DeCure for Hereditary sensory and autonomic neuropathy with spastic paraplegia
DeCure's autonomous Neuro AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for hereditary sensory and autonomic neuropathy with spastic paraplegia — screening already-approved drugs against its 10-gene Open Targets disease module to publish open-access research. Research is fast; the path to publication is funded in milestone stages.
Disease moduleHereditary sensory and autonomic neuropathy with spastic paraplegia maps to a 10-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 hereditary sensory and autonomic neuropathy with spastic paraplegia 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
SPG7 matrix AAA peptidase subunit, paraplegin (SPG7) — SPG7 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 adpdrag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 2QZ4 · 2.22 Å · ligand ADENOSINE-5'-DIPHOSPHATE (ADP). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
Hereditary spastic paraplegia is a group of neurodegenerative conditions defined by progressive lower limb spastic paralysis from corticospinal tract degeneration. At least 20 genes are involved, and no functional overlap in the molecular mechanisms was apparent until recent gene identification began to reveal common pathological themes. The condition is characterised by extreme genetic heterogeneity.
In a quantitative study of 23 patients from 14 families, somatic sensation was tested. Thermal, heat pain, vibratory and tactile thresholds were significantly raised in patients compared with normal controls. Cutaneous sensitivity was more impaired in the feet than in the hand. Every patient had at least one elevated sensory threshold. Sensory nerve conduction studies were abnormal in 6 patients, 5 of whom belonged to the same family. Somatosensory evoked potentials were reduced on average to half the size of those of controls. The authors concluded that subclinical sensory impairment is common in hereditary spastic paraplegia, despite the clinical picture being dominated by spastic paraparesis, and that this may reflect involvement of peripheral nerves, afferent pathways in the spinal cord, or both.
Two patients with childhood-onset hereditary spastic paraplegia and thin corpus callosum are reported in a 2005 case description. The hereditary spastic paraplegias are subdivided into pure and complicated forms depending on whether other neurologic abnormalities are present. Autosomal dominant, recessive and X-linked forms have been defined.
No drug treatment is tested or mentioned in any of these abstracts. What is missing is any clinical trial data, any identified molecular target for intervention, any patient stratification by the many known genes, and any funding for a trial that would test a repurposed drug in this heterogeneous group of disorders.
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 Medical Genetics · 2003 · 168 citations · open access
Science in motion: common molecular pathological themes emerge in the hereditary spastic paraplegias: Table 1
AbstractThe hereditary spastic paraplegias are a group of neurodegenerative conditions that all share the principal clinical feature of progressive lower limb spastic paralysis, caused by either failure of development or progressive degeneration of the corticospinal tract. The conditions are characterised by extreme genetic heterogeneity, with at least 20 genes involved. Until recently, no functional overlap was apparent in the associated molecular pathological mechanisms. However, with recent progress in hereditary spastic paraplegia gene identification, common pathological themes are now emerging.
A QUANTITATIVE STUDY OF SENSORY FUNCTION IN HEREDITARY SPASTIC PARAPLEGIA
AbstractSomatic sensation was studied in 23 patients from 14 families with hereditary spastic paraplegia. Quantitative sensory testing revealed significantly raised thermal, heat pain, vibratory and tactile thresholds in patients as compared with normal controls. Cutaneous sensitivity was more severely impaired in the feet than in the hand. All patients had at least one elevated sensory threshold. Sensory nerve conduction studies were abnormal in 6 patients, 5 of whom were members of the same family. Somatosensory evoked potentials were reduced on average to half the size of those of controls. Although the clinical picture is dominated by a spastic paraparesis, subclinical sensory impairment is common in hereditary spastic paraplegia and may reflect involvement of peripheral nerves, afferent pathways in the spinal cord or both.
Hereditary spastic paraplegia with thin corpus callosum – childhood onset in two patients
AbstractBackground: The hereditary spastic paraplegias (HSPs) are a group of rare disorders with the predominant clinical feature of spastic gait. They are subdivided into pure and complicated forms according to whether the disorder is associated with other neurologic abnormalities. Autosomal dominant, recessive and X-linked forms of HSP have been defined.
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.
