DeCure's autonomous Cancer AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for intestinal cancer — screening already-approved drugs against its 8-gene Open Targets disease module to publish open-access research. Research is fast; the path to publication is funded in milestone stages.
Disease moduleIntestinal cancer maps to a 8-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 intestinal cancer 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
BCR activator of RhoGEF and GTPase (BCR) — BCR 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 ip2drag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 5OC7 · 1.652 Å · ligand D-MYO-INOSITOL-4,5-BISPHOSPHATE (IP2). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
In 1960 the author of a review on adenocarcinoma of the large bowel stated that the prognosis was poorer than current medical literature suggested, because most patients would not achieve five-year survival. The author argued that earlier treatment depended on patient alertness and cooperation, and that intestinal cancer would probably be curable in the average case if patients could be taught basic facts and acted accordingly. No drug or specific therapy was discussed.
A 2007 study analysed 12 small and large intestinal tumours from 11 patients diagnosed under age 35 who did not have FAP, HNPCC, or inflammatory bowel disease. Chromosomal gains and deletions were similar to those in late-onset carcinomas except for 6q alterations, found in 50% of carcinomas. A minimal area of deletion overlap was identified at 6q14-22. In one patient with both small and large intestinal carcinoma and seven adenomas, loss of identical parental 6q14-22 alleles was seen in both carcinomas and in three adenomas. The authors proposed that a novel 6q-associated cancer susceptibility syndrome might exist. No treatment or drug was tested.
A 2009 Korean study of intestinal cancer in patients with inflammatory bowel disease reported 15 cancer patients who had no history of IBD treatment for more than three months before diagnosis. Eleven cancers were in the rectum, one was in the small bowel, four were mucinous adenocarcinomas, and eight of twelve colorectal adenocarcinomas were advanced stage. The authors concluded that IBD-associated intestinal cancers were found at a relatively young age, diagnosed at an advanced stage, and had a higher proportion of mucinous adenocarcinomas than sporadic cancer. No drug or intervention was evaluated.
What is still missing: no drug or repurposing candidate is tested or even mentioned in these abstracts. There is no randomised trial, no biomarker-stratified patient selection, and no funding directed at a specific pharmacological intervention for intestinal cancer. The 1960 paper calls for patient education, the 2007 paper identifies a genetic locus, and the 2009 paper describes clinical features — none provides evidence for any treatment.
Evidence
Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.
JAMA · 1960 · 16 citations
Adenocarcinoma of the Large Bowel
AbstractThe prognosis in carcinoma of the large intestine is, in the opinion of the author, poorer than might be inferred from current medical literature. Emphasis on results of treating selected patients tends to obscure the fact that most patients will not achieve a five-year survival. More extensive excision might reduce the frequency of recurrences but tends to meet with opposition from both surgeons and patients; earlier treatment is endorsed by both cancer societies and physicians but depends on the alertness and cooperation of the patient. The signs and symptoms of intestinal cancer, although known to nearly every physician, often go unrecognized by the patient as long as six months before diagnosis is made. Intestinal cancer would probably be curable in the average case if patients could be taught the basic facts and conducted themselves accordingly.
Recurrent deletions at 6q in early age of onset non‐HNPCC‐ and non‐FAP‐associated intestinal carcinomas. Evidence for a novel cancer susceptibility locus at 6q14‐q22
AbstractHereditary intestinal cancers mainly occur in the framework of the familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) and hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC) syndromes. However, in about 50% of young patients with intestinal cancer clinically suspicious of an inherited cancer predisposition, no underlying molecular alteration can be identified. To determine the genetic profile of early onset intestinal cancer in the absence of a known cancer predisposition, we have analyzed 12 small and large intestinal tumors from 11 non-FAP, non-HNPCC, and noninflammatory bowel disease patients diagnosed under the age of 35years using a combination of comparative genomic hybridization and loss of heterozygosity (LOH) analysis. The distribution of chromosomal gains and deletions was similar to late onset carcinomas except for 6q alterations which were found in 50% of carcinomas. To define a shared region affected by allelic imbalance, detailed LOH analysis at chromosome 6 was performed on three carcinomas from two patients which showed small interstitial 6q deletions. A minimal area of deletion overlap between markers D6S1652 and D6S1657 (6q14-22) was identified. In a patient with small and large intestinal carcinoma and seven adenomas, loss of identical parental 6q14-22 alleles was seen in both carcinomas and in three of the adenomas. Our data indicate that alterations affecting 6q are frequent in early onset intestinal carcinomas. Moreover, deletions of identical parental alleles in a 35 Mbp area at 6q in multiple independent tumors from one of the patients are compatible with the existence of a novel 6q-associated cancer susceptibility syndrome.
Journal of the Korean Society of Coloproctology · 2009 · 5 citations
Malignancy Associated with Inflammatory Bowel Disease
AbstractPurpose: As the number of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has steadily increased in Korea, IBD-associated cancers are expected to increase in number. This study investigated the clinical features of intestinal cancer in patients with IBD. 15 cancer patients had no history of treatment for IBD of more than 3 mo before diagnosis of the cancer. Eleven cancers were located in the rectum (7 in UC, 4 in CD), including 1 case of synchronous cancer. One case of small bowel cancer was found in a patient with small bowel CD. Four cases involved a mucinous adenocarcinoma. Eight of the 12 cases of an adenocarcinoma of the colon and rectum were advanced stage. Conclusion: IBD-associated intestinal cancers were found at a relatively young age, were diagnosed at an advanced stage, and had a higher proportion of mucinous adenocarcinomas than in sporadic cancer. Considering the increasing incidence of IBD and the expected increase in the number of IBD-associated cancer in Korea, every effort should be made to prevent intestinal cancer in patients with IBD and to detect it early.
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.
