DeCure's autonomous Cancer AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for malignant choroid melanoma — screening already-approved drugs against its 1-gene Open Targets disease module to publish open-access research. Research is fast; the path to publication is funded in milestone stages.
Disease moduleMalignant choroid melanoma maps to a 1-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 malignant choroid melanoma 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.
What the evidence adds up to
Choroidal melanoma is the most common primary malignancy of the eye. Enucleation has been the mainstay of treatment, and a 2004 review found that local control with plaque radiotherapy provided overall survival comparable to enucleation. Transscleral resection may leave behind potentially viable melanoma cells, so adjuvant brachytherapy is recommended. Transpupillary thermotherapy showed poorer local control rates and similar visual outcomes compared with other conservative methods. The review concluded that enucleation remains as effective as eye- and vision-sparing approaches.
Data from the Collaborative Ocular Melanoma Study (COMS) centres between 1987 and 1997, covering 8712 patients, showed a decline in the number of cases with longest tumour basal diameter greater than 15.0 mm, from 30% (393 of 1330) in 1987–1989 to 25% (345 of 1397) in 1996–1997. Among patients not enrolled in COMS trials, the proportion electing enucleation remained stable for all tumour sizes, while the proportion choosing eye-conserving radiotherapy increased over time. Juxtapapillary tumours accounted for nearly half of enucleations among ineligible patients with tumours no larger than 15.0 mm.
A 1984 paper noted that improved diagnostic procedures reduced the misdiagnosis rate from 20% in the 1960s to less than 5%. Observation and reinvestigation of small tumours was recommended. Surgery may cause dissemination of tumour emboli, which might be prevented by gentle tissue handling, intravenous mannitol and hypotensive anaesthesia. Few tumours met the criteria for treatments other than enucleation.
A 2024 case report described a 36-year-old patient with metastatic choroidal melanoma who had a good long response to double immunotherapy, reaching 3 years of overall survival, which the authors state has never been described in the literature. The report also notes that current treatment of metastatic disease is limited by intrinsic resistance to conventional systemic therapies, and that immunotherapy alone or with cytotoxic treatment has become a realistic option. What is still missing are prospective trials with sufficient sample sizes to confirm whether such responses are reproducible, and the identification of biomarkers to stratify which patients might benefit from immunotherapy.
Evidence
Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.
British Journal of Ophthalmology · 2008 · 107 citations
Gamma knife radiosurgery for uveal melanoma: 12 years of experience
AbstractAIM: To present our treatment protocol and evaluate the results of Gamma knife radiosurgery (GKR) in treating patients with uveal melanoma. METHODS: Seventy-eight consecutive patients with uveal melanoma underwent stereotactic radiosurgery (radiation dose 30-50 Gy) with a Leksell Gamma-Knife at the San Raffaele University Hospital, Milan, Italy between 1994 and 2006. The main outcome measures evaluated were: survival rate, local tumour control, eye retention rate, visual acuity and treatment-related complications. RESULTS: Survival rate was 88.8% at 3 years and 81.9% at 5 years. Local tumour control was achieved in 91.0% of patients. The median tumour thickness reduction after treatment was 1.96 mm (p<0.0001) (-32.1%). The eye retention rate was 89.7%. A significant relative reduction of visual acuity was observed during follow-up. The most frequent treatment-related complications were: exudative retinopathy (33.3%), neovascular glaucoma (18.7%), radiogenic retinopathy (13.5%) and vitreous haemorrhages (10.4%). CONCLUSION: GKR can be considered an alternative to enucleation for the treatment of choroidal melanomas.
Choroidal Melanoma: Natural History and Management Options
AbstractBACKGROUND: Choroidal melanoma is the most common primary malignancy of the eye. Enucleation has been the mainstay of treatment, but new and more effective options have recently been proposed as eye- and vision-sparing alternatives. METHODS: We reviewed the medical literature for trials and case reports involving the evolution, current uses, and limitations of alternatives to enucleation for treating choroidal melanoma. RESULTS: Options to treat choroidal melanomas depend on the location and size of the tumor and goals of therapy. Local control with plaque radiotherapy has provided overall survival comparable to enucleation. Transscleral resection may leave behind potentially viable melanoma cells following surgery; adjuvant brachytherapy is recommended to irradiate remaining tumor cells. Elevating tissue temperature potentiates the effect of ionizing radiation, thus reducing the dose of radiation needed to treat uveal melanoma. Transpupillary thermotherapy has been effective only in select circumstances, and long-term results have shown poorer local control rates and similar visual outcomes compared with other conservative treatment methods. CONCLUSIONS: Treatment therapies for choroidal melanoma warrant further study. Currently, enucleation remains as effective as the eye- and vision-sparing approaches.
Trends in Size and Treatment of Recently Diagnosed Choroidal Melanoma, 1987-1997
AbstractOBJECTIVE: To describe time trends, from 1987 through 1997, (1) in size of choroidal melanoma among patients with recent diagnosis confirmed at a clinical center that participated in the Collaborative Ocular Melanoma Study (COMS) and (2) in choice of treatment by patients who did not enroll in one of the COMS randomized trials. METHODS: Investigators at all COMS clinical centers (41 in the United States and 2 in Canada) agreed to report, in a masked fashion that did not include personal identifiers, all patients diagnosed as having choroidal melanoma during the accrual period for COMS randomized trials of radiotherapy. Information reported for patients who did not enroll in a COMS randomized trial included tumor dimensions, date of diagnosis, and initial treatment selected. Patients reported by centers that continued to report cases until 1997 and diagnosed as having choroidal melanoma no more than 1 year before evaluation at a participating COMS center contributed the data analyzed. OUTCOME MEASURES: Time trends in tumor size among patients reported and in elective treatment of patients not enrolled in COMS randomized trials. RESULTS: Of 8712 patients with choroidal melanoma examined, 6703 met criteria for analysis of time trend in tumor size and 4077 were analyzed for treatment trends over time. The number of cases with longest tumor basal diameter greater than 15.0 mm declined over time from 393 (30%) of 1330 cases reported in 1987 through 1989 to 345 (25%) of 1397 cases reported in 1996 or 1997. The proportion of patients eligible for COMS randomized trials who did not enroll and who elected enucleation remained stable over time for tumors of all sizes; the proportion of these patients who elected eye-conserving radiotherapy increased over time. Juxtapapillary tumors accounted for nearly half of the enucleations among ineligible patients who had tumors no larger than 15.0 mm in longest basal diameter. CONCLUSIONS: Among patients examined at COMS centers during 1987 through 1997, the trends observed for patients with recently diagnosed choroidal melanoma included increasing presentation with tumors of smaller size, decreasing use of enucleation for choroidal melanoma 15.0 mm or less in longest basal diameter, and increasing use of such strategies for larger tumors.
Australian Journal of Opthalmology · 1984 · 3 citations
CLINICAL MANAGEMENT IN THE FACE OF THE UVEAL MELANOMA CONTROVERSY
AbstractThe modalities used to diagnose choroidal melanoma are described. The use of these procedures has reduced the misdiagnosis rate from 20% in the 1960s to less than 5% today. Observation and reinvestigation of small tumours is recommended. Surgery may cause dissemination of tumour emboli, which may be prevented by gentle handling of tissue, use of intravenous mannitol and hypotensive anaesthesia. Measures other than enucleation are available to treat choroidal melanoma, but few tumours meet the criteria for their use.
Greater South Information System · 2024 · 0 citations · open access
Case report: Immunotherapy inducing unexpected overall survival in choroidal melanoma: about a case
AbstractChoroidal melanoma (CM) is the most common malignant ocular tumor in adults. The current treatment of metastatic CM is limited by the intrinsic resistance of CM to conventional systemic therapies. Immunotherapy alone or in association with cytotoxic treatment became a realist option treatment. Advancements in molecular biology have resulted in the identification of a number of promising prognostic and therapeutic targets. Herein, we report a rare case of 36-year-old patient with metastatic CM who presented a good long response to treatment with double immunotherapy reaching 3 years of overall survival, which has never been described in the literature.
Greater South Information System · 2024 · 0 citations · open access
Case report: Immunotherapy inducing unexpected overall survival in choroidal melanoma: about a case
AbstractChoroidal melanoma (CM) is the most common malignant ocular tumor in adults. The current treatment of metastatic CM is limited by the intrinsic resistance of CM to conventional systemic therapies. Immunotherapy alone or in association with cytotoxic treatment became a realist option treatment. Advancements in molecular biology have resulted in the identification of a number of promising prognostic and therapeutic targets. Herein, we report a rare case of 36-year-old patient with metastatic CM who presented a good long response to treatment with double immunotherapy reaching 3 years of overall survival, which has never been described in the literature.
Chinese Journal of Practical Ophthalmology · 2010 · 0 citations
The imaging and pathological characteristics of 26 cases of choroidal melanoma
AbstractObjective To investigate the imaging and pathological characteristics of choroidal melanoma.Methods The pathological data from 26 patients with choroidal melanoma were analyzed retrospectively by means of ultrasonography,CT Scan,MRI and pathology.Results Early symptoms of choroidal melanoma were closely associated with tumor location.The examination of B-ultrasonography,color Doppler,CT and MRI showed the imaging characteristics of chomidal melanoma and improved the accuracy in diagnosis.At the early stage.choroidal melanoma must be differentiated from choroidal hemorrhage and metastatic carcinma.Orbital exenteration was done in 3 cases of mild degrees of extrascleral extension,while 23 cases accepted the enucleation.Twelve cases were followed up from 3 months to 10 years,averagely 23.8 months.Conclusions Ultrasonography and MRI are valuable in the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of choroidal melanoma.Enucleation is an effective treatment method to cure the large-sized choroidal melanoma.
Key words:
Choroidal melanoma; Ultrasonography; MRI; Operation; Pathology
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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