DeCure's autonomous Cancer AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for Kaposi's sarcoma — screening already-approved drugs against its 43-gene Open Targets disease module to publish open-access research. Research is fast; the path to publication is funded in milestone stages.
Disease moduleKaposi's sarcoma maps to a 43-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
approvedVincristineApproved drugapprovedVinblastineApproved drug
Structures already discussed alongside kaposi's sarcoma in the retrieved literature, rendered from public PubChem SMILES. Which drugs appear here reflects the evidence found, not a ranked prediction.
Molecular view
Structure of Calmodulin — Vinblastine has a real, experimentally solved structure in complex with this target (PDB 1XA5, 2.12 Å). This is the drug's own deposited structure, not a prediction, and confirms it is a structurally characterised molecule rather than an untested guess.
Loading structure…
helix sheet kardrag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 1XA5 · 2.12 Å · ligand Vinblastine (KAR). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
Fourteen patients with Kaposi’s sarcoma were treated systemically with low-dose vinblastine sulphate in 1980. The authors reported excellent regression of cutaneous lesions and described the drug as well suited for outpatient management, with intravenous therapy supplemented by intralesional or intraarterial injection. No response rates, survival figures, or comparator data were given for the treated group; the 23 patients from the medical literature used for comparison were not part of a controlled trial.
A 2011 review of treatment for AIDS-associated Kaposi sarcoma in sub-Saharan Africa found few prospective clinical trials and poor cancer treatment infrastructure. The only prospectively randomised trial cited compared antiretroviral therapy alone to antiretroviral therapy plus combination chemotherapy with doxorubicin, bleomycin and vincristine (ABV). That trial documented a significantly higher rate of tumour regression for the combination, with improvement in quality of life and no adverse effects on HIV control. The review noted that gemcitabine may be an active second-line agent after failure of antiretroviral therapy and ABV, and that children may respond well to antiretroviral therapy with chemotherapy. It also reported some retrospective evidence for a beneficial effect of antiretroviral therapy alone, but acknowledged evidence that Kaposi sarcoma can appear as a manifestation of immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome.
A 2016 case report described a 61-year-old HIV-negative man who developed Kaposi sarcoma limited to the skin after multiple chemotherapy lines and autologous stem cell transplantation for refractory non-Hodgkin lymphoma. His CD4+ count was 82/mm³ on day 105 after transplant. Because the disease was confined to the skin and attributed to severe immune suppression, a watchful waiting strategy was adopted. New skin lesions appeared in the first months after transplant, but then faded as immune recovery occurred; by day 277 the CD4+ count had risen above 200/mm³. The authors concluded that when immune recovery is expected and disease is limited to the skin, watchful waiting may be more rewarding than intensive chemotherapy.
What is still missing are adequately powered prospective trials that stratify patients by immune status, disease stage, and HIV status; reliable biomarkers to predict which patients will regress with immune recovery alone versus those who require chemotherapy; and investment in cancer treatment infrastructure in regions where Kaposi sarcoma is most common.
Evidence
Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.
Cancer · 1980 · 82 citations
Treatment of kaposi's sarcoma with vinblastine
AbstractFourteen patients with Kaposi's sarcoma (KSY were treated systemically with vinblastine sulfate in a low-dose regimen and compared with 23 patients reported in the medical literature. The therapeutic results in our series were excellent in terms of regression of cutaneous lesions. Vinblastine appears to be a drug that is well suited for the management of KS in an outpatient setting. Intravenous therapy may be supplemented with intralesional or intraarterial vinblastine.
Treatment strategies for Kaposi sarcoma in sub-Saharan Africa
AbstractPURPOSE OF REVIEW: The purpose of this review is to summarize recent published literature on treatment of AIDS-associated Kaposi sarcoma, the most common HIV-associated malignancy and a leading cancer diagnosis in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), and to highlight the challenges faced in treating Kaposi sarcoma in this resource-limited environment. RECENT FINDINGS: There are few prospective clinical trials for Kaposi sarcoma treatment in SSA, along with a relatively poor cancer treatment infrastructure, leading to late diagnosis and poor access to therapy. The only prospectively randomized trial of chemotherapy compared antiretroviral therapy (HAART) alone to HAART with combination chemotherapy with doxorubicin, bleomycin and vincristine (ABV), and documented a significantly higher rate of tumor regression for the combination along with improvement in quality of life and no adverse effects on HIV control. Other studies suggest that gemcitabine may be an active second-line chemotherapeutic agent after failure of HAART and ABV and suggest that AIDS-associated Kaposi sarcoma in children may respond well to HAART with chemotherapy. There are also (primarily retrospective) data suggesting a beneficial effect of HAART on Kaposi sarcoma, but some evidence for Kaposi sarcoma as a manifestation of immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome. SUMMARY: Opportunities and need exist for prospective research to establish evidence-based guidelines for the most effective treatments for Kaposi sarcoma in SSA.
BMC Research Notes · 2016 · 16 citations · open access
A case report of immunosuppression-related Kaposi’s sarcoma after autologous stem cell transplantation
AbstractBACKGROUND: Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) is a tumor formed by angioproliferations driven by Human herpes virus 8 also known as Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpes virus (KSHV). It is best known as an acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) defining illness that may be fatal. There are only a few reports of KS after hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). This is the first case describing the disappearance of KS with immune recovery after autologous HCT. CASE PRESENTATION: We present the case of a 61-year-old male heterosexual patient of Moroccan origin treated for primary mediastinal non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Because of refractory disease he received multiple lines of chemotherapy prior to autologous HCT. After the second course of low-dose bis-chloroethylnitrosourea, etoposide, cytarabine, melphalan (BEAM) the patient developed several round blue skin lesions. A biopsy was performed, showing many small vessels and positive immune histochemical staining for Human herpes virus 8 (HHV-8), confirming diagnosis of KS. Human immunodeficiency virus testing was negative and work-up showed that there were no visceral lesions. When KS are limited to the skin, prognosis is usually better. The extensive chemotherapy resulted in an important immunosuppression; on day 105 after autologous HCT CD4(+) count was 82/mm(3). Since KS were limited to the skin and attributed to severe immune suppression a watchful waiting strategy was adopted even though in the first months after autologous HCT new skin lesions appeared. With immune recovery (CD4(+) count > 200/mm(3)) 277 days after transplant, skin lesions faded. CONCLUSION: Kaposi's sarcoma remains a rare tumor that should be thought of in any patient whose immunity is down. If immune recovery is expected and disease is limited to the skin, a watchful waiting strategy can be more rewarding than intensive chemotherapy.
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.
