DeCure for Intellectual disability, autosomal recessive 63
DeCure's autonomous Rare AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for intellectual disability, autosomal recessive 63 — 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 recessive 63 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 recessive 63 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 alpha (CAMK2A) — CAMK2A 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 6W4O · 4.8 Å · ligand none (apo structure). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
A 2011 study of a single consanguineous family identified a missense mutation (p.R617Q) in MED23 that segregated with nonsyndromic autosomal recessive intellectual disability. In cell assays this mutation impaired the response of JUN and FOS immediate early genes to serum mitogens by disrupting the interaction between enhancer-bound transcription factors (TCF4 and ELK1) and the Mediator complex. The authors noted that transcriptional dysregulation of these genes was also observed in cells from patients with other neurological disorders linked to mutations in other Mediator subunits, and suggested altered immediate early gene expression might be a common molecular hallmark of cognitive deficit. No drug was tested.
A 2023 study reported three unrelated consanguineous families with deleterious homozygous variants in NSUN6, a gene encoding an RNA methyltransferase. Two variants were predicted loss-of-function; one led to absence of NSUN6 via nonsense-mediated decay, the other encoded a misfolded protein. The third family’s missense variant 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. Homozygous ablation of the NSUN6 ortholog in Drosophila caused locomotion and learning impairment. No drug was tested.
A 2021 case report described a single patient with a heterozygous de novo nonsense c.40C>T (p.Arg14X) variant in TRIP12, classified as pathogenic by ACMG criteria (PVS1+PS2+PP3). The patient was diagnosed with autosomal dominant intellectual disability. No drug was tested.
No drug or treatment is mentioned in any of these abstracts. The evidence consists entirely of genetic discovery and basic functional characterisation in cells or flies. What is missing is any preclinical drug screen, any animal model treated with a candidate compound, any patient stratification beyond single-gene diagnoses, and any funding or trial design aimed at repurposing an existing drug for these specific genetic subtypes.
Evidence
Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.
Science · 2011 · 118 citations
<i>MED23</i> Mutation Links Intellectual Disability to Dysregulation of Immediate Early Gene Expression
AbstractMED23 is a subunit of the Mediator complex, a key regulator of protein-coding gene expression. Here, we report a missense mutation (p. R617Q) in MED23 that cosegregates with nonsyndromic autosomal recessive intellectual disability. This mutation specifically impaired the response of JUN and FOS immediate early genes (IEGs) to serum mitogens by altering the interaction between enhancer-bound transcription factors (TCF4 and ELK1, respectively) and Mediator. Transcriptional dysregulation of these genes was also observed in cells derived from patients presenting with other neurological disorders linked to mutations in other Mediator subunits or proteins interacting with MED. These findings highlight the crucial role of Mediator in brain development and functioning and suggest that altered IEG expression might be a common molecular hallmark of cognitive deficit.
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.
[Intellectual disability due to heterozygous c.40C>T variant of TRIP12 gene in a patient].
AbstractOBJECTIVE: To explore the genetic basis for a patient with intellectual disability. METHODS: Whole exome sequencing and Sanger sequencing were carried out for the patient. The result was verified in her family. RESULTS: DNA sequencing revealed that the patient has carried a heterozygous nonsense c.40C>T (p.Arg14X) variant of the TRIP12 gene, which was de novo in origin. The variant was unrecorded in the Human Gene Mutation Database. Based on the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics standards and guidelines, the variant was predicted to be pathogenic (PVS1+ PS2+ PP3). CONCLUSION: The patient was diagnosed with autosomal dominant intellectual disability due to heterozygous c.40C>T variant of the TRIP12 gene.
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.
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.
