DeCure's autonomous Cancer AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for benign muscle neoplasm — screening already-approved drugs against its 14-gene Open Targets disease module to publish open-access research. Research is fast; the path to publication is funded in milestone stages.
Disease moduleBenign muscle neoplasm maps to a 14-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 benign muscle neoplasm 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
adrenoceptor beta 3 (ADRB3) — ADRB3 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 aledrag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 9IJE · 2.34 Å · ligand L-EPINEPHRINE (ALE). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
A 1997 pilot study of smooth muscle neoplasms found that absence of gamma-smooth muscle isoactin gene expression correlated 100% with a pathologic diagnosis of sarcoma. The authors examined a variety of smooth muscle tumours using polymerase chain reaction and concluded that this gene expression pattern could serve as a molecular marker of oncogenic transformation, offering a diagnostic adjunct for distinguishing benign from malignant smooth muscle lesions. The study was small and described as a pilot; no sample size is given in the abstract.
A 1996 case report describes a 13-year-old girl with a cavernous hemangioma of the temporal muscle, a benign vascular tumour. The lesion was well demarcated at surgery, totally excised with sparing of surrounding muscle, and showed no recurrence on MRI at one month and two years. The authors state that surgical excision yields the best short- and long-term results for this tumour type, though they note other treatment methods exist. A 2018 case report of an intramuscular myxoma of the thigh similarly highlights diagnostic challenges in managing a benign mesenchymal tumour, but provides no treatment outcome data beyond the single case.
A 1986 series of 11 patients with skeletal muscle metastases from various primary cancers (chest, head and neck, breast, oesophagus, uterus, ovary, prostate, lymph nodes) describes CT findings of muscle enlargement, low density masses, and loss of normal fat and vascular planes. Biopsies were CT-guided in seven patients and open in four. This paper concerns metastatic disease, not benign primary muscle neoplasms, and offers no therapeutic data.
What is still missing: prospective validation of the gamma-smooth muscle isoactin marker in a larger, independent cohort; any controlled trial of treatment for benign muscle neoplasms; and systematic data on patient stratification by tumour subtype or molecular profile. Funding for such studies is not reported.
Evidence
Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.
Journal of Computer Assisted Tomography · 1986 · 59 citations
CT Detection of Skeletal Muscle Metastases
AbstractThe CT appearance of skeletal muscle metastases, proven by biopsy, is presented in a series of 11 patients. Primary sites of neoplasm included chest, head and neck, breast, esophagus, uterus, ovary, prostate, and lymph nodes. Computed tomographic guided biopsies were performed in seven patients and four patients underwent open biopsy. The CT findings consisted primarily of muscle enlargement with the masses containing low density and loss of normal fat and vascular planes. Invasion of adjacent bony structures
Molecular determination of the malignant potential of smooth muscle neoplasms
AbstractBACKGROUND: The determination of the malignant potential of smooth muscle neoplasms remains ambiguous, and yet has far reaching clinical, therapeutic, and social implications. METHODS: In this pilot study, the authors examined smooth muscle isoactin gene expression by polymerase chain reaction in a variety of smooth muscle tumors. RESULTS: A lack of gamma-smooth muscle isoactin gene expression correlated 100% with a pathologic diagnosis of sarcoma. These results suggest that gamma-smooth muscle isoactin gene expression represents a unique molecular marker of oncogenic transformation. CONCLUSIONS: gamma-Smooth muscle isoactin gene expression provides a valuable molecular adjunct to the diagnosis of smooth muscle neoplasms.
AbstractBACKGROUND: Hemangiomas are benign vascular tumors. Because less than 1% of all hemangiomas are intramuscular, only 8 cases of temporal muscle hemangioma have been described to date. This is a case study of a 13-year-old girl who was referred to our institution because of a soft swelling located in the left temple that has enlarged progressively since birth. METHODS: CT scan, angiography and MRI showed a tumor mass lying in the temporal muscle, with homogeneous contrast enhancement. No tumor blush or feeding arteries were detected. At surgical exploration, the tumor appeared to be well demarcated. It was totally excised, sparing the surrounding temporal muscle, which did not present any sign of infiltration. Histopathologic examination showed the lesion to be a cavernous hemangioma. RESULTS: The cosmetic result was excellent, and MRI after 1 month and 2 years showed complete absence of the lesion and no evidence of recurrence. CONCLUSIONS: Although this type of tumor may be treated by various methods surgical excision yields the best results in the short and the long term. The surrounding tissue is spared as much as possible when no signs of infiltration are noted at operation, especially when involving small and functionally important muscles, as in our case.
American Journal of Orthopedic Research and Reviews · 2018 · 0 citations · open access
Intramuscular myxoma of the thigh: a rare case report
AbstractMyxoma is a rare, benign mesenchymal tumor composed of undifferentiated stellate cells within a myxoid stromaresembling that of the umbilical cord . Apart from cardiac locations, skeletalmuscle involvement is commonly seen around thigh muscles, although other muscles could be affected with intermuscular, para-articular and even subcutaneous subsets. The authors intend to highlight the diagnostic challenge that could arise in the management of what is a benign tumor through a case report and review of relevant literature.
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.
