DeCure's autonomous Cancer AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for transitional cell carcinoma of kidney — screening already-approved drugs against its 44-gene Open Targets disease module to publish open-access research. Research is fast; the path to publication is funded in milestone stages.
Disease moduleTransitional cell carcinoma of kidney maps to a 44-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
approvedSunitinibApproved drug
Structures already discussed alongside transitional cell carcinoma of kidney in the retrieved literature, rendered from public PubChem SMILES. Which drugs appear here reflects the evidence found, not a ranked prediction.
Molecular view
KIT kinase domain — Sunitinib has a real, experimentally solved structure in complex with this target (PDB 3G0E, 1.6 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 b49drag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 3G0E · 1.6 Å · ligand Sunitinib (B49). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
In a retrospective study of 185 patients with transitional cell carcinoma of the renal pelvis and ureter, survival for those with superficial well differentiated tumours exceeded 90% regardless of whether they received total nephroureterectomy or conservative resection. When urothelium was left behind after conservative resection, recurrence on the same side occurred in 22% of patients, almost exclusively when the original tumour had been multifocal. Post-operative radiotherapy did not improve survival. A separate review of 22 cases of renal pelvic carcinoma, including 13 transitional cell carcinomas, found that 13 of the 22 patients died of the disease; nephroureterectomy with local lymph node dissection was recommended as treatment.
Percutaneous resection was evaluated in two Japanese patients with transitional cell carcinoma of the renal pelvis, both of whom had no recurrence during follow-up. A review of seven earlier reports covering 82 patients treated percutaneously found that 72.6% were successfully treated, but half of those with grade 3 carcinoma developed recurrence. The authors concluded that percutaneous resection should be limited to selected patients with low-grade disease. Immunohistochemical investigation of transitional cell carcinoma of the upper urinary tract indicates that classical tumour characteristics—pathological stage and grade—are not sufficient to precisely predict biological behaviour, and that immunohistochemical markers provide additional prognostic information.
For renal cell carcinoma more broadly, approximately one third of patients have distant metastases at initial diagnosis and another third recur after nephrectomy. The 5-year survival rate once the cancer has metastasised rarely exceeds 20% despite systemic therapy. Renal cell carcinoma is resistant to conventional radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Research has identified circulating tumour DNA, von Hippel-Lindau mutations, and extracellular matrix proteins in urine as potential diagnostic tools; signal transducer and activator of transcription correlates with relapse patterns; and class II haplotypes DQA1 and DQB1 predict response and survival after cytokine-based therapy. Monoclonal antibody derivatives against epidermal growth factor receptor and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor have shown promising clinical results, and antisense oligodeoxynucleotide therapy and proteasome inhibitors have shown effects in preclinical studies.
What is still missing are prospective trials that stratify patients by tumour grade, focality, and molecular markers to determine which subgroups benefit from conservative versus radical surgery, and whether any systemic therapy—targeted or otherwise—improves survival in metastatic transitional cell carcinoma of the upper urinary tract specifically, rather than in renal cell carcinoma as a whole. Funding for such trials and for the validation of immunohistochemical and genetic prognostic tools in this rarer cancer type remains limited.
Evidence
Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.
The Journal of Urology · 2008 · 193 citations
Response of the Primary Tumor to Neoadjuvant Sunitinib in Patients With Advanced Renal Cell Carcinoma
AbstractPURPOSE: We assessed the activity of neoadjuvant sunitinib on primary renal tumors in patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma as well as the feasibility and safety of subsequent surgical resection. METHODS: A total of 19 patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma deemed unsuitable for initial nephrectomy due to locally advanced disease or extensive metastatic burden were treated with 50 mg sunitinib daily for 4 weeks on followed by 2 weeks off. Tumor response was assessed by Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors every 2 cycles and the rate of conversion to resectable status was estimated. RESULTS: Median patient age was 64 years and initial median radiographic renal tumor size was 10.5 cm. Clinical stage was N+ (10) and M+ (15). No patients experienced a complete response. Partial responses of the primary tumor were noted in 3 patients (16%), 7 (37%) had stable disease and 9 (47%) had disease progression in the primary tumor. Overall tumor response included 2 patients (11%) with partial response, 7 (37%) with stable disease and 10 (53%) with disease progression. At a median followup of 6 months (range 1 to 15) 4 patients (21%) had undergone nephrectomy and 5 died of disease progression. No unexpected surgical morbidity was encountered. Viable tumor was present in all 4 specimens. Sunitinib was associated with grade 3-4 toxicity in 7 patients (37%) and treatment was discontinued in 1 due to toxicity. CONCLUSIONS: Administration of sunitinib in patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma with the primary tumor in place is feasible and can lead to a reduction in tumor burden that can facilitate subsequent surgical resection.
Transitional Cell Carcinoma of the Renal Pelvis and Ureter
AbstractIn a retrospective study of 185 patients with transitional cell carcinoma of the renal pelvis and ureter, of whom 127 were treated by total nephroureterectomy and 58 by conservative resection, the survival of those with superficial well differentiated tumours was greater than 90% in each group. When urothelium was left behind after conservative resection, there was a 22% rate of recurrence on the same side but this almost only occurred when the original tumour had been multifocal. Post-operative radiotherapy did not improve survival.
Expert Review of Molecular Diagnostics · 2008 · 16 citations
Management of metastatic renal cell carcinoma: current trends
AbstractRenal cell carcinoma is one of the common malignancies of the genitourinary tract. In approximately one third of patients, distant metastases are present at the time of initial diagnosis and in another third, the tumor will recur even after nephrectomy with a curative intent. Renal cell carcinoma is resistant to all conventional treatment modalities of cancer, including radiotherapy and chemotherapy. We review the management of patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma in the era of the new targeted therapeutic agents.
International Journal of Urology · 1997 · 14 citations
Percutaneous Treatment of Transitional Cell Carcinoma of the Upper Urinary Tract
AbstractBACKGROUND: We evaluated the long-term effect of percutaneous resection in 2 Japanese patients with transitional cell carcinoma of the renal pelvis, and reviewed the medical literature on similar patients, to determine the appropriate indications for percutaneous treatment of transitional cell carcinoma in the upper urinary tract. RESULTS: Indications for endoscopic resection in the 2 patients were renal insufficiency and unsuitability for major open surgery. The patients had no recurrence during follow-up. Seven previous reports described percutaneous resection of upper urinary tract transitional cell carcinoma in 82 patients. Although 72.6% of the patients were successfully treated by percutaneous resection, half of the patients with grade 3 carcinoma developed recurrence. CONCLUSION: These results, together with those of the 7 published reports, suggest that percutaneous resection should be limited to selected patients with low-grade transitional cell carcinoma.
AbstractTwenty-two cases of renal pelvic carcinoma are reviewed, of which nine were squamous cell and 13 were transitional cell carcinomas. No difference in symptoms between the two types was seen except for an increased incidence of a palpable mass and weight loss among patients having the squamous cell variety. Thirteen of the 22 patients have died of renal pelvic carcinoma. Reasons for the low survival rate are discussed. Treatment of transitional cell carcinoma with nephroureterectomy and local lymph node dissection is recommended.
Basic science and research in renal cell carcinoma: from workbench to bedside
AbstractPURPOSE OF REVIEW: Renal cell carcinoma represents the third most common cancer in men. Radical surgery remains the only curative approach, and the 5-year survival rate once the cancer has metastasized rarely exceeds 20% despite systemic therapy. It becomes evident that an improvement in outcome might only be achieved if (1) there is early diagnosis, (2) there is accurate prediction of progression and response, and (3) new treatment options reflecting the molecular pathogenesis and progression are developed. RECENT FINDINGS: The detection of circulating cancer cells by reverse transcriptase/polymerase chain reaction techniques for the MN/CAIX gene, the identification of specific genetic alterations in circulating tumor DNA, as well as the demonstration of somatic von Hippel-Lindau mutations and extracellular matrix proteins in urine of high-risk patients might be clinically useful in improving early diagnosis and treatment. The signal transducer and activator of transcription has been shown to significantly correlate with relapse patterns following radical surgery. Heterozygosity or homozygosity for class II haplotypes DQA1 and DQB1 accurately predicts response and survival following cytokine-based therapy and may be helpful in patient selection. In terms of treatment, the use of monoclonal antibody derivates against the epidermal growth factor receptor and the vascular endothelial growth factor receptor has shown promising clinical results. Antisense oligodeoxynucleotide therapy has shown significant therapeutic effects in in-vitro and in-vivo studies. Recent developments in the clinical application of proteasome inhibitors have opened the door to exciting, highly specific and effective molecular treatment options for metastatic renal cell carcinoma. SUMMARY: Recent developments in research on renal cell carcinoma have identified various clinically useful diagnostic and therapeutic options reflecting the molecular basis of the pathogenesis and progression of the disease.
Medical academic journal · 2010 · 1 citations · open access
Immunohistochemical investigation of transitional cell carcinoma of the upper urinary tract
AbstractThe paper reviews the data available in the literature in immunohistochemical investigation of transitional cell carcinomas of renal pelvis and ureter. The classical tumour characteristics of transitional cell carcinoma of the upper urinary tract - pathological stage and grade.Traditional morphological criteria are not sufficient to precisely predict the biological behavior of transitional cell carcinomas of renal pelvis and ureter. Immunohistochemical investigation gives additional prognostic information in patients with transitional cell carcinoma of the upper urinary tract.
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.
