DeCure's autonomous Rare AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for wooly hair, autosomal recessive 3 — screening already-approved drugs against its 2-gene Open Targets disease module to publish open-access research. Research is fast; the path to publication is funded in milestone stages.
Disease moduleWooly hair, autosomal recessive 3 maps to a 2-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 wooly hair, autosomal recessive 3 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
lysophosphatidic acid receptor 6 (LPAR6) — LPAR6 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 2rdrag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 9ITE · 3.06 Å · ligand (2R)-2-hydroxy-3-(phosphonooxy)propyl (9E)-octadec-9-enoate (NKP). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
Woolly hair, autosomal recessive 3 is a rare disorder of the hair shaft. A 2011 report on a new family with two affected siblings argues the condition is not rare but is possibly misdiagnosed and underreported. A 2007 case describes a 5-year-old Korean girl with tightly curled, fine, hypopigmented hair since birth and a positive family history; scanning electron microscopy showed cuticular damage with splintering. A 2025 series of eight Indian patients with autosomal recessive woolly hair describes their clinical presentation, hair characteristics, and response to treatment but gives no numerical results.
A 2024 case report describes a child with diffuse thinning and fine, brittle hair since birth, plus abnormal teeth and nails, attributed to a p.G11R mutation. After one and a half months of treatment with a botanical extract combined with minoxidil, the patient showed remarkable hair growth. The authors note they have previously used botanical extracts in combination for autosomal recessive woolly hair in children and found the same combination equally efficacious in this case. No control group, sample size beyond one, or quantitative measures of hair growth are provided.
The same 2024 report also describes a 13-year-old boy with woolly hair and hyper-extensibility of all digits, but gives no treatment or outcome data. Across all abstracts, no randomised trial, no standardised outcome measure, and no long-term follow-up data exist for any treatment. What is missing is a properly funded, controlled trial with objective hair-count or density endpoints, and stratification by genetic subtype.
Evidence
Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.
Dermatology Reports · 2011 · 3 citations · open access
Autosomal recessive hypotrichosis simplex with woolly hair: a report of a new family
AbstractAutosomal recessive hypotrichosis simplex with woolly hair is a rare dermatological disorder, characterized by sparse hair and tightly curled hair. We report on a new family affected with this disorder which has not previously been reported. In this family, 2 siblings were affected. We believe that the disorder is not rare, but is possibly misdiagnosed, and hence underreported.
Annals of Dermatology · 2007 · 2 citations · open access
A Case of Woolly Hair
AbstractWoolly hair is normal for most black people, but it is usually abnormal for persons of a non-African or non-Negroid background. A 5-year-old girl visited our clinic complaining of a hair abnormality. Her hair had been tightly curled, fine, and hypopigmented on the entire scalp since birth. Her uncle’s son had similar abnormalities of his scalp hairs. On the scanning electron microscopy, the patient’s hair revealed cuticular damage with splintering. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first description of a patient with woolly hair who has familial history in Korea. (Korean J Dermatol 2009;47(11):1284∼1287)
Journal of Dermatological Treatment · 2024 · 1 citations · open access
Botanical extract combined with minoxidil improve hidrotic ectodermal dysplasia caused by p.G11R mutations: a case report
AbstractPURPOSE: We aim to explore a potential treatment strategy for hair loss. MATERIALS AND METHODS: (p.G11R) mutations. He presented at our clinic with diffuse thinning and fine and brittle hair since birth. Additionally, the child exhibited abnormal development of teeth, fingernails, and toenails. The condition of the child's hair had not improved significantly with age. He was treated with botanical extracts combined with Minoxidil. RESULTS: After one and a half months of treatment, the patient showed remarkable hair growth. CONCLUSIONS: Our team has previously used botanical extracts in combination for the treatment of autosomal recessive wooly hair in children. In the present case, treatment with botanical extract combined with minoxidil was found to be equally efficacious. This case report provides valuable information for future studies on the use of botanical extracts in treating hair loss, as well as a safe and effective potential treatment strategy for children with congenital alopecia.
Skin Health and Disease · 2025 · 0 citations · open access
Autosomal recessive woolly hair syndrome: a series of eight patients in an Indian population
AbstractWoolly hair is an uncommon disorder of the hair shaft, characterized by tightly coiled scalp hair often accompanied by varying grades of hypotrichosis. Woolly hair involving the entire scalp can be syndromic when associated with various anomalies involving the heart, nervous system, liver, gastrointestinal organs and so on, and is designated as nonsyndromic when it occurs in isolation without any systemic involvement. Nonsyndromic woolly hair can be autosomal dominant or autosomal recessive. We hereby present a series of eight cases of autosomal recessive woolly hair (ARWH) seen in an Indian population in the last 12 years. Their clinical presentation, hair characteristics and response to treatment is described.
International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR) · 2024 · 0 citations · open access
Generalised Woolly Hair with Hyper-Extensibility of Digits: A Rare Case Report
AbstractWoolly hair is an infrequent inborn scalp hair irregularity identified by short, firmly coiled hair that may occur in the hair covering other parts of the body as well. Various conditions have been reported to be associated with woolly hair, the most frequent associations include palmoplantar keratoderma, keratosis pilaris, ichthyosis and cardiac abnormalities. Here, we report a case wherein a 13 year old boy presents with woolly hair associated with hyper-extensibility of joints of all the digits. [51]
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.
