DeCure for Intellectual disability, autosomal dominant 30
DeCure's autonomous Rare AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for intellectual disability, autosomal dominant 30 — screening already-approved drugs against its 2-gene Open Targets disease module to publish open-access research. Research is fast; the path to publication is funded in milestone stages.
Disease moduleIntellectual disability, autosomal dominant 30 maps to a 2-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 disability, autosomal dominant 30 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
zinc finger MYND-type containing 11 (ZMYND11) — ZMYND11 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 apo structuredrag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 4NS5 · 1.9 Å · ligand none (apo structure). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
The 2023 study identified three consanguineous families with biallelic homozygous variants in NSUN6, a gene involved in RNA methylation. Two variants were predicted loss-of-function; one caused nonsense-mediated decay, the other produced a misfolded protein. The third family carried a missense variant that lost enzymatic activity and could not bind the methyl donor S-adenosyl-L-methionine. Affected individuals had developmental delay, intellectual disability, motor delay, and behavioural anomalies. In Drosophila, homozygous ablation of the NSUN6 ortholog caused locomotion and learning impairment. The authors concluded that biallelic pathogenic NSUN6 variants cause an autosomal recessive neurodevelopmental disorder.
The other abstracts provide no drug data. A 2011 review on Fragile X syndrome mentioned the possibility that intellectual disability might become treatable, but offered no results. A 2022 review on Bardet-Biedl syndrome mouse models stated there are limited pharmacological interventions for intellectual disability and limited mouse models. A 2022 review on homeopathic management of intellectual disability claimed homeopathy would remove the disease from the root cause, but provided no trial data, no sample sizes, and no measured outcomes.
No drug is tested in any of these abstracts. No survival or response rates are reported. No treatment is shown to alter cognitive deficits in any human study. The NSUN6 finding identifies a genetic cause but does not test a therapy. What is missing is any clinical trial, any pharmacological candidate, any patient stratification strategy, and any funding for treatment development in this specific form of intellectual disability.
Evidence
Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.
Genetics in Medicine · 2023 · 20 citations · open access
Biallelic variants in NSUN6 cause an autosomal recessive neurodevelopmental disorder
AbstractPURPOSE: 5-methylcytosine RNA modifications are driven by NSUN methyltransferases. Although variants in NSUN2 and NSUN3 were associated with neurodevelopmental diseases, the physiological role of NSUN6 modifications on transfer RNAs and messenger RNAs remained elusive. METHODS: We combined exome sequencing of consanguineous families with functional characterization to identify a new neurodevelopmental disorder gene. RESULTS: We identified 3 unrelated consanguineous families with deleterious homozygous variants in NSUN6. Two of these variants are predicted to be loss-of-function. One maps to the first exon and is predicted to lead to the absence of NSUN6 via nonsense-mediated decay, whereas we showed that the other maps to the last exon and encodes a protein that does not fold correctly. Likewise, we demonstrated that the missense variant identified in the third family has lost its enzymatic activity and is unable to bind the methyl donor S-adenosyl-L-methionine. The affected individuals present with developmental delay, intellectual disability, motor delay, and behavioral anomalies. Homozygous ablation of the NSUN6 ortholog in Drosophila led to locomotion and learning impairment. CONCLUSION: Our data provide evidence that biallelic pathogenic variants in NSUN6 cause one form of autosomal recessive intellectual disability, establishing another link between RNA modification and cognition.
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.
Australian Journal of Primary Health · 2013 · 10 citations
Respiratory medication use in an Australian developmental disability clinic population: messages for health care professionals
AbstractAustralian data suggest up to 15% of people with intellectual disability (ID) have asthma. The inhaled route of administration is optimal for the management of obstructive airways diseases; however, correct inhaler use requires dexterity and particular breathing patterns and potentially represents a problem in this population due to physical and cognitive deficits. Understanding the nature and extent of inhaler use in persons with ID is important, as correct inhaler technique is imperative for optimal clinical outcomes; however, currently no evidence base exists to inform health professionals. This study describes respiratory medication use, reported prevalence of asthma, and asthma management practices undertaken in a clinic sample of Australian adults with ID. Results showed a prevalence of retrospectively reported asthma of 6%, with 86% of asthma patients prescribed inhaled medication. A review of patient records also indicated omission of some recommended asthma management strategies.
Iowa Research Online (The University of Iowa) · 2022 · 0 citations · open access
Behavioral and brain phenotypes of mouse models of Bardet-Biedl Syndrome
AbstractIntellectual disability (ID) is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders, affecting 1% of the population globally. Clinically, ID is characterized by a deficit in intellectual functioning and adaptive functioning. There are limited pharmacological interventions for ID, partially due to a poor understanding of ID and the heterogeneous nature of ID In addition, there are limited mouse models of ID.
International Journal of Homoeopathic Sciences · 2022 · 0 citations · open access
An overall review on intellectual disability disorder and its homoeopathic management
AbstractThe Intellectual Disability Disorder is found as a one of the clinical manifestations of the rare disorders which occupies a total prevalence of about 6 to 8% globally. The rare disorder is found to cause many of the chronic disabilities in which the intellectual disability disorder is one of them which has a drastic impact on the individual who is affected and their families and includes the health care system. The onset period of the rare disorder begins from the prenatal period into the late adulthood and it is being assessed that about the half of the individual affected are children [1]. The prime and the only purpose of this study undertaken is to find the effectiveness of the homoeopathic medicine in the treatment of the Intellectual Disability Disorder and also to alter their intellectual and the adaptive functions of the affected individual. The homoeopathic medicine will remove the disease from the root cause.
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.