DeCure's autonomous Cancer AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for laryngeal carcinoma — screening already-approved drugs against its 18-gene Open Targets disease module to publish open-access research. Research is fast; the path to publication is funded in milestone stages.
Disease moduleLaryngeal carcinoma maps to a 18-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 laryngeal carcinoma 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
NRAS proto-oncogene, GTPase (NRAS) — NRAS 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 gdpdrag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 6ZIO · 1.55 Å · ligand GUANOSINE-5'-DIPHOSPHATE (GDP). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
A 1988 retrospective analysis from Harlem Hospital Center examined 113 black patients with laryngeal carcinoma. Sixty-two per cent were treated surgically, 21% received radiotherapy only, and 17% refused treatment or died before therapy began. Among surgically treated patients, the 1-year survival rate was 68% (43 of 63), the 3-year survival rate was 38% (20 of 53), and the 5-year survival rate was 15% (7 of 47). For those receiving radiotherapy alone, the corresponding rates were 48% (11 of 23), 30% (7 of 23), and 14% (3 of 22). The authors noted that in this population, laryngeal carcinoma occurred at a younger age, had a higher incidence in females, and had lower 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival rates compared with other reported groups.
A 2014 study of 87 patients evaluated alternating chemoradiotherapy (5-fluorouracil and cisplatin followed by 30 Gy radiotherapy) for larynx preservation. For T2 disease (n=46), the 5-year overall survival rate was 88.9% with definitive radiotherapy and 82.5% with alternating chemoradiotherapy; the laryngectomy-free rate was 90.5% versus 80.0%. For T3/T4 disease (n=41), the 5-year overall survival rate was 86.9% with alternating chemoradiotherapy and 67.4% with laryngectomy; the laryngectomy-free rate was 91.7% versus 0.0%. The authors concluded that alternating chemoradiotherapy might enable larynx preservation in advanced disease, but the survival comparison in T2 patients favoured radiotherapy alone.
A 1975 paper described experimental models for laryngeal carcinoma induction in hamsters, using polynuclear hydrocarbons, diethylnitrosamine, and cigarette smoke inhalation to produce squamous cell carcinomas, papillary tumours, and preneoplastic lesions. The authors noted that in vivo and in vitro methods were applicable to the study of human laryngeal epithelium and its susceptibility to cancer induction and prevention, but no human data were presented.
What remains missing is prospective, randomised evidence comparing alternating chemoradiotherapy against modern radiotherapy or chemoradiotherapy regimens in defined patient subgroups, particularly for T2 disease where the 2014 data did not show a survival advantage. The 1988 survival figures are historical and from a single institution; no recent data on black patients or other underrepresented populations were provided. No drug beyond 5-fluorouracil and cisplatin was mentioned in the clinical abstracts. The experimental models from 1975 have not been translated into a clinically tested prevention strategy.
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 · 1988 · 11 citations
Laryngeal carcinoma in black patients
AbstractThe majority of reports on laryngeal carcinoma are from institutions serving a mostly white population. This report is about laryngeal carcinoma in black patients at Harlem Hospital Center. In a retrospective analysis, 113 patients (male-female, 3.5:1) with carcinoma of the larynx were examined. Sixty-seven patients (59%) were between 50 and 60 years of age. There were two patients (2%) with carcinoma in situ, 15 (13%) in Stage I, 40 (35%) in Stage II, 39 (35%) in Stage III, and 15 (13%) in Stage IV. Of the 113 patients, 70 (62%) were treated surgically, Group I; 24 (21%) received radiotherapy only, Group 2; and 19 (17%) refused treatment or died before therapy initiation. For patients in Group 1, the 1-year survival rate was 68% (43 of 63), the 3-year survival rate was 38% (20 of 53), and the 5-year survival rate was 15% (7 of 47). For Group 2, the survival rate was 48% (11 of 23), 30% (7 of 23), and 14% (3 of 22), respectively. In this patient population, laryngeal carcinoma occurred at a younger age than other reported groups, had a higher incidence in females, and had a lower 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival rate.
AbstractExperimental models have been developed for the induction of carcinoma of the larynx and for the study of its pathogenesis. The hamster has been the animal of choice. Polynuclear hydrocarbons, administered intratracheally, induce mostly squamous cell carcinomas. Diethylnitrosamine given systemically induces papillary tumors; some other N-nitroso-compounds given topically or systemically also induce laryngeal tumors, including carcinomas. Cigarette smoke inhalation induces preneoplastic and early neoplastic lesions of the larynx, including some invasive carcinomas. In vivo and in vitro methods have been developed for the morphological and biochemical study of target tissues in respiratory epithelial carcinogenesis to identify critical pathogenetic steps and their inhibition. These methods are now applicable to the in vitro study of human laryngeal epithelium and its susceptibility to cancer induction and prevention.
Japanese Journal of Clinical Oncology · 2014 · 5 citations
Selection of Therapeutic Treatment with Alternating Chemoradiotherapy for Larynx Preservation in Laryngeal Carcinoma Patients
AbstractOBJECTIVE: We analyzed the efficacy of treatments that included alternating chemoradiotherapy in laryngeal cancer patients. METHODS: Alternating chemoradiotherapy consisted of chemotherapy with 5-fluorouracil (600 mg/m(2)/day) on Days 1-6 and cisplatin (80 mg/m(2)) on Day 7 followed by radiotherapy with 30 Gy. Additional chemoradiotherapy was administered to responders, and laryngectomy was performed in non-responders. The contribution of alternating chemoradiotherapy to laryngeal preservation was compared with that of radiotherapy in patients with T2 disease and with that of laryngectomy in patients with T3/T4 disease. RESULTS: Analysis of 87 patients was conducted. The 5-year overall survival rate of T2 patients (n = 46) was 88.9% for definitive radiotherapy and 82.5% for alternating chemoradiotherapy. The laryngectomy-free rate in T2 patients was 90.5% for definitive radiotherapy and 80.0% for alternating chemoradiotherapy. In patients with T3/T4 disease (n = 41), the 5-year overall survival rate was 86.9% for alternating chemoradiotherapy and 67.4% for laryngectomy. The laryngectomy-free rate in T3/T4 patients was 91.7% for alternating chemoradiotherapy and 0.0% for laryngectomy. CONCLUSIONS: In advanced carcinoma of the larynx, alternating chemoradiotherapy treatment might enable larynx preservation.
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.
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