DeCure's autonomous Cancer AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for urethra transitional cell carcinoma — screening already-approved drugs against its 18-gene Open Targets disease module to publish open-access research. Research is fast; the path to publication is funded in milestone stages.
Disease moduleUrethra transitional cell carcinoma maps to a 18-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 urethra transitional cell carcinoma 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
CREB binding lysine acetyltransferase (CREBBP) — CREBBP 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 1vudrag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 9H0K · 1.75 Å · ligand propionyl Coenzyme A (1VU). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
In a 1976 review of 81 female urethral carcinoma cases, overall 5- and 10-year survival for the entire group was 32 per cent. Squamous carcinoma, transitional cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma showed similar survival when analysed by stage, and all cell types appeared to respond equally to irradiation. Prognosis was directly related to clinical stage. Local recurrence rates for any single treatment modality ranged from 46 to 64 per cent, leading the authors to call for clinical trials combining preoperative irradiation with definitive surgery.
A 1985 series of 10 men with transitional or squamous cell urethral carcinoma treated between 1965 and 1981 reported that radiation therapy alone produced local-regional control in 4 of 5 patients with distal or prostatic urethral cancer, and 3 were disease-free at 5 years. The only complication was urethral stricture in 3 patients, managed with periodic dilation. No patient treated by surgery alone or by surgery plus irradiation achieved local-regional control.
A 1981 series of 20 female primary urethral carcinoma patients reported 33 per cent three-year and 21 per cent five-year survival. Surgery was described as the treatment of choice for meatal or anterior lesions, while combined radiotherapy and surgery was suggested for entire urethral lesions. Vague early symptoms delayed diagnosis in most patients.
A 1997 overview of future therapies for transitional cell carcinoma of the urinary bladder did not address urethral carcinoma specifically, and no drug therapy data for urethra transitional cell carcinoma appear in any of these abstracts. What remains missing are prospective trials comparing combined-modality regimens for urethral transitional cell carcinoma, reliable stratification by tumour site and stage, and any evidence from controlled studies that could guide drug repurposing for this disease.
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 · 1976 · 98 citations
Primary Carcinoma of the Female Urethra
AbstractThe clinical and morphological features in 81 cases of carcinoma of the female urethra were reviewed. The over-all 5 and 10-year survival rate for the entire group was 32 per cent. Survival expectations for patients with squamous carcinoma, transitional cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma were similar when analyzed according to stage and all cell types appeared to respond equally to irradiation. Prognosis was related directly to the clinical stage of the disease. A plea is made for more accurate assessment of the disease status. The high incidence of local recurrence noted for all forms of single modality therapy (46 to 64 per cent) suggests the need for clinical trials with combination preoperative irradiation followed by definitive surgical procedures.
AbstractBetween February 1965 and November 1981 we treated 10 men with transitional or squamous cell carcinoma of the urethra. Treatment consisted of radiation therapy alone in 5 patients, operation alone in 4 and a combination of irradiation plus operation in 1. Radiation therapy produced local-regional control in 4 of the 5 patients with carcinoma of the distal or prostatic urethra, and 3 were completely free of disease at 5 years. The only complication of irradiation was urethral stricture in 3 patients, which was treated successfully by periodic urethral dilation. None of the patients treated by an operation alone or with irradiation achieved local-regional control.
Journal of Surgical Oncology · 1981 · 13 citations
Primary carcinoma of female urethra: Review of 20 cases
AbstractTwenty patients of primary urethral carcinoma in females are presented. Age group affected was between 40 and 60 years. Vague symptoms in early stage delayed the diagnosis in most patients. Surgery is the treatment of choice for meatal or anterior urethral lesions while combined Radiotherapy and surgery has been suggested as treatment for entire urethral lesions. In the present series 33% three years and 21% five years survivals were noted.
Case Reports in Urology · 2013 · 7 citations · open access
Radical Chemoradiotherapy for Urethral Squamous Cell Carcinoma: Two Case Reports and a Review of the Literature
AbstractPrimary urethral squamous cell carcinoma is rare. Its management is particularly challenging owing to the paucity of evidence from randomised trials to inform practice. We report two male and female cases of squamous cell carcinoma of the urethra, which were treated with concomitant cisplatin and radiotherapy. These cases add to the body of case reports that have shown benefit for concomitant chemoradiotherapy in urethral squamous cell carcinoma. They also illustrate that single agent chemotherapy, namely, cisplatin, may be used successfully with limited toxicities.
Seminars in Surgical Oncology · 1997 · 2 citations
Future therapies for the treatment of bladder neoplasms
AbstractThe last several decades have witnessed an exponential growth in the understanding of the biology of human neoplasms. As a consequence, a number of new strategies for the treatment of urologic cancers are currently under evaluation. We provide an overview of promising new treatment approaches as they apply to the management of transitional cell carcinoma of the urinary bladder.
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.
