DeCure's autonomous Rare AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for sebaceous adenoma — screening already-approved drugs against its 35-gene Open Targets disease module to publish open-access research. Research is fast; the path to publication is funded in milestone stages.
Disease moduleSebaceous adenoma maps to a 35-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 sebaceous adenoma 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
HRas proto-oncogene, GTPase (HRAS) — HRAS 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 gnpdrag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 8ELT · 1.66 Å · ligand PHOSPHOAMINOPHOSPHONIC ACID-GUANYLATE ESTER (GNP). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
Sebaceous adenoma is a rare benign adnexal tumour, most often a tan, pink, or yellow nodule roughly 5 mm in size, found mainly in elderly individuals. One case report describes a 65-year-old man whose eyelid lesion grew from 18 × 13 × 14 mm to 20 × 14 × 14 mm in two weeks, with expanding ulceration. Excisional biopsy with clear margins showed no malignancy, no cytologic atypia, no infiltrative growth, and a Ki-67 index of 10–15% in the basal zone. Fluorescence in situ hybridisation found low HER2 amplification, interpreted as no genetic changes. The authors concluded that rapid growth due to hyperplasia can mimic malignancy, and that histopathology, FISH, and Ki-67 were useful for diagnosis.
A separate case in an 83-year-old man presented a white solid nodular lesion covering most of the cornea. Total excision and amniotic membrane reconstruction was performed; histopathology confirmed sebaceous adenoma, and systemic examination found no other abnormalities. The authors noted this was the first reported corneal location and stressed the importance of differentiating sebaceous adenoma from Muir-Torre syndrome, which carries a risk of visceral malignancy.
A clinicopathological report of three conjunctival and caruncular sebaceous adenomas states that these tumours account for 1% of caruncle lesions and an even lower proportion of conjunctival lesions. Nearly 50% of cases are associated with Muir-Torre syndrome, an autosomal-dominant condition defined by at least one sebaceous skin tumour and one visceral malignancy. In up to 41% of cases, the sebaceous adenoma can be the first sign of the syndrome. All three cases were treated by excisional biopsy with immunohistochemical study.
One 2019 report argues that sebaceous adenomas are actually low-grade sebaceous carcinomas, presenting a lesion with a clinical presentation typical for sebaceous carcinoma but histopathology characteristic of sebaceous adenoma. The authors defend this view, but the abstract provides no survival data, no response rates, and no sample size beyond the single case. No drug treatment is mentioned in any of the abstracts. What is missing is any prospective trial of medical therapy, any systemic treatment data, and any reliable method to distinguish benign from low-grade malignant behaviour before excision. The main clinical gap remains the need for systematic screening for Muir-Torre syndrome in patients presenting with sebaceous adenoma, and for a larger case series with long-term follow-up to clarify the natural history of these lesions.
Evidence
Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.
Clinical ophthalmology · 2013 · 14 citations · open access
A case of sebaceous adenoma of the eyelid showing excessively rapid growth
AbstractBACKGROUND: Sebaceous adenomas are found mainly in elderly individuals and are usually tan, pink, or yellow nodules or papules, usually approximately 5 mm in the largest size. CASE REPORT: A 65-year-old man presented with a progressively enlarging exophytic lesion in the right eyelid for 3 months. External examination revealed a yellowish-pink growth measuring 18 × 13 × 14 mm. The lesion surface was covered by palpebral conjunctiva with fine papillary projections, vascularity, crusting, and ulceration. Two weeks later, the growth enlarged to 20 × 14 × 14 mm, and ulceration also expanded. An excisional biopsy with clear resection margins was performed. No malignancy was found in the stump. Histopathologically, the lesion was located principally within the cutaneous compartment and composed of multiple circumscribed sebaceous lobules, separated, and exhibiting no cytologic atypia. Cystic change was not evident, and no infiltrative growth pattern, pagetoid lesions, mitotic figures, and lymphovascular space invasion were observed. The Ki-67 nuclear antigen was detected in 10%-15% of cells located in the basal zone of the nodule. Fluorescence in situ hybridization showed low human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 amplification, suggesting no genetic changes. The clinical findings, lack of infiltrative border, low Ki-67 index, and low proliferative ability support a diagnosis of sebaceous adenoma. CONCLUSION: Sebaceous adenoma that shows excessively rapid growth due to hyperplasia may appear to be malignant. Histopathology, fluorescence in situ hybridization, and Ki-67 were useful to the diagnosis of the adenoma. Excisional biopsy with clear resection margins must be performed in rapidly growing tumors.
AbstractPURPOSE: The aim of this study was to describe a case of a corneal limbal sebaceous adenoma. METHODS: An 83-year-old male patient presented with a white solid nodular lesion covering most of the cornea of his right eye. The corneal lesion was removed totally. The corneal surface was reconstructed by amniotic membrane transplantation. RESULTS: The histopathological examination of the lesion revealed the presence of a sebaceous adenoma. A systemic examination revealed no other abnormalities. CONCLUSIONS: Sebaceous adenomas on the ocular surface are known to be very rare. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of a sebaceous adenoma located on the cornea, reported in the literature. It is of vital importance to make a differential diagnosis of sebaceous adenomas of the eyelid and conjunctiva with the Muir-Torre syndrome associated with visceral malignancies.
Arquivos Brasileiros de Oftalmologia · 2022 · 4 citations · open access
Sebaceous adenoma of the conjunctiva and caruncle: a clinicopathological report of three cases and literature review
AbstractSebaceous tumors of the conjunctiva and caruncle are rare conditions, accounting for 1% of caruncle lesions and even lower among conjunctival lesions. Almost 50% of cases are associated with Muir-Torre syndrome, a rare autosomal-dominant condition characterized by at least one sebaceous skin tumor and one visceral malignancy. We report 3 cases of sebaceous adenoma with different presentations that were submitted to excisional biopsy and immunohistochemical study. Diagnosis of these tumors should increase the level of suspicion and lead to clinical investigation to rule out neoplasms, particularly because in up to 41% of cases, these can be the first sign of the disease.
Dermatology Archives · 2019 · 1 citations · open access
Revisiting Sebaceous Adenoma: Case Report and Discussion
AbstractSebaceous adenomas are rare adnexal tumors that are associated with Muir-Torre syndrome. Although sebaceous adenomas are considered benign entities, this is controversial. It has been suggested that sebaceous adenomas are actually low-grade sebaceous carcinomas. In this report, we defend the view that sebaceous adenomas are in fact low-grade sebaceous carcinomas by presenting a lesion with a clinical presentation typical for sebaceous carcinoma with histopathology characteristic of sebaceous adenoma.
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.
