DeCure's autonomous Rare AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for leukoplakia of penis — screening already-approved drugs against its 11-gene Open Targets disease module to publish open-access research. Research is fast; the path to publication is funded in milestone stages.
Disease moduleLeukoplakia of penis maps to a 11-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 leukoplakia of penis 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
chromodomain Y like (CDYL) — CDYL 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 unxdrag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 7N27 · 1.85 Å · ligand UNKNOWN ATOM OR ION (UNX). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
Topical 1% bleomycin in dimethylsulphoxide was applied once daily for 14 days to dysplastic oral leukoplakia in 19 patients. 75% had resolution of dysplasia at follow-up biopsy, with a mean improvement of two histologic grades. 94% attained at least partial responses. After a mean follow-up of 3.4 years, 31.6% had no clinically visible lesions and 47.4% had clinically benign lesions. However, in 2 patients (11%) malignant transformation occurred a mean of 1.75 years after bleomycin treatment.
Two Cochrane reviews of randomised controlled trials for oral leukoplakia, from 1999 and 2004, found no evidence that any tested treatment prevented malignant transformation. The reviews included trials of vitamin A, retinoids, bleomycin, mixed tea, and beta carotene. Malignant transformation was recorded in only two of the included studies, and none of the treatments showed a benefit compared with placebo. Treatments with beta carotene and vitamin A or retinoids were associated with better rates of clinical remission, but relapses were common and side effects of variable severity were reported. Surgical interventions including laser therapy and cryotherapy had never been studied in a randomised controlled trial.
Penile leukoplakia is mentioned in a 2012 case report as a predisposing factor for early invasive squamous cell carcinoma of the penis, alongside Bowen’s disease. The patient was a 39-year-old man with no history of these predisposing factors, treated by partial glansectomy.
No randomised controlled trial has tested any treatment specifically for leukoplakia of the penis. The evidence for topical bleomycin comes from a single 1998 study of oral lesions, not penile ones, and even there malignant transformation was not prevented in all patients. What is missing is any trial designed for penile leukoplakia, adequate funding for such a trial, and any validated method to stratify patients by risk of malignant transformation.
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 · 1998 · 57 citations · open access
Topical bleomycin for the treatment of dysplastic oral leukoplakia
AbstractBACKGROUND: Because malignant transformation of dysplastic oral leukoplakia has been reported in up to 43% of cases, these lesions must be managed. METHODS: This study evaluated the use of topical 1% bleomycin in dimethylsulfoxide for the treatment of dysplastic oral lesions. Bleomycin was applied once daily for 14 consecutive days to lesions of the oral mucosa in 19 patients. Immediate posttreatment biopsies and the clinical response were evaluated and clinical follow-up was conducted for as long as possible. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients at diagnosis was 59.4 years and 74% were tobacco users. Seventy-five percent of patients had resolution of dysplasia at follow-up biopsy, with a mean improvement of two histologic grades of dysplasia after topical chemotherapy. Ninety-four percent of the patients attained at least partial responses. After a mean follow-up period of 3.4 years, 31.6% of patients had no clinically visible lesions and 47.4% of patients had clinically benign lesions of homogeneous leukoplakia or minimal visible leukoplakia. In 2 patients (11%) malignant transformation occurred a mean of 1.75 years after bleomycin treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Topical bleomycin may prevent the potential progression of leukoplakia through dysplasia to carcinoma. Close follow-up of all patients with dysplasia is required.
Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews · 2004 · 41 citations
Interventions for treating oral leukoplakia
AbstractBACKGROUND: Oral leukoplakia is a relatively common oral lesion that in a small but significant proportion of cases changes into cancer. Since most leukoplakias are asymptomatic, the primary objective of treatment should be to prevent such malignant transformation. OBJECTIVES: To assess effectiveness, safety and acceptability of treatments for leukoplakia. SEARCH STRATEGY: The following databases were searched for relevant trials: Cochrane Oral Health Group's Trials Register, CENTRAL, MEDLINE, EMBASE. Handsearching was performed for the main oral medicine journals. References of included studies and reviews were checked. Oral medicine experts were contacted through an European mailing list (EURORALMED). SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomised controlled trials (RCTs), enrolling patients with a diagnosis of oral leukoplakia, were included. Any surgical or medical (topical and systemic) treatment was included. The primary outcome considered was malignant transformation of leukoplakia. Other outcomes considered were clinical resolution, histological modification and frequency of adverse effects. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Data were collected using a specific extraction form. Malignant transformation of leukoplakia, demonstrated by histopathological examination, was the main outcome considered. Secondary outcomes included clinical resolution of the lesion and variation in dysplasia severity. The validity of included studies was assessed by two reviewers, on the basis of the method of allocation concealment, blindness of the study and loss of participants. Data were analysed by calculating relative risk. When valid and relevant data were collected, a meta-analysis of the data was undertaken. MAIN RESULTS: The possible effectiveness of surgical interventions, including laser therapy and cryotherapy, has never been studied by means of a RCT. Nineteen potentially eligible RCTs of non-surgical interventions were identified: eight were excluded for different reasons, four were ongoing studies, leaving seven studies to be included in the review. Two studies resulted at low risk of bias, four at moderate risk of bias and one at high risk of bias. Vitamin A and retinoids were tested by five RCTs (245 patients), the other drugs tested were bleomycin (one study), mixed tea (one study) and beta carotene (one study). Malignant transformation was recorded in just two studies: none of the treatments tested showed a benefit when compared with the placebo. Treatment with beta carotene and vitamin A or retinoids, was associated with significant rates of clinical resolution, compared with placebo or absence of treatment. Whenever reported, a high rate of relapse was a common finding. Side effects of variable severity were often described; however, interventions were well accepted by patients, since drop-out rates were similar between treatment and control groups. REVIEWERS' CONCLUSIONS: To date there is no evidence of effective treatment in preventing malignant transformation of leukoplakia. Treatments may be effective in the resolution of lesion, however relapses and adverse effects are common.
Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews · 1999 · 8 citations
Interventions for treating oral leukoplakia
AbstractBACKGROUND: Oral leukoplakia is a relatively common oral lesion that in a varying proportion of cases undergoes malignant transformation. Since most leukoplakias are asymptomatic, the need for treatment is primarily based on the precancerous nature of the lesion. OBJECTIVES: To assess effectiveness, safety and acceptability of treatments for leukoplakia. SEARCH STRATEGY: The following data bases were searched for relevant trials: MEDLINE, EMBASE, CancerLit, Biological Abstracts, Cochrane library. Hand searching was performed for the main oral medicine journals. Oral medicine experts were contacted through an European mailing list (EURORALMED). SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomised controlled trials (RCTs), enrolling patients with a diagnosis of oral leukoplakia, were included. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Data were collected using a specific abstraction form. Malignant transformation of leukoplakia, demonstrated by histopathological examination, was the main outcome considered. Secondary outcomes included clinical resolution of the lesion and variation in dysplasia severity. The validity of included studies was assessed on the basis of the method of allocation concealment, blindness of the study and loss of participants. Data were analysed by calculating relative risk. MAIN RESULTS: The possible effectiveness of surgical interventions, including laser therapy and cryotherapy, has apparently never been studied by means of a RCT. Fourteen potentially eligible RCTs of nonsurgical intervention were identified: five were excluded for different reasons, three were ongoing studies, leaving six studies to be included in the review. Vitamin A and retinoids were tested by four RCTs (224 patients), the other drugs tested were bleomycin (one study), mixed tea (one study) and beta carotene (one study). Malignant transformation was recorded in just two studies: none of the treatments tested showed a benefit when compared with the placebo. Treatment with beta carotene and vitamin A or retinoids, was associated with better rates of clinical remission, compared with placebo or absence of treatment. Whenever reported, a high rate of relapse was a common finding. Side effects of variable severity were often described; however, interventions were well accepted by patients, since drop-out rates were similar between treatment and control groups. REVIEWER'S CONCLUSIONS: To date there is no evidence of effective treatment in preventing malignant transformation of leukoplakia. Treatments may be effective in the resolution of lesion, however relapses and adverse effects are common.
International Journal of STD & AIDS · 2012 · 1 citations
Early invasive squamous cell carcinoma of the penis presenting in a 39-year-old man
AbstractPenile cancer, albeit an uncommon malignancy, commonly affects men aged between 50 and 70 years, often with a history of predisposing factors such as Bowen's disease or leukoplakia. We describe a case of early invasive squamous cell carcinoma of the penis in a 39-year-old man with no history of predisposing factors, treated by a partial glansectomy.
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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