DeCure's autonomous Cancer AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for Malignant Pleural Neoplasm — 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 Pleural Neoplasm 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 pleural neoplasm 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
BRCA2 DNA repair associated (BRCA2) — BRCA2 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 atpdrag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 8PBC · 2.61 Å · ligand ADENOSINE-5'-TRIPHOSPHATE (ATP). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
A single-centre retrospective study of 82 patients with solitary fibrous tumours of the pleura (70 benign, 12 malignant) who underwent complete en bloc resection between 2003 and 2015 reported no recurrence in benign cases. Among patients with malignant solitary fibrous tumours, the long-term survival rate was 76% and the disease-free survival rate was 53%. Larger tumour diameter and a family history of neoplasm were identified as possible predictive factors for malignancy, but the authors note this requires verification in a larger cohort. Video-assisted thoracic surgery was associated with smaller tumours, shorter surgical duration, shorter hospital stay, less blood loss, and less chest tube drainage compared to thoracotomy.
For malignant pleural mesothelioma, a 1998 review states that three to four thousand cases occur annually in the United States. Single-modality radiation is used for palliation, and combinations of extrapleural pneumonectomy followed by radiotherapy achieved the best local control, with locoregional recurrence dramatically reduced. Survival in aggressively treated early-stage patients is described as excellent, but the preponderance of death from distant metastases makes better systemic therapy essential. A 2017 overview notes that while most patients ultimately die of the disease, treatment and diagnostic shifts over the prior decade—including debate over optimal surgical approach, refined radiation techniques, and emerging targeted systemic therapies—may improve long-term outcomes.
A 2023 review of intrapleural anticancer therapies for malignant pleural diseases, including primary pleural malignancies and metastatic disease, states that management remains a challenge given limited response to conventional treatments such as surgery, systemic chemotherapy, and immunotherapy. The review covers intrapleural chemotherapy, immunotherapy, immunogene therapy, oncolytic viral therapy, and drug-device combinations, but concludes that further patient outcome-oriented research is needed to determine the exact role of these treatments. A 2025 review on malignant pleural effusion notes that current strategies include systemic anti-tumour therapy and local management, and summarises emerging pharmacological agents and techniques.
What is still missing are large-cohort prospective trials to verify predictive factors for malignant solitary fibrous tumours, better systemic therapies for mesothelioma patients who are not candidates for extrapleural pneumonectomy, and patient outcome-oriented research to define the role of intrapleural therapies within existing treatment options. The 2017 overview emphasises that prospective clinical trials assessing safety and efficacy of novel approaches will be essential to standardising paradigms that improve outcomes.
Evidence
Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.
Thoracic Cancer · 2018 · 14 citations · open access
Solitary fibrous tumors of the pleura: A single center experience at National Cancer Center, China
AbstractBACKGROUND: This study explored the clinicopathological features, predictive factors of malignancy, effectiveness of video assisted thoracic surgery (VATS), and prognosis of solitary fibrous tumor of the pleura (SFTP). METHODS: A single-center retrospective study of the data of 82 patients with SFTP who were surgically treated in our department between January 2003 and December 2015 was conducted. RESULTS: A total of 82 SFTPs (70 benign, 12 malignant) were included and all patients underwent complete en bloc resection. SFTPs originated from the visceral pleura in 47 (57%) and the parietal pleura in 35 (43%) patients. In our cohort, malignant tumors were often symptomatically large, and the patients with malignant SFTPs (mSFTPs) often had a family history of neoplasms. Patients in the VATS group (n = 22) had tumors with significantly smaller diameters, required a shorter surgical duration and shorter hospital stay, and experienced less intraoperative blood loss and less postoperative chest tube drainage compared to the thoracotomy group (n = 60). No tumor recurrence was found in benign SFTP (bSFTP) patients. The long term survival and disease-free survival rates of mSFTP patients were 76% and 53%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Larger tumor diameter and a family history of neoplasm may be predictive factors for mSFTP; however, this conclusion needs to be verified in large cohort. VATS is safe and reliable for treating selected SFTP patients. Local recurrence is associated with mSFTP patient death, thus close follow-up of such patients is crucial.
Seminars in Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine · 2023 · 4 citations
Intrapleural Anticancer Therapy for Malignant Pleural Diseases: Facts or Fiction?
AbstractMalignant pleural diseases involves both primary pleural malignancies (e.g., mesothelioma) as well as metastatic disease involving the pleura. The management of primary pleural malignancies remains a challenge, given their limited response to conventional treatments such as surgery, systemic chemotherapy, and immunotherapy. In this article, we aimed to review the management of primary pleural malignancy as well as malignant pleural effusion and assess the current state of intrapleural anticancer therapies. We review the role intrapleural chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and immunogene therapy, as well as oncolytic viral, therapy and intrapleural drug device combination. We further discuss that while the pleural space offers a unique opportunity for local therapy as an adjuvant option to systemic therapy and may help decrease some of the systemic side effects, further patient outcome-oriented research is needed to determine the exact role of these treatments within the armamentarium of currently available options.
Dialnet (Universidad de la Rioja) · 1998 · 2 citations
Poder económico y poder político
AbstractThree to four thousand cases of malignant pleural mesothelioma will occur in the United States this year. Single-modality therapy with radiation plays a role for palliation. Radiation can prevent tumor recurrence at drain/instrumentation sites and provide symptomatic relief of pain and other complaints. Combinations of surgery and radiation also have been attempted with curative intent. The best local control has been found--EPP followed by radiotherapy. Locoregional tumor recurrence can be dramatically reduced with combinations of extrapleural pneumonectomy and radiation therapy. Survival in aggressively treated early-stage patients is excellent. However, the preponderance of death from distant metastases makes the development of better systemic therapy essential. Better therapy also must be developed for patients who are not candidates for extrapleural pneumonectomy.
Journal of Surgical Oncology · 2025 · 1 citations · open access
Malignant Pleural Effusion: Palliative Managements and Indication for Pleurodesis Based on Survival Scores
AbstractNeoplastic pleural effusion is one in which malignant neoplastic cells are detected in the pleural fluid or in the parietal pleura. When secondary, it confirms disseminated neoplastic disease and suggests a reduced life expectancy and low quality of life. This review was described by a group of physician members of the Brazilian Society of Oncological Surgery regarding the treatment of neoplastic pleural effusion, developed to guide surgeons, palliative care physicians and clinical oncologists in their clinical practice to assess patients indicated for pleurodesis based on survival scores.
AbstractOverview Malignant pleural mesothelioma is an aggressive malignancy with an incidence that may be peaking worldwide in the next 5–10 years. While the majority of patients do ultimately die of this disease, there have been substantial treatment and diagnostic shifts over the past decade that may improve long‐term outcomes. These changes include worldwide interest in defining early detection biomarkers for the disease, a debate as to the optimal surgical approach (extrapleural pneumonectomy vs lung‐sparing methods such as pleurectomy/decortication), further refinement of radiation techniques that allow for conformal treatment fields and the delivery of radiation with the involved lung intact, and the emergence of systemic therapies that are targeted in nature and allow for the increased individualization of care. Indeed, prospective clinical trials assessing the safety and efficacy of novel treatment approaches will be essential to the standardization of paradigms that improve the outcomes. It is hoped that the maturation of these efforts will lead to an optimal approach in which earlier‐stage patients will benefit from multiple modalities that will provide synergistic control while limiting toxicity, thereby increasing the number of long‐term survivors over the next one to two decades.
[Research Progress on Local Treatment of Malignant Pleural Effusion].
AbstractMalignant pleural effusion (MPE) refers to the accumulation of pleural fluid caused by metastasis from primary pleural malignancies or tumors originating elsewhere. It is associated with a poor prognosis. Current treatment strategies primarily include systemic anti-tumor therapy and local management of MPE based on the primary tumor. Numerous studies have documented diverse approaches for the local control of MPE. This review summarizes recent advances in local treatment strategies for primary tumor-related MPE, highlighting emerging pharmacological agents and innovative techniques. .
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.
