1
|
Lavecchia A. Navigating the frontier of drug-like chemical space with cutting-edge generative AI models. Drug Discov Today 2024; 29:104133. [PMID: 39103144 DOI: 10.1016/j.drudis.2024.104133] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2024] [Revised: 07/20/2024] [Accepted: 07/31/2024] [Indexed: 08/07/2024]
Abstract
Deep generative models (GMs) have transformed the exploration of drug-like chemical space (CS) by generating novel molecules through complex, nontransparent processes, bypassing direct structural similarity. This review examines five key architectures for CS exploration: recurrent neural networks (RNNs), variational autoencoders (VAEs), generative adversarial networks (GANs), normalizing flows (NF), and Transformers. It discusses molecular representation choices, training strategies for focused CS exploration, evaluation criteria for CS coverage, and related challenges. Future directions include refining models, exploring new notations, improving benchmarks, and enhancing interpretability to better understand biologically relevant molecular properties.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Antonio Lavecchia
- 'Drug Discovery' Laboratory, Department of Pharmacy, University of Naples Federico II, I-80131 Naples, Italy.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Chen S, Xie J, Ye R, Xu DD, Yang Y. Structure-aware dual-target drug design through collaborative learning of pharmacophore combination and molecular simulation. Chem Sci 2024; 15:10366-10380. [PMID: 38994407 PMCID: PMC11234869 DOI: 10.1039/d4sc00094c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2024] [Accepted: 06/09/2024] [Indexed: 07/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Dual-target drug design has gained significant attention in the treatment of complex diseases, such as cancers and autoimmune disorders. A widely employed design strategy is combining pharmacophores to leverage the knowledge of structure-activity relationships of both targets. Unfortunately, pharmacophore combination often struggles with long and expensive trial and error, because the protein pockets of the two targets impose complex structural constraints. In this study, we propose AIxFuse, a structure-aware dual-target drug design method that learns pharmacophore fusion patterns to satisfy the dual-target structural constraints simulated by molecular docking. AIxFuse employs two self-play reinforcement learning (RL) agents to learn pharmacophore selection and fusion by comprehensive feedback including dual-target molecular docking scores. Collaboratively, the molecular docking scores are learned by active learning (AL). Through collaborative RL and AL, AIxFuse learns to generate molecules with multiple desired properties. AIxFuse is shown to outperform state-of-the-art methods in generating dual-target drugs against glycogen synthase kinase-3 beta (GSK3β) and c-Jun N-terminal kinase 3 (JNK3). When applied to another task against retinoic acid receptor-related orphan receptor γ-t (RORγt) and dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH), AIxFuse exhibits consistent performance while compared methods suffer from performance drops, leading to a 5 times higher performance in success rate. Docking studies demonstrate that AIxFuse can generate molecules concurrently satisfying the binding mode required by both targets. Further free energy perturbation calculation indicates that the generated candidates have promising binding free energies against both targets.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sheng Chen
- School of Computer Science and Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University Guangzhou 510006 China
- AixplorerBio Inc. Jiaxing 314031 China
| | - Junjie Xie
- School of Computer Science and Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University Guangzhou 510006 China
- AixplorerBio Inc. Jiaxing 314031 China
| | | | | | - Yuedong Yang
- School of Computer Science and Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University Guangzhou 510006 China
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Moon SW, Min SK. Gaussian Process Regression-Based Near-Infrared d-Luciferin Analogue Design Using Mutation-Controlled Graph-Based Genetic Algorithm. J Chem Inf Model 2024; 64:1522-1532. [PMID: 38365605 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.3c00870] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/18/2024]
Abstract
Molecular discovery is central to the field of chemical informatics. Although optimization approaches have been developed that target-specific molecular properties in combination with machine learning techniques, optimization using databases of limited size is challenging for efficient molecular design. We present a molecular design method with a Gaussian process regression model and a graph-based genetic algorithm (GB-GA) from a data set comprising a small number of compounds by introducing mutation probability control in the genetic algorithm to enhance the optimization capability and speed up the convergence to the optimal solution. In addition, we propose reducing the number of parameters in the conventional GB-GA focusing on efficient molecular design from a small database. We generated a target-specific database by combining active learning and iterative design in the evolutionary methodologies and chose Gaussian process regression as the prediction model for molecular properties. We show that the proposed scheme is more efficient for optimization toward the target properties from goal-directed benchmarks with several drug-like molecules compared to the conventional GB-GA method. Finally, we provide a demonstration whereby we designed D-luciferin analogues with near-infrared fluorescence for bioimaging, which is desirable for effective in vivo light sources, from a small-size data set.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sung Wook Moon
- Departmet of Chemistry, School of Natural Science, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), 50 UNIST-gil, Ulju-gun, Ulsan 44919, South Korea
| | - Seung Kyu Min
- Departmet of Chemistry, School of Natural Science, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), 50 UNIST-gil, Ulju-gun, Ulsan 44919, South Korea
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Zhang H, Wisuthiphaet N, Cui H, Nitin N, Liu X, Zhao Q. Spectroscopy Approaches for Food Safety Applications: Improving Data Efficiency Using Active Learning and Semi-supervised Learning. Front Artif Intell 2022; 5:863261. [PMID: 35814488 PMCID: PMC9257238 DOI: 10.3389/frai.2022.863261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2022] [Accepted: 05/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The past decade witnessed rapid development in the measurement and monitoring technologies for food science. Among these technologies, spectroscopy has been widely used for the analysis of food quality, safety, and nutritional properties. Due to the complexity of food systems and the lack of comprehensive predictive models, rapid and simple measurements to predict complex properties in food systems are largely missing. Machine Learning (ML) has shown great potential to improve the classification and prediction of these properties. However, the barriers to collecting large datasets for ML applications still persists. In this paper, we explore different approaches of data annotation and model training to improve data efficiency for ML applications. Specifically, we leverage Active Learning (AL) and Semi-Supervised Learning (SSL) and investigate four approaches: baseline passive learning, AL, SSL, and a hybrid of AL and SSL. To evaluate these approaches, we collect two spectroscopy datasets: predicting plasma dosage and detecting foodborne pathogen. Our experimental results show that, compared to the de facto passive learning approach, advanced approaches (AL, SSL, and the hybrid) can greatly reduce the number of labeled samples, with some cases decreasing the number of labeled samples by more than half.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Huanle Zhang
- Department of Computer Science, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
- *Correspondence: Huanle Zhang
| | - Nicharee Wisuthiphaet
- Department of Food Science and Technology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
| | - Hemiao Cui
- Department of Food Science and Technology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
| | - Nitin Nitin
- Department of Food Science and Technology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
| | - Xin Liu
- Department of Computer Science, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
| | - Qing Zhao
- School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Wang Y, Michael S, Yang SM, Huang R, Cruz-Gutierrez K, Zhang Y, Zhao J, Xia M, Shinn P, Sun H. Retro Drug Design: From Target Properties to Molecular Structures. J Chem Inf Model 2022; 62:2659-2669. [PMID: 35653613 PMCID: PMC9198977 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.2c00123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
To deliver more therapeutics to more patients more quickly and economically is the ultimate goal of pharmaceutical researchers. The advent and rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI), in combination with other powerful computational methods in drug discovery, makes this goal more practical than ever before. Here, we describe a new strategy, retro drug design, or RDD, to create novel small-molecule drugs from scratch to meet multiple predefined requirements, including biological activity against a drug target and optimal range of physicochemical and ADMET properties. The molecular structure was represented by an atom typing based molecular descriptor system, optATP, which was further transformed to the space of loading vectors from principal component analysis. Traditional predictive models were trained over experimental data for the target properties using optATP and shallow machine learning methods. The Monte Carlo sampling algorithm was then utilized to find the solutions in the space of loading vectors that have the target properties. Finally, a deep learning model was employed to decode molecular structures from the solutions. To test the feasibility of the algorithm, we challenged RDD to generate novel kinase inhibitors from random numbers with five different ADMET properties optimized at the same time. The best Tanimoto similarity score between the generated valid structures and the available 4,314 kinase inhibitors was < 0.50, indicating a high extent of novelty of the generated compounds. From the 3,040 structures that met all six target properties, 20 were selected for synthesis and experimental measurement of inhibition activity over 97 representative kinases and the ADMET properties. Fifteen and eight compounds were determined to be hits or strong hits, respectively. Five of the six strong kinase inhibitors have excellent experimental ADMET properties. The results presented in this paper illustrate that RDD has the potential to significantly improve the current drug discovery process.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yuhong Wang
- National Center for Advancing
Translational Sciences (NCATS), 9800 Medical Center Drive, Rockville, Maryland 20850, United States
| | - Sam Michael
- National Center for Advancing
Translational Sciences (NCATS), 9800 Medical Center Drive, Rockville, Maryland 20850, United States
| | - Shyh-Ming Yang
- National Center for Advancing
Translational Sciences (NCATS), 9800 Medical Center Drive, Rockville, Maryland 20850, United States
| | - Ruili Huang
- National Center for Advancing
Translational Sciences (NCATS), 9800 Medical Center Drive, Rockville, Maryland 20850, United States
| | - Kennie Cruz-Gutierrez
- National Center for Advancing
Translational Sciences (NCATS), 9800 Medical Center Drive, Rockville, Maryland 20850, United States
| | - Yaqing Zhang
- National Center for Advancing
Translational Sciences (NCATS), 9800 Medical Center Drive, Rockville, Maryland 20850, United States
| | - Jinghua Zhao
- National Center for Advancing
Translational Sciences (NCATS), 9800 Medical Center Drive, Rockville, Maryland 20850, United States
| | - Menghang Xia
- National Center for Advancing
Translational Sciences (NCATS), 9800 Medical Center Drive, Rockville, Maryland 20850, United States
| | - Paul Shinn
- National Center for Advancing
Translational Sciences (NCATS), 9800 Medical Center Drive, Rockville, Maryland 20850, United States
| | - Hongmao Sun
- National Center for Advancing
Translational Sciences (NCATS), 9800 Medical Center Drive, Rockville, Maryland 20850, United States
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Bender A, Schneider N, Segler M, Patrick Walters W, Engkvist O, Rodrigues T. Evaluation guidelines for machine learning tools in the chemical sciences. Nat Rev Chem 2022; 6:428-442. [PMID: 37117429 DOI: 10.1038/s41570-022-00391-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/13/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Machine learning (ML) promises to tackle the grand challenges in chemistry and speed up the generation, improvement and/or ordering of research hypotheses. Despite the overarching applicability of ML workflows, one usually finds diverse evaluation study designs. The current heterogeneity in evaluation techniques and metrics leads to difficulty in (or the impossibility of) comparing and assessing the relevance of new algorithms. Ultimately, this may delay the digitalization of chemistry at scale and confuse method developers, experimentalists, reviewers and journal editors. In this Perspective, we critically discuss a set of method development and evaluation guidelines for different types of ML-based publications, emphasizing supervised learning. We provide a diverse collection of examples from various authors and disciplines in chemistry. While taking into account varying accessibility across research groups, our recommendations focus on reporting completeness and standardizing comparisons between tools. We aim to further contribute to improved ML transparency and credibility by suggesting a checklist of retro-/prospective tests and dissecting their importance. We envisage that the wide adoption and continuous update of best practices will encourage an informed use of ML on real-world problems related to the chemical sciences.
Collapse
|
7
|
Warr WA, Nicklaus MC, Nicolaou CA, Rarey M. Exploration of Ultralarge Compound Collections for Drug Discovery. J Chem Inf Model 2022; 62:2021-2034. [PMID: 35421301 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.2c00224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Designing new medicines more cheaply and quickly is tightly linked to the quest of exploring chemical space more widely and efficiently. Chemical space is monumentally large, but recent advances in computer software and hardware have enabled researchers to navigate virtual chemical spaces containing billions of chemical structures. This review specifically concerns collections of many millions or even billions of enumerated chemical structures as well as even larger chemical spaces that are not fully enumerated. We present examples of chemical libraries and spaces and the means used to construct them, and we discuss new technologies for searching huge libraries and for searching combinatorially in chemical space. We also cover space navigation techniques and consider new approaches to de novo drug design and the impact of the "autonomous laboratory" on synthesis of designed compounds. Finally, we summarize some other challenges and opportunities for the future.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Wendy A Warr
- Wendy Warr & Associates, 6 Berwick Court, Holmes Chapel, Crewe, Cheshire CW4 7HZ, United Kingdom
| | - Marc C Nicklaus
- NCI, NIH, CADD Group, NCI-Frederick, Frederick, Maryland 21702, United States
| | - Christos A Nicolaou
- Discovery Chemistry, Lilly Research Laboratories, Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, Indiana 46285, United States
| | - Matthias Rarey
- Universität Hamburg, ZBH Center for Bioinformatics, 20146 Hamburg, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Dzobo K. The Role of Natural Products as Sources of Therapeutic Agents for Innovative Drug Discovery. COMPREHENSIVE PHARMACOLOGY 2022. [PMCID: PMC8016209 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-820472-6.00041-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Emerging threats to human health require a concerted effort in search of both preventive and treatment strategies, placing natural products at the center of efforts to obtain new therapies and reduce disease spread and associated mortality. The therapeutic value of compounds found in plants has been known for ages, resulting in their utilization in homes and in clinics for the treatment of many ailments ranging from common headache to serious conditions such as wounds. Despite the advancement observed in the world, plant based medicines are still being used to treat many pathological conditions or are used as alternatives to modern medicines. In most cases, these natural products or plant-based medicines are used in an un-purified state as extracts. A lot of research is underway to identify and purify the active compounds responsible for the healing process. Some of the current drugs used in clinics have their origins as natural products or came from plant extracts. In addition, several synthetic analogues are natural product-based or plant-based. With the emergence of novel infectious agents such as the SARS-CoV-2 in addition to already burdensome diseases such as diabetes, cancer, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS, there is need to come up with new drugs that can cure these conditions. Natural products offer an opportunity to discover new compounds that can be converted into drugs given their chemical structure diversity. Advances in analytical processes make drug discovery a multi-dimensional process involving computational designing and testing and eventual laboratory screening of potential drug candidates. Lead compounds will then be evaluated for safety, pharmacokinetics and efficacy. New technologies including Artificial Intelligence, better organ and tissue models such as organoids allow virtual screening, automation and high-throughput screening to be part of drug discovery. The use of bioinformatics and computation means that drug discovery can be a fast and efficient process and enable the use of natural products structures to obtain novel drugs. The removal of potential bottlenecks resulting in minimal false positive leads in drug development has enabled an efficient system of drug discovery. This review describes the biosynthesis and screening of natural products during drug discovery as well as methods used in studying natural products.
Collapse
|
9
|
|
10
|
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The popularity and success of advanced AI methods like deep neural networks has led to novel ways for exploring chemical space. Their opaque nature poses challenges for model evaluation regarding novelty, uniqueness, and distribution of the chemical space covered. However, these methods also promise to be able to explore uncharted chemical space in novel ways that do not rely directly on structural similarity. AREAS COVERED This review provides an overview of popular deep learning methods for chemical space exploration. Crucial aspects like choice of molecular representation, training for focused chemical space exploration, and criteria for assessing and validating chemical space coverage are discussed. EXPERT OPINION Deep learning offers great potential for chemical space exploration beyond conventional fragment-based methods. Given the rarity of prospective applications and considering the difficulty in assessing representativeness and comprehensiveness of chemical space covered, developing criteria for assessing and validating generative models is of great significance. Latent space models like variational autoencoders are conceptually appealing for inverse QSAR/QSPR approaches as neighborhood relationships in latent space can be trained to reflect property similarities. Future research in understanding and interpreting generative models might lead to a better understanding of biologically relevant properties of molecules.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Martin Vogt
- Department of Life Science Informatics, B-it, Limes Program Unit Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry, Rheinische Friedrich Wilhelms-Universität, Bonn, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Löscher W, Klein P. New approaches for developing multi-targeted drug combinations for disease modification of complex brain disorders. Does epilepsy prevention become a realistic goal? Pharmacol Ther 2021; 229:107934. [PMID: 34216705 DOI: 10.1016/j.pharmthera.2021.107934] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2021] [Revised: 06/16/2021] [Accepted: 06/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Over decades, the prevailing standard in drug discovery was the concept of designing highly selective compounds that act on individual drug targets. However, more recently, multi-target and combinatorial drug therapies have become an important treatment modality in complex diseases, including neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. The development of such network-based approaches is facilitated by the significant advance in our understanding of the pathophysiological processes in these and other complex brain diseases and the adoption of modern computational approaches in drug discovery and repurposing. However, although drug combination therapy has become an effective means for the symptomatic treatment of many complex diseases, the holy grail of identifying clinically effective disease-modifying treatments for neurodegenerative and other brain diseases remains elusive. Thus, despite extensive research, there remains an urgent need for novel treatments that will modify the progression of the disease or prevent its development in patients at risk. Here we discuss recent approaches with a focus on multi-targeted drug combinations for prevention or modification of epilepsy. Over the last ~10 years, several novel promising multi-targeted therapeutic approaches have been identified in animal models. We envision that synergistic combinations of repurposed drugs as presented in this review will be demonstrated to prevent epilepsy in patients at risk within the next 5-10 years.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Wolfgang Löscher
- Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology, and Pharmacy, University of Veterinary Medicine, Hannover, Germany; Center for Systems Neuroscience, Hannover, Germany.
| | - Pavel Klein
- Mid-Atlantic Epilepsy and Sleep Center, Bethesda, MD, USA
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Meyers J, Fabian B, Brown N. De novo molecular design and generative models. Drug Discov Today 2021; 26:2707-2715. [PMID: 34082136 DOI: 10.1016/j.drudis.2021.05.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2021] [Revised: 04/21/2021] [Accepted: 05/26/2021] [Indexed: 02/09/2023]
Abstract
Molecular design strategies are integral to therapeutic progress in drug discovery. Computational approaches for de novo molecular design have been developed over the past three decades and, recently, thanks in part to advances in machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI), the drug discovery field has gained practical experience. Here, we review these learnings and present de novo approaches according to the coarseness of their molecular representation: that is, whether molecular design is modeled on an atom-based, fragment-based, or reaction-based paradigm. Furthermore, we emphasize the value of strong benchmarks, describe the main challenges to using these methods in practice, and provide a viewpoint on further opportunities for exploration and challenges to be tackled in the upcoming years.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Nathan Brown
- BenevolentAI, 4-8 Maple Street, London W1T 5HD, UK
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Grisoni F, Huisman BJH, Button AL, Moret M, Atz K, Merk D, Schneider G. Combining generative artificial intelligence and on-chip synthesis for de novo drug design. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2021; 7:eabg3338. [PMID: 34117066 PMCID: PMC8195470 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abg3338] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2020] [Accepted: 04/23/2021] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Automating the molecular design-make-test-analyze cycle accelerates hit and lead finding for drug discovery. Using deep learning for molecular design and a microfluidics platform for on-chip chemical synthesis, liver X receptor (LXR) agonists were generated from scratch. The computational pipeline was tuned to explore the chemical space of known LXRα agonists and generate novel molecular candidates. To ensure compatibility with automated on-chip synthesis, the chemical space was confined to the virtual products obtainable from 17 one-step reactions. Twenty-five de novo designs were successfully synthesized in flow. In vitro screening of the crude reaction products revealed 17 (68%) hits, with up to 60-fold LXR activation. The batch resynthesis, purification, and retesting of 14 of these compounds confirmed that 12 of them were potent LXR agonists. These results support the suitability of the proposed design-make-test-analyze framework as a blueprint for automated drug design with artificial intelligence and miniaturized bench-top synthesis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Grisoni
- ETH Zurich, Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, RETHINK, Zurich, Switzerland.
- Eindhoven University of Technology, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven, Netherlands
| | - Berend J H Huisman
- ETH Zurich, Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, RETHINK, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Alexander L Button
- ETH Zurich, Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, RETHINK, Zurich, Switzerland
- University of Lausanne, Department of Computational Biology, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Michael Moret
- ETH Zurich, Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, RETHINK, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Kenneth Atz
- ETH Zurich, Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, RETHINK, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Daniel Merk
- ETH Zurich, Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, RETHINK, Zurich, Switzerland.
- Goethe University Frankfurt, Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Gisbert Schneider
- ETH Zurich, Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, RETHINK, Zurich, Switzerland.
- ETH Singapore SEC Ltd, Singapore, Singapore
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Zhu S, Wu M, Huang Z, An J. Trends in application of advancing computational approaches in GPCR ligand discovery. Exp Biol Med (Maywood) 2021; 246:1011-1024. [PMID: 33641446 PMCID: PMC8113737 DOI: 10.1177/1535370221993422] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) comprise the most important superfamily of protein targets in current ligand discovery and drug development. GPCRs are integral membrane proteins that play key roles in various cellular signaling processes. Therefore, GPCR signaling pathways are closely associated with numerous diseases, including cancer and several neurological, immunological, and hematological disorders. Computer-aided drug design (CADD) can expedite the process of GPCR drug discovery and potentially reduce the actual cost of research and development. Increasing knowledge of biological structures, as well as improvements on computer power and algorithms, have led to unprecedented use of CADD for the discovery of novel GPCR modulators. Similarly, machine learning approaches are now widely applied in various fields of drug target research. This review briefly summarizes the application of rising CADD methodologies, as well as novel machine learning techniques, in GPCR structural studies and bioligand discovery in the past few years. Recent novel computational strategies and feasible workflows are updated, and representative cases addressing challenging issues on olfactory receptors, biased agonism, and drug-induced cardiotoxic effects are highlighted to provide insights into future GPCR drug discovery.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Siyu Zhu
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
- Ciechanover Institute of Precision and Regenerative Medicine, School of Life and Health Sciences, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen 518172, China
| | - Meixian Wu
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Ziwei Huang
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
- Ciechanover Institute of Precision and Regenerative Medicine, School of Life and Health Sciences, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen 518172, China
- School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Jing An
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Schuffenhauer A, Schneider N, Hintermann S, Auld D, Blank J, Cotesta S, Engeloch C, Fechner N, Gaul C, Giovannoni J, Jansen J, Joslin J, Krastel P, Lounkine E, Manchester J, Monovich LG, Pelliccioli AP, Schwarze M, Shultz MD, Stiefl N, Baeschlin DK. Evolution of Novartis' Small Molecule Screening Deck Design. J Med Chem 2020; 63:14425-14447. [PMID: 33140646 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.0c01332] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
This article summarizes the evolution of the screening deck at the Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research (NIBR). Historically, the screening deck was an assembly of all available compounds. In 2015, we designed a first deck to facilitate access to diverse subsets with optimized properties. We allocated the compounds as plated subsets on a 2D grid with property based ranking in one dimension and increasing structural redundancy in the other. The learnings from the 2015 screening deck were applied to the design of a next generation in 2019. We found that using traditional leadlikeness criteria (mainly MW, clogP) reduces the hit rates of attractive chemical starting points in subset screening. Consequently, the 2019 deck relies on solubility and permeability to select preferred compounds. The 2019 design also uses NIBR's experimental assay data and inferred biological activity profiles in addition to structural diversity to define redundancy across the compound sets.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ansgar Schuffenhauer
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Novartis Campus, CH-4002 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Nadine Schneider
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Novartis Campus, CH-4002 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Samuel Hintermann
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Novartis Campus, CH-4002 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Douglas Auld
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research Inc., 181 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Jutta Blank
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Novartis Campus, CH-4002 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Simona Cotesta
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Novartis Campus, CH-4002 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Caroline Engeloch
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Novartis Campus, CH-4002 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Nikolas Fechner
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Novartis Campus, CH-4002 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Christoph Gaul
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Novartis Campus, CH-4002 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Jerome Giovannoni
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Novartis Campus, CH-4002 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Johanna Jansen
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research-Emeryville, 5300 Chiron Way, Emeryville, California 94608-2916, United States
| | - John Joslin
- Genomics Institute of the Novartis Foundation, San Diego, California 92121, United States
| | - Philipp Krastel
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Novartis Campus, CH-4002 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Eugen Lounkine
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research Inc., 181 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - John Manchester
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research Inc., 181 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Lauren G Monovich
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research Inc., 181 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Anna Paola Pelliccioli
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Novartis Campus, CH-4002 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Manuel Schwarze
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Novartis Campus, CH-4002 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Michael D Shultz
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research Inc., 181 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Nikolaus Stiefl
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Novartis Campus, CH-4002 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Daniel K Baeschlin
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Novartis Campus, CH-4002 Basel, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Vanhaelen Q, Lin YC, Zhavoronkov A. The Advent of Generative Chemistry. ACS Med Chem Lett 2020; 11:1496-1505. [PMID: 32832015 PMCID: PMC7429972 DOI: 10.1021/acsmedchemlett.0c00088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2020] [Accepted: 07/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Generative adversarial networks (GANs), first published in 2014, are among the most important concepts in modern artificial intelligence (AI). Bridging deep learning and game theory, GANs are used to generate or "imagine" new objects with desired properties. Since 2016, multiple GANs with reinforcement learning (RL) have been successfully applied in pharmacology for de novo molecular design. Those techniques aim at a more efficient use of the data and a better exploration of the chemical space. We review recent advances for the generation of novel molecules with desired properties with a focus on the applications of GANs, RL, and related techniques. We also discuss the current limitations and challenges in the new growing field of generative chemistry.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Quentin Vanhaelen
- Insilico
Medicine Hong Kong Ltd, Pak Shek Kok, New Territories, Hong Kong
| | - Yen-Chu Lin
- Insilico
Medicine Hong Kong Ltd, Pak Shek Kok, New Territories, Hong Kong
- Insilico
Taiwan, Taipei City 115, Taiwan, R.O.C
| | - Alex Zhavoronkov
- Insilico
Medicine Hong Kong Ltd, Pak Shek Kok, New Territories, Hong Kong
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Greenfield DA, Schmidt HR, Skiba MA, Mandler MD, Anderson JR, Sliz P, Kruse AC. Virtual Screening for Ligand Discovery at the σ 1 Receptor. ACS Med Chem Lett 2020; 11:1555-1561. [PMID: 32832023 DOI: 10.1021/acsmedchemlett.9b00314] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2020] [Accepted: 07/27/2020] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The σ1 receptor is a transmembrane protein implicated in several pathophysiological conditions, including neurodegenerative disease (J. Pharmacol. Sci.2015127 (1), 1729), drug addiction (Behav. Pharmacol.201627 (2-3 Spec Issue), 10015), cancer (Handb. Exp. Pharmacol.2017244237308), and pain (Neural Regener. Res.201813 (5), 775778). However, there are no high-throughput functional assays for σ1 receptor drug discovery. Here, we assessed high-throughput structure-based computational docking for discovery of novel ligands of the σ1 receptor. We screened a library of over 6 million compounds using the Schrödinger Glide package, followed by experimental characterization of top-scoring candidates. 77% of tested candidates bound σ1 with high affinity (KD < 1 μM). These include compounds with high selectivity for the σ1 receptor compared to the genetically unrelated but pharmacologically similar σ2 receptor, as well as compounds with substantial crossreactivity between the two receptors. These results establish structure-based virtual screening as a highly effective platform for σ1 receptor ligand discovery and provide compounds to prioritize in studies of σ1 biology.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Daniel A. Greenfield
- Harvard Medical School, Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Hayden R. Schmidt
- Harvard Medical School, Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Meredith A. Skiba
- Harvard Medical School, Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Michael D. Mandler
- Harvard University, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, United States
| | - Jacob R. Anderson
- Harvard Medical School, Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Piotr Sliz
- Harvard Medical School, Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
- Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Andrew C. Kruse
- Harvard Medical School, Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Muraoka K, Chaikittisilp W, Okubo T. Multi-objective de novo molecular design of organic structure-directing agents for zeolites using nature-inspired ant colony optimization. Chem Sci 2020; 11:8214-8223. [PMID: 34094176 PMCID: PMC8163217 DOI: 10.1039/d0sc03075a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Organic structure-directing agents (OSDAs) are often employed for synthesis of zeolites with desired frameworks. A priori prediction of such OSDAs has mainly relied on the interaction energies between OSDAs and zeolite frameworks, without cost considerations. For practical purposes, the cost of OSDAs becomes a critical issue. Therefore, the development of a computational de novo prediction methodology that can speed up the trial-and-error cycle in the search for less expensive OSDAs is desired. This study utilized a nature-inspired ant colony optimization method to predict physicochemically and/or economically preferable OSDAs, while also taking molecular similarity and heuristics of zeolite synthesis into consideration. The prediction results included experimentally known OSDAs, candidates having structures closely related to known OSDAs, and novel ones, suggesting the applicability of this approach. Inspired by the exploratory methods of ant colonies, adaptive optimization was employed to explore the chemical space for organic molecules that guide zeolite crystallization, giving both physicochemically and economically promising molecules.![]()
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Koki Muraoka
- Department of Chemical System Engineering, The University of Tokyo 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku Tokyo 113-8656 Japan
| | - Watcharop Chaikittisilp
- Department of Chemical System Engineering, The University of Tokyo 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku Tokyo 113-8656 Japan
| | - Tatsuya Okubo
- Department of Chemical System Engineering, The University of Tokyo 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku Tokyo 113-8656 Japan
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Lin X, Li X, Lin X. A Review on Applications of Computational Methods in Drug Screening and Design. Molecules 2020; 25:E1375. [PMID: 32197324 PMCID: PMC7144386 DOI: 10.3390/molecules25061375] [Citation(s) in RCA: 230] [Impact Index Per Article: 57.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2020] [Revised: 03/16/2020] [Accepted: 03/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Drug development is one of the most significant processes in the pharmaceutical industry. Various computational methods have dramatically reduced the time and cost of drug discovery. In this review, we firstly discussed roles of multiscale biomolecular simulations in identifying drug binding sites on the target macromolecule and elucidating drug action mechanisms. Then, virtual screening methods (e.g., molecular docking, pharmacophore modeling, and QSAR) as well as structure- and ligand-based classical/de novo drug design were introduced and discussed. Last, we explored the development of machine learning methods and their applications in aforementioned computational methods to speed up the drug discovery process. Also, several application examples of combining various methods was discussed. A combination of different methods to jointly solve the tough problem at different scales and dimensions will be an inevitable trend in drug screening and design.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoqian Lin
- Institute of Single Cell Engineering, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China;
- School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Xiu Li
- School of Chemistry and Material Science, Shanxi Normal University, Linfen 041004, China;
| | - Xubo Lin
- Institute of Single Cell Engineering, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China;
- School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Affiliation(s)
- Marco Foscato
- Department of Chemistry, University of Bergen, Allégaten 41, N-5007 Bergen, Norway
| | - Vidar R. Jensen
- Department of Chemistry, University of Bergen, Allégaten 41, N-5007 Bergen, Norway
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Schneider P, Walters WP, Plowright AT, Sieroka N, Listgarten J, Goodnow RA, Fisher J, Jansen JM, Duca JS, Rush TS, Zentgraf M, Hill JE, Krutoholow E, Kohler M, Blaney J, Funatsu K, Luebkemann C, Schneider G. Rethinking drug design in the artificial intelligence era. Nat Rev Drug Discov 2019. [DOI: 78495111110.1038/s41573-019-0050-3' target='_blank'>'"<>78495111110.1038/s41573-019-0050-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [78495111110.1038/s41573-019-0050-3','', '10.1002/anie.201310864')">Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/29/2022]
78495111110.1038/s41573-019-0050-3" />
|
22
|
Rethinking drug design in the artificial intelligence era. Nat Rev Drug Discov 2019; 19:353-364. [DOI: 10.1038/s41573-019-0050-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 222] [Impact Index Per Article: 44.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
|
23
|
Rodrigues T. The good, the bad, and the ugly in chemical and biological data for machine learning. DRUG DISCOVERY TODAY. TECHNOLOGIES 2019; 32-33:3-8. [PMID: 33386092 PMCID: PMC7382642 DOI: 10.1016/j.ddtec.2020.07.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2020] [Revised: 07/08/2020] [Accepted: 07/09/2020] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Machine learning and artificial intelligence (ML/AI) have become important research tools in molecular medicine and chemistry. Their rise and recent success in drug discovery promises a rapid progression of development pipelines while reshaping how fundamental and clinical research is conducted. By taking advantage of the ever-growing wealth of publicly available and proprietary data, learning algorithms now provide an attractive means to generate statistically motivated research hypotheses. Hitherto unknown data patterns may guide and prioritize experiments, and augment expert intuition. Therefore, data is a key component in the model building workflow. Herein, I aim to discuss types of chemical and biological data according to their quality and reemphasize general recommendations for their use in ML/AI.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tiago Rodrigues
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Lisboa, Av Prof Egaz Moniz, 1649-028 Lisboa, Portugal; Research Institute for Medicines (iMed.ULisboa), Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Prof. Gama Pinto 1649-003, Lisboa, Portugal.
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
Machine learning for target discovery in drug development. Curr Opin Chem Biol 2019; 56:16-22. [PMID: 31734566 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2019.10.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2019] [Revised: 10/01/2019] [Accepted: 10/03/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The discovery of macromolecular targets for bioactive agents is currently a bottleneck for the informed design of chemical probes and drug leads. Typically, activity profiling against genetically manipulated cell lines or chemical proteomics is pursued to shed light on their biology and deconvolute drug-target networks. By taking advantage of the ever-growing wealth of publicly available bioactivity data, learning algorithms now provide an attractive means to generate statistically motivated research hypotheses and thereby prioritize biochemical screens. Here, we highlight recent successes in machine intelligence for target identification and discuss challenges and opportunities for drug discovery.
Collapse
|
25
|
Winter R, Montanari F, Steffen A, Briem H, Noé F, Clevert DA. Efficient multi-objective molecular optimization in a continuous latent space. Chem Sci 2019; 10:8016-8024. [PMID: 31853357 PMCID: PMC6836962 DOI: 10.1039/c9sc01928f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 120] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2019] [Accepted: 07/02/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
One of the main challenges in small molecule drug discovery is finding novel chemical compounds with desirable properties. In this work, we propose a novel method that combines in silico prediction of molecular properties such as biological activity or pharmacokinetics with an in silico optimization algorithm, namely Particle Swarm Optimization. Our method takes a starting compound as input and proposes new molecules with more desirable (predicted) properties. It navigates a machine-learned continuous representation of a drug-like chemical space guided by a defined objective function. The objective function combines multiple in silico prediction models, defined desirability ranges and substructure constraints. We demonstrate that our proposed method is able to consistently find more desirable molecules for the studied tasks in relatively short time. We hope that our method can support medicinal chemists in accelerating and improving the lead optimization process.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Robin Winter
- Department of Digital Technologies , Bayer AG , Berlin , Germany .
- Department of Mathematics and Computer Science , Freie Universität Berlin , Berlin , Germany
| | | | - Andreas Steffen
- Department of Digital Technologies , Bayer AG , Berlin , Germany .
| | - Hans Briem
- Department of Digital Technologies , Bayer AG , Berlin , Germany .
| | - Frank Noé
- Department of Mathematics and Computer Science , Freie Universität Berlin , Berlin , Germany
| | | |
Collapse
|
26
|
Wang S, Dong G, Sheng C. Structural simplification: an efficient strategy in lead optimization. Acta Pharm Sin B 2019; 9:880-901. [PMID: 31649841 PMCID: PMC6804494 DOI: 10.1016/j.apsb.2019.05.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2019] [Revised: 05/04/2019] [Accepted: 05/15/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The trend toward designing large hydrophobic molecules for lead optimization is often associated with poor drug-likeness and high attrition rates in drug discovery and development. Structural simplification is a powerful strategy for improving the efficiency and success rate of drug design by avoiding "molecular obesity". The structural simplification of large or complex lead compounds by truncating unnecessary groups can not only improve their synthetic accessibility but also improve their pharmacokinetic profiles, reduce side effects and so on. This review will summarize the application of structural simplification in lead optimization. Numerous case studies, particularly those involving successful examples leading to marketed drugs or drug-like candidates, will be introduced and analyzed to illustrate the design strategies and guidelines for structural simplification.
Collapse
Key Words
- 11β-HSD, 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase
- 3D, three-dimensional
- ADMET, absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion and toxicity
- AM2, adrenomedullin-2 receptor
- BIOS, biology-oriented synthesis
- CCK, cholecystokinin receptor
- CGRP, calcitonin gene-related peptide
- Drug design
- Drug discovery
- GlyT1, glycine transport 1
- HBV, hepatitis B virus
- HDAC, histone deacetylase
- HLM, human liver microsome
- JAKs, Janus tyrosine kinases
- LE, ligand efficiency
- Lead optimization
- LeuRS, leucyl-tRNA synthetase
- MCRs, multicomponent reactions
- MDR-TB, multidrug-resistant tuberculosis
- MW, molecular weight
- NP, natural product
- NPM, nucleophosmin
- PD, pharmacodynamic
- PK, pharmacokinetic
- PKC, protein kinase C
- Pharmacophore-based simplification
- Reducing chiral centers
- Reducing rings number
- SAHA, vorinostat
- SAR, structure‒activity relationship
- SCONP, structural classification of natural product
- Structural simplification
- Structure-based simplification
- TSA, trichostatin A
- TbLeuRS, T. brucei LeuRS
- ThrRS, threonyl-tRNA synthetase
- VANGL1, van-Gogh-like receptor protein 1
- aa-AMP, aminoacyl-AMP
- aa-AMS, aminoacylsulfa-moyladenosine
- aaRSs, aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases
- hA3 AR, human A3 adenosine receptor
- mTORC1, mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shengzheng Wang
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200433, China
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Analysis, School of Pharmacy, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an 710032, China
| | - Guoqiang Dong
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200433, China
| | - Chunquan Sheng
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200433, China
| |
Collapse
|
27
|
A Toolbox for the Identification of Modes of Action of Natural Products. PROGRESS IN THE CHEMISTRY OF ORGANIC NATURAL PRODUCTS 110 2019; 110:73-97. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-14632-0_3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
|
28
|
Melagraki G, Ntougkos E, Papadopoulou D, Rinotas V, Leonis G, Douni E, Afantitis A, Kollias G. In Silico Discovery of Plant-Origin Natural Product Inhibitors of Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF) and Receptor Activator of NF-κB Ligand (RANKL). Front Pharmacol 2018; 9:800. [PMID: 30090063 PMCID: PMC6068282 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2018.00800] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2018] [Accepted: 07/03/2018] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
An in silico drug discovery pipeline for the virtual screening of plant-origin natural products (NPs) was developed to explore new direct inhibitors of TNF and its close relative receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-B ligand (RANKL), both representing attractive therapeutic targets for many chronic inflammatory conditions. Direct TNF inhibition through identification of potent small molecules is a highly desired goal; however, it is often hampered by severe limitations. Our approach yielded a priority list of 15 NPs as potential direct TNF inhibitors that were subsequently tested in vitro against TNF and RANKL. We thus identified two potent direct inhibitors of TNF function with low micromolar IC50 values and minimal toxicity even at high concentrations. Most importantly, one of them (A11) was proved to be a dual inhibitor of both TNF and RANKL. Extended molecular dynamics simulations with the fully automated EnalosMD suite rationalized the mode of action of the compounds at the molecular level. To our knowledge, these compounds constitute the first NP TNF inhibitors, one of which being the first NP small-molecule dual inhibitor of TNF and RANKL, and could serve as lead compounds for the development of novel treatments for inflammatory and autoimmune diseases.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Evangelos Ntougkos
- Division of Immunology Biomedical Sciences Research Center "Alexander Fleming,", Vari, Greece
| | - Dimitra Papadopoulou
- Division of Immunology Biomedical Sciences Research Center "Alexander Fleming,", Vari, Greece.,Department of Experimental Physiology, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Vagelis Rinotas
- Division of Immunology Biomedical Sciences Research Center "Alexander Fleming,", Vari, Greece.,Department of Biotechnology, Agricultural University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | | | - Eleni Douni
- Division of Immunology Biomedical Sciences Research Center "Alexander Fleming,", Vari, Greece.,Department of Biotechnology, Agricultural University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Antreas Afantitis
- Division of Immunology Biomedical Sciences Research Center "Alexander Fleming,", Vari, Greece.,NovaMechanics Ltd., Nicosia, Cyprus
| | - George Kollias
- Division of Immunology Biomedical Sciences Research Center "Alexander Fleming,", Vari, Greece.,Department of Experimental Physiology, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| |
Collapse
|
29
|
Li Y, Zhang L, Liu Z. Multi-objective de novo drug design with conditional graph generative model. J Cheminform 2018; 10:33. [PMID: 30043127 PMCID: PMC6057868 DOI: 10.1186/s13321-018-0287-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 141] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2018] [Accepted: 07/13/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Recently, deep generative models have revealed itself as a promising way of performing de novo molecule design. However, previous research has focused mainly on generating SMILES strings instead of molecular graphs. Although available, current graph generative models are are often too general and computationally expensive. In this work, a new de novo molecular design framework is proposed based on a type of sequential graph generators that do not use atom level recurrent units. Compared with previous graph generative models, the proposed method is much more tuned for molecule generation and has been scaled up to cover significantly larger molecules in the ChEMBL database. It is shown that the graph-based model outperforms SMILES based models in a variety of metrics, especially in the rate of valid outputs. For the application of drug design tasks, conditional graph generative model is employed. This method offers highe flexibility and is suitable for generation based on multiple objectives. The results have demonstrated that this approach can be effectively applied to solve several drug design problems, including the generation of compounds containing a given scaffold, compounds with specific drug-likeness and synthetic accessibility requirements, as well as dual inhibitors against JNK3 and GSK-3β.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yibo Li
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Xueyuan Road 38, Haidian District, Beijing, 100191, China
| | - Liangren Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Xueyuan Road 38, Haidian District, Beijing, 100191, China.
| | - Zhenming Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Xueyuan Road 38, Haidian District, Beijing, 100191, China.
| |
Collapse
|
30
|
Thomford NE, Senthebane DA, Rowe A, Munro D, Seele P, Maroyi A, Dzobo K. Natural Products for Drug Discovery in the 21st Century: Innovations for Novel Drug Discovery. Int J Mol Sci 2018; 19:E1578. [PMID: 29799486 PMCID: PMC6032166 DOI: 10.3390/ijms19061578] [Citation(s) in RCA: 565] [Impact Index Per Article: 94.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2018] [Revised: 05/16/2018] [Accepted: 05/18/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The therapeutic properties of plants have been recognised since time immemorial. Many pathological conditions have been treated using plant-derived medicines. These medicines are used as concoctions or concentrated plant extracts without isolation of active compounds. Modern medicine however, requires the isolation and purification of one or two active compounds. There are however a lot of global health challenges with diseases such as cancer, degenerative diseases, HIV/AIDS and diabetes, of which modern medicine is struggling to provide cures. Many times the isolation of "active compound" has made the compound ineffective. Drug discovery is a multidimensional problem requiring several parameters of both natural and synthetic compounds such as safety, pharmacokinetics and efficacy to be evaluated during drug candidate selection. The advent of latest technologies that enhance drug design hypotheses such as Artificial Intelligence, the use of 'organ-on chip' and microfluidics technologies, means that automation has become part of drug discovery. This has resulted in increased speed in drug discovery and evaluation of the safety, pharmacokinetics and efficacy of candidate compounds whilst allowing novel ways of drug design and synthesis based on natural compounds. Recent advances in analytical and computational techniques have opened new avenues to process complex natural products and to use their structures to derive new and innovative drugs. Indeed, we are in the era of computational molecular design, as applied to natural products. Predictive computational softwares have contributed to the discovery of molecular targets of natural products and their derivatives. In future the use of quantum computing, computational softwares and databases in modelling molecular interactions and predicting features and parameters needed for drug development, such as pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamics, will result in few false positive leads in drug development. This review discusses plant-based natural product drug discovery and how innovative technologies play a role in next-generation drug discovery.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas Ekow Thomford
- Pharmacogenomics and Drug Metabolism Group, Division of Human Genetics, Department of Pathology and Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Anzio Road, Observatory, Cape Town 7925, South Africa.
- School of Medical Sciences, University of Cape Coast, PMB, Cape Coast, Ghana.
| | - Dimakatso Alice Senthebane
- International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), Cape Town Component, Wernher and Beit Building (South), University of Cape Town Medical Campus, Anzio Road, Observatory, Cape Town 7925, South Africa.
- Division of Medical Biochemistry and Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Anzio Road, Observatory, Cape Town 7925, South Africa.
| | - Arielle Rowe
- International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), Cape Town Component, Wernher and Beit Building (South), University of Cape Town Medical Campus, Anzio Road, Observatory, Cape Town 7925, South Africa.
| | - Daniella Munro
- Pharmacogenomics and Drug Metabolism Group, Division of Human Genetics, Department of Pathology and Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Anzio Road, Observatory, Cape Town 7925, South Africa.
| | - Palesa Seele
- Division of Chemical and Systems Biology, Department of Integrative Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Anzio Road, Observatory, Cape Town 7925, South Africa.
| | - Alfred Maroyi
- Department of Botany, University of Fort Hare, Private Bag, Alice X1314, South Africa.
| | - Kevin Dzobo
- International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), Cape Town Component, Wernher and Beit Building (South), University of Cape Town Medical Campus, Anzio Road, Observatory, Cape Town 7925, South Africa.
- Division of Medical Biochemistry and Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Anzio Road, Observatory, Cape Town 7925, South Africa.
| |
Collapse
|
31
|
Schneider P, Schneider G. Polypharmacological Drug−target Inference for Chemogenomics. Mol Inform 2018; 37:e1800050. [DOI: 10.1002/minf.201800050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2018] [Accepted: 04/24/2018] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Petra Schneider
- Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences; Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH); Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 4 CH-8093 Zurich Switzerland
| | - Gisbert Schneider
- Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences; Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH); Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 4 CH-8093 Zurich Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
32
|
Basith S, Cui M, Macalino SJY, Park J, Clavio NAB, Kang S, Choi S. Exploring G Protein-Coupled Receptors (GPCRs) Ligand Space via Cheminformatics Approaches: Impact on Rational Drug Design. Front Pharmacol 2018; 9:128. [PMID: 29593527 PMCID: PMC5854945 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2018.00128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2017] [Accepted: 02/06/2018] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
The primary goal of rational drug discovery is the identification of selective ligands which act on single or multiple drug targets to achieve the desired clinical outcome through the exploration of total chemical space. To identify such desired compounds, computational approaches are necessary in predicting their drug-like properties. G Protein-Coupled Receptors (GPCRs) represent one of the largest and most important integral membrane protein families. These receptors serve as increasingly attractive drug targets due to their relevance in the treatment of various diseases, such as inflammatory disorders, metabolic imbalances, cardiac disorders, cancer, monogenic disorders, etc. In the last decade, multitudes of three-dimensional (3D) structures were solved for diverse GPCRs, thus referring to this period as the "golden age for GPCR structural biology." Moreover, accumulation of data about the chemical properties of GPCR ligands has garnered much interest toward the exploration of GPCR chemical space. Due to the steady increase in the structural, ligand, and functional data of GPCRs, several cheminformatics approaches have been implemented in its drug discovery pipeline. In this review, we mainly focus on the cheminformatics-based paradigms in GPCR drug discovery. We provide a comprehensive view on the ligand- and structure-based cheminformatics approaches which are best illustrated via GPCR case studies. Furthermore, an appropriate combination of ligand-based knowledge with structure-based ones, i.e., integrated approach, which is emerging as a promising strategy for cheminformatics-based GPCR drug design is also discussed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Soosung Kang
- College of Pharmacy and Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Sun Choi
- College of Pharmacy and Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, South Korea
| |
Collapse
|
33
|
Segler MHS, Kogej T, Tyrchan C, Waller MP. Generating Focused Molecule Libraries for Drug Discovery with Recurrent Neural Networks. ACS CENTRAL SCIENCE 2018; 4:120-131. [PMID: 29392184 PMCID: PMC5785775 DOI: 10.1021/acscentsci.7b00512] [Citation(s) in RCA: 665] [Impact Index Per Article: 110.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2017] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
In de novo drug design, computational strategies are used to generate novel molecules with good affinity to the desired biological target. In this work, we show that recurrent neural networks can be trained as generative models for molecular structures, similar to statistical language models in natural language processing. We demonstrate that the properties of the generated molecules correlate very well with the properties of the molecules used to train the model. In order to enrich libraries with molecules active toward a given biological target, we propose to fine-tune the model with small sets of molecules, which are known to be active against that target. Against Staphylococcus aureus, the model reproduced 14% of 6051 hold-out test molecules that medicinal chemists designed, whereas against Plasmodium falciparum (Malaria), it reproduced 28% of 1240 test molecules. When coupled with a scoring function, our model can perform the complete de novo drug design cycle to generate large sets of novel molecules for drug discovery.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marwin H. S. Segler
- Institute of Organic
Chemistry & Center for Multiscale Theory and Computation, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, 48149 Münster, Germany
| | - Thierry Kogej
- Hit Discovery, Discovery Sciences, AstraZeneca R&D, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Christian Tyrchan
- Department of Medicinal
Chemistry, IMED RIA, AstraZeneca R&D, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Mark P. Waller
- Department of Physics & International Centre for Quantum and
Molecular Structures, Shanghai University, Shanghai, China
| |
Collapse
|
34
|
Abstract
Small-molecule drug discovery can be viewed as a challenging multidimensional problem in which various characteristics of compounds - including efficacy, pharmacokinetics and safety - need to be optimized in parallel to provide drug candidates. Recent advances in areas such as microfluidics-assisted chemical synthesis and biological testing, as well as artificial intelligence systems that improve a design hypothesis through feedback analysis, are now providing a basis for the introduction of greater automation into aspects of this process. This could potentially accelerate time frames for compound discovery and optimization and enable more effective searches of chemical space. However, such approaches also raise considerable conceptual, technical and organizational challenges, as well as scepticism about the current hype around them. This article aims to identify the approaches and technologies that could be implemented robustly by medicinal chemists in the near future and to critically analyse the opportunities and challenges for their more widespread application.
Collapse
|
35
|
Ravikumar B, Aittokallio T. Improving the efficacy-safety balance of polypharmacology in multi-target drug discovery. Expert Opin Drug Discov 2017; 13:179-192. [DOI: 10.1080/17460441.2018.1413089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Balaguru Ravikumar
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland, FIMM, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Tero Aittokallio
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland, FIMM, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| |
Collapse
|
36
|
Allen WJ, Fochtman BC, Balius TE, Rizzo RC. Customizable de novo design strategies for DOCK: Application to HIVgp41 and other therapeutic targets. J Comput Chem 2017; 38:2641-2663. [PMID: 28940386 DOI: 10.1002/jcc.25052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2017] [Accepted: 08/03/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
De novo design can be used to explore vast areas of chemical space in computational lead discovery. As a complement to virtual screening, from-scratch construction of molecules is not limited to compounds in pre-existing vendor catalogs. Here, we present an iterative fragment growth method, integrated into the program DOCK, in which new molecules are built using rules for allowable connections based on known molecules. The method leverages DOCK's advanced scoring and pruning approaches and users can define very specific criteria in terms of properties or features to customize growth toward a particular region of chemical space. The code was validated using three increasingly difficult classes of calculations: (1) Rebuilding known X-ray ligands taken from 663 complexes using only their component parts (focused libraries), (2) construction of new ligands in 57 drug target sites using a library derived from ∼13M drug-like compounds (generic libraries), and (3) application to a challenging protein-protein interface on the viral drug target HIVgp41. The computational testing confirms that the de novo DOCK routines are robust and working as envisioned, and the compelling results highlight the potential utility for designing new molecules against a wide variety of important protein targets. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- William J Allen
- Department of Applied Mathematics and Statistics, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, 11794
| | - Brian C Fochtman
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, 11794
| | - Trent E Balius
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, 94158
| | - Robert C Rizzo
- Department of Applied Mathematics and Statistics, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, 11794.,Institute of Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, 11794.,Laufer Center for Physical and Quantitative Biology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, 11794
| |
Collapse
|
37
|
Abstract
Designing drugs that can simultaneously interact with multiple targets is a promising approach for treating complicated diseases. Compared to using combinations of single target drugs, multitarget drugs have advantages of higher efficacy, improved safety profile, and simpler administration. Many in silico methods have been developed to approach different aspects of this polypharmacology-guided drug design, particularly for drug repurposing and multitarget drug design. In this review, we summarize recent progress in computational multitarget drug design and discuss their advantages and limitations. Perspectives for future drug development will also be discussed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Weilin Zhang
- Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies (AAIS), Peking University , Beijing 100871, People's Republic of China
| | - Jianfeng Pei
- Center for Quantitative Biology, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies (AAIS), Peking University , Beijing 100871, People's Republic of China
| | - Luhua Lai
- Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies (AAIS), Peking University , Beijing 100871, People's Republic of China.,Center for Quantitative Biology, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies (AAIS), Peking University , Beijing 100871, People's Republic of China.,BNLMS, State Key Laboratory for Structural Chemistry of Unstable and Stable Species, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University , Beijing 100871, People's Republic of China
| |
Collapse
|
38
|
Small Random Forest Models for Effective Chemogenomic Active Learning. JOURNAL OF COMPUTER AIDED CHEMISTRY 2017. [DOI: 10.2751/jcac.18.124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
|
39
|
|
40
|
Grisoni F, Reker D, Schneider P, Friedrich L, Consonni V, Todeschini R, Koeberle A, Werz O, Schneider G. Matrix-based Molecular Descriptors for Prospective Virtual Compound Screening. Mol Inform 2016; 36. [DOI: 10.1002/minf.201600091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2016] [Accepted: 09/07/2016] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Grisoni
- University of Milano-Bicocca; Dept. of Earth and Environmental Sciences; P.za della Scienza 1 20126 Milano Italy
- Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH); Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences; Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 4 8093 Zurich Switzerland
| | - Daniel Reker
- Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH); Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences; Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 4 8093 Zurich Switzerland
| | - Petra Schneider
- Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH); Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences; Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 4 8093 Zurich Switzerland
- inSili.com LLC; Segantinisteig 3 8049 Zurich Switzerland
| | - Lukas Friedrich
- Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH); Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences; Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 4 8093 Zurich Switzerland
| | - Viviana Consonni
- University of Milano-Bicocca; Dept. of Earth and Environmental Sciences; P.za della Scienza 1 20126 Milano Italy
| | - Roberto Todeschini
- University of Milano-Bicocca; Dept. of Earth and Environmental Sciences; P.za della Scienza 1 20126 Milano Italy
| | - Andreas Koeberle
- University of Jena; Institute of Pharmacy; Philosophenweg 14 07743 Jena Germany
| | - Oliver Werz
- University of Jena; Institute of Pharmacy; Philosophenweg 14 07743 Jena Germany
| | - Gisbert Schneider
- Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH); Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences; Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 4 8093 Zurich Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
41
|
Reker D, Schneider P, Schneider G. Multi-objective active machine learning rapidly improves structure-activity models and reveals new protein-protein interaction inhibitors. Chem Sci 2016; 7:3919-3927. [PMID: 30155037 PMCID: PMC6013791 DOI: 10.1039/c5sc04272k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2015] [Accepted: 02/27/2016] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Active machine learning puts artificial intelligence in charge of a sequential, feedback-driven discovery process. We present the application of a multi-objective active learning scheme for identifying small molecules that inhibit the protein-protein interaction between the anti-cancer target CXC chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4) and its endogenous ligand CXCL-12 (SDF-1). Experimental design by active learning was used to retrieve informative active compounds that continuously improved the adaptive structure-activity model. The balanced character of the compound selection function rapidly delivered new molecular structures with the desired inhibitory activity and at the same time allowed us to focus on informative compounds for model adjustment. The results of our study validate active learning for prospective ligand finding by adaptive, focused screening of large compound repositories and virtual compound libraries.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- D Reker
- Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences , ETH Zürich , Vladimir-Prelog Weg 4 , 8093 Zürich , Switzerland .
| | - P Schneider
- Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences , ETH Zürich , Vladimir-Prelog Weg 4 , 8093 Zürich , Switzerland .
| | - G Schneider
- Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences , ETH Zürich , Vladimir-Prelog Weg 4 , 8093 Zürich , Switzerland .
| |
Collapse
|
42
|
Drug combination therapy increases successful drug repositioning. Drug Discov Today 2016; 21:1189-95. [PMID: 27240777 DOI: 10.1016/j.drudis.2016.05.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 237] [Impact Index Per Article: 29.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2016] [Revised: 04/28/2016] [Accepted: 05/23/2016] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Repositioning of approved drugs has recently gained new momentum for rapid identification and development of new therapeutics for diseases that lack effective drug treatment. Reported repurposing screens have increased dramatically in number in the past five years. However, many newly identified compounds have low potency; this limits their immediate clinical applications because the known, tolerated plasma drug concentrations are lower than the required therapeutic drug concentrations. Drug combinations of two or more compounds with different mechanisms of action are an alternative approach to increase the success rate of drug repositioning.
Collapse
|
43
|
Butini S, Nikolic K, Kassel S, Brückmann H, Filipic S, Agbaba D, Gemma S, Brogi S, Brindisi M, Campiani G, Stark H. Polypharmacology of dopamine receptor ligands. Prog Neurobiol 2016; 142:68-103. [PMID: 27234980 DOI: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2016.03.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2015] [Revised: 01/26/2016] [Accepted: 03/15/2016] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Most neurological diseases have a multifactorial nature and the number of molecular mechanisms discovered as underpinning these diseases is continuously evolving. The old concept of developing selective agents for a single target does not fit with the medical need of most neurological diseases. The development of designed multiple ligands holds great promises and appears as the next step in drug development for the treatment of these multifactorial diseases. Dopamine and its five receptor subtypes are intimately involved in numerous neurological disorders. Dopamine receptor ligands display a high degree of cross interactions with many other targets including G-protein coupled receptors, transporters, enzymes and ion channels. For brain disorders like Parkinsońs disease, schizophrenia and depression the dopaminergic system, being intertwined with many other signaling systems, plays a key role in pathogenesis and therapy. The concept of designed multiple ligands and polypharmacology, which perfectly meets the therapeutic needs for these brain disorders, is herein discussed as a general ligand-based concept while focusing on dopaminergic agents and receptor subtypes in particular.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- S Butini
- Department of Biotechnology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, European Research Centre for Drug Discovery and Development, University of Siena, Via Aldo Moro 2, 53100 Siena, Italy
| | - K Nikolic
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Belgrade, Vojvode Stepe 450, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
| | - S Kassel
- Heinrich Heine University Duesseldorf, Institute of Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Universitaetsstr. 1, 40225 Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - H Brückmann
- Heinrich Heine University Duesseldorf, Institute of Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Universitaetsstr. 1, 40225 Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - S Filipic
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Belgrade, Vojvode Stepe 450, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
| | - D Agbaba
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Belgrade, Vojvode Stepe 450, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
| | - S Gemma
- Department of Biotechnology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, European Research Centre for Drug Discovery and Development, University of Siena, Via Aldo Moro 2, 53100 Siena, Italy
| | - S Brogi
- Department of Biotechnology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, European Research Centre for Drug Discovery and Development, University of Siena, Via Aldo Moro 2, 53100 Siena, Italy
| | - M Brindisi
- Department of Biotechnology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, European Research Centre for Drug Discovery and Development, University of Siena, Via Aldo Moro 2, 53100 Siena, Italy
| | - G Campiani
- Department of Biotechnology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, European Research Centre for Drug Discovery and Development, University of Siena, Via Aldo Moro 2, 53100 Siena, Italy
| | - H Stark
- Heinrich Heine University Duesseldorf, Institute of Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Universitaetsstr. 1, 40225 Duesseldorf, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|
44
|
Rodrigues T, Reker D, Schneider P, Schneider G. Counting on natural products for drug design. Nat Chem 2016; 8:531-41. [PMID: 27219696 DOI: 10.1038/nchem.2479] [Citation(s) in RCA: 756] [Impact Index Per Article: 94.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2015] [Accepted: 02/12/2016] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Natural products and their molecular frameworks have a long tradition as valuable starting points for medicinal chemistry and drug discovery. Recently, there has been a revitalization of interest in the inclusion of these chemotypes in compound collections for screening and achieving selective target modulation. Here we discuss natural-product-inspired drug discovery with a focus on recent advances in the design of synthetically tractable small molecules that mimic nature's chemistry. We highlight the potential of innovative computational tools in processing structurally complex natural products to predict their macromolecular targets and attempt to forecast the role that natural-product-derived fragments and fragment-like natural products will play in next-generation drug discovery.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tiago Rodrigues
- Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 4, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Daniel Reker
- Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 4, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Petra Schneider
- Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 4, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland.,inSili.com LLC, Segantinisteig 3, 8049 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Gisbert Schneider
- Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 4, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
45
|
Bieler M, Reutlinger M, Rodrigues T, Schneider P, Kriegl JM, Schneider G. Designing Multi-target Compound Libraries with Gaussian Process Models. Mol Inform 2016; 35:192-8. [PMID: 27492085 DOI: 10.1002/minf.201501012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2015] [Accepted: 02/02/2016] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
We present the application of machine learning models to selecting G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR)-focused compound libraries. The library design process was realized by ant colony optimization. A proprietary Boehringer-Ingelheim reference set consisting of 3519 compounds tested in dose-response assays at 11 GPCR targets served as training data for machine learning and activity prediction. We compared the usability of the proprietary data with a public data set from ChEMBL. Gaussian process models were trained to prioritize compounds from a virtual combinatorial library. We obtained meaningful models for three of the targets (5-HT2c , MCH, A1), which were experimentally confirmed for 12 of 15 selected and synthesized or purchased compounds. Overall, the models trained on the public data predicted the observed assay results more accurately. The results of this study motivate the use of Gaussian process regression on public data for virtual screening and target-focused compound library design.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Michael Bieler
- Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co. KG, Lead Identification and Optimization Support, Birkendorfer Strasse 65, 88397 Biberach an der Riss.
| | - Michael Reutlinger
- Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zurich, Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 4, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Tiago Rodrigues
- Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zurich, Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 4, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Petra Schneider
- Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zurich, Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 4, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Jan M Kriegl
- Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co. KG, Lead Identification and Optimization Support, Birkendorfer Strasse 65, 88397 Biberach an der Riss
| | - Gisbert Schneider
- Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zurich, Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 4, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland.
| |
Collapse
|
46
|
Abstract
Computational medicinal chemistry offers viable strategies for finding, characterizing, and optimizing innovative pharmacologically active compounds. Technological advances in both computer hardware and software as well as biological chemistry have enabled a renaissance of computer-assisted "de novo" design of molecules with desired pharmacological properties. Here, we present our current perspective on the concept of automated molecule generation by highlighting chemocentric methods that may capture druglike chemical space, consider ligand promiscuity for hit and lead finding, and provide fresh ideas for the rational design of customized screening of compound libraries.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Petra Schneider
- Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) , Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 4, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland.,inSili.com LLC , Segantinisteig 3, 8049 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Gisbert Schneider
- Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) , Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 4, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
47
|
Gawehn E, Hiss JA, Schneider G. Deep Learning in Drug Discovery. Mol Inform 2015; 35:3-14. [PMID: 27491648 DOI: 10.1002/minf.201501008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 309] [Impact Index Per Article: 34.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2015] [Accepted: 12/01/2015] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Artificial neural networks had their first heyday in molecular informatics and drug discovery approximately two decades ago. Currently, we are witnessing renewed interest in adapting advanced neural network architectures for pharmaceutical research by borrowing from the field of "deep learning". Compared with some of the other life sciences, their application in drug discovery is still limited. Here, we provide an overview of this emerging field of molecular informatics, present the basic concepts of prominent deep learning methods and offer motivation to explore these techniques for their usefulness in computer-assisted drug discovery and design. We specifically emphasize deep neural networks, restricted Boltzmann machine networks and convolutional networks.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Erik Gawehn
- Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 4, CH-8093 Zurich, Switzerland, Fax: +41 44 633 13 79, Tel: +41 44 633 74 38
| | - Jan A Hiss
- Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 4, CH-8093 Zurich, Switzerland, Fax: +41 44 633 13 79, Tel: +41 44 633 74 38
| | - Gisbert Schneider
- Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 4, CH-8093 Zurich, Switzerland, Fax: +41 44 633 13 79, Tel: +41 44 633 74 38.
| |
Collapse
|
48
|
Lavecchia A, Cerchia C. In silico methods to address polypharmacology: current status, applications and future perspectives. Drug Discov Today 2015; 21:288-98. [PMID: 26743596 DOI: 10.1016/j.drudis.2015.12.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 131] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2015] [Revised: 11/20/2015] [Accepted: 12/21/2015] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Polypharmacology, a new paradigm in drug discovery that focuses on multi-target drugs (MTDs), has potential application for drug repurposing, the process of finding new uses for existing approved drugs, prediction of off-target toxicities and rational design of MTDs. In this scenario, computational strategies have demonstrated great potential in predicting polypharmacology and in facilitating drug repurposing. Here, we provide a comprehensive overview of various computational approaches that enable the prediction and analysis of in vitro and in vivo drug-response phenotypes and outline their potential for drug discovery. We give an outlook on the latest advances in rational design of MTDs and discuss possible future directions of algorithm development in this field.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Antonio Lavecchia
- Department of Pharmacy, Drug Discovery Laboratory, University of Napoli Federico II, via D. Montesano 49, I-80131 Napoli, Italy.
| | - Carmen Cerchia
- Department of Pharmacy, Drug Discovery Laboratory, University of Napoli Federico II, via D. Montesano 49, I-80131 Napoli, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
49
|
Rodrigues T, Reker D, Welin M, Caldera M, Brunner C, Gabernet G, Schneider P, Walse B, Schneider G. De Novo Fragment Design for Drug Discovery and Chemical Biology. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2015; 54:15079-83. [DOI: 10.1002/anie.201508055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2015] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
|
50
|
Rodrigues T, Reker D, Welin M, Caldera M, Brunner C, Gabernet G, Schneider P, Walse B, Schneider G. De-novo-Fragmententwurf für die Wirkstoffforschung und chemische Biologie. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2015. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.201508055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
|