DeCure for Duodenal gastrin-producing neuroendocrine tumor
DeCure's autonomous Cancer AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for duodenal gastrin-producing neuroendocrine tumor — screening already-approved drugs against its 2-gene Open Targets disease module to publish open-access research. Research is fast; the path to publication is funded in milestone stages.
Disease moduleDuodenal gastrin-producing neuroendocrine tumor maps to a 2-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 gastrin-producing neuroendocrine tumor 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
menin 1 (MEN1) — MEN1 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 1r,2s,4rdrag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 8IG0 · 2.6 Å · ligand (1R,2S,4R)-4-[[4-(5,6-dimethoxypyridazin-3-yl)phenyl]methylamino]-2-[methyl-[6-[2,2,2-tris(fluoranyl)ethyl]thieno[2,3-d]pyrimidin-4-yl]amino]cyclopentan-1-ol (7IX). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
In a 2008 mouse study, somatostatin-null mice had significantly lower menin protein expression and were hypergastrinemic. Treating mice with the somatostatin analogue octreotide increased the number of menin-expressing cells, menin mRNA, and menin protein, with a greater effect in the duodenum than in the antrum. The same induction was seen in AGS and STC cell lines treated with octreotide, and the effect depended on suppression of protein kinase A (PKA): forskolin (which activates PKA) lowered menin protein, while suppressing PKA with small-interfering RNA raised basal menin and blocked further octreotide induction. In AGS cells, menin directly inhibited endogenous gastrin gene expression. The study did not test tumour growth or patient outcomes.
A 2021 review notes that gastric and duodenal neuroendocrine tumours (NETs) are uncommon but increasing in incidence due to more endoscopy. Endoscopic treatment is used for small, grade 1 NETs in the stomach and duodenum, but requires assessment of tumour size, depth of invasion, and lymphatic or distant metastasis. No new clinical trial data are presented in that review.
A 2025 case report describes a 72-year-old man with a low-grade, well-differentiated duodenal NET measuring 1.7 cm, diagnosed after he presented with melena, hypotension, anaemia, and thrombocytopenia. He underwent surgical resection. The report states that timely surgical intervention and interdisciplinary collaboration were vital, and that continued follow-up is essential for monitoring recurrence. No drug treatment was used.
What is still missing: no clinical trial has tested octreotide or any somatostatin analogue specifically for duodenal gastrin-producing NETs in patients. The 2008 mechanistic work was in mice and cell lines only. There is no evidence that inducing menin with octreotide slows tumour growth or improves survival in humans. The 2025 case report is a single patient, not a trial. No funding for a dedicated clinical trial in this rare tumour type is described, and no patient stratification by menin status or somatostatin receptor expression has been attempted.
Evidence
Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.
American Journal of Physiology-Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology · 2008 · 31 citations · open access
Somatostatin stimulates menin gene expression by inhibiting protein kinase A
AbstractSomatostatin is a potent inhibitor of gastrin secretion and gene expression. Menin is a 67-kDa protein product of the multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN1) gene that when mutated leads to duodenal gastrinomas, a tumor that overproduces the hormone gastrin. These observations suggest that menin might normally inhibit gastrin gene expression in its role as a tumor suppressor. Since somatostatin and ostensibly menin are both inhibitors of gastrin, we hypothesized that somatostatin signaling directly induces menin. Menin protein expression was significantly lower in somatostatin-null mice, which are hypergastrinemic. We found by immunohistochemistry that somatostatin receptor-positive cells (SSTR2A) express menin. Mice were treated with the somatostatin analog octreotide to determine whether activation of somatostatin signaling induced menin. We found that octreotide increased the number of menin-expressing cells, menin mRNA, and menin protein expression. Moreover, the induction by octreotide was greater in the duodenum than in the antrum. The increase in menin observed in vivo was recapitulated by treating AGS and STC cell lines with octreotide, demonstrating that the regulation was direct. The induction required suppression of protein kinase A (PKA) since forskolin treatment suppressed menin protein levels and octreotide inhibited PKA enzyme activity. Small-interfering RNA-mediated suppression of PKA levels raised basal levels of menin protein and prevented further induction by octreotide. Using AGS cells, we also showed for the first time that menin directly inhibits endogenous gastrin gene expression. In conclusion, somatostatin receptor activation induces menin expression by suppressing PKA activation.
The Korean Journal of Helicobacter and Upper Gastrointestinal Research · 2021 · 3 citations · open access
Endoscopic Treatment of Gastric and Duodenal Neuroendocrine Tumors: Present and Future
AbstractGastric and duodenal neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) are not common; however, there is an increase in the incidence due to increased use of endoscopy. Endoscopic treatment has been applied to treat small NET G1 in the stomach and duodenum. For the endoscopic treatment of NETs, it is necessary to evaluate tumor size, depth of invasion, and lymphatic and distant metastasis. This article will review the current knowledge concerning the endoscopic treatment of gastric and duodenal neuroendocrine tumors.
International Journal of Surgery Case Reports · 2025 · 1 citations · open access
Low-grade duodenal neuroendocrine tumor in a 72-year-old man: A case report
AbstractINTRODUCTION: The neuroendocrine system includes various endocrine glands, with neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs) primarily found in the lungs and gastrointestinal tract. This report presents a rare case of a duodenal NEN in a 72-year-old male, highlighting diagnostic and management challenges. CASE PRESENTATION: A 72-year-old male presented with melena and hypotension, revealing anemia and thrombocytopenia. Imaging and biopsy confirmed a low-grade neuroendocrine tumor, leading to surgical resection and a diagnosis of a well-differentiated tumor measuring 1.7 cm. DISCUSSION: This case underscores the complexities of diagnosing duodenal neuroendocrine tumors, with surgical resection necessary due to the tumor's invasive nature. Timely intervention and interdisciplinary collaboration are vital for effective management and monitoring. CONCLUSION: This report highlights successful management of a duodenal neuroendocrine tumor in a 72-year-old male, emphasizing timely surgical intervention. Continued follow-up is essential for monitoring recurrence and ensuring optimal patient care.
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.
