DeCure's autonomous Cancer AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for spinal cord glioma — 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 moduleSpinal cord glioma 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 spinal cord glioma 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
neurofibromin 1 (NF1) — NF1 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 1sdrag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 7PGU · 3.3 Å · ligand (1S)-2-{[(2-AMINOETHOXY)(HYDROXY)PHOSPHORYL]OXY}-1-[(PALMITOYLOXY)METHYL]ETHYL STEARATE (PEV). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
A single case report describes a patient with spinal cord glioblastoma treated with cordectomy, radiation, and chemotherapy who survived 12 years. The average survival for spinal cord glioblastoma is given as 18 months. Another case report describes a 9-year-old boy with a high-grade spinal glioma who underwent cordectomy and remained cancer free 14 years after initial presentation.
A retrospective study of 14 patients with high-grade spinal cord gliomas surgically treated between 1989 and 2012 found that none underwent total resection. Two had subtotal resection, nine had partial resection, and three had open biopsy. All received postoperative radiotherapy, and six underwent radiation cordotomy. The median survival for the group was 15 months, with a 5-year survival rate of 22.2%. For World Health Organization grade III tumours, median survival was 25.5 months; for glioblastoma multiforme, it was 12.5 months. Only the statistical model that excluded cervical cord lesions as a factor showed a significant association with survival.
The same retrospective study concludes that surgical outcome for high-grade spinal cord gliomas remains poor. The case reports of prolonged survival after cordectomy are isolated and not from controlled trials. What is still missing is prospective data from larger, multicentre studies, standardised protocols for patient selection for cordectomy, and any evidence from randomised trials comparing cordectomy to less radical surgery or to non-surgical management alone.
Evidence
Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.
Surgical Neurology International · 2014 · 33 citations · open access
Cordectomy for intramedullary spinal cord glioblastoma with a 12-year survival
AbstractBACKGROUND: Prognosis of patients with spinal cord glioblastoma is poor, with an average survival of 18 months. There are reports in the literature describing cordectomy as a treatment option for patients with spinal cord tumors. CASE DESCRIPTION: This is a case report of a patient with spinal cord glioblastoma who, in addition to radiation and chemotherapy, was treated with cordectomy. Outcome of treatment resulted in 12-year survival. CONCLUSION: Cordectomy in spinal cord glioblastoma can result in prolonged and meaningful survival.
Asian Spine Journal · 2015 · 30 citations · open access
Surgical Outcomes of High-Grade Spinal Cord Gliomas
AbstractSTUDY DESIGN: A retrospective study. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to obtain useful information for establishing the guidelines for treating high-grade spinal cord gliomas. OVERVIEW OF LITERATURE: The optimal management of high-grade spinal cord gliomas remains controversial. We report the outcomes of the surgical management of 14 high-grade spinal glioma. METHODS: We analyzed the outcomes of 14 patients with high-grade spinal cord gliomas who were surgically treated between 1989 and 2012. Survival was charted with the Kaplan-Meier plots and comparisons were made with the log-rank test. RESULTS: None of the patients with high-grade spinal cord gliomas underwent total resection. Subtotal resection was performed in two patients, partial resection was performed in nine patients, and open biopsy was performed in three patients. All patients underwent postoperative radiotherapy and six patients further underwent radiation cordotomy. The median survival time for patients with high-grade spinal cord gliomas was 15 months, with a 5-year survival rate of 22.2%. The median survival time for patients with World Health Organization grade III tumors was 25.5 months, whereas the median survival time for patients with glioblastoma multiforme was 12.5 months. Both univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards models demonstrated a significant effect only in the group that did not include cervical cord lesion as a factor associated with survival (p=0.04 and 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: The surgical outcome of patients diagnosed with high-grade spinal cord gliomas remains poor. Notably, only the model which excluded cervical cord lesions as a factor significantly predicted survival.
Journal of Neurosurgery Spine · 2015 · 5 citations · open access
Long-term cure of high-grade spinal cord glioma in a pediatric patient who underwent cordectomy
AbstractHigh-grade spinal cord gliomas are rare and carry a poor prognosis. A number of treatment modalities exist for spinal cord gliomas, but no consensus exists regarding their management. Cordectomy represents a possible option for treating these lesions; however, few cases have been reported in adults, and none have been reported in the pediatric population. The authors describe the use of cordectomy for the treatment of a high-grade spinal glioma in a 9-year-old boy who remains cancer free 14 years following his initial presentation.
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.
