DeCure for Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis 26 with or without frontotemporal dementia
DeCure's autonomous Neuro AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis 26 with or without frontotemporal dementia — 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 moduleAmyotrophic lateral sclerosis 26 with or without frontotemporal dementia 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 amyotrophic lateral sclerosis 26 with or without frontotemporal dementia 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
TIA1 cytotoxic granule associated RNA binding protein (TIA1) — TIA1 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 6ELD · 2.485 Å · ligand none (apo structure). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
A 2007 neuropathological report on two patients with clinically defined ALS who later developed dementia found that their brains contained not only the typical hallmarks of ALS but also enough neurofibrillary tangles and neuritic plaques to meet the diagnostic criteria for definite Alzheimer's disease. This suggests that in some cases, the cognitive decline in ALS patients may be due to co-occurring Alzheimer's pathology rather than frontotemporal dementia alone.
A 2023 case report describes a 71-year-old patient with a long history of dysthymic disorder who presented with rapidly progressive cognitive and behavioural changes in late 2020, leading to a diagnosis of dementia. Motor decline was noticed in 2021, and an electromyographic study of the limbs was abnormal, compatible with motor neuron disease. The authors note a significant clinical overlap between ALS and frontotemporal dementia and argue that signs of motor impairment should be investigated in patients with suspected FTD.
A 2021 case report presents a patient with the behavioural variant of frontotemporal dementia who also developed progressive weakness of the upper limbs, difficulty swallowing, and impaired face recognition, consistent with ALS. The report highlights the known association between the two disorders but does not provide any quantitative data on survival, response rates, or sample sizes.
No treatment, drug, or intervention is mentioned in any of these abstracts. The evidence consists entirely of case reports and a two-case neuropathological series, with no controlled trials, no biomarker data, and no patient stratification. What is missing is any systematic study of the frequency of co-pathology, any prospective cohort with standardised cognitive and motor assessments, and any funding for trials that might distinguish between ALS with FTD and ALS with coincident Alzheimer's disease.
Evidence
Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.
European Journal of Neurology · 2007 · 19 citations
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and Alzheimer's disease – clinical and neuropathological considerations in two cases
AbstractAmyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) may be accompanied by cognitive impairment; when present, it is mainly in the form of frontotemporal impairment. We report on two cases with clinically defined ALS that subsequently developed dementia. Neuropathological examination showed not only the typical neuropathological hallmarks characteristic of ALS but, surprisingly, also showed neurofibrillary tangles and neuritic plaques in sufficient numbers to fulfill the diagnostic criteria of definite Alzheimer's disease.
Dementia as a presentation of motor neurone disease: a case report
AbstractINTRODUCTION: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), the most common disease within motor neuron diseases (MND), and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) belong to a broad spectrum of neurodegenerative diseases that are sometimes clinically overlapping. OBJECTIVES: The aim of the description of this case report is to sensitize professionals to this type of presentation and encourage the investigation of signs and symptoms of motor decline in patients with suspected FTD. METHODS: Research in the patient’s clinical process. Framing the clinical case in the current literature, searching the terms “frontotemporal dementia” and “amyotrophic lateral sclerosis” in the Pubmed database. RESULTS: A 71-year-old patient, followed in psychiatry for several years for Dysthymic Disorder. At the end of 2020, he presented cognitive and behavioral changes, with rapid progression, with a marked loss of functionality, compatible with dementia. In 2021, it was noticed a motor decline, which progressively worsened. In this sense, an electromyographic study of the limbs was performed with an abnormal result, compatible with a diagnosis of Motor Neuron Disease. CONCLUSIONS: A significant overlap of these two disorders has been observed clinically. Thus, the presentation of a patient with dementia, specifically suspected of having FTD, should ring the bell to the presence of signs and symptoms of motor impairment. Several studies have been carried out in order to understand the relationship between these entities, and the discussion remains whether their presentation together constitutes or not a form of phenotypic presentation of ALS. DISCLOSURE OF INTEREST: None Declared
Archives of Mental Health · 2021 · 0 citations · open access
A rare case of frontotemporal dementia with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
AbstractFrontotemporal dementia (FTD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by progressive degeneration of the frontal and temporal lobes which typically presents with cognitive symptoms. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by progressive degeneration of upper and lower motor neurons, leading to symptoms of motor weakness. We present a case of behavioral variant of FTD with ALS. The patient presented with changes in his behavior followed by impaired memory and progressive weakness of bilateral upper limbs. Patient eventually developed difficulty swallowing and recognizing faces too. The case highlights the association between FTD and ALS.
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.
