Psychiatry Lab · DeCure for X

DeCure for Intellectual developmental disorder, autosomal dominant 75

DeCure's autonomous Psychiatry AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for intellectual developmental disorder, autosomal dominant 75 — 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 module1 genesLead labPsychiatry
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PsychiatryDOID:0061048$DeCurePsych

The disease map

Disease moduleIntellectual developmental disorder, autosomal dominant 75 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 intellectual developmental disorder, autosomal dominant 75 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

DExH-box helicase 9 (DHX9)DHX9 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 8SZP · 2.62 Å · ligand ADENOSINE-5'-DIPHOSPHATE (ADP). Experimental structure, not a prediction.

What the evidence adds up to

Intellectual developmental disorder affects 1% to 3% of children, defined by an IQ below 70 and impaired adaptive behaviour beginning before age 18. The cause is often genetic but heterogeneous, and in many cases remains unknown. A structured diagnostic approach is recommended, weighing family history, test costs, and the potential for targeted management. For an increasing number of genetic conditions, identifying the precise cause allows counselling, avoids unnecessary testing, and may improve outcomes by addressing the underlying pathophysiology.

A 2022 case report describes a child with global developmental delay, short stature, and epileptic seizures whose whole exome sequencing revealed a de novo frameshift variant in ZBTB18 (c.1282_1283del, p.Phe428Leufs*72), classified as pathogenic. After treatment with levetiracetam and rehabilitation, seizures were controlled for nearly half a year, and psychomotor and language development improved. Among 28 children with ZBTB18 mutations reported to date, those with frameshift or nonsense mutations had significantly more motor retardation, language delay, and epilepsy than those with missense mutations. This variant is linked to autosomal dominant mental disorder type 22.

A 2023 paper notes that balanced chromosomal translocations, found as de novo events in 1 in 2,000 live births, can cause intellectual disability through submicroscopic deletions, duplications, or gene disruption at breakpoints. These rearrangements are rare but may produce abnormal phenotypes via positional effects. The authors suggest that long-read genome sequencing could detect breakpoint effects and aid prenatal diagnosis, but they do not report any treatment or trial.

A 2011 review states that intellectual disability has been considered immutable, with current care aimed at symptoms rather than cognitive deficits. It mentions that pharmaceutical therapies for Fragile X syndrome might become a benchmark for CNS drug discovery, but provides no efficacy data or results. No drug is tested or shown to alter cognitive outcomes in any of the abstracts. What remains missing are large-scale, controlled trials that test specific molecular interventions in defined genetic subtypes, adequate funding for such trials, and methods to stratify patients by the precise genetic lesion rather than by broad diagnostic category.

Evidence

Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.

CONTINUUM Lifelong Learning in Neurology · 2018 · 21 citations · open access

Evaluation of the Child With Developmental Impairments

AbstractPURPOSE OF REVIEW: This article discusses the diagnostic evaluation of intellectual developmental disorder, comprising global developmental delay and intellectual disability in children. RECENT FINDINGS: With a prevalence of 1% to 3% and substantial comorbidity, high lifetime costs, and emotional burden, intellectual developmental disorder is characterized by limitations in both intellectual functioning (IQ less than 70) and adaptive behavior starting before 18 years of age. Pinpointing the precise genetic cause is important, as it allows for accurate genetic counseling, avoidance of unnecessary testing, prognostication, and tailored management, which, for an increasing number of genetic conditions, targets the pathophysiology and improves outcomes. SUMMARY: The etiology of intellectual developmental disorder is heterogeneous, which mandates a structured approach that considers family situation, test costs, yield, and potential therapeutic tractability of the identified condition. Diagnosis of an underlying genetic cause is increasingly important with the advent of new treatments. Still, in many cases, the cause remains unknown, and research is needed to elucidate its complex molecular basis.

https://doi.org/10.1212/con.0000000000000564
ACS Chemical Neuroscience · 2011 · 19 citations · open access

Fragile X Syndrome: An Update on Developing Treatment Modalities

AbstractIntellectual disability (ID; mental retardation) is considered an immutable condition. Current medical practices are aimed at relieving symptoms and not at altering the underlying cognitive deficits. Scientific advancements from the past decade have led to the exciting possibility that ID may now be treatable. Moreover, pharmaceutical therapies targeting the most common form of inherited ID, Fragile X syndrome (FXS), may become the new benchmark for central nervous system (CNS) drug discovery: seeking cures for neurodevelopmental disorders.

https://doi.org/10.1021/cn200019z
Clinical Dysmorphology · 1996 · 16 citations

The microcephaly-lymphoedema syndrome: report of an additional family

AbstractFourteen patients from six families have been reported in which microcephaly occurs in conjunction with lymphoedema, with no evidence of mental retardation or serious neurological disabilities. Chorioretinal dysplasia was noted in a small number of affected individuals. Inheritance was either autosomal dominant or X-linked and the question has been raised whether all these cases represent one entity or separate syndromes. We report the 7th family with two affected sibs of different sex. Developmental testing revealed normal to borderline intelligence associated with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. The suggested mode of inheritance in this family is autosomal recessive. X-linked dominant inheritance cannot be ruled out, however, since the male was more severely involved than the female. We concur with previous authors that the association of microcephaly and lymphoedema is a distinct genetic syndrome and we propose to name this entity the 'microcephaly-lymphoedema syndrome'.

https://doi.org/10.1097/00019605-199601000-00007
PubMed · 2022 · 2 citations

[Analysis of clinical features and ZBTB18 gene variant in a child with autosomal dominant mental disorder type 22].

AbstractOBJECTIVE: To analyze the clinical characteristics and ZBTB18 gene variant in a child with epilepsy and global developmental delay. METHODS: Clinical data and laboratory examination of the patient were reviewed. Whole exome sequencing (WES) was also carried out for the family trio. RESULTS: The main manifestations of the child included global developmental delay, short stature, epileptic seizures. EEG revealed frequent occurrence of sharp (slow) waves in the right central region during sleeping, with sharp waves occasionally seen in the frontal and right posterior temporal regions. Cranial MRI has shown no obvious abnormality. WES has identified a de novo pathogenic variant in the ZBTB18 gene [NM_205768.3: exon 2: c.1282_1283del (p.Phe428Leufs*72)]. Based on the guidelines from American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG), the variant was classified as pathogenic (PS2+PVS1_Moderate+PM2_Supporting). Following treatment with levetiracetam and rehabilitation, the seizures have been controlled for nearly half a year, with improvement of the psychomotor and language development. So far 28 children have been discovered with ZBTB18 gene mutations, and there was a significant difference in the clinical phenotypes of motor retardation, language retardation and epilepsy between those harboring frameshift/nonsense mutations and missense mutations. CONCLUSION: The c.1282_1283del (p.Phe428leufs *72) variant of the ZBTB18 probably underlay the autosomal dominant mental disorder type 22 in this child. Compared with missense mutations, frameshift/nonsense mutations may predispose more to motor retardation, delayed language development and epilepsy.

https://doi.org/10.3760/cma.j.cn511374-20210630-00556
DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · 2023 · 0 citations · open access

How might a balanced chromosomal translocation lead to a spectrum of intellectual disabilities in newborns?

AbstractBackground: Intellectual disability (ID) consists of a broad range of disorders characterized by low general intellectual functioning (IQ below 70). ID etiologic causes are heterogeneous, ranging from environmental to chromosomal and monogenic conditions. Although many autosomal genes responsible for ID are expected, but only a small number of these have been identified and up to now most progress has been made in the area of X-linked translocation ID; but many autosomal chromosome genes play a crucial role in the development of a central nervous system. Any change which lead to lose or reduce the function or change the expression of them; high or low, even have a damaging effect on the functional protein might lead to different phenotype like developmental delay, growth retardation or intellectual disabilities. Result & conclusion: In this paper, we discuss the importance of balanced chromosomal translocations in the etiologic cause of newborn intellectual disabilities. Balanced translocation is the result of breaking off two chromosomes and reattached in a way that the sections of two chromosomes have switched places. These rearrangements are found as de novo events in 1/2,000 live births and give rise to some congenital anomalies which is the product of submicroscopic deletions, duplications, inversion or disruption, activation, or inactivation of a gene or different genes located at or near the breakpoints in the basepair level. These apparently balanced translocations due to positional effect lead to occur abnormal phenotype. In conclusion, Cryptic genomic imbalances cause mentality are very rare condition but new technologies like NGS long-read genome sequencing could detect rapid breakpoint effects on live birth healthy and discover a new way for prenatal diagnosis.

https://doi.org/10.22111/jep.2023.45761.1060

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.