DeCure for Intellectual disability, autosomal dominant 54
DeCure's autonomous Rare AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for intellectual disability, autosomal dominant 54 — 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 moduleIntellectual disability, autosomal dominant 54 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 disability, autosomal dominant 54 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
calcium/calmodulin dependent protein kinase II beta (CAMK2B) — CAMK2B 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 {4-[(5-cyclopropyl-1h-pyrazol-3-yldrag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 3BHH · 2.4 Å · ligand [4-({4-[(5-cyclopropyl-1H-pyrazol-3-yl)amino]-6-(methylamino)pyrimidin-2-yl}amino)phenyl]acetonitrile (5CP). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
The 2023 study identified three unrelated consanguineous families with 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. A missense variant in the third family abolished enzymatic activity and prevented binding of the methyl donor S-adenosyl-L-methionine. Affected individuals had developmental delay, intellectual disability, motor delay, and behavioural anomalies. Drosophila lacking the NSUN6 ortholog showed locomotion and learning impairment. The authors concluded biallelic NSUN6 variants cause an autosomal recessive intellectual disability syndrome.
A 2025 report described a Pakistani family with autosomal recessive intellectual disability due to a homozygous c.1693T>C p.(Tyr565His) variant in SLC6A17, a gene previously linked to mental retardation autosomal recessive 48 (MRT48). The index patient was born to healthy consanguineous parents and presented with progressive tremors, speech impairment, and behavioural problems. The variant segregated with the phenotype in the extended family. This added one new missense change to the known SLC6A17 variant spectrum.
A 2022 review noted that intellectual disability affects 1% of the global population and that pharmacological interventions remain limited, partly because of poor understanding of the disorder and its heterogeneity. The review also stated that mouse models of intellectual disability are scarce. A separate 2021 review focused on autosomal recessive intellectual disability, which accounts for most cases in inbred populations, and discussed the clinical and molecular genetics of the condition without reporting new experimental data.
What is still missing are large-scale functional studies linking specific NSUN6 and SLC6A17 variants to measurable biochemical or behavioural outcomes in mammalian models, as well as any clinical trial testing a drug that targets these pathways. No pharmacological intervention has been proposed or tested for either gene. Patient stratification by genotype and ancestry, and funding for translational work, 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.
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.
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.
Biallelic Variant in <scp> <i>SLC6A17</i> </scp> in a Pakistani Family With Autosomal Recessive Intellectual Disability
AbstractAutosomal recessive intellectual disability affects 1%-3% of the general population and is a major concern in countries where consanguineous marriages are common. Mental retardation autosomal recessive 48 (MRT 48) (OMIM 616269) is a recessive syndromic disorder characterized by progressive tremors, speech impairment, and behavioral problems. In the present study, we highlight a family with a case of MRT 48. The index patient was second born to healthy consanguineous parents with a history of intellectual disability. Whole exome sequencing of the patient was performed, which revealed a homozygous c.1693T>C;p.(Tyr565His) variant in the SLC6A17 gene. The variant segregated in the extended family with the phenotype. This study broadens the genotypic spectrum of SLC6A17 variants.
Majmaah Journal of Health Sciences · 2021 · 0 citations · open access
Review On Clinical And Molecular Genetics Of Autosomal Recessive Intellectual Disability
AbstractIntellectual disability (ID) is a relatively common phenotype with multiple etiologies. Recent progress in the genetics of ID greatly expanded our understanding of the biological defects underlying this clinical entity. While most published cohort genetic studies on ID revealed the important contribution of de novo (germline or postzygotic) variants, we focused in this study of autosomal recessive ID (ARID), that account for most of the molecular bases in ID cases in inbred populations. We discussed the current state of ARID from a clinical, molecular and genetics standpoints.
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.
