DeCure's autonomous Cancer AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for Digestive System Carcinoma — screening already-approved drugs against its 46-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 Carcinoma maps to a 46-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
approvedVandetanibApproved drug
Structures already discussed alongside digestive system carcinoma in the retrieved literature, rendered from public PubChem SMILES. Which drugs appear here reflects the evidence found, not a ranked prediction.
Molecular view
Crystal structure of phosphorylated RET tyrosine kinase domain — Vandetanib has a real, experimentally solved structure in complex with this target (PDB 2IVU, 2.5 Å). This is the drug's own deposited structure, not a prediction, and confirms it is a structurally characterised molecule rather than an untested guess.
Loading structure…
helix sheet zd6drag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 2IVU · 2.5 Å · ligand Vandetanib (ZD6). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
Digestive system carcinomas as a group made up nearly 20% of all new cancer diagnoses in 2003, with colorectal adenocarcinomas accounting for the majority and smaller numbers of other digestive malignancies contributing to the total. In 1969, an estimated 98,300 people died from cancer of the digestive tract, more than from any other organ system. The burden is projected to increase, particularly in Asia where gastric cancer and hepatocellular carcinoma remain prevalent and colorectal cancer is rising rapidly.
Neurologic complications can arise from both the disease and its treatment, though the 2003 review does not provide specific rates or outcomes. A 1970 volume on clinical management, written by surgeons, covers carcinoma from oesophagus to anus, including pancreas, liver, and the extrahepatic system, with separate chapters on chemotherapy and radiation therapy. The editors note that for the practitioner, information on these treatments would be more useful if integrated into the discussions of specific lesions rather than placed at the end.
No drug, molecular target, or biologic agent is named in any of these abstracts. No response rates, survival figures, or sample sizes from any clinical study are reported. The 2010 lecture mentions new molecular target therapy and minimally invasive ablation as complicating the treatment landscape, but provides no data on their efficacy.
What is still missing: any controlled trial data for drug repurposing in digestive system carcinoma, any patient stratification by molecular subtype, and any dedicated funding for repurposing studies in this disease group. The abstracts are reviews and lectures, not original research reports.
Evidence
Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.
OncoTargets and Therapy · 2016 · 13 citations · open access
A systematic review and meta-analysis of the risk of diarrhea associated with vandetanib treatment in carcinoma patients
AbstractBACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Vandetanib is a promising anticancer targeted agent for treating advanced carcinomas, such as non-small-cell lung cancer, small-cell lung cancer, breast cancer, malignant glioma, hepatocellular cancer, and unresectable, locally advanced, or metastatic medullary thyroid cancer. However, diarrhea is a frequently reported adverse event. The incidence of vandetanib-associated diarrhea varies extensively in different study populations and has not been carefully estimated. This systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical trials aims to figure out the overall risks of all-grade and high-grade diarrhea during vandetanib treatment and get a better understanding of its prediction and management. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A comprehensive search was performed in EMBASE, PubMed, and Cochrane Library for clinical trials studying vandetanib and diarrhea prior to April 2015. Eligible articles were selected according to the inclusion criteria. Data were extracted to calculate the summary incidence of all-grade and high-grade diarrhea caused by vandetanib treatment. RESULTS: Thirteen clinical trials that involved 3,264 patients were included in this meta-analysis. The overall incidences of all-grade and high-grade diarrhea caused by vandetanib treatment were 52.1% (95% confidence interval [CI], 48.3%-55.8%) and 5.6% (95% CI, 4.4%-76.7%), respectively. The risk ratios of the all-grade and high-grade diarrhea for vandetanib arm versus control arm were 1.932 (95% CI, 1.746-2.138; P<0.001) and 3.190 (95% CI, 2.061-4.938; P<0.001), respectively. Studies with small-cell lung cancer demonstrated the highest incidence of all-grade diarrhea (78.85%) and high-grade diarrhea (17.31%), whereas the lowest incidences of all-grade (42.11%) and high-grade (2.67%) diarrhea are seen in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma and non-small-cell lung cancer, respectively. CONCLUSION: Our findings demonstrate that the administration of vandetanib leads to a significantly increased risk of diarrhea, which varies in different carcinoma patients. Early recognition and timely management may be key factors to avoid dose reduction, drug interruption, and drug discontinuation, which is significant to maximize the treatment benefits.
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.
Neurologic Complications of Gastrointestinal Malignancies
AbstractGastrointestinal malignancies as a group are the third most common systemic cancer and make up almost 20% of all new cancer diagnoses. The majority of these cases are colorectal adenocarcinomas, with much smaller numbers of other digestive system malignancies contributing to the total. This chapter will review the cancers of the digestive tract, their therapy, and neurologic complications related to the disease or treatment thereof.
Cancer of the Digestive Tract: Clinical Management
AbstractThis effective volume, written by surgeons, encompasses the presentday clinical understanding of cancer of the digestive tract, which, as the editors state in the preface, claims more victims (an estimated 98,300 in 1969) than cancer of any other system. The editors, both eminent authorities in the field of cancer, have called on various surgical experts to discuss carcinoma in particular segments of the gastrointestinal tract, from esophagus to anus, and including the pancreas, liver, and extrahepatic system. Dr. Cole contributed the chapter on carcinoma of the colon and Dr. Everson two chapters on carcinoma of the stomach and small intestine. An interesting chapter discusses carcinoids and the physiology of their chemical products. For sake of completeness, radiation therapy and chemotherapy receive nominal space at the end of the volume. For the practitioner this information would be more useful if woven into the discussions dealing with specific treatment of lesions. The
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.
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