DeCure's autonomous Cancer AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for rectosigmoid junction cancer — screening already-approved drugs against its 1-gene Open Targets disease module to publish open-access research. Research is fast; the path to publication is funded in milestone stages.
Disease moduleRectosigmoid junction cancer maps to a 1-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 rectosigmoid junction 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
mutS homolog 2 (MSH2) — MSH2 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 adpdrag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 8RB1 · 2.085 Å · ligand ADENOSINE-5'-DIPHOSPHATE (ADP). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
A 2020 bioinformatics study built a ceRNA network from The Cancer Genome Atlas data for rectosigmoid junction cancer, identifying 7 differentially expressed lncRNAs, 16 miRNAs and 71 mRNAs. One lncRNA (small nucleolar RNA host gene 20) and three mRNAs (sodium- and chloride-dependent taurine transporter, fibroblast growth factor 13, tubulin polyglutamylase TTLL7) were significantly associated with overall survival (P<0.05). Two lncRNAs (KCNQ1OT1 and MIR17HG) interacted with most of the differentially expressed miRNAs, and four mRNAs (caveolin-1, MET, filamin-A, AKT3) appeared in both the ceRNA network and a pathway analysis. No patient outcomes were tested; the work is purely computational and provides no survival or response rates.
A 1975 review of preoperative irradiation for several cancers stated that rectosigmoid cancer "does benefit from preoperative therapy," but gave no numerical survival or response data. The same review noted that lung cancer showed no improvement and that randomised clinical trials were still needed to establish efficacy. The paper is a narrative summary from nearly fifty years ago, not a controlled trial, and its conclusions are not supported by the concrete numbers that would be required today.
A 2023 survey of 130 Turkish radiation oncologists found that 91.5% used the anterior peritoneal reflection and 85.4% used distance from the anal verge to define the rectosigmoid junction. When these methods disagreed, 50.8% relied on the distance from the anal verge. The survey concluded that there is wide variation in diagnosis and decision-making, and that magnetic resonance imaging interpretation remains difficult. The authors noted that it is unclear whether preoperative treatment or surgery should come first for rectosigmoid junction cancer.
What is still missing is any randomised trial that compares preoperative irradiation versus surgery alone for rectosigmoid junction cancer specifically, with modern staging and survival endpoints. The bioinformatics study lacks experimental validation and any clinical translation funding. The survey highlights that even the anatomical definition of the disease is contested, which undermines consistent trial design and patient stratification.
Evidence
Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.
Oncology Letters · 2020 · 11 citations · open access
Comprehensive analysis of lncRNA‑associated ceRNA network reveals the novel potential of lncRNA, miRNA and mRNA biomarkers in human rectosigmoid junction cancer
AbstractAlthough accumulating evidence has confirmed the potential biological functions of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) as competitive endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs) in colorectal tumorigenesis and progression, few studies have focused on rectosigmoid junction cancer. In the present study, a comprehensive analysis was conducted to explore lncRNA-mediated ceRNA implications and their potential value for prognosis. lncRNA, microRNA (miR/miRNA) and mRNA expression profiles were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas database. Subsequently, a lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA regulatory network was constructed to evaluate the functions of these differentially expressed genes on overall survival (OS) for rectosigmoid junction cancer. As a result, a rectosigmoid junction cancer-specific ceRNA network was successfully constructed with 7 differentially expressed (DE)lncRNAs, 16 DEmiRNAs and 71 DEmRNAs. Among the network, one DElncRNA (small nucleolar RNA host gene 20) and three mRNAs (sodium- and chloride-dependent taurine transporter, fibroblast growth factor 13 and tubulin polyglutamylase TTLL7) were significantly associated with OS (P<0.05). Additionally, two lncRNAs (KCNQ1OT1 and MIR17HG) interacted with most of the DEmiRNAs. Notably, two top-ranked miRNAs (hsa-miR-374a-5p and hsa-miR-374b-5p) associated networks were identified to be markedly associated with the pathogenesis. Furthermore, four DEmRNAs (caveolin-1, MET, filamin-A and AKT3) were enriched in the Kyoto Encylopedia of Gene and Genomes pathway analysis, as well as being included in the ceRNA network. In summary, the present results revealed that a specific lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA network was associated with rectosigmoid junction cancer, providing several molecules that may be used as novel prognostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets.
Preoperative irradiation and surgery for certain cancers
AbstractFailure to cure cancer by surgery is caused by inability to remove all local extensions of the lesion or from prior or synchronous dissemination of tumor cells. Laboratory evidence has suggested that preoperative irradiation of the primary tumor can increase cure rates. In the clinical realm, the efficacy of preoperative irradiation appears to vary with specific tumors. Lung cancer shows no improvement in survival. Cancers of the bladder and breast may show enhancement of cure rate. Data indicate that cancer of the rectosigmoid does benefit from preoperative therapy. Adherence to important factors of dosage and timing of operation is necessary to prevent undesirable complications. Randomized clinical trials are needed to establish the efficacy of this combined modality treatment system. This is particularly true since both these modalities can be applied on a wide-scale basis if beneficial effects are conclusively demonstrated.
The Turkish Journal of Gastroenterology · 2023 · 0 citations · open access
Radiation Oncologists’ Approach to Rectosigmoid Junction Tumors in Turkey: The Turkish Society for Radiation Oncology Gastrointestinal Group Survey Study (TROD 02-007)
AbstractBACKGROUND/AIMS: The objective was to determine the preferences and perspectives regarding preoperative evaluation and treatment strategies for rectosigmoid junction cancer among radiation oncologists using a questionnaire survey. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Since defining the correct origin of the neoplasm is essential in tailoring the most appropriate treatment scheme in the rectosigmoid junction region, we surveyed Turkish radiation oncologists about clinical decisions in rectosigmoid junction cancer patients via a 20-point questionnaire. RESULTS: Based on responses from 130 radiation oncologists surveyed across the country, 119 (91.5%) used the anterior peritoneal reflection as the landmark, while 111 (85.4%) used the distance from the anal verge to the boundary between the rectum and sigmoid. This indicates that most of the participants decided to consider both pretreatment evaluation methods. Although distance at colonoscopy can be very variable, when the discrepancy was observed between these methods, 66 (50.8%) participants made the final decision according to the distance from the anal verge in our questionnaire. The conclusion from the questionnaire is that there is difficulty in interpreting magnetic resonance imaging findings, and there is a need for anatomic landmarks relevant to the limit between the rectum and sigmoid so that clinicians can confidently facilitate the diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: There is a wide variation in the diagnosis and decision-making of rectosigmoid junction cancer among radiation oncologists in Turkey, according to our survey, because of several definitions of the rectosigmoid junction boundaries. Considerable attention is required to clarify whether the first preoperative treatment or surgery for rectosigmoid junction cancer.
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.
