DeCure for Autosomal recessive nonsyndromic hearing loss 97
DeCure's autonomous Rare AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for autosomal recessive nonsyndromic hearing loss 97 — 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 recessive nonsyndromic hearing loss 97 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 recessive nonsyndromic hearing loss 97 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
MET proto-oncogene, receptor tyrosine kinase (MET) — MET 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 sulfoaminodrag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 7MO9 · 4.0 Å · ligand 2-deoxy-6-O-sulfo-2-(sulfoamino)-alpha-D-glucopyranose (SGN). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
Autosomal recessive nonsyndromic hearing loss 97 (DFNB7/11) is caused by biallelic pathogenic variants in the TMC1 gene. A 2020 study of three children from two non-consanguineous Italian families found that all three had the typical DFNB7/11 phenotype of prelingual, severe-to-profound hearing loss. A novel disease-causing variant, c.962G>A p.(Trp321*), was detected. After cochlear implantation, these three patients showed an excellent functional outcome, with 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, which they suggest may be affected by social, environmental, and genetic factors.
A 1994 analysis of audiograms from 50 individuals across 15 families with autosomal recessive nonsyndromic hearing loss found the main audiogram shapes were residual and sharply sloping. The degree of hearing loss was significantly more severe in the autosomal recessive group than in the autosomal dominant group. The authors noted marked intrafamilial variation in the degree of hearing loss was less in autosomal recessive families than in autosomal dominant ones, and concluded that audiograms of nonsyndromic hearing loss are usually nonspecific.
A 2019 case report identified a homozygous c.1893C>A mutation in the TECTA gene in a proband with postnatal deafness, consistent with autosomal recessive inheritance. Two heterozygous mutations in USH2A were also found, one likely pathogenic and one of unknown clinical significance. This report does not involve TMC1 or DFNB7/11, but illustrates the genetic heterogeneity of recessive hearing loss.
A 2020 review notes that 119 nonsyndromic genes have been associated with hearing loss in children, and that gene therapy is emerging as a possible future management option. No specific therapy for DFNB7/11 is described in any of these abstracts. What remains missing is any clinical trial of a drug or gene therapy for this specific condition, as well as larger patient cohorts to confirm the cochlear implantation outcomes and to understand the full range of phenotypic variability. No drug repurposing data exist for DFNB7/11 in these abstracts.
Evidence
Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.
Nonsyndromic Hearing Loss: An Analysis of Audiograms
AbstractWe examined features of the audiograms of 136 individuals, from 28 families, affected by nonsyndromic genetic hearing loss. There were 83 (12 families) with autosomal dominant (AD) loss, 50 (15 families) with autosomal recessive (AR) loss, and 3 (1 family) with X-linked recessive loss. The main audiogram shapes found were sloping (50.3%), residual (26.5%), and flat (21.0%). Specific shapes (ascending and U-shaped) only occurred in 3.7% of AD cases. Audiogram shapes were found to be significantly different between AD and AR families, and showed intrafamilial and interfamilial variability. In the AR group, the main shapes were residual and sharply sloping, and in the AD group, sharply sloping, flat, and gently sloping. There was a significant difference in the degree of hearing loss between AD and AR types, with AD being milder than AR. It has been shown that there is more marked intrafamilial variation in the degree of hearing loss in AD families than in AR ones. The results suggest that the audiograms of nonsyndromic hearing loss are usually nonspecific and that counseling of family members would be better based on the specific family's condition rather than on group information.
AbstractOBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: To determine the mode of inheritance of familial nonsyndromic Mondini dysplasia. STUDY DESIGN: Correlative clinical genetic analysis of a single kindred. METHODS: Clinical history, physical examination, audiologic analysis, computed tomography of the temporal bones, and cytogenetic analysis. RESULTS: The male proband, three affected sisters, and an affected brother are offspring of unaffected parents. The mother and an unaffected brother have audiologic findings suggestive of heterozygous carrier status for a recessive hearing loss gene. CONCLUSIONS: Pedigree analysis indicates autosomal recessive inheritance in this family. The observed inheritance and clinical, audiologic, and radiologic findings are different from those previously described for another family with nonsyndromic Mondini dysplasia. The phenotype in this study family therefore represents a distinct subtype, indicating clinical and genetic heterogeneity of this disorder. This information should facilitate future molecular linkage analyses and genetic counselling of patients with inner ear malformations.
Auditory Outcome after Cochlear Implantation in Children with DFNB7/11 Caused by Pathogenic Variants in <b><i>TMC1</i></b> Gene
AbstractINTRODUCTION: Non-syndromic hereditary hearing loss is characterized by extreme genetic heterogeneity. So far, more than 100 pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants in TMC1 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. METHODS: 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 TMC1 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. RESULTS: DFNB7/11 was diagnosed in a total of 3 patients from 2 non-consanguineous families; a novel disease-causing variant in TMC1 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. DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION: 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.
Genetics of pediatric hearing loss: A functional perspective
AbstractOBJECTIVES: This article reviews the current role of genetics in pediatric hearing loss (HL). METHODS: A review of the current literature regarding the genetic basis of HL in children was performed. RESULTS: To date, 119 nonsyndromic genes have been associated with HL. There are also hundreds of syndromic causes that have HL as part of the clinical phenotype. CONCLUSIONS: Identifying HL genes coupled with clinical characteristics ("genotype-phenotype") yields a more accurate diagnosis and prognosis. Although the complexity of the auditory apparatus presents challenges, gene therapy is emerging and may be a viable management option in the future.
[Diagnosis and reproductive guidance for a couple carrying a novel c.1893C>T mutation of the TECTA gene].
AbstractOBJECTIVE: To explore the molecular basis for an individual with postnatal deafness and provide genetic counseling for her family. METHODS: Following extraction of genomic DNA from peripheral blood samples, 127 genes associated with deafness were subjected to targeted capturing and next generation sequencing. Suspected mutation was verified by Sanger sequencing. RESULTS: The proband was found to carry a homozygous c.1893C>A mutation in the TECTA gene, which is located in the tectorial membrane of inner ear and may cause premature termination of translation of TECTA protein. In addition, two heterozygous mutations, c.13010C>T and c.12790G>A, were found in the USH2A gene. Whilst the former is likely to be pathogenic, the latter has unknown clinical significance. Further analysis suggested that all three mutations have derived from the parents of the proband. CONCLUSION: The homozygous c.1893C>A mutation of the TECTA gene probably underlies the proband's hearing loss which conformed to an autosomal recessive inheritance.
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.
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.
