DeCure's autonomous Cancer AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for bone sarcoma — screening already-approved drugs against its 5-gene Open Targets disease module to publish open-access research. Research is fast; the path to publication is funded in milestone stages.
Disease moduleBone sarcoma maps to a 5-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 bone sarcoma 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
mechanistic target of rapamycin kinase (MTOR) — MTOR 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 ihpdrag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 9T94 · 2.6 Å · ligand INOSITOL HEXAKISPHOSPHATE (IHP). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
In a 2020 registry review of 451 patients in Saudi Arabia, the three-year survival rate for primary bone sarcomas was 82.30%. Osteosarcoma accounted for 248 cases (55%), Ewing’s sarcoma for 160 (35.5%), and chondrosarcoma for 43 (9.5%). The reported incidence was 1.56 cases per million per year for osteosarcoma, 0.95 for Ewing’s sarcoma, and 0.27 for chondrosarcoma. The authors noted that these incidence rates were lower than those reported worldwide, and that tumour type, site of origin, and three-year survival differed significantly across age and gender.
A 1997 retrospective review of five children with post-irradiation bone sarcoma treated with a chemotherapy regimen of vincristine and high-dose methotrexate alternated with cisplatin and ifosfamide for 12 months reported that all five achieved complete clinical remission. Four were alive in continuous complete remission at 1, 2, 4, and 12 years from diagnosis. One girl recurred at 3 years, was retreated with the same regimen, and remained alive in second complete remission 8 years after relapse. The authors concluded that this schedule, despite prior intensive treatment for the primary tumour, was feasible and that chemotherapy alone might be adequate for childhood post-irradiation sarcoma. The sample is very small and the study is retrospective.
A 1987 study treated eight patients with bone sarcoma and fifteen with soft part sarcoma using combination chemotherapy with vincristine, actinomycin D, cyclophosphamide and adriamycin (VACA). In bone tumours, only two cases survived long-term. The cumulative five-year survival rate by Kaplan-Meier method was about 62% in soft part sarcoma. The authors considered VACA therapy useful for soft part sarcoma, but the results in bone sarcoma were poor.
A 2013 review noted that bone sarcomas remain diseases with high morbidity and mortality, especially in children and adolescents, and that current therapy combines surgery and chemotherapy. A 2011 article focused on diagnosis, management and follow-up, stating that management depends on histological subtype. What is still missing are prospective trials large enough to account for the many bone sarcoma subtypes, consistent patient stratification by tumour biology and prior treatment history, and dedicated funding for repurposing studies in these rare cancers.
Evidence
Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.
BoneKEy Reports · 2013 · 39 citations · open access
Targeted therapies for bone sarcomas
AbstractBone sarcomas include a very large number of tumour subtypes, which originate form bone and more particularly from mesenchymal stem cell lineage. Osteosarcoma, Ewing's sarcoma and chondrosarcoma, the three main bone sarcoma entities develop in a favourable microenvironment composed by bone cells, blood vessels, immune cells, based on the 'seed and soil theory'. Current therapy associates surgery and chemotherapy, however, bone sarcomas remain diseases with high morbidity and mortality especially in children and adolescents. In the past decade, various new therapeutic approaches emerged and target the tumour niche or/and directly the tumour cells by acting on signalling/metabolic pathways involved in cell proliferation, apoptosis or drug resistance. The present review gives a brief overview from basic to clinical assessment of the main targeted therapies of bone sarcoma cells.
Medical and Pediatric Oncology · 1997 · 15 citations
Treatment of childhood post-irradiation sarcoma of bone in cancer survivors
AbstractPATIENTS AND METHODS: This is a retrospective review of five children with post-irradiation bone sarcoma (PIS). Age at PIS onset ranged between 10 and 17 years (median 11). They were treated with a chemotherapy regimen, similar to that in use for primary osteogenic sarcoma, consisting of vincristine and high-dose methotrexate alternated with cisplatinum and ifosfamide, given for 12 months. RESULTS: In all children chemotherapy induced a complete clinical remission. Four of them were alive in continuous complete remission at 1, 2, 4, and 12 years from the diagnosis of bone sarcoma. One girl recurred 3 years from PIS diagnosis and was salvaged by repeating the same chemotherapy program: she remained alive in second complete remission 8 years from relapse. CONCLUSIONS: In spite of an intensive treatment previously given for the primary tumor, this drug schedule proved to be feasible and short-term side effects were manageable. Chemotherapy alone, using an intensive regimen effective for primary osteogenic sarcoma, may be an adequate therapy for childhood post-irradiation sarcoma.
Journal of Taibah University Medical Sciences · 2020 · 7 citations · open access
Primary bone sarcomas in KSA: A Saudi tumor registry review
AbstractOBJECTIVES: The geographical incidence of tumours is usually influenced by the environment, race, and culture. This study aimed to report the incidence and differences in tumour type, site of origin, and mortality across gender, regions, age, and the different characteristics of tumour types. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study included all patients diagnosed with primary bone sarcomas from January 1, 2013, to December 31, 2017. Frequencies and percentages were generated for categorical variables. Means and standard deviations were calculated for quantitative variables. A chi-squared test was used to detect differences among categorical variables. Student-t, ANOVA, and Tukey tests were used to detect differences among quantitative variables. Lastly, we calculated the incidence of each tumour type. RESULTS: Of 451 patients, 248 (55%) had osteosarcomas; 160 (35.5%) had Ewing's sarcoma, and 43 (9.5%) had chondrosarcoma. The incidence was 1.56 cases per 1,000,000 per year for osteosarcoma, 0.95 cases per 1,000,000 per year for Ewing's sarcoma, and 0.27 cases per million per year for chondrosarcoma. The three-year survival rate was 82.30%. Significant differences in tumour type, origin site, and three-year survival across age and gender were detected. Similarly, significant differences were also noted in origin site, grade, basis of diagnosis, and lateralisation across tumour types. CONCLUSIONS: In our study, the observed bone sarcoma incidence rates were lower than the ones reported worldwide. Understanding the pattern of tumour behaviour in the region will help develop a risk and response-based treatment plan for early decision-making.
AbstractThis article focuses on the diagnosis, management and follow up of patients with bone sarcoma. This rare form of cancer can occur in any part of the body and is seen in many specialties, and its management depends on histological subtype. An understanding of the condition will enable any nurse who comes into contact with these patients to support them and their families appropriately, before diagnosis and referral to a specialist centre.
Combination chemotherapy with Vincristin, Actinomycin D, Cyclophosphamide and Adriamycin in bone and soft part sarcoma.
AbstractEight patients with bone sarcoma and fifteen patients with soft part sarcoma were treated with combination chemotherapy (VACA therapy) consisting of Vincristin, Actinomycin D, Cyclophosphamide and Adriamycin.Cumulative five years survival rate by Kaplan-Meyer method was about 62% in soft part sarcoma. In bone tumors, only 2 cases have survived in the long period. VACA therapy is considered to be a useful combination chemotherapy for soft part sarcoma.
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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