DeCure's autonomous Cancer AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for lung carcinoma — 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 moduleLung carcinoma 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
No approved-drug candidate for lung 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
kelch like ECH associated protein 1 (KEAP1) — KEAP1 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 2r,3sdrag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 8IXS · 1.48 Å · ligand (2R,3S)-3-[[(2S)-2-fluoranyl-2-(5,6,7,8-tetrahydronaphthalen-2-yl)ethanoyl]amino]-2-methyl-3-(4-methylphenyl)propanoic acid (T6I). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
A ten-year survey of 713,043 primary lung malignancies diagnosed in the US between 1985 and 1995 found an overall 10-year relative survival rate of 7%. Five-year survival for stage I non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) surgical patients was above 50% for all non-small cell histologic groups. The authors noted a shift toward more complete staging but no change in the distribution of staged cases, and fewer 1995 patients received cancer-directed treatment compared with earlier patients. They concluded that overall poor survival points to a continuing need for improved prevention and treatment measures.
A 2023 review states that lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in 2022, with NSCLC accounting for 80% of cases. The median five-year survival of metastatic NSCLC remains approximately 3%. The review describes drug repurposing as a faster and cheaper development approach because pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic profiles of FDA-approved drugs are already available. Candidate drugs discussed include antihypertensives, anti-hyperlipidemics, anti-inflammatory drugs, anti-diabetics, and anti-microbials, but the abstract provides no patient survival or response data from any repurposing trial.
A 2018 study tested thalidomide loaded into nanoparticles (THA-NPs) in mice bearing human lung carcinoma. In vivo, THA-NPs inhibited tumour growth and prolonged survival. Immunohistochemistry showed a Ki-67 positive rate of 32.8%±4.2%, a microvessel density decrease to 3.87%±0.77%, VEGF at 26.67%±4.02%, and TNF-α at 75.21±6.85 ng/mL, all with P<0.01. The cytotoxicity assay showed dose-dependent cell growth inhibition. This is a mouse study; no human data are reported.
What is still missing: large-scale, randomised human trials testing any repurposed drug in NSCLC, with overall survival as the endpoint. The thalidomide nanoparticle work is preclinical only. The 1999 survey shows that even with standard treatment, long-term survival has been dismal for decades. No repurposing strategy has yet demonstrated improved survival in a prospective human trial for lung carcinoma.
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 · 1999 · 263 citations · open access
Ten-year survey of lung cancer treatment and survival in hospitals in the United States
AbstractBACKGROUND: Primary lung cancer accounts for approximately 14% of all new cancers and 28% of cancer deaths in the U.S. Previous reviews have shown limited progress in the management or outcome of this devastating disease. METHODS: Reports described in the current study were 713,043 primary lung malignancies diagnosed between 1985 and 1995 and submitted to the National Cancer Data Base. Demographic, tumor, and treatment patterns for 1995 were compared with those for 1985-1987, 1988-1991, and 1992-1994. Ten-year relative survival rates were presented for selected demographic and histologic groups and 5-year relative survival rates were presented by stage and dominant treatment modalities for major carcinoma histologies. RESULTS: Previously observed demographic trends were evident, with increasing proportions of patients being older, female, and African American, and more cases reported to be adenocarcinomas. There was a substantial shift toward more complete staging but no change in the distribution of staged cases. Compared with earlier patients, fewer 1995 patients received cancer-directed treatment. More surgical patients underwent lymph node dissection, and radiation treatment was supplemented more often with chemotherapy. The overall 10-year relative survival rate was 7%. The 5-year survival for American Joint Committee on Cancer Stage I surgical patients was >50% for all nonsmall cell histologic groups. CONCLUSIONS: Recent shifts in treatment, although minimal, are consistent with current literature concerning the effectiveness of lung carcinoma treatment. The authors believe that the overall poor survival of lung carcinoma patients points to a continuing need for improved prevention and treatment measures. The comparatively superior survival of Stage I nonsmall cell lung carcinoma surgical patients indicates that a substantial number of patients have the potential to be treated successfully.
Current Oncology · 2023 · 34 citations · open access
Drug Repurposing in Non-Small Cell Lung Carcinoma: Old Solutions for New Problems
AbstractLung cancer is the second most common cancer and the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in 2022. The majority (80%) of lung cancer cases belong to the non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) subtype. Despite the increased screening efforts, the median five-year survival of metastatic NSCLC remains low at approximately 3%. Common treatment approaches for NSCLC include surgery, multimodal chemotherapy, and concurrent radio and chemotherapy. NSCLC exhibits high rates of resistance to treatment, driven by its heterogeneity and the plasticity of cancer stem cells (CSCs). Drug repurposing offers a faster and cheaper way to develop new antineoplastic purposes for existing drugs, to help overcome therapy resistance. The decrease in time and funds needed stems from the availability of the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic profiles of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved drugs to be repurposed. This review provides a synopsis of the drug-repurposing approaches and mechanisms of action of potential candidate drugs used in treating NSCLC, including but not limited to antihypertensives, anti-hyperlipidemics, anti-inflammatory drugs, anti-diabetics, and anti-microbials.
International Journal of Nanomedicine · 2018 · 24 citations · open access
Preparation, characterization, in vitro and in vivo anti-tumor effect of thalidomide nanoparticles on lung cancer
AbstractIntroduction: Thalidomide (THA) is an angiogenesis inhibitor and an efficient inhibitor of the tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α). However, the clinical application of THA has been limited due to hydrophobicity of the compound. Materials and methods: To increase the water solubility of THA and in order to evaluate the anticancer abilities of this material on human lung carcinoma, methoxy poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(ε-caprolactone) nanoparticles loaded with THA (THA-NPs) were prepared. The synthesis of THA-NPs was carried out via a dialysis method with relative satisfactory encapsulation efficiency, loading capacity, size distribution, and zeta potential. Results: A cytotoxicity assay demonstrated that THA-NPs inhibited the growth of cells in a dose-dependent manner. The evaluation of anti-tumor activity in vivo showed that THA-NPs could inhibit tumor growth and prolong the survival rate of tumor-bearing mice. Immunohistochemical analysis indicated that THA-NPs inhibited cell proliferation (Ki-67 positive rate, 32.8%±4.2%, P <0.01), and resulted in a decreased rate of the tumor tissue microvessel density (3.87%±0.77%, P <0.01), VEGF (26.67%±4.02%, P <0.01), and TNF-α (75.21±6.85 ng/mL, P <0.01). Conclusion: In general, the drug delivery system reported herein may shed light on future targeted therapy in lung cancer treatment. Keywords: thalidomide, nanoparticles, MPEG-PCL, lung cancer
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.
