DeCure's autonomous Cancer AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for respiratory system cancer — screening already-approved drugs against its 13-gene Open Targets disease module to publish open-access research. Research is fast; the path to publication is funded in milestone stages.
Disease moduleRespiratory system cancer maps to a 13-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 respiratory system 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
cytochrome P450 family 2 subfamily A member 6 (CYP2A6) — CYP2A6 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 hemdrag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 1Z10 · 1.9 Å · ligand PROTOPORPHYRIN IX CONTAINING FE (HEM). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
The 2016 Japanese Society for Palliative Medicine guidelines established 26 recommendations for managing dyspnoea, cough, and death rattle in advanced cancer patients, all based on best available evidence and expert consensus. The authors noted that more future clinical research and continuous guideline updates are required to improve the quality of respiratory symptom management.
A 2021 prospective cohort study in Egypt enrolled 60 patients with inoperable non-small cell lung cancer and symptomatic malignant endobronchial obstruction. Thirty patients received endobronchial cryotherapy plus chemoradiotherapy, and 30 received chemoradiotherapy alone. The cryotherapy group showed a highly significant improvement in cough, dyspnoea, and haemoptysis, as well as in respiratory function tests, six-minute walk distance, and arterial blood gases. The mean Karnofsky score in the cryotherapy group increased from 57.33% at baseline to 60.67% post-cryotherapy. Median survival for all patients was 9.7 months; the cryotherapy-plus-chemoradiotherapy group survived a mean of 10.77 months, compared with 8.6 months for chemoradiotherapy alone. The authors concluded the procedure was efficient and safe.
A 2025 review of respiratory symptom clusters in lung cancer patients reported that cough, shortness of breath, and expectoration remain prevalent and persistent regardless of treatment modality, with cough identified as the sentinel symptom. The review noted that multimodal and single-component non-pharmacological interventions, such as the Respiratory Distress Symptom Intervention and acupuncture, have shown promise in alleviating these symptoms. The authors called for longitudinal studies tracking respiratory symptoms and for integrating mobile health applications for real-time monitoring.
A 2018 review of inhaled micro/nanoparticulate anticancer drug formulations argued that local delivery via inhalation, particularly from dry powder inhaler formulations, is non-invasive, produces high bioavailability at a low dose, and avoids first-pass metabolism. The review stated that various anticancer drugs, including chemotherapeutics, proteins, and genes, have been investigated for inhalation in lung cancers with significant outcomes, but it did not provide specific survival or response rate data from those investigations.
Evidence
Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.
Journal of Palliative Medicine · 2016 · 52 citations
Treatment Recommendations for Respiratory Symptoms in Cancer Patients: Clinical Guidelines from the Japanese Society for Palliative Medicine
AbstractBACKGROUND: Respiratory symptoms, dyspnea, cough, and death rattle, are common and distressing in advanced cancer patients. Palliation of respiratory symptoms is important to improve quality of life in cancer patients and their families/caregivers. Currently published clinical guidelines for the management of these respiratory symptoms in cancer patients did not cover the topics comprehensively or were not based on formal process for the development of clinical guidelines. METHODS: The Japanese Society for Palliative Medicine (JSPM) decided to develop comprehensive clinical guidelines for the management of respiratory symptoms in cancer patients following the formal guideline developing process. RESULTS: This article provides a summary of the recommendations with the rationales, as well as a short summary of the developing process, of the JSPM respiratory symptom management guidelines. We established 26 recommendations and all recommendations are based on the best available evidences and expert consensus. DISCUSSION: More future clinical researches and continuous guideline updates are required to improve the quality of respiratory symptom management in cancer patients.
Inhaled Micro/Nanoparticulate Anticancer Drug Formulations: An Emerging Targeted Drug Delivery Strategy for Lung Cancers
AbstractLocal delivery of drug to the target organ via inhalation offers enormous benefits in the management of many diseases. Lung cancer is the most common of all cancers and it is the leading cause of death worldwide. Currently available treatment systems (intravenous or oral drug delivery) are not efficient in accumulating the delivered drug into the target tumor cells and are usually associated with various systemic and dose-related adverse effects. The pulmonary drug delivery technology would enable preferential accumulation of drug within the cancer cell and thus be superior to intravenous and oral delivery in reducing cancer cell proliferation and minimising the systemic adverse effects. Site-specific drug delivery via inhalation for the treatment of lung cancer is both feasible and efficient. The inhaled drug delivery system is non-invasive, produces high bioavailability at a low dose and avoids first pass metabolism of the delivered drug. Various anticancer drugs including chemotherapeutics, proteins and genes have been investigated for inhalation in lung cancers with significant outcomes. Pulmonary delivery of drugs from dry powder inhaler (DPI) formulation is stable and has high patient compliance. Herein, we report the potential of pulmonary drug delivery from dry powder inhaler (DPI) formulations inhibiting lung cancer cell proliferation at very low dose with reduced unwanted adverse effects.
Current Opinion in Supportive and Palliative Care · 2025 · 1 citations
Respiratory symptom cluster in people with lung cancer
AbstractPURPOSE OF REVIEW: Respiratory symptoms often co-occur as a symptom cluster in lung cancer patients, which can be detrimental to clinical outcomes. This review synthesizes recent evidence on respiratory symptom clusters and their management. RECENT FINDINGS: The expanding body of evidence on respiratory symptom clusters in lung cancer patients has grown significantly. These clusters, primarily comprising cough, shortness of breath, and expectoration, remain prevalent and persistent, regardless of treatment modalities. Cough is highlighted as the sentinel symptom. Recent advancements, including both multimodal and single-component non-pharmacological interventions, such as the Respiratory Distress Symptom Intervention and acupuncture, have shown promise in alleviating respiratory symptoms. SUMMARY: Recent studies have significantly advanced our understanding of identifying and managing respiratory symptom clusters in lung cancer patients. Longitudinal studies tracking respiratory symptoms could provide valuable insights into their progression. This could be achieved by integrating advanced technologies, such as mobile health applications, which have the potential to revolutionize real-time symptom monitoring. Furthermore, understanding the biological mechanisms underlying these clusters is essential for developing targeted therapies that address symptoms more comprehensively.
Greater South Information System · 2021 · 0 citations · open access
The value of endobronchial cryotherapy in the management of malignant endobronchial obstruction in patients with inoperable NSCLC: a prospective analysis of clinical and survival outcomes
AbstractAbstract Background Malignant endobronchial obstruction (MEBO) is the most debilitating complication in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The therapeutic role of cryotherapy and its impact on survival has not been well addressed. This is to clarify whether the combination of endobronchial cryotherapy (EBCT) and chemoradiotherapy (CRT) improved symptoms, respiratory functions, performance status, and survival outcomes in inoperable NSCLC with symptomatic MEBO compared to that obtained by CRT alone. Results A prospective cohort study included 60 cases presented to Qena University Hospital, Egypt, between December 2016 and May 2019. They were divided into two groups. Group A included 30 patients who were managed with EBCT plus CRT. Group B included 30 patients who were managed with CRT alone. The outcomes assessed were symptoms relief, respiratory function tests (RFT), performance status, and survival outcomes at baseline and 4 weeks of follow-up. Group A patients showed a highly significant improvement in symptoms (cough, dyspnea, and hemoptysis), RFT, 6MWD test, and arterial blood gases, compared to group B. The mean Karnofsky score increased from 57.33±5.67% at baseline to 60.67±6.39% post-EBCT ( P =0.036); group A was significantly improved compared to group B ( P =0.04). The Kaplan-Meier median survival for all patients was 9.7±0.4 months (95% CI= 8.86–10.54), and group A cases (10.77±0.44 months, 95% CI= 9.9–11.6) was significantly longer than that of group B cases (8.6±0.68 months, 95% CI= 7.3–9.97; T test = 2.631, P =0.011). Conclusion The use of EBCT with CRT for the management of MEBO in symptomatic patients with inoperable NSCLC is an efficient and safe procedure. EBCT improves clinical outcomes, RFT, performance status, and median survival. Trial registration ClinTrial.Gov registration: NCT04710459 on 4/3/2021.
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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