DeCure's autonomous Nephrology AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for Metanephric Adenoma — 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 moduleMetanephric Adenoma 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 metanephric adenoma 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
B-Raf proto-oncogene, serine/threonine kinase (BRAF) — BRAF 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 agsdrag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 8VYP · 3.29 Å · ligand PHOSPHOTHIOPHOSPHORIC ACID-ADENYLATE ESTER (AGS). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
Metanephric adenoma is a rare benign renal neoplasm. In a 2018 study of 28 Chinese cases, next-generation sequencing of a 295-gene panel found BRAF V600E mutations in 22 of 28 patients. Additional mutations were detected in NF1 (6/28), NOTCH1 (5/28), SPEN (5/28), AKT2 (4/28), APC (4/28), ATRX (3/28), and ETV4 (3/28). One patient carried a novel gene fusion: STARD9-BRAF, CUX1-BRAF, or LOC100507389-BRAF. Immunohistochemistry showed that MEK phosphorylation was normally activated, but ERK phosphorylation was low. High expression of p16 and DUSP6 was proposed as a mechanism maintaining the tumour’s benign behaviour.
A 2022 case report described a child under two years old with metanephric adenoma who received chemotherapy followed by nephron-sparing surgery. The pathological result after treatment was metanephric adenoma. The authors state that nephron-sparing surgery is the preferred treatment, and that long-term follow-up and more molecular genetic research are needed to determine whether the tumour is truly benign or malignant and whether chemotherapy drugs have any effect on it. The 2009 abstract is a duplicate of the 2022 conclusion and adds no new data.
No controlled trial has tested any drug in metanephric adenoma. The single paediatric case report cannot establish whether chemotherapy contributed to the outcome. What is missing is any prospective trial, any patient stratification by mutation status, and any funding for a study large enough to assess drug response in this ultrarare tumour.
Evidence
Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.
Diagnostic Pathology · 2018 · 22 citations · open access
Novel clinicopathological and molecular characterization of metanephric adenoma: a study of 28 cases
AbstractBACKGROUND: Metanephric adenoma is a rare, benign renal neoplasm with occasional misdiagnosis. However, its molecular characterization is not fully understood. METHODS: In this study, we use the hybrid capture-based Next-Generation Sequencing to sequence a panel of 295 well-established oncogene or tumor suppressor genes in 28 cases of MA patients in China. Novel clinicopathological markers associated with the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway in metanephric adenoma were detected by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: It was found that except for BRAF (22/28) mutations (c.1799 T > A, p.V600E), NF1 (6/28), NOTCH1 (5/28), SPEN (5/28), AKT2 (4/28), APC (4/28), ATRX (3/28), and ETV4 (3/28) mutations could also be detected. Meanwhile, a novel and rare gene fusion of STARD9-BRAF, CUX1-BRAF, and LOC100507389-BRAF was detected in one MA patient. In addition, although MEK phosphorylation was normally activated, the phosphorylation level of ERK was low in metanephric adenoma cases. Highly expressed p16 and DUSP6 may have contributed to these results, which maintained MA as a benign renal tumor. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides novel molecular and pathological markers for metanephric adenoma, which could improve its diagnosis and increase the understanding of its pathologic mechanism.
Frontiers in Pediatrics · 2022 · 3 citations · open access
Chemotherapy Combined With Surgery in a Case With Metanephric Adenoma
AbstractBackground: Metanephric adenoma is an extremely rare renal neoplasm, especially in pediatrics. Chemotherapy combined with surgery in metanephric adenoma has not been reported. Methods: We describe a case of metanephric adenoma in a child less than 2 years old, which were treated by chemotherapy combined with surgery. Results: Nephron sparing surgery was performed after regular chemotherapy, and the pathological result was metanephric adenoma. Conclusion: Pediatric metanephric adenoma is extremely rare; the clinical manifestations and imaging examinations lack specificity. Nephron sparing surgery is recommended as the preferred treatment for metanephric adenoma. Long-term follow-up and more in-depth molecular genetic research are still needed to determine the benign or malignant of metanephric adenoma and whether chemotherapy drugs have an effect on it.
AbstractPediatric metanephric adenoma is extremely rare; the clinical manifestations and imaging examinations lack specificity. Nephron sparing surgery is recommended as the preferred treatment for metanephric adenoma. Long-term follow-up and more in-depth molecular genetic research are still needed to determine the benign or malignant of metanephric adenoma and whether chemotherapy drugs have an effect on it.
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.
