DeCure's autonomous Cancer AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for childhood leukemia — screening already-approved drugs against its 17-gene Open Targets disease module to publish open-access research. Research is fast; the path to publication is funded in milestone stages.
Disease moduleChildhood leukemia maps to a 17-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 childhood leukemia 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
dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) — DHFR 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 ndpdrag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 4M6J · 1.201 Å · ligand NADPH DIHYDRO-NICOTINAMIDE-ADENINE-DINUCLEOTIDE PHOSPHATE (NDP). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
Five-year survival for childhood cancer in developed countries now exceeds 80%, and childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia is described as a remarkable success story, with two-thirds or more of children cured using contemporary treatment. This progress rests on decades of work: a 1987 review already noted that morphologic, immunologic, and cytogenetic studies had enabled more accurate classification and risk assessment, allowing therapy to be tailored to a heterogeneous disease. A 2012 preface to a standard textbook describes accelerating advances in molecular biology, risk assessment, and targeted therapies, including new chapters on epigenetics, Down syndrome leukaemias, and adolescents and young adults, a group historically with a much worse prognosis.
The global picture is starkly different. A 2003 paper estimates that only 1 in 10 children with acute leukaemia receive any treatment in low-income countries, and that even though 70% of childhood ALL is curable, it is not 70% curable worldwide because 90% of the world's children lack access to curative treatment. Success rates among those who do receive treatment in underprivileged settings are also far from satisfactory. The same paper notes that efforts in the developed world now focus on enhancing efficacy of existing regimens while reducing toxic side effects, based on molecular and immunologic characterisation of leukaemic cells.
Historical context matters. A 1960 paper, written when treatment was far less effective, states plainly that leukaemia was then invariably fatal, with no permanently effective control or medically substantiated cure, and that the course under treatment was extremely variable and unpredictable. Some children had repeated remissions, some incomplete or short remissions with intermittent symptoms, and some toxic reactions to drugs; ultimately all failed to respond to any drugs used. This is a reminder that current survival figures are recent and hard-won, and that the disease still kills a substantial minority of children even in the best-resourced settings.
What remains missing is not basic knowledge of leukaemia biology, which has advanced enormously, but the global delivery of proven treatments and the reduction of long-term toxicity in survivors. There is no evidence in these abstracts for any new repurposed drug; the papers describe established chemotherapy regimens, risk stratification, and molecular diagnostics. The key gaps are financial and organisational: extending curative treatment to the 90% of children without access, and refining existing protocols to reduce the injurious effects of cytotoxic agents on normal tissues in the growing number of long-term survivors.
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 Clinical Oncology · 2014 · 103 citations · open access
Milestones in the Curability of Pediatric Cancers
AbstractProgress in the study and treatment of childhood cancer is arguably the most remarkable and rewarding story of cancer therapy in the past five decades. During this time, five-year survival rates have steadily increased and now exceed 80% in developed countries for all pediatric cancer sites (Fig 1). With the expectation of extended survival into adulthood for most childhood patients with cancer, clinicians and researchers have concentrated considerable attention on optimizing the quality of long-term survival for diseases that largely respond to cytotoxic agents and modalities injurious to normal tissues. In this recollection of that progress, we shall touch on advances common to many childhood cancers but focus primarily on childhood leukemia because it has been the bellwether of scientific and therapeutic advances in many tumors, it encompasses many novel ideas in patient care during and after therapy, and it has influenced the study and treatment of adult cancers as well.
AbstractRemarkable progress has been achieved in our understanding of the biology of acute lymphoblastic leukemias (ALL) occurring in childhood. Morphologic, immunologic, and cytogenetic studies of ALL have resulted in more accurate classification and risk assessment, permitting tailoring of therapy in this heterogeneous group of diseases. Studies of tumor cell biology have begun to pinpoint genes whose altered functions may be etiologically linked to cancer, and have provided insights into the biochemical processes involved in leukemogenesis.
Clinical Epidemiology of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia - From the Molecules to the Clinic
AbstractThis book describes different perspectives of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The approach includes aspects of molecular epidemiology, particularly molecular features that influence the genesis and prognosis of the disease. Some aspects of the prognosis of lymphoblastic leukemias are very detailed, highlighting the use of molecular biology in the early identification of complications that may occur in diseased patients. The authors of the present book conform a Mexican group who identifies the causes of leukemia, and they summarize their experience in research, results and proposals for future studies. A causal model is included in which the authors hypothesized the origin of acute lymphoblastic leukemias, particularly in children. This hypothesis can be useful to better understand other cancers during childhood. This book will help the reader to identify different molecular aspects involved in leukemia, and its relation to the development and evolution of the disease.
THE EFFECT OF LONG-TERM ILLNESS OF CHILDREN ON THE EMOTIONAL ADJUSTMENT OF PARENTS1
AbstractDespite remarkable advances in treatment, leukemia is invariably fatal. No permanently effective control, spontaneous resolution, or medically substantiated cure has been reported. The course of childhood leukemia under treatment is extremely variable and cannot be predicted in advance for any single child. Some children have repeated remissions and readily respond to treatment during relapse, without severe symptoms, until the inevitable downward course begins. Some have incomplete or short remissions with intermittent symptoms of the disease (fever, easy bruising, ecchymosis, petechiae, swelling of nodes, pallor, poor appetite, irritability, fatigue). Some have toxic reactions to various drugs (mouth lesions, diarrhea, abdominal pain, nausea) before a remission can be obtained. Ultimately, all children fail to respond to any drugs used in treatment (p. 1).
Humana Press eBooks · 2003 · 9 citations · open access
Treatment of Childhood Leukemias in Underprivileged Countries
AbstractChildhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is a remarkable success story in pediatric oncology. At present in the developed world, two-thirds or more of children with ALL can be cured with contemporary treatment (1). Efforts are now being made to enhance the efficacy of the existing regimens while reducing their toxic side effects based on advances in the molecular and immunologic characterization of leukemic cells (2). These progressive developments in the management of leukemias in children have unfortunately not translated into reality in the “developing world.” Huge inequities exist in the management of children with leukemias in high- and lowincome countries. It is estimated that only 1 of 10 children with acute leukemia receive any kind of treatment in these less privileged countries (3). Hence, even though 70% of childhood ALL is currently curable, it is not 70% curable worldwide, since 90% of the world’s children do not have access to curative treatment (4). The success rates among the children who receive treatment are also far from satisfactory.
Cambridge University Press eBooks · 2012 · 0 citations
Preface
AbstractIn the five years since publication of the second edition of Childhood Leukemias , new insights into the molecular and cellular biology of cancers in general, and of the leukemias in particular, have catalyzed exciting advances in diagnostic methods, strategies of risk assessment, and the development of targeted and other novel forms of treatment. Encouraged by this progress, and the enthusiastic responses of readers of the previous edition, I willingly accepted the invitation to develop a third edition of this successful book. The rapid growth in our understanding of the biology of childhood leukemias and the accelerating pace of innovations in diagnostic and therapeutic approaches presented a considerable challenge during revision of the second edition. As you will notice, each chapter has been extensively modified or rewritten to accommodate the most recent information and references. Although structured to emphasize emerging themes in leukemia pathobiology and treatment, the reworked book still seeks to maintain a balance between fundamental pathophysiology and practical approaches to patient management, a standard that was central to the success of our earlier editions. Three chapters are entirely new. One deals with the epigenetics of leukemia, a topic that has moved rapidly to the fore of leukemia research. The discovery that aberrant epigenetic changes often cooperate with DNA sequence alterations in the initiation and progression of cancer, and that such changes are potentially reversible, has already led to clinical trials of therapies based on key epigenetic findings. Another addition focuses on leukemias in children with Down syndrome, calling attention to the pathobiology that underlies the increased incidence and complications of this problematic disease presentation. Finally, there is a new chapter on the treatment of adolescents and young adults with acute lymphoblastic leukemia – a group that historically has had a much worse prognosis than younger patients.
Disease module: DeepOracle (Open Targets). Structures: RDKit from PubChem SMILES. Literature: retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works using Disease Ontology synonyms, 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.
