DeCure for Autosomal dominant nonsyndromic hearing loss 36
DeCure's autonomous Rare AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for autosomal dominant nonsyndromic hearing loss 36 — 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 moduleAutosomal dominant nonsyndromic hearing loss 36 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 autosomal dominant nonsyndromic hearing loss 36 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.
What the evidence adds up to
The abstracts describe autosomal dominant nonsyndromic hearing loss 36 (DFNA36) as one of the earliest-onset and most rapidly progressing dominant hearing loss phenotypes. In one family with the D572N mutation of TMC1, thirteen affected members had bilateral, symmetric, sensorineural hearing loss with postlingual onset in the first decade of life. High frequencies were affected first, followed by progression at 5.9 dB per year for the 0.5/1/2/4 kHz pure-tone average, reaching profound deafness across all frequencies by the second decade. Two individuals achieved excellent auditory-verbal communication with cochlear implants placed over two decades after total deafening.
The TMC1 gene is responsible for both autosomal dominant (DFNA36) and autosomal recessive (DFNB7/11) nonsyndromic hearing impairment. In 85 Tunisian families with autosomal recessive nonsyndromic hearing impairment, five families segregated deafness with markers in TMC1, and three homozygous mutations were identified: c.100C→T (p.R34X), c.1165C→T (p.R389X), and the novel c.1764G→A (p.W588X). An additional two of 60 unrelated deaf Tunisian individuals carried the c.100C→T mutation in homozygous state. TMC2, a closely related gene also expressed in the cochlea, was ruled out as a cause of deafness in these families.
For the recessive form DFNB7/11, a 2020 study of three children from two non-consanguineous Italian families reported prelingual, severe-to-profound hearing loss and a novel TMC1 variant c.962G>A p.(Trp321*). After cochlear implantation, these children showed excellent functional outcomes in speech perception, nonverbal cognition, and speech performance, comparable to patients with DFNB1 deafness. The authors state their results do not support the variable auditory outcome reported elsewhere in the literature for DFNB7/11 after cochlear implantation.
The earlier review papers note that by 2003, 80 loci for nonsyndromic hearing loss had been mapped and 30 genes identified, with genetic tests available for some types. No drug treatment for DFNA36 or any TMC1-related hearing loss is mentioned in any of these abstracts. What remains missing is any pharmacological intervention, any clinical trial of a drug, and any understanding of how to stratify patients by mutation type or progression rate for a future trial.
Evidence
Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.
New England Journal of Medicine · 2000 · 202 citations
Genetic Causes of Hearing Loss
AbstractHearing loss is the most common sensory defect in humans, affecting normal communication in 10 percent of people aged 65 years or older. In most cases, hearing loss is a multifactorial disorder caused by both genetic and environmental factors. However, single-gene mutations can lead to hearing loss. In these cases, hearing loss is a monogenic disorder with an autosomal dominant, autosomal recessive, X-linked, or mitochondrial mode of inheritance. These monogenic forms of hearing loss can be syndromic (characterized by hearing loss in combination with other abnormalities) or nonsyndromic (with only hearing loss). This review focuses on nonsyndromic hearing loss, since . . .
AbstractIn Brief The past decade has seen extremely rapid progress in the field of hereditary hearing loss. To date, 80 loci for nonsyndromic hearing loss have been mapped to the human genome. Furthermore, 30 genes have been identified. These genes belong to a wide variety of protein classes: from myosins and other cytoskeletal proteins, over channel and gap junction components, to transcription factors, extracellular matrix proteins and genes with an unknown function. The identification of these genes has enabled geneticists to offer DNA diagnostic tests for some types of nonsyndromic hearing loss. Moreover, it holds the promise to significantly improve the molecular knowledge on the auditory and vestibular organs and on the pathological mechanisms leading to hearing loss. This opens perspectives for future therapeutic and/or preventive measures for hearing loss. This review attempts to give an overview of the current knowledge of the genes responsible for nonsyndromic hearing loss, their expression and functions in the cochlea. A broad review of genes responsible for nonsyndromic hearing loss, their expression and function in the cochlea. Also discusses the genetic tests currently offered for different types of nonsyndromic hearing loss.
<i>TMC1</i> but Not <i>TMC2</i> Is Responsible for Autosomal Recessive Nonsyndromic Hearing Impairment in Tunisian Families
AbstractHereditary nonsyndromic hearing impairment (HI) is extremely heterogeneous. Mutations of the transmembrane channel-like gene 1 (TMC1) have been shown to cause autosomal dominant and recessive forms of nonsyndromic HI linked to the loci DFNA36 and DFNB7/B11, respectively. TMC1 is 1 member of a family of 8 genes encoding transmembrane proteins. In the mouse, MmTmc1 and MmTmc2 are both members of Tmc subfamily A and are highly and almost exclusively expressed in the cochlea. The restricted expression of Tmc2 in the cochlea and its close phylogenetic relationship to Tmc1 makes it a candidate gene for nonsyndromic HI. We analyzed 3 microsatellite markers linked to the TMC1 and TMC2 genes in 85 Tunisian families with autosomal recessive nonsyndromic HI and without mutations in the protein-coding region of the GJB2 gene. Autozygosity by descent analysis of 2 markers bordering the TMC2 gene allowed us to rule out its association with deafness within these families. However, 5 families were found to segregate deafness with 3 different alleles of marker D9S1837, located within the first intron of the TMC1 gene. By DNA sequencing of coding exons of TMC1 in affected individuals, we identified 3 homozygous mutations, c.100C-->T (p.R34X), c.1165C-->T (p.R389X) and the novel mutation c.1764G-->A (p.W588X). We additionally tested 60 unrelated deaf Tunisian individuals for the c.100C-->T mutation. We detected this mutation in a homozygous state in 2 cases. This study confirms that mutations in the TMC1 gene may be a common cause for autosomal recessive nonsyndromic HI.
Phenotype Determination Guides Swift Genotyping of a DFNA2/KCNQ4 Family With a Hot Spot Mutation (W276S)
AbstractOBJECTIVE: Genotype a family trait with autosomal dominant nonsyndromic sensorineural hearing impairment guided only by the phenotype. STUDY DESIGN: Family study. SETTING: Tertiary referral center. PATIENTS: Fifteen family members. METHODS: In the first phase, sequence analysis was performed on DNA isolated from buccal swabs of the proband and her daughter, guided by the phenotype based on audiometric data that were already available. After detection of the W276S missense mutation in the KCNQ4 gene in both patients, this finding was confirmed in the other affected family members. All participants completed a questionnaire, were clinically examined, and underwent standard pure-tone audiometry. The results were analyzed to refine the phenotypic features of the family trait. RESULTS: All clinically affected participants were carriers of the W276S hotspot mutation in exon 5 of the KCNQ4 gene on chromosome 1p34. Refined phenotypic features confirmed previously described phenotypes of DFNA2 families. CONCLUSIONS: Phenotype determination can be cost saving and very effective in detecting the genotype of autosomal dominant nonsyndromic hearing impairment, especially when phenotype analyses can be performed on data that are already available or easily collected.
Early Onset and Rapid Progression of Dominant Nonsyndromic DFNA36 Hearing Loss
AbstractOBJECTIVE: To characterize the auditory and vestibular phenotype of autosomal dominant nonsyndromic DFNA36 hearing loss. STUDY DESIGN: Clinical evaluation of individuals with DFNA36 hearing loss linked to the D572N mutation of transmembrane channel-like gene 1 (TMC1). Medical history interviews, physical examinations, and pure-tone air conduction audiometry were performed in the field. Audiology and radiology reports were available and retrospectively reviewed for a subset of subjects. SETTING: Primary, secondary, and tertiary referral centers (retrospectively reviewed studies); subjects' homes (prospective clinical evaluations). PATIENTS: Thirteen affected members of a North American Caucasian family segregating DFNA36 hearing loss. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Pure-tone audiometric thresholds and their rates of progression. RESULTS: Subjects had bilateral, symmetric, sensorineural hearing loss with a postlingual onset in the first decade of life. High frequencies were initially affected, followed by rapid progression (5.9 dB/yr for the 0.5/1/2/4-kHz pure-tone average) to profound deafness across all frequencies by the second decade of life. Two individuals had excellent auditory-verbal communication after rehabilitation with cochlear implants placed over two decades after total deafening. CONCLUSIONS: DFNA36 has one of the earliest onsets and most rapid rates of progression among the autosomal dominant non-syndromic hearing loss phenotypes. These distinctive features should facilitate its clinical detection and the development of clinical-molecular genetic diagnostic algorithms for dominant nonsyndromic hearing loss.
Current Opinion in Neurology · 1999 · 11 citations
Vestibular and hearing loss in genetic and metabolic disorders
AbstractHearing loss affects about 4% of people under 45 years of age and comprises a broad spectrum of clinical presentations (congenital or late-onset, conductive or sensorineural, and syndromic or nonsyndromic). Approximately 30% of genetically determined deafness is reported to occur in syndromic form and 70% in nonsyndromic form. This review highlights recent advances in the molecular and genetic basis of hearing loss, which will help in understanding the biology of normal and abnormal hearing.
Supplementary Material for: Auditory Outcome after Cochlear Implantation in Children with DFNB7/11 Caused by Pathogenic Variants in <b><i>TMC1</i></b> Gene
Abstract<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> Non-syndromic hereditary hearing loss is characterized by extreme genetic heterogeneity. So far, more than 100 pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants in <i>TMC1</i> gene have been reported in patients with autosomal recessive hearing loss (HL) DFNB7/11. The prevailing auditory phenotype of individuals with DFNB7/11 is congenital, profound, bilateral HL, but the functional outcome after cochlear implantation (CI) described in the literature is variable. The objective of this work is to evaluate the auditory outcome after CI in pediatric patients with DFNB7/11, born to non-consanguineous parents. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> A retrospective analysis of genetic and audiological data of DFNB7/11 patients followed up in a single Italian otolaryngology clinic was performed. Cases with biallelic pathogenic variants in <i>TMC1</i> were selected from the cohort of children with non-syndromic hearing loss who had undergone CI and had been molecularly characterized by multigene panel testing. All patients underwent extensive audiological assessment, and the auditory outcome after CI was evaluated. <b><i>Results:</i></b> DFNB7/11 was diagnosed in a total of 3 patients from 2 non-consanguineous families; a novel disease-causing variant in <i>TMC1</i> was detected [c.962G>A p.(Trp321*)]. All the affected children showed the typical DFNB7/11 phenotype characterized by prelingual, severe-to-profound HL. The patients showed an excellent functional outcome after CI; speech perception, nonverbal cognition, and speech performance were comparable to those of patients with DFNB1 deafness. <b><i>Discussion/Conclusion:</i></b> Our results do not support the variable auditory outcome reported in the literature, which may be affected by several social and environmental factors and by the genetic background.
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.
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