DeCure's autonomous Cancer AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for digestive system cancer — screening already-approved drugs against its 9-gene Open Targets disease module to publish open-access research. Research is fast; the path to publication is funded in milestone stages.
Disease moduleDigestive system cancer maps to a 9-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 digestive system cancer 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
mutY DNA glycosylase (MUTYH) — MUTYH 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 sf4drag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 8FAY · 1.91 Å · ligand IRON/SULFUR CLUSTER (SF4). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
A 1980 review of systemic chemotherapy for advanced gastrointestinal cancer found that no single agent had consistently produced an overall response rate superior to 30%, and no multidrug regimen had consistently produced responses in more than 50% of patients. None of the available treatment programs had significantly prolonged overall survival. The review stated that one of the most urgent objectives was the systematic evaluation of new antitumour agents.
A 2022 review of microbubble-assisted ultrasound for drug delivery in digestive oncology reported that the method had shown increased local drug extravasation and reduced systemic adverse effects in various tumour models. Therapeutic efficacy and safety had been demonstrated mainly in subcutaneous models of digestive cancers. Some clinical trials on pancreatic ductal carcinoma and hepatic metastases from various digestive cancers showed promising results, but the review concluded that successful evaluation of ultrasound settings, chemotherapeutic schemes, and microbubble-related parameters needed to be addressed in more relevant preclinical models before full translation to clinic. It stated that a clear correlation between enhanced intratumoural drug concentrations and increased therapeutic response had to be provided in clinical trials.
A 2020 project description (ASTAC-study) aimed to critically synthesise existing evidence on the effectiveness of systemic oncological treatments (chemotherapy, immunotherapy, biological therapy) in patients with advanced non-intestinal digestive cancer at high risk of dying in the middle or short term, compared with any regime without those therapies. It also planned a field analysis of the appropriateness of prescription in these patients. No results from this project are reported in the abstract.
A 2010 lecture noted the increasing burden of digestive cancer and the need for a new subspecialty of digestive oncology in the Asia Pacific region, where gastric cancer and hepatocellular carcinoma were still prevalent and colorectal cancer was rapidly rising. A 1970 volume on clinical management of digestive tract cancer included chapters on chemotherapy and irradiation therapy but provided no specific efficacy data in the abstract.
Evidence
Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.
Expert Opinion on Drug Delivery · 2022 · 15 citations
Delivery of anti-cancer drugs using microbubble-assisted ultrasound in digestive oncology: from preclinical to clinical studies
AbstractINTRODUCTION: The combination of microbubbles (MBs) and ultrasound (US) is an emerging method for the noninvasive and targeted enhancement of intratumor chemotherapeutic uptake. This method showed an increased local drug extravasation in tumor tissue while reducing the systemic adverse effects in various tumor models. AREA COVERED: We focused on preclinical and clinical studies investigating the therapeutic efficacy and safety of this technology for the treatment of colorectal, pancreatic, and liver cancers. We discussed the limitations of the current investigations and future perspectives. EXPERT OPINION: The therapeutic efficacy and the safety of delivery of standard chemotherapy regimen using MB-assisted US have been mainly demonstrated in subcutaneous models of digestive cancers. Although some clinical trials on pancreatic ductal carcinoma and hepatic metastases from various digestive cancers have shown promising results, successful evaluation of this method in terms of US settings, chemotherapeutic schemes, and MBs-related parameters will need to be addressed in more relevant preclinical models of digestive cancers, in small and large animals before fully and successfully translating this technology for clinic use. Ultimately, a clear evidence of the correlation between the enhanced intratumoral concentrations of therapeutics and the increased therapeutic response of tumors have to be provided in clinical trials.
Efficacy of systemic oncological treatments in patients with advanced, non-intestinal digestive cancer at high risk of dying in the middle and short term (ASTAC-study)
AbstractThis project aims to: 1) Critically synthesise the existing evidence regarding the effectiveness of systemic oncological treatments (chemotherapy, immunotherapy and biological therapy) in patients with non-intestinal digestive cancer that are at high risk of dying at the middle or short term, compared with any regime without any of those therapies. 2) Conduct a field analysis of the appropriateness of the prescription of anticancer drugs in patients with advanced non-intestinal digestive cancers
Systemic Chemotherapy for Advanced Gastrointestinal Cancer
AbstractThe chemotherapeutic agents commonly used to treat malignant tumors of the digestive system are reviewed. Despite considerable experience with multidrug treatments, progress in the systemic treatment of advanced tumors of digestive organs has been limited. No single agent currently available has consistently given an overall response rate superior to 30%, and none of the multidrug chemotherapy regimens has consistently produced responses in more than 50% of patients treated. None of the available treatment programs has significantly prolonged the overall survival of these patients. One of the most urgent objectives of the investigative oncologist is the systematic evaluation of the efficacy of new antitumor agents in the treatment of these malignancies.
Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology · 2010 · 6 citations
Future role of gastroenterologists in digestive oncology in the Asia Pacific region: Panir Chelvam Memorial Lecture, Asian Pacific Digestive Week 2010
AbstractThere is an increasing burden in digestive cancer in the coming years. With the advancement of endoscopic therapy, new molecular target therapy and minimally invasive ablation therapy, the treatment of digestive cancer will become more complicated. In Asia where gastric cancer and hepatocellular carcinoma are still prevalent and colorectal cancer is rapidly on the rise, the need in digestive oncology will be even higher. A new subspecialty of digestive oncology will be needed from the patient's perspective, from the healthcare authority's viewpoint and for the future development of gastroenterology.
Archives of Internal Medicine · 1970 · 0 citations
Cancer of the Digestive Tract: Clinical Management.
AbstractThis volume discusses the diagnosis and curative and palliative treatment of the various types of cancer of the digestive tract. Two chapters on carcinoma of the stomach and small intestine are written by Everson and the chapter on carcinoma of the colon by Cole. The eight additional chapters dealing with other sites of cancer in the gastrointestinal tract are written by individual authors, selected for their specialized knowledge and experience in the field. The overall volume has been carefully edited to present continuity from chapter to chapter, and each chapter provides a fairly extensive and well-chosen listing of references. The book, in my opinion, provides information that makes it valuable both as a reference and as a working text for those concerned with problems of cancer of the digestive tract. The chapter on chemotherapy and the one on irradiation therapy contribute significantly to the completeness of the text relative to
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.
