DeCure's autonomous Cancer AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for nervous system cancer — screening already-approved drugs against its 37-gene Open Targets disease module to publish open-access research. Research is fast; the path to publication is funded in milestone stages.
Disease moduleNervous system cancer maps to a 37-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 nervous system cancer 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
CDC42 binding protein kinase beta (CDC42BPB) — CDC42BPB 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 6~{s}drag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 5OTE · 1.68 Å · ligand 2-[4-[(6~{S})-1,8-diazaspiro[5.5]undecan-8-yl]-1~{H}-pyrrolo[2,3-b]pyridin-3-yl]-1,3-thiazole (AQE). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
The abstracts provide no clinical trial results, survival data, or response rates for any drug in nervous system cancer. They are reviews and opinion pieces, not reports of interventional studies. One 2019 review states that some central nervous system drugs show "great potential as anti-cancer in vitro, in vivo and clinical trials" but gives no concrete numbers, no specific drug names, and no tumour types. The same review limited its search to Q1 journals, which is a methodological choice, not a finding.
Two abstracts describe the nervous system's role in cancer progression and metastasis, arguing that tumours communicate bidirectionally with neural tissue. Two others catalogue the neurotoxic side effects of both older and newer cancer therapies, noting that these complications can be acute or delayed, and that newer targeted agents produce toxicities that may mimic the underlying cancer. A 2011 abstract on molecular targets of CNS tumours is a general overview of signalling pathways with no data.
No abstract reports a repurposed drug tested against nervous system cancer in humans. No abstract gives a sample size, a survival curve, or a response rate. The evidence for repurposing CNS drugs in this disease remains preclinical and conceptual. What is missing is any clinical trial that tests a specific CNS drug in patients with nervous system cancer, any patient stratification strategy, and the funding to conduct such a trial.
Evidence
Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.
Journal of Experimental & Clinical Cancer Research · 2018 · 149 citations · open access
Role of the nervous system in cancer metastasis
AbstractCancer remains as one of the leading cause of death worldwide. The development of cancer involves an intricate process, wherein many identified and unidentified factors play a role. Although most studies have focused on the genetic abnormalities which initiate and promote cancer, there is overwhelming evidence that tumors interact within their environment by direct cell-to-cell contact and with signaling molecules, suggesting that cancer cells can influence their microenvironment and bidirectionally communicate with other systems. However, only in recent years the role of the nervous system has been recognized as a major contributor to cancer development and metastasis. The nervous system governs functional activities of many organs, and, as tumors are not independent organs within an organism, this system is integrally involved in tumor growth and progression.
AbstractMolecular Targets of CNS Tumors is a selected review of Central Nervous System (CNS) tumors with particular emphasis on signaling pathway of the most common CNS tumor types. To develop drugs which specifically attack the cancer cells requires an understanding of the distinct characteristics of those cells. Additional detailed information is provided on selected signal pathways in CNS tumors.
Neuro-Oncology · 2017 · 42 citations · open access
Neurological complications of new chemotherapy agents
AbstractThis last decade has yielded more robust development of cancer treatments and first-in-class agents than ever before. Since 2006, nearly one hundred new drugs have received regulatory approval for the treatment of hematological and solid organ neoplasms. Moreover, older conventional therapies have received approval for new clinical indications and are being used in combination with these newer small-molecule targeted treatments. The nervous system is vulnerable to many of the traditional cancer therapies, manifesting both already well-described acute and chronic toxicities. However, newer agents may produce toxicities that may seem indistinguishable from the underlying cancer. Early recognition of neurotoxicities from new therapeutics is vital to avoid irreversible neurological injury. This review focuses on cancer therapies in use in the last 10 years and approved by the FDA from January 2006 through January 1, 2017.
CONTINUUM Lifelong Learning in Neurology · 2020 · 35 citations
Neurotoxicity of Cancer Therapies
AbstractPURPOSE OF REVIEW: This article reviews neurologic complications associated with chemotherapy, radiation therapy, antiangiogenic therapy, and immunotherapy. RECENT FINDINGS: Cancer therapies can cause a wide range of neurologic adverse effects and may result in significant patient morbidity and mortality. Although some treatment-associated neurologic complications manifest acutely and are often reversible and transient, others occur with delayed onset, can be progressive, and are uniquely challenging to patient management. With an increase in multimodality and combination therapies, including targeted therapies and immunotherapies, and prolonged patient survival, novel and unique patterns of neurologic complications have emerged. SUMMARY: Both conventional and novel cancer therapies can adversely affect the nervous system, thereby producing a wide range of neurologic complications. Increased awareness among neurologists and early recognition of cancer therapy-induced neurotoxic syndromes is critically important to minimize patient morbidity, prevent permanent injury, and improve patient outcomes.
Oncology Reviews · 2019 · 34 citations · open access
Prospects for repurposing CNS drugs for cancer treatment
AbstractDrug repurposing is the idea of using an already approved drug for another disease or disorder away from its initial use. This new approach ensures the reduction in high cost required for developing a new drug in addition to the time consumed, especially in the tumor disorders that show an unceasing rising rate with an unmet success rate of new anticancer drugs. In our review, we will review the anti-cancer effect of some CNS drugs, including both therapeutic and preventive, by searching the literature for preclinical or clinical evidence for anticancer potential of central nervous system drugs over the last 8 years period (2010-2018) and including only evidence from Q1 journals as indicated by Scimago website (www.scimagojr.com). We concluded that Some Central Nervous system drugs show a great potential as anti-cancer in vitro, in vivo and clinical trials through different mechanisms and pathways in different types of cancer that reveal a promising evidence for the repurposing of CNS drugs for new indications.
Annual Review of Cancer Biology · 2019 · 15 citations · open access
The Neural Regulation of Cancer
AbstractThe nervous system is intimately involved in physiological processes from development and growth to tissue homeostasis and repair throughout the body. It logically follows that the nervous system has the potential to play analogous roles in the context of cancer. Progress toward understanding the crucial role of the nervous system in cancer has accelerated in recent years, but much remains to be learned. Here, we highlight rapidly evolving concepts in this burgeoning research space and consider next steps toward understanding and therapeutically targeting the neural regulation of cancer.
Frontiers in Oncology · 2024 · 9 citations · open access
The sympathetic nervous system shapes the tumor microenvironment to impair chemotherapy response
AbstractThe tumor microenvironment influences cancer progression and response to treatments, which ultimately impacts the survival of patients with cancer. The sympathetic nervous system (SNS) is a core component of solid tumors that arise in the body. In addition to influencing cancer progression, a role for the SNS in the effectiveness of cancer treatments is beginning to emerge. This review explores evidence that the SNS impairs chemotherapy efficacy. We review findings of studies that evaluated the impact of neural ablation on chemotherapy outcomes and discuss plausible mechanisms for the impact of neural signaling on chemotherapy efficacy. We then discuss implications for clinical practice, including opportunities to block neural signaling to improve response to chemotherapy.
AbstractDuring cancer progression, tumor cells interact with the neighboring environment, including neuronal tissue. The important influence of the nervous system on growth and metastasis of cancer is now widely accepted. As such, using medications that traditionally target the nervous system may be an avenue toward treating cancer. The focus of this review is to detail how several classes of medications, traditionally used to treat nervous system disorders, impact cancer. Specifically, we review the preclinical and clinical evidence that support the use of anti-β-adrenergic, anticholinergic, antipsychotic, and antidepressant medications to treat some cancers. In addition, we discuss the use of ablative modalities, such as physical and chemical denervation, to treat cancer or protect against cancer development. Using the medications that target the nervous system to treat cancer is a promising addition to an existing therapy or an alternative treatment strategy. Furthermore, rapidly expanding basic science research in this area will likely yield novel cancer therapies that work by targeting the nervous system.
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.
