DeCure's autonomous Cancer AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for mucoepidermoid carcinoma — screening already-approved drugs against its 5-gene Open Targets disease module to publish open-access research. Research is fast; the path to publication is funded in milestone stages.
Disease moduleMucoepidermoid carcinoma maps to a 5-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
approvedDocetaxelApproved drug
Structures already discussed alongside mucoepidermoid carcinoma in the retrieved literature, rendered from public PubChem SMILES. Which drugs appear here reflects the evidence found, not a ranked prediction.
Molecular view
TUBULIN ALPHA-BETA DIMER, ELECTRON DIFFRACTION — Docetaxel has a real, experimentally solved structure in complex with this target (PDB 1TUB, 3.7 Å). This is the drug's own deposited structure, not a prediction, and confirms it is a structurally characterised molecule rather than an untested guess.
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helix sheet txldrag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 1TUB · 3.7 Å · ligand Docetaxel (TXL). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
A 2007 study screened 67 formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded mucoepidermoid carcinomas and found one sample carrying a CRTC3-MAML2 fusion gene, a new variant alongside the known CRTC1-MAML2 fusion. Both fusions were reported to produce an identical tumour phenotype and were thought to play a similar role in tumour development. In 2023, cell lines were established from a patient’s initial surgical specimen (AMU-MEC1) and from two recurrence biopsies (AMU-MEC1-R1 and AMU-MEC1-R2). All three lines shared eight chromosomal abnormalities, including der(19)ins(19;11)(p13;?) that generated the CRTC1-MAML2 chimeric gene, confirming a common origin. Susceptibility to cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil was low in all lines. EGFR dependency for cell growth was retained in the initial line but decreased in the two recurrence lines.
A 2015 case report described a 69-year-old woman with primary pulmonary high-grade mucoepidermoid carcinoma that progressed rapidly to an unresectable state. She was treated with bi-weekly docetaxel, and the disease became more stable, but she survived only six months from symptom onset. The authors stated that single-agent docetaxel appeared to be a treatment option for pulmonary mucoepidermoid carcinoma. A 1984 journal article titled “Mucoepidermoid Carcinoma—The Real Enemy among Them” is a letter with no patient data, survival figures, or treatment results. A 2020 report noted that cutaneous mucoepidermoid carcinoma is rare and that prognosis is related to histological grade, but provided no new treatment outcomes.
What is still missing are prospective clinical trials with adequate sample sizes, any randomised comparison of docetaxel or other agents against standard care, and validated biomarkers that stratify patients by fusion type or EGFR dependence. The cell line data suggest that EGFR dependency may change with recurrence, but no clinical strategy has been tested on that basis. Funding for multi-centre trials and for systematic collection of fusion status in patient cohorts remains absent.
Evidence
Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.
Genes Chromosomes and Cancer · 2007 · 105 citations
A new type of <i>MAML2</i> fusion in mucoepidermoid carcinoma
AbstractThe present study reports for the first time a CRTC3-MAML2 fusion gene in a mucoepidermoid carcinoma, as determined by RT-PCR and sequencing. We screened a total of 67 formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded mucoepidermoid carcinomas for the presence of chimeric genes. In one of these samples, a CRTC3-MAML2 fusion gene was detected. Thus, this report demonstrates the existence of a fusion of MAML2 with CREB regulated transcriptional coactivator CRTC3 additional to the already known fusion of MAML2 and CRTC1. Both gene fusions seem to result in an identical tumor phenotype and the fusion genes CRTC1-MAML2 and CRTC3-MAML2 may play a similar role in the development of mucoepidermoid carcinomas.
DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · 2015 · 1 citations · open access
Docetaxel for High-Grade Mucoepidermoid Carcinoma of the Lung
AbstractMucoepidermoid carcinoma is considered to be one of the salivary gland-type cancers, which seldom originate from the lung. Herein, we report a 69-year-old female with primary pulmonary high-grade mucoepidermoid carcinoma. The disease progressed rapidly and reached an unresectable status. We treated the patient with bi-weekly doses of docetaxel and the clinical response allowed for the disease to become more stable. The patient survived for only six months from the onset of the symptoms. The case demonstrated that single use of docetaxel would appear to be a treatment option for mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the lung.
American Journal of Clinical Pathology · 1984 · 1 citations
Mucoepidermoid Carcinoma—The Real Enemy among Them
AbstractJournal Article Mucoepidermoid Carcinoma—The Real Enemy among Them Get access Peter A. Accetta, M.D. Peter A. Accetta, M.D. Medical Arts Laboratory Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar American Journal of Clinical Pathology, Volume 82, Issue 4, 1 October 1984, Page 512, https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcp/82.4.512 Published: 01 October 1984
International Journal of Molecular Sciences · 2023 · 1 citations · open access
Establishment of Mucoepidermoid Carcinoma Cell Lines from Surgical and Recurrence Biopsy Specimens
AbstractPatients with advanced/recurrent mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC) have a poor prognosis. This study aimed to establish and characterize human mucoepidermoid carcinoma cell lines from the initial surgical specimen and biopsy specimen upon recurrence from the same patient to provide a resource for MEC research. MEC specimens from the initial surgical procedure and biopsy upon recurrence were used to establish cell lines. The established cell lines were cytogenetically characterized using multi-color fluorescence in situ hybridization and detection, and the sequence of the CRTC1-MAML2 chimeric gene was determined. Furthermore, the susceptibility of head and neck mucoepidermoid carcinoma to standard treatment drugs such as cisplatin, 5-fluorouracil, and cetuximab was investigated. We successfully established unique MEC cell lines, AMU-MEC1, from an initial surgical specimen and AMU-MEC1-R1 and AMU-MEC1-R2 from the recurrent biopsy specimen in the same patient. These cell lines exhibited epithelial morphology and developed in vitro-like cobblestones. They shared eight chromosomal abnormalities, including der(19)ins(19;11)(p13;?), which resulted in a chimeric CRTC1-MAML2 gene, indicating the same origin of the cell lines. The susceptibility of all cell lines to cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil was low. Interestingly, EGFR dependency for cell growth decreased in AMU-MEC-R1 and AMU-MEC-R2 but was retained in AMU-MEC1. These cytogenetic and biochemical findings suggest that the established cell lines can be used to investigate the disease progression mechanisms and develop novel therapeutics for MEC.
Primary high grade mucoepidermoid carcinoma of skin and cervical lymphatic affection a rare entity
AbstractMucoepidermoid carcinoma is a well documented and described in the salivary glands entity, represents 20-30% of malignant tumors in minor salivary glands and multiple tumors have been reported in head and neck, paranasal sinuses, upper respiratory airways, thyroid, breast, in our experience and based on the literature, its cutaneous presentation is rare and infrequent, but identifiable by pathology and immunohistochemistry not very different from the salivary glands; Prognosis is related to histological grade, clinical outcome.
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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