DeCure for Ovarian serous surface papillary adenocarcinoma
DeCure's autonomous Cancer AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for ovarian serous surface papillary adenocarcinoma — screening already-approved drugs against its 2-gene Open Targets disease module to publish open-access research. Research is fast; the path to publication is funded in milestone stages.
Disease moduleOvarian serous surface papillary adenocarcinoma maps to a 2-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 serous surface papillary adenocarcinoma 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
BRCA2 DNA repair associated (BRCA2) — BRCA2 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 atpdrag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 8PBC · 2.61 Å · ligand ADENOSINE-5'-TRIPHOSPHATE (ATP). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
The 2018 review of PAX2 and PAX8 in high-grade serous ovarian cancer states that PAX2 expression is lost early in serous cancer progression while PAX8 is expressed ubiquitously. Both proteins are implicated in migration, invasion, proliferation, cell survival, stem cell maintenance, and tumour growth. The review describes targeting PAX2 and PAX8 as a promising drug strategy but provides no patient data, no survival figures, and no response rates. No drug is named, and no clinical trial is reported.
A 2018 study of ovarian serous surface papillary borderline tumours included 10 tumours in 5 patients. Mean largest tumour diameter was 45 mm. All patients had bilateral involvement and ascites. Peritoneal implants occurred in 40% of patients, and lymph node metastasis in 20%. Serum CA 125 was elevated in all cases. All patients underwent radical surgery; 80% were low stage. No recurrence occurred during follow-up. The authors note a good prognosis for this borderline entity. This is not the same disease as the high-grade serous carcinoma discussed in the other abstracts.
A 2009 commentary presents immunohistochemical evidence supporting a fallopian tube origin for serous papillary carcinoma, citing a gene expression study that showed strong correlation of the serous papillary carcinoma profile with that of the fallopian tube. No drug, no treatment, and no patient outcomes are reported.
What is still missing: no drug has been tested in patients for targeting PAX2 or PAX8 in this disease; no clinical trial funding or design exists for such an approach; the borderline tumour data cannot be extrapolated to high-grade serous carcinoma; and patient stratification by PAX expression status has not been attempted in a therapeutic 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.
Cancers · 2018 · 41 citations · open access
UnPAXing the Divergent Roles of PAX2 and PAX8 in High-Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer
AbstractHigh-grade serous ovarian cancer is a deadly disease that can originate from the fallopian tube or the ovarian surface epithelium. The PAX (paired box) genes PAX2 and PAX8 are lineage-specific transcription factors required during development of the fallopian tube but not in the development of the ovary. PAX2 expression is lost early in serous cancer progression, while PAX8 is expressed ubiquitously. These proteins are implicated in migration, invasion, proliferation, cell survival, stem cell maintenance, and tumor growth. Hence, targeting PAX2 and PAX8 represents a promising drug strategy that could inhibit these pro-tumorigenic effects. In this review, we examine the implications of PAX2 and PAX8 expression in the cell of origin of serous cancer and their potential efficacy as drug targets by summarizing their role in the molecular pathogenesis of ovarian cancer.
British Journal of Radiology · 2018 · 19 citations
Ovarian serous surface papillary borderline tumor: characteristic imaging features with clinicopathological correlation
AbstractObjective: To retrospectively evaluate the clinical, pathological, and imaging features of ovarian serous surface papillary borderline tumors (SSPBTs). Methods: Imaging features were analyzed, including the tumor size, laterality, tumor spread and the presence of ascites. Morphological nature (encased normal ovary, characteristics on MRI) and contrast enhancement (increased flow on Doppler ultrasound) were also evaluated. Clinical and pathological features, such as tumor markers (CA 125), treatment methods, outcomes on follow-up, and surgical staging, were analyzed. Results: 10 tumors in 5 patients were evaluated. Mean largest tumor diameter was 45 mm. All patients had bilateral involvement and ascites. 40% of all patients showed peritoneal implants. 20% of patients evaluated had lymph node metastasis. These patients showed grossly normal ovaries that were encased in or surrounded by irregular solid tumors. They had a mostly hyperintense papillary architecture with hypointense internal branching on T2 weighted MR images (90%). Contrast enhancement and serum levels of CA 125 were elevated in all cases evaluated. All patients underwent radical surgery, and 80% of patients evaluated were of low stage. No recurrence occurred, during follow-up. Conclusion: SSPBT of the ovary, which has a good prognosis, should be considered as a diagnosis for patients who have bilateral enhancing irregular solid masses with papillary architecture and internal branching, and encasing normal-appearing ovaries. Advances in knowledge: Serous surface papillary borderline tumor of the ovary is unique and has characteristic features. Knowledge of this specific ovarian tumor and radiological suspicion can have important implications for the patient to facilitate management including fertility-preserving surgery.
North American Journal of Medicine and Science · 2009 · 0 citations
Secretory Leukocyte Protease Inhibitor: Immunohistochemical Evidence Supporting a Fallopian Tube Origin for Serous Papillary Carcinoma
AbstractSerous papillary carcinoma (SPC) represents the most common histological type of ovarian carcinoma, which is the fifth leading cause of cancer-related death in women in the United States. 1 The tissue of origin for SPC remains controversial. It is believed by many authors that the cancer arises from the surface epithelia of the ovary or the cells that line ovarian inclusion cysts. 2-3 In this theory, the ovarian surface epithelium (OSE), usually flattened with no distinct features, undergoes Mullerian metaplasia and through possible undefined molecular events, acquires serous papillary morphology during malignant transformation. A contrasting opinion is that SPC may arise from the fallopian tube (FT), this supposition based on the morphologic resemblance of SPC to the fimbriated end of the FT. A recent report 4 investigating the patterns of gene expression among different histotypes of epithelial ovarian cancer showed strong correlation of expression profile of serous papillary carcinoma with that of the fallopian tube. [N A J Med Sci. 2009;2(2):42-43.]
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.
