DeCure's autonomous Cancer AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for thyroid carcinoma — screening already-approved drugs against its 47-gene Open Targets disease module to publish open-access research. Research is fast; the path to publication is funded in milestone stages.
Disease moduleThyroid carcinoma maps to a 47-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
approvedSorafenibApproved drug
Structures already discussed alongside thyroid carcinoma in the retrieved literature, rendered from public PubChem SMILES. Which drugs appear here reflects the evidence found, not a ranked prediction.
Molecular view
Human P38 MAP kinase — Sorafenib has a real, experimentally solved structure in complex with this target (PDB 3GCS, 2.1 Å). This is the drug's own deposited structure, not a prediction, and confirms it is a structurally characterised molecule rather than an untested guess.
Loading structure…
helix sheet baxdrag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 3GCS · 2.1 Å · ligand Sorafenib (BAX). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
Differentiated thyroid carcinoma has an excellent prognosis, with surgery as the primary treatment, followed by radioactive iodine ablation in select patients and thyroxine therapy in most. For medullary thyroid carcinoma, surgery is also the main treatment, and kinase inhibitors may be appropriate for select patients with recurrent or persistent unresectable disease. Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma is almost uniformly lethal, and radioactive iodine cannot be used; when systemic therapy is indicated, targeted therapy options are preferred. A 2001 retrospective review of 78 patients with differentiated thyroid carcinoma referred for radioiodine therapy reported a 5-year overall survival of 96% and disease-free survival of 88%, but concluded that some patients remain at high risk for recurrent disease and associated mortality.
A 2021 phase II trial of sorafenib in 19 patients with progressive metastatic iodine-refractory thyroid cancer found no complete responses. Among the 13 patients evaluable for efficacy, 5 had a partial response (35.7%), 6 had stable disease, and 3 showed progression. Mean progression-free survival was 18 months (95% CI 10.7–20.3), and overall survival was 21.3 months (95% CI 17.8–24.8). The study was a single-arm trial, and 6 patients were excluded from efficacy analysis because they received only one month of therapy.
A 2010 review noted that thyroid cancer has an excellent prognosis, with 33,550 new cases per year and 1,530 deaths per year in the United States, and that new agents had recently shown unexpected good results. The 2022 NCCN guidelines state that differentiated thyroid carcinoma is associated with an excellent prognosis, and that surgery is the treatment of choice, followed by radioactive iodine ablation in select patients and thyroxine therapy in most. For anaplastic thyroid carcinoma, the guidelines reiterate that it is almost uniformly lethal and that radioactive iodine cannot be used.
What is still missing are randomised controlled trials comparing sorafenib to placebo or other agents in iodine-refractory disease, larger sample sizes to confirm the response rates seen in the phase II trial, and prospective studies that stratify patients by histology and mutational status to identify who benefits most from targeted therapy. The cost and availability of kinase inhibitors in different healthcare systems also remain unaddressed.
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 the National Comprehensive Cancer Network · 2022 · 511 citations · open access
Thyroid Carcinoma, Version 2.2022, NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology
AbstractDifferentiated thyroid carcinomas is associated with an excellent prognosis. The treatment of choice for differentiated thyroid carcinoma is surgery, followed by radioactive iodine ablation (iodine-131) in select patients and thyroxine therapy in most patients. Surgery is also the main treatment for medullary thyroid carcinoma, and kinase inhibitors may be appropriate for select patients with recurrent or persistent disease that is not resectable. Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma is almost uniformly lethal, and iodine-131 imaging and radioactive iodine cannot be used. When systemic therapy is indicated, targeted therapy options are preferred. This article describes NCCN recommendations regarding management of medullary thyroid carcinoma and anaplastic thyroid carcinoma, and surgical management of differentiated thyroid carcinoma (papillary, follicular, Hürthle cell carcinoma).
Journal of Thyroid Research · 2010 · 14 citations · open access
Old and New Insights in the Treatment of Thyroid Carcinoma
AbstractThyroid cancer is the endocrine tumor that bears the highest incidence with 33 550 new cases per year. It bears an excellent prognosis with a mortality of 1530 patients per year (Jemal et al.; 2007). We have been treating patients with thyroid carcinoma during many years without many innovations. Recently, we have assisted to the development of new agents for the treatment of this disease with unexpected good results. Here we present a review with the old and new methods for the treatment of this disease.
Saudi Medical Journal · 2001 · 10 citations · open access
Differentiated thyroid carcinoma referred for radioiodine therapy
AbstractOBJECTIVE: The current work was conducted to study the disease status and treatment results of patients with differentiated thyroid carcinoma referred for radioactive iodine therapy. METHODS: Retrospective review of 78 patients with differentiated thyroid carcinoma referred for radioiodine therapy in the Nuclear Medicine Unit, King Abdulaziz Hospital and Oncology Center, Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Analysis of the clinicopathologic characteristics, age correlation to different risk factors, treatment protocol and results were performed. RESULTS: Seventy seven percent were female and the female to male ratio was 3.5:1. The age of patients ranged between 13-63 years with a median age of 36 years. Cervical lymph node involvement was detected in 22 patients (25%). Papillary carcinoma was encountered in 78 patients (90%) and follicular carcinoma in 9 patients (10%). Analysis of the clinicopathologic characteristics showed no statistically significant difference between patients in the different age groups except for extrathyroid extension and lymph node involvement. Patients older than 45 years had a statistically significant lower incidence of nodal involvement and higher incidence of extra thyroid extension (P<0.02). In the current study we used a high dose method (Radioiodine-131 dose 75-100mCi) for thyroid remnant ablation after thyroidectomy (total or near total) in 67 patients. An Iodine 131 dose of 150 mCi was used in 12 patients with radioiodine-avid cervical lymph nodes and in 3 patients with gross residual tumor. In 4 patients with distant metastases an Iodine 131 dose of 200 mCi was used. For the whole study group the 5 year overall survival and disease-free survival was 96% and 88%. CONCLUSION: The current study, as with many other retrospective studies, concluded that despite the fact that differentiated thyroid carcinoma is among the most curable cancers, some patients are still at high risk for recurrent disease and associated mortality.
Archives of Endocrinology and Metabolism · 2021 · 4 citations · open access
Safety and efficacy of sorafenib in patients with advanced thyroid carcinoma: a phase II study (NCT02084732)
AbstractObjective: Sorafenib significantly prolonged progression-free survival in patients with iodine-refractory advanced thyroid cancer. The present study was initiated before sorafenib was approved in Colombia and therefore represents an effort by an oncology institution to evaluate its efficacy and safety in this population. Subjects and methods: This phase II clinical trial had a single treatment arm. We included adult patients with progressive metastatic iodine-refractory thyroid cancer who received treatment with sorafenib 800 mg/day (400 mg every 12 hours) up to a maximum of 24 months or until the occurrence of limiting related toxicity, the progression of the disease, or voluntary withdrawal. Results: Nineteen patients received the treatment and were included in the safety analysis. However, for the efficacy analysis, 6 patients were excluded because they received only one month of therapy. Thirteen (68%) patients were women, and the mean age at diagnosis was 61.8 years. No complete responses were observed; 5 patients had a partial response (35.7%), 6 patients had stable disease, and 3 showed progression. Mean progression-free survival was calculated at 18 months (95% CI 10.7-20.3). Overall survival was estimated at 21.3 months (95% CI 17.8-24.8). Conclusion: For the first time in Colombia, the efficacy of sorafenib was evaluated in patients with advanced and progressive thyroid carcinoma refractory to radioactive iodine, with an efficacy and a safety profile similar to those previously reported.
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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