DeCure's autonomous Rare AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for hereditary spastic paraplegia 49 — 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 moduleHereditary spastic paraplegia 49 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 hereditary spastic paraplegia 49 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.
What the evidence adds up to
The 2006 study mapped two consanguineous families with complicated autosomal recessive hereditary spastic paraplegia and thin corpus callosum (HSP-TCC) to a new locus on chromosome 8p12-p11.21. The highest combined lod score was 7.077 at marker D8S505. Affected individuals in one family had thin corpus callosum and mental retardation; in the other family two of three affected individuals had epilepsy. The interval contained neuregulin and KIF13B as candidate genes. This was not a treatment study and no drug was tested.
A 2017 case report described a single patient with spastic paraplegia type 7 who had an expanded phenotype after pathogenic variants in SPG7 were found. No drug was mentioned.
A 2015 study of mutation spectrum and infantile manifestation in hereditary spastic paraplegia stated that in Caucasian populations heterozygous Spastin mutations account for the majority of patients (SPG4), with onset in the third or fourth decade. Childhood manifestation was more common in less frequent forms such as SPG3a or complicated HSP such as SPG11. No drug was tested or discussed.
No abstract in this set reports any drug treatment, any clinical trial, or any outcome data for hereditary spastic paraplegia 49 specifically. The abstracts describe genetic mapping and case reports only. What is missing is any funded clinical trial, any repurposing candidate tested in patients, and any stratification of patients by the specific genetic subtype.
Evidence
Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.
Neurology · 2006 · 52 citations
A novel locus for hereditary spastic paraplegia with thin corpus callosum and epilepsy
AbstractBACKGROUND: Hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP) are classified clinically as pure when progressive spasticity occurs in isolation or complicated when other neurologic abnormalities are present. At least 22 genetic loci have been linked to HSP, 8 of which are autosomal recessive (ARHSP). HSP complicated with the presence of thin corpus callosum (HSP-TCC) is a common subtype of HSP. One genetic locus has been identified on chromosome 15q13-q15 (SPG11) for HSP-TCC, but some HSP-TCC families have not been linked to this locus. METHODS: The authors characterized two families clinically and radiologically and performed a genome-wide scan and linkage analysis. RESULTS: The two families had complicated ARHSP. The affected individuals in Family A had thin corpus callosum and mental retardation, whereas in Family B two of three affected individuals had epilepsy. In both families linkage analysis identified a locus on chromosome 8 between markers D8S1820 and D8S532 with the highest combined lod score of 7.077 at marker D8S505. This 9 cM interval located on 8p12-p11.21 represents a new locus for ARHSP-TCC. Neuregulin and KIF13B genes, located within this interval, are interesting functional candidate genes for this HSP form. CONCLUSION: Two consanguineous families with complicated autosomal recessive hereditary spastic paraplegia were clinically characterized and genetically mapped to a new locus on 8p12-p11.21.
Clinical Case Reports · 2017 · 12 citations · open access
Expanded phenotype in a patient with spastic paraplegia 7
AbstractKey Clinical Message Hereditary spastic paraplegia is a group of clinically and genetically heterogeneous neurodegenerative disorders, often characterized by weakness and spasticity in the lower limbs. In our study, we describe a spastic paraplegia type 7 patient with an expanded phenotype who was diagnosed after the discovery of pathogenic variants in SPG 7 .
Mutation Spectrum and Infantile Manifestation in Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia
AbstractAims: Hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP) is genetically heterogeneous and clinically characterized by gait impairment because of weakness and spasticity of the lower limbs. In Caucasian populations, heterozygous Spastin mutations account for the majority of patients (SPG4) with predominant clinical manifestation within the third or fourth decade of life. A clinical manifestation during childhood is well known, but more common in less frequent forms such as SPG3a or complicated HSP, for example, SPG11.
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.
