DeCure's autonomous Cancer AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for anaplastic astrocytoma — screening already-approved drugs against its 47-gene Open Targets disease module to publish open-access research. Research is fast; the path to publication is funded in milestone stages.
Disease moduleAnaplastic astrocytoma maps to a 47-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 anaplastic astrocytoma 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
Bruton tyrosine kinase (BTK) — BTK 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 7h-pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidin-4-yldrag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 6VXQ · 1.4 Å · ligand N-{[4-(7H-pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidin-4-yl)phenyl]methyl}benzamide (RQS). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
In a retrospective review of 86 adults treated between 1950 and 1979 for cerebral astrocytoma, postoperative radiation therapy was associated with longer survival in patients with diffusely infiltrating tumours. Median survival was 5 years with irradiation versus 2.2 years with surgery alone; 5-year survival was 50% versus 21%. Posttreatment neurologic function was also better in the irradiated group. The analysis was made possible by a shift in practice: before 1960 surgery was used alone, after 1970 postoperative irradiation was routine. The study also examined age, degree of histologic anaplasia, extent of resection, tumour size, and radiation dose.
A separate 1985 case report describes a 13-year-old girl who developed an anaplastic astrocytoma of the cerebellum 7 years after cranial irradiation and prophylactic chemotherapy for acute lymphocytic leukaemia. The tumour was anaplastic and infiltrative, which the authors note is unusual for astroglial tumours at that site. They propose it was a radiation-induced glioma.
A 2001 review article on the management of anaplastic astrocytoma lists learning objectives covering incidence, clinical presentation, diagnosis, genetics, current treatment for newly diagnosed and recurrent disease, and new approaches. No specific survival or response data from that review are provided in the abstract.
What is still missing from the available evidence is prospective randomised data comparing modern radiation techniques with or without chemotherapy, clear stratification by molecular markers (such as IDH mutation or 1p/19q codeletion status), and dedicated trials for recurrent anaplastic astrocytoma that separate it from glioblastoma. Funding for such trials and for biomarker-driven patient selection remains insufficient.
Evidence
Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.
Cancer · 1985 · 138 citations
The value of radiation therapy in addition to surgery for astrocytomas of the adult cerebrum
AbstractA retrospective review of 86 adults (age 15 years or older) treated from 1950 to 1979 for well-differentiated astrocytoma or anaplastic astrocytoma of the cerebrum at Washington University Medical Center-Barnes Hospital was undertaken to determine the influence of postoperative radiation therapy on survival and neurologic function. Analysis was facilitated by a temporal change in treatment approach, with reliance on surgery alone before 1960 and routine use of postoperative irradiation after 1970. Six patients had astrocytomas with a juvenile pilocytic histologic pattern. Outcome was uniformly favorable in these cases regardless of therapy (100% survival; median follow-up, 14 years). Actuarial survival for the 80 patients with diffusely infiltrating astrocytoma was significantly better with the addition of postoperative irradiation than with surgery alone (median survival, 5 versus 2.2 years, respectively; 5-year survival, 50% versus 21%, respectively). Posttreatment neurologic function was also superior in the group managed with surgery and postoperative irradiation. The relationship to survival of age, degree of histologic anaplasia, extent of surgical resection, tumor size, and radiation dose was also investigated.
AbstractA 13-year-old girl developed an anaplastic astrocytoma of the cerebellum 7 years after irradiation of the central nervous system and prophylactic chemotherapy for acute lymphocytic leukemia. The fact that the astrocytoma was anaplastic and infiltrative was unusual for astroglial tumors at this site. It is proposed that this is a radiation-induced glioma.
AbstractLearning Objectives: After reading this article, the participant should be able to: 1. Provide an update on the incidence and clinical presentation and diagnosis of anaplastic astrocytoma. 2. Recall the genetics of anaplastic astrocytoma. 3. Describe the current treatment of newly diagnosed and recurrent anaplastic astrocytoma. 4. Describe the new approaches and future trends in the treatment of anaplastic astrocytoma.
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.
