DeCure's autonomous Rare AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for histiocytoma — screening already-approved drugs against its 5-gene Open Targets disease module to publish open-access research. Research is fast; the path to publication is funded in milestone stages.
Disease moduleHistiocytoma maps to a 5-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 histiocytoma 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
AKT serine/threonine kinase 1 (AKT1) — AKT1 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 propanoylaminodrag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 7NH5 · 1.9 Å · ligand ~{N}-methyl-6-[4-[[4-[2-oxidanylidene-6-(propanoylamino)-3~{H}-benzimidazol-1-yl]piperidin-1-yl]methyl]phenyl]-5-phenyl-pyridine-3-carboxamide (UC8). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
The 1996 report on indeterminate cell histiocytosis describes a single 50-year-old woman with more than 100 generalised papules. Immunohistochemistry showed reactivity for factor XIIIa, macrophage markers HAM56 and KiM1p, and S100 protein, but no Birbeck granules on ultrastructure. The authors propose that generalised eruptive histiocytoma may represent an early indeterminate stage of several non-X histiocytic syndromes, including indeterminate cell histiocytosis, multicentric reticulohistiocytosis, xanthogranuloma and xanthoma disseminatum. No treatment or outcome data are given for this patient.
Two abstracts address malignant fibrous histiocytoma, a different disease. A 2004 case report of cerebellar malignant fibrous histiocytoma in a 44-year-old woman describes tumour recurrence 1.5 months after initial surgery, followed by a second operation and radiotherapy. The authors state that with available therapy the prognosis is very poor and report a median survival of 27 months from a literature review of fewer than 70 cases.
A 2008 study of 26 patients with malignant fibrous histiocytoma of the extremities reports an overall five-year survival rate of 61.5%. Survival was 100% in low-grade tumours and 28.2% in high-grade tumours. Tumour grade was the only significant prognostic factor in both univariate (p=0.004) and multivariate (p=0.023) analyses. Local recurrence occurred in 8 patients; distant metastasis developed in 8 patients within a mean of 13 months postoperatively.
No abstract provides evidence for any drug treatment in histiocytoma. What is missing for histiocytoma specifically is any prospective trial, any drug tested in a defined patient population, and any systematic stratification by histologic subtype or molecular markers.
Evidence
Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.
British Journal of Dermatology · 1996 · 72 citations
Indeterminate cell histiocytosis-a clinicopathological entity with features of both X- and non-X histiocytosis
AbstractAn otherwise healthy 50-year-old woman presented with a 6-month history of having developed more than 100 generalized, non-confluent, reddish-brown, partially yellow-coloured papules. A non-epidemotropic, monomorphous infiltrate of vacuolated mononuclear, and occasionally multinuclear, histiocytes, positive for factor XIIIa and macrophage markers HAM56 and KiM1p, was consistent with the clinical impression of generalized eruptive histiocytomas. However, the additional reactivity for S100 protein, in the absence of features of histiocytosis X, suggested a diagnosis of indeterminate cell histiocytosis (ICH). Further immunohistochemical studies, performed on snap-frozen material, characterized the lesions as being diffusely positive with LN3 (HLA-DR), Leu4 (CD3) and Leu3 (CD4), the infiltrate in the upper dermis as reactive for OKT6 (CD1) and IOT6c (CD1c), and the infiltrate in the lower dermis as reactive for a variety of macrophage markers. Ultrastructural studies showed various non-specific features of histocytic disorders, but no Birbeck granules. Our findings confirm those of previous reports suggesting that ICH is a distinct histiocytic entity, characterized by immunophenotypic features of both X- and non-X histiocytoses. Generalized eruptive histiocytoma seems to be an early indeterminate stage of various non-X histiocytic syndromes including ICH, multicentric reticulohistiocytosis, xanthogranuloma and xanthoma disseminatum. The distribution pattern of the various X/non-X histiocytic markers suggests dermal arrest of antigen-presenting cells during their physiological trafficking from the skin to the lymph nodes.
Cerebellar Malignant Fibrous Histiocytoma: Case Report and Literature Review
AbstractOBJECTIVE AND IMPORTANCE: Malignant fibrous histiocytoma in the central nervous system is uncommon. Fewer than 70 cases have been documented and, to the best of our knowledge, this is the first case arising from the cerebellum. CLINICAL PRESENTATION: A 44-year-old woman presented with headaches, vomiting, and dizziness. A neurological examination revealed right cerebellar syndrome. Brain computed tomographic scans revealed an isodense tumor in the right cerebellar hemisphere. The breast ultrasonographic, bone scintigraphic, and thoracoabdominal computed tomographic findings were normal. INTERVENTION: The patient was surgically treated. The tumor recurred 1.5 months later, demonstrating hemorrhagic characteristics on brain computed tomographic scans. The patient underwent a second operation, followed by radiotherapy. CONCLUSION: Malignant fibrous histiocytoma is still a controversial entity, and the lack of specific criteria means that it must be diagnosed via the process of elimination. With currently available therapy, our review can provide only a very poor prognosis. The median survival time was 27 months. In attempts to develop better therapeutic strategies, total excision and radiotherapy seem to represent the best treatment approach.
[Prognostic factors in patients with malignant fibrous histiocytoma of the extremities].
AbstractOBJECTIVES: We evaluated prognostic factors in patients with malignant fibrous histiocytoma of the extremity. METHODS: The study included 26 patients (22 males, 4 females; 15 patients < age 60) with a diagnosis of malignant fibrous histiocytoma of the extremity. Clinical and pathological data were analyzed including age, gender, affected extremity, presentation status (primary or recurrent), localization (proximal or distal), size, depth, and grade of the tumor, resection quality, adjuvant therapy, and the presence of distant metastasis at the time of diagnosis. RESULTS: The mean follow-up of 16 patients who were alive was 44.8 months (range 24 to 120 months). The mean symptom duration before diagnosis was seven months (range 1 to 26 months). All the patients underwent surgical resection. A margin-negative R0 resection was obtained in 17 patients. Amputation was performed in seven patients. Adjuvant chemotherapy and radiotherapy were administered to 17 patients and 10 patients, respectively. Local recurrence was detected in eight patients. Two patients had distant metastasis at the time of diagnosis while eight patients developed distant metastasis within a mean of 13 months (range 7 to 20 months) postoperatively. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed an overall five-year survival rate of 61.5%, being 100% in low-grade tumors, and 28.2% in high-grade tumors. Tumor grade was the only significant parameter affecting survival in both univariate (p=0.004) and multivariate (p=0.023) analyses. CONCLUSION: Patients with high-grade malignant fibrous histiocytoma have a poorer prognosis.
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.
