DeCure's autonomous Rare AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for nodular goiter — screening already-approved drugs against its 3-gene Open Targets disease module to publish open-access research. Research is fast; the path to publication is funded in milestone stages.
Disease moduleNodular goiter maps to a 3-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 nodular goiter 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
phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) — PTEN 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…
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RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 1D5R · 2.1 Å · ligand L(+)-TARTARIC ACID (TLA). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
A 2020 study of 216 patients (113 with benign thyroid disease, 103 with differentiated thyroid cancer, and an equal number of healthy controls) examined four single nucleotide polymorphisms in the vitamin D receptor gene. For the BsmI, ApaI, and TaqI polymorphisms, genotype distributions did not differ significantly between patients with nodular goiter and controls. For the FokI polymorphism, the FF genotype was statistically significantly higher in patients with nodular goiter (P=0.033), but no such association was found in patients with differentiated thyroid cancers. The authors concluded that vitamin D receptor gene SNP distribution is not associated with malignancy but may alter thyrocyte morphology and function.
A 2022 case report described a patient with multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 who also had papillary thyroid carcinoma and nodular goiter. The patient underwent unilateral thyroid lobectomy and parathyroid tumour removal. At 18 months of follow-up, neck ultrasound showed no abnormality, and serum calcium and parathyroid hormone levels were normal. The authors noted that papillary thyroid carcinoma and nodular goiter are not currently regarded as components of MEN1, and that the role of the MEN1 gene in the tumourigenesis of these conditions remains to be determined by further research.
A 2020 study of 30 patients with recurrent nodular goiter who had previously undergone surgery evaluated sclerotherapy using polydocanol as a sclerosant. Each patient received 4 courses of sclerotherapy, each consisting of 5 weekly sessions, with a 3-month follow-up period. On average, the volume of thyroid residues decreased by 9.6 ± 1.5 ml, and the size of nodular formations decreased by 17.2 ± 1.3 mm (from 23.6 ± 1.4 mm to 6.4 ± 0.7 mm, a 3.7-fold reduction, P <0.001). Nodes larger than 3 cm, initially present in 19% of patients, were no longer detected after the third course. In all cases, hormonal imbalances in patients with functional autonomy and signs of neck organ compression were eliminated. The authors reported no severe pain, hypoparathyroidism, or laryngeal paresis.
What is still missing is prospective, randomised controlled trial data for sclerotherapy in recurrent nodular goiter, particularly comparing it directly with reoperation or other minimally invasive methods. The genetic association study is cross-sectional and does not establish causality. No trial has yet tested vitamin D supplementation or VDR-targeted interventions in nodular goiter. Patient stratification by genotype, nodule size, or functional status remains unexplored in a controlled setting.
Evidence
Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.
Minerva Endocrinology · 2020 · 6 citations
Evaluation of vitamin D receptor gene polymorphisms in patients with differentiated thyroid carcinomas and nodular goiter
AbstractBACKGROUND: The role of vitamin D has previously been determined in autoimmune and malignant thyroid diseases. We aimed to identify the haplotype distribution of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene, which has been suggested to play a role in the pathogenesis of differentiated thyroid cancers and benign thyroid diseases. METHODS: Two hundred and sixteen patients, 113 with benign and 103 with differentiated thyroid cancers, together with the same number of healthy controls, were included in the study. FokI, BsmI, ApaI, and TaqI SNPs in VDR were analyzed in all participants using the PCR-RFLP method. RESULTS: When the patients with differentiated thyroid cancers or the patients with nodular goiter and control cases were compared for BsmI, ApaI or TaqI polymorphisms, three genotype distributions (BB, Bb, bb; AA, Aa, aa; TT, Tt, tt) were found to not differ significantly. When the patients with differentiated thyroid cancers and control cases were compared for the FokI polymorphism in the VDR gene, the three genotype distributions (FF, Ff, ff) did not differ. However, in patients with nodular goiter, the FF genotype in the FokI polymorphism of the VDR gene was found to be statistically significantly higher (P=0.033). CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study in the literature evaluating the role of VDR gene SNPs in nodular goiter. We can suggest that SNP distribution in the VDR gene is not associated with malignancy but may cause some alterations in thyrocyte morphology and functions.
World Journal of Clinical Cases · 2022 · 6 citations · open access
Multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 combined with thyroid neoplasm: A case report and review of literatures
AbstractBACKGROUND: Multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN1) is a rare hereditary tumor syndrome inherited in an autosomal dominant manner and presents mostly as parathyroid, endocrine pancreas (such as gastrinoma) and anterior pituitary tumors. At present, papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) and nodular goiter are not regarded as components of MEN1. CASE SUMMARY: gene mutation was detected. The patient underwent unilateral lobectomy of the thyroid gland and surgical removal of the parathyroid tumors. At 18 mo of follow-up, ultrasonic examination of the neck showed no abnormality. Serum calcium and parathyroid hormone levels were normal. No new MEN1-associated tumors were detected. CONCLUSION: gene in tumorigenesis of PTC and/or nodular goiter remains to be determined by more case reports and further research.
Efficiency and safety of sclerotherapy for recurrent nodular goiter
AbstractAt present, patients with recurrent nodular goiter account for a significant portion of patients operated on for nodular goiter. At the same time, the comorbid background characteristic of this age group and the technical difficulties of the intervention on cicatricial tissues of the neck cause a high risk of complications of the operation, 3–7 times higher than with primary thyroid interventions. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of treatment of recurrent nodular goiter using an alternative minimally invasive method — sclerotherapy. The study included 30 patients previously operated on for nodular goiter. All had 4 courses of sclerotherapy, each included 5 sessions with a frequency of 1 session per week, followed by a follow-up period of 3 months. Polydocanol was used as a sclerosant. The analysis showed that sclerotherapy for recurrent nodular goiter allows all patients to reduce recurrent nodular formations, and in almost a third of cases, complete reduction of the nodes. On average, the decrease in the volume of thyroid residues was 9.6 ± 1.5 ml, and the size of nodular formations decreased by 17.2 ± 1.3 mm (3.7 times — from 23.6 ± 1.4 mm to 6.4 ± 0.7 mm, P <0.001). Nodes more than 3 cm, initially 19 %, ceased to be detected after the third course of sclerotherapy. In all cases, managed to eliminate hormonal imbalances in patients who initially had functional autonomy, as well as signs of compression of the neck organs. At the same time, sclerotherapy of nodules of the thyroid gland using polydocanol as a sclerosant is a safe minimally invasive treatment method, is not accompanied by severe pain and the risk of hypoparathyroidism and laryngeal paresis.
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.
