DeCure's autonomous Cancer AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for spindle cell sarcoma — screening already-approved drugs against its 12-gene Open Targets disease module to publish open-access research. Research is fast; the path to publication is funded in milestone stages.
Disease moduleSpindle cell sarcoma maps to a 12-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 spindle cell sarcoma 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
phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) — PTEN 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…
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RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 1D5R · 2.1 Å · ligand L(+)-TARTARIC ACID (TLA). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
A 2022 case report describes a 20‑month‑old female with an intrathoracic spindle cell sarcoma that morphologically resembled infantile fibrosarcoma but lacked the usual ETV6‑NTRK3 fusion. Instead, comprehensive genomic profiling detected a KIAA1549‑BRAF fusion transcript. The tumour cells focally expressed desmin and WT‑1 and were negative for pan‑TRK, S‑100 and CD34. Chemotherapy reduced the tumour size. At the time of reporting, the patient was alive with disease and had been receiving therapy for eight months since chemotherapy began. The authors note that BRAF‑altered spindle cell sarcomas resembling infantile fibrosarcoma show inconsistent immunohistochemical patterns and diverse BRAF fusion genes and mutations.
A 2024 case series from a tertiary care centre in Punjab reports on patients with spindle cell tumours who underwent wide surgical resection followed by radiotherapy. The authors state that patients in developing countries often present late with grave consequences. No response rates, survival data or sample sizes are given.
A separate 2024 case report describes sarcomatoid squamous cell carcinoma of the vulva, a rare variant with prominent spindle cell morphology. Fewer than 20 cases have been reported. The authors state that disease‑specific survival is worse compared with non‑spindle cell morphology. The most common treatment is surgical removal with or without adjuvant radiotherapy.
What is still missing are prospective trials testing targeted therapies for the specific genomic alterations found in spindle cell sarcomas, particularly for BRAF fusions. The evidence rests on single cases and small series. No randomised data exist to guide treatment selection beyond surgery and radiotherapy, and patient stratification by molecular subtype is not yet standard.
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 · 2022 · 4 citations · open access
Spindle cell sarcoma with <i>KIAA1549‑BRAF</i> resembling infantile fibrosarcoma morphologically: A case report and literature review
AbstractInfantile fibrosarcoma (IFS) commonly harbors ETS variant transcription factor 6 (<em>ETV6</em>)‑neurotrophic receptor tyrosine kinase 3 (<em>NTRK3</em>) fusion. However, the recent accessibility to clinical next‑generation sequencing (NGS) has revealed ETV6‑NTRK3 negative spindle cell sarcomas resembling IFS morphologically, involving <em>NTRK1/2</em>, <em>MET</em>, <em>RET</em> and <em>BRAF</em>. The present report describes a pediatric case of spindle cell sarcoma with <em>KIAA1549‑BRAF</em> resembling IFS morphologically. A 20‑month‑old female patient was referred to Kobe Children's Hospital (Kobe, Japan) for the treatment of intrathoracic spindle cell sarcoma. Pathologically, the intrathoracic tumor cells were composed of spindle cells with focal hemagiopericytomatous pattern. In immunohistochemistry analysis, the intrathoracic tumor cells focally expressed desmin and WT‑1 and were negative for pan‑tropomyosin receptor kinase (TRK), S‑100 and CD34. Fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis for <em>ETV6</em> and capicua transcriptional repressor revealed negative split signals. Although the patient was initially diagnosed with IFS morphologically, <em>KIAA1549‑BRAF</em> fusion transcript was detected by comprehensive genomic profiling with NGS using intrathoracic tumor tissues and confirmed by reverse transcription‑PCR. Chemotherapy induced a reduction in the tumor size. At present, the patient is alive with the disease and has been receiving therapy for 8 months since the initiation of chemotherapy. Review of <em>BRAF</em>‑altered spindle cell sarcomas resembling IFS morphologically revealed the inconsistency in immunohistochemical expression patterns and the diversity of <em>BRAF</em> fusion genes and mutations. Therefore, the elucidation of genomic profiling by NGS may assist in making an appropriate diagnosis and selecting novel alternative therapies in <em>ETV6‑NTRK3</em>‑negative spindle cell sarcomas resembling IFS morphologically.
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · 2024 · 0 citations · open access
Experience of Treating Spindle Cell Tumours: Case Series in Tertiary Care Centre in Punjab
AbstractSarcomas can present differently in different parts of the body and showcase varied histopathological features and tend to recur locally and metastasize to distant sites. We are reporting our series on patients with spindle cell tumors. The mass was evaluated through computed tomography and the histology was confirmed by biopsy. Wide surgical resection of the mass was done and the patients were referred to radiotherapy for further treatment. These cases showcase the scenario of many patients in developing countries where the patients are negligent, lost and present later with grave consequences.
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · 2024 · 0 citations · open access
Experience of Treating Spindle Cell Tumours: Case Series in Tertiary Care Centre in Punjab
AbstractSarcomas can present differently in different parts of the body and showcase varied histopathological features and tend to recur locally and metastasize to distant sites. We are reporting our series on patients with spindle cell tumors. The mass was evaluated through computed tomography and the histology was confirmed by biopsy. Wide surgical resection of the mass was done and the patients were referred to radiotherapy for further treatment. These cases showcase the scenario of many patients in developing countries where the patients are negligent, lost and present later with grave consequences.
International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR) · 2024 · 0 citations · open access
Sarcomatoid Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Vulva: A Very Rare Entity - Case Report
AbstractThe Sarcomatoid Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC), showing both epithelial and mesenchymal features, has been very rarely reported in the vulva. It is a rare variant of SCC with prominent spindle cell morphology. Till date less than 20 cases have been reported so far. It is also known as pseudosarcoma, spindle cell carcinoma or carcinosarcoma. Disease specific survival is worse, compared to non-spindle Cell morphology. Currently, most common treatment modality is surgical removal with or without adjuvant radiotherapy. Systematic reporting of these tumours is needed to plan future treatment protocols.
Indian Journal of Case Reports · 2024 · 0 citations · open access
Rare case report - Recurrent Spindle Cell tumor of the thigh
AbstractThis case is to discuss the rarest of a rare recurrent spindle cell tumor of the proximal thigh which is one of the soft tissue neoplasms that can occur in various locations of our body including the trunk and extremities. Soft tissue masses are commonly present in surgical practices and range from benign lipomas to high-grade soft tissue sarcomas. A subset of soft tissue sarcomas includes a spindle cell sarcoma, which is a rare connective tissue tumor that originates in the layers of tissue found below the skin. The aim of this case report is to describe the presentation of spindle cell tumors, the investigations required, and the optimal management of the disease. Surgical resection i.e., wide local excision is the mainstay of treatment for spindle cell sarcomas but treatment can also include a combination of surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation.
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.
