DeCure's autonomous Rare AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for vitamin A deficiency — 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 moduleVitamin A deficiency 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 vitamin a deficiency 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.
What the evidence adds up to
Vitamin A deficiency remains a public health problem, particularly in developing countries. A retrospective study of 360 children hospitalised in a general paediatrics unit in Turkey between 2017 and 2020 found that 89 (24.7%) had serum vitamin A levels below 316 µg/L. Of those 89, 62 (69.6%) were in the marginal range, and 27 (30.4%) had levels below 200 µg/L. Malnutrition was present in 98 (27.2%) of the 360 patients. The study’s authors conclude that vitamin A deficiency may be observed in hospitalised children and that detailed evaluation of each patient, especially in developing countries, would help prevent such deficiencies.
In wealthier countries, vitamin A deficiency is rarely seen but can affect patients with inflammatory bowel disease and those who have undergone bariatric surgery. A case report describes a patient who developed severe vitamin A deficiency after a biliopancreatic diversion, a weight-loss procedure that causes malabsorption. By the time she presented to the department, she had developed blindness that did not respond to parenteral vitamin A treatment. A unique feature of her case was a rash that appeared with vitamin A injections; this reaction has only been reported in one case series of three patients in the published literature. The report emphasises the importance of vitamin deficiency screening after bariatric surgery.
The metabolic functions of vitamin A include support for vision and cellular differentiation. Deficiency can lead to immune, dermatological, and ophthalmological problems. The prevalence of deficiency is low in first-world countries, but it can affect those with inflammatory bowel disease and post-bariatric surgery patients.
What is still missing is prospective data on the true prevalence of deficiency in at-risk populations, standardised screening protocols after bariatric surgery, and trials that test whether early detection or supplementation prevents irreversible outcomes such as blindness. The case of refractory blindness after biliopancreatic diversion shows that even treatment can fail once damage is advanced. No drug repurposing data appear in these abstracts.
Evidence
Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.
Nutrition Journal · 2006 · 41 citations · open access
Homocysteine and cognitive impairment; a case series in a General Practice setting
AbstractBACKGROUND: An elevated blood level of homocysteine is a risk factor for cognitive impairment and dementia. Homocysteine can be lowered by folate and/or vitamin B12 supplementation; antioxidants might also be required for optimal reduction in neurovascular tissue. This report presents clinical and radiological findings from administering the antioxidant N-acetylcysteine together with B vitamins to cognitively impaired patients with hyperhomocysteinaemia. METHODS: A case series (n = 7) performed in a semi-rural General Practice setting. Formal cognitive assessments were performed in five patients, and radiological assessments in one patient, before and after supplementation. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: The addition of N-acetylcysteine resulted in subjective clinical improvement in all patients, and an objective improvement in cognitive scores in five patients. One patient had radiological evidence of halted disease progression over a twelve month period. CONCLUSION: N-acetylcysteine, together with B vitamin supplements, improves cognitive status in hyperhomocysteinaemic patients. Randomized controlled clinical trials are required to formally evaluate this treatment approach.
Journal of Investigative Medicine High Impact Case Reports · 2019 · 6 citations · open access
Severe Vitamin A Deficiency After Biliopancreatic Diversion
AbstractBiliopancreatic diversion is a surgical procedure that causes weight loss via volume restriction and malabsorption. It is now rarely performed due to the risk of severe nutritional deficiencies including vitamin A. We report a case of severe vitamin A deficiency due to malabsorption from a biliopancreatic diversion procedure for weight loss. By the time the patient presented to our department, she had developed blindness refractory to parenteral vitamin A treatment. A unique feature of her case is the development of a rash with vitamin A injections. This reaction has only been reported in one case series of 3 patients in the published literature. Her case highlights the importance of vitamin deficiency screening in patients after bariatric surgery, and her skin reaction to the injections is a unique side effect that is not frequently observed.
Journal of Health Population and Nutrition · 2025 · 2 citations · open access
Evaluation of vitamin A levels in patients hospitalized in the general pediatrics unit
AbstractAIM: Vitamin A deficiency is an important public health problem worldwide, especially in undeveloped and developing countries. Vitamin A deficiency; It can cause visual disorders, growth retardation, as well as cellular and humoral immunological disorders. We aimed to evaluate vitamin A levels in hospitalized patients and to determine the factors that may be related to vitamin A deficiency. METHOD: Children between the ages of 2 months and 18 years admitted to Ege University Faculty of Medicine, General Pediatrics Unit in 2017-2020 were included. Three hundred sixty patients with vitamin A levels were evaluated retrospectively. RESULTS: The mean serum vitamin A level of the study group was 413.6 ± 187.7. Serum vitamin A level was found to be below 316 µg/L (low) in 89 (24.7%), and within normal limits in 271 (75.3%) of the 360 patients. In 62 (69.6%) of the patients with low vitamin A levels, vitamin A was found to be in the marginal range, while in 27 (30.4%) patients, it was below 200 µg/L. Malnutrition was found in 98 (27.2%) of 360 patients included in the study. CONCLUSION: Vitamin A deficiency may be observed in hospitalized children. Detailed evaluation of each patient, especially in developing countries, will prevent vitamin A deficiencies and malnutrition.
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · 2024 · 0 citations · open access
Metabolism of Vitamin A in the Body, Manifestations of Vitamin A Deficiency and Populations at Risk for Vitamin A Deficiency
AbstractVitamin A is a lipid-soluble compound along with several biologic actions to assist regarding vision and cellular differentiation. The prevalence of vitamin A deficiency is rarely observed in the first world, nutrient-rich countries; Whatever it may be, it can influence those with inflammatory bowel disease and post-bariatric surgery. Immune system, dermatological, and ophthalmological problems might arise from a vitamin A deficit. This activity explains about the difficulties of vitamin A deficiency and how to treat affected patients.
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · 2024 · 0 citations · open access
Metabolism of Vitamin A in the Body, Manifestations of Vitamin A Deficiency and Populations at Risk for Vitamin A Deficiency
AbstractVitamin A is a lipid-soluble compound along with several biologic actions to assist regarding vision and cellular differentiation. The prevalence of vitamin A deficiency is rarely observed in the first world, nutrient-rich countries; Whatever it may be, it can influence those with inflammatory bowel disease and post-bariatric surgery. Immune system, dermatological, and ophthalmological problems might arise from a vitamin A deficit. This activity explains about the difficulties of vitamin A deficiency and how to treat affected patients.
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.
