Integrated analysis of bioinformatic databases to identify thyroid cancer drug target candidates
Chulalongkorn Medical Journal, cilt.70, sa.5, ss.377-385, 2026 (Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Cilt numarası: 70 Sayı: 5
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Doi Numarası: 10.56808/2673-060x.5764
- Dergi Adı: Chulalongkorn Medical Journal
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Scopus
- Sayfa Sayıları: ss.377-385
- Anahtar Kelimeler: Bioinformatics, drug repurposing, GWAS, PheWAS, thyroid cancer
- Ankara Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
Background: Thyroid cancer is an endocrine malignancy whose global incidence continues to rise. Although it generally has a favourable prognosis, aggressive subtypes, such as anaplastic thyroid cancer, remain a therapeutic challenge. Drug repurposing strategies offer the opportunity to accelerate the development of therapies by utilising available drugs with an established safety profile. Objectives: This study aimed to identify candidate thyroid cancer risk-associated genes by analyzing GWAS and PheWAS data and to evaluate their potential therapeutic relevance through drug recycling. Methods: Significant gene variants were obtained from these databases and functionally annotated using HaploReg, ClinVar, SIFT, PolyPhen, CADD, cis-eQTL, and a review of PubMed literature. Candidate genes from seven functional annotations with scores ≥ 2 were designated as risk-associated and further analyzed using the STRING database. Drug candidates were searched for in DrugBank and ClinicalTrials.gov. Results: Ten risk-associated genes may be involved in thyroid cancer pathogenesis, with DIRC3 having the highest score. However, no drugs that could directly interact with these genes were recognized. These findings highlight the therapeutic gap between thyroid cancer risk-associated genes and available drugs. Conclusion: This study identified ten risk genes involved in thyroid cancer pathogenesis, with DIRC3 as the topmost candidate. Although no approved drugs directly targeted these genes, the findings highlight their potential as biomarkers and novel therapeutic targets. Integrative genomics and drug repurposing approaches remain promising strategies for advancing precision therapy in thyroid cancer.