DeCure's autonomous Cancer AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for duodenal benign neoplasm — screening already-approved drugs against its 1-gene Open Targets disease module to publish open-access research. Research is fast; the path to publication is funded in milestone stages.
Disease moduleDuodenal benign neoplasm maps to a 1-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 duodenal benign 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
APC regulator of Wnt signaling pathway (APC) — APC 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 apo structuredrag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 3NMZ · 3.01 Å · ligand none (apo structure). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
Brunner's gland hyperplasia, a benign hamartomatous lesion of the proximal duodenum, was identified in only four patients from a single centre over a four-year period. None were diagnosed before surgery; diagnosis came from histopathology of the resected specimen. At a median follow-up of 11 months, no patient had recurrence and all were symptom free. The authors note that patients may harbour the lesion for long periods with few symptoms and that treatment outcomes are good.
A larger retrospective study of 33 patients with sporadic non-ampullary duodenal neoplasms treated by endoscopic resection reported that 3 (9.1%) were Brunner's gland tumours. The mean resected lesion size was 8.58 mm. Tubular adenoma was the most common histology (63.6%). Endoscopic mucosal resection succeeded in 32 of 33 cases in a single session; one perforation occurred after endoscopic submucosal dissection. Over a median follow-up of 5.76 months, recurrence was seen in only one patient (with tubular adenoma). The authors conclude endoscopic resection is safe and effective, but stress that careful follow-up is needed to manage recurrence or residual lesions.
A 2001 review notes that the duodenum, though the shortest segment of the small intestine, can host a wide variety of tumourlike processes and primary and secondary neoplasms. A 2023 case report describes an unusual presentation of anaemia and intestinal obstruction caused by a benign duodenal tumour, reiterating that duodenal tumours are among the rarest causes of upper gastrointestinal bleeding.
What remains missing is prospective data on long-term outcomes beyond a few months, standardised surveillance protocols after endoscopic resection, and any randomised comparison of endoscopic versus surgical management for benign duodenal neoplasms. Patient stratification by histology and lesion size is not yet supported by trials large enough to guide treatment decisions.
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 Surgical Case Reports · 2018 · 9 citations · open access
Brunner’s gland hyperplasia: an unusual duodenal submucosal lesion seen in four patients
AbstractBrunner's gland hyperplasia is an extremely rare benign hamartomatous lesion seen in proximal duodenum. Difficulty in diagnosing the condition pre-operatively puts the surgeon in dilemma for deciding appropriate management. We retrieved details from prospectively maintained retrospective data from January 2014 to April 2018. Four patients were identified of which three were males and one was female. Symptoms ranged from 4 days to 4 years, with abdominal pain, vomiting and malena being predominant. No patients were identified with diagnosis pre-operatively. Diagnosis was made on histopathological examination of the resected specimen and none of them were having malignant features. At a median follow up of 11 months, no patient had recurrence and were symptom free. Brunner's gland hyperplasia is a rare elusive duodenal pathology, symptomatically mimicking alarming duodenal lesions and mostly diagnosed on histopathology of specimen. Patients may harbour the lesion for long periods with little symptoms and upon treatment have good outcomes.
Korean Journal of Gastroenterology · 2016 · 2 citations · open access
Endoscopic Resection of Sporadic Non-ampullary Duodenal Neoplasms: A Single Center Study
AbstractBACKGROUND/AIMS: Sporadic non-ampullary duodenal neoplasms are rare and optimal treatment for these lesions remains undefined. Endoscopic resection of duodenal neoplasms is widely used recently and it is an alternative treatment strategy to surgical excision. This study aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of endoscopic resection of duodenal neoplasms and to determine its outcomes. METHODS: Patients who underwent endoscopic resection for non-ampullary duodenal neoplasms between January 2005 and December 2014 were analyzed retrospectively. Data including size, morphology, histology, location and endoscopic procedural technique were reviewed. The main outcome measurements were success rate, complication, recurrence and follow-up assessments. RESULTS: The study included 33 patients with duodenal neoplasms. The mean size of resected lesion was 8.58 mm. The results of histologic examination were as follows: 23 (69.7%) adenomas, 2 (6.1%) adenocarcinoma, 3 (9.1%) Brunner's gland tumor and 3 (9.1%) neuroendocrine tumor. Tubular adenoma was the most common type (63.6%) of non-ampullary duodenal neoplasms. Eighteen (54.5%) lesions were found in the second portion of the duodenum, and 10 (30.3%) lesions on bulb and 3 (9.1%) lesions on superior duodenal angle. Of the 33 cases, 32 (97.0%) were managed by endoscopic mucosal resection technique during a single session and one case was managed by endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD). One episode of perforation occurred after ESD. During a median follow-up period of 5.76 months, recurrence was observed in only one case of in a patient with tubular adenoma. CONCLUSIONS: Endoscopic resection of duodenal neoplasm is a safe and effective treatment modality that can replace surgical resection in many cases. Careful endoscopic follow-up is essential to manage recurrence or residual lesions.
Duodenal Neoplasms: Pathology and Radiologic Imaging
AbstractThe duodenum is the shortest segment of the small intestine but may be affected by a wide variety of tumorlike processes as well as primary and secondary neoplasms, the latter especially arising from the pancreas. Nonneoplastic disorders include Brunner adenopathy, ectopic lesions, and various infla
Liječnički vjesnik · 2023 · 0 citations · open access
An unusual case of anemia and intestinal obstruction caused by a benign duodenal tumor
AbstractThe duodenum is rarely affected by neoplasms with less than 5% of gastrointestinal tumors being found in the small intestine. Nevertheless, they can be of great clinical significance. Usual symptoms include abdominal pain, acid reflux, constipation, and melena. While upper gastrointestinal bleeding is relatively frequent and occurs in around 100 per 100,000 adults per year, duodenal tumors are one of its rarest causes. The most common benign duodenal tumors are adenomas, followed by lipomas, haemangiomas, and leiomyomas
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.
