Integrative Analysis of Bioinformatics Databases to Identify Thyroid Cancer Drug Target Candidates

Authors

• Desti Rahmawati, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universitas Ahmad Dahlan, Yogyakarta. IndonesiaFollow
• putri permata suka admanegara, Universitas Ahmad DahlanFollow
• Rista Yulianti, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universitas Ahmad Dahlan, Yogyakarta. IndonesiaFollow
• Siska Widiastuti, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universitas Ahmad Dahlan, Yogyakarta. IndonesiaFollow
• Wirawan Adikusuma, Department of Pharmacy, Universitas Muhammadiyah Mataram, Mataram, Indonesia Research Center for Computing, Research Organization for Electronics and Informatics, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Cibinong Science Center – Cibinong, IndonesiaFollow
• Brilliant Citra Wirashada, Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Muhammadiyah Surabaya, Surabaya, East Java, IndonesiaFollow
• Rahmat Dani Satria, Department of Clinical Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Public Health and Nursing, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta, 55281, IndonesiaFollow
• Darmawi Darmawi, Department of Histology, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Riau, Pekanbaru, IndonesiaFollow
• Baik Heni Rispawati, Institut Kesehatan YARSI Mataram, Mataram, IndonesiaFollow
• Rockie Chong, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, USAFollow
• Ilker ATES, Ankara University, Faculty of Pharmacy, Department of Toxicology, Tandogan, Ankara, TurkeyFollow
• Lalu Muhammad Irham, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universitas Ahmad Dahlan, Yogyakarta, IndonesiaFollow
• Petrina Theda Philothra, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Airlangga, Surabaya, IndonesiaFollow

Abstract

Background: Thyroid cancer is an endocrine malignancy whose incidence continues to rise globally. Although thyroid cancer 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 drugs already available and with an established safety profile.

Objective: This study aims to identify candidate thyroid cancer risk genes by analyzing data extracted from GWAS and PheWAS databases, and to evaluate their potential therapeutic relevance through drug repositioning

Methods: Significant gene variants were obtained from GWAS and PheWAS databases and functionally annotated using HaploReg, ClinVar, SIFT, PolyPhen, CADD, cis-eQTL, and PubMed literature review. Candidate genes with a score of ≥2 from seven functional annotations were designated as risk genes and further analyzed with the STRING database. Drug candidate searches were conducted through DrugBank and ClinicalTrials.gov.

Results: Ten biological risk genes were found to potentially play a role in thyroid cancer pathogenesis, with DIRC3 scoring the highest. However, no drugs were identified that directly interact with these risk genes. These findings highlight the therapeutic gap between thyroid cancer risk genes and currently available drugs.

Conclusion: This study identified ten biological risk genes involved in thyroid cancer pathogenesis, with DIRC3 as the top candidate. Although no approved drugs were found to directly target 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.

Keywords: Bioinformatics; drug repurposing; GWAS; PheWAS; thyroid cancer

DOI

10.56808/2673-060X.5764

First Page

1

Last Page

20

Recommended Citation

Rahmawati, Desti; suka admanegara, putri permata; Yulianti, Rista; Widiastuti, Siska; Adikusuma, Wirawan; Wirashada, Brilliant Citra; Satria, Rahmat Dani; Darmawi, Darmawi; Rispawati, Baik Heni; Chong, Rockie; ATES, Ilker; Irham, Lalu Muhammad; and Philothra, Petrina Theda () "Integrative Analysis of Bioinformatics Databases to Identify Thyroid Cancer Drug Target Candidates," Chulalongkorn Medical Journal: Vol. 70: Iss. 5, Article 5.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.56808/2673-060X.5764
Available at: https://digital.car.chula.ac.th/clmjournal/vol70/iss5/5