DeCure's autonomous Rare AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease — 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 moduleVogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease 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
No approved-drug candidate for vogt-koyanagi-harada 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
2-aminoethanethiol dioxygenase (ADO) — ADO 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 hlzdrag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 9NDU · 1.98 Å · ligand 1-hydrazinophthalazine (HLZ). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
A 2015 case report describes rituximab given to a 10-year-old girl with refractory Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease and panuveitis that had not responded to corticosteroids. After rituximab at 0, 1, 6, and 18 months, uveitis was inactivated and vision improved after the third dose, and the eyes were stable nine months after the fourth dose. This is a single paediatric case, not a controlled trial.
A 2008 retrospective study of 140 Brazilian patients tested the 2001 international revised diagnostic criteria. Of those 140 patients, 12.85% met criteria for complete disease, 29.28% for incomplete disease, 28.57% for probable VKH, and 28.27% were judged not to have VKH. The authors considered the criteria useful for diagnosis.
A 2022 nursing report states that glucocorticoid remains the main drug for Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada syndrome and that early sufficient treatment gives good results. The report describes nursing interventions to improve drug compliance and prevent recurrence, but provides no new efficacy data on any drug.
What is missing: no randomised trials of rituximab or any biologic in VKH; no data on which patients might benefit from early aggressive immunosuppression versus corticosteroids alone; no prospective studies comparing treatment strategies; no validated biomarkers to stratify patients by risk of progression or relapse.
Evidence
Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.
Modern Rheumatology · 2015 · 42 citations
Rituximab for sight-threatening refractory pediatric Vogt–Koyanagi–Harada disease
AbstractRituximab was trialed in a refractory Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease (VKH). A 10-year-old girl with panuveitis recalcitrant to treatment, including corticosteroids, was diagnosed with VKH 20 months later. Following rituximab at 0, 1, 6, and 18 months, response was favorable after the second dose, usual life activity resumed after the third dose (uveitis was inactivated and vision improved), and eyes stabilized 9 months after the fourth dose. Rituximab is effective in the treatment and long-term control of advanced, pediatric VKH.
Arquivos Brasileiros de Oftalmologia · 2008 · 14 citations · open access
Applicability of the 2001 revised diagnostic criteriain Brazilian Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease patients
AbstractPURPOSE: To determine the applicability of the international revised diagnostic criteria for Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease. METHODS: Retrospective study. Medical charts of 140 patients with the diagnosis of Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease, from the Uveitis Sector of the Federal University of Sao Paulo (UNIFESP), were revised and classified following the revised diagnostic criteria. RESULTS: Of the 140 patients, 12.85% fulfilled the criteria for complete disease, 29.28% incomplete disease, 28.57% "probable" Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease and 28.27% were considered not Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease. CONCLUSION: The authors consider that the international revised diagnostic criteria have good applicability and are very useful to help in the diagnosis of Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease.
International Journal of Studies in Nursing · 2022 · 0 citations · open access
Nursing Care of a Patient With Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada Syndrome With Nystagmus
AbstractThrough the nursing of a patient with Vogt Koyanagi-Harada syndrome with nystagmus, the nursing experience was summarized to make the nursing staff more fully understand the nursing methods of the patient with Vogt Koyanagi-Harada syndrome. Through comprehensive risk assessment of the patient, nurses formulate solutions, carry out nursing intervention, establish the patient's confidence and improve the patient's consciousness of medication. There were no complications during hospitalization, and preventive medication was still used according to the doctor's advice after discharge. At present, glucocorticoid is still the main drug for the treatment of Vogt Koyanagi Harada syndrome. The early sufficient treatment effect is good. Nurses can improve the drug compliance of patients adhering to formal treatment through effective nursing intervention, which can effectively prevent complications and significantly reduce disease recurrence.
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.
