DeCure's autonomous Cancer AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for ovarian teratoma — screening already-approved drugs against its 50-gene Open Targets disease module to publish open-access research. Research is fast; the path to publication is funded in milestone stages.
Disease moduleOvarian teratoma maps to a 50-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 teratoma 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
lysine demethylase 6A (KDM6A) — KDM6A 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 e7zdrag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 6FUL · 1.649 Å · ligand 1-methyl-5-oxidanyl-4-oxidanylidene-pyridine-2-carboxylic acid (E7Z). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
A 2019 retrospective Italian multicentre study of 23 patients with malignant transformation of ovarian mature cystic teratomas reported excellent outcomes for early-stage disease following primary surgery alone. Among nine patients with squamous cell carcinoma, all six with stage I disease had no evidence of disease at a median follow-up of 141 months; of three with stage IIb–IIIc disease, two remained disease-free at 119 and 154 months, while one died nine months after diagnosis. All five patients with stage I thyroid carcinoma had no evidence of disease at a median of 60 months, and five of six patients with stage I carcinoid had no evidence of disease at a median of 168 months, with one death attributed to carcinoid heart disease. Single patients with stage I papillary renal carcinoma, medulloblastoma and intestinal-type mucinous adenocarcinoma were disease-free at 24, 141 and 149 months respectively.
A 2021 literature review states that teratomas account for 15–20% of ovarian germ cell tumours, with mature cystic teratomas comprising over 95% of all teratomas and being benign, while immature teratomas are more aggressive. The review reports a survival rate of 90–100% in patients with no residual tumour after surgery, though it does not specify the duration of follow-up or the stage distribution supporting this figure. A 2025 narrative review notes that immature teratoma of the ovary is rare, primarily affects young women, and is commonly diagnosed at stage I, but that management is often guided by retrospective data from subanalyses of studies on malignant ovarian germ cell tumours rather than dedicated prospective evidence.
A 2019 case report describes growing teratoma syndrome occurring after chemotherapy for recurrent ovarian immature teratoma in a paediatric patient, highlighting that management of recurrent disease is challenging and that treatment approaches differ between paediatric and adult patients, with adults routinely receiving postoperative chemotherapy while surgery is considered the mainstay in children. A 2020 case report from Spanish-language literature describes a 22-year-old woman with bilateral teratomas who underwent complete enucleation of both tumours, preserving ovarian tissue and fertility, after an initial recommendation of bilateral oophorectomy; no oncological follow-up data are provided. A 2024 systematic review of uterine teratoma notes that this entity is extremely rare, with only a few reported cases, and that there is no clear understanding of its pathogenesis, clinical presentation, diagnosis, treatment or prognosis.
What remains missing is prospective data on immature teratoma as a distinct entity, particularly for advanced-stage disease, where the evidence base is thin and largely retrospective. There is no randomised comparison of surgery alone versus adjuvant chemotherapy in adults, no validated biomarker or imaging strategy to predict malignant transformation or recurrence, and no standardised approach to growing teratoma syndrome. Fertility-sparing surgery is feasible in selected cases, but long-term oncological outcomes after enucleation of bilateral teratomas are not established, and the rarity of uterine teratoma means no treatment protocol can be derived from existing case reports.
Evidence
Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.
Anticancer Research · 2019 · 26 citations · open access
Clinical Outcome of Patients With Malignant Tumors Associated With Mature Cystic Teratomas of the Ovary: A Retrospective Multicenter Italian Study
AbstractBACKGROUND/AIM: The aim of the study was to assess the clinical outcome of patients with malignant transformation of an ovarian mature teratoma. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This study was conducted on 23 patients who underwent primary surgery at three Italian Gynecological Centers. Histologically, nine (39.1%) patients had squamous cell carcinoma, five (21.7%) had a thyroid carcinoma, six (26.1%) had a carcinoid, one (4.3%) patient had papillary renal carcinoma, one (4.3%) had medulloblastoma and one (4.3%) had intestinal-type mucinous adenocarcinoma. RESULTS: All six patients with stage I squamous cell carcinoma had no evidence of disease (NED) after a median time of 141 months. Of the three patients with stage IIb-IIIc squamous cell carcinoma, two had NED after 119 and 154 months, and one died of the disease 9 months after diagnosis. All five women with stage I thyroid carcinoma had NED after a median of 60 months. Of the six patients with stage I carcinoid, five had NED after a median of 168 months, whereas one died due to carcinoid heart disease. The three patients with stage I renal carcinoma, medulloblastoma and mucinous adenocarcinoma had NED after 24, 141 and 149 months, respectively. CONCLUSION: The clinical outcome of early-stage malignancies associated with mature ovarian teratomas is excellent following treatment.
Journal of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology · 2019 · 12 citations
Growing Teratoma Syndrome After Chemotherapy For Ovarian Immature Teratoma
AbstractThe management of ovarian immature teratoma (IT) presents several challenges. It occurs both in children and adults and therefore is managed by pediatric oncologists as well as adult and gynecologic oncologists. Treatment approach; however, varies significantly. Unlike pediatric patients in whom surgery is considered the mainstay of treatment, adult providers routinely prescribe postoperative chemotherapy. Management of recurrent IT can be challenging. Growing teratoma syndrome may occur after treatment of recurrent IT. We report the development and management of this phenomenon in a pediatric patient who had several recurrences of her IT.
Cirugía y Cirujanos · 2020 · 5 citations · open access
Preservación de la fertilidad en una paciente con teratoma bilateral. Reporte de un caso y revisión de la literatura
AbstractLos tumores de células germinales son una variante de los tumores ováricos, siendo el teratoma el más frecuente. Del total de los tumores ováricos diagnosticados, el 12% se encontrarán en pacientes en edad fértil. Se presenta el caso de una paciente de 22 años que acude a consulta con un diagnóstico presuntivo de teratoma bilateral en búsqueda de alternativas terapéuticas, ya que se le planteó originalmente ooforectomía bilateral. Tras un abordaje completo se corroboró el diagnóstico y se procedió a la resección tumoral, logrando la enucleación completa de ambos teratomas y preservando el tejido ovárico, su funcionalidad y su fertilidad. Germ cell tumors are a variant of ovarian tumors, with teratoma being the most frequent. Of the total number of diagnosed ovarian tumors, 12% are found in patients of childbearing age. In this case, we present a 22-year-old patient who comes to a consultation with a presumptive diagnosis of bilateral teratoma in search of therapeutic alternatives, since she was originally presented with a bilateral oophorectomy. After a complete approach, the diagnosis was corroborated and tumor resection was carried out, achieving complete enucleation of both teratomas, preserving the ovarian tissue, thus its functionality and fertility.
Immature Teratoma of the Ovary - A Narrative Review
AbstractImmature teratoma of the ovary is a rare condition primarily affecting young women and constitutes a significant proportion of ovarian cancer cases in adolescents and young adults. It is commonly diagnosed at stage I, though advanced-stage disease is not infrequent. Accurate diagnosis and a fertility-sparing approach are central to the management of this condition, as many affected women retain, or have yet to develop, a desire for childbearing. However, due to the rarity of this disease, management is often guided by retrospective data derived from subanalyses of studies on malignant ovarian germ cell tumors, which can complicate the treatment of these patients once diagnosed. The aim of this review is to summarize the current evidence on immature teratoma of the ovary, considering it as a distinct clinical and pathological entity.
Andalas obstetrics and gynecology journal · 2021 · 1 citations · open access
Immature Teratoma and Mature Cystic Teratoma
AbstractIntroduction : Germ cell tumors arise from primordial germ cells and account for about 30% of all ovarian tumors. More than 95% of this group are benign dermoid cysts (mature cystic teratoma) and the remaining 5% are malignant. Ovarian teratomas represent 15% to 20% of ovarian germ cell tumors. Teratomas are classified as mature or immature and often consist of several embryological layers. While the mature type is benign, the immature type is more aggressive.Objective : Based on the above, this article will review about immature teratoma and mature cystic teratoma of the ovary. Material and methods : The method of writing this scientific paper is a literature review. The data used are sourced from relevant literature and in accordance with the topics discussed.Result : Teratomas are a common form of germ cell tumors. Teratomas are histologically defined as tumors containing tissue derived from all germ cell layers: ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm. Teratomas are classified as immature teratoma, mature teratoma and monodermal teratoma.Conclusion : Teratomas are usually asymptomatic and if there are symptoms, they tend to be non-specific. In patients with no residual tumor after surgery, the survival rate is 90-100%.Keywords: Teratoma, Immature Teratoma, Mature Cystic Teratoma
Open Science Framework · 2024 · 0 citations · open access
Clinical diagnosis and treatment of uterine teratoma: a systematic review
AbstractTeratoma is a common germ cell tumor in women, usually composed of any combination of tissues from two or three embryonic layers. It can be divided into mature teratoma and immature teratoma, often occurring in the ovaries. Teratoma can also occur in the uterus, first described by Mann in 1929. This type of uterine teratoma is very rare, and currently only a few cases have been reported. There is no clear understanding of the pathogenesis, clinical manifestations, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of this disease.
Disease module: DeepOracle (Open Targets). Structures: RDKit from PubChem SMILES. Literature: retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works using Disease Ontology synonyms, resolved on OpenAlex.
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