DeCure's autonomous Cancer AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for ovarian mixed germ cell neoplasm — screening already-approved drugs against its 15-gene Open Targets disease module to publish open-access research. Research is fast; the path to publication is funded in milestone stages.
Disease moduleOvarian mixed germ cell neoplasm maps to a 15-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 ovarian mixed germ cell 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
mitogen-activated protein kinase 1 (MAPK1) — MAPK1 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 2~{s}drag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 8AOJ · 1.12 Å · ligand 1-[(2~{S})-2-(5-methyl-3-pyridin-4-yl-1~{H}-pyrazol-4-yl)pyrrolidin-1-yl]propan-1-one (N8L). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
Ovarian mixed germ cell tumours are rare, representing 5% of all malignant ovarian germ cell tumours and 9.2% of ovarian cancer diagnoses in a five-year retrospective study of 1080 patients at a tertiary care hospital, where only 5 cases were identified. The mean age at presentation in that study was 17.4 years, abdominal pain was the most common symptom, and fertility preservation surgery was performed in 3 of the 5 cases. The authors report that incidence rates, surgical approach, and chemotherapy response in their centre were very similar to those reported in Western literature.
One case report describes a patient with advanced ovarian mixed germ cell tumour who underwent fertility-saving surgery followed by a chemotherapy regimen of cisplatin, vinblastine and peplomycin. The patient was disease-free 8 years after initial presentation and subsequently conceived dichorionic twins after IVF-embryo transfer. The authors state this was the first reported patient treated successfully with that combination chemotherapy regimen who then conceived safely using assisted reproductive technology.
A 2013 review notes that ovarian germ cell tumours are rare at all ages—in paediatrics, adolescence, and young adulthood—and calls for combining the knowledge of paediatric and gynaecologic oncologists to improve outcomes. A 2016 conference abstract on rarer ovarian cancers, including germ cell tumours, states that molecular features have redefined some of these diseases and offered hope for more rational treatment plans, but provides no specific data on mixed germ cell tumours.
A 2025 study on early oogenesis in pigs, using single-cell RNA sequencing and spatial transcriptomics, identifies a conserved cortical-to-medullary distribution of germ cells and shows that intercellular NOTCH signalling and extracellular matrix proteins play crucial roles in initiating meiotic and oogenic programs. This work does not address ovarian mixed germ cell neoplasm or any treatment.
Evidence
Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.
American Society of Clinical Oncology Educational Book · 2013 · 14 citations
Updates in the Management of Ovarian Germ Cell Tumors
AbstractOvarian germ cell tumors are rare events at all ages—in pediatrics, adolescence, and during young adulthood. Combining the knowledge and experience of pediatric and gynecologic oncologists can lead to better outcomes for all. In this review, we intend to present the latest consensus on management of women and children with this disease and highlight the opportunities for collaboration and clinical research going forward.
Genome biology · 2025 · 12 citations · open access
Spatiotemporal dynamics of early oogenesis in pigs
AbstractBACKGROUND: In humans and other mammals, the process of oogenesis initiates asynchronously in specific ovarian regions, leading to the localization of dormant and growing follicles in the cortex and medulla, respectively; however, the current understanding of this process remains insufficient. RESULTS: Here, we integrate single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) and spatial transcriptomics (ST) to comprehend spatial-temporal gene expression profiles and explore the spatial organization of ovarian microenvironments during early oogenesis in pigs. Projection of the germ cell clusters at different stages of oogenesis into the spatial atlas unveils a "cortical to medullary (C-M)" distribution of germ cells in the developing porcine ovaries. Cross-species analysis between pigs and humans unveils a conserved C-M distribution pattern of germ cells during oogenesis, highlighting the utility of pigs as valuable models for studying human oogenesis in a spatial context. RNA velocity analysis with ST identifies the molecular characteristics and spatial dynamics of granulosa cell lineages originating from the cortical and medullary regions in pig ovaries. Spatial co-occurrence analysis and intercellular communication analysis unveils a distinct cell-cell communication pattern between germ cells and somatic cells in the cortex and medulla regions. Notably, in vitro culture of ovarian tissues verifies that intercellular NOTCH signaling and extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins played crucial roles in initiating meiotic and oogenic programs, highlighting an underappreciated role of ovarian microenvironments in orchestrating germ cell fates. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, our work provides insight into the spatial characteristics of early oogenesis and the regulatory role of ovarian microenvironments in germ cell fate within a spatial context.
Human Reproduction · 2006 · 8 citations · open access
A successful IVF–pregnancy in a patient who underwent conservative surgery followed by a regimen of cisplatin, vinblastine and peplomycin to treat an advanced ovarian mixed germ cell tumour: A Case Report
AbstractMixed germ cell tumours of the ovary, one type of malignant ovarian germ cell tumours (MOGCTs), are rare gynaecologic cancers usually affecting young women. We report the case of a patient with an advanced ovarian mixed germ cell tumour who underwent fertility-saving surgery followed by a chemotherapy regimen of cisplatin, vinblastine and peplomycin. The patient was disease-free 8 years after initial presentation. She conceived and gestated dichorionic twins after IVF-embryo transfer. To the best of our knowledge, the patient is the first to be treated successfully with the combination chemotherapy regimen and then conceive safely using assisted reproductive technology (ART).
Clinical Obstetrics Gynecology and Reproductive Medicine · 2020 · 1 citations · open access
Incidence of malignant mixed ovarian germ cell tumours in a tertiary care hospital: A five year retrospective study
AbstractMalignant mixed ovarian germ cell tumours, typically present in the teenage years, are a rare group of rapidly growing and highly aggressive neoplasms that are derived from the primitive germ cells of the embryonal gonad representing 5% of all malignant ovarian germ cell tumours. The objective of this study was to analyze the incidence of these tumours in our reference hospital and compare the results with those reported in the literature. We analyzed all cases of ovarian tumours during the period from January 2015 to December 2019 and malignant mixed germ cell tumours were selected for analysis. Only 5 cases (9.2%) were histologically diagnosed among 1080 patients with ovarian cancer diagnosis; the mean age of presentation was 17.4 years, abdominal pain was the most common symptom, fertility preservation surgery was practiced in the majority of cases (n=3/5). According to our findings, the incidence rates, surgical approach and chemotherapy responds are very similar to the rates reported in the Western literature.
Abstract IA15: Rarer, yet both interesting and relevant: Other ovarian cancers.
AbstractAbstract Although high grade serous ovarian carcinoma is justifiably the focus of most research and clinical attention, other histotypes represent significant clinical challenges. An overview of advances in our understanding of germ cell, sex cord-stromal and non-serous cancers will be presented. Specific attention will be placed on granulosa cell tumor and small cell hypercalcemic ovarian cancer where molecular features have both redefined those diseases and offered hope for more rational treatment plans. Citation Format: David G. Huntsman. Rarer, yet both interesting and relevant: Other ovarian cancers. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Advances in Ovarian Cancer Research: Exploiting Vulnerabilities; Oct 17-20, 2015; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Clin Cancer Res 2016;22(2 Suppl):Abstract nr IA15.
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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