noting the limitations of an experimental animal study.
Two abstracts from 2023, both titled "Treatment of pulp pathology in patients with chronic periodontitis," contain no original data, no drug names, and no quantitative results. They describe the anatomy of teeth and pulp, state that pulp infection causes inflammation and pain, and note that the pulp produces dentin. No intervention or outcome is reported.
What is missing: no human trials of TBHQ for tooth hard tissue disease exist in these abstracts; the animal study used a small sample (42 rats) and did not test any other antioxidant or standard care comparator. The radiotherapy study did not test any drug to prevent or treat hard tissue damage. No randomised controlled trial, no cost data, no patient stratification by disease severity or microbial profile has been reported for any drug in this context.
Evidence
Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.
PubMed · 2017 · 6 citations
Use of bioactive materials and limited FOV CBCT in the treatment of a replanted permanent tooth affected by inflammatory external root resorption: a case report.
AbstractBACKGROUND: Inflammatory external root resorption is one of the possible complications of replantation of an avulsed tooth. Several studies have shown that limited FOV CBCT is an efficient diagnostic support and in treatment planning of these cases in paediatric patients because of its high resolution combined with low radiation doses. The recent literature has suggested that Biodentine is an effective material for resolution of inflammatory root resorption. CASE REPORT: This article describes the successful therapy of a replanted tooth affected by inflammatory root resorption. In the present case, a CBCT exam was performed to detect the extent of the damage, and the canal was filled with Biodentine in the apical third. At present, the threated tooth is asymptomatic, and the twelve months follow-up examination showed healing of periradicular hard tissues.
The Journal of Contemporary Dental Practice · 2018 · 4 citations · open access
Effect of Radiotherapy on Cariogenic Organism <i>Streptococcus sobrinus</i> in Saliva in Head and Neck Cancer: A Clinical Study
AbstractAIM: Aim of the study was to assess salivary Streptococcus sobrinus in head and neck cancer using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Unstimulated saliva samples were collected from head and neck cancer patient preradiotherapy. Unstimulated saliva samples were collected from oral and laryngeal cancer patients after 6 weeks of radiotherapy (dose 60 Gy). The subjects were explained not to consume solids or liquids or carry out any dental hygiene activity 1 hour prior to saliva collection. Accumulated unstimulated saliva was collected in cylindrical tube through funnel. The collected saliva was then transferred to Eppendorf tube containing Tris-ethylenediamine-tetraacetic acid (EDTA) (TE) buffer and was transported to lab for real-time PCR analysis. RESULTS: Streptococcus sobrinus significantly increased post-radiotherapy as compared with preradiotherapy in head and neck cancer patients. CONCLUSION: Within the limitation of this study, we conclude that amount of S. sobrinus increases postradiotherapy in head and neck cancer patients. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: As radiation therapy has harmful effects on hard and soft tissues of oral cavity, dentists should provide motivation for oral health care to the patients.
Dental Research Journal · 2017 · 4 citations · open access
Can tert-butylhydroquinone improve the healing of extracted tooth socket in rats?
AbstractBackground: Tooth extraction causes an open wound in the soft and hard tissues. During the inflammatory phase of the healing process, a large amount of free radicals are produced and cause oxidative stress, which leads to tissue damage and delayed wound healing. Thus, in this study, we evaluated the effect of tert-butylhydroquinone (TBHQ), as an antioxidant, on the healing process of tooth sockets in rats.Materials and Methods: To conduct this experimental study, male Wistar rats (n = 42) were divided into two groups. In each case, one upper second molar was extracted under general anesthesia. After the extraction, the tooth sockets of the experimental group were treated with a 0.02% TBHQ solution (0.1 ml) while the same volume of distilled water placed in the sockets of the control group. On days 3, 7, and 21 postoperatively, 7 rats from each group were euthanized, and histological slides were prepared from their tooth sockets. The prepared slides were examined histopathologically using a light microscope and compared using an independent two-sample t-test. The significance level was set at 0.05.Results: In the experimental group, a statistically significant (P = 0.003) increase in granulation tissue was observed on day 3, in comparison to the control group. The extent of bony trabeculation was also significantly higher in the TBHQ-treated group than in the control group on day 21 (P < 0.001).Conclusion: Considering the limitations of an experimental study, it can be concluded that TBHQ may enhance the healing of the hard tissue in the tooth sockets.
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · 2023 · 0 citations · open access
TREATMENT OF PULP PATHOLOGY IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC PERIODONTITIS
AbstractOur teeth are not only dense organic tissues covered with hard tooth enamel. Inside each tooth is hidden a complex system of blood vessels and nerves necessary to maintain the health of the gums. The sensitivity of the soft tissues in the oral cavity is ten times greater than the sensitivity of other organs. Therefore, any infection that enters the tooth causes inflammation and severe pain. Pathology is also triggered by temperature changes: burns or hypothermia. Unbearable pain forces a person to treat pulpitis and seek help from a dentist. In order to find the right way to treat the disease, you need to know the origin of its occurrence. The core or pulp of the tooth is responsible not only for tooth sensitivity, but also for the production of dentin. Tissue strengthens the tooth from the inside.
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · 2023 · 0 citations · open access
TREATMENT OF PULP PATHOLOGY IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC PERIODONTITIS
AbstractOur teeth are not only dense organic tissues covered with hard tooth enamel. Inside each tooth is hidden a complex system of blood vessels and nerves necessary to maintain the health of the gums. The sensitivity of the soft tissues in the oral cavity is ten times greater than the sensitivity of other organs. Therefore, any infection that enters the tooth causes inflammation and severe pain. Pathology is also triggered by temperature changes: burns or hypothermia. Unbearable pain forces a person to treat pulpitis and seek help from a dentist. In order to find the right way to treat the disease, you need to know the origin of its occurrence. The core or pulp of the tooth is responsible not only for tooth sensitivity, but also for the production of dentin. Tissue strengthens the tooth from the inside.
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.
