DeCure's autonomous Cancer AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for malignant peritoneal mesothelioma — screening already-approved drugs against its 2-gene Open Targets disease module to publish open-access research. Research is fast; the path to publication is funded in milestone stages.
Disease moduleMalignant peritoneal mesothelioma maps to a 2-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 peritoneal mesothelioma 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
large tumor suppressor kinase 1 (LATS1) — LATS1 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 apo structuredrag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 5BRK · 2.3 Å · ligand none (apo structure). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
Malignant peritoneal mesothelioma is an extremely rare malignancy with an aggressive natural history, and there are no prospective data guiding its management. Traditionally, patients treated with systemic therapy had a median survival of less than one year. The advent of cytoreductive surgery combined with locoregional chemotherapy has produced significant improvements in survival, but the disease remains difficult to diagnose and treat. One case report describes a patient who survived long-term after two surgical resections for recurrent disease over four years, but surgery for recurrence is seldom performed.
Pemetrexed remains the drug of choice for both systemic and intraperitoneal chemotherapy, according to a 2025 summary of the IMIG 2023 conference. More recent work has improved understanding of the molecular pathogenesis of malignant peritoneal mesothelioma, and there have been reports of improved outcomes with novel therapies. However, the 2023 in-depth review notes that there is a paucity of literature and a lack of universal treatment guidelines.
A 1993 case report describes a patient with a one-year history of non-specific symptoms preceding diagnosis, and the tumour can present without ascites formation. The rarity of the disease, difficulties in staging, and the absence of prospective data all hinder the formation of a treatment consensus. What is still missing are prospective clinical trials, standardised diagnostic and staging criteria, and reliable patient stratification to guide which patients benefit from aggressive surgical and locoregional approaches versus systemic therapy alone.
Evidence
Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.
International Journal of Hyperthermia · 2017 · 37 citations · open access
Current management strategies for peritoneal mesothelioma
AbstractMesothelioma of the peritoneum is a distinct entity that requires multidisciplinary care to improve oncological outcomes. In this article, we review the current management strategies discussed at the PSOGI meeting in Washington DC 2016 and provide evidence based recommendations for diagnosis and management of this disease.
Malignant Peritoneal Mesothelioma: An In-Depth and Up-to-Date Review of Pathogenesis, Diagnosis, Management and Future Directions
AbstractMalignant peritoneal mesothelioma (MPM) is an extremely rare malignancy usually confined to the abdominal cavity. With an aggressive natural history, morbidity and mortality are consequences of progressive locoregional effects within the peritoneal cavity. The first reported case was in the early 20th century, however, due to the rare nature of the disease and a large gap in understanding of the clinicopathological effects, the next reported MPM cases were only published half a decade later. Since then, there has been exponential growth in our understanding of the disease, however, there are no prospective data and a paucity of literature regarding management. Traditionally, patients were treated with systemic therapy and the outcomes were very poor, with a median survival of less than one year. However, with the advent of cytoreductive surgery and locoregional chemotherapy, there have been significant improvements in survival. Even more recently, with an improved understanding of the molecular pathogenesis of MPM, there have been reports of improved outcomes with novel therapies. Given the disastrous natural history of MPM, the limited data, and the lack of universal treatment guidelines, an in-depth review of the past, present, and future of MPM is critical to improve treatment regimens and, subsequently, patient outcomes.
Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology · 1993 · 2 citations
Peritoneal Mesothelioma without Ascites Formation
AbstractA case of malignant peritoneal mesothelioma without development of ascites is described. The patient had a 1-year history of non-specific symptoms preceding this diagnosis. The insidious onset of clinical signs, the diagnostic procedures, and the pathologic findings are discussed.
Clinical Case Reports · 2023 · 1 citations · open access
Recurrent malignant peritoneal mesothelioma treated by a second resection: A case report
AbstractKey Clinical Message: Malignant peritoneal mesothelioma, a rare and poor prognosis disease, is seldom treated surgically, especially for recurrence. However, early diagnosis and aggressive treatment of primary and recurrent tumors can achieve long-term patient survival. Abstract: Malignant peritoneal mesothelioma (MPM) is a rare and aggressive tumor, and rarely indicated for surgery, especially for recurrence. In the present case, we report a rare case who could survive long-term after two surgeries in 4 years for MPM.
Medical alphabet · 2025 · 0 citations · open access
Best of IMIG 2023. Part 2: Peritoneal Mesothelioma
AbstractThe rarity of occurrence, difficulties in diagnosing and staging peritoneal mesothelioma have a significant impact on the formation of a consensus in the treatment of this disease. Pemetrexed remains the drug of choice for both systemic and intraperitoneal chemotherapy for peritoneal mesothelimoma. This article briefly presents the most interesting information on the treatment of peritoneal mesothelioma, presented at the IMIG2023 conference in France.
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.
