DeCure's autonomous Cancer AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for astroblastoma — screening already-approved drugs against its 6-gene Open Targets disease module to publish open-access research. Research is fast; the path to publication is funded in milestone stages.
Disease moduleAstroblastoma maps to a 6-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 astroblastoma 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
isocitrate dehydrogenase (NADP(+)) 1 (IDH1) — IDH1 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 ictdrag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 6BKX · 1.65 Å · ligand ISOCITRIC ACID (ICT). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
Astroblastoma accounts for about 0.5% of all glial neoplasms and affects mostly children, adolescents, and young adults. A 9-year-old girl presented with headache, motor symptoms, and seizures; imaging showed an intra-axial heterogeneous frontoparietal lesion with a "bubbly" appearance on T2-weighted MRI. Gross total resection was achieved and histopathology confirmed high-grade astroblastoma. The authors note that recurrence is high and that the roles of radiotherapy and chemotherapy remain unclear.
A 50-year-old woman presented with a seizure and a well-circumscribed frontal lobe tumour. She underwent primary surgery and postoperative radiotherapy, but the tumour recurred after six months with multiple small lesions not amenable to further surgery. Chemotherapy was then given and produced a complete radiological response. More than six years after completing chemotherapy and seven years after surgery, the patient remained free of disease. The authors state that this and other case reports support a survival benefit from chemotherapy.
A 22-year-old man presented with recurrent vomiting and confusion over two weeks. Imaging showed a well-demarcated, partially cystic, partially calcified lesion in the left frontal lobe causing obstructive hydrocephalus. After urgent external ventricular drainage, gross total resection was achieved. The patient received no postoperative chemotherapy or radiotherapy. Follow-up MRI at one year showed a recurrent mass at the same site.
What is still missing are prospective trials or even large retrospective series that could define standard treatment. The rarity of the tumour makes randomised trials difficult without multi-centre collaboration and dedicated funding. Patient stratification by histological grade and molecular markers is not yet established, and the optimal chemotherapy regimen remains unknown.
Evidence
Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.
Surgical Neurology International · 2014 · 17 citations · open access
High-grade astroblastoma in a child: Report of one case and review of literature
AbstractBACKGROUND: Astroblastoma is a rare glial neoplastic lesion that affects children and adolescents; its histogenesis remains uncertain. It is considered to account for 0.5% of all glial neoplasms, and two different subtypes have been defined based upon histologic characteristics. CASE DESCRIPTION: We present the case of a 9-year-old girl who presented with headache, motor symptoms, and seizures few days before she was admitted to our institution. Computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans showed an intra-axial heterogeneous frontoparietal lesion with a striking "bubbly" appearance in MRI T2-weighted sequences and features of intracranial hypertension. Gross total resection of the tumor was achieved and the histopathologic diagnosis revealed high-grade astroblastoma. We reviewed the current published cases of astroblastoma to highlight the demographic, clinical, radiologic, and pathologic data. CONCLUSION: Astroblastomas are a distinct clinicopathologic entity, with well-described radiologic, pathologic, and cytogenetic features. Its recurrence is high and efforts must be made to elucidate the role and usefulness of radiotherapy and chemotherapy in these tumors.
Clinical Neuropathology · 2011 · 16 citations · open access
Astroblastoma – a case report of a rare neuroepithelial tumor with complete remission after chemotherapy
AbstractINTRODUCTION: Astroblastoma is a rare glial tumor of uncertain origin affecting mostly children, adolescents and young adults. Given the rarity and the definitional problems concerning this tumor entity, the prognosis and appropriate treatment are at this point unclear. CASE REPORT: A 50-yearold Caucasian female presented with a seizure. Radiological findings showed a welldefined circumscribed tumor located in the right cerebral frontal lobe. The patient underwent primary surgery followed by postoperative radiotherapy. After 6 months the tumor recurred with multiple small lesions not available for surgery. Chemotherapy was administered with complete radiological response. Seven years after surgery and more than 6 years after completed chemotherapy the patient is free of disease. Histopathology revealed a gliomatous tumor with gemistocyte-like tumor cells arranged in palisades or strings and areas with perivascular pseudorosettes, consistent with astroblastoma. Immunophenotype and ultrastructural findings confirmed the diagnosis and verified the neuroepithelial origin. CONCLUSION: Astroblastomas are rare brain tumors and pose a challenge in the diagnostic and clinical approach. In general, they have an unpredictable course with a tendency of recurrence. This and other case reports support a survival benefit of chemotherapy, suggesting this as an important treatment option for these patients.
Turkish Neurosurgery · 2014 · 13 citations · open access
Astroblastoma; case report and review of literature
Abstracta gradual progressive course for the last two weeks. He presented with recurrent attacks of vomiting and confusion that rapidly worsened. Neurologically, the patient was confused and uncooperative with recurrent attacks of vomiting and bradycardia but no other neurological symptoms or signs. Computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed a well-demarcated enhancing spaceoccupying lesion, that was partially cystic, partially calcified in the subependymal area of the left frontal lobe partially projecting into the frontal horn of the lateral ventricle and causing obstructive hydrocephalus (Figure We managed the patient as an urgent case in our intensive care unit (ICU) and performed urgent external ventricular drainage to manage the increased intracranial pressure (ICP). About one week later, we performed surgery for tumor resection by left frontal craniotomy. The tumor was pink-yellow in color, highly vascular, soft in consistency in parts and firm and calcified in other parts and was partially succable and well circumscribed which allowed total resection of the tumor. After the surgery, the patient ws transported routinely to the ICU for 3 days. Follow-up CT showed gross total resection (GTR) with mild postoperative brain edema at the site of surgery. The patient was followed up periodically every month for the first 3 months and then every 6 months without postoperative chemotherapy or radiotherapy and without recurrence. After one year, he showed a recurrent mass at the same site as the primary lesion in the follow-up MRI that was managed
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.
