DeCure's autonomous Cancer AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for in situ carcinoma — screening already-approved drugs against its 12-gene Open Targets disease module to publish open-access research. Research is fast; the path to publication is funded in milestone stages.
Disease moduleIn situ carcinoma maps to a 12-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 in situ carcinoma 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
isocitrate dehydrogenase (NADP(+)) 2 (IDH2) — IDH2 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 ndpdrag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 5I96 · 1.55 Å · ligand NADPH DIHYDRO-NICOTINAMIDE-ADENINE-DINUCLEOTIDE PHOSPHATE (NDP). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
A retrospective analysis of 476 patients with high-grade bladder carcinoma in situ treated with transurethral resection and intravesical bacillus Calmette-Guerin found that those with primary carcinoma in situ had a significantly higher 6-month response rate than those with secondary carcinoma in situ (65% vs 39%, p <0.001). However, over a median follow-up of 5.1 years, primary carcinoma in situ was associated with a worse outcome: the 5-year cumulative incidence of progression to cT1 or higher was 43% (95% CI 36-51) in the primary group versus 32% (95% CI 27-39) in the secondary group, and progression to cT2 or higher was 17% (95% CI 12-23) versus 8% (95% CI 5-13). On multivariate analysis, primary carcinoma in situ was significantly more likely to progress to cT1 or higher (HR 1.38, 95% CI 1.05-1.81, p = 0.020) and to cT2 or higher or radical cystectomy (HR 1.72, 95% CI 1.27-2.33, p = 0.001). Age, gender and response to bacillus Calmette-Guerin were not significant predictors of outcome.
An earlier study of 58 patients treated initially with intravesical mitomycin C and doxorubicin sequential therapy reported complete response rates of 65% for grade 2 and 74% for grade 3 carcinoma in situ. After subsequent intravesical therapy (another course of mitomycin C and doxorubicin or bacillus Calmette-Guerin), complete response was achieved in 85% of grade 2 and 82% of grade 3 cases. Over a median follow-up of 48 months, the local recurrence rate was higher in grade 2 than in grade 3 cases, and the recurrent tumour configuration differed: papillary cancer recurred only in grade 2 cases, while only nodular cancer recurred in grade 3 cases. Progression-free and survival curves were slightly higher in grade 2 than in grade 3 cases, but the difference was not significant. The authors concluded that grade 2 carcinoma in situ may be a precursor of papillary high-grade cancer and grade 3 a precursor of nodular cancer, but patient prognosis between the two groups was not significantly different.
Two review papers from 2025 discuss drug repurposing for cancer management, noting that the strategy is theoretically quicker, safer, simpler and less expensive than developing new molecular entities. They outline the antitumour characteristics of potential medications and stress the importance of using repurposed drugs as part of a combination treatment plan. However, these reviews do not provide specific clinical data on any repurposed drug for carcinoma in situ.
What is still missing are prospective trials that stratify patients by primary versus secondary carcinoma in situ and by histological grade, as well as adequately powered studies testing repurposed agents in combination with established intravesical therapies. Funding for such trials and clear biomarkers to predict which patients will benefit from which regimen remain absent.
Evidence
Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.
The Journal of Urology · 2010 · 45 citations · open access
Clinical Outcome of Primary Versus Secondary Bladder Carcinoma In Situ
AbstractPURPOSE: Differences in clinical outcome are still unclear between primary and secondary bladder carcinoma in situ. We compared the clinical outcomes of primary and secondary carcinoma in situ, and identified predictive factors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the records of 476 patients with high grade cTis, including 221 with primary and 255 with secondary carcinoma in situ, from 1990 to 2008 at a high volume cancer center after transurethral resection and intravesical bacillus Calmette-Guerin therapy. End points were time to progression to invasive disease (cT1 or higher) or radical cystectomy before progression, and progression to muscle invasive disease (cT2 or higher) or radical cystectomy before progression. We used Cox proportional hazards regression models. RESULTS: Patients with primary carcinoma in situ responded significantly more within 6 months of bacillus Calmette-Guerin than those with secondary carcinoma in situ (65% vs 39%, p <0.001). In the primary vs secondary groups the 5-year cumulative incidence of progression to cT1 or higher was 43% (95% CI 36-51) vs 32% (95% CI 27-39) and for progression to cT2 or higher it was 17% (95% CI 12-23) vs 8% (95% CI 5-13). On multivariate analysis primary carcinoma in situ was significantly more likely to progress to cT1 or higher (HR 1.38, 95% CI 1.05-1.81, p = 0.020) and to cT2 or higher, or radical cystectomy (HR 1.72, 95% CI 1.27-2.33, p = 0.001). We found no significance for age, gender or response to bacillus Calmette-Guerin as outcome predictors. Median followup was 5.1 years. CONCLUSIONS: Patients presenting with primary carcinoma in situ have a worse outcome than those with secondary carcinoma in situ, suggesting a need to differentiate these 2 entities in the treatment decision process.
ecancermedicalscience · 2016 · 14 citations · open access
ecancermedicalscience
AbstractCancer is one of the leading causes of death today and is only set to worsen as its incidence continues to rise worldwide. The development of novel and effective anti-cancer drugs is a lengthy, extremely costly and inefficient process and many potential compounds are eliminated at the preclinical stages and thereafter many still never make it to the market. The cancer medical community, probably more than any other, understands the urgent need for more effective therapies as the current high cost of cancer care is unsustainable. Drug repurposing or drug repositioning is the application of established drugs to new indications and represents an increasingly promising way to speed up the development of treatments for diseases that do not respond well to standard therapies.
Histological Grading of Carcinoma in Situ of the Bladder: Its Clinical Significance in Patients who Underwent Intravesical Mitomycin C and Doxorubicin Sequential Therapy
AbstractPURPOSE: The clinical behavior of carcinoma in situ of the bladder seems rather complicated. Although some have advocated the histological grading of carcinoma in situ, to our knowledge no sufficient clinical information has been reported. Therefore, we evaluated the clinical significance of histological grading of carcinoma in situ of the bladder. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From January 1984 to December 1991, 58 patients with carcinoma in situ of the bladder were treated initially with intravesical mitomycin C and doxorubicin sequential therapy. Of the patients 20 had grade 2 and 38 had grade 3 anaplasia according to the modified World Health Organization grading system. Those who failed the initial therapy received another course of mitomycin C and doxorubicin sequential therapy or intravesical bacillus Calmette-Guerin. RESULTS: Following initial therapy, 13 patients (65%) with grade 2 and 28 (74%) with grade 3 disease achieved a complete response. Subsequent intravesical therapy resulted in complete response in 17 patients (85%) with grade 2 and 31 (82%) with grade 3 cancer. The local recurrence rate was higher in the grade 2 than in the grade 3 cases after a median followup of 48 months (range 10 to 84). The recurrent tumor configuration was significantly different between the 2 groups. Papillary cancer recurred only in grade 2 cases, while only nodular cancer recurred in grade 3 cases. The progression-free and survival curves were slightly higher in grade 2 than in grade 3 cases, although the difference was not significant. CONCLUSIONS: There may be some difference in response to initial intravesical chemotherapy and the local recurrence rate between grades 2 and 3 carcinoma in situ, both of which are detrimental to grade 2 lesions. Moreover, it appears likely that grade 2 carcinoma in situ is a precursor of papillary high grade cancer and grade 3 carcinoma in situ is a precursor of nodular cancer. However, patient prognosis in the 2 groups was not significantly different.
Immunotherapy with nivolumab in NSCLC: single center experience after one year clinical practice
Abstract<b>Background:</b> Nivolumab has been approved as 2nd line treatment of patients with advanced NSCLC regardless of tumor PD-L1 expression. <b>Aim:</b> To evaluate the efficacy and safety of nivolumab among NSCLC patients treated in a single center after 1 year of clinical practice <b>Methods:</b> The medical files of 48 patients (43 males) who received ≥1 dose of nivolubab were retrospectively (time period: 29/2/2016-10/2/2017). <b>Results:</b> The mean age of the study population was 64.9 ±8.5 years, all patients had stage IIIB-IV while the histological types were: squamous cell carcinoma (22), adenocarcinoma (22), NSCC NOS (3), large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (1). The number of previous lines of platinum based chemotherapy was: one for 22 patients, two for 18 and the rest had received ≥3 lines. All patients received nivolumab as monotherapy (3 mg/kg/2 weeks IV). The median number of doses was 5 (min:1, max:23). 16 patients had received ≤4 doses and response could not be evaluated (all had stable disease based on chest X-ray). Two patients had partial response (PR, RECIST criteria) and 3 presented with improvement but less than PR. 13 patients had stable disease and 12 had progressive disease or unacceptable toxicity after a median of 6 doses (min:3, max:15). Two patients died after receiving 1 dose of the drug (no death was attributed to nivolumab). Four patients (8%) presented with serious treatment-related adverse events (1: pericardial/pleural effusions, 1: interstitial pneumonitis, 1: colitis/bowel perforation and 1: severe generalized edema). <b>Conclusion:</b> Nivolumab demonstrated clinically meaningful activity and satisfactory safety profile as 2nd line treatment for patients with advanced NSCLC.
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · 2025 · 0 citations · open access
Exploring Drug for Cancer Management
AbstractBackground Repurposing drugs for cancer treatment is a popular area of study right now. Theoretically, the repurposing strategy has various benefits over the acknowledged challenges of creating new molecular entities. It is generally claimed to be quicker, safer, simpler, and less expensive. Objectives This paper provides a thorough analysis of the different approaches used in drug repurposing, with a particular emphasis on using pharmaceuticals to treat cancer. We outline the antitumor characteristics of potential medications. We give a summary of the state of drug repurposing for cancer treatment in this paper, along with the obstacles that must be removed in order to fully reap the rewards of this strategy. It refers to the low-cost acceptance of repositioned medications for cancer treatment as conventional treatment for cancer reasons. We also stress how important it is to employ repurposed medications as part of a combination treatment plan.
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · 2025 · 0 citations · open access
Exploring Drug for Cancer Management
AbstractBackground Repurposing drugs for cancer treatment is a popular area of study right now. Theoretically, the repurposing strategy has various benefits over the acknowledged challenges of creating new molecular entities. It is generally claimed to be quicker, safer, simpler, and less expensive. Objectives This paper provides a thorough analysis of the different approaches used in drug repurposing, with a particular emphasis on using pharmaceuticals to treat cancer. We outline the antitumor characteristics of potential medications. We give a summary of the state of drug repurposing for cancer treatment in this paper, along with the obstacles that must be removed in order to fully reap the rewards of this strategy. It refers to the low-cost acceptance of repositioned medications for cancer treatment as conventional treatment for cancer reasons. We also stress how important it is to employ repurposed medications as part of a combination treatment plan.
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.
