DeCure's autonomous Rare AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for typhus — screening already-approved drugs against its 4-gene Open Targets disease module to publish open-access research. Research is fast; the path to publication is funded in milestone stages.
Disease moduleTyphus maps to a 4-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
approvedDoxycyclineApproved drug
Structures already discussed alongside typhus in the retrieved literature, rendered from public PubChem SMILES. Which drugs appear here reflects the evidence found, not a ranked prediction.
Molecular view
Crystal structure of Alpha1-antichymotrypsin variant DBS-I1: a drug-binding serpin for doxycycline — Doxycycline has a real, experimentally solved structure in complex with this target (PDB 5OM2, 1.47 Å). This is the drug's own deposited structure, not a prediction, and confirms it is a structurally characterised molecule rather than an untested guess.
Loading structure…
helix sheet dxtdrag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 5OM2 · 1.47 Å · ligand Doxycycline (DXT). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
In a 2012 Greek study of 90 adult patients with murine typhus, the triad of fever, headache, and rash appeared in 64% within two days of admission. The median duration of fever was shorter in patients treated with doxycycline (3 days) compared to ofloxacin (p=0.001) or doxycycline plus ofloxacin (p=0.009). Pulmonary, neurological, and renal complications occurred in 26% of patients and resolved after specific treatment. A 2023 Indian study of scrub typhus patients reported that 65.7% had a drug response to doxycycline; among those patients, 34.3% had an eschar, 42.9% had a rash, 91.4% had pallor, and 57.1% had pneumonia or pneumonitis.
A 2024 systematic review and meta-analysis covering 663 articles from 29 countries found a pooled scrub typhus seroprevalence of 10.73% among healthy individuals and 22.58% among febrile patients. Median mortality among hospital inpatients was 5.00% (range 0.00–56.00%), among patients without specified admission status 6.70% (range 0.00–33.33%), and among outpatients 2.17% (range 0.00–22.22%). Mainland China reported the highest number of cases; South Korea and Thailand had the highest incidence rates. Significant risk factors included agricultural work, specific vegetation exposure, other outdoor activities, risky personal health habits, and proximity to rodents, livestock, or poultry.
A 2014 case-control study in northern China identified four factors independently associated with severe scrub typhus complications: duration of illness before effective antibiotic therapy (odds ratio 2.287), presence of a rash (odds ratio 3.694), lymphadenopathy (odds ratio 2.438), and a blood platelet count below 100×10⁹/l (odds ratio 2.226). The authors concluded that improved diagnosis and timely treatment are important for preventing severe complications.
What is still missing are prospective trials that directly compare doxycycline with other antibiotics in well-characterised patient populations, standardised definitions of severe disease across endemic regions, and funding for diagnostic tools that can be deployed where scrub typhus is most underdiagnosed. No study here reports a randomised controlled design, and none stratifies outcomes by duration of illness before treatment or by specific complications.
Evidence
Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.
International Journal of Infectious Diseases · 2012 · 48 citations · open access
Murine typhus in central Greece: epidemiological, clinical, laboratory, and therapeutic-response features of 90 cases
AbstractOBJECTIVES: To document and evaluate the clinico-epidemiological profile of murine typhus during the re-emergence of the disease in a previously endemic focus in central Greece. METHODS: This was a 5-year, hospital-based, observational study, in which 90 adult patients with murine typhus were prospectively identified and studied. RESULTS: Most cases of the disease occurred in rural (52%) and semi-urban (34%) settings, with a seasonal frequency peak during the late summer. The triad of fever, headache, and rash was present in 64% of the patients within 2 days of hospital admission. Normal white blood cell counts (63%), thrombocytopenia (81%), and a high erythrocyte sedimentation rate (93%) were the main hematological findings upon presentation. Elevated aminotransferases (>84%), hypoalbuminemia (81%), and hyponatremia (36%) were prominent biochemical abnormalities. Pulmonary, neurological, and renal complications were noted in 26% of the patients and subsided after specific treatment. The duration of fever was shorter in patients treated with doxycycline (median 3 days) compared to ofloxacin (p=0.001) or doxycycline plus ofloxacin (p=0.009). CONCLUSIONS: Murine typhus has the potential to cause significant morbidity. Awareness of the disease in endemic areas, early recognition of its clinical and laboratory features, and prompt administration of effective treatment are key factors to prevent potentially severe complications.
International Journal of Infectious Diseases · 2024 · 36 citations · open access
Global and regional seroprevalence, incidence, mortality of, and risk factors for scrub typhus: A systematic review and meta-analysis
AbstractOBJECTIVES: Scrub typhus is underdiagnosed and underreported but emerging as a global public health problem. We aimed to provide the first comprehensive review on the seroprevalence, incidence, mortality of and risk factors for scrub typhus. METHODS: We searched PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure and other databases. Trended incidence and median mortality were calculated and pooled seroprevalence and risk factors for scrub typhus were evaluated using the random-effects meta-analysis. RESULTS: We included 663 articles from 29 countries/regions. The pooled seroprevalence was 10.73% (95%CI 9.47-12.13%) among healthy individuals and 22.58% (95%CI: 20.55%-24.76%) among febrile patients. Mainland China reported the highest number of cases and South Korea and Thailand had the highest incidence rates. Median mortalities were 5.00% (range: 0.00-56.00%) among hospital inpatients, 6.70% (range: 0.00-33.33%) among patients without specified admission status and 2.17% (range: 0.00-22.22%) among outpatients. The significant risk factors included agricultural work, specific vegetation exposure, other outdoor activities, risky personal health habits, and proximity to rodents, livestock, or poultry. CONCLUSIONS: Our comprehensive review elucidates the significant yet variable burden of scrub typhus across different regions, underscoring its emergence as a critical public health concern globally.
International Journal of Infectious Diseases · 2014 · 27 citations · open access
Risk factors associated with severe scrub typhus in Shandong, northern China
AbstractOBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to identify risk factors associated with severe scrub typhus, in order to provide a reference for clinical decision-making. METHODS: A case-control study was conducted of scrub typhus patients who presented at local hospitals between 2010 and 2013. In total, 46 patients with severe scrub typhus complications (cases) and 194 without severe complications (controls) were included. RESULTS: There were significant differences in the duration of illness before effective antibiotic therapy, lymphadenopathy, rash, blood platelet count, white blood cell (WBC) count, percentage neutrophils, and percentage lymphocytes between the case and control groups. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that the following four factors were significantly associated with the severe complications of scrub typhus: (1) duration of illness before effective antibiotic therapy (odds ratio (OR) 2.287, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.096-4.770); (2) the presence of a rash (OR 3.694, 95% CI 1.300-10.495); (3) lymphadenopathy (OR 2.438, 95% CI 1.090-5.458); (4) blood platelet count <100×10(9)/l (OR 2.226, 95% CI 1.002-4.946). CONCLUSIONS: This study indicates that improved diagnosis and timely treatment are important factors for the prevention of severe scrub typhus. When scrub typhus patients present with a rash, lymphadenopathy, or blood platelet count <100×10(9)/l, clinicians should be alert to the appearance of severe complications.
Asian Journal of Medical Sciences · 2023 · 1 citations · open access
Study of clinical and biochemical profile of scrub typhus in a tertiary care hospital of West Bengal
AbstractBackground: Humans are accidental hosts in the zoonotic disease Scrub typhus. The disease though widespread in our county, it remains grossly underdiagnosed because of its non-septic clinical manifestations and lack of access to specific laboratory facilities. Aims and Objectives: The objective of present study is to evaluate the clinical presentations of Scrub Typhus among the study group. Furthermore, to assess the various laboratory findings in Scrub Typhus cases among the study group is the other objective of this study. Materials and Methods: The present study is an Institution-based, observational, and cross-sectional study conducted for 18 months with the admitted patients having 14–70 years of age. Data collected regarding patients’ demographic profile, symptoms, clinical findings, laboratory, and radiological findings. Data had been summarized as mean and standard deviation for numerical variables and count and percentages for categorical variables. Results: In our study, we found that most of the patients were 14–20 years old and female population was higher. It was found that 34.3% of patients had Eschar, 42.9% of patients had Rash, and 91.4% of patients had Pallor, 8.6% of patients had Ascites, 25.7% had Edema, 8.6% of patients had Jaundice, 11.4% had shock, and 57.1% had pneumonia/pneumonitis. The present study showed that 65.7% of patients had drug response (Doxycycline). Conclusion: Knowledge of geographical distribution, evidence of exposure to vector, clinical features such as fever, rash, eschar, headache, and myalgia along with high index of suspicion are crucial factors for early diagnosis and that helps in timely treatment of the cases.
Asian Journal of Medical Sciences · 2023 · 0 citations · open access
Study of clinical and biochemical profile of scrub typhus in a tertiary care hospital of West Bengal
AbstractBackground: Humans are accidental hosts in the zoonotic disease Scrub typhus. The disease though widespread in our county, it remains grossly underdiagnosed because of its non-septic clinical manifestations and lack of access to specific laboratory facilities. Aims and Objectives: The objective of present study is to evaluate the clinical presentations of Scrub Typhus among the study group. Furthermore, to assess the various laboratory findings in Scrub Typhus cases among the study group is the other objective of this study. Materials and Methods: The present study is an Institution-based, observational, and cross-sectional study conducted for 18 months with the admitted patients having 14–70 years of age. Data collected regarding patients’ demographic profile, symptoms, clinical findings, laboratory, and radiological findings. Data had been summarized as mean and standard deviation for numerical variables and count and percentages for categorical variables. Results: In our study, we found that most of the patients were 14–20 years old and female population was higher. It was found that 34.3% of patients had Eschar, 42.9% of patients had Rash, and 91.4% of patients had Pallor, 8.6% of patients had Ascites, 25.7% had Edema, 8.6% of patients had Jaundice, 11.4% had shock, and 57.1% had pneumonia/pneumonitis. The present study showed that 65.7% of patients had drug response (Doxycycline). Conclusion: Knowledge of geographical distribution, evidence of exposure to vector, clinical features such as fever, rash, eschar, headache, and myalgia along with high index of suspicion are crucial factors for early diagnosis and that helps in timely treatment of the cases.
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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